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Chapter 5: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Chapter 5: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION. Creating and Delivering Messages that Matter. COMMUNICAT ION SKILLS: YOUR INVISIBLE ADVANTAGE. Effective Communication – Happens when you transmit meaning – relevant meaning- to your audience. Communication Barriers -

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Chapter 5: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

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  1. Chapter 5: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION Creating and Delivering Messages that Matter

  2. COMMUNICATION SKILLS:YOUR INVISIBLE ADVANTAGE Effective Communication – Happens when you transmit meaning – relevant meaning- to your audience. Communication Barriers - Obstacles to effective communication. Noise - Any interference that causes the message you send to be different from the message your audience understands.

  3. COMMUNICATION SKILLS:YOUR INVISIBLE ADVANTAGE • Examples of Noise: • Over the emergency exit in a small hotel: This door is not to be used for entering or exiting the building • In a university faculty lounge: At the end of the day, please empty the coffee pot and stand upside down on the draining board • At a conference in Las Vegas: For anyone who has children and doesn’t know it, there is a day care on the first floor • In the window of a dry cleaner: Anyone leaving garments here for more than 30 days will be disposed of • On the ladies room in a New York office tower: Restroom out of order. Please use floor below • At the information desk of a museum in Paris: Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9am and 11am daily • Over a church door: This is the gate to heaven. Enter ye all by this door. This door is kept locked because of the draft. (Please use side door)

  4. COMMUNICATION BARRIERS: THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT • Physical barriers • Language barriers • Body language barriers • Perceptual barriers • Organizational barriers • Cultural barriers

  5. INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION As globalization gains speed, intercultural communication will become increasingly pivotal to long-term business success

  6. INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION • Nike has a television commercial for hiking shoes that was shot in Kenya using Samburu tribesmen. The camera closes in on the one tribesman who speaks, in native Maa. As he speaks, the Nike slogan "Just do it" appears on the screen. Lee Cronk, an anthropologist at the University of Cincinnati, says the Kenyan is really saying, "I don't want these. Give me big shoes." Says Nike's Elizabeth Dolan, "We thought nobody in America would know what he said.“  • Toyota makes the MR2, which in France is pronounced "merdé" or spelled 'merdeux', means "crappy". • In Chinese, the Kentucky Fried Chicken slogan "finger-lickin' good" came out as "eat your fingers off.“ • In Taiwan, the translation of the Pepsi slogan "Come alive with the Pepsi Generation" came out as "Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead.“

  7. INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION • Nike offended Muslims in June, 1997 when the "flaming air" logo for its Nike Air sneakers looked too similar to the Arabic form of God's name, "Allah". Nike pulled more than 38,000 pairs of sneakers from the market. • The American slogan for Salem cigarettes, "Salem - Feeling Free," got translated in the Japanese market into "When smoking Salem, you feel so refreshed that your mind seems to be free and empty."

  8. NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION: BEYOND THE WORDS Reinforce the meaning of your message. • Eye contact • Tone of voice • Facial expressions • Gestures and posture

  9. NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION • In many Asian and Arab cultures it is bad form to look into womens' eyes so many will not do so out of respect (usually misinterpreted by many western women). • In Native American cultures, direct prolonged eye contact is seen as invasive. It’s avoidance is practiced to "protect the personal autonomy of the interactors“. Direct gaze to an elder or very respected person is seen as especially rude, unless one is in a formal listening/storytelling situation, in which case "…listeners may look at (the speaker) more directly … without violating his or her personal space by eye contact" • Yet in other cultures the rules are different. • In Japan, children learn to direct their gaze at the region of an adult's Adam's apple rather than eyes. • Chinese, Indonesians, and rural Mexicans judge too much eye contact as a sign of bad manners. • Eye contact is a strange thing and varies across cultures. On the whole in the USA, Americans usually state that "you can't trust people who won't look you in the eye." Yet when it comes to facts the average duration of eye contact among Americans is only about three seconds. Less than that usually equals shyness or embarrassment and more than that is an invasion of personal space.

  10. ACTIVE LISTENING: THE GREAT DIVIDER “ % of time spent listening: “Lying is done with words and also with silence” - Adrienne Rich “

  11. LISTENING • 80% of our success in learning from other people is based upon how well we listen • Think before you speak • Listen with respect • Ask yourself, “Is It Worth It?”

  12. LISTENING • Listening Exercise: • Listen • Don’t interrupt • Don’t finish the other person’s sentences • Don’t say “I knew that” • Don’t even agree with the other person • Don’t use the words “no,” “but,” and “however” • Don’t be distracted – don’t let your eyes or attention wander • Maintain your end of the dialogue by asking intelligent questions • Eliminate striving to impress the other person

  13. CHOOSE THE RIGHT CHANNEL: A RICH ARRAY OF OPTIONS Consider the audience - it’s not about you! Communication Channels – Figuring out the right way to send a message. The number of options is growing…

  14. COMMUNICATION CHANNELS: LEVELS OF RICHNESS VARY

  15. In emotional situations ... REMEMBER • The more emotional the message, the more personal the medium • High emotion: In-Person / Face-to-Face Meeting (assess & adapt) • Medium emotion: Handwritten letter / Telephone Conversation (careful choice of words, paper, ink) • Low emotion: Memo / Report / E-Mail (careful choice of words, paper, formatting) • STOP and THINK before communicating • Avoid impersonal writing, such as e-mail and notes, for “heavy” messages. • Deliver “bombs” in person, if possible… • THE ASSOCIATED PRESS published: August 31, 2006 that RadioShack has notified 400 workers by e-mail that they are being laid off. The e-mail stated, “The work force reduction notification is currently in progress. Unfortunately your position is one that has been eliminated.”

  16. Reports

  17. TRIVIA QUIZ What report gets better reaction: 3-page or 10-page? ANSWER It depends.

  18. ANSWER Accuracy Organization Maximum meat/Minimum fat Attention to detail TRIVIA QUIZ What’s preferred in business writing?

  19. PICK THE RIGHT WORDS: ANALYZE YOUR AUDIENCE • Expectations • What kind of language do most people use in the organization? • Education • What vocabulary should you use? • How complex should you make the message? • Profession • Are there professional acronyms and jargon that can impact your message?

  20. BUSINESS WRITING TIPS • Know audiences’ preferences • Professors/boss preferences • Be adaptable • Time issues • Stress issues • Use reference materials

  21. BUSINESS WRITING STYLE Recommended for Neeley students Franklin Covey’s Style Guide For Business and Technical Communication

  22. REMEMBER On the written page, being clear and concise is more important than being impressive, brilliant, literary, or academic.

  23. PICK THE RIGHT WORDS: AVOID SLANG Do not alienate yourself by using slang, gender, age, ethnicity bias in written or verbal communication.

  24. WRITING SCHEDULE • Establish absolute deadlines • Meet deadlines on schedule • Work backwards from project due-date to set working due-dates

  25. THINK IN REVERSE • Finalized document due on ________ • Proofreading due on ________ • Final draft due on ________ • Editing #2 due on ________ • Revision due on ________ • Editing #1 due on ________ • Rewrite due on ________ • First draft due on ________

  26. WHY IS DRAFTING SO HARD? • We don’t write the way we speak • FIRST DRAFT • Center on subject and substance • DON’T worry about editing and proofing—yet • BUT, don’t neglect editing and proofing or you get the OOPS factor …

  27. “OOPS!” FACTOR Fyrst, lern ta spel!

  28. “OOPS!” FACTOR Suppose attendance will drop?

  29. “OOPS!” FACTOR So much for the secret.

  30. “OOPS!” FACTOR New product offering?

  31. “OOPS!” FACTOR Talk about oxymorons!

  32. “OOPS!” FACTOR Care to check in?

  33. PICTURE LESSONS Writing should be this clear.

  34. PICTURE LESSONS • Consider readers’ perspectives • Plan ahead • Edit carefully • Proofread carefully • Have someone else read it

  35. USE ACTIVE VOICE • In sentences written in active voice, the subject performs the action expressed in the verb; the subject acts.

  36. PASSIVE VOICE • In sentences written in passive voice, the subject receives the action expressed in the verb; the subject is acted upon. The agent performing the action may appear in a "by the . . ."

  37. SAME MESSAGE, DIFFERENT APPROACH If your recipient will feel positive or neutral: Begin with your bottom line If your recipient will feel negative about your message: Start with the rationale and follow with your bottom line

  38. WRITE HIGH-IMPACT MESSAGES: BREAKING THROUGH THE CLUTTER • Strike the right tone • Don’t make grammar goofs • Use block paragraphs • Use headings and bulleted lists

  39. WRITING: STRIKE THE RIGHT TONE • Use personal pronouns whenever appropriate • I, you • Use contractions as often as you would when speaking • I’ll, don’t, here’s • It is OK to end a sentence with a preposition when doing so sounds natural • Where is this book from? is much better than From where is this book? • It is OK to begin sentences with “And” or “But” • Most teens enjoy videogames with a moderate level of violence. But a small, vocal minority strongly advocates a more clean-cut approach • Use common words in most situations • use vs. utilize

  40. WRITING: USE BLOCK PARAGRAPHS • Standard Business Writing • Use single spacing • Double space between paragraphs • Do not indent the first sentence of your paragraphs

  41. WRITING: NUMBERS • Use numerical figures for numbers expressing time, measurement or money • 3 a.m. ; $15.00; 45 ft. • Write out numbers if they are below 10; if they are 10 or more, use figures • Two technicians; 15 systems • Regardless of size, use figures for units of measure – 5 pounds; 2 yards • In nontechnical writing, numbers are often written out if less than 100 – thirty-five; seventy-one • Write out numbers that begin a sentence • Thirty-three patients were…..; Four years ago we….. • Use figures to express approximations • Approximately 60 applicants; over 3 million orders this quarter • Write out approximations that are obvious exaggerations for effect • That computer isn’t worth two cents; the boss told them a million times • Use a combination of letters and figures for very large round numbers • We have invested over $45 million

  42. WRITING: USE HEADINGS AND BULLETED LISTS • Headings • Not a title, but subject label • Effective even in short documents • Bulleted List • Engage your readers • Direct their attention

  43. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Essential for readers who don’t have the time, interest or need to read the entire document • Most important part of document • Last piece of document created • VERY short • Introduction/body/conclusion • Enough detail to reflect content • Concise and complete enough (even if full document never is read)

  44. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • Comprehensive restatement of … • Purpose • Scope • Conclusions • Results • Recommendations

  45. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • No new information • Use transitional words/phrases • Follow organization of document • Do not refer to document’s … • Tables • Figures • Appendices • References • Other explanatory materials

  46. WHY IS EDITING SO HARD? • We don’t write the way we speak. • Most business writing is too verbose. • Focus on content and meaning • Facts/analysis/recommendations • Numbers and charts • Structure and organization • Sentence/phrase interpretation • Consistency

  47. EDITING PRACTICE Short-term planning is foremost in the prioritization of the planning loop. Writing Coach’s suggested change: Short-term planning comes first.

  48. EDITING PRACTICE It is recommended that a legal action against a foreign company for the profit under contention would not be a wise move. Writing Coach’s suggested change: Suing a foreign company for this amount of money is unwise.

  49. EDITING PRACTICE It is Sabrina’s proposal for the adoption of the employee profile software by the personnel department. This software provides assistance in the selection of new employees. Writing Coach’s suggested change: Sabrina proposes that the personnel department adopt employee profile software for new-employee selection.

  50. PROOFREADING • Focus on format and usage • Appearance on page • Spelling, grammar, typographical errors • Electronic checks (be careful!) • Physical check of printed copy • Usage errors • Language confusion • Capitalization and punctuation

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