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Bovee thill Business Communication
This document summarizes key topics about business communication covered in Chapter 1, including the importance of communication for problem solving, decision making, and business relationships. It discusses effective communication principles and the communication skills employers expect, such as organizing ideas, expressing information, and communicating ethically. Specific communication skills covered include being audience-centered, demonstrating intercultural sensitivity, providing constructive feedback, observing business etiquette, and using communication technology appropriately.
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Bovee thill Business Communication
- 1. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - 1 Understanding BusinessUnderstanding Business Communication inCommunication in Today’s WorkplaceToday’s Workplace
- 2. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - 2 Global CommunicationGlobal Communication Internal AudiencesInternal Audiences External AudiencesExternal Audiences
- 3. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - 3 Communication BenefitsCommunication Benefits Problem SolvingProblem Solving Decision MakingDecision Making ProductivityProductivity Work FlowWork Flow Business RelationshipsBusiness Relationships Promotional MessagesPromotional Messages Images and BrandsImages and Brands Audience ResponseAudience Response
- 4. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - 4 Effective CommunicationEffective Communication PracticalPractical FactualFactual ConciseConcise ClearClear PersuasivePersuasive
- 5. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - 5 What Employers ExpectWhat Employers Expect Organizing ideas and information Expressing ideas and information Reading and listening effectively Communicating with diverse groups Using communication technology
- 6. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - 6 What Employers ExpectWhat Employers Expect Writing and speaking effectively Applying business etiquette Communicating ethically Obeying regulations and guidelines Using time productively
- 7. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - 7 Communication ProcessCommunication Process Sender Has an Idea Sender Has an Idea 11 Sender Encodes the Idea Sender Encodes the Idea 22 Sender Produces Message Sender Produces Message 33 Audience Decodes Message Audience Decodes Message 66 Audience Receives Message Audience Receives Message 55 Sender Transmits Message Sender Transmits Message 44 Audience Reacts to Message Audience Reacts to Message 77 Audience Sends Feedback Audience Sends Feedback 88
- 8. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - 8 Communication SkillsCommunication Skills Ethical Communication Audience-Centered Approach Intercultural Sensitivity Constructive Feedback Business Etiquette Technology Skills
- 9. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - 9 Ethical CommunicationEthical Communication True in Every SenseTrue in Every Sense Includes Relevant InformationIncludes Relevant Information Not Deceptive in Any WayNot Deceptive in Any Way
- 10. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - Unethical CommunicationUnethical Communication Unethical PracticesUnethical PracticesUnethical PracticesUnethical Practices PlagiarismPlagiarismPlagiarismPlagiarism SelectiveSelective MisquotingMisquoting SelectiveSelective MisquotingMisquoting FalsifyingFalsifying NumbersNumbers FalsifyingFalsifying NumbersNumbers DistortingDistorting VisualsVisuals DistortingDistorting VisualsVisuals
- 11. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - Recognizing Ethical IssuesRecognizing Ethical Issues Ethical DilemmaEthical DilemmaEthical DilemmaEthical Dilemma StakeholdersStakeholdersStakeholdersStakeholders Conflicting LoyaltiesConflicting LoyaltiesConflicting LoyaltiesConflicting Loyalties Difficult TradeoffsDifficult TradeoffsDifficult TradeoffsDifficult Tradeoffs Ethical LapseEthical LapseEthical LapseEthical Lapse Business PressuresBusiness PressuresBusiness PressuresBusiness Pressures Illegal ChoicesIllegal ChoicesIllegal ChoicesIllegal Choices Unethical ChoicesUnethical ChoicesUnethical ChoicesUnethical Choices
- 12. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - Making Ethical ChoicesMaking Ethical Choices Policies and Structures Individual Employees Corporate ManagementCode of Ethics
- 13. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - Audience-Centered ApproachAudience-Centered Approach Focus on the AudienceFocus on the AudienceFocus on the AudienceFocus on the Audience Care About the AudienceCare About the AudienceCare About the AudienceCare About the Audience Respect the AudienceRespect the AudienceRespect the AudienceRespect the Audience
- 14. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - What Is Culture?What Is Culture? Values Norms Symbols Beliefs Attitudes Expectations Culture Is A Shared SystemCulture Is A Shared System BehaviorsBehaviors CommunicationCommunication Thought PatternsThought Patterns
- 15. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - Intercultural SensitivityIntercultural Sensitivity Assume Differences Withhold Judgment Show Respect Tolerate Ambiguity Look Past the Surface Note Cultural Biases
- 16. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - Intercultural SensitivityIntercultural Sensitivity Remain Flexible Seek Common Ground Deal with Individuals Learn When to be Direct Observe and Learn Review Travel Books
- 17. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - Cultural DifferencesCultural Differences Contextual IssuesContextual Issues Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Social CustomsSocial Customs Law and EthicsLaw and Ethics
- 18. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - Cultural ContextCultural Context Decision-Making PracticesDecision-Making Practices Problem-Solving MethodsProblem-Solving Methods Negotiating StylesNegotiating Styles HighHigh ContextContext LowLow ContextContext HighHigh ContextContext LowLow ContextContext
- 19. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - Legal and Ethical ViewsLegal and Ethical Views Seek Mutual GroundSeek Mutual Ground Withhold JudgmentWithhold Judgment Respect DifferencesRespect Differences Send Honest MessagesSend Honest Messages
- 20. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - Social CustomsSocial Customs BehaviorBehavior Formal Rules Informal Rules Concept of Time Concept of Time System of Values System of Values Respect for Authority Respect for Authority Status and Wealth Status and WealthMannersManners
- 21. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - Nonverbal CommunicationNonverbal Communication Decoding Verbal Messages Interpreting Nonverbal Signals Cultural Context Communication Process
- 22. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - Negative Cultural AttitudesNegative Cultural Attitudes EthnocentrismEthnocentrismEthnocentrismEthnocentrism XenophobiaXenophobiaXenophobiaXenophobia StereotypingStereotypingStereotypingStereotyping
- 23. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - What Is Cultural Pluralism?What Is Cultural Pluralism? Admit DistinctionsAdmit DistinctionsAdmit DistinctionsAdmit Distinctions Avoid JudgmentsAvoid JudgmentsAvoid JudgmentsAvoid Judgments Avoid AssumptionsAvoid AssumptionsAvoid AssumptionsAvoid Assumptions Accepting Multiple Cultures Accepting Multiple Cultures
- 24. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - Written Intercultural SkillsWritten Intercultural Skills Use Plain EnglishUse Plain English Strive for ClarityStrive for Clarity Use Proper AddressesUse Proper Addresses Cite Numbers CarefullyCite Numbers Carefully
- 25. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - Written Intercultural SkillsWritten Intercultural Skills Strive for BrevityStrive for Brevity Use TransitionsUse Transitions Avoid Slang and IdiomsAvoid Slang and Idioms Keep Paragraphs ShortKeep Paragraphs Short
- 26. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - Multicultural SpeakingMulticultural Speaking SkillsSkills • Speak clearly and simply • Look for feedback • Rephrase as needed • Clarify your meaning • Do not “talk down” to others
- 27. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - Multicultural SpeakingMulticultural Speaking SkillsSkills • Learn important phrases • Listen with care and respect • Adapt your conversation style • Check for comprehension • Clarify what will happen next
- 28. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - Feedback in the WorkplaceFeedback in the Workplace Constructive Feedback Constructive Feedback Destructive Feedback Destructive Feedback Process FocusedProcess Focused Outcome FocusedOutcome Focused Personal AttacksPersonal Attacks Unclear GuidelinesUnclear Guidelines
- 29. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - Etiquette in the WorkplaceEtiquette in the Workplace RespectRespectRespectRespect CourtesyCourtesyCourtesyCourtesy Common SenseCommon SenseCommon SenseCommon Sense
- 30. Copyright © 2010Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 1 - CommunicationCommunication TechnologyTechnology Maintain PerspectiveMaintain PerspectiveMaintain PerspectiveMaintain Perspective Use Tools WiselyUse Tools WiselyUse Tools WiselyUse Tools Wisely Connect with PeopleConnect with PeopleConnect with PeopleConnect with People
Editor's Notes
- #2 Learning Objectives After studying this chapter, you will be able to: Explain why effective communication is important to your success in today’s business environment Describe the five characteristics of effective business communication Identify ten communication skills that today’s employers expect from their employees List and briefly define the eight phases of the communication process Identify six important ways to improve your business communication skills Differentiate between an ethical dilemma and an ethical lapse
- #3 Achieving success in today’s workplace requires the ability to communicate effectively with a wide variety of audiences. Communication is the process of transferring information and meaning between senders and receivers, using one or more written, oral, visual, or electronic channels. During your career, you will communicate with a wide range of audiences. Internal communication refers to the exchange of information and ideas within an organization. In contrast, external communication carries information into and out of an organization. Companies constantly exchange messages with customers, suppliers, distributors, competitors, investors, journalists, and community representatives.
- #4 For any audience, communication is effective only when the intended message is understood and when it stimulates desired actions or encourages the audience to think in new ways. Effective communication yields a number of important benefits for both you and your company: Faster problem solving Stronger decision making Increased productivity Steadier work flow Stronger business relationships More compelling promotional messages Enhanced professional images and stronger brands Improved response from colleagues, employees, supervisors, investors, customers, and other important audiences
- #5 You can have the greatest ideas in the world, but they’re no good to your company or your career if you can’t express them clearly and persuasively. You can use the following techniques to make your messages practical, factual, concise, clear, and persuasive: Provide practical information. Give facts rather than vague impressions. Present information in a concise, efficient manner. Clarify expectations and responsibilities. Offer compelling, persuasive arguments and recommendations.
- #6 No matter how good you are at accounting, engineering, law, or whatever professional specialty you pursue, employers expect you to be competent at a wide range of communication tasks. In fact, employers start judging your ability to communicate before you even show up for your first interview, and the process of evaluation never really stops. Fortunately, the skills that employers expect from you are the same skills that will help you advance in your career: Organizing ideas and information logically and completely Expressing ideas and information coherently and persuasively Reading and listening to extract the intended meaning from other people’s messages Communicating effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences Using communication technologies effectively and efficiently
- #7 Following accepted standards of grammar, spelling, and other aspects of high quality writing and speaking Communicating in a civilized manner that reflects contemporary expectations of business etiquette Communicating ethically, even when choices aren’t crystal clear Adhering to applicable government regulations and guidelines Using your time productively
- #8 By viewing communication as a process, such as the following, you can identify and improve the skills you need to be more successful. The sender has an idea. The sender encodes the idea as a message. The sender produces the message in a transmittable medium. The sender transmits the message through a channel. The audience receives the message. The audience decodes the message. The audience responds to the message. The audience sends feedback.
- #9 In the coming chapters, you will find real-life examples of both effective and ineffective communication, with clear explanations to help you recognize what is good or bad about them. You will notice that six themes keep surfacing as keys to good communication: (1) committing to ethical communication, (2) adopting an audience-centered approach, (3) improving your intercultural sensitivity, (4) giving—and responding to—constructive feedback, (5) being sensitive to business etiquette, and (6) using communication technology effectively. Close attention to these themes will help you improve your business communication skills.
- #10 Ethics are the accepted principles of conduct that govern behavior within a society. Put another way, ethical principles define the boundary between right and wrong. Ethical communication includes all relevant information, is true in every sense, and is not deceptive in any way.
- #11 Unethical communication includes falsehoods and misleading information (or withholding important information). Some examples of unethical business communication include the following: Plagiarism. Stealing someone else's words or other creative products and ideas and claiming them as your own. Selective misquoting. Deliberately omitting damaging or unflattering comments to paint a better (but untruthful) picture of you or your company. Misrepresenting numbers. Falsifying statistics or manipulating data to support your assertions. Distorting visuals. Making a product look bigger or changing the scale of graphs and charts to exaggerate or conceal differences.
- #12 Every company has responsibilities to its stakeholders, and those various groups often have competing interests. In some situations, what's right for one group may be wrong for another. Moreover, as you attempt to satisfy the needs of a particular group, you may be presented with an option that seems right on the surface but somehow feels wrong. When people must choose between conflicting loyalties and weigh difficult tradeoffs, they are facing a dilemma. An ethical dilemma involves choosing among alternatives that aren't clear-cut (perhaps two conflicting alternatives are both ethical and valid, or perhaps the alternatives lie somewhere in the gray area between clearly right and clearly wrong). Unlike a dilemma, an ethical lapse is a clearly unethical or illegal choice.
- #13 To ensure ethical business communications, three elements need to be in place: ethical individuals, ethical company leadership, and the appropriate policies and structures to support employees' efforts to make ethical choices. Some companies lay out an explicit ethical policy by using a written code of ethics to help employees determine what is acceptable. A code is often part of a larger program of employee training and communication channels that allows employees to ask questions and report instances of questionable ethics. One helpful way to make sure your messages are ethical is to consider your audience: What does your audience need? What will help your audience the most?
- #14 Adopting an audience-centered approach means focusing on and caring about the members of your audience—making every effort to get your message across in a way that is meaningful and respectful to them.
- #15 For the purposes of communication, culture can be defined as a shared system of symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations, and norms for behavior. Today’s workforce is composed of people from many cultures. The interaction of culture and communication is so pervasive that separating the two is virtually impossible. To a large degree, your culture influences the way you think and behave, which naturally affects the way you communicate as both a sender and a receiver.
- #16 In any cross-cultural situation, whether it is within your own office or with an audience halfway around the world, you can communicate more effectively if you heed the following tips: Assume differences until similarity is proved. Do not automatically assume that others think, believe, or behave as you do. Withhold judgment. Accept differences in others without judging them. Show respect. Learn how respect is communicated in various cultures (through gestures, eye contact, and so on). Tolerate ambiguity. Learn to control your frustration when placed in an unfamiliar or confusing situation. Look beyond the superficial. Do not be distracted by things such as dress, appearance, or environmental discomforts. Recognize your own cultural biases. Learn to identify when your assumptions are different from those of another person.
- #17 Be flexible. Be prepared to change your habits and attitudes when communicating with someone from another culture. Emphasize common ground. Look for similarities from which to work. Deal with the individual. Communicate with each person as an individual, not as a stereotypical representative of another group. Learn when to be direct. Investigate each culture so that you will know when to send a message in a straightforward manner and when to be indirect. Observe and learn. The more you learn, the more effective you will be. Review travel guidebooks. These books are a great source of information about norms and customs in other countries.
- #18 Problems arise when we assume, wrongly, that other people’s attitudes and lives are like ours. Start by unlearning the “Golden Rule,” of treating others as you would want them to treat you. Instead, treat others the way they want to be treated. You can improve intercultural sensitivity by recognizing and accommodating cultural differences in such areas as context, ethics, social customs, and nonverbal communication.
- #19 People assign meaning to a message according to cultural context: physical cues, environmental stimuli, and implicit understanding that convey meaning between two members of the same culture. However, cultures around the world vary widely in the role that context plays in communication. In a high-context culture, people rely less on verbal communication and more on the context of nonverbal actions and environmental setting to convey meaning. In a low-context culture, people rely more on verbal communication and less on contextual cues. In lower-context cultures, businesspeople try to reach decisions as quickly and efficiently as possible. They are concerned with reaching an agreement on the main points, leaving the details to be worked out later by others. However, this approach would backfire in higher-context cultures because their executives assume that anyone who ignores the details is untrustworthy. Cultures differ in their tolerance for disagreement when solving problems. Low-context businesspeople typically enjoy confrontation and debate, but high-context businesspersons shun such tactics. Members of low-context cultures see their negotiating goals in economic terms. To high-context negotiators, immediate economic gains are secondary to establishing and maintaining long-term relationships.
- #20 Cultural context also influences legal and ethical behavior. For example, because low-context cultures value the written word, written agreements are binding. High-context cultures put less emphasis on the written word and consider personal pledges more important than contracts. They also tend to view law with flexibility; low-context cultures value the letter of the law. As you conduct business around the world, you’ll find that legal systems differ from culture to culture. These differences can be particularly important if your firm must communicate about a legal dispute in another country. When communicating across cultures, keep your messages ethical by applying four basic principles: Actively seek mutual ground. Send and receive messages without judgment. Send messages that are honest. Show respect for cultural differences.
- #21 Social behavior varies among cultures, sometimes dramatically. Such behavior is guided by numerous rules, some of them formal and specifically articulated (table manners are a good example) and others more informal and learned over time (such as the comfortable standing distance between two speakers in an office or the acceptability of male and female employees socializing outside work). The combination of formal and informal rules influences the overall behavior of everyone in a society, or at least most of the people most of the time, in such areas as manners, attitudes toward time, individual versus community values, attitudes toward status and wealth, and respect for authority.
- #22 Nonverbal communication is a vital part of the communication process. Everything from facial expressions to style of dress can influence the way receivers decode messages, and the interpretation of nonverbal signals can vary widely from culture to culture. Don’t assume that the gestures you grew up with will translate to another culture; doing so could lead to embarrassing mistakes. You will learn more about nonverbal communication in Chapter 2.
- #23 The very nature of culture being automatic, coherent, and complete can lead the members of one culture to form negative attitudes about—and rigid, oversimplified views of—other cultures. Ethnocentrism is the tendency to judge all other groups according to your own group’s standards, behaviors, and customs. When making such comparisons, people too often decide that their group is superior. An even more extreme reaction is xenophobia, a fear of strangers and foreigners. Clearly, businesspeople who take these views will not interpret messages from other cultures correctly, nor are they likely to send successful messages, either. Distorted views of other cultures or groups also result from stereotyping, assigning a wide range of generalized attributes to an individual on the basis of membership in a particular culture or social group, without considering the individual's unique characteristics. Whereas ethnocentrism and xenophobia represent negative views of everyone in a particular group, stereotyping is more a matter of oversimplifying and failing to acknowledge individuality.
- #24 To show respect for other people and to communicate effectively in business, adopt a more positive viewpoint: cultural pluralism is the practice of accepting multiple cultures on their own terms. Acknowledge and accept distinctions. Don’t ignore differences between another person’s culture and your own. Avoid assumptions. Don’t assume that others will act the same way you do, operate from the same assumptions, or use language and symbols the same way you do. Avoid judgments. When people act differently, don’t conclude that they are in error, that their way is invalid, or that their customs are inferior to your own.
- #25 When sending written communication to businesspeople from another culture, familiarize yourself with their written communication preferences and adapt your approach, style, and tone to meet your audiences’ expectations. To help you prepare effective written communications, follow these recommendations: Use plain English: short, precise words that say exactly what you mean. Be clear by using specific terms and concrete examples. Address international correspondence properly. Cite numbers carefully. Use figures (such as 27) instead of spelling them out (twenty-seven).
- #26 Be brief. Construct sentences that are shorter and simpler than those you might use when writing to someone fluent in your own language. Use transitional elements. Help readers follow your train of thought by using transitional words and phrases. Avoid slang, idioms, jargon, and buzzwords. Use short paragraphs. Each paragraph should stick to one topic and be no more than eight to ten lines long.
- #27 When speaking in English to people whose native language is not English, you may find these tips helpful: Speak clearly, simply, and relatively slowly. Pronounce words clearly, stop at distinct punctuation points, and make one point at a time. Look for feedback. Be alert to signs of confusion in your listener. Realize that nods and smiles do not necessarily mean understanding. Rephrase if necessary. If someone does not seem to understand you, rephrase using simpler words. Clarify your meaning with repetition and examples. Use concrete and specific examples to illustrate difficult or vague ideas. Do not talk down to the other person. Try not to over-enunciate and do not “blame” the listener for not understanding. Say, “Am I going too fast?” rather than “Is this too difficult for you?”
- #28 Learn important phrases in your audience’s language. Learn common greetings and a few simple phrases in the other person’s native language; this not only makes initial contact easier, but it shows respect as well. Listen carefully and respectfully. If you do not understand a comment, ask the person to repeat it. Adapt your conversation style to the other person’s style. For instance, if the other person appears to be direct and straightforward, follow suit. Check frequently for comprehension. After you make each point, pause to gauge the other person’s comprehension before moving on. Clarify what will happen next. At the end of a conversation, be sure that you and the other person agree on what has been said and decided.
- #29 You will encounter numerous situations in which you are expected to give and receive feedback regarding communication efforts. Whether giving or receiving criticism, be sure you do so in a constructive way. Constructive feedback, sometimes called constructive criticism, focuses on the process and outcomes of communication, not on the people involved. In contrast, destructive feedback delivers criticism with no effort to stimulate improvement.
- #30 In today’s hectic, competitive world, the notion of etiquette (the expected norms of behavior in a particular situation) can seem outdated and unimportant. However, the way you conduct yourself can have a profound influence on your company’s success and your career. When executives hire and promote you, they expect your behavior to protect the company’s reputation. The more you understand such expectations, the better chance you have of avoiding career-damaging mistakes. Long lists of etiquette “rules” can be overwhelming. Fortunately, you can count on three principles to get you through just about any situation: respect, courtesy, and common sense. Moreover, these principles will encourage forgiveness if you do happen to make a mistake.
- #31 Even as technologies continue to advance, anyone who has used a computer knows that the benefits of technology are not automatic. To communicate effectively, you need to keep technology in perspective, use technological tools productively, and disengage from the computer frequently to communicate in person. Keep technology in perspective. Technology is an aid to interpersonal communication, not a replacement for it. The sheer number of possibilities in many technological tools can also get in the way of successful communication. By focusing on your message and your audience, you can avoid falling into the trap of letting technology get in the way of successful communication. Use tools wisely. You don’t have to become an expert to use most communication technologies effectively, but you will need to be familiar with the basic features and functions of the tools your employer expects you to use. Whatever the tool, if you learn the basics, your work will be less frustrating and far more productive. Reconnect with people frequently. In spite of technology’s efficiency and speed, it may not be the best choice for every communication situation. Even in the best circumstances, technology can’t match the rich experience of person-to-person contact. Moreover, even the best communication technologies can’t show people who you really are. Remember to step out from behind the technology frequently to learn more about the people you work with—and to let them learn more about you.