Prepared By: Syed Hasan Atif1 EFFECTIVE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION Speaking Listening Writing Reading

Prepared By: Syed Hasan Atif 1

EFFECTIVE BUSINESS

COMMUNICATION

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Reading

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Communication DefinedThe exchange of meanings between individuals through a common system of symbols.

Encyclopedia Britannica

An act or instance of transmitting (n)

Communication is a process in which a person, through the use of signs (natural,universal) / symbols (by human convention) , verbally and / or non-verbally, consciously on unconsciously but intentionally,conveys meaning to another in order to affect change

Anonymous


Types of Communication

• Verbal

• Non-Verbal

• Written

• Electronic


The Guru’s of Communication


7 C’s of Communication

• Completeness

• Conciseness

• Consideration

• Concreteness

• Clarity

• Courtesy

• Correctness


10 Commandments of Communication

• Believe in what you say• Believe in the people to whom you speak• Live what you say• Know when to say it• Know how to say it• Know why to say it• Have fun saying it• Show it as you say it• Say it so people can own it• Say it so people will do it


5 W’s and the 6th Element

• What• When• Which• Why• Where

• How


Communication at Work


Changes Affecting the Workplace

• Heightened global competition

• Flattened management hierarchies

• Expanded team-based management

• Innovative communication technologies

• New work environment

• Increasingly diverse workforce

• Success in the new workplace requires excellent communication skills


The Communication Process Basic Model

1.Sender has idea

1.Sender has idea

4.Receiver decodes messages

4.Receiver decodes messages

3.Message travels over channel

3.Message travels over channel

2. Sender encodes idea in message

2. Sender encodes idea in message

5.Feedback travels to sender

5.Feedback travels to sender

6.Possible additional feedback to receiver

6.Possible additional feedback to receiver


Organizational Communication

• Functions– Internal and External

• Form– Oral and Written

• Form– Channel selection dependent on

• Message content• Need for immediate response

• Audiences size and distance• Audience reaction• Need to show empathy, friendliness, and formality• Flow

– Formal or Informal– Down, up, horizontal– grapevine


Communication Flowing Through Formal Channels

Downward

• Management directives

• Job plans

• Company goals

• Mission statements

Horizontal

• Task coordination

• Information sharing

• Problem solving

• Conflict resolution

Upward • Employee feedback • Progress reports • Reports of customer • interaction, feedback • Suggestions for • improvement • Anonymous hotline


Communication Flowing Through Formal Channels

Written

• Executive memos, letters

• Annual reports

• Company newsletter

• Reports of customer

• Orientation manual

Oral

• Telephone

• Face-to-face

• conservation

• Company meetings

• Team meetings

Electronic

• E-mail

• Voicemail

• Intranet

• Videotape

• Videoconferencing


Message DistortionDownward Communication

Through Five Levels of ManagementThrough Five Levels of Management

Message

Written by Board of Directors

Received by Vice-President

Received by General Manager

Received by Plant Manager

Received by Team Leader

Received by worker

Amount of message

100%

63%

56%

40%

30%

20%


Verbal/Oral Communication


• Environment• Cultural Background• Pace

– Slow/ Fast– Pause

• Word Choice• Voice

– Audibility– Stressed / Cheerful / Monotonous– Emphatic

Oral/Verbal Communication


Listening


The Listening Process

Perception

Interpretation

Evaluation

Action


Ten Misconception About Listening

Listening is a matter of intelligence.• Fact. Careful listening is a learned behavior. • Speaking is a more important part of the

communication process than listening.• Fact: Speaking and listening are equally important. • 3.Listening is easy and requires little energy.• Fact: Active listeners undergo the same physiological

changes as a person jogging.



• 4. Listening is an automatic reflex.– Fact : Listening is conscious, selective process.– Hearing is an involuntary act.

• • 5. Speakers are able to command listening.

– Fact :Speakers cannot make a person really listen.

• • 6. Hearing ability determines listening ability.

– Fact: Listening happens mentally- between the years



• 8. Listening is only a matter of understanding a speaker's words– Fact :Non verbal signals also help listeners gain understanding.

• 9. Daily practice eliminates the need for listening training.

– Fact :Without effective listening training, most practice merely reinforces negative behavior.

• 10.Competence in listening develops naturally.

– Fact: Untrained people listen at only 25% efficiency


Tips for better listening

• Control internal and external distractions.

• Become actively involved.

• Identify important facts

• Don’t interrupt

• Ask clarifying questions

• Paraphrase to increase understanding

• Take advantage of lag time

• Take notes to ensure retention


Nonverbal Communication


Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal communication includes all unwritten and unspoken both, intentional and unintentional


Planning and participatingin meetings

• Before the meeting

• Consider alternatives. Is a meeting necessary?

• Invite the right people. Include…

– Those who have information.– Those who can make decision.– Those who must implement decision.

• Distribute an agenda.


Planning and participationin meetings

During the meeting • Start on time and introduce the agenda.• Appoint a secretary and recorder• Encourage balanced participation.• Confront conflict frankly.• Summarize points of consensus along

the way


Planning and Participation in Meetings

Ending the meeting and follow up

• Review meeting decisions

• Distribute minutes of meeting

• Remind people of action items


Communication Across Cultures


• Culture is learned.

• Cultures are inherently logical.

• Culture forms are self-identity and community.

• Culture combines the visible and the invisible.

• Culture is dynamic

Characteristics Of Culture


Selected Dimensions Of Culture

Communication Style

• High-context cultures rely on non-verbal cues and total picture to communicate

• Meanings embedded at many social levels.

• Low-context cultures emphasise words, straight forwardness, openness.People tend to be informal, impatient, literal.


Selected Dimensions Of Culture

Time Orientation

• Unlimited and never-ending in some cultures. Relaxed to a time.

• Precious to North Americans. Correlates with productivity, efficiency, and money


High-Context and Low-context Cultures

Japanese

Arab

Latin American

Spanish

English

Italian

French

North American

Scandinavian

German

Swiss

Low

High


Improving Communication With Multicultural Audiences Oral

Messages

• Learn Foreign phrases.

• Use simple English.

• Speak slowly and enunciate clearly.

• Observe eye messages

• Encourage accurate feedback

• Check frequently for comprehension.


Oral Messages

• Accept blame.

• Listen without interrupting.

• Remember to smile!

• Follow up in writing


Written Messages

• Adapt to local formats.

• Use short sentences and short paragraphs.

• Avoid ambiguous expressions.

• Try for clarity.

• Use correct grammar


Improving Communication With

Multicultural Audiences


Written Messages

• Cite numbers carefully.

• Accommodate reader and

organisations, tone, and style


Making Ethical Decisions Across Borders

• Broaden your view of other cultures.

• Avoid reflex judgements.

• Find alternatives.

• Refuse business if options violate your basic

values.

• Conduct all business openly.

• Don’t rationalise shady decisions.

• Resist lawful but unethical strategies


Tips On Capitalising On Workforce Diversity

• Seek training.

• Understand the value of differences.

• Don’t expect conformity.

• Create zero tolerance for bias and stereotypes.

• Learm about your cultural self.

• Make fewer assumptions.

• Build on similarities.


Proverbs Reflect Culture

What do these proverbs tell us about this culture and its values?

U.S .Proverbs

• Waste not , want not.

• He who holds the gold makes the rules.

• If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

• The early bird gets the worm.


Proverbs Reflect Culture

Chinese Proverbs

Man who waits for roast duck to fly into mouth must wait very , very long time.

Man who says it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it.


Other Proverbs

No one is either rich or poor who has not helped himself to be so. (German)

Words do not make flour.(Italian)

Wealth that comes in at the door unjustly, goes out at the window.(Egyptian)


Barriers in Effective

Communication


• Bypassing

• Limited frame of reference

• Lack of language skills

• Lack of listening skills

• Emotional interference

• Physical distraction

Barriers to Interpersonal

Communication


Understanding Shaped by

• Communication climate

• Context and setting

• Background, experience

• Knowledge, mood

• Values, belief, culture


Barriers That Block the Flow of Information in

Organizations

• Closed communication climate

• Top-heavy organizational structure

• Long lines of communication

• Lack of trust between management and employees

• Competition for power, status, rewards


Additional Communication Barrier

• Fear of reprisal for honest communication

• Differing frames of reference among communicators

• Lack of communication skills

• Ego involvement

• Turf wars


In Center Harbor, Maine, local legend recalls the day when Walter Cronkite steered his boat into port. The avid sailor was amused to see in the distance a small crowd on shore waving their arms to greet him. He could barely make out their excited shouts of “Hello Walter, Hello Walter.”

A Classic Case of Miscommunication

1


As his boat sailed closer, the crowd grew larger, still yelling, “Hello Walter, Hello Walter.” Pleased at the reception, Cronkite tipped his white captain’s hat, waved back, even took a bow. But before reaching dockside, Cronkite’s boat abruptly jammed aground. The crowd stood silent. The veteran news anchor suddenly realized what they’d been shouting: “Low water, low water.”

2


Analysis of Communication Process

Sender has idea

Warn boater

Receiver decodes message

“Hello Walter!”

Channel carries message

Message distorted

Sender encodes message

“Low water!”


What barriers helped create the miscommunication here?

• Frame of reference

• Receiver accustomed to acclaim and appreciative crowd.

• Language skills

• Maine accent makes “water” and “Walter” sound similar.

• Listening skills • Receiver more accustomed to speaking than to listening.

• Emotional interference • Ego prompted receiver to believe crowd was responding to his celebrity status.

• Physical barriers • Noise from boat distance between senders and receivers.

Which of these barriers could be overcome through improved communication skills?


Overcoming Communication Barriers

Realize that communication is imperfect.

Adapt the message to the receiver.

Improve your language and listening skills

Question your preconceptions.

Plan for feedback.


Preparing Effective Business Messages(Writing)


AIDAA- Attract the reader’s favorable attention

I- Arouse the reader’s interest

D- Create desire and convince the reader

A- Make clear the action the reader needs to take


Business Writing is…

• Purposeful: It solves problems and conveys information.

• Economical: It is concise.

• Reader-oriented: It focuses on the receiver, not the sender


The 3x3 Writing Process

• Prewriting

• Writing

• Revising


The Complete Process

Prewriting Analyze Anticipate Adapt

Prewriting Analyze Anticipate Adapt

Writing Research Organize Compose

Writing Research Organize Compose

Revising Revise Proofread Evaluate

Revising Revise Proofread Evaluate


Prewriting

Analyze: Define your purpose. Select the most appropriate form (channel). Select the most appropriate form (channel). Visualize the audience. Anticipate: Put yourself in the reader’s position and predict his or her reaction to this message. Adapt: Consider ways to shape the message to benefit the reader, using his or her language.


Writing

• Research: Collect data formally and informally. Generate ideas by brainstorming and clustering.

• • Organize : Group ideas into list or an outline.

Select the direct or indirect strategy.• • Compose: Write first draft, preferably on a

computer


Revising

• Revise: Revise for clarity, tone, conciseness, and vigor. Revise to improve readability.

• Proofread: Proofread to verify spelling grammar,

punctuation, and format. Check for overall appearance.

• Evaluate: Ask yourself whether the final product

will achieve its purpose.


The 3x3 Writing Process

• Phase 1: Prewriting

– Analyzing, anticipating, adapting

• Phase 2: Writing

– Researching, organizing, composing

• Phase 3: Revising

– Revising, proofreading, evaluating


Analyzing and Anticipating

• Analyze the task

• Identify the purpose.

• Select the best channel

• Importance of message?

• Feedback required?.

• Permanent record?


Analyzing and Anticipating

• Cost of channel?

• Degree of formality?

• Anticipate the audience

• Primary receivers?

• Secondary receivers?

Cont’d


Adapting to Task and Audience

• Spotlight receiver benefits (the warranty starts working for you immediately)

• Cultivate the “You” view ( you will receive your order)

• Use sensitive language avoiding gender, race, age, and disability biases ( office workers , not office girls)

• Express thoughts positively ( you will be happy to, not you will be sorry that)

• Use familiar words salary, not remuneration)• Use precise , vigorous words ( fax me not contact me)


Sender-focused Receiver focused

“We are requiring all Please complete these

staffers to complete forms so that you will

these forms in be eligible for health

compliance with and dental benefits”

company policy”

The You Factor


ORGANIZING AND WRITING BUSINESS

MESSAGES


Effective Sentences


Creating Effective Sentences • Recognizing phrases and clauses

• Use short sentences

• Emphasize important ideas

• Use the active voice for most sentences

• Use the passive voice to de-emphasize the performer

and/or to be tactful

• Avoid dangling and misplaced modifiers


Recognizing Phrases and Clauses

• Clauses have subjects and verbs; phrases do not.

• Independent clauses are complete; dependent clauses are

not

• Phrases and dependent clauses cannot function as

sentences

• Independent Clause: They were eating cold pizza

• Dependent Clause: that they want to return for a refund

• Phrase: to return for a refund


Using Short Sentences

Sentence Length Comprehensive Rate

8 words 100%

15 words 90%

19 words 80%

28 words 50%

Source: American Press Institute


Emphasizing Important Ideas

• Position important idea at beginning of sentences

• Make sure important idea is subject of sentence

• Place main idea in short sentence


Use Active Voice for Most Sentences

Active Voice: We lost money

Active Voice: I sent the e-mail message yesterday

(Subject is performer)


Use Passive Voice to De-emphasize the Performer and/or to

be Tactful

Passive voice: Money was lost (by us).

Passive voice: The e-mail message was sent yesterday (by me).

(Passive voice test: Ask “By whom?” If you fill in performer, verb is probably in passive voice.)


Avoid Dangling Modifiers

Dangling modifier:

To be hired, an application must be completed.

Revision:

To be hired, you must complete an application.

To be hired, fill out an application (You is understood to be the subject)


Avoid Misplaced Modifiers

Misplaced modifiers

The patient was referred to a psychiatrist with a severe emotional problem.

Revision

The patient with a severe emotional problem was referred to the psychiatrist.


Effective Paragraphs


Drafting Effective Paragraphs

• Discuss only one topic in each paragraph.

• Arrange sentences in a strategic plan

• Link ideas to build coherence

• Use transitional expression for coherence


Discussing Only One topic in each paragraph

• Group similar ideas together

• Start a new paragraph for each new topic


Linking Ideas to build coherence

• Sustain the key idea by repeating or rephrasing it.

• Use a pronoun (… to fulfill our goals. These goals…)

• Dovetail sentences. Connect the beginning of each new sentence with a word from the end of the previous sentence


Using Transitional Expression for Coherence

Recommended expression

• Additionally

• Also

• As a result

• For example

• In other words

• Therefore


Revising Business Messages


Revising for Clarity, Conciseness, and Readability • Keep it simple

• Keep it conversational

• Remove opening fillers

• Eliminate redundancies

• Reduce compound prepositions

• Purge empty words

• Dump trite “business” phrases

• Develop parallelism (balanced construction)

• Apply graphic highlighting

• Measure readability


Keep it simple

Avoid indirect, pompous language

Poor:

It would not be inadvisable for you to affix your signature at this point in time.

Improved:

You may sign now.


Keep it conversational

Formal

Our Accounting Department takes this opportunity to inform you that we have credited your account for the aforementioned sum.

Conversational:

We have credited your account for RS. 1000.


Removing opening fillers

Wordy:

There are four new menu items we must promote.

Improved:

We must promote four new menu items.


Eliminate Redundancies

• Collect together

• Contributing factor

• Personal opinion

• Perfectly clear


Reduce compound preposition

At such time, at which time when

Due to the fact, in as much as because


Purge empty words

• As for the area of athletic shoes, the degree of profits sagged

• This is to inform you that we have a toll free

services line. • Not all students who are registered will

attend.


Purge empty words

As for the area of athletic shoes, the degree of profits sagged

This is to inform you that we have a toll free service line.

Not all students who are registered will attend.

registered


Apply graphic highlighting

• Letters, such as (a) and (b) within the text.• Numerals, like 1,2, and 3, listed vertically.• Bullets, like *• Headings and print options

• CAPITAL LETTERS

• Underscore

• Boldface

• Italics

• Font size


Measure readability

Apply Gunning’s Fog Index (Readability Test)


What to watch for, in proofreading

• Spelling

• Grammar

• Punctuation

• Names and numbers

• Format


Proofreading Documents

For computer messages, read on the screen in WYS/WYG mode (what you see is what you get) or better, print a rough copy to read.

For handwritten or printed messages, read carefully and use proofreading marks to indicate changes.


• Print a copy, preferably double-spaced.

• Set it aside for a breather

• Allow adequate time for careful proofreading

• Be prepared to find errors. Congratulate, not

criticize, yourself each time you find an error.

• Read the message at least twice – for

meaning and for grammar/ mechanics

• Reduce your reading speed. Focus on

individual words

How to Proofread Complex Documents


Effective E-Mail Messages


Characteristics of Successful

E-Mail Messages • Be concise

• Answer all questions

• Use proper Punctuation, Grammar and Spelling

• Use Templates for frequently

• Reply promptly

• Use proper structure and layout

• Avoid using high priority options


Characteristics of Successful

E-Mail Messages

• Do not use CAPS

• Add disclaimer to your e-mails

• Review before sending

• Zip large files

• Do not request delivery and read receipts

• Do not use e-mail to discuss confidential matters

• Always run Anti Virus before opening attached files


The Six Most Common Mistakes

in Sending E-Mail• Address goofs

• Lengthy messages or attachments

• Misleading subject lines

• Inappropriate content (such as delivering bad

news)

• Instant indiscretions (angry or thoughtless

statements)

• Reckless copying


Telephonic Communication


Effective Phone Calls

• Have an aim

• Tailor your style

• Limit social conversation

• Give concise answers to questions

• If you don’t know an answer, say so

• At the end of a call, summarise the points made

• Don’t talk to anyone else when on the phone


Making Phone calls If’s and Don’ts

• Don’t make a call very

early or very late

• Don’t harass people

• If calls are administrative, delegate them

• If you get an answering machine, ring off and ring back

Take the initiative in making calls

Ifs Don’ts


Incoming Calls

• The phone should not ring more than 3 times before being answered

• Everyone should have responsibility for answering phones

• Don’t answer the phone while eating

• Always ring back

• The phone should not ring more than 3 times before being answered

• Everyone should have responsibility for answering phones

• Don’t answer the phone while eating

• Always ring back