Skills for Effective

Business Communication:
Efficiency, Collaboration, and Success

Michael Murphy
Shorenstein Center for Communication
Kennedy School of Government
Harvard University
September 30, 2014
 
Murphy
Skills for Effective Business Communication
HKS at Harvard University 30SEP14
 I: Introduction •  Define the term “business communication;”
•  Identify the elements of communication from a
Communicative socio-linguistic perspective;
Competence and Self- •  Assess individual strengths and weaknesses in terms
Assessment of communication skills.
•  Structure approaches to reading a text;
II: Strategies for Efficient •  Identify tips to increase speed as a reader;
Reading
•  Apply the strategies to a text.
•  Note the importance of giving and receiving
feedback;
III. Strategies for •  Identify the “7Cs of Effective Business Writing;”
Improving Writing •  Structure emails from subject heading to sign off;
•  Note the limits of technology for writers and the
dangers of excessive use of business jargon.
IV: On The Phone: •  Note the importance of non-verbal communication;
Non-Verbal Skills and •  Identify strategies for effective communication in
Collaborative virtual meetings;
Relationships in the Virtual •  Examine current trends and predict future changes
Office in business communication.

•  Acknowledge the relationships between language,

V. Conclusion efficiency, collaboration, and success!
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 Communication is the key to success in business.
Business communication is the ability to build solid
relationships based on the effective and efficient
exchange of information between:  

Vendors and
distributors  

Employees
within the
Other business   Customers
businesses   and clients  

Murphy
In other words, it’s all about building trust.
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 Four Sociolinguist
Competencies of
Effective
Communication  

Grammatical Discourse Sociolinguistic Strategic

Competence   Competence Competence Competence

The ability to
Communication in a solve
Lexical, syntactic, The combination of social and cultural communication
semantic, linguistic expressions context with awareness problems and
morphological, and the appropriate of theme, roles,
and phonological compensate for
way of connecting participants, situation deficiencies by
knowledge.   these expressions. and norms of verbal and non-
interaction. verbal means.  

Murphy
Skills for Effective Business Communication Adapted from Canale & Swain (1988) 4
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On The Relationships Between Face-to-Face and Virtual
Communication and Verbal and Non-verbal
Communication:  

Cummins’s (1981b) model of language acquisition (as cited in Madyarov) with four quadrants.
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 The Interdependent Nature of Communication with
Regard to Input and Output:
Output (Has) Input (Is)

•  Clarity; •  Active;
•  Succinctness; C •  Engaged;
•  Professionalism; O •  Aware;
Writer •  Structural, syntactic,
and lexical M •  Involved; Reader
•  Responsive.
perfection; M
•  Information. U
N
I
C
•  Clarity; •  Active;
•  Brevity; A •  Engaged;
•  Succinctness; T •  Aware;
Speaker •  Accurate
pronunciation, tone,
I •  Involved; Listener
O •  Responsive.
and style.
N

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 Strategies for Efficient Reading (Part 1 of 3):
•  Read the title/subject line: Determine what the
text is about;
Preview: •  Read the first two paragraphs and the first
sentence of each subsequent paragraph;
•  Read the concluding paragraph.

•  If it’s short enough, look for keys words;

Skim: •  Use text features such as bold or italics.

•  Train your eyes to read in groups of four to

Cluster: five words rather than one-by-one.

Murphy
Cosby, B. (1982). How to read faster. “Power of the Printed Word.” International Paper Company.
Skills for Effective Business Communication
Retrieved from http://simson.net/ref/1983/international-paper2.pdf 9
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 Strategies for Efficient Reading (Part 2 of 3):
Conduct a STAP Analysis:  
 

Identify the Subject: •  The subject is usually one word.  

•  What is the author’s attitude/opinion

Identify the Thesis:   about the subject?  

•  Evaluate the tone, vocabulary, and syntax

Identify the Audience: to determine the audience.

•  Determine whether the author is

Identify the Purpose:   complaining, informing, evaluating,
explaining, etc.  
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Skills for Effective Business Communication
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 The “7 Cs of Effective Business Writing”
(Part 1 of 6):
Concreteness: Completeness:
Check for the 5
Use specific W’s Clarity:
words and Apply the
avoid abstract
terms “K-I-S-S
Principle”
The “7 Cs of
Effective Courtesy:
Conciseness:
Business Be thoughtful
Omit Writing” and positive
unnecessary
words

Correctness: Consideration:
Include only Focus on “you”
accurate facts instead of “I”
Murphy Ohio University. College of Business. Business writing skills. Communication Standards. Retrieved from
Skills for Effective Business Communication http://aspnet.cob.ohio.edu/communicationstandards/s1%20business%20writing%20skills.doc 9
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 Phone Etiquette:
 
Use Signaling Phrases
(say): (do):
•  “Let me ask a question” •  Then, ask the question…
•  “Let me suggest…” •  Then, make the suggestion….
•  “Let me clarify….” •  Then, make the clarification…
•  Then, summarize the
•  “Let me summarize….”
discussion….

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 Phone Etiquette (Cont.)

Use Active
Listening
Techniques

Ask for Show Ask

Details: Empathy:   Questions:

“Give me “Tell me “That

“I understand “What did “How did
more details more about sounds
what you you do you
about that…”   that….”   wonderful/
mean.” next?” respond?”
terrible.”

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 Summary

•  Get feedback from colleagues and clients on your communication skills.

•  Give feedback to your colleagues and clients.
•  Recognize the limits of technology.
•  Be positive.
•  Remember that efficiency is a skill to be mastered.
•  Remember that collaboration is key to building strong relationships.
•  Remember that the success of the individual and the organization depends
on effective communication!

Thank you!

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