"First, you have tD think about your objective, the audience you

are targeting, and your communication strategy."

-Debra Sanchez Fair, Vice President
Corporate Communications, Nissan North America, Ine.

Chapter Outline
•• THE COMPONENTs OF COMMUNICATION ~> BARRI ERSTO VERBAL COMMUNICATION
The Stimulus Inadequate Knowledge or Vocabulary
The Filter Differences in Interpretation
The Message language Differences
The Medium Inappropriate Use of Expressions
The Destination Overabstraction and Ambiguity
Polarization
VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Oral Communication f.'I>-:'.:~~f'<,:

Written Communication ~YOn/ine Study Center

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Prepare for Crass
Chapter Outline

Nissan Drives Effective

Communication
S teering communication upward, downward, horizontaily, and
across business and borders-at full throttle-is part of a race that
never ends for Debra Sanchez Fair. As vice president of corporate
communications for Nissan North America, Inc., she and her 43-
person staff drive ail communications for the automaker's opera-
tions in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Fair uses various media to share information within the organi-
zation, ranging from e-mail, videoconferencing, and satellite televi-
sion to more traditional newsletters, meetings, and memos. Before

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 selecting any medium, however, she carefully plans what she wants ta achieve.
"First, you have ta think about YOUfobjective, the audience you are targeting,
and YOUfcommunication strategy," Fair says. "Then you think about the
tactics. Every situation or initiative may require a different approach."
To find out whether audiences understand Nissan's messages, at least
once a year Fair sUfveys employees, business leaders, and media represen-
tatives. Monitoring this feedback helps Fair and her team analyze audi-
ence response and keep Nissan's communication on track in the race that
never ends. •
DEBRA
SANCHEZ FAIR
As Debra Sanchez Fair of Nissan North America knows firsthand, effective com-
Vice President,
munication drives successful businesses. Walk through the hallways of any con-
Corporate
temporary organization-no matter whether it's a small start-up entrepreneurial
Communications,
firm, a Fortune 500 global giant, astate government office, or a not-far-profit orga-
Nissan North
nization. What do you see? You see employees:
America, Inc.
(Carson, California) 1 Reading documents
1 Drafting messages
1 Attending meetings
1 Conducting interviews
1 Talking on the telephone
ln short, you see people communicating. An organization is a group of people
ahstract word p. 12 working together ta achieve a common goal. Communication, of course, is a vital
audience p. 6 part of that process. Indeed, communication must have occurred before a com-
communication p. 5 mon goal could even be established because communication is the me ans by
concrete ward p. 12 which information is shared, activities are coordinated, and decisions are made.
connotation p.lO Understanding how communication works in business and how employees
denotation p. la communicate competently within an organization will help you participate
euphemism p. 12 more effectively in every aspect of business. Good communication skills are cru-
feedhack p. 7 cial to your success in the organization (Figure l.1). Competent writing and
tilter p.6 speaking skills will help you get hired, perform well, and earn promotions. Uyou
jargon p.12 decide to go into business for yourself, excellent writing and speaking skills will
medium p.7 help you obtain start -up funds, promote your product, and manage your employ-
message p.6 ees. The same skills will also help you achieve your personal and social goals.
slang p.ll It is no wonder then that, according to Mark H. McCormack, chairperson of
stimulus p. 5 International Management Group and bestselling author of What They Don't
Teach You at Harvard Business School, "People's written communications are prob-
ably more revealing than any other single item in the workplace."l

Because communication is such a vital part of the organizational struc-

ture, our study of communication begins with an analysis of its components
(Figure 1.2). Communication is the process of sending and receiving messages- communication The process of sending and
sometimes through spoken or written words and sometimes through nonverbal receiving verbal and nonverbal messages.
means such as facial expressions, gestures, and voice qualities.
Thus, if someone communicates the following message to you and you receive
it, communication will have taken place. The communication will be successful,
however, only if you understand Chine se.*

To illustrate the communication model shown in Figure 1.2, let us follow the
case of Dave, a chemist. Several years ago, white working on anothervroject, Dave
developed Ultra Light, a fiat sheet of luminescent material that serves as a light
source. The market for lighting is vast, and Dave was disappointed when his
company decided not to manufacture and market this product. As we learn what
happened to Dave after this decision, we'll examine the components of commu-
nication, one at a time, as listed below:

Dave receives a memorandum stimulus An event that creates the need to

from the head of research and communicate.
development (R & D).
He interprets the memo to mean
that his company has no interest ~ FIGURE 1.1 \ _
in his invention. Dissatisfied Employers
He decides to relay this informa- The fack of competent written communication
tion to his brother Marc. skiffs is the number one source of dissatisfaction
that empfoyers have about their empfoyees.
He telephones Marc.
His brother receives the calI. The message reaches its Dissatisfied employers
destination. Percentage of employers dissatisfied with
competencies of their employees
Marc listens and gives Dave his
reaction. Writlen .......".,
Communication .• ,

For communication to take place, there tirst must be a stimulus (plural:

stimull), an event that creates within an individual the need to communi- Oral
cate. This stimulus can be internai or external. An internai stimulus is Communication

simply an idea that forms in your mind. External stimuli come ta you Marketing!
Sales
through your sensory organs-your eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin. A
stimulus for communicating in business might be any of the following:
o 10 20 30 40 50

* IIlustrated here is the Chinese word for crisis, which is cornposed of the words danger Percent
and opportunity, perhaps an inspirational cerninder tu always cernain hopeful.

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 1 An e-mail message you just read
3 FIGURE 1.2 \ _

The Components of Communication 1 A presentation you heard at a staff meeting

The communication model consists offive components: stimulus, filter, message, 1 A bit of gossip you heard over lunch
medium, and destination. Ideally, the process ends with feedback to the sender,
although feedback is not necessary for communication to have taken place. 1 Yourperception that the general manager
"
has been acting preoccupied lately
1 The hot air generated by an overworked
heating system (or colleague!)

Yourespond to the stimulus by formulat-

ing a message: a verbal message (written or
spoken words), a non verbal message (nonwrit-
ten and nonspoken signaIs), or sorne com-
bination of the two. For Dave, the stimulus
for communication was a memorandum he
received informing him that his company
was not interested in developing Ultra Light
but would, instead, sell the patent to another
company that was interested in bringing this
product to market.

If everyone had the same perception of events, your job of communicating

filter The mental process of interpreting
stimuli based on one's knowledge, experience,
and viewpoints.
would be easy. That is, you could assume that your view of what happened was
accurate and that others would understand your motives and intent. Instead,
each person has a unique view of reality, based on his or her individu al experi-
ences, culture, emotions at the moment, personality, knowledge, socioeconomic
status, and a host of other variables. These variables act as a filler in shaping
everyone's unique impressions of reality.
The memo Dave received simply reinforced what he had come to expect at
his company. The company had become successful by focusing on its own long-
range objectives and showed little interest in taking advantage of unexpected
discoveries such as Ultra Light. Dave had been intimately involved in the research
leading to the discovery of Ultra Light and was quite interested in its future.
Besides, after so many years in the lab, he was ready for a new challenge. These
factors, then, acted as a filter through which Dave interpreted the memo and
formulated his response-a phone calI to rus brother Marc, a marketing manager
in Chicago.

The Message
Dave's message to Marc was simple: "Let's form our own company to manufacture
and market Ultra Light." The extent to which any communication effort achieves
message The information that is commu- its desired goal de pends directly on how weIlyou construct the message-that is, the
nicated. information to be communicated.
Your success depends not only on the purpose and content of the message but
audience The person or persons with whom also on how skillful you are at communicating, how weIl you know your audience
vou are communicating. (the person or persons with whom you are communicating), and how much you
hold in common with your audience.
 As a scientist, Dave did not have an extensive busi-
ness vocabulary. Nor did he have much practice at oral J FIGURE 1.3 \,
business presentations and the careful pacing and rein- Effectiveness Versus Popularity of Communication Media
forcement required in such circumstances. ln effect, The International Association of Business Communicators recently
Dave was attempting to make an oral business proposal, surveyed nearly 1,000 organizations about their communication
but unfortunatelywithout much technique or skill. practices. The survey revealed that although e-mail was the most
"You'recrazy; Dave. Youdon'! know what you're talk- frequently used medium of communication, it was not the most
ing about." Marc's initial response made it clear to Dave effective. 2
that his message wasn't getting through. But what Dave
• Most Effective
lacked in skill, he made up for in knowing his audience
(his kid brother) intimately. • Most Popular
"You're chicken, Marc" had always gotten Marc's
attention and interest in the past, and it worked again.
Dave continued challenging Marc, something he knew
his brother couldn't resist, and kept reminding him of Group
their common ground-namely, aIl the happy adven- Meetings
tures they had shared as children and adults.

Once the sender has formulated a message, the next

step in the process is to transmit that message to the
receiver. At this point, the sender must choose the form
of message to send, or medium (plural: media). Oral
messages might be transmitted through media such as
a staff meeting, personal conference, telephone conversation, voice mail, or
informal conversation. Written messages might be transmitted through e-mail,
letter, contract, brochure, bulletin-board notice, company newsletter, or an addi-
tion to the company's policy and procedures manual. Nonverbal messages might
be transmitted through facial expressions, gestures, or body movement. Because
Dave is talking with Marc over the phone, his medium is the telephone.
Voushould be aware, however, that the most common forms of communica-
tion may not be the most effective for your purposes (Figure 1.3).
Identify the components of communication
(stimulus, filter, message, medium, destina-
The message is transmitted and then enters the sensory environment of the tion, and feedback) in the following situa-
receiver. At this point, control passes from the sender to the receiver. Once the tion: Eva glanced up just in time to see the
message reaches its destination, there is no guarantee that communication will pot of pasta begin boiling over. ·Oh, no,"
actually occur. We are constantly bombarded with stimuli, and our sensory she yelled. "Now what's the matter?" sa id
organs pick up only sorne of them. Even assuming the receiver does perceive Rosario.
your message, you have no assurance that it will be interpreted (filtered) as you
intended. Your transmitted message then becomes the source, or stimulus, for
the next communication episode, and the process begins anew.
After Dave's enthusiastic, one-hour phone call, Marc promised to consider the
venture seriously. Marc's response provided feedback (reaction to a message) to feedback The receiver's reaction or
Dave on how accurately his own message had been received. Although feedback is response to a message.
not required for communication to occur, it is, of course, helpful. ln time, Marc's
":to,\tll;
feedback led to many more versions of the communication process, both written g On/ine Study Center
and oral. The brothers' communications ultimately led to their forming a new ••••
'Ill" Improve Your Grade
company to manufacture the Ultra Light product. Audio Chapter Review 1.1

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True or False? Vocabulary

__ 1. A verbal message consists only ofwritten words. Define the following terms in your own words and give an
__ 2. E-mail is generally considered to be the most original example of each.
effective form of communication. 6. Audience 10. Medium
__ 3. Every person has a unique view of reality. 7. Communication Il. Message
__ 4. It is not necessary for feedback to occur for 8. Feedback 12. Stimulus
communication to take place. 9. Filter
__ 5. The medium is the information that is
communicated. Critical Thinking
13. Which form of communication Creading,writing,
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"'111" ACe the Test
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ACE Practice Tests 1.1 Audio Chapter Quiz 1.1
PowerPoint Review 1.1

~
lil~$-Identify the common forms of verbal communication.
&!'

The ability to communicate by using words separates humans from the rest
of the animal kingdom. Our verbal ability also enables us to learn from the past-
to benefit from the experience of others.

Oral communication is one of the most common functions in business. Consider,

What are the four types of verbal communi-
cation? Give an example of each.
for example, how limiting it would be if a manager or staff person could not attend
meetings, ask questions of colleagues, make presentations, appraise performance,
handle customer complaints, or give instructions.
Oral communication differs from written communication because it allows
more ways to get a message across to others. You cancIear up any question imme-
diately; use nonverbal cIues; provide additional information; and use pauses,
emphasis, and voice tone to stress certain points.
For oral communication to be effective, a second communication skill-
listening-is also required. No matter how weIl crafted the content and delivery of
an oral presentation, it cannot achieve its goal if the intended audience does not
have effective listening skills.We'lllearn more about listening in Chapter 3.

Writing is more difficult than speaking because you have to get your message
correct the first time; you do not have the advantage of immediate feedback and
nonverbal cIues such as facial expressions to help you achieve your objective.
Examples oftypical written communication in business incIude the foIlowing:
 1 E-mail is a message transmitted electronically over a computer network
whose computers are most often connected by cable, telephone lines, or sat-
ellites. ln the contemporary office, e-mail is replacing traditional memoran-
dums and, in many cases, letters as weil.
1 Websites comprise one or more pages of related information that is posted on
the World Wide Web and is accessed via the Internet (the main page of a web-
site is called its homepagel.
1 Memorandums are 'Arrittenmessages sent to people working in the same orga-
nization.
1 Letters are written messages sent to people outside the organization.
1 Reports are orderly and objective presentations of information that assists in
decision making and problem solving.
1 Other examples of written communication include contracts, sales literature,
newsletters, and bulletin-board notices.
Writing is crucial to the modern organization because it serves as the major
source of documentation. A speech may make a striking impression, but a written
report leaves a permanent record for others to refer to in the future in case mem-
ory fails or a dispute arises.
For written messages to achieve their goal, they must, of course, be read. The
skill of efficient reading is becoming more important in today's technological soci-
ety. The abundance of widespread data and word processing, the Internet, and the
growth of convenient and economical photocopying and faxing have ail created
more paperwork, not less.
The typical manager reads about one million words every week.3 As a conse-
,~~li,
quence, information overload is one of the unfortunate by-products of our times. ~ Onfine Study Center
These and other implications oftechnology on business communication are dis- ~fJ!l" Improve Your Grade

cussed throughout this text. Audio Ghapter Review 1.2

True or False? Crilical Thinking

__ 1. The ability to remember separates hum ans from 6. E-mail is now the most common form ofwritten com-
the rest of the animal kingdom. munication in most businesses. When might e-mail
__ 2. Memorandums are written messages sent ta not be appropriate to use for communicating needed
people working in the same organization. information? Why?
__ 3. As opposed to oral communication, written
.•••.
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__ 4. Writing serves as the major source of documen- AGE Practice Tests 1.2 Audio Ghapter Quiz 1.2
tation. PowerPoint Review 1.2

__ 5. The typical manager reads about one million

words per week.

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denotation The literal meaning of a word.
connotation The subjective, emotional
meaning associated with a word.
Considering the complex nature of the communication process, your mes-
sages may not always be received exactly as you intended. ln fact, sometimes your
messages will not be received at all; at other times, they will be received incom-
pletelyor inaccurately.
Verbal barriers are related to what you write or say. They include inade-
quate knowledge or vocabulary, differences in interpretation, language differ-
ences, inappropriate use of expressions, overabstraction and ambiguity, and
polarization.
Inadequate Knowledge or Vocabulary
Before you can even begin to think about how you will communicate an idea, you
must first have the idea; that is, you must have sufficient knowledge about the
topic to know what you want to say. Regardless of yom level of technical expertise,
developing this knowledge may not be as simple as it sounds. Assume, for exam-
pIe, that your boss has asked you to evaluate the pmchase of a new word process-
ing program for your company. You've completed all the necessary research and
are now ready to write your report. Or are you?
Have you analyzed yom audience? Do you know how much yom boss knows
about word processing so that you'll know how much background information
to include? Do you know how familiar he or she is with word processing terrni-
nology? Can you safely use terms like hanging indent, templates, decimal tabs,
and styles, or will you have to define them first? Do you know whether yom boss
would prefer to have your conclusions at the beginning of the report, followed
by yom analysis, or at the end?What tone should the report take? The answers to
su ch questions will be important if you are to achieve yom objective in writing
the report.
Differences in Interpretation
Sometimes senders and receivers attribute different meanings to the same word
or attribute the same meaning to different words. When this mismatch happens,
miscommunication can occur.
Every word has both a denotative and a connotative meaning. Denotation refers
to the literal, dictionary meaning of a word. Connotation refers to the subjective,
emotional meaning that you attach to a word. For example, the denotative meaning
of the word plastic is Hasynthetic material that can be easily molded into different
forms." For some people, the word also has a negative connotative meaning-
"cheap or artificial substitute."
Most interpretation problems occur because of the personal reactions engen-
dered by the connotative meaning of a word. For example, do you have a positive,
neutral, or negative reaction to the terms broad, bad, profit, aggressive, hard-hitting,
workaholic, corporate raider, head-hunter, gay, golden parachute, and wasted? Are
your reactions likely to be the same as everyone else's?
language Differences
ln an ideal world, al! managers would know the language of each culture
with which they deal. Most of the correspondence between U.S. or Cana-
dian firms and foreign firms is in English; in other cases, the services of a
qualified interpreter (for oral communication) or translator (for written
communication) may be available. Even with such services, problems can
occur. Consider, for example, the fol!owing blunders:4

1 ln Brazil, where Portuguese is spoken, a U.S. airline advertised that its

Boeing 747s had "rendezvous lounges," without realizing that rendez-
vous in Portuguese implies prostitution.

1 ln China, Kentucky Fried Chicken's slogan "Finger-lickin' good" was

translated "So good you suck your fingers."

To ensure that the intended meaning is not lost during translation,

legal, technical, and al! other important documents should first be trans-
lated into the second language and then retranslated into English. Be
aware, however, that communication difficulties can arise even among
English speakers. For example, a British advertisement for Electrolux
vacuum cleaners displayed the headline "Nothing Sucks Like an Electro-
lux." Copywriters in the United States and Canada would never use this
wording!
IBM data wrangler Nelson Mattos is a compu-
ter scientist in charge of IBM's information
integration effort. His job is to help companies
make sense of the gigabits ofinformation they
create every day. According to Mattos, "Every-
one struggles with how to gain value from their
investment in information."

Expressions are groups ofwords whose intended meanings are different from their
literal interpretations. Examples include slang, jargon, and euphemisms.

Slang \
Slangis an expression, often short-lived, that is identified with a specifie group of slang An expression, often short-lived, that is
people. Here, for example, are sorne slang terms (and their meanings) currently identified with a specifie group of people.
popular on col!ege campuses:5

As if-"In your dreams"

Bounce- To leave
Crib-A place of residence
Homey-A friend, usually male
My bad-My fault
Ride-A car
Stoked-Happy or excited
Sweet-Generic positive (also phat or tight)

Teenagers, construction workers, immigrants, knowledge professionals, and

just about every other subgroup you can imagine al! have their own sets of slang.
Using appropriate slang in everyday speech presents no problem; it conveys pre-
cise information and may indicate group membership. Problems arise, however,
when the sender uses slang that the receiver doesn't understand. Slang that
sends a negative nonverbal message about the sender can also be a source of
problems.

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jargon The technical vocabulary used within
specialized groups.
euphemism An inoffensive expression used
in place of an expression that may offend or
suggest something unpleasant
abstract word A word that identifies an idea
or feeling.
concrete word A word that identifies some-
thing that can be seen or touched.
What are six verbal barriers to communi-
cation?
Jargon
Jargon is the technical terminology used within specialized groups; it has some-
times been called "the pros' prose." Technology, for example, has spawned a whole
new vocabulary. Do you know the meanings of these common computer terms?
applet flame patch
blog hacker PDA
BRB HTML plug 'n' play
BTW IMO ROFL
CU JPEG spam
e-commerce killer app worm
FAQ locked up WYSIWYG
As with slang, the problem arises not from using jargon-jargon provides a
very precise and efficient way of communicating with those familiar with it. Rather,
the problem cornes either in using jargon with someone who doesn't understand
it or in using jargon in an effort to impress others.
Euphemisms
Euphemisms are inoffensive expressions used in place of words that may offend or
suggest something unpleasant. For example, public officials sometimes use the
term collateral damage to refer to injury to civilians during a military operation,
and the Academy Awards spokespeople refer to the award losers as "nonwinners."
Sensitive writers and speakers use euphemisms occasionally, especially to describe
bodily functions. How many ways, for example, can you think of to say that some-
one has died?
Overabstraction and Ambiguity
An abstract word identifies an idea or a feeling instead of a concrete object. For
example, communication is an abstract word, whereas memorandum is a concrete
word, a word that identifies something that can be seen or touched. Abstract words
are necessary ta communicate about things you cannot see or touch. Unfortu-
nately, communication problems result when you use too many abstract words or
when you use too high a level of abstraction. The higher the level of abstraction,
the more difficult it is for the receiver to visualize exactly what the sender has in
mind. For example, which sentence communicates more information: "1acquired
an asset at the store" or "1bought a laser printer at ComputerLand"?
Similar communication problems result from the overuse of ambiguous terms
such as afew, some, several, and far away, which have too broad a meaning for use
in mu ch business communication.
At times, sorne people act as though every situation is divided into two opposite
and distinct poles, with no allowance for a middle ground. Of course, sorne true
opposites do exist. You are either male or female, and your company either will or
will not make a profit this year. Nevertheless, most aspects of life involve more
than two alternatives.
For example, you might assume that a speaker either is telling the truth or is
lying. ln fact, what the speaker actually says may be true, but by selectively ornitting
sorne important information, he or she may be giving an inaccurate impression.
Is the speaker telling the truth or not? Most likely, the answer lies somewhere in
between. Likewise,you are not necessarily either taUor short, rich or poor, smart or ,\.\1/,;

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dumb. Competent communicators avoid inappropriate either/or logic, instead ~'It\" Improve Your Grade
making the effort to search for middle-ground words when such language best Audio Chapter Review 1.3
describes a situation. Handouts

--
True or False?
__ 1. Jargon is the technical vocabulary of a particular
Vocabulary
Define the following terms in your own words and give an
group. original example of each.
__ 2. Connotation refers to the literal, dictionary 6. Abstract word 10. Euphemism
meaning of a word. 7. Concrete word Il. Jargon
__ 3. Euphernisms are sometimes appropriate in 8. Connotation 12. Slang
business writing. 9. Denotation
__ 4. It is generaUy safe to assume that a speaker or
writer is either telling the truth or lying. Critical Thinking
__ 5. Just about every subgroup of a population has 13. The text argues against the overuse of ambiguity. Can
its own set of slang. you think of a business situation in which the use of
ambiguity might be effective?

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INTRODUCING THE THREE PS:

PROBLEM, PROCESS, PRODUCT

Every chapter in this text concludes with a 3Ps model designed to illustrate
important communication concepts covered in the chapter (see the feature on
page 14). These short case studies of typical communication assignments
include the problem, the process, and the product (the 3Ps). The problem defines
the situation and discusses the need for a particular communication task. The
process is a series of questions that provides step-by-step guidance for accom-
plishing the specifie communication task. Finally, the product is the result-the
finished document.
The 3Ps model provides a practical demonstration of a particular type of com-
munication, shawn close up so that you can see the process ofwriting, not just the
results. This process helps you focus on one aspect ofwriting at a tirne. Use the 3Ps
steps regularly in your own writing so that your written communications will be
easier to produce and will be more effective.
Pay particular attention to the questions in the Process section, and ask your-
self sirnilar questions as you compose your own messages. FinaUy,read through
the finished document, and note any changes made from the draft sentences
composed in the Process section.

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