BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS

1. BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS Thuyduong Nguyen BISM 3200-02 February 28, 2003

2. Business Communication • Studies have found that people spend 70 to 85 percent of their work time deliberately communicating through writing, reading, speaking, and listening. • Communication is the lifeblood of any organization. • In an organization, people communicate in many ways.

3. Face-to-face communication takes place during one-on-one discussions, in formal groups, and during meetings. Face-to-face communication is the most effective form of communication. Both nonverbal cues and verbal communication supply immediate feedback. Individuals also communicate orally on the phone and during presentations, and in writing using desktop computers or terminals to compose letters, memos, and reports. Organization Communication

4. The Communication Process • The communication process includes: sender or encoder, receiver or decoder, message, channel or medium, feedback, and environment.

5. The Communication Process

6. The Communication Process • Sender or Encoder • The sender initiates a communication-and determines the intent of the message, how to send it, and what if any response is required. • The sender bears the burden in this process, communicating not only the content of the message, but information about history and attitude toward the receivers as well.

7. The Communication Process • Receiver or Decoder • Receivers comprise the target audience of a message transmitted by the sender. • The message the sender encodes may not be the message received. • Receivers interpret messages based upon their frame of reference: includes their life experiences, their cultural background, and the values and beliefs they hold. • Feedback may help to prevent misunderstandings.

8. Receiver or Decoder

9. The Communication Process • Message • Contains ideas expressed to other individuals • Messages generally take one or more of three forms: informative, persuasive, and actuative.

10. The Communication Process • Channel or Medium • The channel conveys the message to the receiver, either verbally and face-to-face, or in another mediated fashion. • The medium can impact the message positively or negatively, so the sender must choose the best medium for assuring effective communication.

11. The Communication Process • Feedback • Reports back to the sender that the receiver, the decoder, received and understood the message. • Feedback makes communication a two-way process, allowing the sender to become a receiver and vice versa.

12. Feedback should occur immediately Supervisory feedback should complement work-related behavior Positive feedback produces the best results, but neg. feedback can be better than no feedback Verbal feedback should accompany and support or verify nonverbal signals Workers remember what they hear first and last in a message Feedback allows us to learn how people think and feel about things Tips for Improving Feedback

13. The Communication Process • Environment • The environment in which the communication process occurs may influence the probability of success or failure • This environment includes room color, temperature, lighting, furniture, and timing, as well as organizational climate and superior-subordinate and peer relationships.

14. Causes of Miscommunication • Inferences • Word-meaning confusion • Differing perceptions • Information overload and timing • Nonverbal messages • Noise • Listening • Intercultural differences

15. Inferences • Draw a conclusion based on facts • As a communicator, you must be conscious of the inferences you make. Be careful to label your inferences. • Your audience must be able to distinguish between what you know and what you think, assume, believe, or judge to be true

16. Inferences Example • The sun shines brightly today. • Contains fact because you can easily verify it by looking out the window. • The sun shines here, therefore, it shines 50 miles north of here. • This is an inferences statement, involves drawing conclusion based on more than what you observe.

17. When a sender and receiver give the same word different meanings or give different words the same meaning. Words have both denotative and connotative meanings To avoid a similar word-meaning confusion, consider the person with whom you communicate, ask questions, and paraphrases important statements. Example If you look up the word ill in the dictionary, you probably would find a definition meaning sick, but in the southern region of the United States, illcould refer to a misbehaving child. Word-Meaning Confusion

18. Your perceptions provide your view of reality, but they depend on how you interpret what you see and hear Perceptions are influenced by a variety of factors include personal background, education, age, and experiences 2 categories of perception: sensory perception and normative perception Differing Perceptions

19. Information Overload & Timing • Advance technology has made it easy to send a fax, make a copy, or print a report • Unfortunately you have only a limited capacity to handle and process this communication. Because so much info must be processed, some of it gets lost. • You can prevent such information loss by becoming concerned more with the quality of your communication than with its quantity.

20. Information Overload & Timing

21. Information Overload & Timing • When communicating with employees, whether face to face or over the telephone, effective communicators always check with their timing. • If an individual rules in, interrupts, and demands time, the receiver may feign listening or listen halfheartedly • This behavior could costly to an organization if its results in miscommunication and wrong action.

22. Senders sometimes forget the importance of nonverbal messages, but, as a communicator, you should pay careful attention to the nonverbal communication of the sender and listen for the message “between the line.” When assessing nonverbal messages, you should be careful not to place too much importance on a single, isolated nonverbal behavior; instead, look for several nonverbal cues. Nonverbal actions provide a key to a person’s true feelings and attitudes. Nonverbal Messages

23. Noises • Noise can be interfere with every aspect of the communication process. Noise may be external or internal • External Noise: comes from you surroundings • Phone line crackling with static • A telephone ringing or a co-worker laughing in a cubical next to you • Internal noise: comes from within • Such factors as dislike of your receiver • Distraction by another problem • Prejudice against a person

24. Listening • Without training, a listener retains only 25% of what he or she hears. • Based on Hamilton and Kleiner: when eyes wander, your retention of what has been said is affected. • If you focus too hard on little facts, you can miss the overall message. • If you assume the speaker or subject to be uninteresting, you may miss out • If you pretend to listen, you may get caught

25. Listening

26. Listening Guidelines • Look at the person speaking to show interest • Ask questions to help clarify what the speaker said • Don’t interrupt the speaker without reason • Don’t change the subject, because the speaker may have no thoughts on the new subject • Control your emotions about the subject matter • Be responsive and let the speaker know he or she has communicated effectively

27. Listening • Another listening barrier occurs because we have different rates of listening and speaking. • Speakers generally talk at about 125 to 150 words a minute, while receivers can listen to about 400 to 500 words per minute. • Receivers must work at listening and try to avoid becoming distracted • To be an effective managers, you must be an effective listener

28. Listening • Longenecker and Liverpool theory of behaviors displaying poor listening skills • Looking out the window or at your watch while someone talks • Continuing to work during the conversation • Appearing rushed during a conversation • Walking away from a person who is speaking • Continuing playing with pens, papers, and other items • Finishing another person’s sentences • Answering incoming phone calls • Inserting humorous remarks in response to serious problems • And looking at a person other than the individual speaking

29. Steps to become a better listener • Identifying your shortcoming • Postpone the meeting if you don’t have time • Show the employee you want to listen • Do not prejudice the employee • Empathize with the employee • Be patient with the employee • Resist arguments and criticisms • Ask questions and show understanding

30. Intercultural Differences • Individuals from different cultures bring different perceptions, value systems, and languages to the workplace • To be successful in business dealings, you must be aware of and sensitive to cultural differences, use appropriate language, correctly interpret nonverbal communication, and value individual and cultural differences

31. Be aware that an individual’s background and experience can impact his or her interpretation and perception of a message Check to see if you have any hidden biases and see if you have formed an opinion about how people of a certain sex, religion, or race appear, think, and act based simply on their belonging to particular group Try to avoid stereotyping and the use of sexist, racist, or ethnic remarks Being Aware and Sensitive

32. Using Appropriate Language • The same word may mean different things to people from other countries • Some words may have different meanings in other languages • Use feedback to clarify your message

33. Interpreting Nonverbal Communication • Almost about 70% of our communication occurs nonverbally and each culture interprets and displays body language differently • Certain nonverbal signs can be clues that the receiver does not understand and is trying to save face • The body language may tell you what the words don’t

34. Valuing Differences • As an effective communicator, you must learn to value, appreciate, and accept individual differences • Approximately 49.5 percent of new workers are expected to be women, while people of color will comprise 34.7 percent.

35. Questions?