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IN T E R NAT I O NA L B US I NE S S S K I L LS C OU RS E WARE

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INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SKILLS COURSEWARE

PUBLISHED BY:

British Business Professional Skills Development (BBPSD) Ltd,


80 Lodge Lane, Liverpool, L08 0QL
United Kingdom
http://www.bbpsd.org.uk

ACCREDITED BY:

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levels relevant to a wide range of industry sectors.
http://www.abp.org.uk/

DISCLAIMER

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FIRST EDITION
First Print 2010

BOOK NUMBER
BC10-01

Copyright © 2010 by British Business Professional Skills Development (BBPSD) Ltd, UK. All rights reserved. This publication is protected by Copyright, and
permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction.
Business Communications
ABP Intermediate Award

Association of Business Practitioners (ABP)


APPROVED COURSEWARE
Business Communications
Contents

Introdcution to Business Communications 01


Module Learning Outcomes 02
Module Design 03
Learning & Teaching Methods 05
Assessment Type & Weighting 06
How to get the most from this booklet 06

Section1 – What is meant by Business Communication 07


Styles and Techniques of Business Communication 09
Communicating with Customers 13
The Importance of Communicating with Customers 21
The Importance of Good Internal Communication 27

Section 2 – Effective and Ineffective Communication 33


Best Communication Styles 34
The Value of Clarity, Politeness and Being Concise 40
Sending a Message is Not Communication 43
Basic Communication Process 44
Tools to Assist Communication 45

vii
Section 3 – Overcoming Barriers to Communication 53
The Importance of Non-Verbal Communications 55
Political Barriers to Communication within Organisations 62
Business Design Barriers to Communication 64
-R¾YIRGISJ8IGLRSPSK]SRGSQQYRMGEXMSR      

Section 4 – Business Team Meeting 73


Individual Meetings and Team Meetings 75
Invitation to a meeting and setting an agenda 80
Running a meeting 85
Present Information to a meeting 87

Section 5 – Improving Your Personal Comm. Skills 91


Communication Style 93
Becoming a Better Communicator 97
Presentation Skills 103
'SR¾MGX6IWSPYXMSR         

viii
Business Communications
Introduction

Communication, in any form, is an inherent part of business and takes up a considerable


amount of employees’ and management’s time. Research has discovered that managers
spend between 50 and 90 percent of their time talking to people. Business communication
is pervasive, continually in operation and covers an enormous range of activities. However,
business communication is also a very complex series of processes operating at all levels
within businesses, ranging from ‘the grapevine’ to more formalised systems.

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individuals and groups, in order to reach a common understanding. In most organisations,
messages are sent to (and often between) a wide variety of people, both internally and
externally. Employees, customers, shareholders and suppliers are all examples of these, each
with their own interests in the business’s operations. In every business, small or large, there
are actually two communication systems, namely, the formal and the informal (grapevine).

Although businesses have many different ways of communicating, both internally and externally,
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½RHXLEXQSWXSJXLIMVQMWXEOIWEVIGEYWIHF]WLEVMRKMRJSVQEXMSRXLEXMWIMXLIVMREGGYVEXI
or transmitted in a manner that creates confusion. Therefore, it is important to understand
the most appropriate techniques for a range of circumstances.

1 Business Communications
Whether intentional or otherwise, communication barriers are part of day-to-day life in
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XVIRHW[MXLMRWSGMIX][LMGLGLERKIERHIZSPZISZIVXMQIERHMRXYVRMR¾YIRGIXLITIVGITXMSRW
of those engaged in employment relationships. A successful business needs to understand
how these obstacles arise and attempt to minimise the chances of them occurring.

Studying this module will provide you the skills and competence in business communication. It
also introduces you to some of the underlying concepts of communication such as, meetings,
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progress in the business world. On completion of this module, you will be able to understand
the process and modes of business communication and appreciate how they contribute to
individual and business success.

The module is a core component of the ABP intermediate Diploma in International


Business Skills programme.

Module Learning Outcomes

After successfully completing this module students will be able to:

ˆ L1 – identify and appreciate the range of communication used in a business.


ˆ L2 – appreciate effective and ineffective communication.
ˆ L3 – identify where and when barriers to communication exist.
ˆ L4 – understand how to conduct successful business team meetings.
ˆ L5 – identify and apply techniques which will improve your personal
communication skills.

© BBPSD 2010. All Rights Reserved. 2


Module Design:This module has been designed to give students an understanding,
both practically and theoretically, of the importance to businesses of Business
Communication and an appreciation of how they can play an important role in
delivering effective communication.
The module is subdivided into 5 sections. Each of these 5 sections deals in more
depth with one of the overall module’s learning outcomes, L1 to L5 listed above.Thus
Section 1 corresponds to L1, Section 2 to L2, etc. The following table provides a brief
description of each section in the business communication module.

Section Title Learning Outcomes Covered in this


Section
Section 1: ˆ Understand the various business
What is meant by communication styles and techniques
Business Communication ˆ Understand how a business communicates
with its customers
ˆ Appreciate the importance of communicating
effectively with customers
ˆ Appreciate the importance of, and learning
how to, effectively communicate within the
business.

3 Business Communications
Section 2: ˆ Be able to determine which communication
Effective and Ineffective style is best suited to a particular task
Communication ˆ Appreciate the importance of being concise,
clear and polite in communications
ˆ Understand that sending a message does not
imply that you have communicated
ˆ Be aware of techniques that can aid
communication

Section 3: ˆ Understand the importance of non verbal


Be able to identify where communication
and when barriers to ˆ Appreciate the political barriers to
communication exist GSQQYRMGEXMSR[MXLMRSVKERM^EXMSRW
ˆ Be aware of business design barriers to
communication
ˆ Understand how appropriate technology can
assist with communication

© BBPSD 2010. All Rights Reserved. 4


Section 4: ˆ Understand when it is appropriate to use
Business Team Meeting individual meetings and team meetings
ˆ Knowing who to invite to a meeting and
setting an agenda
ˆ Appreciate how best to ensure that meetings
achieve their aims
ˆ Be aware of how to best present information
to a meeting

Section 5: ˆ Understand what type of communication


Improving Your Personal style works best for you
Communication Skills ˆ Appreciate that your communication is
reliant on being understood by the recipient
ˆ Making use of presentations
ˆ 'SR¾MGXVIWSPYXMSR

Learning & Teaching Methods: A suitable mix of lectures, tutorials, workshops,


case studies, videos and hands on practical exercises. The module has 20 hours of
formal contact teaching.

5 Business Communications
Assessment Type & Weighting: The module will be assessed by a formal
examination of 1 hour duration.

How to get the most from this booklet

=SY[MPPKEMRQSVIFIRI½X[LIRWXYH]MRKXLMWFSSOPIXMJ]SYWXSTERHVI¾IGXEXXLI
end of each section. This module contains 5 sections and you should look back at
the learning outcomes for each section as you complete the section and ensure that
you are comfortable with each learning outcome. If you are not sure about one of
the learning outcomes, or any aspect of that section then look back at the associated
tutorial notes and exercises you have done in class.

Also don’t forget that this is YOUR booklet, so make notes in it as you go along
that will help your understanding as you are learning. Remember that learning is an
active exercise and you need to engage fully with the text, it is not the same as casual
reading.

Finally, we hope you enjoy this booklet and get as much pleasure in studying aspects
of business as we do!

© BBPSD 2010. All Rights Reserved. 6


Section 1
What is meant by Business
Communication

Learning Outcomes

The learning outcomes covered in this section are:


ˆ Understand the various business communication styles and techniques
ˆ Understand how a business communicates with its customers
ˆ Appreciate the importance of communicating effectively with customers
ˆ Appreciate the importance of, and learning how to, communicating within the
business.

7 Business Communications
Introduction

The importance to a business of good communication has been recognised for many
years. In fact without good communication processes a business would struggle to
survive in today’s highly competitive and interconnected world. Businesses now
have a variety of almost instantaneous communication techniques at their disposal
but the technology will not help if the message sent is not understood. In this
section we will look at how a business communicates with its customers and the
various business communication styles and techniques that may be used. We will
also consider the importance to a business of effectively communicating with both
its customers (external communication) and communicating within the business
(internal communication).

© BBPSD 2010. All Rights Reserved. 8


Styles and Techniques of Business Communication

The key to successful communication is understanding how best to reach different


audiences and convey information in a manner that avoids misinterpretation. There
are generally considered to be two main forms of communication; written and spoken,
both of which comprise of several techniques varying in ‘information richness’, or the
ability to send messages with ease and clarity.

Within the last 50 year timeframe most organisations have moved from pencil and
typewriter dominated environments, to computer oriented environments with the
increasing predominance of voice mail, electronic mail, fax, Facebook and Twitter.

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through e-mails and text messages, it is now possible to contact others in almost
any part of the world, without delays in feedback. This has always been the primary
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occur during the time taken to send and receive post. Organisations have taken
advantage of this quicker written communication, using e-mail to handle invoices and
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The extent to which a business relies upon written information very much depends
upon their corporate culture, or the nature of the industry they operate within.

9 Business Communications
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accompanied by detailed reports, usually to the dismay of employees. Frequently, the
reasoning behind this is that documents provide evidence of work being carried out
and can be referred to in the future.

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word.A Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is a prime example of this,whereby a supplier
writes a document to its client, detailing how a faulty product came to be damaged.
The supplier could explain that the damage was the result of poor handling during
transport, for instance, rather than down to its own negligence. This form of blame
prevention is particularly common in technical industries, where small mistakes can
result in costly setbacks.

Spoken communication, on the other hand, is considered a more spontaneous mode


of contact; conversations, whether taking place over telephones or during meetings,
have the potential to travel wildly off course. As a result, the spoken word can be
used by businesses to gain more expressive opinions. When conducting market
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responses, in the hope that a more personal relationship will stimulate a broader
range of thoughts.

© BBPSD 2010. All Rights Reserved. 10


Example

Corporate speeches are another form of spoken expression, widely adopted by


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spokesperson can address vast numbers of people and serve as a face to the business.
When the car manufacturer Toyota recently experienced criticism over its safety
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States. This form of communication was arguably the best solution to the matter, as
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written language.

11 Business Communications
Activity

Give examples of businesses that are successfully using ‘Facebook’ and ‘Twitter’ to
gain a competitive advantage over others. Why are they using social networking
websites? How does this affect sales, marketing and customer services?

© BBPSD 2010. All Rights Reserved. 12


Communicating with Customers

Businesses may wish to communicate with their customers for many reasons, including
gaining feedback on satisfaction (See Module 1, Customer Service), answering queries
and providing updates on new products or events. In order to do so, a number of
interaction techniques can be employed, ranging from the highly sophisticated to the
fairly conventional.

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to the customer’s address. Although there is a possibility of the person discarding the
mail without reading it (in the belief that it is unimportant), this is a straightforward way
of informing the customer of new developments. Price discounts, product launches
and ‘customers only’ events can all be advertised, increasing the likely success of the
initiatives.

13 Business Communications
Lately, there has been a growth in the popularity of e-mail messages to customers,
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well as decreasing environmental damage caused by using paper. In fact environmental
concerns are becoming more prominent for businesses as consumers learn more
about environmental changes.

Furthermore, videos can be transmitted electronically, allowing viewers to watch


product demonstrations or interviews from the comfort of their own homes. It is
now possible to upload a video to YouTube with hardly any expertise, something
unthinkable ten years ago.

© BBPSD 2010. All Rights Reserved. 14


Activity

Make a short video of your self, pretend it is a verbal CV telling an employer why they
should employ you, and then up load it onto YouTube.

15 Business Communications
-RGVIEWMRKP]½VQWLEZIFIGSQIQSVIVIPMERXYTSR[IFWMXIW¯WTIRHMRKLYKIEQSYRXWSJ
money on their design – as another way of ‘talking’ to customers. Similarly to e-mails,
websites can involve video demonstrations, hyperlinks to different departments and news on
recent developments, all providing clients (both current and prospective) with an interactive
experience.

As well as being an excellent advertisement tool, a website can be used to track customers’
buying habits. The popularity of certain products can be assessed by the number of times
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relative ease, changes in trade performance can be measured over time, giving an idea of
when a sales promotion is most required.

Organisations wishing to measure their customers’ satisfaction can distribute questionnaires,


or provide them online. By asking a range of questions (both qualitative – that is descriptive
- and quantitative – something that can be measured easily), they can use feedback to
improve future performance and deter consumers from purchasing rival products. Because
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SJJIVMRKTVM^IWWYGLEWJVIILSPMHE]WSVWXSVIZSYGLIVW

© BBPSD 2010. All Rights Reserved. 16


In addition to highlighting weaknesses in service or product performance,questionnaires
can include sections where the customer is asked about their hobbies and interests.
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to focus their advertising around this, or even use it as a base for developing new
product ranges.

Examples

If a manufacturer of widescreen televisions, such as Sony, were to discover that many


of its customers enjoy watching football, they may wish to sponsor a number of high-
TVS½PIKEQIWXSIRGSYVEKIQSVITYVGLEWIW

17 Business Communications
© BBPSD 2010. All Rights Reserved. 18
To provide a more personal means of communication, most businesses operate
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REXMSREP½VQ[MXLGEPPGIRXVIWEGVSWWXLIKPSFIXLMWMWWXMPPELMKLP]TSTYPEVQIXLSHSJ
reaching customers or other organisations.

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call clients to gain opinions or promote events, and customers can call businesses
to ask questions or express interest. The only downfall is that such services can be
extremely expensive to maintain, when the costs of equipment, staff and facilities are
taken into account.

19 Business Communications
Activity
Group Exercise (Take ten minutes to think about the following questions and then present
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a large supermarket chain)
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ˆ,S[HSIW]SYVGLSWIRSVKERMWEXMSRGSQQYRMGEXIXSGYWXSQIVW#
ˆ;LEXGERXLI]HSXSMQTVSZIXLIMVVIPEXMSRWLMT[MXLGYWXSQIVW#

© BBPSD 2010. All Rights Reserved. 20


The Importance of Communicating with Customers

Because it is customers that provide businesses with their revenue, their satisfaction
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make the mistake of devaluing these individuals once they have made their purchases,
believing that they are no longer of any use. Successful businesses, however, continue
to tend to their needs and encourage them to make future transactions.

Example

Consumer loyalty is just one possible result of effective customer relations.When


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was to outdo their rivals in customer service. By offering each client a personal
account manager, the company gained a valuable Unique Selling Point (USP), making
customers much more loyal to a brand that would otherwise have been overshadowed
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an approach to business that focuses on meeting the needs of all interested parties
in a business relationship.

21 Business Communications
© BBPSD 2010. All Rights Reserved. 22
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their customers choose to do business with them, over the many other alternatives.
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accentuate these values in their marketing.

Example

Marks & Spencer, a large UK based retail store, often stresses the high quality of their
produce over price competitiveness, for instance. It is hoped that having a strong
brand identity will persuade buyers away from rivals with less clear values.

Word-of-mouth has the potential to either catapult a business into great success,
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prove to be pleasant and helpful; otherwise these customers may refer negatively to
the organisation when talking to other consumers.

23 Business Communications
© BBPSD 2010. All Rights Reserved. 24
Example

When the Spanish banking group Santander took over the UK based bank Abbey and
Alliance & Leicester, many criticised its use of electronic answering machines, saying
that they preferred a more personal approach to service.As a result of this annoyance
spreading, Santander lost a great deal of custom. Only by listening to the opinions of
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have failed to realise, resulting in their ultimate collapse.

25 Business Communications
Activity

Discuss the importance of communicating with customers. Think of businesses who


can gain from better communication with their customers.

© BBPSD 2010. All Rights Reserved. 26


The Importance of Good Internal Communication

However successful a business is at forming relationships with its customers, if its


internal communications are inadequate, breakdowns in performance can be expected.
According to recent research, 14% of each 40 hour working week is wasted because
of poor communication within businesses.That amounts to a staggering seven working
weeks of squandered productivity a year.

A variety of circumstances can result from this breakdown in internal communication,


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between management and employees can create a situation where staff are overloaded
with work but feel unable to discuss the matter with their superior(s). Sometimes,
this is due to the manager appearing too busy to deal with concerns, or perhaps
never remaining in the workplace long enough to be contacted. The major problem
with this scenario is its effect on employee morale; if staff do not feel as though they
are being listened to their commitment to the business is likely to decrease, leading
to a high labour turnover.

When working to strict deadlines, it is crucial for all departments to function as


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up, placing great strain on those whose responsibility it is to meet customer orders.
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27 Business Communications
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It is therefore in the interests of all employees to prevent this occurring.

Most businesses do not appreciate surprises, especially when they involve documents
being hidden by staff, or altered slightly to suit personal interests, or to meet
production targets.

Example

When the former Eastern Germany joined together with Western Germany, one
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they presented were incorrect, they had been altered to ensure that they would not
appear to be a failing organisation. Because of the old communist regime they had
RSXEP[E]WVIXYVRIH½KYVIWXLEX[IVIEGGYVEXIHYIXSTSXIRXMEPP]LEVWLTIREPXMIW

© BBPSD 2010. All Rights Reserved. 28


Firms that appreciate good internal communication treat such matters seriously,
making it clear to all employees that such actions are not acceptable. Only then will
harmful results be avoided, such as court action for not paying bills (because a member
of staff hid them in a drawer) or injuries as a result of workers falsifying safety tests.

%RSXLIVFIRI½XSJGSRWMWXIRXP]GPIEVQIWWEKMRKMWXLIEZSMHERGISJMRJSVQEP³KVETIZMRIW´
SVEGSPPIGXMSRSJYRSJ½GMEPGSQQYRMGEXMSRTEWWEKIW[LMGLSTIVEXIWEPSRKWMHIXLI
SJ½GMEPW]WXIQ

Grapevines are damaging in that they spread rumours among employees that are
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As an example, a member of staff hearing that a colleague is on a higher salary may
resent the matter, even though the claim is not supported with any evidence. When
rumours such as this spread throughout the business, they can severely impact on
employee relationships – undesirable for any organisation.

29 Business Communications
Activity

Does the grapevine have a positive or negative impact on Business? How does the
grapevine affect employees in your business or organisation?

© BBPSD 2010. All Rights Reserved. 30


Overview

In this section we have highlighted the importance to a business of having good


effective communication, both internally and externally. We have learned about the
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modern computer oriented environments with the increasing predominance of voice
mail, electronic mail, fax, Facebook and Twitter. We have also noted that, in spite of
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every action is often accompanied by detailed written hard copy reports. The value of
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31 Business Communications
Notes...

© BBPSD 2010. All Rights Reserved. 32


Business
Etiquette
ABP Intermediate IT for
Business

Business
Communication Awards Time
Management

People Self Customer Business


Skills Awareness Service Basics and
and Personal Finance
Development

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SKILLS COURSEWARE

ABP Intermediate
Diploma
in

International
Business Skills

Association of Business Practitioners


Student Guide

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SKILLS COURSEWARE

Professional Curriculum
ACCREDITED BY

Association of Business Practioners

British Business Professional Skills Development (BBPSD) Ltd,


80 Lodge Lane, Liverpool, L08 0QL
United Kingdom
http://www.bbpsd.org.uk

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