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

2. 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.

3. 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

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

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

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. Being Audience Centered Requires Listening
Discuss Listening Quiz
Assign Listening Assignment

10. 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.

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

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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 cultural+communication+case+studies&docid=79338&promo=110000

19. 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,

20. 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,

21. 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

22. Communication Technology
Computers- Gaming Industry
Management/Marketing- Apparel and Textile Industry
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.

23. 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 isn’t always private.
Bovee, C. L. & Thill, J.V. (2006). Business Communication Essentials. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. p. 79.

24. 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 policy?
Do you think that companies have the right to monitor employees’ ? Please explain.
Bovee, C. L. & Thill, J.V. (2006). Business Communication Essentials. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. p. 79.

25. 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.

26. 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.

27. 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 , 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.

28. 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.

29. 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.

30. 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.

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

32. 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...

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

34. 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.

35. 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.