Achieving Success Through Effective Business Communication · PDF fileCreated Date: 1/15/2014...

Chapter 1

Achieving Success Through Effective Business

Communication

Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall 1Chapter 1 -

Learning Objectives1. Understand why communication matters2. Define professional communication3. Assess business communication issues4. Explore the communication process5. Review communication technology6. Investigate ethical communication


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LEARNING OBJECTIVES After studying this chapter, you will be able to do the following: Explain the importance of effective communication to your career and to the companies where you will work Explain what it means to communicate as a professional in a business context Identify five unique challenges of business communication Describe the communication process model and the ways that social media are changing the nature of business communication List four general guidelines for using communication technology effectively Define ethics, explain the difference between an ethical dilemma and an ethical lapse, and list six guidelines for making ethical communication choices

Understanding Why Communication Matters


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Communication is the process of transferring information and meaning between senders and receivers, using one or more written, oral, visual, or electronic channels. The essence of communication is sharing—providing data, information, insights, and inspiration in an exchange that benefits both you and the people with whom you are communicating. You will invest a lot of time and energy in this course to develop your communication skills, so it’s fair to ask if it will all be worthwhile. This section outlines the many ways in which good communication skills are good for your career and your company.

For Your Career


•Pursue Ambitions•Express Ideas

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Improving your communication skills may be the single most important step you can take in your career. Ambition and ideas aren’t enough. If you hope to be successful, you’ll need to communicate with people. So, if you learn to write, speak, and listen well, and communicate in any situation, you’ll gain a major advantage that will serve you throughout your career.

For Your Company


Marketplace Ties

Conversations and Trends

Financial Outcomes

Productivity and Problems

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Aside from the personal benefits, communication should be important to you because it is important to your company. Effective communication helps businesses in numerous ways: Closer ties with important communities in the marketplace Opportunities to influence conversations, perceptions, and trends Increased productivity and faster problem solving Better financial results and higher returns for investors

For Your Company


Potential Problems

Decision Making

Employee Engagement

Marketing Messages

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Earlier warning of potential problems, rising from business costs to critical safety issues Stronger decision making based on timely, reliable information Clearer more persuasive marketing messages Greater employee engagement, leading to higher satisfaction and lower turnover

Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall 7

Effective Communication

Chapter 1 -

•Practical•Factual•Concise•Clear•Persuasive

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Effective communication strengthens the connection between a company and all of its stakeholders. Conversely, when communication breaks down, the results can range from time wasting to tragic. To make your communication efforts as effective as possible, focus on the following: Provide practical information. Give facts rather than vague impressions. Clarify expectations and responsibilities. Present information in a concise, efficient manner. Offer compelling, persuasive arguments and recommendations.

Summary of Discussion


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This section covered the following elements involved in Understanding Why Communication Matters: Communication Is Important to Your Career Communication Is Important to Your Company What Makes Business Communication Effective? This concludes our discussion of Understanding Why Communication Matters. The next section will cover Communicating as a Professional.

Communicating as a Professional


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You’ve been communicating your entire life, of course, but if you don’t yet have a lot of work experience, the expectations of a professional environment might require some adjustment. This section reviews the skills that employers will expect you to have, the nature of communication in an organizational environment, and the importance of adopting an audience-centered approach.

What Is Professionalism?


•Excellence•Teamwork•Ethical Behavior

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Professionalism is the quality of performing at a high level and conducting oneself with purpose and pride. True professionals go beyond the minimum expectations and commit to making meaningful contributions. Professionalism can be broken down into six distinct traits: Striving to excel Being a team player Making ethical decisions

What Is Professionalism?


•Dependability•Etiquette•Positive Attitude

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Being dependable and accountable Demonstrating a sense of etiquette Maintaining a positive outlook

What Employers Expect


Organizational Skills

Coherence and Persuasion

Active Listening Skills

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Today’s employers expect you to be competent at a wide range of communication tasks. Fortunately, the skills that employers expect from you are the same skills that will help you advance in your career: Organizing ideas and information logically and completely Expressing ideas and information coherently and persuasively Actively listening to others



Communication Diversity

Communication Technology

Writing and Speaking Skills

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Communicating effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences Using communication technologies effectively and efficiently Following accepted standards of grammar, spelling, and other aspects of high-quality writing and speaking



Business Etiquette

Ethical Communication

Time Management Skills

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Communicating in a civilized manner that reflects contemporary expectations of business etiquette Communicating ethically, even when choices aren’t crystal clear Managing your time wisely and using resources efficiently

Communicating in an Organizational Context


Informal Grapevine

Social Media

Interaction

Formal Horizontal

Upward

Downward

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Every organization has a formal communication network, in which ideas and information flow along the lines of command (the hierarchical levels) in the company’s organization structure. In a formal network, information flows in three directions: Downward communication flows from executives to employees. Upward communication flows from employees to executives. Horizontal communication flows between departments. Every organization also has an informal communication network (the grapevine or the rumor mill) that encompasses all communication that occurs outside the formal network. Some of this communication takes place naturally as employees interact on the job and in social settings; some of it takes place when the formal network doesn’t provide information that employees want. In fact, the inherent limitations of formal communication networks helped spur the growth of social media in the business environment.

Center on Your Audience


The “You” AttitudeEmotional Intelligence

Business Etiquette

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Adopting an audience-centered approach means focusing on and caring about the members of your audience. This approach is also known as adopting the “you” attitude. Learn as much as possible about your audience. If you’re addressing people you don’t know, try to project yourself into their position by using common sense and imagination. Relating to the needs of others is a key part of emotional intelligence, widely considered to be a vital characteristic of successful managers and leaders. The more you know about your audience, the easier it will be to concentrate on their needs—which, in turn, will make it easier for them to hear your message, understand it, and respond positively. An important element of audience-centered communication is etiquette, the expected norms of behavior in a particular situation. The way you conduct yourself can have a profound influence on your company’s success and your career.



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This section covered the following elements involved in Communicating as a Professional: Understanding Professionalism Understanding What Employers Expect from You Communicating in an Organizational Context Adopting an Audience-Centered Approach This concludes our discussion of Communicating as a Professional. The next section will cover the Unique Challenges of Business Communication.

Unique Challenges of Business Communication


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Business communication is far more demanding than the communication that you typically engage in with family, friends, and school associates. On the job, expectations are higher and the business environment is complex. The next five slides highlight five issues that illustrate why business communication requires a high level of skill and attention: Globalization of business and increased workforce diversity The increasing value of information The pervasiveness of technology The evolution of organizational structures The growing reliance on teamwork

Global Business


Business Communication

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Today’s businesses increasingly reach across international borders to market their products, partner with other businesses, and employ workers and executives—an effort known as globalization. Many U.S. companies rely on exports for a significant portion of their sales; moreover, thousands of companies from all around the world vie for a share of the massive U.S. market. Therefore, managers and employees need to communicate with business partners from many other cultures.

Workforce Diversity


Workplace Communication

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As people and products cross borders, businesses of all shapes and sizes are paying more attention to workforce diversity—differences among the people in the workplace, including age, gender, sexual orientation, education, cultural background, life experience, and so on. Successful companies realize that a diverse workforce can yield a real competitive advantage, but it also requires a more conscientious approach to business communication.

The Value of Information


•Competitors•Customers•Regulations

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As competition for jobs, customers, and resources grows, information is becoming increasingly important. An organization’s information is now every bit as important as its other resources. Therefore, today’s companies rely on knowledge workers to acquire, process, and communicate information such as the following: Competitive insights. The more a company knows about its competitors and their plans, the better able it will be to adjust its own business plans. Customer needs. Most companies invest significant time and money in the effort to understand their customers. This information must be analyzed and summarized in order to develop goods and services that satisfy their needs. Regulations and guidelines. Today’s businesses must comply with a wide range of government regulations covering areas such as employment, environment, taxes, and accounting.

Pervasive Technology


Technical Expertise

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Technology influences virtually every aspect of business communication in today’s workplace. To benefit from this technology, however, you need to have at least a basic level of skills. If your level of technical expertise does not keep up with that of your colleagues and co-workers, the imbalance can put you at a disadvantage and complicate the communication process. This course will help you gain insights into using numerous tools and systems more effectively.

Organizational Structures and Leadership Styles


Tall Flat

NetworkMatrix

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Every business has a particular structure that defines the relationships between the people and departments within the organization. These relationships affect communication throughout the organization. Tall structures have many layers of management between the lowest and highest positions. Communication structures are well defined, but messages can be delayed as they are passed up and down through multiple layers. To overcome such problems, many businesses are now adopting flat organizational structures. The fewer the links in the communication chain, the less likely that misunderstandings will occur; however, individual employees are expected to assume more responsibility for communication. Specific structures present unique challenges. In a matrix structure, employees report to two managers at the same time. This increases communication burdens on everyone involved. In a network structure (also known as a virtual organization), a company supplements the talents of its employees with services from one or more external partners. Communicating across these multiple boundaries requires extra planning and diligence. Regardless of a company’s structure, communication efforts will also be influenced by the organization’s corporate culture; i.e., the mixture of values, traditions, and habits that give a company its atmosphere and personality.

Reliance on Teamwork


•Effective Communication•Complex Group Dynamics

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Both traditional and innovative company structures can rely heavily on teamwork, so you will probably find yourself on dozens of teams throughout your career. Teams are commonly used in business today, but they are not always successful—and a key reason that teams fail to meet their objectives is poor communication. Chapter 2 offers insights into the complex dynamics of team communication and identifies the skills you will need to be an effective communicator in group settings.



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This section covered the following elements involved in the Unique Challenges of Business Communication: The Globalization of Business and the Increase in Workforce Diversity The Increasing Value of Business Information The Pervasiveness of Technology The Evolution of Organizational Structures and Leadership Styles A Heavy Reliance on Teamwork This concludes our discussion of the Unique Challenges of Business Communication. The next section will cover Exploring the Communication Process.

Exploring the Communication Process


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Even well-intentioned communication efforts can fail. Fortunately, by understanding communication as a process with distinct steps, you can improve the odds that your messages will reach their intended audiences and produce their intended effects. This section explores the communication process in two stages: first by following a message from one sender to one receiver in the basic communication model, second by expanding on that with multiple messages and participants in the social communication model.

Communication Model


1. Sender has an idea

2. Sender encodes the idea

3. Sender produces the message

4. Sender transmits the message

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By viewing communication as a process, you can identify and improve the skills you need to be more successful. The sender has an idea. The success of a communication effort starts here and depends on the nature of the idea and the motivation for sending it. The sender encodes the idea as a message. When someone puts an idea into a message, he or she is encoding it, or expressing it in words and images. The sender produces the message in a transmittable medium. The sender needs a communication medium to present the message to the intended audience. The sender transmits the message through a channel. The communication channel is the system used to deliver the message.

Communication Model


5. Audience receives the message

6. Audience decodes the message

7. Audience responds to the message

8. Audience provides feedback

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The audience receives the message. It is not enough for the message to reach the intended audience. The audience must also sense the presence of a message, select it from all the other messages, and perceive it as an actual message. The audience decodes the message. Decoding is a complex process; receivers often extract different meanings from messages than the meanings that senders intended. The audience responds to the message. Before a receiver can respond as the sender hopes, the receiver must remember the message long enough to act on it, must be able to act on it, and must be motivated to respond. The audience sends feedback—verbal, nonverbal, or both. Just like the original message, however, this feedback from the receiver needs to be decoded carefully. Considering the complexity of this process, it should come as no surprise that communication efforts frequently fail to achieve the sender’s objective. The following slides cover two important aspects of the process: environmental barriers and how audiences receive, decode, and respond to messages.

External Barriers


Noise andDistractions

CompetingMessages

MessageFiltering

ChannelBreakdowns

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Within any communication environment, messages can be disrupted by a variety of communication barriers: Noise and distractions. External distractions range from poor acoustics to uncomfortable meeting rooms to crowded computer screens with instant messages popping up. Internal distractions consist of thoughts and emotions. Multitasking is virtually guaranteed to create communication distractions. Competing messages. Having your audience’s undivided attention is rare. In many cases, you must compete with other messages that are trying to reach your audience at the same time. Filters. Messages can be blocked or distorted by filters—any human or technology that intervenes between the sender and the receiver. Filtering can be both intentional (e.g., automatically filing e-mail messages based on sender or content) or unintentional (e.g., an overly aggressive SPAM filter that deletes legitimate e-mail). When channel breakdowns occur, messages may be delayed, misrouted, or lost.


Audience Mindset

•Receiving•Decoding•Responding

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After a message works its way through the communication channel and reaches the intended audience, it encounters a whole new set of challenges. Understanding how audiences receive, decode, and respond to messages will help you create more effective messages. Messages often reach the intended audience but have no effect. For an audience member to actually receive a message, three events need to occur: the receiver has to sense its presence, select it from all the other messages clamoring for attention, and then perceive it as an actual message (as opposed to random, pointless noise). Even though a message may have been received by the audience, it still does not “mean” anything until the recipient decodes it and assigns meaning to it. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that your audience will assign the same meaning that you intended. Your message has been delivered, received, and correctly decoded. Now what? Will the audience respond in the way that you would like them to? Probably—if three events occur. First, the recipient has to remember the message long enough to act on it. Second, the recipient has to be able to respond as you wish. Third, the recipient has to be motivated to respond.

Social Communication


Business Communication 2.0

Business Communication 1.0

“We talk, you listen” “Let’s have a conversation”

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The traditional model of business communication was largely defined by a publishing or broadcast mindset. For external communication, a company released carefully scripted messages to a mass audience that often had few, if any, ways to respond. Likewise, customers and other interested parties had few ways to connect with one another to ask questions, share information, or offer support. Internal communication tended to follow the same “we talk, you listen” model, as upper managers issued directives to lower-level supervisors and employees. Today, a variety of technologies have enabled and inspired a new approach to business communication. In contrast to the publishing mindset, this new social communication model is interactive, conversational, and usually open to all who wish to participate. This new model is revolutionizing business communication. Social media have given customers and other stakeholders a voice they did not have in the past. And businesses are listening to that voice.

Business Communication 2.0 Model

TraditionalApproach

Social MediaApproach

HybridMethod

StrategicPlans Policies Customer

SupportProject

Updates


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Of course, no matter how enthusiastically a company embraces the social communication model, it is not going to be run as a social club in which everyone has a say and a vote. Instead, a hybrid approach is emerging in which some communications (such as strategic plans and policy documents) follow the traditional approach and others (such as project management updates and customer support messages) follow the social model.



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This section covered the following elements involved in Exploring the Communication Process: The Basic Communication Model Barriers in the Communication Environment Inside the Mind of Your Audience The Social Communication Model This concludes our discussion of Exploring the Communication Process. The next section will cover Using Technology to Improve Business Communication.

Using Technology in Business Communication


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Today’s businesses rely heavily on technology to enhance communication. In fact, many of the technologies you might use in your personal life are also used in business. Anyone who has used a computer, a smartphone, or other digital device knows that the benefits of technology are not automatic. To communicate effectively, learn to keep technology in perspective, guard against information overload and information addiction, use technological tools productively, and disengage from the computer frequently to communicate in person.

Maintain Perspective


•Getting Tasks Done•Communicating

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Perhaps the single most important point to remember about technology is that it’s simply a tool, a means by which you can accomplish certain tasks. It’s an aid to interpersonal communication, not a replacement for it. Technology can’t think for you or communicate for you. If you lack some essential skills, technology can’t fill in the gaps.

Information Overload


LessProductive

More Stressful

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The overuse or misuse of communication technology can lead to information overload, in which people receive more information than they can effectively process. Information overload makes it difficult to discriminate between useful and useless information, lowers productivity, and amplifies employee stress both on the job and at home. As a recipient, you have some level of control over the messages you receive. Use filtering to isolate high-priority messages that deserve your attention. Also, be wary of subscribing to too many Twitter streams and other sources. Instead, focus on the information you truly need to do your job. As a sender, make sure you don’t send unnecessary messages. Furthermore, if you send messages that aren’t urgent or crucial, let people know so they can prioritize.


•Policies•Guidelines•Training

Productivity Issues

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According to the “information technology paradox,” information tools can waste as much time as they save. Inappropriate web use not only distracts employees from work responsibilities but also leaves employers open to lawsuits. Moreover, blogs or social networking pages can expose confidential information or damage a firm’s reputation in the marketplace. The best solution to such problems lies in developing clear policies that are enforced evenly for all employees. Managers must guide employees in using information technology productively. The speed and simplicity of these tools can cause a flood of digital messages that distract employees from completing their work. In addition, knowing how to use technology efficiently can boost a worker’s productivity. Therefore, managers need to ensure that employees have sufficient training to use information technology productively while on the job.

Reconnect with People


Maintaining Relationships

Solving Tough Problems

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Technology can hinder communication if it’s overused. Speaking with people over the phone or in person can take more time and effort than sending an email or text message, but it’s often essential for solving tough problems and maintaining productive relationships. Moreover, even the best communication technologies can’t show people who you really are. Step out from behind the technology frequently to learn more about the people you work with—and to let them learn more about you.



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This section covered the following elements involved in Using Technology to Improve Business Communication: Keeping Technology in Perspective Guarding Against Information Overload and Information Addiction Using Technological Tools Productively Reconnecting with People This concludes our discussion of Using Technology to Improve Business Communication. The next section will cover Committing to Ethical and Legal Communication.

Committing to Ethical and Legal Communication


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Ethics are the accepted principles of conduct that govern behavior within a society. Ethical communication includes all relevant information, is true in every sense, does not violate the rights of others, and is not deceptive in any way.

Unethical Messages


Plagiarism

Omitting Information

Selective Misquoting

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Unethical communication can distort the truth or manipulate audiences in a variety of ways. Plagiarizing involves using someone else's words or other creative products and ideas and claiming them as your own. Omitting essential information the audience needs to make an intelligent, objective decision is unethical. Selective misquoting occurs when damaging or unflattering comments are omitted, in order to paint a better (but untruthful) picture of you or your company.

Unethical Messages


Misrepresenting Numbers

Distorting Visuals

Privacy and Security

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Misrepresenting numbers involves manipulating data by decreasing numbers, altering statistics, or omitting numerical data. Distorting visuals involves making a product look bigger or changing the scale of graphs and charts to exaggerate or conceal differences. Finally, failing to respect privacy or information security needs is unethical and may be illegal. The widespread use of social media has exposed the issue of transparency. In this context, transparency involves a sense of openness—of giving everyone involved in a conversation the information they need to process a message accurately. A key aspect of transparency is knowing who is behind the message.

Ethical Questions


•Ethical Lapse•Ethical Dilemma

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Every company has responsibilities to its stakeholders, and those various groups often have competing interests. In some situations, what's right for one group may be wrong for another. An ethical dilemma involves choosing among alternatives that aren't clear-cut (perhaps two conflicting alternatives are both ethical and valid, or perhaps the alternatives lie somewhere in the gray area between clearly right and clearly wrong). Unlike a dilemma, an ethical lapse is a clearly unethical or illegal choice. �

Ethical Communication


• Policies and Structures

• Company Leadership

• Individual Employees

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Ensuring ethical business communication requires three elements: ethical individuals, ethical company leadership, and appropriate policies and structures. Moreover, these three elements need to work in harmony. Employers have a responsibility to establish clear guidelines, such as a written code of ethics to promote ethical behavior and an ethics audit to monitor ethical progress. Furthermore, ethical behavior has to start at the top. If employees see company executives ignoring ethics guidelines and making unethical decisions, then they may conclude that the ethical guidelines don’t mean anything. In addition, every employee has the responsibility to communicate in an ethical manner, whether or not formal guidelines are in place. If you can’t decide whether a choice is ethical, imagine that you will have to explain your decision to someone whose opinion you value.


Promotions andContracts

EmploymentMessages

IntellectualProperty

FinancialReporting

Defamation Transparency

Legal Communication

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In addition to ethical guidelines, business communication is also bound by a wide variety of laws and regulations, including the following areas: Promotional communication. Marketing specialists need to be aware of the many laws that govern truth and accuracy in advertising. Contracts. A contract is a legally binding promise between two parties, in which one party makes a specified offer and the other party accepts. Employment communication. Local, state, and federal laws govern communication between employers and both potential and current employees. Intellectual property. In an age when instant global connectivity makes copying and retransmitting electronic files effortless, the protection of intellectual property (IP) has become a widespread concern. Intellectual property includes patents, copyrighted materials, trade secrets, and even Internet domain names. Financial reporting. Finance and accounting professionals who work for publicly traded companies (those that sell stock to the public) must adhere to stringent reporting laws. Defamation. Negative comments about another party raise the possibility of defamation, the intentional communication of false statements that damage character or reputation. Transparency requirements. Governments around the world are taking steps to help ensure that consumers and other parties know who is behind the information they receive, particularly from online sources.



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This section covered the following elements involved in Committing to Ethical and Legal Communication: Distinguishing Ethical Dilemmas from Ethical Lapses Ensuring Ethical Communication Ensuring Legal Communication This concludes our discussion of Committing to Ethical and Legal Communication. The presentation will close with a review of this chapter’s learning objectives.

Chapter 1

Achieving Success Through Effective Business

Communication


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This concludes the PowerPoint presentation on Chapter 1, “Achieving Success Through Effective Business Communication.” During this presentation, we have accomplished the following learning objectives: Explained the importance of effective communication to your career and to the companies where you will work Explained what it means to communicate as a professional in a business context Identified five unique challenges of business communication Described the communication process model and the ways that social media are changing the nature of business communication Listed four general guidelines for using communication technology effectively Defined ethics, explained the difference between an ethical dilemma and an ethical lapse, and listed six guidelines for making ethical communication choices For more information about these topics, refer to Chapter 1 in Business Communication Today.

Achieving Success Through Effective Business Communication · PDF fileCreated Date: 1/15/2014...

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