What is communication?

 “Communication” comes from the Latin word

“communis” which means “common”

 When individuals communicate, they try to

establish a common understanding between
or among themselves.
What is communication?
(Cont.)
 The process of speaking, writing etc., by
which people exchange information or
express their thoughts and feelings

 The way people express their thoughts and

feelings or share information

 A letter, message, or telephone call

Source: LONGMAN
Dictionary of Contemporary English
Business Communication

 Definition: the process of establishing a

common understanding between or among
people within a business environment
Goals of Business
Communication
1) Receiver Understanding
2) Receiver Response
3) Favorable Relationships
4) Organizational Goodwill
What is goodwill?

 The kind feelings towards or between people

and a willingness to be helpful

 The value that company has because it has a

good relationship with its customers

Resource: LONGMAN
Dictionary of Contemporary English
2 Main Communication Forms

1. Verbal Communication: communication

uses the words

2. Nonverbal Communication: does not use

words
Verbal Communication

 Face-to-face or phone conversations

 Meetings
 E-mail and voice-mail messages
 Letters and memos
 Reports
Nonverbal Communication

 Pictures
 Company logos
 Gestures and body language
Why communication is
important?
 In your workplace, you’ll communicate by
reading information; listening to instructions;
asking questions; solving problem with other
workers in teams

 Communication ability consistently ranks

first among the qualities that employers look
for in college graduates!
3 Basic Purposes of
Business Communication
• To inform
• To request or persuade
• To build goodwill
5 Basic Criteria for
Business Writing:
o Is clear: readers gets the meaning the writer
intended easily
o Is complete: all of reader’s questions are
answered
o Is correct: all information in message is accurate
o Saves reader’s time: style, organization, visual
impact help reader to read, understand
o Builds goodwill: message represents a positive
image of writer and organization
Multicultural Business
Communication
 Definition1: the transmission of information
among business people of different cultures,
whether within national boundaries or across
national boundaries

 Definition2: Communication with many

cultures; multinational communication is
interaction across national boundaries
Diversity
 Gender
 Race and ethnicity
 Regional and national origin
 Social class
 Religion
 Age
 Sexual orientation (the fact of being
Heterosexual or Homosexual)
 Physical ability
FYI

 Diversity increases in the global marketplace

 Business Week reports that two-thirds of all

industries either operate globally or are in the
process of doing so
How does diversity relate to
business communication?
Culture

 Our understanding of acceptable actions and

beliefs
High-context culture or Low-
context culture
High-context or Low-context

 High-context cultures: indirectness,

politeness, ambiguity
(Examples: Japan, United Arab Emirates)

 Low-context cultures: directness,

confrontation, clarity
(Examples: German, Canada, the United
States)
High-context culture VS.
Low-context culture

Source: ChangingMinds.org, n.d.

Opinion
Way of Life
Punctuality
Contacts
Anger
Party
3 Meals a Day
Queue When Waiting
HSBC’s Advertisement

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ALWwK7Vz4gY
Cross cultural
communication
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=BrJTf97Ev8o
Is this true?

Source: http://ikarusblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/international-business-reading.html
Gesture Around the World

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa_GCK-
Czqs
Body language, the power is
in the palm of your hands:
Allan Pease at TEDx
Macquarie University

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=ZZZ7k8cMA-4
How to kill your body
language Frankenstein and
inspire the villagers:
Scott Rouse at
TEDxNashville
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Ro2dgzXKJfQ
Stereotypes Intercultural
Communication
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=LQQtoyStMe4
The Successful
Intercultural Communicator
is:
 Aware of the values, beliefs, and practices in
other cultures.
 Sensitive to differences among individuals
within a culture.
 Aware that his/her preferred values and
behaviors are influenced by culture and are
not necessarily “right.”
 Sensitive to verbal and nonverbal behavior.
 Flexible and open to change