BUSN Ch.5 Business Communication: Creating and Delivering Messages that Matter

Advantage of Excellent Communication Skills

Boosts your chance for success and makes you influential, well liked, efficient, and effective. Example: Successfully closing a major deal or convincing your boss to adopt your new idea.

Disadvantage of Poor Communication Skills

Can hold you back professionally and bury even the most talented individuals. Example: Hitting a persistent brick wall when attempting to achieve career goals because relevant meaning is not transmitted.

Advantage of Cloud-Based Presentation Software

Provides free access, universal device connectivity, and environmental waste reduction.

Example: Using Google Presentations to save your work on the cloud so you can access it from any web-connected device without buying expensive local software.

Disadvantage of Cloud-Based Presentation Software

Creates vulnerabilities related to internet dependency, security, and account control.

Example: Being unable to access your presentation while offline on a flight, or losing your work entirely if your account is disabled.

Advantage of Presentation Nerves

A moderate amount of adrenaline can enhance performance, speed up thinking, and improve focus.

Example: Using a slight rush of pre-speech energy to stay completely focused and deliver a more dynamic presentation.

Disadvantage of Presentation Nerves

Uncontrolled anxiety can seriously undermine your delivery and effectiveness.

Example: Experiencing a shaking voice, dry throat, and racing thoughts that disrupt your communication flow.

Advantage of Visual Aids

Enhances audience understanding, retention, and engagement.

Example: Using a clear chart to explain complex data rather than just speaking about it.

Disadvantage of Visual Aids

Can distract the audience or clutter the presentation if poorly designed.

Example: Putting too much text on a slide so the audience reads it instead of listening.

Advantage of Audience Analysis

Helps tailor your message to the listeners' needs and expectations.

Example: Researching your audience's background to choose the right technical level for your talk.

Active Listening

Attentive listening that occurs when the listener focuses his or her complete attention on the speaker.

Communication Barriers

Obstacles to effective communication, typically defined in terms of physical, language, body language, cultural, perceptual, and organizational barriers.

Communication Channels

The various ways in which a message can be sent, ranging from one-on-one in-person meetings to Internet message boards.

Nonverbal Communication

Communication that does not use words, such as gestures, posture, facial expressions, tone of voice, and eye contact.

Active Voice

Sentence construction in which the subject performs the action expressed by the verb, working better for the vast majority of business communication.

Communication

The transmission of information between a sender and a recipient.

Noise

Any interference that causes the message you send to be different from the message your audience understands.

Intercultural Communication

Communication among people with differing cultural backgrounds.

Bias

A preconception about members of a particular group. Common forms of bias include gender bias; age bias; and race, ethnicity, or nationality bias.

Passive Voice

Sentence construction in which the subject does not do the action expressed by the verb; rather, the subject is acted upon. The passive voice tends to be less effective for business communication.

Dynamic Delivery

Vibrant, compelling presentation delivery style that grabs and holds the attention of the audience.

Physical Barriers

Obstacles ranging from a document that looks like a wall of type to an uncomfortable room or poor seating arrangements.

Language Barriers

Interference in communication caused by unfamiliar languages, slang, jargon, or regional accents.

Body Language Barriers

Obstacles where wrong or negative body language alienates and distracts the audience from your message.

Perceptual Barriers

Obstacles created by how your audience perceives you and your agenda.

Organizational Barriers

Built-in company structures or unwritten rules that impede communication, such as discouraging top-to-bottom interaction.

Intercultural Differences: Time

Varying cultural expectations regarding punctuality, such as tardiness being expected in some countries versus rude in others.

Intercultural Differences: Greetings

Varying cultural customs for greetings, ranging from cheek kissing and hand-holding to actively avoiding physical touch.

Intercultural Differences: Gestures

Varying meanings of physical gestures across cultures, where a gesture like a thumbs-up can have drastically different meanings.

Intercultural Differences: Directness

Varying cultural valuation of communication styles, where some cultures value directness while others require an indirect approach.

Intercultural Differences: Business Practices

Varying cross-cultural business customs, including gift-giving and exchanging business cards.

Face-to-Face Communication Breakdown

Only 7% of meaning comes from verbal content, 38% from tone of voice, and 55% from body language.

Eye Contact in American Culture

Sustained eye contact indicates integrity, trust, and respectful attention across all organizational levels.

Tone of Voice Best Practices

Variation is key for effectiveness; keep your voice in a lower pitch when angry or frustrated to keep listeners engaged.

Gestures and Posture Meanings

Leaning forward indicates interest, shrugging suggests lack of authority, and fidgeting implies impatience or nervousness.

Fake News Risks for Businesses

Business decision makers must verify news sources because legitimate outlets have repeatedly mistaken satire for real news.

Nonverbal Signs of Anxiety and Deception

Indications include avoiding eye contact, lip biting, face touching, 'fig-leafing' (covering the groin), and swallowing hard.

Methods to Improve Body Language

Practice in front of a mirror, videotape yourself delivering messages, and ask a trusted friend to dissect the results.

Evaluating Others' Body Language

Always use common sense in context; a yawning boss may be bored or simply tired, and crossed arms might just be a normal stance.

Time Spent Listening by Organizational Role

Hourly employees spend about 30% of their time listening, managers 60%, and executives and top salespeople 75% or more.

Listening Versus Thinking Speed

People listen at about 125 to 250 words per minute, but think at about 1,000 to 3,000 words per minute.

International Listening Association Learning Statistic

85% of our learning is derived from listening, yet listeners are distracted, forgetful, and preoccupied 75% of the time.

Active Listening Do: Nonverbal Signals

Use nonverbal communication like nods, smiles, and leaning forward to indicate interest in the speaker.

Active Listening Don't: Interruptions

Do not interrupt or finish other people's sentences, as this cuts off future communication.

Active Listening Do: Note-Taking

Take a few notes to help you concentrate and communicate to the speaker that their thoughts truly matter.

Channel Richness

The amount of information that a communication channel communicates to the recipient.

Audience Consideration in Channel Choice

The needs and expectations of your audience play a crucial role in your choice of communication channel.

Impact of Wrong Channel Choice

Sending a message through a channel the audience doesn't expect, understand, or like cripples your chance for successful communication.

Post-Choice Audience Analysis

Analyzing and considering your audience should also be a top priority after you choose your communication channel.

Audience Analysis: Expectations

Consider whether the organization's language is formal or informal, and direct or roundabout.

Audience Analysis: Education

The education level of the audience should drive the level of vocabulary and message complexity.

Audience Analysis: Profession

Consider how profession-specific jargon and acronyms should influence your message.

Conciseness in Business Communication

Be clear and concise, but do not be concise at the expense of completeness; include all necessary information.

Avoiding Slang in Business Communication

Do not use slang unless certain your audience will understand and appreciate it, to avoid unintentionally alienating them.

Communication Channel: Texting

Very low richness; use when content is uncontroversial, a quick response is needed for simple issues, and the audience won't be annoyed.

Communication Channel: Memos/Reports

Very low richness; use for uncontroversial content, reaching many people with the same message, or lengthy/detailed information.

Communication Channel: Email

Very low richness; use for uncontroversial content when you must reach a number of people with the same message.

Communication Channel: Voice Mail

Low richness; use when content is uncontroversial and you don't need a record of your message.

Communication Channel: Telephone

Moderate richness; use when you need a quick response, your content is personal/controversial, or you want spontaneous dialogue.

Communication Channel: Videoconferencing

High richness; use to reach multiple people with complex/high-priority content or for spontaneous dialogue when you cannot meet in person.

Communication Channel: In-Person Presentation

High richness; use when you need to reach a large audience with an important message and experience immediate responses.

Communication Channel: Face-to-Face Meeting

Very high richness; use when your message is personal, emotional, complex, or high priority and you need instant feedback.

Gender Bias in Communication

Words suggesting stereotypical attitudes toward a specific gender; avoided by using position titles, plurals, or 'his or her.'

Communication Effectiveness and Market Value

Improvement in a firm's communication effectiveness is associated with a nearly 16% increase in its market value (Watson Wyatt).

Age Bias

Words suggesting stereotypical attitudes toward specific ages, often negatively affecting older people in American culture due to a focus on youth.

Race, Ethnicity, and Nationality Bias

Unintentional stereotypes about groups; best avoided by omitting references unless directly relevant and treating people as individuals.

Active Voice Accountability Benefit

Accountability is a benefit of the active voice that can create deeper trust between you and your audience.

Active Voice Example

"Our team did not hit our sales goal," where the subject performs the action described by the verb.

Passive Voice Example

"The sales goal was not reached," where the subject is acted upon rather than doing the action.

Structuring Positive or Neutral Messages

Begin with your bottom line (request, recommendation, or conclusion) and why the audience should care, followed by rationale and explanations.

Structuring Negative Messages

Start with a couple of lines presenting the rationale before giving the bottom line, follow up with alternatives, and end on a positive note.

Impact of Thankful Closings on Emails

Email response rates increase significantly (averaging 62%) with a thankful closing like 'thanks in advance' or 'thanks,' compared to standard sign-offs like 'Cheers' or 'Best.'

Digital Etiquette Guidelines

Rules for the digital age include avoiding oversharing on Facebook, not looking for hook-ups on professional platforms, and never texting, emailing, or using social media while emotional.

Striking the Right Tone in Business Writing

Good business writing sounds natural and conversational; guidelines include using common words, active voice, personal pronouns, and contractions.

Impact of Grammatical Errors

Grammatical errors distract readers from your writing and undermine your credibility.

Phantom Knowledge in Grammar

'Mythical' grammar rules not found in handbooks that lead writers to make unnecessary mistakes (Edward P. Bailey).

Ending Sentences with a Preposition

Acceptable when it sounds natural and does not involve excess words (e.g., 'Where is this book from?').

Starting Sentences with 'And' or 'But'

Acceptable to use these conjunctions to begin sentences (e.g., 'But a small, vocal minority strongly advocates...').

Splitting Infinitives

Acceptable to place an adverb between 'to' and the verb (e.g., 'Try to effectively film...').

Three Elements of Block Paragraphs

Single spacing, double spacing between paragraphs, and no indentation of the first sentence.

Rise of Block Paragraphs in Business Writing

They have become standard over the past decade as writers include additional elements like headings and illustrations.

Purpose of Block Paragraphs

They create a more organized look for the page, guiding the reader's eye through key structural elements.

Purpose of Headings in Writing

A label for one of several parts that guides readers and helps them easily absorb your message.

Informative vs. Question Headings

Informative headings state a fact (e.g., "Recruitment has stalled"), while question headings ask a question (e.g., "Have we met our recruitment goals?").

Applicability of Headings

Headings are effective for letters, emails, memos, and one-page documents, not just long reports.

Purpose of Bulleted Lists

An invaluable tool to engage the reader's attention and direct their eye through your writing when you have more than one of anything.

Examples for Bulleted Lists

Used whenever you have more than one item, such as next steps, similar sections, or questions.

Public Speaking Fear Ranking

According to The Book of Lists, public speaking ranks number one for the majority of people, far above the fear of death at number four.

Starting Point for Presentations

The needs of the audience are the best place to begin developing a presentation.

Purpose of a Presentation Opening

Gives you a chance to grab the audience's attention and boost the likelihood of holding it throughout the presentation.

Presentation Hook: Interesting or Startling Statistic

Opening with impactful data to draw in the audience and introduce a problem or highlight devastating numbers.

Presentation Hook: Audience Involvement

Pulling the audience into your opening by inviting them to imagine a specific scenario or shared experience with you.

Presentation Hook: Compelling Story or Anecdote

Using a completely genuine, specific, and directly relevant story to connect with the audience.

Presentation Hook: Relevant Simile or Metaphor

Comparing two things to illustrate a concept effectively, such as comparing being a scientist to doing a jigsaw puzzle in a snowstorm.

Presentation Hook: Engaging Questions

Opening by asking questions that resonate with the audience's common frustrating experiences, like poor customer service.

Email Tip 1: Primary and Secondary Readers

Consider both readers because your email may be forwarded without considering the potential impact on you.

Email Tip 2: Keep It Short

Get your bottom line close to the top since many readers won't scroll down past whatever shows on their screen.

Email Tip 3: Proofread

Essential when asking someone to do something; remember that spell-checkers will not catch every mistake.

Email Tip 4: Standard Writing

Avoid smiley faces, abbreviations, and excessive exclamation points in formal messages to prevent looking silly or uncaring.

Email Tip 5: Avoid Attachments

Cut and paste relevant sections instead, as attachments take time and space and don't always translate well to mobile devices.

Email Tip 6: Don't Assume Privacy

Think of emails as postcards that anyone, especially system administrators and managers, can read along the way.