CHAP 001 - BizComm

1
1
Learning Objective
1
Describe how communication skills

will improve your career prospects
and help you succeed in today’s
challenging digital-age workplace.
©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. 1 / Slide 2
Communication Skills in
a Complex, Networked World
Your pass to success

A hot commodity
now more than ever
A learned ability,
not inborn
© Scanrail/Fotolia
Communication Skills:
Your Ticket to Work
Most desirable competencies in
employers’ view
Critical to effective job

placement, performance,
and career advancement
“Career sifter,” leading to

great job opportunities or
out the door
What Are
Communication Skills?
Traditional New
abilities requirements
Reading Media savvy

Listening Good judgment online:
Nonverbal skills • Maintaining positive
Speaking image and presence
Writing • Protecting employer’s
reputation
The Digital Revolution
Writing matters more than ever;

online media require more of it,
not less.
Messages travel instantly to

distant locations to potentially
huge audiences.
Work teams collaborate even

when physically apart.
© raven/Fotolia
The Digital Revolution
Social media are playing an

increasingly prominent role in
business.
Life-changing critical judgments

about people are being made
based solely on their writing
ability.
© Marina Zlochin/Fotolia, © denis_pc/Fotolia
Digital Workplace Survival Skills
“To succeed in today’s workplace, young people
need more than basic reading and math skills.
They need substantial content knowledge and
information technology skills; advanced
thinking skills, flexibility to adapt to change; and
interpersonal skills to succeed in multi-cultural,
cross-functional teams.”
— J. Willard Marriott, Jr., Executive Chairman, Marriott International,
Inc.
[Source: Casner-Lotto et al. (2006, September). Are they ready to work? Employers’ perspectives on the basic
knowledge and applied skills of new entrants to the 21st century U.S. workforce]
The Digital Revolution and You
Even technical fields require

communication skills
Businesses use a variety of

media and messages
Professional, business-like
writing is in your future
Skills Employers Want
Ability to
work in
Excellent oral
teams
and written
communication
skills Unblemished
social media
presence
Critical thinking
and analytical
reasoning Professionalism
and work ethic
© denis_pc/Fotolia
Your Education
Drives Your Income
Advantages of a college degree
Higher lifetime earnings
Less unemployment
Wider variety of career options
Access to highest-paying,
fastest-growing careers
Meeting the Challenges
of the Information Age
Rapidly changing “Anytime,

communication anywhere” and
technologies nonterritoral offices
Self-directed Flattened
work groups and
virtual teams Significant management
hierarchies
Growing workforce
Trends Renewed emphasis
diversity on ethics
Heightened global
competition
© Maksym Yemelyanov/Fotolia
Learning Objective
2
Confront barriers to
effective listening, and start
building your listening
skills.
Listening: A Career-Critical Skill
Many of us are Poor listening skills

poor listeners. affect professional
relationships.
We listen at only Costly errors may

25 to 50 percent result from poor
efficiency. listening habits.
Barriers to Effective Listening
Physical Nonverbal
barriers distractions
Grandstanding Language
problems Thought
speed
Psychological Faking
barriers attention
Ten Keys to Building
Powerful Listening Skills
1 Stop talking and let others speak.
2 Control external and internal distractions.
3 Be receptive and keep an open mind.
4 Listen for main points.
5 Capitalize on lag time.
Ten Keys to Building
Powerful Listening Skills
6 Listen between the lines.
7 Judge ideas, not appearances.
8 Avoid interrupting.
9 Take selective notes to ensure retention.
10 Provide feedback and confirmation.
Learning Objective
3
Explain the importance of

nonverbal communication and
of improving your nonverbal
communication skills.
Nonverbal Cues
Carry Powerful Meanings
Nonverbal communication
includes all unwritten and unspoken
messages, both intentional and
unintentional.
Nonverbal cues can

speak louder than
words.
© denis_pc/Fotolia
Nonverbal Behaviors
Sending Messages
• Eye contact
• Facial expression
• Posture and gestures
• Time, space, and territory
• Eye appeal of business documents
• Personal appearance
Other Nonverbal Symbols
• Hair
• Clothing
• Colors
• Height
• Age
Seating Arrangements
©2010, 2007, 2003 Pearson

Education, Inc.
Zones of Personal Space
in North America
0 - 45.7 cm ……. 1.2 m ……. 2.4m + 2.4m
©2010, 2007, 2003 Pearson

Building Strong Nonverbal Skills
Establish and maintain eye contact.
Use posture to show interest.
Reduce or eliminate physical barriers.
Improve your decoding skills.
Probe for more information.

© helen cingisiz/Fotolia
Building Strong Nonverbal Skills
Interpret nonverbal meanings in context.
Associate with people from diverse cultures.
Appreciate the power of appearance.
Observe yourself on video.
Enlist friends and family.

© helen cingisiz/Fotolia
Learning Objective
4
Explain five common dimensions of

culture, and understand how culture
affects communication and the use
of social media and communication
technology.
Definition of Culture
The complex system of

values, traits, morals, and
customs shared by a
society, region, or country
A powerful operating force
that molds the way we
think, behave, and
communicate
© HaywireMedia/Fotolia
High and Low Context
Low-context cultures High-context cultures

• tend to be logical, • tend to be relational,
linear, and action collectivist, intuitive, and
oriented. contemplative.
• favor explicit messages • leave much unsaid and
that they consider to be transmit communication
objective, professional, cues by posture,
and efficient. voice inflection, gestures,
and facial expression.
Communication Style
High-context cultures Low-context cultures

• Rely on nonverbal • Emphasize words,
cues and the total directness, and
picture to openness
communicate • People tend to be
• Meanings are informal, impatient,
embedded at many and literal.
sociocultural levels.
High context-Low context
• High-context Culture:
– Meaning is communicated through nonverbal behavior and
the nature of interpersonal relationships
– Messages are implied and context sensitive
– Japan, China, Greece, Mexico
• Low-context Culture:
– Meaning is expressed primarily through language
– Messages are direct, factual, and objective
– England, United States, Germany
Individualism and Collectivism
• tend to prefer initiative, • tend to prefer group
self-assertion, and values, duties, and
personal achievement. decisions.
• believe in individual • emphasize membership
action and personal in organizations, groups,
responsibility. and teams.
• desire a large degree of • encourage acceptance of
freedom in their group values, duties, and
personal lives. decisions.
Individualism-Collectivism
• Individualism:
– Emphasizes the independence and
individual achievement
– United States, Australia, Canada
• Collectivism:
– Emphasizes the needs and goals of the
group, rather than the individual
– Asian and Latin American countries
Time Orientation
• Time is precious. • Time is seen as unlimited
• Time correlates with and never-ending.
productivity, efficiency, • Time is an opportunity to
and money. develop interpersonal
• Keeping someone relationships.
waiting is considered
rude.
Monochronic Time and
Polychronic Time
• Monochronic time:
– Events are scheduled as separate items, one thing at a
time
– Time is valuable; schedule and deadlines are important
– North America, Northern Europe
• Polychronic time:
– Schedules are not very important, deadlines are missed,
interruptions are tolerated
– Kenya, Argentina
Power Distance
Hofstede’s Power Distance Index compares
societies based on how far the less powerful
members of organizations and institutions
accept an unequal distribution of power.
High power distance countries

Subordinates expect formal
hierarchies and embrace relatively
authoritarian, paternalistic power
relationships.
Power Distance
Low power distance countries
• Subordinates consider themselves as

equals of their supervisors.
• Relationships between individuals of
varying power tend to be more
democratic, egalitarian, and informal.
Power Distance
• High power distance:
– Accepts differences in power as normal
– Assumes all people are not created equal
– Mexico, India, Singapore
• Low power distance:
– Power distinctions are minimized
– New Zealand, Denmark, Israel
How Technology and Social Media
Affect Intercultural Communication
Social media may Global businesses adopt
potentially bridge technology to a varying
cultural differences degree, revealing each
as well as reinforce culture’s values
them. and norms.
The online In real life as

environment may online, we gravitate
deepen feelings toward people who
of isolation. seem like us.
© Iosif Szasz-Fabian/Fotolia
Social Networking: Erasing or
Deepening Cultural Differences?
Regional and Media

cultural designers adapt
differences to cultural
persist. preferences.
However, aside from language,

regional differences on Facebook and
Twitter seem minor.
© glopphy/Fotolia, © nattstudio/Fotolia
Learning Objective
5
Discuss strategies that help

communicators overcome
negative cultural attitudes and
prevent miscommunication in
today’s diverse networked
workplace.
Improving Intercultural
Effectiveness
Curbing
ethnocentrism Practicing
Understanding empathy
generalizations
and stereotyping
Building cultural
self-awareness
Remaining
open-minded
© Andres Rodriguez/Fotolia
How We Form Judgments
Stereotype negative
An oversimplified
behavioral pattern
applied uncritically
to groups
Enhancing Intercultural
Oral Communication
Use simple Speak slowly

English. and enunciate
Encourage clearly.
accurate
feedback.
Check for
comprehension.
© puckillustrations/Fotolia
Enhancing Intercultural
Oral Communication
Listen Smile when
without appropriate.
interrupting. Observe eye
messages.
Follow up Accept
in writing. blame.
© puckillustrations/Fotolia
Improving Intercultural
Written Communication
Consider local Use short Avoid
styles and sentences ambiguous
conventions. and short wording.
paragraphs.
Hire a Cite
translator. numbers
carefully.
© raven/Fotolia
Globalization and
Workplace Diversity
North-American The domestic

corporations workforce is
operate becoming more
globally. diverse.
© nito/Fotolia
Defining Diversity
Religion National
Race origin Physical
ability
Age
Dimensions Gender
Sexual
of diversity: orientation
Ethnicity
© andris_torms/Fotolia
Growing Population Diversity
70
65%
60%
60
50
46%
40
Percent
30%
30
20
19%
16%
13% 13% 13%
10 8%
5% 6%
0
White Non-Hispanics Hispanics African Americans Asians and Pacific Islanders
2010 2020 2050
Growing Workforce Diversity
Benefits to consumers, work teams,
and businesses
• A diverse staff is better able to
respond to increasingly diverse
customer base locally and globally.
• Team members with various
experiences are more likely to create
products that consumers demand.
• Consumers want to deal with
companies respecting their values.
© denis_pc/Fotolia
Tips for Communicating With
Diverse Audiences on the Job
• Seek training.
• Understand the value of
differences.
• Learn about your cultural self.
• Make fewer assumptions.
• Build on similarities.
Ch. 1 / Slide 51

CHAP 001 - BizComm

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

CHAP 001 - BizComm

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

1

Describe how communication skills

Your pass to success

Critical to effective job

“Career sifter,” leading to

Reading Media savvy

Writing matters more than ever;

Messages travel instantly to

Work teams collaborate even

Social media are playing an

Life-changing critical judgments

Even technical fields require

Businesses use a variety of

Higher lifetime earnings

Wider variety of career options

Rapidly changing “Anytime,

Many of us are Poor listening skills

We listen at only Costly errors may

1 Stop talking and let others speak.

2 Control external and internal distractions.

3 Be receptive and keep an open mind.

4 Listen for main points.

5 Capitalize on lag time.

6 Listen between the lines.

7 Judge ideas, not appearances.

9 Take selective notes to ensure retention.

10 Provide feedback and confirmation.

Explain the importance of

Nonverbal cues can

©2010, 2007, 2003 Pearson

0 - 45.7 cm ……. 1.2 m ……. 2.4m + 2.4m

©2010, 2007, 2003 Pearson

Establish and maintain eye contact.

Use posture to show interest.

Reduce or eliminate physical barriers.

Improve your decoding skills.

Probe for more information.

Interpret nonverbal meanings in context.

Associate with people from diverse cultures.

Appreciate the power of appearance.

Observe yourself on video.

Enlist friends and family.

Explain five common dimensions of

The complex system of

Low-context cultures High-context cultures

High-context cultures Low-context cultures

High power distance countries

Low power distance countries

• Subordinates consider themselves as

The online In real life as

Regional and Media

However, aside from language,

Discuss strategies that help

Use simple Speak slowly

North-American The domestic

2010 2020 2050

You might also like