Multimedia Instructor Version

© 2007 Thomson South-Western

 Course Materials
 Textbook: “Business Communication:
Process and Product” – Mary Ellen
Guffey – 5th Edition.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 2

 Course Outline
 Chapter 1: Communicating at Work
 Chapter 2: Communicating in Small Groups and Teams
 Chapter 3: Work Place Listening and Non-verbal
Communication
 Chapter 8: Routine E-mail Message and Memos
 Chapter 9: Routine Letters and Goodwill Messages
 Chapter 10: Persuasive and Sales Messages

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 3

 Course Outline
 Mid-term
 Chapter 11: Negative Messages
 Chapter 12: Preparing to write Business Reports
 Chapter 13: Organizing and Writing Business
Reports
 Chapter 15: Speaking with Confidence
 Chapter 16: Employment Communication

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 4

 Course Assessment
 Assignment: 20%
 Mid-term: 30%
 Final Exam: 50%

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 5

 CHAPTER 1

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 6

 Communication skills are essential for
 Job placement
 Job performance
 Career advancement
 Success in the new world of work

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 7

 “Businesses are crying
out—they need to have
people who write better.”

Gaston Caperton,
business executive and
president, College Board

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 8

 Projecting Professionalism When You Communicate

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 9

 Projecting Professionalism When You Communicate
(continued)

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 10

 Projecting Professionalism When You Communicate
(concluded)

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 11

 Flattened
Flattened
management
management
Focus
Focuson on hierarchies
hierarchies More
More
information
information participatory
participatory
as
asaa management
management
corporate
corporateasset
asset
Trends
Trendsinin
New the
theNew
New Increased
New Workplace Increased
work
work Workplace emphasis
emphasis
environments
environments on
onteams
teams

Innovative
Innovative Heightened
Heightened
communication
communication global
global
technologies
technologies competition
competition

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 12

 The Process of Communication

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 13

The Process of Communication

Verbally or nonverbally.
How may the sender
By speaking, writing,
encode a message?
gesturing.

What kinds of Letters, e-mail, IM,

channels carry memos, TV, cell phone,
messages? voice, body. Others?

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 14

 How does a receiver Hearing, reading,
decode a message? observing.

When is When a message is

communication understood as the sender
successful? intended it to be.
How can a Ask questions, watch
communicator responses, don’t
provide for feedback? dominate the exchange.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 15

Barriers to Effective Listening

Physical Hearing disabilities, noisy

barriers surroundings
Psychological Tuning out ideas that counter
barriers our values
Language Unfamiliar or charged words
problems
Nonverbal Clothing, mannerisms,
distractions appearance

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 16

 Thought speed Our minds process
thoughts faster than
speakers express them
Faking Pretending to listen
attention
Grandstanding Talking all the time or
listening only for the next
pause

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 17

 Barriers to Interpersonal
Communication
 Bypassing
 Differing frame of reference
 Lack of language skills
 Lack of listening skills
 Emotional interference
 Physical distractions

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 18

 Understanding is shaped by

 Communication climate
 Context and setting
 Background, experiences
 Knowledge, mood
 Values, beliefs, culture

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 19

 Barriers That Block the Flow of
Information in Organizations
 Closed communication climate
 Top-heavy organizational structure
 Long lines of communication
 Lack of trust between management
and employees
 Competition for power, status, rewards
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 20
 Overcoming Communication
Barriers

 Realize that communication is imperfect

 Adapt the message to the receiver
 Improve your language and listening skills
 Question your preconceptions
 Plan for feedback

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 21

 Surmounting Organizational
Barriers
 Encourage open environment for
interaction and feedback
 Flatten the organizational structure
 Promote horizontal communication
 Provide hotline for anonymous feedback
 Provide sufficient information through
formal channels
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 22
 Ten Misconceptions
About Listening
1. Listening is a matter of intelligence.
FACT: Careful listening is a learned
behavior.
2. Speaking is more important than
listening in the communication process.
FACT: Speaking and listening are
equally important.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 23

 3. Listening is easy and requires little
energy.
FACT: Active listeners undergo the same
physiological changes as a person
jogging.
4. Listening and hearing are the same
process.
FACT: Listening is a conscious, selective
process. Hearing is an involuntary act.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 24

 5. Speakers are able to command listening.
FACT: Speakers cannot make a person
really listen.
6. Hearing ability determines listening
ability.
FACT: Listening happens mentally—
between the ears.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 25

 7. Speakers are totally responsible for
communication success.
FACT: Communication is a two-way
street.
8. Listening is only a matter of
understanding a speaker’s words.
FACT: Nonverbal signals also help
listeners gain understanding.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 26

 9. Daily practice eliminates the need for
listening training.
FACT: Without effective listening training,
most practice merely reinforces negative
behaviors.
10. Competence in listening develops
naturally.
FACT: Untrained people listen at only 25
percent efficiency.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 27

 Tips for Becoming an
Active Listener
 Stop talking.
 Control your surroundings.
 Establish a receptive mind-set.
 Listen for main points.
 Listen between the lines.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 28

  Judge ideas, not
appearances.
 Hold your fire.
 Take selective

notes.
 Provide
feedback.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 29

 Nonverbal Communication
 Eye contact, facial expression, and
posture and gestures send silent
messages.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 30

  Time, space, and
territory send silent
messages.
• Time (punctuality
and structure of)
• Space
(arrangement of
objects in)
• Territory (privacy
zones)

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 31

 Four Space Zones for Social
Interaction Among Americans

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 32

 Four Space Zones for Social
Interaction Among Americans

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 33

  Eye contact, facial expression, and
posture and gestures send silent
messages.
 Time, space, and territory send silent
messages.
 Appearance sends silent messages.
• Appearance of business documents
• Appearance of people

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 34

 Tips for Improving
Your Nonverbal Skills

 Establish and maintain eye contact.

 Use posture to show interest.
 Improve your decoding skills.
 Probe for more information.
 Avoid assigning nonverbal meanings
out of context.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 35

  Associate with people from diverse
cultures.
 Appreciate the power of appearance.
 Observe yourself on videotape.
 Enlist friends and family.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 36

Culture and Communication

Good communication
demands special
sensitivity and skills
when communicators
are from different
cultures.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 37

 High-Context and
Low-Context Cultures
High Context
Japanese
Arab
Latin American
Spanish
English
Italian
French
North American
Scandinavian
German
Swiss

Low Context
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 38
 Comparison of High- and
Low-Context Cultures

High-Context Low-Context
Cultures Cultures
Relational Linear
Collectivist Individualistic
Intuitive Logical
Contemplative Action-oriented

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 39

Improving Communication With
Multicultural Audiences
 Oral Messages
• Use simple
English.
• Speak slowly and
enunciate clearly.
• Encourage
accurate
feedback.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 40
  Oral Messages (continued)
• Check frequently for comprehension.
• Observe eye messages.
• Accept blame.
• Listen without interrupting.
• Remember to smile!
• Follow up in writing.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 41

  Written Messages
• Adapt to local formats.
• Consider hiring a translator.
• Use short sentences and short
paragraphs.
• Avoid ambiguous wording.
• Strive for clarity.
• Cite numbers carefully.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 42

 Effective Communication With
Diverse Workplace Audiences
 Understand the value of differences.
 Don’t expect total conformity.
 Create zero tolerance for bias and
stereotypes.
 Practice focused, thoughtful, and open-
minded listening.
 Invite, use, and give feedback.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 43

  Make fewer workplace assumptions.
 Learn about your own cultural self.
 Learn about other
cultures and
identity groups.
 Seek common
ground.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 44

 Fortune’s “50 Best
Companies for Minorities”

 In a recent report
published by Fortune,
these companies were
among those receiving
recognition for their
workplace diversity
efforts.
 Click on a corporate logo
to learn more.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 7e Chapter 1, Slide 45