Business Comm
Importance of listening:
•Poor listening happens. •We misunderstand or forget 75% of what we hear
4 things to do before virtual meetings:
1.) Invite the right people. 2.) Distribute an agenda and needed material. 3.) Set meeting date and time. 4.) Select a technology and make sure it works.
All steps in ethical process: (added junk)
1.) Is the action legal? 2.) Would you do it if you were on the opposite side? 3.) Can you rule out a better alternative? 4.) Would a trusted advisor agree? 5.) Would family, friends, an employer, or coworkers approve?
Ethical Guidelines: (Know 5)
•Abiding by the Law: Know the laws in your field and follow them. Particularly important for business communicators are issues of copyright law. •Telling the Truth: Ethical business communicators do not intentionally make statements that are untrue or deceptive. •Labeling Opinions: Sensitive communicators know the difference between facts and opinions. Facts are verifiable and often are quantifiable; opinions are beliefs held with confidence but without substantiation. •Being Objective: Ethical business communicators recognize their own biases and strive to keep them from distorting a message. •Communicating Clearly: Ethical business communicators feel an obligation to write clearly so that receivers understand easily and quickly. Some states have even passed "plain English" (also called "plain language") laws requiring businesses to write policies, warranties, and contracts in language comprehensible to average readers. •Using Inclusive Language: Ethical business communicators use language that includes rather than excludes. •Giving Credit. Ethical communicators give credit for ideas by -- referring to originators' names within the text; using quotation marks; and documenting sources with endnotes, footnotes, or internal references.
Why form teams?
•Better decisions. Decisions are generally more accurate and effective because group members contribute different expertise and perspectives. •Faster response. When action is necessary to respond to competition or to solve a problem, small groups and teams can act rapidly. •Increased productivity. Because they are often closer to the action and to the customer, team members can see opportunities for improving efficiency. •Greater buy-in. Decisions arrived at jointly are usually better received because members are committed to the solution and are more willing to support it. •Less resistance to change. People who have input into decisions are less hostile, aggressive, and resistant to change. •Improved employee morale. Personal satisfaction and job morale increase when teams are successful. •Reduced risks. Responsibility for a decision is diffused on a team, thus carrying less risk for any individual.
Benefits of diversity:
•Better work place. •Consumers: A diverse staff is better able to read trends and respond to the increasingly diverse customer base in local and world markets. Diverse consumers now want specialized goods and services tailored to their needs. •Work teams: Employees today work in teams. Team members with different backgrounds may come up with more creative and effective solutions than homogeneous teams. •Business Organizations: Companies that set aside time and resources to cultivate and capitalize on diversity will suffer fewer discrimination lawsuits, fewer union clashes, and less government regulatory action.
Foreign corrupt practices act:
•Bribery. •It prohibits payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. •Illegal in the US. Try to find alternatives. Instead of paying them cash, offer to buy supplies for a poor school.
High context:
•China and Greeks. •Friendly, personal messages. •Collectivist: they emphasize membership in organizations, groups, and teams; they encourage acceptance of group values, duties, and decisions. •Time is an unlimited and never-ending resource to be enjoyed. •Subordinates expect formal hierarchies and embrace relatively authoritarian, paternalistic power relationships •Place more emphasis on the surrounding context than on the words describing a negotiation. •Word play.
What must be done in advance to a meeting?
•Consider alternatives: Unless a topic is important and pressing, avoid calling a meeting. Perhaps an e-mail message, telephone call, or announcement would serve the purpose. •Invite the right people: Invite people who have information and authority to make the decision and implement it. •Distribute an agenda: Prepare an agenda that includes the date and place of the meeting, the starting and ending time, a brief description of each topic, the names of the people responsible for any action, and a proposed time allotment for each topic. •Use a calendar program: If available, use calendaring software to set a meeting date, issue invitations, and send the agenda. •Train participants on technology: Especially for virtual meetings, be sure participants are comfortable with the conferencing software.
Diversity training:
•Diversity training is important for communication.
Flow of Communication
•Downward: Management to subordinates. Ex. procedures, policies, goals. •Upward: Subordinates to management. Ex. feedback, suggestions, concerns, clarifications. •Horizontal: Among workers at the same level. Ex. team building, idea generating, problem solving.
Flattening of management hierarchy
•Everyone needs to be a good writer do to the flat management. •In response to intense global competition and other pressures, however, innovative businesses have for years been cutting costs and flattening their management hierarchies. •This flattening means that fewer layers of managers separate decision makers from line workers. In flat organizations, in which the lines of communication are shorter, decision makers can react more quickly to market changes.
Nonverbal Communication: (Know 5)
•Eye Contact: Remember that in North America appropriate eye contact signals interest, attentiveness, strength, and credibility. Even if communicators can't look directly into the soul, they consider the eyes to be the most accurate predictor of a speaker's true feelings and attitudes. Most of us cannot look another person straight in the eyes and lie. As a result, in our culture we tend to believe people who look directly at us. We have less confidence in and actually distrust those who cannot maintain eye contact. Sustained eye contact suggests trust and admiration; brief eye contact signifies fear or stress. Prolonged eye contact, however, can be intrusive and intimidating. ------------------------------------------------------------------ •Facial Expressions: The expression on a communicator's face can be almost as revealing of emotion as the eyes. Researchers estimate that the human face can display over 250,000 expressions. Although a few people can control these expressions and maintain a "poker face" when they want to hide their feelings, most of us display our emotions openly. Raising or lowering the eyebrows, squinting the eyes, swallowing nervously, clenching the jaw, smiling broadly—these voluntary and involuntary facial expressions supplement or entirely replace verbal messages. In the workplace, maintaining a pleasant expression with frequent smiles promotes harmony. ---------------------------------------------------------------- •Posture and Gestures: Encourage interaction by leaning forward, sitting or standing erect, and looking alert. An individual's general posture can convey anything from high status and self-confidence to shyness and submissiveness. Leaning toward a speaker suggests attraction and interest; pulling away or shrinking back denotes fear, distrust, anxiety, or disgust. Similarly, gestures can communicate entire thoughts via simple movements. But remember that these nonverbal cues may have vastly different meanings in different cultures. An individual who signals success by forming the thumb and forefinger into a circle would be in deep trouble in Germany or parts of South America. The harmless OK sign is actually an obscene reference in those areas. In the workplace you can make a good impression by controlling your posture and gestures. When speaking, make sure your upper body is aligned with the person to whom you're talking. Erect posture sends a message of confidence, competence, diligence, and strength. During the Microsoft antitrust trial, CEO Bill Gates slouched in his chair and rocked back and forth as he pondered questions and responded. Body language experts thought his childlike, rhythmic rocking did not help his case. Women are advised to avoid tilting their heads to the side when making an important point. This gesture diminishes the main thrust of the message. ------------------------------------------------------------------ •Time. How we structure and use time tells observers about our personality and attitudes. For example, when Maritza Perez, a banking executive, gives a visitor a prolonged interview, she signals her respect for, interest in, and approval of the visitor or the topic being discussed. By sharing her valuable time, she sends a clear nonverbal message. Likewise, when David Ing twice arrives late for a meeting, it could mean that the meeting has low priority to David, that he is a self-centered person, or that he has little self-discipline. These are assumptions that typical Americans might make. In other cultures and regions, though, punctuality is viewed differently. In the workplace you can send positive nonverbal messages by being on time for meetings and appointments, staying on task during meetings, and giving ample time to appropriate projects and individuals. ------------------------------------------------------------------- •Space: How we arrange things in the space around us tells something about ourselves and our objectives. Whether the space is a dorm room, an office, or a department, people reveal themselves in the design and grouping of furniture within that space. Generally, the more formal the arrangement, the more formal and closed the communication environment. An executive who seats visitors in a row of chairs across from his desk sends a message of aloofness and a desire for separation. A team leader who arranges chairs informally in a circle rather than in straight rows or a rectangular pattern conveys her desire for a more open, egalitarian exchange of ideas. A manager who creates an open office space with few partitions separating workers' desks seeks to encourage an unrestricted flow of communication and work among departments. -------------------------------------------------------------------- •Territory. Each of us has certain areas that we feel are our own territory, whether it is a specific spot or just the space around us. Your father may have a favorite chair in which he is most comfortable, a cook might not tolerate intruders in her kitchen, and veteran employees may feel that certain work areas and tools belong to them. We all maintain zones of privacy in which we feel comfortable. North Americans are a bit standoffish; only intimate friends and family may stand closer than about 1½ feet. If someone violates that territory, we feel uncomfortable and defensive and may step back to reestablish our space. In the workplace be aware of the territorial needs of others and don't invade their space. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- •Appearance of Business Documents. The way a letter, memo, or report looks can have either a positive or a negative effect on the receiver. Envelopes through their postage, stationery, and printing can suggest routine, important, or junk mail. Letters and reports can look neat, professional, well organized, and attractive—or just the opposite. Sloppy, hurriedly written documents convey negative nonverbal messages regarding both the content and the sender. Among the worst offenders are e-mail messages. E-mails are business documents that create a permanent record and often a bad impression. Sending an e-mail full of errors conveys a damaging nonverbal message. It says that the writer doesn't care enough about this message to take the time to make it read well or look good. The receiver immediately doubts the credibility of the sender. How much faith can you put in someone who can't spell, capitalize, or punctuate and won't make the effort to communicate clearly? ----------------------------------------------------------------- •Appearance of People. The way you look—your clothing, grooming, and posture—telegraphs an instant nonverbal message about you. Based on what they see, viewers make quick judgments about your status, credibility, personality, and potential. Business communicators who look the part are more likely to be successful in working with supervisors, colleagues, and customers. Because appearance is such a powerful force in business, some aspiring professionals are turning for help to image consultants (who charge up to $500 an hour!). They suggest investing in appropriate, professional-looking clothing and accessories. Remember that quality is more important than quantity. Avoid flashy garments, clunky jewelry, garish makeup, and overpowering colognes. Pay attention to good grooming, including a neat hairstyle, body cleanliness, polished shoes, and clean nails. Project confidence in your posture, both standing and sitting. Think twice, however, before displaying "tats" and piercings at work. Conspicuous body art may make you feel distinctive and slightly daring, but it could derail a professional career. A less risky trend is the movement toward one or more days per week of casual dress at work. Be aware, though, that casual clothes change the image you project and also may affect your work style. See the accompanying Career Coach box regarding the pros and cons of casual apparel.
Groupthink:
•Faulty decision-making processes by team members who are overly eager to agree with one another. •Apparently, when we deviate from a group, we fear rejection. •Teams suffering from groupthink fail to check alternatives, are biased in collecting and evaluating information, and ignore the risks of the preferred choice.
Four steps in the team process:
•Forming: Select members, become acquainted, build trust, form collaborative teams. -- Individuals get to know each other. They often are overly polite and feel a bit awkward. •Storming: Identify problems, collect and share information, establish decision criteria, prioritize goals. -- Members define their roles and responsibilities, decide how to reach their goals, and iron out the rules governing how they interact. •Norming: Discuss alternatives, Evaluate outcomes, apply criteria, prioritize alternatives. -- Tension subsides, roles are clarified, and information begins to flow among members. The group periodically checks its agenda to remind itself of its progress toward its goals. •Performing: Select alternative, analyze effects, implement plan, manage project. -- Group members have established routines and a shared language. They develop loyalty and a willingness to resolve all problems. Information flows freely, deadlines are met, and production exceeds expectations.
Knowledge Workers
•Get paid for their education and their ability to learn. •Offer knowledge not muscles.
Emails:
•Have an appropriate email address. •[email protected] is not acceptable
Power difference:
•How people in different societies cope with inequality; in other words, how they relate to more powerful individuals. •High context: subordinates expect formal hierarchies and embrace relatively authoritarian, paternalistic power relationships.
3 Purposes of communication
•Inform: most common •Persuade •Promote Goodwill
1st step in the ethical process:
•Is it legal?
Different ways to make decisions:
•Majority: Group members vote and a majority wins. This method results in a quick decision but may leave an alienated minority uncommitted to implementation. •Consensus: Discussion continues until all team members have aired their opinions and, ultimately, agree. This method is time-consuming; however, it produces creative, high-quality discussion and generally elicits commitment by all members to implement the decision. •Minority: Typically, a subcommittee investigates and makes a recommendation for action. This method is useful when the full group cannot get together to make a decision or when time is short. •Averaging: Members haggle, bargain, wheedle, and negotiate to reach a middle position, which often requires compromise. With this method, the opinions of the least knowledgeable members may cancel the opinions of the most knowledgeable. •Authority rule with discussion: The leader, boss, or manager listens to team members' ideas, but the final decision is his or hers. This method encourages lively discussion and results in participatory decision making. However, team members must have good communication skills. This method also requires a leader who is willing to make decisions.
Virtual meetings:
•Meetings consist of three or more people who assemble to pool information, solicit feedback, clarify policy, seek consensus, and solve problems. •Due to varying location, it is harder to meet in person.
•Most president form of communicating.
Silence:
•North Americans feel uncomfortable with silence.
Communication
•Over the last decade, employer surveys have consistently shown that strong communication skills are critical to effective job placement, performance, career advancement, and organizational success. •Expect a fast-paced, competitive, and highly connected digital environment. Communication technology provides unmatched mobility and connects individuals anytime and anywhere in the world. •When we discuss communication skills, we generally mean reading, listening, nonverbal, speaking, and writing skills. In addition, workers today must be media savvy and exercise good judgment when posting messages on the Internet and writing e-mails. •Most desirable competency.
How to be a better listener:
•Rephrase and summarize presentations. •Stop talking. •Work hard at listening -- become actively involved; expect to learn something. •Block out competing thoughts -- concentrate on the message. •Control the listening environment -- move to a quiet area where you won't be interrupted by calls, texts, or visitors. •Maintain an open mind -- provide verbal and nonverbal feedback. •Paraphrase the speaker's ideas. •Listen between the lines -- observe nonverbal cues and interpret the feelings of the speaker. •Distinguish between facts and opinions. •Capitalize on lag time - use spare moments to organize, review, anticipate, challenge, and weigh the evidence. •Use memory devices. •Take selective notes.
Why have virtual meetings?
•Save on travel costs. •Reduce fatigue.
How to communicate in a diverse environment:
•Seek training. •Understand the value of differences -- diversity makes an organization innovative and creative. •Don't expect conformity. •Make fewer assumptions. •Build on similarities: talk about similar things. •Discuss mutual goals.
Meetings:
•Select participants. •Decide what Technology will be Used. •Understand How to Use the Technology. Decide on a Language. Log on 15 Minutes Early. •Distribute Advance Information: - Date and place of meeting. - Start time and end time - Brief description of each topic, in order of priority, -including the names of individuals who are responsible for -performing some action - Proposed allotment of time for each topic - Any premeeting preparation expected of participants •Using Digital Calendars to Schedule Meetings. •Getting the Meeting Started. •Moving the Meeting Along. •Participating Actively and Productively. •Handling Conflict in Meetings. •Ending and Following Up.
Major trends fueling globalization: (Know 4)
•Stagnating or declining domestic markets. ---------------------------------------------------------------- •Favorable trade agreements and removal of trade barriers: The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) promotes open trade globally, and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) expands free trade among Canada, the United States, and Mexico. NAFTA has created one of the largest and richest free-trade regions on earth. ------------------------------------------------------------------ •Growing middle classes in emerging economies: Parts of the world formerly considered developing now boast robust middle classes. Once known only for cheap labor, many countries with emerging economies are now seen as promising markets. Estimates suggest that 70 percent of world growth over the next few years will come from emerging markets. The brightest spots are expected to be Brazil, Russia, India, and China. ----------------------------------------------------------------- •Advancements in transportation and logistics: Supersonic planes carry goods and passengers to other continents overnight. Produce shoppers in Japan can choose from the finest artichokes, avocados, and apples only hours after they were picked in California. This technology expands markets by enabling senders to monitor shipments and learn of delays or harmful conditions for the goods being shipped. ----------------------------------------------------------------- •Information and communication technology breakthrough: These technologies, known as ICT (Information and Communication Technologies), have changed the way we live and do business. ICT includes the Internet, wireless networks, smartphones, mobile electronic devices, and other communication media. High-speed, high-capacity, and relatively low-cost communications have opened new global opportunities that make geographic location virtually irrelevant for many activities and services.
Successful teams:
•Stay Small and Embrace Diversity. •Agree on Purpose. •Agree on Procedures. •Confront Conflict. •Communicate Effectively. •Collaborate Rather Than Compete. •Accept Ethical Responsibilities. •Share Leadership.
Prevention of groupthink:
•Team Diversity. •Use a systematic process where everyone gets a say/vote. •They encourage open discussion, search for relevant information, evaluate many alternatives, consider how a decision will be implemented, and plan for contingencies in case the decision doesn't work out.
Ethnocentrism:
•The belief in the superiority of one's own race. •Ethnocentrism causes us to judge others by our own values. We expect others to react as we would, and they expect us to behave as they would. Misunderstandings naturally result.
Global business:
•There are a lot of famous brands owned by global organizations
In a high context culture:
•There is a high demand for power difference.
Low context:
•United States and Germany •Get down to business, everything in writing. •Logical, analytical, and action oriented. •Individualism •Time is precious. •Subordinates expect formal hierarchies and embrace relatively authoritarian, paternalistic power relationships •Words are very important, especially in contracts and negotiations. •Straightforward
