Business Communication

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

A personality inventory designed to give people information about their psychological type preferences. It is based on Jung's theory of human personality. MBTI results indicate the respondent's likely preferences on four dimensions: * Extraversion (E) OR Introversion (I) * Sensing (S) OR Intuition (N) * Thinking (T) OR Feeling (F) * Judging (J) OR Perceiving (P) Results on the indicator are generally reported with letters representing each of the preferences as indicated above. There are 16 possible MBTI types from the various combinations of the 4 dimensions. MBTI is a type of personality assessment not a test.

Reciprocation

A principle of influence based on returning favors. Persuasive strategy.

Liking

A principle of influence where people are more likely to be persuaded by people they like. Persuasive strategy.

Social Proof

A principle of influence where people determine what is right, correct or desirable by seeing what others do. Example: a charitable walkathon - a gathering of thousands of people wearing a T-shirt and acting in unison for a cause. Persuasive strategy.

Scarcity

A principle of persuasion where people think there is limited availability of something they need or want so they must act quickly. It pulls on our emotional trigger of not wanting to be left out. Persuasive strategy.

Ways to Overcome Speaking Anxiety

1. Acknowledge your fear 2. Identify the origin of your fear 3. Focus on the message

Structuring a Persuasive Message

1. Attention Getter 2. Introduce Product, Service or Idea 3. Create Demand 4. Call to Action

Three Components of Credibility

1. Competence: refers to the knowledge and skills needed to accomplish business tasks, approach business problems and get a job done. Judged based on your track record of success and achievement 2. Caring: implies understanding the interests of others, cultivating a sense of community, and demonstrating accountability 3. Character: refers to a reputation for staying true to commitments made to stakeholders and adhering to high moral and ethical values

Elements of Corporate Culture Millennials Value (Larry Alton Forbes Article)

1. Corporate Social Responsibility 2. Diversity and Inclusion 3. Work-Life Balance 4. Ideas Above Things 5. Feedback and Growth 6. Engagement and Purpose

Six Tips to Succeed in a Group Setting

1. Create a group charter 2. Exercise flexibility 3. Determine group strengths 4. Set deadlines 5. Take the lead if necessary 6. Stay positive about your group

Steps to Plan and Prepare a Persuasive Message

1. Determine the purpose and channel 2. Envision the audience 3. Adapting the message to the audience 4. Organize the message 5. Create an outline to achieve goals

What can you do to prevent misperceptions about you?

1. Establish your credibility 2. Become an information activist 3. Create new connections

Four Points to Outlining a Persuasive Message

1. Get the receiver's attention 2. Introduce your product to heighten interest 3. Create demand by providing convincing evidence of the product's value 4. Encourage Action

Five Levels of Organizational Communication

1. Intrapersonal: self talk, all in your own head 2. Interpersonal: involves two people 3. Group: communication with more than two people 4. Organizational: network of groups 5. Public: Organization reaches out to the public via advertising, website, press releases

Three Major Types of Communication Theories

1. Mechanistic: Views communication as a transaction of a message from sender (encoder) to receiver (encoder). Focus is on the "model" or process. 2. Psychological: Views communication as the act of sending a message to the thoughts and feelings of a receiver. Focus is on the content and receiver. 3. Systemic: Views communication is what "occurs" when messages are interpreted and reinterpreted as it travels through many senders and receivers. Focus is more on societal meaning than individual meaning, but nevertheless relies on how messages are encoded and decoded.

4 Basic MBTI Assumptions

1. Personality is part innate 2. Preferences for different mental processes exist 3. Preferences are dichotomous 4. All preferences are valuable

Four Types of Noise

1. Physical noise: external noise that makes a message hard to hear or receive 2. Physiological noise: disruption due to factors like hearing problems, illness, memory loss, stuttering, sickness, etc 3. Semantic Noise: occurs when communicators apply a different meaning to the same words or phrases. For example, "downsize" may be positive to one person and negative to another depending on their organizational role. 4. Psychological noise: interference due to attitudes ideas and emotions. For example, pre-existing negative feelings or stereotypes about someone you are communicating with in the workplace.

Qualities That Millenials are Searching For (Sarah Landrum Forbes Article)

1. Quality Business Ethics 2. Quality Politics 3. Quality Products 4. Quality Vision for the Future

Components of Difficult Conversations

1. Start well/declare your intent 2. Listen to their story 3. Tell your story 4. Create a shared story

Common Types of Incivility in the Workplace

* Ignoring others * Treating others without courtesy * Disrespecting the efforts of others * Disrespecting the time of others * Disrespecting the privacy of others * Disrespecting the dignity and worth of others

The Four Truths of a Story Teller (HBR Article)

1. Truth to the Teller 2. Truth to the Audience 3. Truth to the Moment 4. Truth to the Mission

Three Communication Channels

1. Two-way face to face (Conversations, interviews, classrooms, Skype) 2. Two-way not face to face (Telephone, text, IM's (real time, but not face to face) 3. One Way (Written documents including letters, memos, reports, website communication, blogs, voice mail)

Universal Communication Law

All living entities, beings and creatures communicate." Through movements, sounds, reactions, physical changes, gestures, languages, everything alive communicates. A child's cry. A leaf turning colors with the change of season. A hug. An angry fist. A politician's speech. A sales person's pitch...all of these represent forms of communication.

AIM Planning Process

Audience Analysis: Analyze the audience to understand their needs, values and how they are influenced. Idea Development: Gather extensive information about the products, services and ideas that you are writing about as you grapple with business/ethical issues. Message Structuring: Develop a message that effectively reduces resistance and increases buy in. Tie needs to benefits, provide rational, show appreciation and call your audience to action

Consistency

Based on the idea that once people make an explicit commitment, they tend to follow through or honor that commitment. This in turns creates credibility and trust over time. Persuasive strategy.

Collectivist Societies

Collectivist cultures, such as those of China, Korea, and Japan, emphasize family and work group goals above individual needs or desires. In collectivist societies - Each person is encouraged to be an active player in society, to do what is best for society as a whole rather than themselves - The rights of families, communities, and the collective supersede those of the individual - Rules promote unity, brotherhood, and selflessness - Working with others and cooperating is the norm - everyone supports each other, strong cohesive group

Organizational Communication

Concerned with the movement of information within the company structure. Implications are how you communicate within the organization will impact your career in terms of team effectiveness, perceptions, advancement opportunities and overall quality of work life

Attention Getter

Goal is to get your audience members emotionally invested in your presentation and engaged in thinking about your ideas. Rhetorical question, vivid example, dramatic demonstration, testimonial or question, intriguing statistic, challenge, unexpected exercise

JUDGING or PERCEIVING

How you deal with the outer world • Judging is more planned, organized, linear • Perceiving is more spontaneous, unstructured

THINKING or FEELING

How you make decisions • Thinking is more focused on objective criteria, more detached decision-making • Feeling is much more about attachment, whether you like something or not, subjective

SENSING or INTUITION

How you take information in • Sensing is more concrete, based on factual data. Think of the five senses—what you can touch, see, hear, etc. • Intuition is focused on what's between the data

Individualistic Societies

Individualist cultures, such as those of the United States and Western Europe, emphasize personal achievement regardless of the expense of group goals, resulting in a strong sense of competition. In the U.S., everything from 'self-serve' buffet tables to corporate structure to cowboy movies to payment card rules reflect the deeply ingrained individualism. Individualistic cultures are - oriented around the self - being independent - "I" identity. - Promotes individual goals, initiative and achievement. - much less of a drive to help other citizens or communities -Relying or being dependent on others is seen as shameful

Decoding

Interpreting the message Message Design: The goal is to interpret sender's message (verbal and nonverbal) with as little distortion as possible Encoding Influences: Factors that impact how the message is encoded include inadequate interpretation; receiver intimidation; receiver is unwilling to understand the message or is unreceptive to the message itself

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Lower Level 1. Physiological: breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis 2. Saftey: security of body, of employment, of resources, of morality, of the family, of health, of property Upper Level 3. Love/Belonging: friendship, family, sexual intimacy 4. Esteem: self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others, respect by others 5. Self-Actualization: morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem-solving, lack of prejudice, acceptance of facts

Blue MVS

People concerned (wanting to help others): connect to you through use of "we" language and other relationship-centered terms In conflict, Blues would want to accommodate and preserve harmony.

Authority

People follow authority figures. Credibility exists through the persona of the person asking you to do something, often because it is assumed many will want to be like that person. Persuasive strategy.

Red MVS

Performance concerned (wanting to achieve results): attracted to action-oriented and results-oriented language and logic. In conflict, Reds would want to assert and prevail over obstacles.

PREP Method

Position: State your position Reasons: Provide reasons Example: Give an example or provide evidence Position: Restate your position

Green MVS

Process concerned (wanting to establish order): appreciate providing all of the facts and avoid rushing to judgment about conclusions, may be turned off what they consider blatant and irrelevant appeals to emotion. In conflict, Greens would want to analyze and slow things down.

Encoding

Selecting and organizing message Message Design: The goal is to select words that clearly convey the sender's intent in addition to non-verbal signals (i.e. gestures, tone, eye-movement, etc.) Encoding Influences: Sender's knowledge of receiver's education level, viewpoints, and other factors that will impact how the message is designed

Five Competencies of E.I.

Self-management skills 1. Self-awareness: the ability to recognize and understand your moods, emotions, and drives, as well as their effect on others 2. Self-regulation: the ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses and moods—to think before acting. 3. Motivation: a passion to work for internal reasons that go beyond money and status, which are external rewards. Ability to relate to others 4. Empathy: the ability to understand the emotional makeup of other people- it's about listening! 5. Social Skills: the ability to find common ground and build rapport. In the workplace, think of it as "friendliness with a purpose"

Changing Focus During Conflict

Stage 1: Others Stage 2: Problem Stage 3: Self

Perception

The process of acquiring, interpreting, selecting and organizing information. While we sense the objective world, our responses are dictated by our subjective perceptions. As we acquire new information our perceptions shift and change. Therefore, perceptions are indeed a matter of belief based on our often-limited knowledge and worldview.

Interpersonal Communication Process

The process of sending and receiving verbal and nonverbal messages between two or more people. It involves the exchange of simultaneous and mutual messages to share and negotiate meaning between those involved. Communicators encode and send messages at the same time that they also receive and decode messages. One goal of interpersonal communication is to arrive at shared meaning. Barriers that interfere with that are external noise, internal noise and lifetime experiences.

Mechanistic Communication Theory

Views communication as a transaction of a message from sender (encoder) to receiver (decoder). Focus is on the "model" or process

Psychological Communication Theory

Views communication as the act of sending a message to the thoughts and feelings of a receiver. Focus is on the content and receiver.

Systemic Communication Theory

Views communication is what "occurs" when messages are interpreted and reinterpreted as it travels through many senders and receivers. Focus is more on societal meaning than individual meaning, but nevertheless relies on how messages are encoded and decoded.

EXTROVERTED or INTROVERTED

Where you get your energy • Extroverted types get their energy from the external world, i.e. people, social interaction, etc. • Introverted types get their energy from the internal world, i.e. thoughts, ideas, etc.

Positioning Statement

frames your message in appealing terms to your audience members and demonstrates clear and valuable benefits to them

SOFTEN Method of Nonverbal Communication

o Smile o Open Stance o Forward Lean o Tone o Eye Contact o Nod

Communication

the process of exchanging information and meaning relative to a common system of symbols, signs and behaviors

Purposes of Communication

to inform, to persuade, to entertain

Credibility

your reputation for being trustworthy- trustworthy to perform your work with excellence, to care about those you work with and for; to live by high ethical, corporate and personal values; and to deliver on your promises. The degree to which others believe or trust you

How to Manage Difficult Conversations

• Embrace difficult conversations • Assume the Best in Others • Adopt a Learning Stance • Stay Calm and Overcome Noise • Find Common Ground • Disagree Diplomatically by validating others and using I statements • Avoid Exaggeration and Either/Or Approaches • Initiate the Conversation, Share Stories, and Focus on Solutions

Elements of Ethical Persuasion

• Present a clear definition of what your product, service or idea will do • Present scientific evidence if appropriate • Give a context for comparison--why your product, service or idea is better • Consider audience or receiver sensitivities - think Maslow!

Ways Communication Flows Throughout An Organization

• Upward Communication: Traditionally, this type of communication was primarily feedback to requests and actions. In today's world of work, that definition is changing. • Downward Communication: Traditionally, this consisted of communicating policies and procedures, job roles, performance appraisals, job critiques/praise, and work assignments. Again, this definition is changing. • Horizontal or Lateral Communication: Communication between employees at the same hierarchical level. (Cross-functional)

Learning Style of Audiences

• Visual Learners: 40% of population - learn best from illustrations and diagrams • Auditory Learners: 40% of population- clear voices and believe emotion is conveyed through the voice •Kinesthetic Learners: 20% of population- need to participate to focus their attention on your message and learn best. They need group activities, hands-on activities, or breaks at least every 20 minutes

Behaviors That Cause A Communication Breakdown

• Words not present in receiver's vocabulary • Ambiguous or unclear message • Contradictory nonverbal signals • "Uh, like, uh, like..."

Emotional Intelligence

involves understanding emotions, managing emotions to serve goals, empathizing with others and effectively handling relationships with others. EQ is your emotional quotient