Chapter 5: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

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Chapter 5 BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

• Creating and Delivering Messages that Matter

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COMMUNICATION SKILLS YOUR INVISIBLE ADVANTAGE
Effective Communication Happens when you
transmit meaning relevant meaning- to your
audience. Communication Barriers - Obstacles to
effective communication. Noise - Any
interference that causes the message you send to
be different from the message your audience
understands.
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COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

• Physical barriers
• Language barriers
• Body language barriers
• Perceptual barriers
• Organizational barriers
• Cultural barriers

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INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

• As globalization gains speed, intercultural
  communication will become increasingly pivotal to
  long-term business success

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NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

• Reinforce the meaning of your message.
• Eye contact
• Tone of voice
• Facial expressions
• Gestures and posture

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CHOOSE THE RIGHT CHANNEL A RICH ARRAY OF OPTIONS
Consider the audience - its not about you!
Communication Channels Figuring out the right
way to send a message. The number of options is
growing
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COMMUNICATION CHANNELS LEVELS OF RICHNESS VARY
Channel
Richness
Very Low. No information from tone or body
language.
Memos/Reports
E-Mail
Very Low. No information beyond words.
Instant Message
Very Low. Very few words lead to basic
communication.
Voice Mail
Low. The audience gains tone but no body
language.
Telephone Conversation
Moderate. The audience benefits from changes in
your tone.
Videoconferencing
High. Conveys richness similar to in-person
communication.
In-Person Presentation
High. Audience experiences all elements of
message.
Face-Face Meeting
Very High. Audience experiences full message
most directly.
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PICK THE RIGHT WORDS ANALYZE YOUR AUDIENCE

• Consider
• Expectations
• What kind of language do most people use in the
  organization?
• Education
• What vocabulary should you use?
• How complex should you make the message?
• Profession
• Are there professional acronyms and jargon that
  can impact your message?

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PICK THE RIGHT WORDS BE CONCISE

• Being concise means you minimize the number of
  words used to convey the message.
• You must reduce quantity without reducing
  quality.
• You dont need to say the same thing again, for
  example repeating a point, it may only add to the
  complexity, like I just did here.
• Be sure to include all required information or
  all the words will be wasted!

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PICK THE RIGHT WORDS AVOID SLANG

• Do not alienate yourself by using slang in
  written or verbal communication.
• You may leave an incorrect impression of yourself.

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PICK THE RIGHT WORDS AVOID BIAS

• Gender Bias
• Age Bias
• Race, Ethnicity and Nationality Bias
• Use Active Voice Where Possible

Active Voice the subject of your verb is doing
the action Passive Voice the subject of your
sentence is not doing the action described by the
verb
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JUST PLAIN ENGLISH
Be clear and direct when choosing your words
Approximately
About
Provided that
If
In the event that
If
Utilize
Use
Has the capability to
Can
Close Proximity
Near
Transmit
Send
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SAME MESSAGE, DIFFERENT APPROACH

• If your recipient will feel positive or neutral
• Begin with your
• bottom line

• If your recipient will feel negative about your
  message
• Start with the rationale and follow with your
  bottom line

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WRITE HIGH-IMPACT MESSAGES

• Strike the right tone
• Dont make grammar goofs
• Use block paragraphs
• Use headings and bulleted lists

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WRITING 1. STRIKE THE RIGHT TONE

• Use common words in most situations
• use versus utilize
• Use active voice
• We made a mistake versus A mistake was made
• Use personal pronouns whenever appropriate
• I, you
• Use contractions as often as you would when
  speaking
• Ill, dont, heres

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WRITING 2. DONT MAKE GRAMMAR GOOFS

• It is OK to end a sentence with a preposition
  when doing so sounds natural
• Where is this book from? is much better than From
  where is this book?
• It is OK to begin sentences with And or But
• Most teens enjoy videogames with a moderate level
  of violence. But a small, vocal minority strongly
  advocates a more clean-cut approach
• It is OK to split infinitives
• Try to effectively film the next scene is a
  perfectly acceptable sentence

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WRITING 3. USE BLOCK PARAGRAPHS

• Standard Business Writing
• Use single spacing
• Double space between paragraphs
• Do not indent the first sentence of your
  paragraphs

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WRITING 4. USE HEADINGS AND BULLETED LISTS

• Headings
• Not a title, but subject label
• Effective even in short documents
• Bulleted List
• Engage your readers
• Direct their attention

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TIPS FOR EXCELLENT EMAIL

• Consider both your primary and secondary readers.
• Keep it short.
• Dont forget to proofread.
• Use standard writing.
• Avoid attachments.
• Dont assume privacy.
• Assume the best, you can misinterpret tone.
• Create a compelling subject line.
• Think before you write, and think again before
  you send!

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VERBAL PRESENTATIONS
The Opening

• An interesting or startling statistic
• Audience involvement
• A compelling story or anecdote
• A relevant simile or metaphor
• Engaging questions

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VERBAL PRESENTATIONS
The Body

• Introduce key points
• Include statistics, data, expert quotes

The Close

• Summarize key points
• Verbally signal your conclusion

• Indicate time for questions
• Be prepared

Questions
Visual Aids

• Increase retention
• PowerPoint is only a tool

Handling Nerves

• Use your nervousness (adrenalin)
• Mitigate anxiety

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TIPS FOR A DYNAMIC DELIVERY

• PRACTICE!
• Know your material, but never memorize.
• Look at your audience at least 50 of the time.
• Vary your voice, expression, and body language.
• Use selective notes.
• Stick to your allotted time.
• Slow down and listen to yourself.
• Dont apologize (unless you really did something
  wrong!).
• Remember to use natural gestures.
• PRACTICE!