Business Communication Essentials Ch 2

OBJECTIVE- Explain the importance of business etiquette, and identify 3 key areas in which good etiquette is essential.

Etiquette is an essential business skill because the impression you make on others and your ability to help others feel comfortable will be major contributors to your career success. Poor etiquette can hinder team efforts, drain morale and productivity, drive away customers and investors, and limit your career potential. 3 key areas that require good business etiquette are the workplace, social settings in which you represent your company, and online venues. Matters of workplace etiquette include personal appearance, grooming, demeanor, and telephone habits. In social settings, make a positive impression by learning how to introduce yourself and others in a professional manner and by conducting yourself gracefully at dinners and other social gatherings. In online settings, learn and follow the standards of acceptable behavior for each system.

OBJECTIVE- List the keys steps needed to ensure productive team meetings, and identify the most common meeting technologies.

Meetings are an essential business activity, but they can waste time and money if conducted poorly. Help your company make better use of meetings are necessary, are carefully planned, include only the necessary participants and follow clear agendas. A variety of meeting technologies are available to help teams and other groups communicate more successfully. The primary advantage of these tools is the ability to conduct virtual meetings that don't require everyone to be in the same place at the same time. The tools range from simple instant messaging sessions and teleconferences to videoconferencing and web-based meetings to specialized capabilities such as online brainstorming systems.

OBJECTIVE- Explain the importance of nonverbal communication, and identify six major categories of nonverbal expression.

Nonverbal signals play a vital role in communication because they can strengthen a verbal message (when the nonverbal signals match the spoken words), weaken a verbal message (when nonverbal signals don't match the spoken words), or replace words entirely. The 6 major categories of nonverbal expression or facial expression, gestures and posture, vocal characteristics, personal appearance, touch, and use of time and personal space.

OBJECTIVE- Describe the listening process, and explain how good listeners overcome barriers at each stage of the process.

The listening process involves five steps: receiving, decoding, remembering, evaluations, and responding At any stage, barriers can disrupt the process, so good listeners practice active listening, avoid disrupting the speaker or other people, work hard to see past superficial differences and distractions, and take care not to let selective perception filter out important information.

OBJECTIVE- Offer guidelines for collaborative communication, identify major collaboration technologies, and explain how to give constructive feedback.

To succeed with collaborative writing, (1) select team members carefully to balance talents and viewpoints; (2) agree on project goals; (3) make sure team member have time to get to know one another; (4) make sure that everyone clearly understands individual responsibilities, processes, and tools; (5) generally, avoid writing as a group (assign the writing phase to one person, or assign separate sections to individual writers and have one person edit them all); (6) make sure tools and techniques are compatible; and (7) check in with everyone periodically. Some of the major collaboration technologies are review and commenting features in document preparation software, wikis, content management systems, groupware, and shared workspace. When you are asked to give feedback on someone's writing, focus on how the writing can be improved. Avoid personal attacks and give the person clear and specific advice.

OBJECTIVE- List the advantages and disadvantages of working in teams, and describe the characteristics of effective teams.

The advantages of successful teamwork include improved productivity, creativity, and employee involvement; increased information and knowledge; greater diversity of views; and increased acceptance of new solutions and ideas. The potential disadvantages of working in teams include groupthink (the tendency to let peer pressure overcome one's better judgment), the pursuit of hidden agendas, and the cost (in money and time) of planning and conducing team activities. The most effective teams have a clear objective, a shared sense of purpose, full engagement from all team members, procedures for reaching decisions by consensus, the right mix of creative and technical talents for the tasks at hand, and the ability to communicate well.