The Business: Skills Part 1
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Transcript of The Business: Skills Part 1
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The Business
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Preface
ii
He is quick, thinking in clear images;
I am slow, thinking in broken images.
-Robert Graves, In Broken Images
This book is intended as a companion to the eLearning series The
Business from FPEC Education & Media. It includes some of the classroom
material that has been used and developed in producing The Business. The
material is all original and written for use chiefly with students at the
University of Bors and course participants at the Volvo Group. It is not
some great work of depth or meaning, but rather an organic and living
process that will need constant revision and updating. I suggest in browsing
its pages that you, the reader, use it as a platform for your own thoughts and
models, rather than accepting it wholesale as a tailormade business
language solution.
In short, the world and that of commerce is changing. Rather faster than we
can ever perceive. Tiny changes are taking place now that will build a world
we barely recognize sooner than we can possibly anticipate. It is in this spirit
of constant adaption and re-evaluation that this tome is offered. I hope it
provides some growth, stimulation, and - dare I say it - fun.
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Chapter 1
Communica-
tion
You can have the best ideas in the world, but if youcant communicate them then theyll never be
heard. The exponential rise of communication skills
goes on unchecked. As we plunge headlong into an
age permeated by ubiquitous social media, there is
an ever greater need to be on message. Were pro-
ductizing ourselves even in our private lives...
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Communication Skills
Communication skills are traditionally bunched together in a ho-
mogenous mass, meaning you are either good at communication
or not. However, we all know this not to be the case. Communica-
tion is context bound and we all flourish in differing environments.
Being good at languages does not always mean being good at ex-
pressing yourself. Moreover, being good at lots of languages can
lead to a lack of confidence in knowing how to truly express your-
self. Much research points to it being difficult for us to exceed our
language skills in our mother tongue. On the other hand, spe-
cific knowledge in a particular field can often do that.
Demystifying communication skills can only be a good thing.
We all have our strengths and weaknesses. I truly believe there
are communication skills we can learn. For example, an under-
standing of game theory and the possible strategies open to your-
self and others can definitely improve your ability to negotiate. It
is an art and most certainly not an innate ability. Often the bounda-
ries between skills and qualities are blurred. Listening is most defi-
nitely a skill but we also think of ourselves as either being or not
being a good listener. Confusion can ensue.
The distinction we fail to draw is that many people have a natural
aptitude for certain skills, leaving the categories overlapping in
our minds. Needless to say, all our communication skills are vital
in the hotchpotch of modern business. In many regards, communi-
cation skills are becoming even more important. As social media
establish themselves in the workplace there is a need to managebusiness socializing, internal relationships, and external relation-
ships at ever increasingly sophisticated levels. Our position in the
workplace and its interconnection with our daily lives means
greater emphasis on communicating well.
Speaking to a management consultant engaged in mediat-ing project management courses for transnational companies, I
was struck by one of the card games they played to illustrate the
need for adept communication skills in a project (the transna-
tionals favored form of internal structure). In the game, nine four-
of-a-kind cards were dealt out to nine contestants arranged in a
typically hierarchical pattern of A (project leader), with then B & C
(project coordinators) and under them two sets of three project
members. Communication is only allowed up and down the hierar-
chy and mediated by the game leader. Only the project leader (A)
receives instructions that the goal of the game is for everybody tocollect four-of-a-kind.
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The objective is, of course, to effec-
tively communicate the goal of the
game down the chain of command
as quickly as possible so everybody
knows what and why they are doing
it. But so often personal agendasand frustration get in the way. In this
game reporting information, explain-
ing and clarifying, writing and ex-
pressing ideas are key. We often
think of base communication skills as
being ways of dealing with other peo-
ple. But I, however, believe that they
are most effective in dealing with our-
selves. In order to be able to see
whats going in front of us clearly, we
need to be able to take ourselves out
of the equation first. Hence the impor-
tance of passive communication
skills such as admitting fault or re-
sponsibility and accepting feedbackand constructive criticism. Without
being able to man up (please ex-
cuse the potentially sexist parlance
of our times - however, I note that women man up too) and with-
out being able to accept the criticism we may or may not rightly
deserve then what chance is there of anyone else doing so?
Many people claim that writing is a dying
art and that it is a useless skill soon to be
defunct. What utter tosh! Writing has sim-
ply become more nuanced and therefore
more complex than ever imagined before.
Writing is omnipresent and ubiquitous.From live chat to sms to email to copy to
script to directive to infomercial to vision to
cover letter to terms and conditions to con-
tract, writing permeates everything. Writing
rules. What we see today is an even
greater need to command the written word
because its power is tenfold. There has
been a constructive discussion put forward
by some that email must make way for vari-
ous forms of social media in the workplace
and this is most likely both inevitable and
true. Very rarely do I email my friends in-
deed. But writing is by no means doomed.
Instead it is ever more varied: email writing,
report writing, copywriting, blogging,speechwriting, scriptwriting, creative writ-
ing, process description, technical writing,
letter writing, sms writing, chat, tweet writ-
ing... the list is endless.
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Some skills are clearly linked to specific business situations. Ne-
gotiating might help you when agreeing contractual terms - it
feels like a block of skills, rather like selling. There are many parts
to selling including building relationships and engendering trust
(which here appear in other categories). Presenting is an obvious
skill that may be learnt in spite of lack of natural aptitude. It is atechnique that can be applied to many contexts. In dealing with
the public, meeting and greeting is invaluable - dealing with first
contact sets the tone for a relationship and can be a make-or-
break moment. Meetings demand various skills of facilitating dis-
cussion and mediating between parties; having good meeting
skills is important.
All of the above (and beyond) can then be seen through theprism of culture. Communication may mean one thing to you, but
something very different to another. A Japanese colleague and
friend of mine recently explained how using the explanation of
something being difficult is just a polite way of saying no. He re-
cited a case where this was completely misunderstood by west-
ern counterparts, them thinking they then had to push harder to
force a result. But in fact they were being told that there wouldnt
be one!
Languages (see separate section)
Speaking
Writing
Reading
Listening
Expressing ideas
Reading body language
Reading people
Facilitating discussion
Reporting information
NegotiatingBargaining
Giving feedback & constructive criticism
Accepting feedback & constructive criticism
Influencing others
Persuading others
Presenting
Selling
Meeting & Greeting
Explaining & Clarifying
Interpreting/Translating
Admitting fault/responsibility
Apologizing
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Chapter 2
Information
Information is power. How you process informationand what you do with it defines your career. This
reading section delves into the InfoSkills from the
eLearning and discusses some of the categories
and ideas.
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Information Skills
We live in an information age where increasingly large amounts of
data are being processed at increasing speeds. Data has gone
live! In previous ages people might have been traditional knowl-
edge banks - pillars of cor-porations that stored up
vast swathes of informa-
tion to pass it along to the
next generation. But
within our lifetime that
situation has completely
changed and along with it
the demands placed on
our information handling
skills.
Data needs to be or-ganized and analyzed in
order to get results. This
means that a start-to-
finish methodology is of
vital importance. The tools
at our command now are impressive. The average mobile phone
far outshines the supercomputers of yesteryear. The question is
what are we going to do with it. We still need to use rigorous meth-
ods and to scrutinize what we are doing and why we are doing it.
Historically the scientific methods of inductive and deductive rea-
soning have triumphed in how we approach and make sense of
the world around us. Data must be first and foremost collected in
order to make an informed decision. But just as important is to un-
derstand the gathering process
and to sift and screen data forskewed results or bias. There is
always a selection process in-
volved and here it pays to be
thorough.
Then there is analysis ofinformation in order to see pat-
terns, trends, tendencies andrisks. This may help us in identi-
fying and preventing potential
problems or issues. It may help
us to see and muster resources
we did not know we had - hu-
man, financial, whatever. It
seems that information really is
power.
But in spite of all the powerful tools of data analysis, there is still
the need for divergent thinking. The ability to reconfigure the data
and the world in a way previously unheralded and unseen. In
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problem-solving we need to dare to think out of the box as the
saying goes. It does well to remember that the truths of only dec-
ades ago are ridiculed today. We should accept that some of the
things we hold to be unquestionably true today will be proved ri-
diculous within our own lifetimes. This fact should give us cour-
age to brainstorm our way in toa brave new world where many
of the old media - the institu-
tions that have traditionally me-
diated knowledge and informa-
tion - are fast being cut out of
the loop. News is now tweeted
before its reported by a foreign
correspondent. Personal com-
puters have already mutated
into constant companions that
help us make decisions.
So skills in handling andprocessing data are crucial in
making your mark in the informa-
tion age. Combined with IT
tools and now an arch-array of
personalized media, the professional with the right information
skills will be able to make the right decision in real time. Lets just
hope she asked the right question in the first place!
Gathering Information
Identifying problems
Defining needs
Identifying resources
O r g a n i z i n g d a t a /
Systematizing
Analyzing data
Forecasting/predicting
Problem-solving
Developing strategies
Brainstorming
Lateral thinking
Formulating questions
Decision-making
Examining results
Reviewing progress
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Chapter 3
Organization
Organizational skills get similar treatment here.SMART goals are discussed and theres a look at
some of the key abilities that keep any business
engine room ticking over. This reading supplements
the eLearning.
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Organizational Skills
Having waxed lyrical about communication and its exponential
rise, and having flown the flag of the information age and its abso-
lute dominance of todays
external reality, its the turnof more traditional, core
business values that have
made organisations tick for
decades and will do for
plenty to come. Administra-
tion is the heart of business
operations, whatever the
cool and hip of Google and
Facebook are telling you.
Those trailblazers may get
the headlines, but billions of
businesses elsewhere are
getting along nicely, thank
you very much, with good,
old-fashioned workplace management.
Yes, organizational skills are still the engine room of any en-terprise. Whether task or time oriented, theres no getting away
from simple truths. Everything in a business needs to be counted
and coordinated and every organization, department or project
has to have someone at its heart to keep track of its basic needs.
From simple filing and archiving of paperwork to counting and or-
dering stock, business is a question of ins and outs. Without this
kind of housekeeping and micro-management every business
would fail.
Its a case of ground-ing. Procedure has to
be followed. Every busi-
ness has a process
and somebody has to
get to grips with the
nitty-gritty. What is pro-
tocol? What is correct
praxis? They say thatthe devils in the detail,
and the bottom line is
that if youre not doing
this then someone else
is doing it for you.
Tasks assignments
and projects have to be coordinated. Resources allocated. This is
not something for the glory boys who bathe in the limelight, but
the day-to-day thankless task of making things happen.
Beyond housekeeping theres the question of time manage-ment. Timelines must be set and deadlines implemented. Pro-
gress has to be reviewed and appropriate measures taken when
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necessary. You may not win any popularity contests for being the
driving force behind your organization. But safe to say that with-
out organizational skills it would be nothing but a sinking ship.
One classic rule in setting goals isthe acrostic SMART. This sets out five
golden rules to follow in making sure
you maximize your potential output.
Goals should be specific, measurable,
attainable, relevant and time-bound.
Specific means that you can an-swer yes or no as to whether the goal
has been achieved. We can all be
wishy-washy at times. The aim here is
to provide clear parameters so we know
if and, therefore, when the goal is met.
Specificity, according to Paul J. Meyer,
is obtained by answering the five W
questions: what? why? who? where?
which?
Measurable means providing targets that are quantifiable. Ican make a qualitative request, but the result will always be sub-
jective. Concrete criteria answer the questions: how much? how
many? how do I know weve got there?
Relevance is the fourth SMART parameter. This involveschoosing the correct input in order to get the right output. The
right goal gives the right result! Is this the right time/place/team to
do this? Is this worthwhile?
Time-bound rounds off the SMART goalsmedley. The when weve all been waiting for.
Can we do this is in 6 days/weeks/months?
Smart is undoubtedly a part of many of our
general skills list: setting goals, planning, pri-
oritizing and setting timelines.
These deceptively sophisticated skills arethe nuts and bolts of any successful business
professional. Any CV worth its salt should be
without them. And plenty of them!
Setting goals
Planning
Handling details
Coordinating tasks
Contingency planning
Following correct procedure
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Taking inventories
Number-crunching
Data processing
Filing & Archiving
Allocating resources
Setting timelines
Reviewing progress
Multitasking
Implementing policies
Enforcing policies
Prioritizing
Meeting deadlines
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Chapter 4
Languages
A brief look at languages and how to deal with themin your CV. Languages equal opportunities and are
somewhat of a base requirement in todays
globalized job market. Bundle your languages.
Specify your ability. Big up your world languages.
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Describing Languages
This section attempts to help classify your spoken ability in lan-
guages. It is a standard part of any CV. It is as well to package
your language skills wisely. Give clear markers of the level you
have performed at. Think also of bundling languages into mar-
kets, e.g. in the Scandinavian market Swedish, Danish and Norwe-
gian are closely related and normally read and understood by all.
The Balkan region has another cluster of closely related lan-
guages based around a readily identifiable market. Arabic is a di-
glossia where Classical Arabic may be read and understood by
all, but each country has its national Arabic. Russian is a Slavic
language that was a lingua franca for East Europe for many years.
Packaging language skills and giving them space shows diversityand cultural acumen.
Here are some basic ways of describing language ability inconcrete terms. Fluent is the loosest term and should be treated
with care. I would describe my English as fluent, for instance.
Similarly, native language can mean spoken only in todays
Europe. It can denote a language spoken at home, but not learnt
at school. Some people find this hard to express - mostly be-
cause itis tricky. In sociolinguistics L1 and L2 can be used. This
avoids issues of political correctness. If you speak 2 languages
equally well, i.e. have been brought up (and schooled) in two lan-
guages, then both can be L1s. However, a true bilingual upbring-
ing is actually hard to come by.
This may well draw in issues of nationality. I like to seeclearly defined descriptions linked to experience or education.
Some of them are presented here. You can specify living and
L1 English Mother tongue
L2 SwedishUniversity degree,
lived & worked for 12
years.
L3 Hebrew
University degree,
lived & worked for 3
years.
Some Examples
Fluent spoken & written
Native language or language one (L1)
Worked & lived in ... x years.
Studied in English-speaking country.
University-level English
BSc Engineering (in English)
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working in a country, for example. If you have done a degree in
English, either as subject or, even better, as its tuition language,
then this is an excellent marker for ability. Similarly, experience in
a certain position in either an English-speaking country or transna-
tional company gives excellent indicators of skill levels.
World Languages
Top ten in terms of population:
These are the heavy-hitters in terms of population. Speaking or
understanding one of them means you are toting heavy guns.
This can be played off against prestige and power languages, Eng-
lish being primary among them. Certain languages do carry more
than their weight due to various factors. The top ten in terms of
population are transnational lending them increased significance.
Next ten:
10-20
German
Japanese
Farsi
Urdu
Punjabi
Wu Chinese
Vietnamese
Javanese
Tamil
Korean
Bundling Languages
Many European languages are really minority languages in global
terms. However, in spite of the notable exceptions in these lists, it
Big 10
Mandarin
English
Spanish
Hindi
Russian
Arabic
Portuguese
Bengali
French
Malay
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does not make them irrelevant. They represent considerable mar-
kets and opportunity. Wu Chinese, for example, is really a group-
ing of dialects. In the same sense, Norwegian, Danish and Swed-
ish could be bundled to represent a region or market. Most under-
stand each other, and can read the other languages with ease.
I was sat on a train next a man from the Former Yugoslavia. Ispeak, read and write Bosnian, Bunjevac, Croatian, Montenegrin
and Serbian, he said. Bosh! The Serbo-Croatian bundle of South
Slavic languages spoken by 30 million people. In addition he un-
derstood Slovene completing the western section of the South
Slavic group. One might argue that these languages are almost
like dialects of each other. But it shows an ability to change codes
and a definite inbuilt cultural sensitivity.
Communication is undoubtedly number one on the skillsetlist. We have entered an information and communication age. Our
ability to communicate through the various media that surround
us is our most prized skill or ability. In a globalized marketplace
the ability to communicate in several languages is a base require-
ment. However, having excellent communication skills in our
mother tongue is just as important.
Lets see more space given to languages in a standard CV. Ittells your story and your ability to change and adapt. It tells me
about your home, your schooling, education and experience. It de-
fines you as a person.
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Chapter 5
Vocabulary
Builder
These are the first three skillset lists that the
eLearning is based on. They give the main skill
category and either a) synonyms, or b) sub-skills.
They are a chance to build and consolidate your
vocabulary, and particularly useful in completing
tasks in Getting It Down!
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Communication
expressing ideas putting things into words,choosing the right words,using the right phrase or turn of words,getting your message across
presenting being a good speaker,
getting and holding an audience'sattention, speaking clearly,including your audience
selling making a pitch, knowing the market,marketing, reading your customer andwhat they want, spotting the need,having the sales banter
negotiating bargaining, striking a deal, looking afteryour interests, finding a compromisethat benefits both parties, brokering adeal
explaining clarifying, making clear and easilyunderstandable, simplifying, breakingdown, spelling it out
facilitating discussion allowing others to speak, bringingpeople into discussion, includingothers, moving discussion along,listening attentively
writing reports writing documents and reports, draftinginformation, using clear wording, using
technical terms, using formal language
giving feedback accepting feedback, beingconstructively critical, dealing withcriticism, respecting others
Communication
apologizing saying youre sorry, verbalizing anapology, expressing regret, askingforgiveness
influencing persuading others, motivating others,inducing action, stimulating,
manipulating, mobilizing
admitting being wrong taking blame, taking responsibility,demonstrating accountability,conceding or accepting defeat or failure
interpreting making sense of data, translating,making understandable
reporting information giving an account, documentingactions, detailing activities, recording,updating, apprising, informing
meeting and greeting saying hello, welcoming, receivingguest or visitors, making people feelwelcome, acknowledging andaddressing customers or clients
reading people reading or interpreting body language,studying behaviour, working peopleout, judging character, identifyingprivate agendas
These are the ComSkills as presented in the eLearning, complete
with all their various forms. Make good use of these phrases and
synonyms and youll be on message in business terms.
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Information
gathering information fact-finding, doing research,researching, collecting data, makinginquiries, doing the groundwork,probing, doing your homework
identifying problems determining difficulties and issues,recognizing concerns and obstacles,distinguishing and pinpointing possiblesetbacks, singling out potential threats,diagnosing
defining needs specifying requirements, delineating,ascertaining demands, detailingwishes, prescribing, determining,outlining
identifying resources determining and detailing assets,recognizing and distinguishingcapabilities, pinpointing strengths,reserves or capital
organizing data Systematizing, standardizing, compilingan collating statistics, data orinformation, tabulating or correlatingfacts or figures, codifying
analyzing data breaking down information, checkingfacts, examining data, going throughstuff in detail, scrutinizing stats, goingover and evaluating
forecasting predicting trends, anticipating thefuture, conjecturing, figuring things out,guessing whats going to happen, aprognosis
Information
problem-solving diagnosing, examining anddetermining, using logic, answeringquestions, investigating issues, rationalquestioning, reasoning
developing strategies coming up with plans, formulating a
plan of action, long-term thinking,playing the long game, planning thefuture, setting up schemes and projects
brainstorming producing ideas, unedited thinking,knocking heads together,conceptualizing, racking your brains,being creative
lateral thinking associating ideas, illogical thinking,playing idea association, intuitivereasoning, out-of-the-box thinking,coming up with unpredictable solutions
formulating questions putting into words, asking the rightquestion, careful phrasing, consideredwording, getting the right question getsthe right answer
decision-making taking executive decisions, having thefinal word, accepting ultimateresponsibility, thinking with clarity
evaluating results assessing a dataset, determiningvalue, making an assessment,appraising, reviewing performance,
judging significance
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Organization
setting goals establishing objectives, fixing targets,agreeing on whats to be done, settingup realistic and obtainable aims
tactical planning thinking out, scheduling andimplementing short-term actions,
activities or plans, making sure theyare time-restricted, drawing up ordrafting an action plan
coordinating tasks making sure everybodys doing whatthey should be doing; supervising staff,projects and consultants in their duties;overseeing various staff or externals intheir work assignments
following procedure ensuring best practice, making sureregulations and rules are adhered to,safeguarding correct protocol at a firmor business
taking inventories documenting resources, stock-taking,listing stocks and supplies, cataloguing,registering, itemizing and recordingstuff, mapping
number-crunching calculating, doing math, doingnumerical calculations, using acalculator, using a spreadsheet,handling data, dealing with stats
data processing processing information, using aspreadsheet, data entry, organizing
statistics and extracting usefulinformation
filing & archiving keeping things in order, housekeeping,doing paperwork, keeping up withpaperwork, ordering, documenting,keeping documentation up to date
Organization
allocating resources deploying, budgeting, setting aside,earmarking, allotting, assigningfinancial, human or physical resources
setting timelines timetabling, scheduling, establishingdeadlines, putting in place a timeframe,
limiting activities, agreeing time limits
multitasking doing various different tasks at once,balancing jobs and assignments,having many balls in the air,successfully juggling multiple tasks
implementing policies putting in place guidelines anddirectives, anchoring and initiatingchange in an organization
prioritizing organizing tasks in terms of priority,being able to rejig activities afterimportance and efficiency, knowing
whats important
meeting deadlines keeping to agreed time limits, doingthings in time, delivering as agreed
time-keeping managing your time efficiently, keepingtrack of time, being punctual and time-efficient