CHAPTER FIVE: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

WHAT IS THE STARTING POINT OF ACTIVE LISTENING?

-empathy --> a genuine attempt to understand and appreciate the speaker -you should signal your focus to the speaker through verbal cues and nonverbal cues

ANALYZE YOUR AUDIENCE AND CONSIDER THEIR:

-expectations -education -profession

THREE COMMON KINDS OF BIAS

-gender bias - words that suggest stereotypical attitudes toward a specific gender -ages bias - words that suggest stereotypical attitudes toward people of specific ages -race, ethnicity, and nationality bias - usually unintentional and stem from unarticulated assumptions about a person's attitude, opinions, and experiences

USING HEADINGS AND BULLETS APPROPRIATELY

-headings: a heading is not a title, it is a label for one of several parts -bulleted lists: a bulleted list is an invaluable tool that you can use to engage your reader's attention whenever you have more than one of anything in your writing

THE ANTICIPATED AUDIENCE RESPONSE SHOULD DIRECTLY AFFECT HOW YOU STRUCTURE YOUR WRITING:

-if the recipient will feel positive or neutral about your message, the memo or email should begin with your essential point -if the recipient will feel negative about your message, start the memo or email with a couple of lines that present the rationale before you give the essential point

BODY VERBAL PRESENTATION

-include no more than two to four main points and explain them sequentially -specific examples and vivid comparisons will illustrate your points and bring them to life, while trusted sources, specific data, and expert quotations will increase your credibility and persuasiveness

AVOIDING GRAMMATICAL ERRORS

-it is OK to end a sentence with a preposition when it sounds natural and does not involve excess words -it is OK to begin sentences with "and" or "but" -it is OK to split infinitives

LEVELS OF RICHNESS - COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

face-to-face meeting --> very high in-person presentation --> high telephone --> moderate voicemail --> low email, memos/reports, texting --> very low

USING APPROPRIATE CONVERSATIONAL STYLE

good business writing sounds natural - it flows like spoken language and reads like a conversation a few guidelines will also help: -use common words in most situations -use the active voice -use personal pronouns -use contractions

NOISE

interference that causes misinterpretation of information

OPENING VERBAL PRESENTATION

provide a chance to grab the audience's attention by: -an interesting or startling statistic -audience involvement -a compelling story or anecdote -a relevant simile or metaphor -engaging questions

DESCRIBE THE KEY ELEMENTS OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

the key elements of nonverbal communication include eye contact, tone of voice, facial expressions, gestures, and posture

DYNAMIC DELIVERY

vibrant, compelling presentation delivery style that grabs and holds the attention of the audience

ACTIVE LISTENING

attentive listening that occurs when the listener focuses his or her complete attention on the speaker

CREATING AND DELIVERING SUCCESSFUL VERBAL PRESENTATIONS

-a great presentation begins with a hook that draws your audience in and engages their attention -the body of the presentation typically focuses on three key points, supported by credible information and persuasive arguments -the close summarizes the key points and often refers back to the opening book

WRITING MORE EFFECTIVE BUSINESS MEMOS, LETTERS, AND EMAILS

-begin with the needs of your audience --> their anticipated response should drive the structure of your writing -determine the "bottom line" of your communication, and be sure to deliver it up front -your message itself should have a natural tone and must be completely free of grammatical errors

CHOOSING EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

-communication channels differ significantly in terms of richness: the amount of information that they offer the audience -the spectrum ranges from written communication at the low end to face-to-face meetings at the high end -the best choice depends on your objective, your message, and your audience -to ensure that your communication achieves your goals, always consider the needs and expectations of your audience -if you tailor each message with the audience in mind, you'll give yourself a competitive edge in terms of the time, attention, and response of your audience

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

-communication that does not use words - common forms of nonverbal communication include gestures, posture, facial expressions, tone of voice, and eye contact -the goal is to reinforce the meaning of your message

LISTENING DON'Ts

-don't even glance at your emails or text messages -don't begin speaking the moment the person stops talking -don't get overly comfortable -don't pick up your phone when you're listening -don't interrupt or finish other people's sentences

EXPLAIN THE IMPORTANCE OF EXCELLENT BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

-effective communication happens when relevant meaning is transmitted from the sender to the receiver -to communicate effectively, you should be able to identify and surmount any barriers that stand between you and your audience

TYPES OF COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

-physical -language -body language -perceptual ("i don't like you so i'm not going to listen to you") -organizational (commonality for how you're supposed to act) -cultural (communicated with someone from a different culture)

PREPARATION BEFORE DELIVERING VERBAL PRESENTATIONS

-questions - decide whether you want to handle questions throughout your talk or save them for the end -visual aids -google presentations -handling nerves and hostility -incorporate humor -eye contact

SUGGESTIONS FOR POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS

-showing works better than telling -less is more -don't just read your slides aloud -go easy on the special effects -don't let the slides upstage you

PASSIVE VOICE

-subject does not do the action expressed by the verb, rather the subject is acted upon -tends to be less effective for business communication

ACTIVE VOICE

-subject performs the action expressed by the verb -works better for the vast majority of business communication

CLOSING VERBAL PRESENTATION

-summarize the key points verbally signaling the audience that you are about to conclude -circle back to your introduction, so that the beginning and the end serve as "bookends" for the body of your presentation

CHOOSING THE RIGHT WORDS FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

-the right words can make the difference between the message your audience absorbs and a message your audience ignores -keep these considerations in mind: analyze your audience, be concise, avoid slang, avoid bias, and use the active voice

COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

-the various ways in which a message can be sent, ranging from one-on-one in-person meetings to Internet message boards -understanding the impact of each channel helps to determine the best channel to use -channels differ in their richness and their advantages -channel of communication is determined after analyzing and considering the audience

COMMUNICATION

-transmission of information between a sender and a recipient -determines the success of a business

THE THREE ELEMENTS TO BLOCK PARAGRAPHS

-use single spacing -double space between paragraphs -do not indent the first sentence of your paragraphs

LISTENING DOs

-use your extra mental capacity to summarize what the speaker is saying -ask yourself: why does this matter? what's the key point? -take a few notes -listen with both your ears and your eyes -use nonverbal communication to indicate interest in the speaker -use verbal feedback and questions to indicate understanding and empathy

TEN TIPS FOR DYNAMIC DELIVERY

1. PRACTICE! 2. know your material, but never memorize it word for word 3. look directly at members of your audience at least 50% of the time 4. vary your voice, your facial expressions, and your body language 5. use selective notes (but keep them inconspicuous) 6. stick to your allotted time 7. slow down and listen to yourself 8. don't apologize (unless you really did something wrong) 9. remember to use natural gestures 10. PRACTICE!

ONLY ___% OF MEANING DURING FACE-TO-FACE COMMUNICATION COMES FROM THE VERBAL CONTENT OF THE MESSAGE

7%

___% OF MEANING COMES FROM NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

93%

VIDEOCONFERENCING COMMUNICATION CHANNEL

channel richness: high when should it be used? -need to reach multiple people with complex or high-priority content -need or want spontaneous, dynamic dialogue with an audience that you cannot reach in person

VOICE MAIL COMMUNICATION CHANNEL

channel richness: low when should it be used? -content is uncontroversial -don't need a record of your message

TELEPHONE CONVERSATION COMMUNICATION CHANNEL

channel richness: moderate when should it be used? -need to either delivery your message or get a response quickly -content is more personal or controversial -need or want a spontaneous, dynamic dialogue with the recipient

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

communication among people with differing cultural backgrounds

COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

obstacles to effective communication

BIAS

preconception about members of a particular group