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BUSINESS COMMUNICATION (COMM 212)
Introduction
Course Outline Discussion
Group Exercise
General Overview of Communication in Business
Question:
What trends are influencing the way we communicate in Business
today?
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• Communication technologies• The knowledge economy• Flatter organizations• Global business - Diversity• Team work environments• Focus – Risk, Sustainability
Communicating for Results
Chapter 1: Getting the Message Across
Importance of EffectiveBusiness Communications
Communication is a vital skill linked to effective leadership
Poor communications loses corporations billions of dollars
Employability Skills• Conference Board of Canada Report 2000
Importance of EffectiveBusiness Communications
Progress in the business world depends on the ability to: read and understand information manage and organize information speak and write to promote understanding; gain
attention listen and appreciate various points of view share information – through different media use different skills to clarify ideas (e.g., research) apply knowledge and skills from different disciplines
Importance of EffectiveBusiness Communications
Progress in the business world depends on the ability to: read and understand information manage and organize information speak and write to promote understanding; gain
attention listen and appreciate various points of view share information – through different media use different skills to clarify ideas (e.g., research) apply knowledge and skills from different disciplines
Communications Research
Communication – Latin Root Word meaning “common”
“Having something in common
through the transmission of ideas,
emotions and skills –
through sharing knowledge and exchanging
information.” (p.6)
Communications Research
Is this enough?
Different theoretical frameworks to understand effective communication
1. rhetoric – the practical art of discourse - language
2. semantics – the way our behavior is influenced by words and
symbols
3. semiotics – how meaning is assigned and understood
4. cybernetics – how info is processed and communication systems
function
The Communication Process
• Situated• Embedded in a particular environment or socio-
cultural context
• Relational• Involves the ability to interact effectively and ethically,
according to what is needed at a given moment
• Transactional• A cooperative activity in which people adapt to one
another
Transactional Communication Model
Communication ContextsInterpersonal communication
• Between two people• Face-to-face or through
mediated forms
Small-group communication• Between three or more people• Common goal
Organized communication• Within a hierarchical social
system • Interdependent groups• Common goals
Intercultural communication
• Management of messages
between different cultures
Mass communication
• send message to a large,
anonymous audience
Communication in Organizations
• Internal communication• Communication through the channels of an
organization
• External communication• Communication with audiences who are part of an
external environment
Informal and Formal Channels of Communication
• Formal communications network• System of communication sanctioned by
organizational management
• Informal oral communication network• Unofficial internal communication
pathways that carry gossip• Sometimes accurate,
sometimes not
The Flow of Information• Formal communication channels
• Facilitate the flow of information through the hierarchy of an organization
• Upward communication flow• Channels information from subordinates to
superiors• Downward communication flow
• Channels information from superiors to subordinates
• Horizontal communication flow• Channels information between individuals at
the same organizational level
Verbal and Non-Verbal Forms
Using Words -
Speaking & Listening
Reading & Writing
Wendy Keller Sept. 2012
Verbal and Non-Verbal Forms
45%
16%9%
30%
Sending Receiving
Wendy Keller Sept. 2012
Verbal and Non-Verbal Forms
Using Words -
What are some of the different forms
in which we use words to communicate?
Wendy Keller Sept. 2012
Verbal and Non-Verbal Forms
Using Words -
Oral Written
Conversation Letter
Phone Calls Email, Fax
Meeting Memo, Report
Interview Resume
Conference Newsletter
*Multi-dimensional literacy*
Wendy Keller Sept. 2012
Verbal and Non-Verbal Forms
Oral Written Advantage
Immediate Feedback Permanent RecordNon-verbal clues ConvenienceHuman Contact EconomyPersonal Impact Easy Distribution
Disadvantage
Time Consuming Permanent RecordDistractions Impersonal?Emotional Content Broad Distribution
Wendy Keller Sept. 2012
Verbal and Non-Verbal Forms
7% of the meaning is in the words that are spoken
38% - “paralinguistic” – voice quality
55% - non-verbal expression
Wendy Keller Sept. 2012
Verbal and Non-Verbal Forms
1. Eye Contact –
Brief versus long - understand cultural implications
2. Facial Expressions –
250,000 different expressions Do you have a “poker face”?
3. Gesture and Posture (Body Language)
Wendy Keller Sept. 2012
Verbal and Non-Verbal Forms
1. Eye Contact – Brief versus long - understand cultural implications
2. Facial Expressions – 250,000 different expressions Do you have a “poker face”?
3. Non-verbal vocal qualities of communication – “Vocalics” -
paralanguage - intonation, pitch, emotion, pauses
4. Gesture and Posture (Body Language – “Kinesics”
5. Time – whether you are on time or how time is used – “Chronemics”
6. Space – choice of surroundings - “Proxemics”
Territory – social interaction (e.g. Touch) – distance
7. Appearance of … People…Documents - “Image”
Wendy Keller Sept. 2012
Verbal and Non-Verbal Forms
Impact of Non-Verbal communication on Verbal Communication:
1. Repetition clarify, reinforce
2. Contradiction Conflict – Can lead to
4. Substitution the non-verbal cue sends the message
3. Regulation Sets the tone; start, finish communication,
control style given different settings
5. Accenting and Complementing - confirms
Encoding and Decoding – Sending and Receiving non-verbal cues.
Barriers to Communication
“What gets in the way of or
hinders successful
communication?”
Wendy Keller Sept. 2012
Barriers to Communication
– Interpretation of Symbols – Words
– Misunderstanding of Non-Verbal Clues
– Different Frames of Reference
…experience, culture - education, values, beliefs, etc.
– Language Skill
…vocabulary, skill in written and/or oral expression
– Poor Listening
– Distractions
…noise, poor connections, print issues, etc.
Wendy Keller Sept. 2012
1. Build Language Skills - Oral and Written
Be purposeful
Be a careful reader
Be a good “listener”
Be context sensitive
Be proactive
Overcoming Barriers to Communication
Wendy Keller Sept. 2012
Overcoming Barriers to Communication
1. Build Language Skills - Oral and Written
2. Understand your own Communication
Style
3. Improve Interviewing Skills
4. Create Audience-Centered Messages
5. Develop a Reputation of Professionalism
Wendy Keller Sept. 2012
Overcoming Barriers to Communication
3. Improve Interviewing Skills Understand Background
Frames of Reference
Wendy Keller Sept. 2012
Understanding Frame of Reference = Cultural Literacy
Culture = A shared set of values, beliefs, customs, rules, and institutions held by a
specific group of people
Cultural literacy
Detailed knowledge of a culture that enables a person to function effectively within it
√
Ethnocentricity
Belief that one’s own ethnic group or
culture is superior to that of others
> Based on limited experience.X
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
Components of Culture
Physicalenvironments
Education
Personalcommunication
Religion
Social structure
Manners &customs
Values &attitudes
Aesthetics
Culture
Social structure
Manners &customs
Values &attitudes
Aesthetics
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
Physical and Material CulturePhysical and Material Culture
How can these influence a culture?
TopographyPhysical features characterizing the surface of a geographic region
ClimateWeather conditions of a geographic region
Material CultureTechnology used to manufacture goods and provide services
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
High- and Low-context Communication Styles
" Culture is more often a source of conflict than of synergy. Cultural differences are a nuisance at best and often a disaster." Prof. Geert Hofstede, Emeritus Professor, Maastricht University.
http://www.geert-hofstede.com/
Culture And The Workplace
Keys to Intercultural Communication• Show respect.• Develop awareness.• Avoid negative
judgments.• Cultivate a work
environment that values diversity.
• Ask questions.
• Prepare to be flexible and seek a common ground.
• Tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty.
• Listen to others, not your own ethnocentrism.
• Bridge cultural gaps.• Encourage your employer to
commit to a harassment- and discrimination-free workplace.
3. Improve Interviewing Skills Understand Background
Frames of Reference
Improve Questioning & Listening Skills Eliminate Distractions
Stay in the Present Develop an awareness of cognitive
dissonance
Set a positive tone Send signals that you are interested
Overcoming Barriers Cont’d
Wendy Keller Sept. 2012
Effective Interviewing
• Effective Questioning & Listening
• Preparation
• Questioning skills
• Listening skills
• Building rapport & trust
• Diffusing conflict
Wendy Keller Sept. 2012
A. Decide on the purpose of the communication (interview)
B. Review what you already know
C. Prepare your questions/strategy
D. Set the stage
E. Prepare to listen.
Effective Interviewing: Questioning & Listening
Wendy Keller Sept. 2012
1. Similarity –membership
2. Contact - visibility
3. Positive Attitude towards
the relationship
4. Physical presence
5. Reciprocity – build on
indebtedness
6. Reliable & Responsible
7. Humbleness & Sharing
8. Respectful behavior
9. Complimentary
1. Social Comparison – “I am
better than you.”
2. Limited contact
3. Negative Presence
5. Breaches of trust
6. Egocentrism –”I only told a
little white lie...,you deceived
me.”
7. Breaking the “rules”
8. Negative perceived reputation
9. Disrespectful behavior
Building Trust Breaking Trust
Wendy Keller Sept. 2012
Ethical Communication• Business ethics
• The socially accepted moral principles and rules of business conduct
• Ethical lapses: rationalizations happen because: • Safety in numbers• Head in the sand• Between a rock and a hard
place• “It’s no big deal.”• Entitlement• Team player
• Avoid Ethical Lapses by:
• Telling the truth.• Avoid language that
attempts to evade responsibility.
• Don’t suppress or de-emphasize important information.
Privacy in the Workplace• Personal Information Protection and Electronic
Documents Act (PIPEDA)
• Organizations must• provide accountability• identify reason for collecting information• gain consent• collect only necessary information• use information for intended purpose• maintain accuracy• provide safeguards• tell people how information will be used• give people access to their own information• develop straightforward complaints procedures