Ch 2 Understanding Business Communication New

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    Ch. 2 UnderstandingCh. 2 Understanding

    Business CommunicationBusiness CommunicationQUOTE OF THE WEEKQUOTE OF THE WEEK

    It is easier to go down the hill. But the view is from the top.It is easier to go down the hill. But the view is from the top.

    The Basic Forms of CommunicationThe Basic Forms of CommunicationNonverbal CommunicationNonverbal Communication

    The process of communicating without wordsThe process of communicating without words

    Cues, gestures, vocal qualities (stress, intonation), spatialCues, gestures, vocal qualities (stress, intonation), spatialrelationships, and attitude towards timerelationships, and attitude towards time

    Long before human beings used words, our ancestorsLong before human beings used words, our ancestorscommunicated nonverballycommunicated nonverbally

    1. They gritted their teeth to show anger

    2. Smiled & touched one another to show affection

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    Although we have come a long way, we

    still use nonverbal cues

    Nonverbal differs from verbal in 2 ways:

    1. Less structured difficult to study, no book

    We dont know how to teach or how a child

    learns it

    Mostly universal, but in certain ways varies

    from culture to culture2. Spontaneity

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    Importance of NonverbalImportance of Nonverbal

    CommunicationCommunication

    Important when conveying feelings, 93% of emotionalmeaning in an interaction

    Of course, the total effect is achieved by blending both

    Reliability; detect deception by reading nonverbal cues

    It helps interpret underlying intentions

    Efficient both for sender & receiver

    Communicate a conscious purpose more economically

    through nonverbal means more economically (a wave ofhand, a wink etc.)

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    Types of Nonverbal Communication

    Facial expressions & Eye behavior

    Gestures & postures

    Vocal characteristics

    Personal appearance

    Touching behavior

    Use of time & spaceVariation with culture & gender

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    Verbal CommunicationVerbal Communication

    Speaking & Writing (productive skills)

    Business people prefer oral communication because it is quicker& more convenient

    When speaking or listening you can pick up added meaning fromnonverbal communication

    Mere oral Communication has its own limitations. See exampleof Ben & Jerry

    Listening & reading (receptive skills) People spend more time to receive information

    Most of us generally not good listeners

    Even reading is not efficient

    Both Listening & reading require that you tune out distractions &focus

    Interpret & evaluate

    Decide what is important & what is not

    To do so, look for main ideas

    If you can Discern the structure of the material, you canunderstand

    Listening gives you chance to ask question

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    The Process of CommunicationThe Process of Communication The sender has an idea

    The idea becomes a message through encoding. The message is communicated through a

    communication channel (verbal/nonverbal), andmedium (letter, computer, face-to-face etc)

    The receiver gets the message and decodes it to

    understand. The receiver reacts and sends feedback to sender.

    Formulating a message (problems) Indecision about a content

    Decide what to include, what to exclude, & what order to follow

    If recommend actions, explain why Lack of familiarity with the situation of receiver Analyze type of audience

    Difficulty expressing the ideas

    Lack of experience, expertise in language

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    Overcoming Communication BarriersCommunication barriers exist between people and

    within organizations. Noise is a major major barrier.

    Communication Barriers between people Sender & receiver must share similar meanings for words, gestures, tone &

    other symbols

    Differences in Perception Perception is our individual interpretation of the world around us.

    No 2 perceptions of about the world are alike because eachmind absorbs experiences in ones unique/personal way

    Perceptual barriers difficult to overcome

    Try to predict how your message will be received Shape the message accordingly

    Try not to apply the same solution to every problem, but look forsolutions to fit specific problems

    Your message should have meaning for audience

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    Incorrect Filtering To overcome filtering barriers:

    Try to establish more than one communication channel (so that

    information can be verified through multiple sources) eliminate as many intermediaries as possible

    condense message to bare essentials

    Language Problems Code, members of particular community

    problems also due to varied interpretation of words: example of cookie,

    language is arbitrary. Denotative & connotative meanings

    To overcome this barrier, use specific words, which your audience willunderstand. Language that describes rather than evaluates.

    Poor listening To overcome listening barriers:

    Verify your interpretation of what has been said Empathize with speakers

    Resist jumping to conclusions

    Ask non-threatening Q, listen without interrupting

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    Differing Emotional States

    Every message contains content meaning & arelationship meaning between sender & receiver

    You may have conflicting emotions about a subject of

    your message or its audience

    To overcome emotional barriers:

    Be aware of your feelings & those of others

    Choose neutral words

    avoid attitudes, blame and other subjective concepts

    be alert to the greater potential for misunderstanding that

    accompanies emotional messages

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    Differing Backgrounds Communication becomes difficult when receivers life

    experience differs from yours

    Age, education, gender, social status, economicposition, cultural background, temperament, health,popularity, religion, political belief, and even mood

    Cultural & nationality clashes often arise at work

    places Misunderstanding not just confined to alien, even best

    friends

    To overcome differing backgrounds barriers: Avoid projecting your own background or culture

    Clarify your own & understand others backgrounds, spheresof knowledge, personalities & perceptions

    Dont assume that certain behaviors mean the same thing toeveryone.

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    Communication barriers within organizations Business communication a difficult, complex & controversial

    affair Distractions

    Often limited opportunities for feedback, making it difficult tocorrect misunderstandings

    Information overload

    Too much information is as bad as too little as it reducesaudiences/readers ability to concentrate on importantmessages

    In overload situation people sometimes try to ignore somemessages by delaying responses, or responding inaccurately

    To overcome information overload make necessary information

    easily available Give information meaning rather than just passing it on, & set

    priorities for dealing with the information flow

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    Message complexity

    Adjust your own ideas & style so that acceptable to

    your employer May be asked to write or say something that you

    disagree with

    Try to turn dry subjects into interesting writings

    To overcome barrier of complex messages: Keep them clear & easy to understand

    Use strong organization

    Tell readers what they should expect

    Use concrete & specific language, stick to the point

    Get feedback so that you can improve

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    Message competition

    Communicators are often faced with massages that

    compete for attention Variety of interruptions: the phone rings, people

    intrude, meetings are called & crises arise

    To overcome this, avoid communication with receiver

    who doesnt have time for attention Make written messages visually appealing and easy,

    & try to deliver them when your receiver has time to

    read

    Oral messages are most effective

    Set aside enough time for messages that you receive

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    Differing status Lower status employees may be overly cautious

    Higher status people wouldnt discuss details that theythink tends to undermine their authority

    Belonging to a particular dept. can narrow your point ofview

    To overcome status barrier, keep managers andcolleagues well informed

    Be respectful to the opinions of lower status employees

    Lack of trust Without trust free & open communication is blocked

    To overcome trust barrier, be visible & accessible.

    Dont insulate yourself behind assistants & secretaries Share info with colleagues, & include them in decision

    making

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    Inadequate communication structures

    Organizational Communication is affected by

    formal restrictions on who may communicate

    with whom

    Too few formal channels blocks effective C

    Strongly centralized, tall structures To overcome structural barriers, allow up,

    down & horizontal

    Using techniques like employee surveys,

    open-door policies, newsletters, memos,emails etc.

    Reduce hierarchical levels

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    Incorrect choice of medium

    Message can be distorted if incorrect

    Media richness is the value of a medium in a

    given communication situation. Its

    determined by mediums ability to:

    Convey a message using more than oneinformational cue (visual, verbal, vocal)

    Facilitate feedback

    Establish a personal focus

    Face-to-face C. is the richest mediumbecause it is personal, provides immediate

    feedback, both verbal & nonverbal, emotions

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    Telephones although allow immediate feedback, they

    dont provide visual nonverbal cues

    Written media can be personalized throughaddressed memos, letters but the lack immediate

    feedback, and nonverbal cues

    The leanest media are: impersonal written messages,

    such as bulletins, fliers, standard reports

    To overcome media barriers: choose the richest

    media for non-routine complex messages

    Use rich media to extend & humanize your presence

    in organization

    Use leaner media to communicate simpler routine

    messages

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    Closed communication climate Authoritative style, tall structure, blocks free Communication

    To overcome this, spend more time listening than issuing orders

    Encourage employees participation in setting goals, decision making

    Unethical communication

    Inefficient communication Worthless messages waste time & resources causing information

    overload

    Reduce messages by thinking twice speed up the process by timely messages, standardized format

    Physical distractions Bad connections, poor acoustics, noise, illegible copy

    Uncomfortable chair, poor lighting,

    Sometimes receivers health, hearing or visual impairment etc.

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    How to Improve CommunicationHow to Improve Communication

    Five important traits of good communicators:

    Perception Precision

    Credibility

    Control Congeniality

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    Create the message carefullyCreate the message carefully

    Focus on your audience

    Tell at the outset what to expect, purpose & main points

    Balance concepts with illustrations, examples

    Brief & clear, but develop main ideas adequately

    Relation of new ideas with existing ones; it makes newconcepts clear & acceptable

    Bring readers attention to an important idea bymentioning, using heading/bold font, by using V Aids.Orally you use body & voice for emphasis

    Before concluding, take a moment to review the pointsjust covered, restate purpose and show how main ideasrelate to it. This will help audience remember yourmassage, and simplify a complex document/message

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    Minimize NoiseMinimize Noise

    Try to eliminate potential sources of interference

    Choose proper channel/medium for yourmessage

    If written document, make it appealing & easy tocomprehend

    Deliver when sure the reader has time to read If oral channel, try to eliminate physical barriers

    Quite & comfortable location, adequate lighting,good acoustics, few visual distractions, your own

    appearance, direct delivery of message tointended audience because the more the filters,the greater the distortion

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    Facilitate FeedbackFacilitate Feedback

    Face to face allows immediate feedback while writtendocument

    Although useful, it reduces your communication control,communicating with group doesnt allow reacting to

    every question Sometimes you may ask specific questions fromaudience, but also encourage audience to expressgeneral reactions

    Regardless of channel, encourage people to be open &

    tell what they really feel Accept criticism, dont lose temper, try not to act

    defensively, instead of repeating again & again, try tofind the source of misunderstanding