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Business Communication: A Framework for Success

CHAPTER 1 Understanding Business Communication

PRETEST

Answer the following questions to see how well you understand the material. Re-take it after you review to check yourself.

1. Define business communication

2. List four reasons why developing communication skills are essential to your personal and professional success.

3. What are three common reasons often cited to justify unethical communication practices?

4. List four business responsibilities and list communication skills necessary to fulfill each responsibility.

Business Responsibilities Communication Skills

_____________________ ___________________________

_____________________ ___________________________

_____________________ ___________________________

_____________________ ___________________________

5. What are three common barriers to effective communication?

Chapter 1: Understanding Business Communication 3


6. List three different communication barriers that may impact global business transactions?

7. Explain the communication process.

8. Define communication media.

A BRIEF OVERVIEW

This Chapter reviews why it is so important to your career to develop strong communication skills. Effective communication creates opportunities for promotions, leads to greater job satisfaction and increases productivity. Barriers to effective communication include mismanaging information, providing inadequate feedback, possessing inadequate communication skills, allowing anxiety to interfere in the communication process, and selecting inappropriate means of conveying messages. The communication process is explained, beginning with the method through which messages are developed than transferred through a loop of encoding, decoding, feedback, and understanding.

4 Chapter 1: Understanding Business Communication


LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1 Describe how effective communication skills lead to personal and professional success.

Effective communication improves your ability to present your ideas to other people. Communication skills are also necessary for getting noticed so that promotion opportunities come your way. When you communicate effectively you will also find more satisfaction with your work, and will see a greater degree or productivity in your job.

2 List the special challenges facing business communicators.

Communicators must include cultural diversity as a key element in communicating with others on the job. International communication is becoming more prevalent, requiring business communicators to remain sensitive to global conditions. Advanced technologies present challenges and opportunities for the business communicator. Communicators must conduct critical analyses in preparing messages for communication contexts. These include information management techniques, critical thinking skills, and goal setting.

3 List the most common communication barriers in business

Communicators must remain aware of the problems associated with a lack of information and poor quality information. Inadequate feedback can cause problems for communicators by failing to complete the communication process. All too often communication media/channels are poorly selected for conveying messages to others. Communicators must deal with the anxiety that accompanies communication performances.

4 Explain the different parts and their relationships in the model of communication.

Encoding refers to the process of producing and sending messages through various media. Decoding refers to the process of intentionally processing the communication signals that carry messages. Perception is the process of assigning meaning to the signals sent by communicators. Message interpretation and evaluation serve to assign meaning to messages so that appropriate responses can be made. Mutual understanding is the process where communicators recognize the relative knowledge each person has of the messages sent in the communication process. Feedback is any response that a receiver provides to a sender of a message. Noise is anything that adversely affects the communication process.

KEY TERMS

Communication skills EncodingInformation management DecodingCultural diversity MessagesGlobalization Mutual UnderstandingTechnology FeedbackEthics NoiseCommunication media



CHAPTER OUTLINE


I. What business experts say about developing communication skills

A. American corporations are critical about employees' lack of communication skills, saying that interpersonal, written, and oral skills are the most difficult to find in job applicants.

B. Communication skills are critical for a successful career1. Your potential for a successful career is limited if you cannot communicate

effectively.2. Four related consequences of effective business communication directly affect the

success of your career.a. Self-presentation skills are improved

1. Make a positive impression on your superiors and coworkers with effective communication skills

b. Effective communication creates opportunities for promotion1. Most supervisory and managerial positions require skills that are

demonstrated through oral, nonverbal, and written communication activities.

c. Effective communication leads to increased satisfaction1. Becoming proficient in writing, speaking, reading, and listening

will make you more successful in exchanging information with others, reporting on projects, and leading task forces.

d. Effective communication leads to increased productivity1. Individually and as a member of a group, your communication

skills enhance your job productivity and value within an organization


II. Special Challenges Facing the Business Communicator

The dynamic nature of information, cultural diversity, globalization, technology, and ethics all require a greater focus on communication effectiveness

A. Information Management

The global economy and information age requires that employees constantly communicate to handle a volume of information that doubles each year.

B. Cultural Diversity

With cross-cultural communication becoming more prevalent, you will need to recognize and respond to the diverse background and needs of your co-workers.

C. Globalization and International Communication



In today's global economy, your ability to communicate with diverse cultural groups will become an essential challenge.

D. Technology

Fax machines, the Internet, and the World Wide Web all present new challenges and opportunities for the business communicator.

E. Ethics

Ethical communication is not only morally correct, but highly profitable in the business world.

3 List the most common communication barriers in business

III. Common Communication Barriers

A. "Wiio's Laws" demonstrate where and how ineffective communication leads to business and personal shortcomings.1. Mismanaging Information

a. A major communication shortcoming, mismanaging information refers to an ineffective quality or quantity of information to match the communication task.

2. Inadequate Feedbacka. The response that a receiver of communication makes to the sender is

called feedback.3. Inadequate Communication Skills

a. Poor communication skills result in material that is overwritten, poorly-organized, and full of stylistic, grammatical, and spelling errors.

4. Mistakes with Communication Mediaa. Selecting an inappropriate means or systems to convey your verbal or

written messages would be an example of a mistake with communication media.

5. Communication Anxietya. Fear or stress associated with communication -- such as writer's block or

stage fright -- is common is the business world, but also controllable.


IV. The Communication Process

A. Stimulus1. Anything that causes you to consider the communication process.

B. Analysis1. Information management is the first step of the analysis stage2. After you evaluate your information you can engage critical thinking processes.3. Goals are developed out of critical thinking and represent what a communicator is

attempting to accomplish.

C. Developing Messages



1. Decision making is the first step in developing messages.2. Next, conduct a context analysis to determine if the message is appropriate to the

audience and occasion.3. Design the message by selecting which properties are most appropriate for your

context.4. Media selection involves picking which communication channel is most suitable to

the message.5. Evaluation of messages is based upon their level of competency.

a. Message competence is determined by six factors:1. The message must arrive at its destination (reception).2. The receiver must understand the message (comprehension).3. The message must hold value for the receiver.4. The message must be appropriate fitting for the context.5. The message must be credible.6. The message must be influential.

D. Encoding 1. The process of sending a message through a media destined for a receiver.

a. Steps in this process include:1. An idea is analyzed and elevated to a communication goal.2. The goal is developed into an organizational format.3. The message is developed.4. The message is transmitted through the most effective media.

E. Decoding1. Decoding refers to the receiving and processing of messages.

a. Three elements are at work during the decoding process:1. Messages must be received before they can be decoded.2. All of your senses are used in the decoding process3. Perception, which is affected by attitudes, anxiety, or apprehension, is the

part of the process where you assign meaning to a stimulus.

F. Analysis1. Analyzing a message involves interpretation and evaluation.

a. Message interpretation allows you to use criteria and different communication media to identify essential messages

b. Message evaluation helps determine if the message was received, understood, appropriate, timely, credible, of any benefit and influential.

G. Mutual Understanding1. The concept of mutual understanding means that not only do you understand the

message as communicated, but that your communication partner also understands it as well. a. There are four levels of mutual understanding:

1. Receiver understands the message.2. Sender believes that receiver understands original message.3. Receiver believes that sender understands receiver's level of knowledge of

original message.4. Continuous process if desired or warranted.

H. Developing Feedback



1. Feedback is any response that you make to the sender of a message. a. Feedback can be verbal or nonverbal, and occur across any communication

media.

I. Noise1. Noise is anything that interferes, detracts, or adversely affects the message.

a. Internal interference refers to your psychological, mental, emotional and physical conditions.

b. External distortions come from the outside environment and include loud sounds, poor room lighting or heating, or mis-routed messages.

VOCABULARY PRACTICE

Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate term or phrase from the alphabetized list of chapter key terms.

Communication skills EncodingInformation management DecodingCultural diversity MessagesGlobalization Mutual UnderstandingTechnology FeedbackEthics NoiseCommunication media


1. Promotion opportunities are more likely to come your way if you practice effective _________.

2. Standards of _______ dictate many of the communication practices of managers, who are under increasing pressure to produce results and increase profits.


3. As international communication becomes more prevalent, _______________ will become an increasingly important element in determining how to communicate with others in the workplace.

4. E-commerce, or doing business on the web, is now commonplace thanks to dramatic advances in ___________________.

5. Appreciating the norms and values of other cultures is critical for business communicators working for organizations involved with the ________________ of manufacturing and marketing systems.

3 List the most common communication barriers in business.

6. Managers who successfully obtain, analyze, synthesize, and communicate large chunks of information from a variety of sources -- especially communication technology -- have mastered the skill of _________________



7. A mistake in the selection of the appropriate _______________may result in a message that is misinterpreted, inappropriate, or less effective than desired.


8. The process of producing and sending a message to a receiver though a specific media is called ___________.

9. Interference in the communication process, or _________________, can impede the understanding of the message and deter the ability or desire of the message recipient to respond in an appropriate manner.

10. Good communication is not the same as effective communication. While a good communicator may understand the definition of words and sentence structure, an effective communicate appreciates that _________________ of the message must exist between the sender and receiver.

11. Communicators rely heavily on non-verbal communication cues to accentuate their messages. Nodding, frowning, shrugging, or raising eyebrows all provide ________ to the sender to help establish your level of understanding of the message.

12. Numerous stimuli compete for our attention each day. The ability to take in and process messages -- even when external forces compete for our attention -- is referred to as _____________.

13. Much like currency is the backbone of any economy, _______are the means through which communicators function, using a five-step process to formulate their thoughts.

Check your answers to these questions before proceeding to the next section.

TRUE/FALSE QUESTIONS

Mark the statement T if it is true and F if it is false


_____ 1. Overall, American corporations are satisfied with communication skills demonstrated by their employees.

_____ 2. Approximately 10 percent of all business failures result from poor communication practices.


_____ 3. Challenges facing business communicators in the industrial age are very similar to those facing communicators in the information age.

_____ 4. The workforce of the 21st century will consist of more workers who are older, foreign-born disabled, and illiterate.



_____ 5. A direct, no-nonsense style to presentations, negotiations, and bargaining is the best approach for communicating in a global economy.


_____ 6. Finnish business consultant Oslo Wiio believes communication efforts are usually successful.

_____ 7. Familiar and trusted sources of information can be counted on to provide the most accurate and timely data.

_____ 8. Feedback is fragile yet an essential component to the communications process


_____ 9. Some stimuli need time to develop before they are communicated, while others are instantly transferred into messages.

_____ 10. When you develop a creative solution to a business problem you are engaging in critical thinking.

_____ 11. Encoding a message requires the selection of a communication media.

_____ 12.Communication anxiety is not a factor in the decoding of messages.

_____ 13. The mutual understanding of a message works independently from the process of message evaluation.


AGREE/DISAGREE QUESTIONS

For the following statements, indicate reasons why you may agree and disagree with the statement.

1. Only people who work in communication fields such as public relations or corporate communications need to develop strong communication skills.

Reason(s) to agree:

Reason (s) to disagree:



2. With increasingly sophisticated levels of technology, it is less important for professionals to be concerned with effective information management, as so many functions are now "programmed."

Reason(s) to agree:

Reason(s) to disagree

3. The high levels of cultural diversity in the workplace, coupled with the increasing trends toward globalization, will make communication easier because more role models, customs, and examples of communication (written, verbal, and nonverbal) will emerge.

Reason(s) to agree:

Reason(s) to disagree

4. There's a point at which ethical communication is no longer cost effective.

Reason(s) to agree:

Reason(s) to disagree:

5. The most important elements used in the communication process are the visual and auditory senses.

Reason(s) to agree:

Reason(s) to disagree:




MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

Select the response that best answers the question, and write the corresponding letter in the space provided.


______ 1. Which of the following would not be considered an essential communication skill for the responsibility of operations planning?

a. planning and conducting meetingsb. goal settingc. writing reports and memosd. listeninge. interviewing skills

______ 2. A message successfully communicated once rather than being repeated due to misunderstandings is an example of:

a. information managementb. feedbackc. increased productivityd. increased satisfactione. data mining

______ 3. Dr. Karl J. Krayer is a senior partner in Creative Communications, Inc, a full-service communication consulting business. His experience shows that which of the following is not

an important quality of an effective business communicator?a. the ability to manage large amounts of information from multiple sourcesb. obtaining a bachelor's degree in some aspect of communications from a accredited

universityc. an appreciation for the diverse communication styles of international colleaguesd. skilled in expression across communication mediae. adaptability to environment and circumstances

2 List the special challenges facing business communicators

______ 4. United Projects is a Chicago-based Web consulting firm that tracks trends and generates ideas for clients using Internet resources. The process they employ is called:

a. information managementb. data miningc. surfingd. e-commercee. marketing



______ 5. Sprint/United Telecom offers a flexible scheduling option to meet the needs of some employees. This benefit is a result of what workplace factor:

a. telecommutingb. interpersonal communicationc. ethicsd. cultural diversitye. globalization

______ 6. Nonverbal communication presents challenges to the international business person. For example, direct eye contact is preferable in the United States, but less appropriate in Japan. What other gestures are prone to misinterpretation in the global marketplace?

a. noddingb. shaking one's headc. shaking handsd. bowinge. all of the above

______ 7. Local telephone companies that expand their technological base by purchasing cellular communications companies as well as other telecommunications companies are called:

a. internet service providersb. e-commerce hostsc. personal digital assistantsd. baby bellse. webmasters


______ 8. Which of the following is not an example of communication media?a. electronic mailb. televisionc. public speechesd. face-to-face meetingse. memos

______ 9. Which of the following is an example of message misunderstanding?a. inadequate communication skillsb. gossipc. feedbackd. noisee. tainted data

______ 10. Howell Associates is a human resources firm specializing in recruitment. Recently, it referred an applicant's resume to a major client, only to later learn that the applicant had since obtained a position and was no longer seeking employment. Howell Associate's action is an example of:

a. inadequate feedbackb. inadequate communication skillsc. mistakes with communications mediad. communication anxietye. mismanaging information




______ 11. Which of the following is not one of the factors used to determine message competence.a. valueb. media selectionc. credibilityd. influencee. comprehension

______ 12. Which of the following does not impede the decoding process?a. feedbackb. noisec. perceptiond. anxietye. attitude

______ 13. Which step of the business communication process is defined by information management, critical thinking, and setting goals?

a. analysisb. stimulusc. decision makingd. encodinge. evaluation

______ 14. Context analysis refers to an examination of a. yourselfb. the senderc. the receiverd. the settinge. all of the above

______ 15. Which step of the communication process is designed to promote unique and innovative ways of looking at issues or solving problems?

a. stimulusb. message developmentc. critical thinkingd. information managemente. goal setting

Check your answers to these questions before proceeding to the next section.______________________________________________________________________________



ESSAY QUESTIONS

1. Communication skills are crucial to your success in the workplace. In what four areas will improving your skills enhance your performance? What key communication skills are required to fulfill basic business functions and responsibilities?



2. Assume you are a human resources manager faced with the challenge of diversifying you office. What sort of issues will you need to consider as you complete this task? How might the structure of your office change once it displays a greater degree of cultural diversity?

3. Name and describe five reasons often cited to justify unethical communication practices.



4. Define Wiio's Laws of Communication, providing a brief explanation and example for each law.

5. Describe the four levels of mutual understanding, defining each of the levels in order and providing an example.



CHAPTER NOTES

Use this space to record notes on the topics you are having the most trouble understanding.



ANSWERS TO THE END-OF-CHAPTER DISCUSSION, WRITING, AND CASE QUESTIONS

Use this space to work on the questions at the end of the chapter.
