“Understanding Business Communication in Today’s Workplace” Dr. Lisa L. Barley

Communication Defined The process of sending and receiving messages for the purposes of understanding. Encourage the audience to take action or think in new ways. Quicker problem solving stronger decision making Increased productivity Steadier work flow Stronger business relationships Compelling Promotional Messages Bovve, C.L., & Thill, J.V. (2007). Business communication essentials. 3rd edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Paradigms Got Mine 1. “I’m done with my homework—see, see.” 2. “I got my “A.” 3. “I am done with my portion of the group project, what about you guys?” Grow Ours 1. “How can I be of service to anyone else who may not understand the homework? 2. “How can I be a role model for others to achieve their goals?” 3. What is the value that people really want to create together? How can we work together more efficiently? Barley, L. (April 7, 2007). “Choosing business solutions: Got mine versus grow ours.” Retrieved from http://www.simons-white.com/blog/archive/10081/oRB!f7XCmJUMdZrHuondd9bnbIQuB!25/

Understanding the Role of Consciousness in Skill Learning Unconscious Incompetence Conscious incompetence Conscious competence Unconscious competence (See handout for more details)

Management Communication Contexts Intrapersonal Communication- self awareness. Interpersonal Communication-one-on-one. Small Group Communication- teambuilding. Intercultural Communication- culture to culture.

Intrapersonal Communication “My Inner Critic and My Inner Guide” Activities I am a _____,_____,______man/woman. Example: I am a strong, intelligent, focused woman. (Refer to #5 on chapter 1, 13, and 14 quiz and “Replace Negative Internal Statements With Positive Ones” Handout) Downing, S. (2008). On Course: Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life. NY: Houghton Mifflin.

The Communication Process Internal Communication External Communication Sender Receiver Message Channel Encoding Decoding Situation Feedback/Feedforward Bovve, C.L., & Thill, J.V. (2007). Business communication essentials. 3rd edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Improving Business Communication Commit to Ethical Communication Adopting an Audience-Centered Approach Improving your Intercultural Sensitivity Improving Your Workplace Sensitivity Using Communication Technology Effectively Bovve, C.L., & Thill, J.V. (2007). Business communication essentials. 3rd edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Being Audience Centered Requires Listening Discuss Listening Quiz Assign Listening Assignment http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/listening_active.html

Communicating in Teams and Mastering Listening A team is a unit of two or more people who work together to achieve a goal. Mastering Listening: Find areas of interest. Judge content, not delivery Keep quiet. Listen for ideas. Take notes. Listen for the unspoken. Block out competing thoughts. Paraphrase. Capitalize on thought is faster than speech. Bovee, C. L. & Thill, J.V. (2007). Business Communication Essentials. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Ethical Communication Being truthful Being honest Integrity Guiding Wise Choices Choices of Successful Students SCANS handout

Responsibility Model Stimulus Choice Creator Victim Response Response Seeking Solutions Taking Action Trying Something New Result= Often achieves goals Victim Response Blaming Complaining Excusing Repeating behavior Result=Seldom Achieves goals Downing, S. (2008). On Course: Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life. NY: Houghton Mifflin.

Being Audience-Centered Requires Choosing Language Appropriate to the Context Informal Tone: Hi Gabriella: How’s it going? Just sending along the information you asked for. As I stated on Friday, Midville Hospital has more and better doctors than any other hospital in the state. Conversational Tone: Dear Ms. Navarro: Here’s the information you requested during our phone conversation on Friday. As I mentioned, Midville Hospital has the best doctors and more of them than any other hospital in the state. Bovee, C. L. & Thill, J.V. (2006). Business Communication Essentials. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. p. 86.

Know the Basics of Grammar to Identify with Your Audience: “Grammar Rules”! Punctuation Use a comma to separate the independent clauses of a compound sentence joined by a coordinating conjunction. Where does the comma go? SAS Institute CEO Jim Goodnight expects performance from his employees and they deliver in a big way. Peek Performance: Grammar and Mechanics 2.0. (2006). In J. Thill & C. Bove’e (Eds.) Business Communication Essentials. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. [Section on punctuation]. p. 79.

Punctuation (cont.) Use a comma to set off long introductory clauses, especially those beginning with if, when, and because. Where does the comma go? Because Goodnight believes employees are more creative when they aren't preoccupied with outside concerns he gives workers a bonanza of benefits. Peek Performance: Grammar and Mechanics 2.0. (2006). In J. Thill & C. Bove’e (Eds.) Business Communication Essentials. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. [Section on punctuation]. p. 79.

Public Communication: Audience Analysis Estimate how many people will attend Consider political, religious, professional affiliation. Analyze the mix of men and women, ages, socioeconomic, and ethnic groups, occupations, and geographic regions represented. Bovee, C. L. & Thill, J.V. (2006). Business Communication Essentials. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. p. 368.

Predict the Audience’s Probable Reaction Analyze the mood that people will be in when you speak to them. Find out what kind of backup information will most impress the audience: technical data, historical information, financial data, demonstrations, samples, and so on. Bovee, C. L. & Thill, J.V. (2006). Business Communication Essentials. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. p. 368.

Why Intercultural Communication Training? Expectations of: Communication Coaching Delegation Monitoring Cultural Differences “The most necessary training is…how to work with and manage a multicultural workforce.” Attitudes about: Quitting Commitment Job Satisfaction Perceptions of: Trust Fairness Role Clarity University of Kentucky. (January, 2003). PowerPoint presentation on five pillars of successful management. Retrieved November 23, 2005 from BNET http://jobfunctions.bnet.com/abstract.aspx?kw=cross- cultural+communication+case+studies&docid=79338&promo=110000

Low-context Culture Low-context culture- “people rely more on verbal communication and less on circumstances and cues to convey meaning.” (U.S. and German cultures are low-context) Hall, E. T. (1991). Context and meaning. In L.A. Samovar & R.E. Porter (Eds.) Basic Principles of Intercultural Communication: A reader. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth, 46-55.

High-context Culture High-context culture- “such as in South Korea or Taiwan, people rely less on verbal communication and more on the context of nonverbal actions and environment.” Hall, E. T. (1991). Context and meaning. In L.A. Samovar & R.E. Porter (Eds.) Basic Principles of Intercultural Communication: A reader. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth, 46-55.

Characteristics of Competencies of Cross-cultural Professionals Actively seek mutual ground. Send and receive messages without judgment. Send messages that are honest. Show respect for cultural differences. Gou-Ming, C. & Starosta, W. J. (1998). Foundations of Intercultural Communication. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. pp. 288-289.

Communication Technology Computers- Gaming Industry www.xbox.com/en-US/ Management/Marketing- Apparel and Textile Industry www.tc2.com Marketing Customer Service Management - “Minority Report” Accounting- personal finance Rich Dad Poor Dad – cash flow game Business Warehouse RFID- Wal-Mart requires its top suppliers to put radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags on all their shipping cases and pallets.

Communication Technology: E-Mail Don’t send large files (including large attachments) without prior notice. Proofread every message. Respect other people’s electronic space by sending messages only when necessary. Respond to messages quickly. Avoid overusing the label “urgent.” Be careful about using “reply all” button. Remember that e-mail isn’t always private. Bovee, C. L. & Thill, J.V. (2006). Business Communication Essentials. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. p. 79.

E-mail Why do you think that most people treat e-mail so casually? What kinds of things do you think a company should address in an e-mail policy? Do you think that companies have the right to monitor employees’ e-mail? Please explain. www.net-market.com/email.htm Bovee, C. L. & Thill, J.V. (2006). Business Communication Essentials. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. p. 79.

Communication Technology: Technical Writing Warehouse RFID- Wal-Mart requires its top suppliers to put radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags on all their shipping cases and pallets. The tags automatically provide information that was previously collected by hand via barcode scanners. Bovee, C. L. & Thill, J.V. (2006). Business Communication Essentials. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. preface.

Communication Technology: Technical Writing “Corporate Blogs- Web-based journals let companies offer advice, answer questions, and promote the benefits of their products and services.” “Elements of a successful blog include frequent updates and the participation of knowledgeable contributors.” “Adding a subtle mix of useful commentary and marketing messages helps get customers to read or listen to them.” Bovee, C. L. & Thill, J.V. (2006). Business Communication Essentials. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. preface.

Technical BuZZzzz Words Follow-Me Phone Service- to be reachable without juggling multiple forwarding numbers. Intranets- Businesses use Internet technologies to create an intranet, a private computer network that simplifies information sharing within the company. Intranets can handle company e-mail, instant messaging (IM), websites, and even Internet phone connections. Bovee, C. L. & Thill, J.V. (2006). Business Communication Essentials. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. preface.

Technical BuZZzz Words Internet Videophone- person-to-person video calling has long been possible through popular instant messaging programs. Web-Based Meetings- Workers can actively participate in web-based meetings by logging on from a desktop PC, laptop, or cell phone. Websites such as WebEx help users integrate voice, text and video. Bovee, C. L. & Thill, J.V. (2006). Business Communication Essentials. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. preface.

Technical BuZZzz Words Wireless Warehouse- FedEx and UPS. Package Tracking- FedEx PowerPad Over-the-Shoulder Support- IM Retail RFID- retailers use radio-frequency identification tags to monitor products on display. Clerks use wireless readers to scan tagged products and report stock data to a computerized inventory system. In-Store Kiosks Bovee, C. L. & Thill, J.V. (2006). Business Communication Essentials. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. preface.

Receiving Telephone Calls Effectively Answer promptly with a smile. Identify yourself. Establish the needs of your caller. Be positive. Take complete, accurate messages. Give reasons for your actions. Bovee, C. L. & Thill, J.V. (2006). Business Communication Essentials. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. p. 35.

Homework Complete chapters 1, 13, and 14 take home quiz.

5 Basic Styles to Manage Interpersonal Conflict Avoidance- denial, semantic focus, postponement. Competition- prescription. Compromise- acceptable tradeoffs. Accommodation- appeasement, smoothing over. Collaboration- achieving the goals of both parties. Pass out Handout. Kilmann and Thomas Conflict Model (1975). FOR MORE INFO...

Definition of Conflict Expressed Struggle Between 2 people Interdependence Perceived Incompatible Goals Perceived Scarce Resources Perceived Interference

Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Conflict Management When You Feel Anger Rising… Step 1: Accept Responsibility. Step 2: Determine exactly what you are angry about. Step 3: Decide the best time to talk about the problem. Step 4: Describe the problem as you see it. Step 5: Propose a solution. Step 6: Learn from the situation.

Deliver Confidently Well-delivered presentations start with your first minute at the podium, so don’t rush. Have eye contact. Stand tall, with your weight on both feed and your shoulders back. Studies indicate that people who speak with lower vocal tones at a slightly faster than average rate are perceived as being more credible. Bovee, C. L. & Thill, J.V. (2006). Business Communication Essentials. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. p. 381.