Business communication

Prof. N. Shunmuga Rajan

[email protected], Mobile: 9842394919



INTERNAL COMMUNICATION.

EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION.


It helps to increase:Job satisfaction, safety, Productivity and profits.

In turn decrease:Job grievances, absenteeism and job turnover.


Among various ways of internal communication:

Memos, reports, meetings, face to face discussions, teleconferences, video conferences and electronic Mail.


It helps :Good reputation and have positive impact on its ultimate.

The right letter, proposal, telephone call or personal conversation can win back a disgruntled customer.

Create a desire for firm’s product or service.


It helps:To negotiate a profitable sale.

Encourage collections.Motivate Performance.Create Goodwill.


Overall communication costs :

Time is a major factor, In a survey-Professional spent 29-50%.

Managers -49.4%, Technical workers-40.7%,

Clerical staff-29.1%, Social service worker-51.6%.

Other costs-Materials, equipment and fixed [email protected],

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Your Job, Promotion and professional reputation.

Ability to communicate is a valuable asset.

A valuable Job requirement.Communication is a major responsibility – Including Govt. and Non Profit organisation.

An essential for your promotion.Increases your company’s public image.


The qualities – desirable:Choosing ideas, Patience and Understanding , Integrity, ethics, English language.

Applied knowledge of the process and principles.

Successful method of sending and receiving messages.

Knowledge of cultural conventions of your audience.

Become Flexible and Open [email protected],

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Communication is a process of transmitting and receiving verbal and Non-verbal messages.

Communication is effective, when it achieves the desired reaction and response from the receiver.

Communication is a two-way process of exchanging ideas or information.

Communication includes Six components: Context, Sender-encoder, Message, Medium, Receiver-decoder and Feed back.


No two people are exactly alike, No two cultures or countries are same.

For Example: Decision making in Japan is Inordinately slow by western standard.

Americans also wonder :• why Germans are so thorough in their reports.

• Why the French are so Polite in letter writing.

• And Why middle eastern business people are less concerned with time.


The reason is that in those cultures, these different attitudes are acceptable and appropriate.

All these differences, however, can cause problem in conveying intended message.

Each person’s mind is a unique filter. Problems with communication are more likely to occur when the communicator’s filters are sharply different.


The message sender’s meanings and the receiver’s response are affected by numerous factors, such as individual

Convention of meaning. Perception of reality. Values, attitudes and Opinions.


1) Completeness: a) Provide All Necessary Information.b) Answer all questions asked.c) Give something extra, when desirable.

2) Conciseness: a) Eliminate wordy expressions.b) Include only relevant material.c) Avoid unnecessary Repetition.

3) Consideration:a) Focus on “You” Instead of “I” or “We”.b) Show audience benefit or Interest in

the receiver.c) Emphasise Positive, Pleasant facts.


4) Concreteness: a) Use specific facts and figures.b) Put action in your verbs.c) Choose Vivid, Image-Building words.

5) Clarity: a) Choose precise, concrete and familiar

words.b) Construct effective sentences and

paragraphs.6) Courtesy:

a) Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful and appreciative.

b) Use expressions that shows respect.c) Choose Nondiscriminatory [email protected],

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7) Correctness:a) Use the Right level of language.b) Check accuracy of figures, facts

and words.g) Maintain acceptable writing

Mechanics.


1) The higher the Person in the hierarchy, the greater is his need for effective communication technique.

2) Defective channels and faulty Organisational systems are the responsibility of the Management.

3) Semantic and Language barriers-careful use of language & clear meaning words, short and simple sentences and visual aids can be included wherever possible for better comprehension.


4) If possible feedback must be taken.5) Emotional barriers and unnecessary

feeling should be controlled consciously.

6) Try to reduce misunderstandings and reduce the bias with people from different cultures and Backgrounds.

7) Personal barriers can be overcome only by making conscious effort and by training better communication skills. [email protected],

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8) Many Companies organise formal sessions for enhancing employee communication skills.

9) Before communicating with others try to place yourself in his/her frame of reference.

10)We must try to understand the receiver’s cultural background, so that you can frame your communication accordingly.


1) We have discussed formal aspects of business communication: Writing and speaking in formal business settings.

2) But there is another side: More informal, more casual, more given to informal interactions between people. Such interaction is called Interpersonal.

3) It is primarily face to face communication between two or more people with the opportunity for immediate feedback.


4) Hence both the sender and receiver affect one another; the feedback loop involves oral and non-verbal responses and is immediate rather than delayed, as in written communication.

5) Many of your communication will be with one other person. Such interaction is called “Dyadic”. This relationship is the foundation for group and committee work.

6) Three common forms of interpersonal communication: Interviewing; telephoning and dictating


1) We define dyad as two persons seeking to exchange information.

2) Your self perceptions can be tested through honest feedback from an intimate friend.

3) Of course that may occur within a meeting.


Setting us apart from animals is our ability to look at ourselves.

We can objectively or subjectively, consider who we are. Surely most of the perception will be private, but on occasion we do make them public.

Jumping to conclusion about an individual can be done too quickly: Be cautious in drawing conclusions about others.


This, Misjudging a person because of idiosyncratic behaviour can lead to serious misunderstandings. Your personal biases may shout so loudly that you do not even hear what the other person says.

You may have thought a lot, but not very precisely. In short, both your self perception and the perception of others can influence transactions in communication.


Self-Perception cycle

Oral Responses

Non Verba

l Responses

Self Perception

Self-behaviour

Perception by others

Figure: The cyclical nature of self – [email protected], Mobile: 9842394919

The Johari Window helps us understand how we see ourselves compared to how others see us.

Open orPublicArena

BlindSpot

Façade orHiddenArea

Unknown

Known UnknownSELF

Known

Unknown OT

HE

RS

The Open/Public Arena relates to things known to myself and others. For example, a person’s height, eye color and occupation all fall under the open area. The more you know about yourself and the more you reveal to others, the larger your open arena. Communication is open, with minimal defensiveness.



Open or PublicArena

BlindSpot

Façade or HiddenArea

Unknown

Known UnknownSELF

Known

Unknown OT

HE

RS

The blind spot is the window showing things other people know about me, but which I don’t know about myself; it is sometimes called the “spinach in the tooth”: or “bad breath” window. Also included here may be such things as physical mannerisms and certain personality characteristics. (for example, a person who gets angry quite easily but sees him/herself as a calm individual. [email protected],

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Open or PublicArena

BlindSpot

Façade orHidden Area

Unknown

Known UnknownSELF

Known

Unknown

OT

HE

RS

The façade or hidden area relates to things I know about myself, but other people don’t know, which means I wish to keep them hidden; this is the “skeleton in the closet” window. It has to do with the our personal, private self, and includes our opinions, attitudes and biases. How much we keep hidden depends on how close we are to another person; we usually reveal more about ourselves to people we trust. Included in the façade window may be such things as previous bad school or work Experiences, unwanted personality traits, and negative reactions towards another person. A variation of this façade is the false façade. This relates to things I think are hidden from the other person but which really are not. For example, I may dislike another person, yet try to be nice; however, (s)he sees through my false façade and detects the underlying hostility.



Open orPublic Arena

BlindSpot

Façade orHidden Area

Unknown

Known UnknownSELF

Known

Unknown

OT

HE

RS

The final window is called unknown because it relates to things neither I nor the other person know about me - things which are usually hidden in the unconscious. We know the unconscious exists because we occasionally act out certain behaviors and have trouble tracing back the reasons for them.Change in the blind and hidden areas is possible through revelation and feedback.


Johari Window: The Open-Receptive Person

Open/Public

Blind Spot

Hidden/FaçadeArea

Unknown

The open-receptive person has a large public area, reflecting someone who is open about him/herself and receptive to feedback from others. This is the person who has a clear self-image and enough confidence in who he/she is to be visible to others. If in a management role, the open-receptive person has employees who tend to feel respected and encouraged to grow.

Known to Others

Unknown to Others

Known To Self Unknown to Self


Johari Window: The Pumper

Open/Public

Blind Spot

Hidden/FaçadeArea

Unknown

The pumper has a large hidden area, reflecting someone who keeps information to him/herself. This is a person who is always asking for information and giving little in return - the game player. If the pumper is in a management role, employees tend to feel defensive with and resentful of this individual.

Known to Others

Unknown to Others



Open/Public

Blind Spot

Hidden/FaçadeArea

Unknown

The hermit has a large unknown area, reflecting a lack of self knowledge and understanding. This is the person you can’t figure out. The hermit’s behavior tends to be unpredictable and security oriented. If in a management role, employees tend to feel insecure and confused about expectations.

Known to Others

Unknown to Others



Johari Window: The Blabbermouth

Open/Public

Blind Spot

Hidden/FaçadeArea

Unknown

The blabbermouth has a large blind area, reflecting someone who talks a lot but does not listen too well. This is the person who is preoccupied with him/herself, and doesn’t know when to keep quiet. If the blabbermouth is in a management role, employees tend to get annoyed with this person and eventually will either actively or passively learn to shut him/her up.

Known to Others

Unknown to Others




Transactional analysis, commonly known as TA to its adherents, is an integrative approach to the theory of psychology and psychotherapy. Integrative because it has elements of psychoanalytic, humanist and cognitive approaches.

It was developed by Canadian-born US psychiatrist Eric Berne during the late 1950s.

According to the International Transactional Analysis Association, TA 'is a theory of personality and a systematic psychotherapy for personal growth and personal change'.

As a theory of personality, TA describes how people are structured psychologically. It uses what is perhaps its best known model, the ego-state (Parent-Adult-Child) model to do this. This same model helps explain how people function and express their personality in their behaviour.

It is a theory of communication that can be extended to the analysis of systems and organizations.

It offers a theory for child development, by explaining how our adult patterns of life originated in childhood. This explanation is based on the idea of a "Life (or Childhood) Script": the assumption that we continue to re-play childhood strategies, even when this results in pain or defeat. thus it claims to offer a theory of psychopathology.

In practical application, it can be used in the diagnosis and treatment of many types of psychological disorders, and provides a method of therapy for individuals, couples, families and groups.

Outside the therapeutic field, it has been used in education, to help teachers remain in clear communication at an appropriate level, in counseling and consultancy, in management and communications training, and by other bodies.

Some core models and concepts are part of TA as follows:-

The Ego-State (or Parent-Adult-Child, PAC) model

Transactions and Strokes

Kinds of transactions

Phenomena behind the transactions

Ways of Time Structuring

The Ego-State (or Parent-Adult-Child, PAC) model

At any given time, a person experiences and manifests their personality through a mixture of behaviors, thoughts and feelings. Typically, according to TA, there are three ego-states that people consistently use:

ParentAdultChild

Parent ("exteropsyche"): a state in which people behave, feel, and think in response to an unconscious mimicking of how their parents (or other parental figures) acted, or how they interpreted their parent's actions. For example, a person may shout at someone out of frustration because they learned from an influential figure in childhood the lesson that this seemed to be a way of relating that worked.

Adult ("neopsyche"): a state of the ego which is most like a computer processing information and making predictions absent of major emotions that cloud its operation. Learning to strengthen the Adult is a goal of TA. While a person is in the Adult ego state, he/she is directed towards an objective appraisal of reality.

Child ("archaeopsyche"): a state in which people behave, feel and think similarly to how they did in childhood. For example, a person who receives a poor evaluation at work may respond by looking at the floor, and crying or pouting, as they used to when scolded as a child. Conversely, a person who receives a good evaluation may respond with a broad smile and a joyful gesture of thanks. The Child is the source of emotions, creation, recreation, spontaneity and intimacy.

The Ego-State (or Parent-Adult-Child, PAC) model:

Transactions and Strokes

Transactions are the flow of communication, and more specifically the unspoken psychological flow of communication that runs in parallel. Transactions occur simultaneously at both explicit and psychological levels.

Example: sweet caring voice with sarcastic intent. To read the real communication requires both surface and non-verbal reading.

Strokes are the recognition, attention or responsiveness that one person gives another. Strokes can be positive (nicknamed "warm fuzzies") or negative ("cold pricklies"). A key idea is that people hunger for recognition, and that lacking positive strokes, will seek whatever kind they can, even if it is recognition of a negative kind. We test out as children what strategies and behaviors seem to get us strokes, of whatever kind we can get.

Transactions can be experienced as positive or negative depending on the nature of the strokes within them. However, a negative transaction is preferred to no transaction at all, because of a fundamental hunger for strokes.

The nature of transactions is important to understanding communication.

Kinds of transactions

There are basically three kinds of transactions:

1. Reciprocal/Complementary (the simplest)

2. Crossed3. Duplex/Covert (the most complex)

1. Reciprocal/Complementary (the simplest):1. Reciprocal/Complementary (the simplest):

• A simple, reciprocal transaction occurs when both partners are addressing the ego state the other is in. These are also called complementary transactions.

Example 1: A: “Have you been able to write the report?” B: “Yes - I'm about to email it to you.” ----(This exchange was Adult to Adult)

Example 2: A: “Would you like to skip this meeting and go watch a film with me instead?” B: “I'd love to - I don't want to work anymore, what should we go and see?” (Child to Child)

Example 3: A: “You should have your room tidy by now!” (Parent to Child) B: “Will you stop hassling me? I'll do it eventually!” (Child to Parent)

Communication like this can continue indefinitely. (Clearly it will stop at some stage - but this psychologically balanced exchange of strokes can continue for some time).

2. Crossed Transactions:2. Crossed Transactions:

• Communication failures are typically caused by a 'crossed transaction' where partners address ego states other than that their partner is in. Consider the above examples jumbled up a bit.

Example 1a: A: "Have you been able to write that report?" (Adult to Adult)

B: "Will you stop hassling me? I'll do it eventually!" (Child to Parent)is a crossed transaction likely to produce problems in the workplace.

"A" may respond with a Parent to Child transaction. For instance: A: "If you don't change your attitude, you'll get fired.”

Example 2a: A: "Is your room tidy yet?" (Parent to Child) B: "I'm just going to do it, actually." (Adult to Adult)is a more positive crossed transaction. However there is the risk that "A" will feel aggrieved that "B" is acting responsibly and not playing their role, and the conversation will develop into: A: "I can never trust you to do things!" (Parent to Child) B: "Why don't you believe anything I say?" (Adult to Adult) which can continue indefinitely.

3.3. Duplex/Covert (the most complex) Duplex/Covert (the most complex) Transactions:Transactions:

Another class of transaction is the 'duplex' or 'covert' transactions, where the explicit social conversation occurs in parallel with an implicit psychological transaction. For instance:•A: "I need you to stay late at the office with me." (Adult words) body language indicates sexual intent (flirtatious Child)•B: "Of course." (Adult response to Adult statement). winking or grinning (Child accepts the hidden motive).

Phenomena behind the transactions

Life positions:- In TA theory, "Life Position" refers to the general

feeling about life (specifically, the unconscious feeling, as opposed to a conscious philosophical position) that colors every dyadic (i.e. person-to-person) transaction. Initially four such Life Positions were proposed:

i. "I'm Not OK, You're OK" (I-U+)ii. "I'm Not OK, You're Not OK" (I-U-)iii. "I'm OK, You're Not OK" (I+U-)iv. "I'm OK, You're OK" (I+U+)

Phenomena behind the transactions:

However, lately, an Australian TA analyst has claimed that in order to better represent the Life Position behind disorders that were not, allegedly, as widespread and/or recognized at the time when TA was conceptualized as they are now (such as borderline personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorder) the above list requires alteration. Also, two additional Life Positions are proposed:

i. "I'm not-OK, You're OK" (I-U+)ii. "I'm not-OK, You're not-OK" (I-U-)iii. "I'm not-OK, But You're Worse" (I-U--)iv. "I'm not-OK, You're Irrelevant" (I-U?)v. "I'm a Bit More OK Than You Are" (I++U+)vi. "I'm OK, You're OK" (I+U+)vii. "I'm OK, You're Irrelevant" (I+U?)

Life (or Childhood) Script:

Script is a life plan, directed to a reward. Script is decisional and responsive; i.e., decided

upon in childhood in response to perceptions of the world and as a means of living with and making sense of the world. It is not just thrust upon a person by external forces.

Script is reinforced by parents (or other influential figures and experiences).

Script is for the most part outside awareness. Script is how we navigate and what we look for,

the rest of reality is redefined (distorted) to match our filters.

Each culture, country and people in the world has a Mythos, that is, a legend explaining its origins, core beliefs and purpose. According to TA, so do individual people.

A person begins writing his/her own life story (script) at a young age, as he/she tries to make sense of the world and his place within it. Although it is revised throughout life, the core story is selected and decided upon typically by age 7. As adults it passes out of awareness. A life script might be "to be hurt many times, and suffer and make others feel bad when I die", and could result in a person indeed setting himself up for this, by adopting behaviors in childhood that produce exactly this effect.

Though Berne identified several dozen common scripts, there are a practically infinite number of them. Though often largely destructive, scripts could as easily be mostly positive or beneficial.

Redefining means the distortion of reality when we deliberately (but unconsciously) distort things to match our preferred way of seeing the world. Thus a person whose script involves "struggling alone against a cold hard world" may redefine others' kindness, concluding that others are trying to get something by manipulation.

Discounting means to take something as worth less than it is. Thus to give a substitute reaction which does not originate as a here-and-now Adult attempt to solve the actual problem, or to choose not to see evidence that would contradict one's script. Types of discount can also include: passivity (doing nothing), over-adaptation, agitation, incapacitation, anger and violence.

Injunctions and Drivers:

TA identifies twelve key injunctions which people commonly build into their scripts. These are injunctions in the sense of being powerful "I can't/mustn't ..." messages that embed into a child's belief and life-script:

Don't be (don't exist) Don't be who you are Don't be a child Don't grow up Don't make it in your life Don't do anything! Don't be important Don't belong Don't be close Don't be well (don't be

sane!) Don't think Don't feel.

Ways of Time Structuring

There are six ways of structuring time by giving and receiving strokes:WithdrawalRitualPastimesActivityGamesIntimacy

This is sorted in accordance with stroke strength; Intimacy and Games in general allow for the most intensive strokes.

Withdrawal:This means no strokes are being

exchanged.

Ritual:A ritual is a series of transactions

that are complementary (reciprocal), stereotyped and based on social programming. Rituals usually comprise a series of strokes exchanged between two parties.

For instance, two people may have a daily two stroke ritual, where, the first time they meet each day, each one greets the other with a "Hi". Others may have a four stroke ritual, such as:

A: Hi!B: Hi! How are you?A: Getting along. What about you?B: Fine. See you around.

The next time they meet in the day, they may not exchange any strokes at all, or may just acknowledge each other's presence with a curt nod.

If a person exchanges fewer strokes than expected, the other person may feel that he is either preoccupied or acting high and mighty.

If a person exchanges more strokes than expected, the other person might wonder whether he is trying to butter him up or get on good terms for some vested interests.

If two people do not meet for a long time, a backlog of strokes gets built up, so that the next time they meet, they may exchange a large number of strokes to catch up.

A pastime is a series of transactions that is complementary (reciprocal), semi-ritualistic, and is mainly intended as a time-structuring activity. Pastimes have no covert purpose and can usually be carried out only between people on the same wavelength. They are usually shallow and harmless. Pastimes are a type of Smalltalk.

Individuals often partake in similar pastimes throughout their entire life, as pastimes are generally very much linked to one's life script and the games that one often plays. Some pastimes can even be understood as a reward for playing a certain game. For example, Eric Berne in Games People Play discusses how those who play the "Alcoholic" game (which Berne differentiated from alcoholism and alcoholics) often enjoy the "Morning After" pastime in which participants share their most amusing or harrowing hangover stories.

Activities in this context mean the individuals work together for a common goal. This may be work, sports or something similar. In contrast to Pastimes, there is a meaningful purpose guiding the interactions, while Pastimes are just about exchanging strokes. Strokes can then be given in the context of the cooperation. Thus the strokes are generally not personal, but related to the activity.

Definition of game:A game is a series of transactions that is complementary

(reciprocal), ulterior, and proceeds towards a predictable outcome. Games are often characterized by a switch in roles of players towards the end. Games are usually played by Parent, Adult and Child ego states, and games usually have a fixed number of players; however, an individual's role can shift, and people can play multiple roles.

Berne identified dozens of games, noting that, regardless of when, where or by whom they were played, each game tended towards very similar structures in how many players or roles were involved, the rules of the game, and the game's goals.

Each game has a payoff for those playing it, such as the aim of earning sympathy, satisfaction, vindication, or some other emotion that usually reinforces the life script. The antithesis of a game, that is, the way to break it, lies in discovering how to deprive the actors of their payoff.

Students of transactional analysis have discovered that people who are accustomed to a game are willing to play it even as a different "actor" from what they originally were.

One important aspect of a game is its number of players. Games may be two handed (that is, played by two players), three handed (that is, played by three players), or many handed. Three other quantitative variables are often useful to consider for games:

Flexibility: The ability of the players to change the currency of the game (that is, the tools they use to play it). In a flexible game, players may shift from words, to money, to parts of the body.

Tenacity: The persistence with which people play and stick to their games and their resistance to breaking it.

Intensity: Easy games are games played in a relaxed way. Hard games are games played in a tense and aggressive way.

Based on the degree of acceptability and potential harm, games are classified as:

First Degree Games are socially acceptable in the players' social circle.Second Degree Games are games that the players would like to conceal, though they may not cause irreversible damage.Third Degree Games are games that could lead to drastic harm to one or more of the parties concerned.

AimRolesSocial and Psychological Paradigms

DynamicsAdvantages to players (Payoffs)

Transactional game analysis is fundamentally different from rational or mathematical game analysis in the following senses:

The players do not always behave rationally in transactional analysis, but behave more like real people.

Their motives are often ulterior.

YDYB: YDYB: Why Don't You, Yes But. Historically, the first game discovered.

IFWY: IFWY: If It Weren't For You

WAHM: WAHM: Why does this Always Happen to Me? (setting up a self-fulfilling prophecy)

SWYMD: SWYMD: See What You Made Me Do

UGMIT: UGMIT: You Got Me Into This

LHIT: Look How Hard I've TriedLHIT: Look How Hard I've Tried

ITHY: I'm Only Trying to Help YouITHY: I'm Only Trying to Help You

LYAHF: Let's You and Him Fight (staging a love LYAHF: Let's You and Him Fight (staging a love triangle)triangle)

NIGYYSOB / NIGYSOB: Now I've Got You, You Son NIGYYSOB / NIGYSOB: Now I've Got You, You Son Of a BitchOf a Bitch

RAPO: A woman falsely cries 'rape' or threatens to - RAPO: A woman falsely cries 'rape' or threatens to - related to Buzz Off Busterrelated to Buzz Off Buster

A racket is the dual strategy of getting "permitted feelings," while covering up feelings which we truly feel, but which we regard as being "not allowed". More technically, a racket feeling is "a familiar set of emotions, learned and enhanced during childhood, experienced in many different stress situations, and maladaptive as an adult means of problem solving".

A racket is then a set of behaviors which originate from the childhood script rather than in here-and-now full Adult thinking, which (1) are employed as a way to manipulate the environment to match the script rather than to actually solve the problem, and (2) whose covert goal is not so much to solve the problem, as to experience these racket feelings and feel internally justified in experiencing them.

Examples of racket and racket feelings: "Why do I meet good guys who turn out to be so hurtful", or "He always takes advantage of my goodwill". The racket is then a set of behaviors and chosen strategies learned and practiced in childhood which in fact help to cause these feelings to be experienced. Typically this happens despite their own surface protestations and hurt feelings, out of awareness and in a way that is perceived as someone else's fault. One covert pay-off for this racket and its feelings, might be to gain in a guilt free way, continued evidence and reinforcement for a childhood script belief that "People will always let you down".

In other words, rackets and games are devices used by a person to create a circumstance where they can legitimately feel the racket feelings, thus abiding by and reinforcing their Childhood script. They are always a substitute for a more genuine and full adult emotion and response which would be a more appropriate response to the here-and-now situation.

Transactional Analysis is a rational and easy-to-understand method of clarifying and managing human relationships and behaviors.

Business communication

Documents

johari window

public arena

johari window

hidden area

crossed transaction

life positions

life position

blind spot