Essentials

Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 11
 Intended Learning Outcomes

1. Understand the importance of becoming an

effective business communicator in todays
changing workplace.
2. Examine the process of communication.
3. Discuss how to become an effective listener.

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 12 2
 Intended Learning Outcomes

4. Analyze nonverbal communication and explain

techniques for improving nonverbal communication
skills.
5. Explain how culture affects communication and
describe methods for improving cross-cultural
communication.
6. Identify specific techniques that improve effective
communication among diverse workplace
audiences.

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 13 3
 Communication Skills

Why do you need good communication

skills?

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 14 4
 Communication Skills

Communication skills are essential for

Job placement
Job performance
Career advancement
Success in the new world of work

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 15 5
 Trends in the New Workplace

Flattened management hierarchies

More participatory management
Increased emphasis on teams [community]
Heightened global competition
Innovative communication technologies
New work environments
Focus on information as a corporate asset

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 16 6
 The Process of Communication

Feedback
travels to
sender
NOISE

Sender
Sender Sender
Sender Receiver
Receiver Receiver
Receiver
has
has encodes
encodes Channel carries message decodes
decodes understands
understands
idea
idea message
message message
message message
message

NOISE
Possible
Possible additional
additional
feedback
feedback to
to
receiver
receiver

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 17 7
The Process of Communication

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 18 8
 Barriers to Effective Listening (1)

Physical barriers - hearing disabilities, noisy

surroundings
Psychological barriers - tuning out ideas that
counter our values
Language problems - unfamiliar or charged
words
Nonverbal distractions - clothing, mannerisms,
appearance

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 19 9
 Barriers to Effective Listening (2)

Thought speed - our minds process thoughts

faster than speakers express them
Faking attention - pretending to listen
Grandstanding - people rather talk than listen;
talking all the time or listening only for the next
pause

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 110 10
 Tips for Becoming an
Active Listener (1)
Stop talking.
Control your surroundings.
Establish a receptive mind-set.
Keep an open mind.
Listen for main points.
Capitalize on lag time.
Listen between the lines.

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 111 11
 Tips for Becoming an
Active Listener (2)
Judge ideas, not appearances.
Hold your fire.
Take selective notes.
Provide feedback.

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 112 12
 Nonverbal Communication (1)

The eyes, face, and body send silent

messages.
Eye contact
Facial expression
Posture and gestures
Appearance sends silent messages.
Appearance of business people
Appearance of documents

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 113 13
 Nonverbal Communication (2)

Time, space, and territory send silent

messages.
Time (punctuality and
structure of)
Space (arrangement of
objects in)
Territory (privacy zones)

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 114 14
 Nonverbal Communication (3)

An example from the world of Dilbert:

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 115 15
 Tips for Improving Your
Nonverbal Skills (1)
Establish and maintain eye contact.
Use posture to show interest.
Improve your decoding skills.
Probe for more information.
Avoid assigning nonverbal meanings out
of context.

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 116 16
 Tips for Improving Your
Nonverbal Skills (2)
Associate with people from diverse
cultures.
Appreciate the power of appearance.
Observe yourself on videotape.
Enlist friends and family.

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 117 17
 Culture and Communication

Good communication
demands special
sensitivity and skills
when communicators
are from different
cultures.

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 118 18
A Comparison of Key Cultural Values

US Cultural Values Asian Cultural Values

Individualism
Initiative, self-assertion,
personal achievement
Membership
Japan: Harmony is the key
value of the society
Singapore: Group-oriented
culture

Informality
Little emphasis on rituals, Formality
ceremonies, rank; Japan: Conscious of age
preference for informal and status
dress

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 119 19
A Comparison of Key Cultural Values

US Cultural Values Asian Cultural Values

Direct communication Indirect
style communication style
Impatient, literal/genuine, China and Japan: high-
suspicious of evasive context culture societies,
nonverbal communication

Importance of time Importance of time

Precious, correlates with Unlimited, never-ending
productivity resource to be enjoyed

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 120 20
 Improving Communication With
Multicultural Audiences (1)

Oral Messages
Use simple English.
Speak slowly and enunciate clearly.
Encourage accurate feedback.
Check frequently for comprehension.
Observe eye messages.

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 121 21
 Improving Communication With
Multicultural Audiences (2)

Oral Messages
Accept blame.
Listen without interrupting.
Remember to smile!
Follow up in writing.

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 122 22
 Improving Communication With
Multicultural Audiences (3)

Written Messages
Adapt local styles.
Consider hiring a translator.
Use short sentences and short paragraphs.
Avoid ambiguous wordings.
Cite numbers carefully.

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 123 23
 Effective Communication With
Diverse Workplace Audiences (1)
Understand the value of differences.
Dont expect conformity.
Create zero tolerance for bias and
stereotypes.
Practice focused, thoughtful, and open-
minded listening.
Invite, use, and give feedback.

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 124 24
 Effective Communication With
Diverse Workplace Audiences (2)

Make fewer workplace assumptions.

Learn about your own cultural self.
Learn about other cultures and identity
groups.
Seek common ground.

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 125 25
 Questions ?
Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 126 26
 End

Essentials
Essentials of
of Business
Business Communication,
Communication, Second
Second Edition
Edition Ch. 127