© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved © 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. Chapter 2 Professionalism: Team, Meeting, Listening, Nonverbal, and Etiquette Skills Business Communication: Process and Product, 8e Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy

Adding Value to Professional Teams What Do Digital-Age Employers Want? Education Experience Hard skills: Technical expertise in your field Soft skills: Communication and interpersonal abilities

Why Form Teams? Better decisions Faster response Increased productivity Greater buy-in Less resistance to change Improved employee morale Reduced risk

Collaborating in Virtual Teams Collaborate with coworkers in other cities and countries. Coordinate tasks across time and geographic zones. Participate and collaborate locally. Accomplish shared tasks without face-to-face contact. Pool expertise from various, diverse contributors.

The Four Phases of Team Development Forming Storming Norming Performing

Positive Team Behavior Setting rules and abiding by them Analyzing tasks and defining problems Contributing information and ideas Showing interest and listening actively Encouraging members to participate Synthesizing points of agreement

Negative Team Behavior Blocking the ideas of others Insulting and criticizing others Wasting the group’s time Making improper jokes and comments Failing to stay on task Withdrawing, failing to participate

Reaching Group Decisions Majority Consensus Minority Averaging Authority rule with discussion

Six Steps for Dealing with Conflict Listen to ensure you understand the problem. Understand the other’s position. Show a concern for the relationship. Look for areas of mutual agreement. Invent new problem-solving options. Reach a fair agreement; choose the best option.

Planning a Productive Meeting Meet only when the topic demands a rich medium because it is important and requires an exchange of ideas. Invite the right people. Distribute an agenda. Use a digital calendar for scheduling. Train participants on technology.

Running the Meeting Start on time and introduce the agenda. Appoint a secretary and a recorder. Encourage participation. Confront conflict frankly. Summarize along the way.

Ending the Meeting and Following Up Review meeting decisions. Distribute minutes of meetings. Remind people of action items.

Being a Productive Participant Arrive early and come prepared. Have a positive attitude. Contribute respectfully. Wait for others to finish. Keep your voice calm and pleasant, yet energetic.

Being a Productive Participant Give credit to others. Use electronic devices only for meeting-related tasks. Help summarize. Express your views in the meeting, not later. Follow up by completing assigned tasks.

Virtual Meetings: Audioconferencing Simple and effective Most commonly used collaborative tool in business Tools include enhanced speakerphone, telephone, and mobile phone. Also known as voice conferencing, teleconferencing, conference calling, and phone conferencing.

Virtual Meetings: Videoconferencing Participants see each other and small product details. Collaborators connect in real time. Expensive telepresence rooms are extremely life-like. Organizations reduce travel expenses, travel time, greenhouse gases, and worker fatigue. Tools include video, audio, and software.

Virtual Meetings: Web Conferencing Inexpensive and easily accessible Used to share electronic documents and demonstrate products Participants interact in real time Tools include computer, Internet access, software, and (optional) camera

Forms of Nonverbal Communication Eye Contact Facial Expression Posture and gestures Time

Forms of Nonverbal Communication Space Territory Appearance of business documents Personal appearance

Showing Professionalism When Communicating Establish and maintain eye contact. Use posture to show interest. Reduce or eliminate physical barriers. Improve your decoding skills. Probe for more information.

Showing Professionalism When Communicating Interpret nonverbal meanings in context. Associate with people from diverse cultures. Appreciate the power of appearance. Observe yourself on video. Enlist friends and family.

Gaining an Etiquette Edge Use polite words. Express sincere appreciation and praise. Be selective in sharing personal information. Don’t put people down. Respect coworkers’ space.

Gaining an Etiquette Edge Rise above others’ rudeness. Be considerate when sharing space and equipment. Choose the high road in conflict. Disagree agreeably.