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© 2007 Thomson South-Western

Multimedia Instructor Version

Chapter 1, Slide 2Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e

Course MaterialsCourse Materials Textbook: “Business Communication:

Process and Product” – Mary Ellen Guffey – 5th Edition.


Course OutlineCourse Outline Chapter 1: Communicating at Work Chapter 2: Communicating in Small Groups and Teams Chapter 3: Work Place Listening and Non-verbal

Communication Chapter 8: Routine E-mail Message and Memos Chapter 9: Routine Letters and Goodwill Messages Chapter 10: Persuasive and Sales Messages


Course OutlineCourse Outline Mid-term Chapter 11: Negative Messages Chapter 12: Preparing to write Business Reports Chapter 13: Organizing and Writing Business

Reports Chapter 15: Speaking with Confidence Chapter 16: Employment Communication


Course AssessmentCourse Assessment Assignment: 20% Mid-term: 30% Final Exam: 50%


CHAPTER 1CHAPTER 1


Communication skills are essential for Job placement Job performance Career advancement Success in the new world of work


“Businesses are crying out—they need to have

people who write better.”

Gaston Caperton, business executive and president, College Board


Projecting Professionalism When You Communicate


Projecting Professionalism When You CommunicateProjecting Professionalism When You Communicate(continued)


Projecting Professionalism When You CommunicateProjecting Professionalism When You Communicate(concluded)


Focus on information

as a corporate asset

New work

environments

Innovative communication

technologies

Heightened global

competition

Increased emphasis on teams

More participatory management

Flattened management hierarchies

Trends in Trends in the Newthe New

WorkplaceWorkplace


The Process of Communication


The Process of CommunicationThe Process of Communication

Verbally or nonverbally. By speaking, writing, gesturing.

How may the sender How may the sender encode a message?encode a message?

Letters, e-mail, IM, memos, TV, cell phone, voice, body. Others?

What kinds of What kinds of channels carry channels carry messages?messages?


Hearing, reading, observing.

How does a receiver How does a receiver decode a message?decode a message?

When a message is understood as the sender intended it to be.

When is When is communication communication successful?successful?

Ask questions, watch responses, don’t dominate the exchange.

How can a How can a communicator communicator provide for feedback?provide for feedback?


Physical Physical barriersbarriers

Hearing disabilities, noisy surroundings

Psychological Psychological barriersbarriers

Tuning out ideas that counter our values

Language Language problemsproblems

Unfamiliar or charged words

Nonverbal Nonverbal distractionsdistractions

Clothing, mannerisms, appearance

Barriers to Effective ListeningBarriers to Effective Listening


Thought speedThought speed Our minds process thoughts faster than speakers express them

Faking Faking attentionattention

Pretending to listen

GrandstandingGrandstanding Talking all the time or listening only for the next pause


Barriers to Interpersonal Communication

Bypassing Differing frame of reference Lack of language skills Lack of listening skills Emotional interference Physical distractions


Communication climate

Context and setting

Background, experiences

Knowledge, mood

Values, beliefs, culture

Understanding is shaped by


Barriers That Block the Flow of Information in Organizations

Closed communication climate Top-heavy organizational structure Long lines of communication Lack of trust between management

and employees Competition for power, status, rewards


Overcoming Communication Barriers

Realize that communication is imperfect Adapt the message to the receiver Improve your language and listening skills Question your preconceptions Plan for feedback


Surmounting Organizational Barriers

Encourage open environment for interaction and feedback

Flatten the organizational structure Promote horizontal communication Provide hotline for anonymous feedback Provide sufficient information through

formal channels


Ten MisconceptionsTen MisconceptionsAbout ListeningAbout Listening

1. Listening is a matter of intelligence.FACT: Careful listening is a learned behavior.

2. Speaking is more important than listening in the communication process.FACT: Speaking and listening are equally important.


3. Listening is easy and requires little energy.FACT: Active listeners undergo the same physiological changes as a person jogging.

4. Listening and hearing are the same process.FACT: Listening is a conscious, selective process. Hearing is an involuntary act.


5. Speakers are able to command listening.FACT: Speakers cannot make a person really listen.

6. Hearing ability determines listening ability.FACT: Listening happens mentally—between the ears.


7. Speakers are totally responsible for communication success.FACT: Communication is a two-way street.

8. Listening is only a matter of understanding a speaker’s words.FACT: Nonverbal signals also help listeners gain understanding.


9. Daily practice eliminates the need for listening training.FACT: Without effective listening training, most practice merely reinforces negative behaviors.

10. Competence in listening develops naturally.FACT: Untrained people listen at only 25 percent efficiency.


Tips for Becoming anTips for Becoming anActive ListenerActive Listener

Stop talking. Control your surroundings. Establish a receptive mind-set. Listen for main points. Listen between the lines.


Judge ideas, not appearances.

Hold your fire. Take selective

notes.

Provide feedback.


Nonverbal CommunicationNonverbal Communication

Eye contact, facial expression, and posture and gestures send silent messages.


Time, space, and territory send silent messages.• Time (punctuality

and structure of)• Space

(arrangement of objects in)

• Territory (privacy zones)


Four Space Zones for Social Interaction Among Americans


Four Space Zones for Social Interaction Among Americans


Eye contact, facial expression, and posture and gestures send silent messages.

Time, space, and territory send silent messages.

Appearance sends silent messages.• Appearance of business documents• Appearance of people


Tips for Improving Tips for Improving Your Nonverbal SkillsYour Nonverbal Skills

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.


Associate with people from diverse cultures.

Appreciate the power of appearance. Observe yourself on videotape. Enlist friends and family.


Culture and CommunicationCulture and Communication

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


High-Context and High-Context and Low-Context CulturesLow-Context Cultures

JapaneseArabLatin AmericanSpanishEnglishItalianFrenchNorth AmericanScandinavianGermanSwiss

Low Context

High Context


High-ContextCultures

Low-ContextCultures

Relational Linear

Collectivist Individualistic

Intuitive Logical

Contemplative Action-oriented

Comparison of High- and Comparison of High- and Low-Context CulturesLow-Context Cultures


Improving Communication With Improving Communication With Multicultural AudiencesMulticultural Audiences

Oral Messages• Use simple

English.• Speak slowly and

enunciate clearly.• Encourage

accurate feedback.


Oral Messages (continued)

• Check frequently for comprehension.• Observe eye messages.• Accept blame.• Listen without interrupting.• Remember to smile!• Follow up in writing.


Written Messages• Adapt to local formats.• Consider hiring a translator.• Use short sentences and short

paragraphs.• Avoid ambiguous wording.• Strive for clarity.• Cite numbers carefully.


Effective Communication With Effective Communication With Diverse Workplace AudiencesDiverse Workplace Audiences

Understand the value of differences. Don’t expect total conformity. Create zero tolerance for bias and

stereotypes. Practice focused, thoughtful, and open-

minded listening. Invite, use, and give feedback.


Make fewer workplace assumptions. Learn about your own cultural self. Learn about other

cultures and identity groups.

Seek common ground.


Fortune’s “50 Best Fortune’s “50 Best Companies for Minorities” Companies for Minorities”

In a recent report published by Fortune, these companies were among those receiving recognition for their workplace diversity efforts.

Click on a corporate logo to learn more.

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Documents

communication skills

horizontal communication

interpersonal communication

communication successful

work chapter

teams chapter

memos chapter

confidence chapter