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CHAPTER 5: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION Creating and Delivering Messages that Matter COMMUNICATION SKILLS: YOUR INVISIBLE ADVANTAGE Effective Communication – Happens when you transmit meaning – relevant meaningto your audience. Noise - Any interference that causes the message you send to be different from the message your audience understands. Communication Barriers Obstacles to effective communication. 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) COMMUNICATION BARRIERS: THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT Physical barriers Language barriers Body language barriers Perceptual barriers Organizational barriers Cultural barriers INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION As globalization gains speed, intercultural communication will become increasingly pivotal to longterm business success INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION Nike Toyota hasmakes a television the MR2, commercial which in France for hiking is pronounced shoes that was "merdé" shot orinspelled Kenya 'merdeux', using Samburu means tribesmen. "crappy".The camera closes in on the one tribesman who speaks, in native Maa. As he speaks, the Nike In Chinese, sloganthe "Just Kentucky do it" appears Fried Chicken on the slogan screen."finger-lickin' Lee Cronk, an good" anthropologist came out as at "eat the University your fingers of Cincinnati, off.“ says the Kenyan is really saying, "I don't want these. Give me big shoes." Says In Taiwan, Nike'sthe Elizabeth translation Dolan, of the "WePepsi thought slogan nobody "Come in America alive with thewould Pepsiknow Generation" what he said.“ came out as "Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead.“ 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." NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION: BEYOND THE WORDS Reinforce the meaning of your message. Eye contact Tone of voice Facial expressions Gestures and posture NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION Yet Eye Inincontact many otherAsian cultures is a strange andthe Arab rules thing cultures and are different. varies it is bad across formcultures. to lookOn into the womens' Inwhole Japan, eyes in the children soUSA, many learn Americans willtonot direct do usually sotheir outstate gaze of respect that at the "you (usually region can't of trust misinterpreted an adult's peopleAdam's whobywon't many apple look western rather you inthan women). the eyes. eye." Yet when it comes to facts the average duration of eye contact among Americans isonly In Native Chinese, aboutIndonesians, American three seconds. cultures, andLess rural direct than Mexicans prolonged that usually judge eye equals toocontact much eye is shyness seen asoras contact invasive. embarrassment a sign It’s of bad avoidance manners. and more is practiced than thattois"protect an invasion the of personal personalspace. 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" ACTIVE LISTENING: THE GREAT DIVIDER Hourly Employee Manager Executive Top Salesman 30% 60% 75% 75% “ “Lying is done with words and also with silence” - Adrienne Rich “ % of time spent listening: 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?” 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 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… COMMUNICATION CHANNELS: LEVELS OF RICHNESS VARY Memos/Reports Very Low. No information from tone or body language. E-Mail Very Low. No information beyond words. Instant Message Very Low. Very few words lead to basic communication. Voice Mail Low. The audience gains tone but no body language. Telephone Conversation Moderate. The audience benefits from changes in your tone. Videoconferencing High. Conveys richness similar to in-person communication. In-Person Presentation High. Audience experiences all elements of message. Face-Face Meeting Very High. Audience experiences full message most directly. REMEMBER In emotional situations ... The Avoid impersonal writing, such as the e-mail and notes, for more emotional the message, more personal the“heavy” medium messages. High emotion: In-Person / Face-to-Face Meeting (assess & adapt) Deliver “bombs” in person, if possible… Medium emotion: Handwritten Telephone Conversation THE ASSOCIATED PRESS published: letter August/31, 2006 that RadioShack has (careful choice of by words, paper, ink)are being laid off. The e-mail notified 400 workers e-mail that they “The workMemo force reduction is currently in progress. stated, Low emotion: / Reportnotification / E-Mail (careful choice of words, Unfortunately your position is one that has been eliminated.” paper, formatting) STOP and THINK before communicating Reports TRIVIA QUIZ What report gets better reaction: 3-page or 10-page? ANSWER It depends. TRIVIA QUIZ ANSWER What’s preferred in business writing? Accuracy Organization Maximum meat/Minimum fat Attention to detail 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? BUSINESS WRITING TIPS Know audiences’ preferences Professors/boss preferences Be adaptable Time issues Stress issues Use reference materials BUSINESS WRITING STYLE Recommended for Neeley students Franklin Covey’s Style Guide For Business and Technical Communication REMEMBER On the written page, being clear and concise is more important than being impressive, brilliant, literary, or academic. PICK THE RIGHT WORDS: AVOID SLANG Do not alienate yourself by using slang, gender, age, ethnicity bias in written or verbal communication. WRITING SCHEDULE Establish absolute deadlines Meet deadlines on schedule Work backwards from project due-date to set working due-dates 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 ________ 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 … “OOPS!” FACTOR Fyrst, lern ta spel! “OOPS!” FACTOR Suppose attendance will drop? “OOPS!” FACTOR So much for the secret. “OOPS!” FACTOR New product offering? “OOPS!” FACTOR Talk about oxymorons! “OOPS!” FACTOR Care to check in? PICTURE LESSONS Writing should be this clear. PICTURE LESSONS Consider readers’ perspectives Plan ahead Edit carefully Proofread carefully Have someone else read it USE ACTIVE VOICE In sentences written in active voice, the subject performs the action expressed in the verb; the subject acts. 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 . . ." 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 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 WRITING: STRIKE THE RIGHT TONE Use personal pronouns whenever appropriate Use contractions as often as you would when speaking Where is this book from? is much better than From where is this book? It is OK to begin sentences with “And” or “But” I’ll, don’t, here’s It is OK to end a sentence with a preposition when doing so sounds natural I, you 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 WRITING: USE BLOCK PARAGRAPHS Standard Business Writing Use single spacing Double space between paragraphs Do not indent the first sentence of your paragraphs WRITING: NUMBERS 1. Use numerical figures for numbers expressing time, measurement or money 2. 3. 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 4. Approximately 60 applicants; over 3 million orders this quarter Write out approximations that are obvious exaggerations for effect 6. Thirty-three patients were…..; Four years ago we….. Use figures to express approximations 5. 3 a.m. ; $15.00; 45 ft. 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 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 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) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Comprehensive restatement of … Purpose Scope Conclusions Results Recommendations 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 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 EDITING PRACTICE Short-term planning is foremost in the prioritization of the planning loop. Writing Coach’s suggested change: Short-term planning comes first. 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. 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. 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 PROOFREADING TIPS Check every capitalization, punctuation, word division, Pay special attention to headings, topic Practice! Read aloud to slow down and catch number, chart, etc. visuals, sentences of paragraphs, more grammar/sense flaws captions WHY IS PROOFING SO HARD? Read in unison… Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. PROOFREADING PRACTICE The nurse and herpatient discussed her plans for the future. Writing Coach’s suggested change: The nurse and her#patient discussed the patient’s plans for the future. PROOFREADING PRACTICE Don enjoys chemistry and he has always wanted to be a chemist. Writing Coach’s suggested change: Don enjoys chemistry and always wanted to be a chemist. PROOFREADING PRACTICE In the land of Nod no one wears cloths. Writing Coach’s suggested change: In the land of Nod, no one wears clothes. PROOFREADING PRACTICE Due to incriminating circumstances, the judge decided to dismiss the charges. Writing Coach’s suggested change: Due to extenuating circumstances, the judge decided to dismiss the charges. HOW EMBARRASSING!