Chapter11 - Business Communication

©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
©denphumi/ThinkStock 1
Developing Professionalism
and Business Etiquette Skills
What is professionalism?
• Civility
• Business and dining
etiquette
• Polish
• Social intelligence
• Soft skills
©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. Ch. 11 / Slide 2
Dimensions of
Professional Behavior
Appearance, Appeal
Tolerance, Tact
Honesty, Ethics
Reliability, Diligence
Collegiality, Sharing
Courtesy, Respect
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Gaining an Etiquette Edge
• Use polite words.

• Express sincere appreciation
and praise.
• Don’t put people down.
• Be selective in sharing
personal information.
• Respect coworkers’ space.
Your Voice
Is a Communication Tool
• Improve your pronunciation.

• Work on your voice quality.
• Control your pitch.
• Adjust your volume and rate.
• Use emphasis to express meaning.
Your Voice
Improve your pronunciation.
across – not acrossed

candidate – not cannidate
escape – not excape
prescription – not perscription
Your Voice
Work on your voice quality.
Do you sound enthusiastic,

friendly, alert, happy, and positive?
OR
Do you sound controlling, frustrated,

angry, slow-witted, bored, and negative?
Your Voice
Control your pitch.
Avoid a flat, monotone voice.
Strive for a variety of pitch patterns.
Your Voice
Adjust your volume and rate.
Speak as loudly or softly as the

occasion demands.
Don’t make your listeners strain to

hear you.
Don’t speak too rapidly or too slowly.
Your Voice
Use emphasis to express meaning.
A lower pitch and volume make you

sound professional or reasonable.
To sound confident and competent,

avoid uptalk, which makes you sound
weak and tentative.
Receiving Workplace
Criticism Gracefully
• Listen without interrupting.

• Determine the speaker’s intent.
• Acknowledge what you are hearing.
“I understand you have a concern.”
• Paraphrase what was said.
Providing Constructive
Criticism on the Job
• Mentally outline your conversation.
• When possible, communicate
face-to-face.
• Focus on improvement.
• Offer to help.
• Be specific.
• Avoid broad generalizations.
Making Telephone Calls
Professionally
• Plan a mini-agenda.
• Use a three-point introduction
(name the person you are calling,
identify yourself, give brief reason
for calling).
• Be brisk if you are rushed.
• Be cheerful and accurate.
Making Telephone Calls
Professionally
• Be professional and courteous.

• Bring it to a close.
• Avoid telephone tag.
• Leave complete voice mail
messages.
Receiving Telephone Calls
Professionally
• Identify yourself immediately.

• Be responsive and helpful.
• Practice telephone confidentiality.
• Take messages carefully.
• Leave the line respectfully.
Why Form Teams?
Better decisions
Faster response
Increased productivity
Greater buy-in
Less resistance to change
Improved employee morale
Reduced risks
Positive Team Behavior
Setting rules and abiding by them

Analyzing tasks and defining problems
Contributing information and ideas
Showing interest and listening actively
Encouraging members to participate
Synthesizing points of agreement
Negative Team Behavior
Blocking the ideas of others

Insulting and criticizing others
Wasting the group’s time
Making improper jokes and comments
Failing to stay on task
Withdrawing, failing to participate
Six Steps for
Dealing With Conflict
1. Listen.
2. Understand other points of view.
3. Show you care about the
relationship.
4. Look for common ground.
5. Invent new problem-solving options.
6. Reach an agreement based on what
is fair.
Planning a Productive Meeting
Meet only when the topic demands a

rich medium, is important, and requires
an exchange of ideas.
• Invite the right people.
• Distribute an agenda.
• Use a digital calendar for scheduling.
• Train participants on technology.
Running the Meeting
• Start on time, review agenda

and ground rules.
• Appoint a secretary and a
recorder.
• Encourage participation.
• Confront conflict frankly.
• Summarize along the way.
Ending the Meeting
and Following Up
• Review meeting decisions.

• Distribute minutes of meeting.
• Remind people of action items.
Virtual Meetings:
Audioconferencing
• Simple and effective
• Most commonly used collaborative
tool in business
• Tools include enhanced speakerphone,
telephone, and mobile phone
• Also known as teleconferencing,
conference calling, and phone
conferencing
Virtual Meetings:
Web Conferencing
• Inexpensive and easily accessible

• Used to share electronic documents
and demonstrate products
• Participants interact in real time
• Tools include computer, Internet
access, software, and (optional)
camera.
Techniques for Successful
Virtual Meetings
• Be sure everyone knows how to

operate the technology.
• Distribute documents in advance
and log on early.
• Explain how to ask and answer
questions.
• Say your name before speaking.
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©2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

• Use polite words.

• Improve your pronunciation.

across – not acrossed

Do you sound enthusiastic,

Do you sound controlling, frustrated,

Avoid a flat, monotone voice.

Strive for a variety of pitch patterns.

Speak as loudly or softly as the

Don’t make your listeners strain to

Don’t speak too rapidly or too slowly.

A lower pitch and volume make you

To sound confident and competent,

• Listen without interrupting.

• Be professional and courteous.

• Identify yourself immediately.

Setting rules and abiding by them

Blocking the ideas of others

Meet only when the topic demands a

• Start on time, review agenda

• Review meeting decisions.

• Inexpensive and easily accessible

• Be sure everyone knows how to

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