-
2Learning ObjectivesAFTER STUDYING THIS CHAPTER, YOU WILL BE
ABLE TO
1 Explain what effective communication is and highlight five
characteristics ofeffective business messages
2 Discuss three developments in the workplace that are
intensifying the need tocommunicate effectively
3 Describe how organizations share information internally and
externally
4 List eight ways the Internet facilitates business
communication
5 Define the six phases of the communication process
6 Identify and briefly discuss five types of communication
barriers
7 Discuss four guidelines for overcoming communication
barriers
8 Explain the attributes of ethical communication, and
differentiate between anethical dilemma and an ethical lapse
Chapter 1
Achieving Success Through EffectiveBusiness Communication
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Excellence in Business Communication, Sixth Edition, by John V.
Thill and Courtland L. Bove. Copyright 2005,2001 by Bove &
Thill LLC. Published by Prentice Hall, Inc., an imprint of Pearson
Education.
-
How do you keep a companycompetitive when it employs40,000
employees in 96 majorfacilities worldwide? How doyou make sure that
everyonegets up-to-date informationin time to make the right
deci-sions? Lloyd G. Trotter can tellyou. He is president and
chiefexecutive officer of GEIndustrial Systems, one of the11 major
businesses in theGeneral Electric Company.Headquartered in
Plainville,Connecticut, Trotters com-pany produces electrical
andelectronic products that con-trol, distribute, protect,
andmonitor electrical power forindustry, commercial build-ings, and
homes. With so many employees all overthe world, GE Industrial
Systems must communicatesuccessfully to compete and survive.
Trotter has built GE Industrial Systems into aheavyweight
division, posting annual revenues ofaround $6 billion, and he plans
to double the size ofthe business in the next three years.
Effective com-munication is an important factor in his success.
Hemakes sure that every employee can exchange infor-mation with
every other inside the company, fromentry-level receptionists and
maintenance workers totop-level managers. He also ensures that GE
employ-ees can communicate effectively with numerous peo-ple
outside the company, such as customers, suppli-ers, investors, and
public communities, just to name afew. Trotter emphasizes audience
focus and stressespolicies such as giving customers what they
want,when they want it, and in the mix or varieties theyneed. He
actively encourages managers, hourlyemployees, and customers to rub
elbows and worktogether to solve problems.
GE Industrial Systems benefits from the opencommunication
culture established at the corporatelevelwhich focuses on sharing,
and putting intoaction, the best ideas and practices from across
thecompany and around the world. For example, at lit-
erally thousands of Work-Out town meetings, theviews and ideas
of everyemployee, from every func-tion, in every business,
aresolicited and turned intoactionusually on the spot.Because
people see thevalue that is attached totheir input, their ideas
flowin torrents.
Trotter keeps GE Indus-trial Systems competitive bykeeping his
people up to dateon communication technol-ogy. This technology
helpsemployees handle the vastamount of information avail-able
today without gettingbogged down. Technology
also helps employees communicate effectively withpeople who may
be located within the same buildingor halfway around the world, who
may or may notspeak English, and who may have different
culturalviews of the best way to conduct business.
Trotter encourages his people to work in teams,using technology
whenever possible. For example,GE Industrial Systems was the first
of the GE busi-nesses to use real-time collaboration tools to
interactwith customers and suppliers. These software toolsmake
e-mail seem slow; they improve informationsharing and tear down
geographic and cultural barri-ers. They allow employees to create
shared webworkspaces, use instant messaging and
real-timeconferencing, manage documents electronically, andeven use
the web for training.
To help employees face todays challenges,Trotter also does what
he can to increase diversity inthe company and in business
worldwide. For exam-ple, he started a group called the
African-AmericanForum, where employees get together every
threemonths to talk about their careers and who controlsthem. You
control your own career, says Trotter.You say, My most valuable
asset is myself, and thenyou focus on caring for and feeding that
asset.1
www.ge.com
On the Job:COMMUNICATING AT GE INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS
BRINGING GOOD THINGS TO LIFE WITH FREE-FLOWING INFORMATION
3
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4 Part I Understanding the Foundations of Business
Communication
Effective communication helps youand your organization
succeed.
COMMUNICATION, BUSINESS, AND YOUAs Lloyd Trotter suggests, your
career success depends largely on you. One of thebest ways to care
for your most valuable asset is to improve your ability to
communi-cate effectively. Communication is the process of sending
and receiving messages.However, communication is effective only
when the message is understood and whenit stimulates action or
encourages a receiver to think in new ways.
When you communicate effectively, you increase productivity,
both yours andyour organizations (see Figure 11). Only through
effective communication can youanticipate problems, make decisions,
coordinate work flow, supervise others, developrelationships, and
promote products and services. Effective communication helpsyou
shape the impressions you and your company make on colleagues,
employees,supervisors, investors, and customers, and it helps you
perceive and respond to theneeds of these stakeholders (the various
groups you interact with).2
Conversely, ineffective communication can interfere with sound
business solu-tions and can often make problems worse.3 Without
effective communication, peoplemisunderstand each other and
misinterpret information. Ideas misfire or fail to gainattention,
and people and companies flounder.
Characteristics of Effective Business Messages
Effective business messages have a number of common
characteristics. As you studythe communication examples in this
book, see how they4
Provide practical information. Business messages usually
describe how to dosomething, explain why a procedure was changed,
highlight the cause of a prob-lem or a possible solution, discuss
the status of a project, or explain why a newpiece of equipment
should be purchased.
Give facts rather than impressions. Effective business messages
use concretelanguage and specific details. Their information is
clear, convincing, accurate, andethical because they present hard
evidence (not just opinion) and present all sidesof an argument
before committing to a conclusion.
Business communication differs fromcommunication in other
settings.
Enhancedprofessional
image
Increasedproductivity
Clearerpromotional
materials
Steadierworkflow
Improvedstakeholder
response
Strongerdecisionmaking
Strongerbusiness
relationships
Quickerproblemsolving
EFFECTIVECOMMUNICATION
FIGURE 11The Benefits of EffectiveCommunication
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Chapter 1 Achieving Success Through Effective Business
Communication 5
The use of technology showcasesyour communication skills
andintensifies the need to communicateeffectively.
Clarify and condense information. Business messages frequently
use tables,charts, photos, or diagrams to clarify or condense
information, to explain aprocess, or to emphasize important
information.
State precise responsibilities. Effective business messages are
directed to a spe-cific audience. They clearly state what is
expected of, or what can be done for, thatparticular audience.
Persuade others and offer recommendations. Business messages
frequently per-suade employers, customers, or clients to adopt a
plan of action or to purchase aproduct or service. Persuasive
messages are effective when they show just how anidea, a product,
or a service will benefit readers specifically.
Keep these five characteristics in mind as you review Figure 12.
Although thedraft for this message appears to be well constructed,
the revised version is moreeffective, as explained in the documents
margins. In this course you will learn how tocreate the effective
messages that are crucial for meeting the communication chal-lenges
facing businesses today.
Communication Challenges in Todays Workplace
Good communication skills have always been important in
business. They are evenmore important in todays changing
environment, which brings communication chal-lenges such as
advances in technology, globalization and workforce diversity,
andincreased emphasis on team-based organizations.
Advances in Technology The Internet, e-mail, voice mail, faxes,
pagers, andother wireless devices have revolutionized the way
people communicate. Such tech-nological advances not only bring new
and better tools tothe workplace but also increase the speed,
frequency, andreach of communication. People from opposite ends of
theworld can work together seamlessly, 24 hours a day.Moreover,
advances in technology make it possible formore and more people to
work away from the officeincars, airports, hotels, and at home.
This increased use of new technology requires employ-ees to
communicate more effectively and efficiently. (See the photo essay
on Powerful Tools for CommunicatingEfficiently on page 8.)
Technology showcases your com-munication skillsyour writing skills
are revealed in everye-mail message, and your verbal skills are
revealed in audioand video teleconferences.5 Furthermore, intranets
(privatecorporate networks based on Internet technology),
andextranets (the extension of private networks to certainoutsiders
such as suppliers) facilitate communicationamong employees,
managers, customers, suppliers, andinvestors. More businesses are
installing such networks and are increasingly engaging in
electronic commerce (e-commerce), the buying and selling of goods
and servicesover the Internet.
Globalization and Workforce Diversity Businesses today are
crossingnational boundaries to compete on a global scale. Over 2
million North Americansnow work for multinational employers, and
the number of foreign companies thathave built plants in the United
States is increasing.6 In addition to this expanding
The increases in internationalbusiness dealings and in the
diversityof the workforce createcommunication challenges.
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FROM: Tom Ristoff SUBJECT: Company website
I have found three website designers who can help us improve our
companywebsite. As you know, there are many problems with our
website. We havereceived numerous complaints from customers
concerning the length of time ittakes for our website to load.
Customers also complain about overuse of banneradvertising, it
fails to provide adequate company and product information,
diffi-culty in navigating the site, registration forms take too
long to fill out, and out-of-date articles posted on the
website.
On Tuesday, July 14, I met with Josh Allen, the owner of
WebDezine, a marketingfirm that specializes in developing,
designing, updating, and managing web-sites. Josh showed me several
samples of his companys work. His current clientlist and letters of
reference are impressive. Josh has several recommendationsfor
improving our website.
On Wednesday, July 15, I met with Steven Sanchez, manager of
Your Web Design,and Betsy Delany, owner of Delany Websites. Both
companies perform the sametype of work as WebDezine. Both have an
impressive list of clients and good cre-dentials. However, I did
not think Delanys Web ideas were as innovative as theother two
companies.
I have invited all three companies to make a presentation to
management at aspecial meeting scheduled on Wednesday, July 22 at
9:00 a.m. Each company willmake a short presentation showing us
specific samples of their work, outlinesuggestions for our company
website, and discuss their fees and timeline. Atthat meeting, they
will also address any questions and concerns you may have.
I strongly suggest you attend this meeting so that we can select
the best candi-date and get the revision project underway.
Minimally, it will take a designer atleast three months to complete
this project. The longer we delay in the selectionprocess, the
longer it will take us to develop a website that matches our
competi-tors.
Please let me know if you will be able to attend.
Fails to capturereaders interest witha specific subject Wastes
readers time
with impracticalinformation thatmanagers alreadyknow about
Fails to state whenmanagers shouldrespond or how
Complicates sentencestructure by ignoringparallelism, thusmaking
a simple listdifficult to read
Does not clarifywhether the meetingis scheduled for 9:00A.M. or
whether thepresentation begins at9:00 A.M.Buries the main ideaat
the end of themessage (Why notstate this in thebeginning?)
Takes too long toget to the point byincluding
irrelevantinformation
Gives impressionsrather than fact,making the messageless
effective
Lets readers know thepurpose of the memoby using a
descriptivesubject lineProvides important
information up frontwithout wasting timeon preliminaries
Uses concise language,ample white space, andbullets to make
thisdocument easier toskim
Withholds earlyimpressions and sticksto the facts
Persuades managers toattend, using italics toemphasize
urgency
Uses body of memo toprovide managers withpractical
informationabout each candidate
Clearly states what isexpected of theaudience
BRAXTON & TEAGUE CONSULTING
TO: All Department Managers DATE: July 17, 2004
FROM: Tom Ristoff SUBJECT: Meeting with prospective website
developers
I have identified three prospective website developers to help
us improve ourcompany website. Each candidate will deliver a short
presentation at a specialmeeting on Wednesday, July 22. The meeting
will begin at 9:00 a.m., and the presentations will begin
immediately.
I encourage you to attend so that we can expedite our revision
project. The project will take at least three months to complete.
This estimate does notinclude the time it will take to negotiate a
contract with the developer.
All three candidates specialize in designing, developing, and
managing web-sites. The candidates include the following:
Josh Allen, owner of WebDezine (Del Mar, CA), specializes in
developing, design- ing, updating, and managing websites. Hes been
designing web pages for eight years. His current client list,
letters of reference, and sample sites are impres- sive, and he has
several exciting recommendations for improving our website.
Steven Sanchez, manager of Your Web Design (Orange, CA),
specializes in devel- oping and updating website designs. His
company has been designing websites for five years and has an
impressive list of clients. However, his company does not manage
websites on a continuing basis.
Betsy Delany, owner of Delany Websites (Laguna Beach, CA),
develops, designs, updates, and manages websites. Her credentials
are excellent, but her list of clients is short since shes been in
business for less than a year. I have reviewed samples from all
three candidates, and youll have an opportu-nity to see them and
learn more about each company at the meeting. In addition,each
candidate will present recommendations for improving our website, a
pro-jected timeline, and estimated costs.
Please check your calendar and let me know by e-mail before
Monday, July 20,whether youll be able to attend this meeting. If
you cant attend and have spe-cific questions or concerns that you
would like addressed, please send themalong in your response.
MEMORev
isio
n
Draf
t
FIGURE 12Effective Communication by Memo
6
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Chapter 1 Achieving Success Through Effective Business
Communication 7
When working in teams, you shouldbe able to clarify, confirm,
givefeedback, explore ideas, and creditothers.
globalization, a growing percentage of the U.S. workforce is
made up of people withdiverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, a
trend that will continue in the yearsahead. In the United States,
for example, ethnic minorities are entering the workforcein record
numbers (see Figure 13).
Increased globalization and workforce diversity mean that
employees mustunderstand the laws, customs, and business practices
of many countries and beable to communicate with people who speak
other languages. Look at 3Comssprawling modem factory in Chicago.
The plant employs 1,200 people, the vastmajority of whom are
immigrants. Urban Asians withmultiple college degrees work
alongside people whohave recently arrived from Central American
villages.Serbs work with Bosnian Muslims and with Iraqis,Peruvians,
and South Africans. The employees speakmore than 20 different
languages, including Tagalog,Gujarati, and Chinese. English of
varying degrees tiesthem together.7
Chapter 3 discusses intercultural communication indetail, and
special boxes throughout this text explore cul-tural issues that
you will likely encounter in the globalworkplace.
Team-Based Organizations The command-and-control style of
traditional management structures isineffective in todays
fast-paced, e-commerce environ-ment.8 Successful companies like GE
Industrial Systemsno longer limit decisions to a few managers at
the top ofa formal hierarchy. Instead, organizations use teams
andcollaborative work groups to make the fast decisionsrequired to
succeed in a global and competitive market-place. Although working
in teams has many advantages,it also offers many challenges, since
team members oftencome from different departments, perform
differentfunctions, and come from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Chapter 2 discussesteams in detail. One requirement for succeeding
in teams is a basic understandingof how communication works in
organizational settings.
Todays employees mustcommunicate with people who speakEnglish as
a second language.
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Powerful Tools for Communicating EffectivelyThe tools of
business communication evolve with every new generation of digital
technology. Selecting the right tool for each situation can enhance
your business communication in many ways. In todays flexible office
settings, communication technology helpspeople keep in touch and
stay productive. When co-workers in different cities need to
collaborate, they can meet and share ideaswithout costly travel.
Manufacturers use communication technology to keep track of parts,
orders, and shipmentsand to keep cus-tomers well-informed. Those
same customers can also communicate with companies in many ways at
any time of day or night.
Intranets
Businesses use Internettechnologies to create anintranet, a
private com-
puter network that simplifies information sharing within
thecompany. Intranets can handle company e-mail, instant mes-saging
(IM), websites, and even Internet phone connections. Toensure the
security of company communication and informa-tion, intranets are
shielded from the public Internet.
Flexible Workstations
Many professionals haveabandoned desktop PCsfor laptops they can
carry
home, on travel, and to meetings. Back at their desks, a
dockingstation transforms the laptop into a full-featured PC with
net-work connection. Workers without permanent desks sometimesshare
PCs that automatically reconfigure themselves to accesseach users
e-mail and files.
Wireless Networks
Laptop PCs with wire-less access cards letworkers stay
connectedto the network frompractically anywherewithin the
officeanydesk, any conference
room. This technology offers high-speedInternet access within
range of a wirelessaccess point.
Follow-me Phone Service
To be reachable without juggling mul-tiple forwarding numbers,
some peo-ple have follow-me phone service.Callers use one number to
reach theperson anywhereat the office, aremote site, a home office.
The systemautomatically forwards calls to a list ofpreprogrammed
numbers and trans-fers unanswered calls to voice mail.
Electronic Presentations
Combining a color projector with alaptop or personal digital
assistant(PDA) running the right softwarelets people give
informative busi-ness presentations that areenhanced with sound,
animation,and even website hyperlinks.Having everything in
electronicform also makes it easy to cus-tomize a presentation or
to makelast-minute changes.
Redefining the Office
Technology makes it easier for peopleto stay connected with
co-workersand retrieve needed information.Some maintain that
connection with-out having a permanent office, adesktop PC, or even
a big filing cabi-net. For example, Sun Microsystemslets staff
members choose to workeither at the main office or at remoteoffices
called "drop-in centers." ManySun facilities have specially
equipped"iWork" areas that can quickly recon-figure phone and
computer connec-tions to meet individual require-ments.
COMMUNICATING IN THE OFFICE
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Wall Displays
Teams commonlysolve problems bybrainstorming at awhiteboard.
Wall dis-plays take this con-
cept one step further, letting participants transmit wordsand
diagrams to distant colleagues via the corporateintranet. Users can
even share the virtual pen to makechanges and additions from more
than one location.
Web-based Meetings
Workers can actively par-ticipate in web-based meet-ings by
logging on from adesktop PC, laptop, or cellphone. Websites such
asWebEx help users integratevoice, text, and video, andlet them
share applicationssuch as Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Word
in asingle browser window.
Internet Videophone
Person-to-person video calling has longbeen possible through
popular instantmessaging programs. Internet videophoneservices do
even more, letting multipleusers participate in a
videoconferencewithout the expense and complexity of afull-fledged
videoconferencing system.Some services are flexible enough
toinclude telecommuters who have broad-band Internet
connections.
Shared Workspace
Online workspaces such as eRoom andGroove make it easy for
far-flung teammembers to access shared files anywhere,any time.
Accessible through a browser,the workspace contains a collection
offolders and has built-in intelligence tocontrol which team
members can read,edit, and save specific files.
Videoconferencing and Telepresence
Less costly than travel, videoconferencing providesmany of the
same benefits as an in-person meeting.Advanced systems include
telepresence and robot sur-rogates, which use computers to "place"
participantsin the room virtually, letting them see and hear
every-one while being seen and heard themselves. Such real-istic
interaction makes meetings more productive.
Collaborating
Working in teams is essential inalmost every business.
Teamworkcan become complicated, however,when team members work in
differ-ent parts of the company, in differenttime zones, or even
for differentcompanies. Technology helps bridgethe distance by
making it possible tobrainstorm, attend virtual meetings,and share
files from widely separatedlocations. Communication technolo-gy
also helps companies save moneyon costly business travel without
los-ing most of the benefits of face-to-face collaboration.
COMMUNICATING REMOTELY
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Warehouse RFID
In an effort to reduce thecosts and delays associatedwith manual
inventoryreports, Wal-Mart asked itstop suppliers to put radio-
frequency identification (RFID) tags on all their shipping
casesand pallets by 2005. These tags automatically provide
informa-tion that was previously collected by hand via barcode
scanners.
Extranet
Extranets are secure,private computer net-works that use
Internettechnology to sharebusiness informationwith suppliers,
vendors,partners, and customers.Think of an extranet as
an extension of the company intranet that is available topeople
outside the organization by invitation only.
WirelessWarehouse
Communication technology is a key source ofcompetitive advantage
for shipping companiessuch as FedEx and UPS. Hand-worn scannersuse
wireless links to help warehouse person-nel access instant
information that lets themprocess more packages in less time at
transithubs. Currently, 300 package loaders at fourUPS hub
facilities are testing the new wirelessapplication called UPScan. A
pager-size cord-less scanner worn on the loaders hand cap-tures
data from a package bar code and trans-mits the data via Bluetooth
wireless technol-ogy to a Symbol Technologies wireless termi-nal
worn on the loaders waist.
Package Tracking
Senders and receivers often wantfrequent updates when packages
arein transit. Handheld devices such asthe FedEx PowerPad enhance
cus-tomer service by letting deliverypersonnel instantly upload
packagedata to the FedEx network. Thewireless PowerPad also aids
driversby automatically receiving weatheradvisories.
Supply Chain Management
Advanced software applications let suppliers,manufacturers, and
retailers share informationeven when they have incompatible
computer sys-tems. Improved information flow increases
reportaccuracy and helps each company in the supplychain manage
stock levels.
COMMUNICATING ABOUT PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
Sharing the Latest Information
Companies use a variety of commu-nication technologies to create
prod-ucts and services and deliver them tocustomers. The ability to
easilyaccess and share the latest informa-tion improves the flow
and timing ofsupplies, lowers operating costs, andboosts financial
performance. Easyinformation access also helps compa-nies respond
to customer needs byproviding them timely, accurateinformation and
service and by deliv-ering the right products to them atthe right
time.
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Over- the -shou lderSupport
For online shoppers whoneed instant help, manyretail websites
make it easyto connect with a live salesrep via phone or
instantmessaging. The rep canprovide quick answers toquestions and,
with per-
mission, can even control a shoppers browser to help
locateparticular items.
Help Lines
Some people prefer thepersonal touch of contactby phone.
Moreover,some companies assignpreferred customers spe-cial ID
numbers that letthem jump to the front ofthe calling queue.
Manycompanies are addressingthe needs of foreign-lan-guage speakers
by con-
necting them with external serviceproviders who offer
multilingual support.
Corporate Blogs
Web-based journals let companies offeradvice, answer questions,
and promote thebenefits of their products and services.Elements of
a successful blog include fre-quent updates and the participation
ofknowledgeable contributors. Adding a sub-tle mix of useful
commentary and market-ing messages helps get customers to read
orlisten to them.
Retail RFID
Customerscan't buywhat theycant find, andmanualreporting is
often too slow for fast-pacedretailing. To keep enough goods on
theshelves, some retailers use RFID tags tomonitor products on
display. Clerks usewireless readers to scan tagged productsand
report stock data to a computerizedinventory system that responds
with anup-to-the-minute restocking order.
In-store Kiosks
Staples is among theretailers that let shoppersbuy from the web
whiletheyre still in the store.Web-connected kioskswere originally
used to
let shoppers custom-configure their PCs, but the kiosksalso give
customers access to roughly 8,000 in-store itemsas well as to the
50,000 products available online.
COMMUNICATING WITH CUSTOMERS
Interacting
Maintaining an open dialog withcustomers is a great way to gain
abetter understanding of their likesand dislikes. Todays
communica-tion technologies make it easier forcustomers to interact
with a compa-ny whenever, wherever, and howev-er they wish. A
well-coordinatedapproach to phone, web, and in-store communication
helps a com-pany build stronger relationshipswith its existing
customers, whichincreases the chances of doing morebusiness with
each one.
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12 Part I Understanding the Foundations of Business
Communication
Always providesinformation on To,From, and Subject
Uses a typical e-mailheading that lets thereader know thepurpose
of the messagewith an informativesubject line
Uses an informal salutation for e-mailto peers
Includes a briefcomplimentary closeand a typed name
Includes contactinformation in casee-mail is forwardedto someone
else
Opens by stating thespecific request forinformation
Communicates oneclear and conciseobjective, in thebody, and
clearlystates what isexpected of Brad
Closes cordially,making a statementabout the specificaction
requested
Brad Lymans Lauren Eastman Need capacity data for ships
Hi Brad:
I am developing a summer marketing program for our Holland
America, Seabourn, and Windstar lines.Could you please provide me
with a breakout of current passenger capacity by cruise brand for
allcompany ships.
I need this information by Thursday, June 12, at the latest.
Please send it to me in an e-mail attachment.
If you have any questions, or if you will not be able to produce
the data by June 12, please let meknow right away.
Thanks,
Lauren EastmanAssistant Director of SalesCarnival
[email protected] ext.
10839Writing at 11:29 a.m.On Wednesday, June 4, 2003
To succeed, organizations must shareinformation with people both
insideand outside the company.
COMMUNICATION IN ORGANIZATIONAL SETTINGSWhen you join a company,
you become a link in its information chain. Whetheryoure a top
manager or an entry-level employee, you have information that
othersneed, and others have information that is crucial to you.
Whether your organizationis large, small, or virtual, sharing
information among its parts and with the outsideworld is the glue
that binds it together.
Communicating Internally
Internal communication refers to the exchange of information and
ideas within anorganization. As an employee, you are in a position
to observe things that your super-visors and co-workers cannot see:
a customers first reaction to a product display, asuppliers brief
hesitation before agreeing to a delivery date, an odd whirring
noise ina piece of equipment, or a slowdown in the flow of
customers. Managers and co-workers need these little gems of
information in order to do their jobs. If you dontpass it along,
nobody willbecause nobody else knows.
Much of this information can be exchanged internally by phone,
fax, interofficememo, company intranet, or e-mailas it is for
example, at Carnival Corporation,the worlds largest multiple-night
cruise company. Lauren Eastman, assistant directorof sales, used
e-mail to request capacity information from the companys
operationsmanager, Brad Lymans (see Figure 14).
Internal communication helps employees do their jobs, develop a
clear sense ofthe organizations mission, and identify and react
quickly to potential problems. Tomaintain a healthy flow of
information within the organization, effective communica-tors use
both formal and informal channels.
You are a contact point in both theexternal and internal
communicationnetworks.
FIGURE 14Effective Internal Communication by E-Mail
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Chapter 1 Achieving Success Through Effective Business
Communication 13
Line CSupervisor
Line BSupervisor
Line ASupervisor
SalesManager
HeadAccountant
Vice Presidentof Finance
Vice Presidentof Production
President
Vice Presidentof Research andDevelopment
Vice Presidentof Marketing
AdvertisingProduction
Chief
IndustrialSales
Director
Downward
Upward
Horizontal
SpecialProjects
Supervisor
RetailSales
Director
PlantManager
Director ofAdvertising and
Promotion
FIGURE 15Formal Communication Network
The formal flow of informationfollows the official chain
ofcommand.
Information flows down, up, andacross the formal hierarchy.
Formal Communication Network The formal communication network is
typ-ically shown as an organization chart like the one in Figure
15. Such charts summa-rize the lines of authority; each box
represents a link in the chain of command, andeach line represents
a formal channel for the transmission of official
messages.Information may travel down, up, and across an
organizations formal hierarchy.
Downward flow. Organizational decisions are usually made at the
top and thenflow down to the people who will carry them out. Most
of what filters downwardis geared toward helping employees do their
jobs. From top to bottom, each per-son must understand each
message, apply it, and pass it along.
Upward flow. To solve problems and make intelligent decisions,
managers mustlearn whats going on in the organization. Because they
cant be everywhere atonce, executives depend on lower-level
employees to furnish them with accurate,timely reports on problems,
emerging trends, opportunities for improvement,grievances, and
performance.
Horizontal flow. Communication also flows from one department to
another,either laterally or diagonally. This horizontal
communication helps employeesshare information and coordinate
tasks, and it is especially useful for solving com-plex and
difficult problems.9
Formal organization charts illustrate how information is
supposed to flow.However, such charts may not be accurate models
for every business. Moreover, inactual practice, lines and boxes on
a piece of paper cannot prevent people from talk-ing with one
another.
Informal Communication Network Every organization has an
informal com-munication networka grapevinethat supplements official
channels. As people goabout their work, they have casual
conversations with their friends in the office. Theyjoke and share
and discuss many things: their apartments, their families,
restaurants,movies, sports, and other people in the company.
Although many of these conversa-tions deal with personal matters,
about 80 percent of the information that travelsalong the grapevine
pertains to business, and 75 to 95 percent of it is accurate.10
The informal communicationnetwork carries information alongthe
organizations unofficial lines ofactivity and power.
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14 Part I Understanding the Foundations of Business
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The grapevine is an important sourceof information in most
organizations.
The external communicationnetwork links the organization withthe
outside world of customers,suppliers, competitors,
andinvestors.
Companies use externalcommunication to create afavorable
impression.
The way a company handles a crisiscan have a profound effect on
theorganizations subsequentperformance.
Some executives are wary of the informal communication network,
possiblybecause it threatens their power to control the flow of
information. However, savvymanagers tap into the grapevine, using
it to spread and receive informal messages.11
Since it is virtually impossible to eliminate the grapevine,
sophisticated companiesminimize its importance by making certain
that the official word gets out.
Communicating Externally
Just as internal communication carries information up, down, and
across the organi-zation, external communication carries it into
and out of the organization.Companies constantly exchange messages
with customers, vendors, distributors,competitors, investors,
journalists, and community representatives. Sometimes thisexternal
communication is carefully orchestratedespecially during a crisis.
At othertimes it occurs informally as part of routine business
operations.
Formal External Communication Whether by letter, website, phone,
fax,Internet, or videotape, good communication is the first step in
making a favorableimpression on outsiders. As Lloyd Trotter can
attest, carefully constructed letters,reports, memos, oral
presentations, and websites convey an important message aboutthe
quality of your organization (see Figure 16). Messages such as
statements to thepress, letters to investors, advertisements, price
increase announcements, and litiga-tion updates require special
care because of their delicate nature. Therefore, suchdocuments are
often drafted by a marketing or public relations teama group
ofindividuals whose sole job is to create and manage the flow of
formal messages tooutsiders.
The public relations team is also responsible for helping
management plan forand respond to crisesa broad range of
possibilities that can include environmen-tal accidents, sabotage
situations, strikes, massive product failure, major litigation,or
even an abrupt change in management. To minimize the impact of any
crisis,expert communicators advise managers to communicate
honestly, openly, andoften (see Table 11 on page 16).12 If handled
improperly, a crisis can destroy acompanys reputation, drain its
financial strength, erode employee morale, andresult in negative
publicity.
Ford and Bridgestone/Firestone were criticized for not taking
appropriateaction when reports started surfacing about the faulty
tires manufactured byBridgestone/Firestone and fitted on Ford
Explorer sport utility vehicles. When thevehicles were driven at
high speed, the treads separated from the tires, causing thecars to
roll over and leading to the serious injuryeven deathof
passengers.Although both Ford and Firestone eventually recalled 6.5
million tires, both com-panies paid the price for making serious
mistakes in handling the crisis.13
Informal External Communication Although companies usually
communi-cate with outsiders in a formal manner, informal contacts
with outsiders are impor-tant for learning about customer needs. As
a member of an organization, you are animportant informal conduit
for communicating with the outside world. In thecourse of your
daily activities, you unconsciously absorb bits and pieces of
infor-mation that add to the collective knowledge of your company.
Moreover, everytime you speak for or about your company, you send a
message. Outsiders mayform an impression of your organization on
the basis of the subtle, unconsciousclues you transmit through your
tone of voice, facial expression, and generalappearance.
Top managers rely heavily on informal contacts with outsiders to
gather informa-tion that might be useful to their companies. Much
of their networking involves
Every employee informallyaccumulates facts and impressionsthat
contribute to the organizationscollective understanding of
theoutside world.
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Chapter 1 Achieving Success Through Effective Business
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March 13, 2004
Mr. Sam Davis, Managing EditorMontana Times Magazine468 West
Times Dr.Helena, MT 59601
Dear Mr. Davis:
Thank you for your recent editorial supporting the Montana wolf
relocation program. We are as dedicated to preserving domestic
livestock herds as are the ranchers who own them. However, killing
the wolf predators is both a short-term and a short-sighted
solution. Wed like your readers to have someadditional information,
besides the excellent points you made.
Every one of the 32 wolves weve captured and relocated this year
has beenexamined by a veterinarian. The wolves receive inoculations
to prevent rabies,among other diseases. Therefore, the relocated
wolves pose little threat ofdisease to wildlife, their pack, or the
occasional domestic animal or human who might encounter them.
In the wilderness areas where they will be relocated, wolves
help keep thepopulation of caribou, moose, and deer under control,
and they cull injured orsick animals from the herd. However, wolves
fear human beings and will avoidpeople whenever possible. Our North
American wolves do not attack humans.
In addition, your readers will be interested to know a little
more about wolves ingeneral. Wolves have strong family ties and
often mate for life. Female wolvesgive birth to about four to six
pups, and both parents supply food and help trainthe pups. In fact,
the wolf pack is usually a family group. And just as familiescall
to their children, wolves sometimes howl to keep their pack
together.
We invite those of your readers who would like to join our
efforts to call 1-800-544-8333 to receive more information.
Sincerely,
Carroll PauldingPresident
sg
Opens by telling whatprompted the letter,clearly stating
thepurpose, andidentifying twoaudiences for thisinformation:
themagazine editor andhis readers
Uses letterheadstationery
Provides specificrelocation-programdetails in the body,reassures
readersabout their personalsafety, and anticipatesthe needs of
thesecond audience byproviding informationthat was notrequested
Closes cordially,clearly stating theinvitation where thereader
will notice it
Greets the recipientwith a salutation
Includes acomplimentary close
Also includestypists initials
Follows close with asignature block
States the messageclearly
Includes the dateafter the heading
Uses a typicalinside address
interaction with fellow executives. However, plenty of
high-level managers recognizethe value of keeping in touch with the
real world by creating opportunities to talkwith and get feedback
from customers and frontline employees. This sort of feedbackis one
important reason the Internet is becoming so popular with companies
aroundthe world.
Communicating Through the Internet
The challenges of communicating effectively with people inside
and outside the orga-nization are magnified as more businesses
communicate through the Internet. Whenentering the business world,
youll be expected to know how to use the Internet foreffective
workplace communication.
FIGURE 16Effective External Communication by Letter
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16 Part I Understanding the Foundations of Business
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When a Crisis Hits:
Do Dont
WHAT TO DO IN A CRISISTable 11
How Businesses Use the Internet
Businesses are using the Internet to make closer connections
with organizations and cus-tomers all over the planet. The Internet
is changing the way customers, suppliers, com-panies, and other
stakeholders interact. Its also changing the way companies
operateinternally, by allowing speedy, convenient exchanges of
ideas and informationanytime,anywhere, across thousands of miles or
across the street. Companies use the Internet to
Share text, photos, slides, videos, and other data within the
organization
Permit employees to telecommute, or work away from a
conventional office,whether at home, on the road, or across the
country14
Recruit employees cost-effectively
Locate information from external sources
Find new business partners and attract new customers
Locate and buy parts and materials from domestic and
international suppliers
Promote and sell goods and services to customers in any
location
Dont blame anyone for anything.
Dont speculate in public.
Dont refuse to answer questions.
Dont release information that will violateanyones right to
privacy.
Dont use the crisis to pitch products orservices.
Dont play favorites with mediarepresentatives.
The Internet is greatly influencingbusiness interactions, both
insideand outside organizations.
Do prepare for trouble ahead of time byidentifying potential
problems, appointingand training a response team, and preparingand
testing a crisis management plan.
Do get top management involved as soonas the crisis hits.
Do set up a news center for companyrepresentatives and the
media, equippedwith phones, computers, and other electronictools
for preparing news releases.
Issue at least two news updates a day, andhave trained personnel
to respond toquestions around the clock.
Provide complete information packets tothe media as soon as
possible.
Prevent conflicting statements and providecontinuity by
appointing a single person,trained in advance, to speak for
thecompany.
Tell receptionists to direct all calls to thenews center.
Do tell the whole storyopenly, completely,and honestly. If you
are at fault, apologize.
Do demonstrate the companys concern byyour statements and your
actions.
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Chapter 1 Achieving Success Through Effective Business
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0%
Percentage of executives who expect these benefitsfrom the
Internet
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 80%70%
Increase revenues
Reduce time to market
Create new products and services
Enter new markets
Improve knowledge sharing
Support globalization
Reduce costs
Enhance customer service
Improve communication
Foster innovation
FIGURE 17Expected Internet Benefits
Provide customers with service, technical support, and product
information
Collaborate with local, national, and international business
partners
Inform investors, industry analysts, and government regulators
about businessdevelopments
Executives expect a number of benefits from the Internet, the
most important ofwhich is to improve communication (see Figure 17).
So exactly how does theInternet help?
How the Internet Facilitates Communication
The Internet offers businesses a wide variety of choices for
online communication,all of which provide convenience, speed, and
the ability to communicate acrosstime zones:
E-mail. Electronic mail (e-mail) enables users to create, send,
and read writtenmessages entirely on computer, as Chapter 4 points
out. An e-mail document maybe a simple text message, or it might
include complex files or programs.
Discussion mailing lists. Also known as listservs, discussion
mailing lists are dis-cussion groups to which you subscribe by
sending a message to the lists e-mailaddress. From then on, copies
of all messages posted by any other subscriber aredelivered to you
via e-mail.
Newsgroups. Consisting of posted messages and responses on a
particular sub-ject, a Usenet newsgroup posts messages on its
website, which you must visit andaccess by using a news reader
program. Messages posted to a newsgroup can beviewed by anyone.
Instant messaging and chat. Many companies encourage the use of
instant mes-saging and chat for work purposes, as Chapter 4
explains. Within a few years,more than 200 million employees will
be using instant messaging for job-relatedcommunication.15
The Internet increases theconvenience, speed, and reach
ofbusiness communication.
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18 Part I Understanding the Foundations of Business
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Phase 4Receiver gets
message
Phase 5Receiver decodes
message
CHANNELAND
MEDIUM
Phase 6Receiver sends
feedback
Phase 3Sender transmits
message
Phase 2Sender encodes
idea
Phase 1Sender has an
idea
FIGURE 18The SuccessfulCommunication Process
Videoconferencing. As Chapter 2 points out, more businesses are
using onlinevideoconferencing to replace face-to-face meetings with
colleagues, customers,and suppliers.
Telnet. This Internet application program lets you communicate
with other com-puters on a remote network, even if your computer is
not a permanent part of thatnetwork. For instance, you would use
Telnet to access your county librarys elec-tronic card catalog from
your home computer.
Internet telephony. Internet users can converse vocally over the
web usingInternet telephony. Much less expensive than calling over
standard phone lines,Internet telephony can also be more efficient,
allowing an organization to accom-modate more users on a single
line at once.16
File transfers. An Internet service known as file transfer
protocol (FTP)enables you to download files (transfer data from a
server to your computer) andupload files (transfer data from your
computer to another system).17 FTP alsoallows you to attach
formatted documents to your e-mail messages and downloadformatted
files.18 Using the Internet and software, people can exchange
filesdirectly (from user to user) without going through a central
server.
The Internet helps you communicate inside and outside the
organizational set-ting. However, whether youre communicating
through the Internet, in a letter, onthe phone, or face to face,
you will do so more effectively if you understand theprocess of
communication. The following section gives you a basic overview of
whathappens during communication.
THE COMMUNICATION PROCESSCommunication doesnt occur haphazardly
in organizations. Nor does it happen allat once. It is more than a
single act. Communication is a dynamic, transactional (two-way)
process that can be broken into six phases (see Figure 18):
1. The sender has an idea. You conceive an idea and want to
share it.
2. The sender encodes the idea. When you put your idea into a
message thatyour receiver will understand, you are encoding it. You
decide on the messages
The communication process consistsof six phases linking sender
andreceiver.
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Chapter 1 Achieving Success Through Effective Business
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The actual process of communicationis much more complicated than
themodel.
Communication barriers block thecommunication process.
Perception is peoples individualinterpretation of the sensory
worldaround them.
form (word, facial expression, gesture), length, organization,
tone, and styleallof which depend on your idea, your audience, and
your personal style or mood.
3. The sender transmits the message. To physically transmit your
message toyour receiver, you select a communication channel (spoken
or written) and amedium (telephone, letter, memo, e-mail, report,
face-to-face exchange). Thischoice depends on your message, your
audiences location, your need for speed,and the formality
required.
4. The receiver gets the message. For communication to occur,
your receivermust first get the message. If you send a letter, your
receiver has to read it beforeunderstanding it. If youre giving a
speech, your listeners have to be able to hearyou, and they have to
be paying attention.
5. The receiver decodes the message. Your receiver must decode
(absorb andunderstand) your message. The decoded message must then
be stored in thereceivers mind. If all goes well, the receiver
interprets your message correctly,assigning the same meaning to
your words as you intended.
6. The receiver sends feedback. After decoding your message, the
receiver mayrespond in some way and signal that response to you.
This feedback enablesyou to evaluate the effectiveness of your
message: If your audience doesntunderstand what you mean, you can
tell by the response and refine yourmessage.
As Figure 18 illustrates, the communication process is repeated
until both par-ties have finished expressing themselves.19
Moreover, effective business communica-tors try not to cram too
much information into one message. Instead, they limit thecontent
of a message to a specific subject and use this back-and-forth
exchange toprovide additional information or details in subsequent
messages.
However, Figure 18 does not illustrate how complicated the
communicationprocess actually is. Both sender and receiver may be
trying to communicate at thesame time, or their cultures or
backgrounds may be so different that they wontunderstand one
another without some allowance for these differences. Also,
thereceiver may not always respond to the message, so the sender
may need to evaluatewhether to send the message again. In fact, the
communication process can fail in anynumber of ways.
COMMUNICATION BARRIERSCommunication is successful only when the
receiver understands the messageintended by the sender. Any step in
the communication process can be blockedby some sort of
interference, or noise. Such noise can be caused by a variety
ofcommunication barriers, including perceptual and language
differences, restric-tive environments, distractions, deceptive
communication tactics, and informa-tion overload.
Perceptual and Language Differences
The world constantly bombards us with sights, sounds, scents,
and so on. Our mindsorganize this stream of sensation into a mental
map that represents our perception ofreality. Even when two people
have experienced the same event, their mental imagesof that event
will not be identical. Because your perceptions are unique, the
ideas youwant to express differ from other peoples, and you may
have difficulty being under-stood. As a sender, you choose the
details that seem important to you. As a receiver,you try to fit
new details into your existing pattern; however, if a detail doesnt
quite
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20 Part I Understanding the Foundations of Business
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The more experiences people share,the more likely they will
understandeach other.
The communication climate sufferswhen information is
distorted,fragmented, or blocked by anauthoritarian style of
management.
Using deceptive tactics to manipulatereceivers blocks
communication andultimately leads to failure.
fit, you are inclined to distort the information rather than
rearrange your patternaprocess known as selective perception.
Similarly, language is an arbitrary code that depends on shared
definitions.However, theres a limit to how completely any two
people can share the same mean-ing for a given word. Take the
simple word cookie, for example. You might think ofoatmeal,
chocolate chip, and sugar. However, others might think of cookie in
its com-puter contextthat is, a text file stored on a visitors
computer to identify each timethe user visits a website.
The more experiences you share with another person, the more
likely you are toshare perception and thus share meaning. Both
perception and language are heavilyinfluenced by culture, which is
discussed in detail in Chapter 3.
Restrictive Environments
Every link in the communication chain is open to error. By the
time a message travelsall the way up or down the chain, it may bear
little resemblance to the original idea.Moreover, if a companys
formal communication network limits the flow of informa-tion in any
direction (upward, downward, or horizontal), communication
becomesfragmented. Lower-level employees may obtain only enough
information to performtheir own isolated tasks, leaving only the
people at the very top of the organization tosee the big
picture.
When managers use a directive and authoritarian leadership
style, informationmoves down the chain of command, but not up. In a
recent poll of 638 employees,90 percent said they had good ideas on
how their companies could run more suc-cessfully. Yet more than 50
percent said they were prevented from communicatingthese thoughts
because of a lack of management interest and a lack of effective
meansfor sharing their ideas.20
Deceptive Tactics
Since language itself is made up of words that carry values, you
need only say thingsa certain way to influence how others perceive
your message, to shape expectationsand behaviors.21 Given such
power, your responsibility to communicate honestlyand honorably is
a grave one. No organization can create illegal or unethical
messagesand still be credible or successful in the long run. Still,
some business communicatorstry to manipulate their receivers by
using deceptive tactics.
For example, deceptive communicators may exaggerate benefits,
quote inaccu-rate statistics, or hide negative information behind
an optimistic attitude. They maystate opinions as facts, leave out
crucial information, or portray graphic data unfairly.Unscrupulous
communicators may seek personal gain by making others look betteror
worse than they are. And they may allow personal preferences to
influence theirown perception and the perception of others.
Distractions
Business messages can be interrupted or distorted by uncountable
types of distrac-tions, including physical distractions, emotional
distractions, information overload,and round-the-clock
accessibility:
Physical distractions. Bad connections, poor acoustics, or
illegible copy mayseem trivial, but they can block an otherwise
effective message. Your receivermight be distracted by an
uncomfortable chair, poor lighting, health problems, orsome other
irritating condition.
Your audience members are morelikely to receive your
messageaccurately if they are not distractedby physical or
emotional distractionsor by information overload or round-the-clock
accessibility.
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Chapter 1 Achieving Success Through Effective Business
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To be effective, business messagesmust constantly be
perfected.
Using an audience-centeredapproach means keeping youraudience in
mind at all times whencommunicating.
Emotional distractions. When you are upset, hostile, or fearful,
you have a hardtime shaping a message objectively. If your
receivers are emotional, they mayignore or distort your message.
Its practically impossible to avoid all communica-tion in which
emotions are involved, but try to remember that emotional
messageshave a greater potential for misunderstanding.
Information overload. Every day, the number of documents on the
Internetincreases by 7.5 million. On top of that, people receive
more and more messagesby e-mail, overnight service, fax, voice
mail, website, regular mail, pager, andcell phone.22 On a typical
day, the average office worker sends and receives over200
messages.23 The sheer number of messages can be distracting, making
it dif-ficult to discriminate between useful and useless
information.
Round-the-clock accessibility. Technologys demand for instant
answers meansthat professionals find themselves constantly tied to
work.24 They make businesscalls on cell phones as they commute.
They check pagers and voice mail at busi-ness meetings, at home,
and at the grocery store. They plug into their companysintranet in
the evening. And even on vacation, some find it easier to check
e-maildaily and quickly respond than to return to work and tackle
over 1,000 e-mailmessages.25
GUIDELINES FOR OVERCOMINGCOMMUNICATION BARRIERSEffective
communicators work hard at perfecting the messages they deliver.
Whenthey make mistakes, they learn from them. If a memo theyve
written doesnt get theresponse they had hoped for, they change
their approach the next time. If a meetingtheyre running gets out
of control or proves unproductive, they do things differentlyat the
next one. If they find that they have to explain themselves over
and over again,they reevaluate their choice of words and rework
their messages.
The coming chapters present real-life examples of both good and
bad communi-cation and explain whats good or bad about them. After
a while youll notice thatfour themes keep surfacing: (1) adopting
an audience-centered approach, (2) foster-ing an open communication
climate, (3) committing to ethical communication, and(4) creating
efficient messages. Guidelines based on these themes will help you
over-come barriers and improve your communication.
Guideline 1: Adopt an Audience-Centered Approach
Adopting an audience-centered approach means focusing on and
caring about youraudiencemaking every effort to get your message
across in a way that is meaning-ful to receivers. As Lloyd Trotter
knows, you need to learn as much as possible aboutthe biases,
education, age, status, and style of your audience to create an
effectivemessage. When you address strangers, try to find out more
about them; if thatsimpossible, try to project yourself into their
position by using your common senseand imagination. By writing and
speaking from your audiences point of view, youcan help receivers
understand and accept your message.
Guideline 2: Foster an Open Communication Climate
An organizations communication climate is a reflection of its
corporate culture: themixture of values, traditions, and habits
that give a company its atmosphere or per-sonality. Successful
companies such as GE Industrial Systems encourage employee
The organizations communicationclimate affects the quantity
andquality of the informationexchanged.
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22 Part I Understanding the Foundations of Business
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To Give Constructive Feedback
Focus on particular behaviors. Feedback should be specific
rather than general.
Keep feedback impersonal. No matter how upset you are, keep
feedback job related,and never criticize someone personally.
Use I statements. Instead of saying, You are absent from work
too often, say, I feelannoyed when you miss work so frequently.
Keep feedback goal oriented. If you have to say something
negative, make sure itsdirected toward the recipients goals. Ask
yourself whom the feedback is supposed tohelp. If the answer is
essentially you, bite your tongue.
Make feedback well-timed. Feedback is most meaningful when there
is a short intervalbetween the recipients behavior and feedback
about that behavior.
Ensure understanding. If feedback is to be effective, make sure
the recipient understands it.
Direct negative feedback toward behavior that is controllable by
the recipient. Little valueis gained by reminding a person of some
shortcoming over which he or she has no control.
GIVING CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK
Adjusting organizational levels canimprove the communication
climate.
Companies that encourage feedbackachieve the open
communicationclimate that allows them to respondto the ideas and
needs of employees.
contributions by making sure that communica-tion flows freely
down, up, and across the orga-nization chart. They encourage candor
and hon-esty, and their employees feel free to confess
theirmistakes, disagree with the boss, and expresstheir opinions.
These companies create an openclimate in two ways: by modifying the
number oforganizational levels and by facilitating feedback.
Modify the Number of OrganizationalLevels To foster an open
communication cli-mate, companies today are reducing the num-ber of
levels in their organizations structure. Aflat structure has fewer
levels with more peoplereporting to each supervisor. Thus, the
organi-
zations communication chain has fewer links and is less likely
to introduce distor-tion. Flatter organizations enable managers to
share information with colleaguesand employees and to include
employees in decision making, goal setting, andproblem solving.26
However, designing too few formal channels and having toomany
people report to a single individual can block effective
communication byoverburdening that key individual.
Facilitate Feedback Giving your audience a chance to provide
feedback is cru-cial to maintaining an open communication climate.
What employees want the mostfrom employers is personal feedback
(even more than money).27 Knowing how togive constructive criticism
or feedback is an important communication skill, as high-lighted in
Table 12. To encourage feedback, companies use employee surveys,
open-door policies, company newsletters, memos, e-mail, task
forces, and even real-timetwo-way chat. Still, feedback isnt always
easy to get. You may have to draw out theother person by asking
specific questions. You can also gain useful information
byencouraging your audience to express general reactions.
Table 12
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Chapter 1 Achieving Success Through Effective Business
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Ethics are the principles of conductthat govern a person or a
group.
Guideline 3: Commit to Ethical Communication
Ethics are the principles of conduct that govern a person or a
group. Unethical peo-ple say or do whatever it takes to achieve an
end. Ethical people are generally trust-worthy, fair, and
impartial, respecting the rights of others and concerned about
theimpact of their actions on society. Former Supreme Court Justice
Potter Stewartdefined ethics as knowing the difference between what
you have a right to do andwhat is the right thing to do.28
Ethical communication includes all relevant information, is true
in every sense,and is not deceptive in any way. In contrast,
unethical communication can includefalsehoods and misleading
information or exclude important information. Someexamples of
unethical communication include:29
Plagiarism. Stealing someone elses words or work and claiming it
as your own
Selective misquoting. Deliberately omitting damaging or
unflattering commentsto paint a better (but untruthful) picture of
you or your company
Misrepresenting numbers. Increasing or decreasing numbers,
exaggerating,altering statistics, or omitting numerical data
Distorting visuals. Making a product look bigger or changing the
scale of graphsand charts to exaggerate or conceal differences
An ethical message is accurate and sincere. It avoids language
that manipulates,discriminates, or exaggerates. When communicating
ethically, you do not hidenegative information behind an optimistic
attitude, you dont state opinions asfacts, and you portray graphic
data fairly. You are honest with employers, co-workers, and
clients, and you never seek personal gain by making others look
bet-ter or worse than they are. You dont allow personal preferences
to influence yourperception or the perception of others, and you
act in good faith. On the surface,such ethical practices appear
fairly easy to recognize. But deciding what is ethicalcan be quite
complex (see Promoting Workplace Ethics: Ethical Boundaries:Where
Would You Draw the Line?).
Recognize Ethical Choices Every company has responsibilities to
variousgroups: customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers,
neighbors, the community,and the nation. But sometimes whats right
for one group may be wrong foranother.30 At other times, as you
attempt to satisfy the needs of one group, you maybe presented with
an option that seems right on the surface but somehow feelswrong.
When you must choose between conflicting loyalties and weigh
difficulttrade-offs, you are facing a dilemma.
An ethical dilemma involves choosing between alternatives that
arent clear-cut (perhaps two conflicting alternatives are both
ethical and valid, or perhaps thealternatives lie somewhere in the
vast gray area between right and wrong).Suppose you are president
of a company thats losing money. You have a duty toyour
shareholders to try to cut your losses and to your employees to be
fair andhonest. After looking at various options, you conclude that
youll have to lay off500 people immediately. You suspect you may
have to lay off another 100 peoplelater on, but right now you need
those 100 workers to finish a project. What doyou tell them? If you
confess that their jobs are shaky, many of them may quit justwhen
you need them most. However, if you tell them that the future is
rosy, youllbe stretching the truth.
Unlike a dilemma, an ethical lapse is making a clearly unethical
or illegal choice.Suppose you have decided to change jobs and have
discreetly landed an interviewwith your bosss largest competitor.
You get along great with the interviewer, who is
Ethical communication is truthfuland relevant.
Conflicting priorities and the vastgray areas between right and
wrongcreate ethical dilemmas for anorganizations communicators.
Self-interest and a lack of scruplescreate ethical lapses for
businesscommunicators.
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24 Part I Understanding the Foundations of Business
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Laws provide ethical guidelines forcertain types of
messages.
Asking the right questions can helpyou decide what is
ethical.
impressed enough with you to offer you a position on the spot.
Not only is the newposition a step up from your current job, but
the pay is double what youre gettingnow. You accept the job and
agree to start next month. Then as youre shaking handswith the
interviewer, she asks you to bring along profiles of your current
companys10 largest customers when you report for work. Do you
comply with her request?How do you decide between whats ethical and
what is not?
Make Ethical Choices One place to look for guidance is the law.
Ask your bossor your companys attorney, and if saying or writing
something is clearly illegal, youhave no dilemma: You obey the law.
However, even though legal considerations willresolve some ethical
questions, youll often have to rely on your own judgment
andprinciples. If your intent is honest, the statement is ethical,
even though it may befactually incorrect; if your intent is to
mislead or manipulate the audience, the mes-sage is unethical,
regardless of whether it is true. If a message does not violate
civillaw or company policy, you might ask yourself three
questions:31
1. Is this message balanced? Does it do the most good and the
least harm? Is it fairto all concerned in the short term as well as
the long term? Does it promote posi-tive winwin relationships? Did
you weigh all sides before drawing a conclusion?
2. Is it a message you can live with? Does it make you feel good
about yourself?Does it make you proud? Would you feel good about
your message if a newspa-per published it? If your family knew
about it?
Ethical Boundaries: Where Would You Draw the Line?At the very
least, you owe your employer an honest days workfor an honest days
pay: your best efforts, obedience to therules, a good attitude,
respect for your employers property,and a professional appearance.
Such duties and considerationsseem clear-cut, but where does your
obligation to youremployer end? For instance, where would you draw
the line incommunication situations such as the following?
Writing your rsum so that an embarrassing two-year lapsewont be
obvious
Telling your best friend about your companys upcomingmerger
right after mailing the formal announcement to yourshareholders
Hinting to a co-worker (whos a close friend) that its time
tolook around for something new, when youve already beentold
confidentially that shes scheduled to be fired at the endof the
month
Saying nothing when you witness one employee taking creditfor
anothers successful idea
Preserving your position by presenting yourself to supervi-sors
as the only person capable of achieving an objective
Buying one software package for use by three
computeroperators
Making up an excuse when (for the fourth time this month)you
have to pick up your child from school early and miss animportant
business meeting
Calling in sick because youre taking a few days off and youwant
to use up some of the sick leave youve accumulated
The ethics involved in these situations may seem perfectlyclear
. . . until you think about them. But wherever you are,whatever the
circumstances, you owe your employer your bestefforts. And time and
again, it will be up to you to decidewhether those efforts are
ethical.
CAREER APPLICATIONS
1. List ethical behaviors you would expect from your employ-ees,
and compare your list with those of your classmates.
2. As the supervisor of the records department, you must
dealwith several clerks who have a tendency to gossip abouttheir
co-workers. List five things you might do to resolve
thesituation.
PROMOTING WORKPLACE ETHICS
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Chapter 1 Achieving Success Through Effective Business
Communication 25
Organizations can foster ethicalbehavior By formalizing a
written code of
ethics By using ethics audits By setting a good ethical
example
Attending to relevance, meaning, andpriorities will help you
create leanmessages.
Eliminate physical distractions suchas the messy appearance of a
writtenmessage or poor acoustics in an oralpresentation.
Do your best to control emotionsbefore they block
thecommunication process.
3. Is this message feasible? Can it work in the real world? Have
you consideredyour position in the company? Your companys
competition? Its financial andpolitical strength? The likely costs
or risks of your message? The time available?
Motivate Ethical Choices Some companies lay out an explicit
ethical policy byusing a written code of ethics to help employees
determine what is acceptable. Inaddition, many managers use ethics
audits to monitor ethical progress and to pointout any weaknesses
that need to be addressed. They know that being ethical is sim-ply
the right thing to do. Plus, its contagious. Others will follow
your example whenthey observe you being ethical and see the success
you experience both in your inter-personal relationships and in
your career.32
Guideline 4: Create Efficient Messages
Too much information is as bad as too little; it reduces the
audiences ability to con-centrate on the most important data. For
the leanest messages, you need to deter-mine which information is
unnecessary and make necessary information easilyavailable. Try to
give information meaning, rather than just passing it on, and
setpriorities for dealing with the overall message flow. Successful
communicatorsovercome information overload and other communication
barriers by reducing thenumber of messages, minimizing
distractions, and fine-tuning their business com-munication
skills.
Minimize Physical and Emotional Distractions Although you dont
havepower over every eventuality, do your best to overcome physical
barriers by exer-cising as much control as possible over the
physical transmission link: If yourepreparing a written document,
make sure its appearance doesnt detract from yourmessage. If youre
delivering an oral presentation,choose a setting that permits the
audience to see andhear you without straining. Help listeners by
con-necting your subject to their needs, using languagethat is
clear and vivid, and relating your subject tofamiliar ideas.
When youre the audience, learn to concentrateon the message
rather than on any distractions. Asdiscussed in Chapter 2, you can
overcome listeningbarriers by paraphrasing what youve heard. Try
toview the situation through the speakers eyes, andresist jumping
to conclusions. Listen without inter-rupting, and clarify meaning
by asking nonthreaten-ing questions.
Overcome emotional barriers by recognizing thefeelings that
arise in yourself and in others as you com-municate, and try to
avoid causing these emotions. Forexample, choose neutral words to
avoid arousingstrong feelings unduly. Avoid placing blame and try
notto react subjectively. Most important, be aware of thegreater
potential for misunderstanding that accompa-nies emotional
messages.
Reduce the Number of Messages A good way tomake your messages
more effective is to send fewer ofthem. Think twice before sending
one. For example, if
Organizations save time and moneyby sending only necessary
messages.
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26 Part I Understanding the Foundations of Business
Communication
a written message merely adds to the informa-tion overload, its
probably better left unsent orhandled some other waysuch as by a
quicktelephone call or a face-to-face chat. Holdingdown the number
of messages reduces thechance of information overload.
Fine-Tune Your Business CommunicationSkills The key to making
your businesscommunication effective is to improve
yourcommunication skills. Many companies provideemployees a variety
of opportunities for train-ing. But even though you may ultimately
receivecommunication training on the job, dont wait.Start mastering
business communication skills
right now, in this course. People with good communication skills
have an advantage intodays workplace.
Lack of experience may be the only obstacle between you and
effective mes-sages, whether written or spoken. Perhaps you have a
limited vocabulary, or maybeyoure uncertain about questions of
grammar, punctuation, and style. Perhapsyoure simply frightened by
the idea of writing something or appearing before agroup. People
arent born writers or speakers. Their skills improve the more
theyspeak and write. Someone who has written 10 reports is usually
better at it thansomeone who has written only two.
One of the great advantages of taking a course in business
communication is thatyou get to practice in an environment that
provides honest and constructive criti-cism. For instance, this
course gives you an understanding of acceptable and unac-ceptable
techniques so that you can avoid making costly mistakes on the job.
It pro-vides the kind of communication practice that will help you
get the job you want,boost your chances for a promotion, start your
own business, or succeed at whateveryou choose to do in the
future.
In this course youll learn how to collaborate in teams, listen
well, master non-verbal communication, ensure successful meetings,
and communicate across culturesand through the Internet. This book
presents a three-step process for composingbusiness messages. It
gives tips for writing letters, memos, e-mail messages, reports,and
oral presentations, and it provides a collection of good and bad
communicationexamples with annotated comments to guide you in your
own communicationefforts. It also provides a handbook of the
fundamentals of grammar, punctuation,and usage (see the Handbook of
Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage at the end of thistextbook). Finally,
it explains how to write effective rsums and application lettersand
how to handle employment interviews.
Perhaps the best place to begin strengthening your communication
skills iswith an honest assessment of where you stand. In the next
few days, watch howyou handle the communication situations that
arise. Try to figure out what youredoing right and what youre doing
wrong. Then, as you progress through thiscourse in the months
ahead, focus on those areas in which you need the most work.
APPLYING WHAT YOUVE LEARNEDIn this chapter, youve met GE
Industrial Systemss Lloyd Trotter, and throughout thebook youll
meet a cross section of real peoplemen and women who work for
someof the most fascinating organizations around. At the beginning
of this chapter, youread about communicating at GE Industrial
Systems. A similar slice-of-life vignette
Focus on building skills in the areaswhere youve been weak.
IMPROVE THIS MEMOTo practice correcting drafts of actual
documents, visitwww.prenhall.com/onekey on the web. Click
DocumentMakeovers, then click Chapter 1. You will find a memo
thatcontains problems and errors relating to what youve learned
inthis chapter about overcoming communication barriers in busi-ness
messages. Use the Final Draft decision tool to create animproved
version of this memo. Check the memo for anaudience-centered
approach, ethical communication, commu-nicating efficiently, and
facilitating feedback.
Document Makeover
Practice and constructive criticismhelp you improve
yourcommunication skills.
Dont wait for communicationtraining on the job.
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Chapter 1 Achieving Success Through Effective Business
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titled On the Job: Communicating at . . . begins every chapter.
As you read througheach chapter, think about the person and the
company highlighted in the vignette.Become familiar with the
various concepts presented in the chapter, and imaginehow they
might apply to the featured scenario.
At the end of each chapter, youll take part in an innovative
simulation called Onthe Job: Solving Communication Dilemmas. Youll
play the role of a person workingin the highlighted organization,
and youll face a situation youd encounter there. Youwill be
presented with several communication scenarios, each with several
possiblecourses of action. Its up to you to recommend one course of
action from each sce-nario as homework, as teamwork, as material
for in-class discussion, or in a host ofother ways. These scenarios
let you explore various communication ideas and applythe concepts
and techniques from the chapter.
Now youre ready for the first simulation. As you tackle each
problem, thinkabout the material you covered in this chapter and
consider your own experience asa communicator. Youll probably be
surprised to discover how much you alreadyknow about business
communication.
On the Job:SOLVING COMMUNICATION DILEMMAS AT GE INDUSTRIAL
SYSTEMS
At GE Industrial Systems, Lloyd Trotter keeps commu-nication
flowing and makes sure that everyone receivesnecessary information
by helping employees overcomeall the potential barriers to
effective communication.You are Trotters administrative assistant,
and he hasput you in charge of several communication decisionsboth
internal and external. Use your knowledge ofcommunication to choose
the best response for eachof the following situations. Be prepared
to explain whyyour choice is best.1. An employee from the companys
commercial divi-
sion has an idea for changing the productionprocess so that it
is more efficient and less expensive.She wants to send an e-mail
message to her pro-duction manager, and she comes to you for
adviceon how to focus her message on the audience.Which of the
following message openings wouldyou recommend?a. I have thought
long and hard about how to make
the production process more efficient.b. You told us to come to
you with new ideas.c. Here is an idea for saving money on the
produc-
tion process.d. A small change in the production process
could
save us both time and money.2. A highly placed manager is
uncomfortable with GEs
reverse-mentoring program. In business, mentor-ing is nothing
new: Older, experienced managers actas mentors to teach young,
up-and-coming employ-ees new skills. But GEs program is
reversedbecause veteran managers must seek out young,Internet-savvy
employees to help them improve theirown Internet skills. In this
case, the veteran wants no
part of learning new tricks from some young pup.Trotter has
participated in the program, and hebelieves the key to our success
is that no matter atwhat level we find ourselves in the
organization, wecan accept change. What feedback would you sug-gest
that Trotter give this manager?a. You need to think of this as a
process of give and
take. You have a lot to offer our younger employ-ees, and your
mentor will probably learn just asmuch from you as you learn from
your mentor.Youll see firsthand the bright, young talent
thatrepresents the future leadership of our business.
b. I know that when I was first presented with thepossibility of
having a young employee mentorme, I found it a bit daunting. But
for both of us,the program has been an excellent tool for
mutuallearning and growth. Its been a rewarding experi-ence,
helping me get a fast start in understandingthe tool and its
power.
c. Other GE managers meet with their employeesfor web lessons.
They discuss the articles andbooks their mentors give them for
homework, andthey ask lots of stupid questions. But they alsolearn
how to use the Internet effectively.
d. Anyone who is not open to learningtop down orbottom upis
slamming down the gate on theirown career.
3. A rumor begins circulating that a major product linewill be
dropped and the workers in that area will belaid off. The rumor is
false. What is the first actionTrotter should take?a. Create an
official statement and distribute it to top
managers, with instructions for them to pass the
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28 Part I Understanding the Foundations of Business
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Learning Objectives Checkup
To assess your understanding of the principles in this
chapter,read each learning objective and study the
accompanyingexercises. For fill-in items, write the missing text in
the blankprovided; for multiple choice items, circle the letter of
the cor-rect answer. You can check your responses against the
answerkey on page AK-1.
Objective 1.1: Explain what effective communication is
andhighlight five characteristics of effective business messages.1.
Communication is effective when it
a. Helps people understand each otherb.Stimulates others to take
actionc. Encourages others to think in new waysd.Does all of the
above
2. Effective business messages have the following
characteristics:a. They provide practical information such as
instruc-
tions, explanations, problems, solutions, and statusreports.
b.They give impressions and opinions that help makeyour business
messages more persuasive.
c. They include as much information as possible, andavoid visual
aids in favor of textual descriptions.
d.They put a positive spin on every message, and leaveout
anything that could be perceived as negative.
Objective 1.2: Discuss three developments in the work-place that
are intensifying the need to communicateeffectively.3. Because of
advances in ________________, people can
communicate more quickly, more frequently, and fromremote
locations.
4. Increased workforce diversity requires employees to focuson
________________ communication so that peoplefrom different
backgrounds can avoid misunderstandings.
5. Rather than the traditional command-and-control style
ofmanagement, todays fast-paced organizations rely on
col-laborative work groups and ________________.
Objective 1.3: Describe how organizations share informa-tion
internally and externally.6. Within an organization, the formal
communication net-
work may be depicted asa. Links joined in a long chain from top
to bottomb.An organization chart of connected squares depicting
the companys hierarchyc. A flow chart showing all information
moving in one
direction7. Within an organization, the informal communication
net-
work is calleda. The rumor millb.Word of mouthc. The
grapevined.Hearsay
8. Communication between organizations and the outsideworld isa.
More formal than internal communication, such as a
news release carefully prepared by a marketing or pub-lic
relations team
b.As formal as or as informal as the situation calls forc. More
informal than internal communication, such as
talking with a customer or letting your appearancetransmit an
impression of your organization
statement on to middle managers, who will pass iton to their
employees.
b. Try to plant a counter-rumor on the grapevine sothat
employees will get the right message thesame way they got the wrong
one.
c. Schedule a meeting with all employees on theaffected product
line. At the meeting, Trotter canexplain the facts and publicly
state that the rumoris false.
d. Ignore the rumor. Like all false rumors, it will even-tually
die out.
4. Trotter promoted a brilliant engineer who turned outto be a
bad manager. Instead of setting an agendafor his team, giving them
support, and then allowingthem to flourish, the engineer
micromanaged hisemployees. Trotter tried to point out that the
engi-neer was holding his team down by asking him: Whyare so many
on your staff sitting on the sidelines andwaiting for you to make
decisions? Why is your teamunable to move ahead when you take a
two-weekvacation? But the engineer has not changed hisstyle, so
Trotter must remove him from the manage-
ment pos