Chapter 1
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Understanding Business Communication in Today’s Workplace
Learning Objectives1. Learn why communication matters
2. Identify skills today’s employers expect
3. Explore the communication process
4. Commit to ethical communication
5. Communicate in a diverse world
6. Use communication technology
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Understanding Why Communication
Matters
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Management
Leadership
Career Success
Your Company• Closer ties with the marketplace
• Conversations, perceptions, and trends
• Humanize business organizations
• Faster problem solving
• Stronger decision making
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Your Company• Increased productivity
• Steadier work flow
• Compelling promotional messages
• Enhanced images and stronger brands
• Financial advantages
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Communication•Practical•Factual•Clear•Concise•Persuasive
Communicating in Today’s Global Business
Environment
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What Employers Expect
• Organizing ideas and information
• Expressing yourself coherently
• Constructing compelling narratives
• Evaluating data and information
• Listening actively to others
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What Employers Expect
• Communicating with diverse audiences
• Using communication technologies
• Using standard grammar and spelling
• Adapting messages and styles
• Communicating in a civilized manner
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What Employers Expect
• Communicating ethically
• Respecting company information
• Following laws and regulations
• Managing time and resources
• Improving your skills over time
Organizational Context
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CommunicationChannels
CompanyPolicies
OrganizationalStructure
PersonalRelationships
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Center on Audience
•Audience Needs
•Writing and Speaking
•Listening Ability
•Working Relationships
Business Etiquette
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•Respect
•Courtesy
•Common Sense
Exploring the Communication
Process
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Communication Process
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1. Sender has an idea
2. Sender encodes the idea
3. Sender produces the message
4. Sender transmits the message
Communication Process
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5. Audience receives the message
6. Receiver decodes the message
7. Receiver responds to the message
8. Receiver provides feedback
Communication Models
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SocialTraditional
Interactive
Conversational
Accessible
Scripted
One-Way
Directive
Business Communication 2.0 Model
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TraditionalApproach
Social MediaApproach
HybridMethod
StrategicPlans Policies Customer
SupportProject
Updates
Committing to Ethical Communication
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•Plagiarism•Omission•Misquoting•Distortion•Privacy
Unethical Messages
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Ethical Questions
Ethical Dilemma
Ethical Lapse
Make Ethical Choices
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• Have you defined the situation?
• Why are you communicating?
• What impact will your message have?
• What good or harm will be achieved?
• Will your assumptions change?
• Are you comfortable with the decision?
Communicating in a World of Diversity
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Advantages
• Ideas and Views
•Diverse Markets
•Employee Talents
Disadvantages
•Perceptions
•Responses
•Communication
Workforce Diversity
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Key Diversity Aspects
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Cultural Context
Legal and Ethical
Social Customs
Nonverbal Signals
Age Differences
Gender Differences
Religious Differences
Ability Differences
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Cultural Context
HIGHCONTEXT
LOWCONTEXT
Legalities and Ethics
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Seek MutualGround
Withhold Judgment
Send HonestMessages
Respect CulturalDifferences
Social Customs
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Formal Rules Informal Rules
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Nonverbal Signals
Cultural Context
Communication Process
DecodingMessages
InterpretingMessages
Age Differences
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Multiple Generations
Gender Differences
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Communication Styles
Religious Differences
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Personal Beliefs
Workplace Issues
Ability Differences
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Assistive Technologies
Improving Intercultural Communication
• Avoid ethnocentrism
• Avoid stereotyping
• Don’t assume others are like you
• Avoid being judgmental
• Respect other cultures
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Improving Intercultural Communication
• Tolerate ambiguity
• Look beyond superficial factors
• Recognize your own biases
• Be flexible and prepared to change
• Observe and learn
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Plain Language
Clarity
Numbers
Slang Terms
Technical Jargon
Brevity
Paragraphs
Transitions Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter 1 - 37
Intercultural Writing
Speaking with Multilingual Audiences
• Speak clearly and simply
• Look for feedback
• Rephrase as needed
• Clarify your meaning
• Do not “talk down” to others
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Speaking with Multilingual Audiences
• Learn important phrases
• Listen with care and respect
• Adapt your conversation style
• Check for comprehension
• Clarify what will happen next
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Using Communication Technology Effectively
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Using Technology
Maintain Perspective
Be Productive
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Using Technology
Stop InformationOverload
Reconnectwith People
Understanding Business Communication in Today’s
Workplace
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