Business COMMUNICATION

What are we talking about?

 Who am I?

 Who are you?

 What will we do and how can we work together?

 What is Business communication? A Warm-up…

Goals Of This Lecture

The overall objective of the course is to equip students with

the basic skills of communication.
Structure of the lecture

 Part I: Overview of Communication

 Part II: Types and Levels of Communication

 Part III: Principles of Effective Communication (7 Cs)

 Part IV: Preparation and Delivery of Effective Speeches

 Part V: Presentation (by students)

Methods Applied

 Lecture with Discussion

 Exercises in Groups

 Selected Readings

 Presentation in groups plus Homework

What I expect from you

 Take this lecture serious

 Participate actively in class

 Do homework/review teaching content

 Read readings if these are submitted in class

Evaluation

Group assignment & Presentation ………50% (A Group of seven Students)

Surprising Test ……………………………………..………………………10%

Final Exam………………………………………………….....................40%

Total……………………………………………………………………………100%
Projects and another assignment will be communicated in the meantime.
Classroom Management Strategy

Attendance: It is compulsory to come to class on time and every time

Assignments: students must do their individual and group projects and submit them on time. Any assignments
will be submitted on and before the specified deadline

Tests/Quizzes: students might have short quizzes and tests in almost every unit. If they miss the class or, are late
for class, no makeup test will be given.

Also, students are expected to comply with all the rules and the regulations of the class & the university as well.
Reference & Texts

Recommended Textbook

 Bovee, Courtland L., (1992), Business Communication today, 3rd edition,

New York.
 Murphy, Herta, A., (1999), Effective Business Communication, 6th edition,
New York.
 Taylor, S, (1994), Communication for Business: A Practical Approach, 2nd
edition, Singapore: pitman publishing.

More directed reading articles, materials , and cases will be exchanged

in the meantime
When can you reach me?

Every time via mail or mobile phone

My Address: -

Please note: Mr. Mulusew A.

 If possible, please register for the meeting and
Addis Ababa University Department of
send concrete questions beforehand to
Management
mulusew.ashenf@aau.edu.et

Mail: mulusew.ashenf@aau.edu.et

 That will make things more efficient for Phone: +251- 911522833

both of us, thank you!

Chapter One: Overview Of Business Communication

Mulusew Ashenf
What Is Communication?
Definitions

 The word communication is derived from the Latin word ‘Communis’ which
means to share or to participate.

To Make Common
The word communicate >> Latin verb
To Participate
“Communicare” which means;
And To Share

Two-way process of reaching mutual understanding, in which parties involved

exchange information, news, ideas, and feelings.
 Definitions cont.…

The message is said to be effective when the receiver understands the same meaning that
the sender intended to convey.
 No Transfer of Meaning—No Communication
 Influence of Mental Maps—Yes, Communication

 Communication is a process of transmitting and receiving verbal and nonverbal messages

that produce a response or reaction from the receivers.

When we communicate, we speak, listen, and observe

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”
George Bernard Shaw
Communication Is Said To Exist When:

 There is a person (sender or transmitter) desirous of passing on some

information.
 There is another person (receiver) to whom the information is to be
passed on.
 The receiver partly or wholly understands the message passed on to
her/him.
 The receiver responds to the message; i.e., there is feedback
 Purposeful >> the message being relayed has a job to do.
Why Effective Communication is
Important?
 "You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other
people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you."
* Dale Carnegie

“Oral and written communication proficiencies are consistently ranked in the top ten
desirable skills by employer surveys year after year.”
* Business Communication for Success by Scott McLean p. 8
Importance Of Communication To Individuals, Managers & Organizations

Individual Managers Organizations

?
Why Effective Communication is Important? Con’t

The success of an Researches indicate that: “Inability to Business must have

organization depends on communication skills are
the communication skills rated “extremely important”
of its employees. relative to other kinds of
abilities.
Being productive on
communicate” and “poor effective internal and
communication skills” are the job external communication
reasons for not hiring a
job applicant.
Elements Of The Communication Process
Whether you are speaking or writing, listening or reading, communication is more
than a single act. It is a chain of events that can be broken into five phases;
 The sender has an idea. (the Sender-encoder )

 The idea becomes a message. (Message)

 The message is transmitted. (Medium-channel )

 The receiver gets the message (Receiver - decoder)

 The receiver reacts & sends feedback to the sender (Feedback )

ELEMENTS OF THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS Con’t
1. Sender/ Encoder

A sender is one who initiates the

message (the communication process)
Decides the communication
with the purpose of informing,
symbols, the channel, and the time
persuading, influencing, and changing
for sending the message.
the attitude, opinion, or behavior of
the receiver.
The Sender(encoder) Has an Idea

Two things must happen before the sender wants to send a message:
First, an internal or external stimulus prompts you to send a
message.
Second – requirement is sufficient motivation.
Think of times when a manager asks a question, and some of the people
present were sure they knew the answer (were stimulated) but did not
respond. Why didn’t they respond?
Probably because they were
 Not sufficiently motivated.
 They saw no personal benefit in answering.
 They saw greater benefit in not answering.
Identifying the Target Audience

Communicator starts with a clear The audience may be current users or potential buyers,
target audience in mind. those who make the buying decision, or those who
influence it.
2. The Idea Becomes a Message

 The message is the information or core idea being transmitted

 Message is the information, written, spoken, or nonverbal, which is to be sent from one person to
another.

 The sender must decide how best to convey a message to the specific receiver.

 The process of putting a message into the form in which it is to be communicated is called
‘encoding.

 Encoding: is changing the raw idea from its mental form into symbols, that is, patterns of words,
gestures, pictorial forms, or signs (physical or sounds) of a- specific visual /oral language
ENCODING
It consists of both verbal (written or spoken) symbols & nonverbal (unspoken)
symbols.

• Whenever you compose a message, you need to consider;

 What content to include,

 How the receiver will interpret it, >> Speak in terms of other people's interest

 How it may affect your relationship

• Be mindful of how your receiver may interpret the message
• Frame your message to align with the unique need of your audience or listener
DESIGNING A MESSAGE

When putting a message together, the communicator must decide what to say (message

content) ,how to say it (message structure and format) , and how to send it ( the channel/medium of

communication).
Message Content

There are three types of appeals: logical, ethical, and emotional.

Appealing to their sense of reason or logic
Rational appeals They show that the product will produce the
desired benefits.

They attempt to stir up either negative or

Emotional appeals positive emotions that can motivate purchase.

They are directed to an audience’s sense of

Moral appeals what is “right” and “proper”.

Your ability to persuade an audience is based on how well you appeal to that audience in
three different areas.
Message Format

• To attract attention, the communicator can use novelty and contrast;

eye-catching pictures and headlines; distinctive formats; message
size and color, shape, and movement.
Problem in formulating a message

• Indecision about message content,

• Lack of familiarity with the situation or the receiver,

• Difficulty in expressing ideas and Emotional conflicts.

3. The Message is Transmitted/Medium

 It is a physical transmission of the message from sender to

receiver.
 Decide what is the appropriate channel for any given message?

You can convey a message by

 Phone
 TV
 Face-to-face
 Letter
 Other Medium
What would you consider when choosing a medium of communication ?

The transmission channel or the medium you choose depends

on the message you want to convey and on other factors, such
as the location of your audience, the need for speed, and the
formality of the situation. Here are some examples:

• When immediate feedback is necessary, oral

communication channels are more effective.
• If there is a need to document the communication,
written channels are the best choice.
• If the message should have detailed accuracy, written
channels are best.
Selecting the Message Source

 In either personal or non-personal communication, the

message’s impact also depends on how the target
audience views the communicator.

 Messages delivered by highly credible sources are more

persuasive.
4.The Receiver (‘Decoder’)gets The Message

Decoding is the process through Make your audience read, listen, After messages received, it has to
which the receiver try to interpret and give attention to your be understood and stored in the
the exact meaning of a message. message. receiver’s mind.
5. The Receiver Reacts & Gives Feedback to the Sender

 It is the final link in the communication chain which

involves a reversal of the communication process(receiver
now becomes the sender & the sender becomes the receiver)
The Receiver Reacts & Gives Feedback to the
Sender Con’t

• Feedback is a key element; it enables the sender to

evaluate the effectiveness of the message

• Indicate possible communication barriers.

The Receiver Reacts & Gives Feedback to the Sender
Con’t

When the receiver of the message has made feedback and the sender is sure
that the message has been communicated in the way intended, we say
communication has existed.

Feedback: is the loop that connects the receiver in the communication

process with the sender.

N.B: Each element of the communication process is very critical

The Communication Process

Phase
Phase 1:1: Phase
Phase 6:
6:
Sender
Sender Has
Has
Channel
Channel Receiver
Receiver
an
an Idea
Idea And
And Medium
Medium Sends
Sends Feedback
Feedback

Phase
Phase 2:
2: Phase
Phase 5:
5:
Sender
Sender Encodes
Encodes Receiver
Receiver Decodes
Decodes
Idea
Idea Message
Message

Phase
Phase 3:
3: Phase
Phase 4:
4:
Six-Phase
Six-Phase
Sender
Sender Transmits
Transmits Receiver
Receiver Gets
Gets
Process
Process
Message
Message Message
Message

Situation
Communication Barrier
Barriers To Effective Communication
 No two persons are exactly alike mentally, physically, or emotionally. Thus, the innumerable human
difference plus cultural, social, & environmental differences may cause problems in conveying an
intended message

 Various characteristics of the sender, receiver, & communication situation can create barriers to
effective communication.

 Communication barrier – Anything that gets in the way of clear communication / – Reason
behind an un-effective communication.
 Communication Barrier,
Cont....

Types of Communication Barrier.

• Semantic Barrier
• Physical Barrier
• Organizational Barrier
• Emotional Barrier
• Personal Barrier
• Technological Barrier
• Cultural Barrier
Semantic / Language Barrier

 Distortion in communication comes from semantics- the use of words or expressions

which have a different meaning for the sender or receiver
 Created when communicators use Jargon, Obsolete words, slang, Misleading
Terminology, etc.
 Bypassed instructions >> “Burn The Paper”
 Denotations (literal meaning of the word) & connotations ( an association
(emotional or otherwise) which the word evokes )
For example, both "woman" and "chick" have the denotation "adult female", but "chick" has
somewhat negative connotations, while "woman" is neutral.
 Language Problems
 Poor Vocabulary
 Poor Knowledge Of Grammar
 Poor Pronunciation
 Poor Handwriting
Physical Barrier

 Noise: others talking in the room at the same time, Outside noises
interruptions, Visual distraction, Mobile phones, etc

 Poor Timing
 Distance
 Inadequate or overload of information
Organizational Barrier

 Organizational Rules and Regulations

 Hierarchical Relationship
 Lack of Staff Meetings
 Poor Choice of Channel
Emotional Barrier

Is a mental block that influences how you perceive others' actions and prevents you
from clearly communicating and understanding things.

 Selective Perceptions: individuals perceive what they want to hear in a message while ignoring
opposing viewpoints (Ignore if conflicts with “what we know.”)
 Stereotypes: a generalized belief/ expectation people might have about every person of a
particular group.
 Halo effects: when one trait of a person or thing is used to make an overall judgment of that
person or thing.
 Poor Listening: Lead to errors, ineffective decisions, and/or costly mistakes.
 Egotism: Being absorbed in oneself
 Negative Emotions: almost always obstacles to good communication, Especially true if the
emotion is uncontrolled, unfocused, or misdirected.
Personal Barrier

In Superiors
o Lack of Time
o Lack of Confidence
o Lack of Proper Communication Channel
In Subordinates
o Unwillingness to Communicate
o Fear from Superior
Technological Barrier

• Use of un-updated technology

• Lack of technological knowledge.

• Barriers at the decoding stage.

Cultural Barrier

• Adopting the behaviour of a group

• Religious beliefs
• Body language
Channel Selection barriers

Communication barriers through the wrong choice of medium.

All the media have their relative merits and limitations. While a properly chosen medium can
add to the effectiveness of communication, an unsuitable medium may act as a barrier to it.
How to overcome the communication Barrier

 Evaluate Feedback
 Improve listening skills
 Improve writing skills
 Avoid credibility gap
 Clarify ideas before communication
 Put consideration
 Be aware of language, tone & content
Chapter Two: Types and Levels of
Communication
 When classified based on media we have verbal
communication and non-verbal communication.
Types of
Verbal Communication
Communication  Verbal communication is communication through
Based on Media words either spoken or written. A message can be
communicated using words(verbal communication)
such as sound, words, speaking, and language.

Verbal communication is broadly classified into two

these are:-
 Written Communication
 Oral Communication
 Written communication can be paper-based such as letters and
memorandums or electronic documents such as e-mail, SMS,
and text chats. Any communication using written words is
written communication.

The use of written communication is almost indispensable for

Written formal business communication and legal instructions.
Commonly used written communication includes books,
Communication brochures, contracts, memorandums, press releases, and
reports.

To make written communication effective, appropriate writing

styles, grammar, and vocabulary and in general, the principles
of effective communication should be applied.
 Why written communication?
 Wide access- not limited by the distance
between a sender and a receiver
 Precision and accuracy- written massages are
Cont.… usually prepared with due care
 Permanent record- repeated reference and
legal evidence
Disadvantages of written communication
 Time-consuming and Costly - preparation
and sending the message
 Rigidity- on-the-spot adjustment and
clarification of points cannot be made
 Delayed feedback
 Oral communication is communication using spoken words in face-
to-face conversation, telephone conversation, video conferences,
lectures, and the like.
 The effectiveness of oral communication depends on the clarity
of speech, volume, speed, and the use of non-verbal
communication.
Advantages of oral communication
Oral  Immediate feedback
Communication  Time &cost saving- it is very fast, and it saves time
 Personal touch
 Flexibility-gives opportunity to adjust the speech, the word
use, etc.
 Group communication- makes group communication such as
meetings easier.
 Cont…

Disadvantage of oral communication

 Poor retention- receivers cannot retain oral messages in their memory for
a long period.
 No record for future reference and evidence.

Your choice depends on audience location, message importance,

and your need for the sort of nonverbal feedback.
 Nonverbal Communication

 Non-verbal communication is intentional and

unintentional messages neither written nor
spoken. It enables people to communicate without
words.

 Reinforce the meaning of your message beyond

the words
 Gestures
 Facial Expressions
 Spatial Relationships
 Attitude Toward Time
 Nonverbal
Messages

About 65 percent of the meanings people get from

a communication

 Voice
 Physical Movements
 Space

“your lips tell me ‘no, no’ but there is ‘yes, yes in

your eyes”
 Non-Verbal Communication cont.…

Gestures- Body Movement

 Some cultures are said to be animated i.e., people move their hands and
other parts of the body more frequently than others in other cultures.

 Various cultures have different gestures to say the same thing. For instance,
to point to something or a place people in some cultures use their index
finger while others use the entire hand.
 Some innocent gestures have different
meanings in different cultures
 Thumbs up
 The okay sign
 Finger crossed
 Finishing your meal
 The horns
 Beckoning
 The peace sign
 Giving an even number of flowers
 Giving a gift with your left hand
Facial expression

A facial expression results from one or more motions or positions of the muscles of
the face.

 The facial expressions during crying, smiling, anger, etc may be similar
across cultures. Some cultures encourage exaggeration of facial expressions
some others suppress them.

 Seven universally recognized emotions shown through facial expressions:

fear, anger, surprise, contempt, disgust, happiness, and sadness.
The Seven Universal Facial
Expressions of Emotion
smile cry Happy
 Non-verbal communication cont.…
Silence- absence of sound; complete quiet can serve many functions. It can have
different meanings according to the context in which it is used.

 Among other things, it can mean hostility/unfriendliness, disagreement, respect,

rudeness, and so on.

Paralanguage- the way in which we say (speak) words. It is, among others, about
volume and speed of speech.

 Usually, high volume and fast speech may show anger or excitement. Soft and
slow speech may show sadness.
Voice
 Pitch: It is how thick and how thin your voice is.

 Rate: It is the number of words you speak in one minute.

 Volume: It is how loud and quiet you speak.

 Tone: It is the intonation of where you rise and where you drop your voice.

 Vocal Quality: It is the natural quality of the voice one has.

Posture, Gestures & Body
Movements convey messages &
add to or subtract your oral
message.
Types and Levels of Communication
 Internal and external communications

Depending on where the business communication occurred, we can categorize

communication into Internal and External.

Internal Communication
 Internal communication involves the transmission of information within the
organization.
 We have various ways of communicating with companies.
Internal communications

Memos Reports

Face-to-face
Meetings
Discussions

Teleconference Videoconference

A Vital Means Of Attending

Notices Etc. To Matters Of Company
Concern
External Communication
External communication is communication with people outside an
organization. It is the organization’s means of establishing contact
with the outside world.

External communication could include

 Business Letters
 Press Releases
 Advertisements
 Leaflets
 Invitations
 Proposals, Etc.
Messages to people outsides the organization can have a far-
reaching effect on its reputation & ultimate success; It creates
goodwill for the company.
Formal and Informal Flows (Types) Of Communication

We have two types of communication when we classify it based on the

organization. These are formal communication and informal
communication.

Organizational communication is communication within an organization. It

is communication among members of an organization. It is also about who
communicates with whom and through what channels etc.
 Formal communication

Formal communication is communication through official channels. Some

characteristics of formal communication are:
 It is intentional, planned
 It can be depicted on an organizational chart
 It is directly related to organizational goals
 It is communication between or among organizational positions
 It is further divided into horizontal, vertical, and diagonal
communication
 Formal communication

Horizontal communication
 It is communication between or among people (employees) of the same levels
(positions). E.g. communication of a middle-level manager with another
middle-level manager, or communication between two non-managers.
 Horizontal communication can occur within a department or across
departments.
 Task coordination and information sharing related messages are
communicated through this type of communication.
Factors that bring distortion
to horizontal communication
 Rivalry among individuals or work units
can influence individuals to hide
information
 Specialization may cause individuals to be
concerned mainly about the work of their
own unit.
 Motivation may be lacking when horizontal
communication is not encouraged or
rewarded.
 Vertical communication (upward communication and
downward communication)

Downward communication
• Is communication that flows from upper to lower levels. For example, from a
top-level manager to a middle-level manager, or from a middle-level manager
to a first-level manager.
• Instructions, orders, directives, and procedures are among the common types
of messages that are communicated through this type of communication.
 Formal communication

 Most downward communication involves information in one of five

categories:
• Job instructions – directions about what to do or how to do it. “When you
stock the shelves, put the new merchandise behind the old stock.”
 Formal communication cont…

• Policy & procedures: practice of the organization or rules, regulations and

benefits of the organization. “Don’t try to argue with unhappy customers. If
you can’t handle them yourself, call the manager”.
• Feedback-Information about how efficiently a person is performing. “You
are really catching on fast. If you keep up the good work, you’ll be an
assistant manager by the end of the year”.
 Formal communication cont…

• Indoctrination- Information aimed at motivating employees by impressing

the organization’s mission upon them and specifying how they should be
related to it. Efforts to encourage a sense of mission & dedication to the
goals of the organization. “If everyone will put in a little extra effort, we can
become the number one producer of X components’’.
Faulty message transmission because of
sender carelessness, poor communication
skills

Managers overuse one-way communication Downward

methods such as, memos, manuals, & communication has
newsletters considerable distortion

Managers may intentionally or unintentionally

filter communications by withholding, and
screening.
 Formal communication cont.…

Upward communication
 Is the transmission of messages from lower to higher levels.

 For instance, a first-level manager must communicate with a middle-level

manager, or a non-manager may communicate with a first-level manager.
 Usually, the messages transmitted through this type of communication are job-
related problems, grievances, and suggestions for improvement.
 Diagonal
communication
 It is communication between or among people of different levels and
departments (functional areas). Diagonal communication is said to be more
efficient and faster.
 Cross channel communication is the exchange of information among
employees in different work units who are neither subordinate nor superior
to each other.
 Staff specialists use cross-channel communications frequently because
their responsibilities typically involve many departments within the
organization.
 Informal communication

 It is communication, which is not deliberately designed by the

organization. It is rather created by informal groups in order to satisfy
their needs to interact and share information among themselves.
 In informal communication, information flows in unstructured and
unpredictable ways.
 Informal communication is also known as grapevine or grapevine
communication.
 Informal communication cont…

The following are some of the characteristics of informal communication.

 It is spontaneous i.e.; it is not planned or managed
 It is more relaxed/ flexible/ informal with no rigid rules
 It is quick
 It doesn’t have specific channels
 It has no topic, time, or place boundaries
 Four Possible Configurations For
Grapevine Chains

 Single stand chain - communication moves serially from person

A to B to C and so on (each tells one another).
 Gossip chain - person a seeks out and tells others (one tells all).
 Probability chain - person a spreads the message randomly to
one /more; as do individuals f and d (each randomly tells
others).
 Cluster chain, person a tells selected individuals and one of
these tells selected other (some selected others).

N.B cluster chain was the most predominant form.

 Levels of communication

Communication takes place at different levels, namely intrapersonal,

interpersonal, public, and organizational.
 Intrapersonal communication(self-talk)

 Interpersonal communication

 Public communication
Principle Of Communication
7Cs
7 “C’S” OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

They are important for both written and oral communications. They
provide guidelines for choice of content and style of presentation-
adapted to the purpose and receiver of your message.

For any communication in business, in order to be effective, it must

have seven qualities. These seven attributes are called seven Cs of
effective business communication.
Principles of communication are
known as the "seven C’s,” they are

 Completeness,
 Conciseness,
 Consideration,
 Concreteness,
 Clarity,
 Courtesy
 Correctness
COMPLETENESS: Brings The Desired Response

The message is “complete” when it contains all facts the

reader or listener needs for the reaction you desire.

In a complete message, the audience has everything they

need to be informed and if applicable to act.

Bring the desired results

Completeness is necessary Building goodwill (acceptance)
for several reasons: Avert costly lawsuits

Incomplete message keep the receiver guessing creates misunderstanding.

 For completeness, keep the following guidelines in mind

1. Answer all questions asked.

 (Handle your reply with both tact and honesty)
 Have you included all relevant information – contact name, dates, times,
location, and so on.
2. Give something extra, when desirable.

3. Check for the five W’s (who, what, where, when, and why) and any other
essentials.
 Hi everyone
I just wanted to send you all a reminder about the meeting we’re having tomorrow.
See you then
Mr. Alex

Hi everyone
I just wanted to remind you about tomorrow's meeting on the role of foreign direct
investment in sustainable development. The meeting will be at 10:00 a.m. in the
second-level conference room. Please let me know if you can’t attend.
See you then
Mr. Alex
 CONCISENESS : Saves Time

Conciseness is saying what you have to say in the fewest possible words
without sacrificing the other C qualities. Most businesspeople are very busy,
the wordy letter is usually put aside ( CV). A concise message saves time and
expense and contributes to emphasis.

To achieve conciseness in your communication

 Eliminate wordy expressions
 Include only relevant statements
 Avoid unnecessary repetition
 A. Eliminate wordy expressions

1. Use single–word substitutes instead of phrases with the same meaning.

Wordy Concise
 In accordance with As you requested
your request
 In spite of the fact that Although

2. Omit obvious (ordinary), unnecessary expressions

Instead of “please find attached” (“ or enclosed”), use concise statements like

“attached are,” and “enclosed is
3. Omit “which” and “that” clauses whenever possible

 Wordy: She bought desks that are of the executive type.

 Concise: She bought executive–type desks.

4. Avoid overusing “It is,” “It was,” “There is,” “There was,” “There are,” There were” at sentence
beginnings.

 Wordy: There are four rules that should be observed.

 Concise: Four rules should be observed.

Whenever possible, use a verb in the present tense and active voice

• Wordy: The total balance due will be found on page 2 of this report.
• Concise: The balance due is on page 2 of this report
B . Include only Relevant Statements

To be sure you include only relevant facts. Observe the following

suggestions:
 Stick to the purpose of the message.
 Cut (avoid) irrelevant words and pointless (long) sentences
 Omit information obvious to the receiver.
 Avoid long introductions, unnecessary explanations, excessive
adjectives and prepositions, and gushy politeness (excessive gratitude).
C. Avoid Unnecessary Repetition

 Use a shorter name after you have mentioned the long one once:

Instead of the “Arba Minch Textile Factory”, “Arba Minch factory”,

 Use pronouns or initials rather than repeating long names:

Instead of “Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation” “EEPCO”,

 3. CONSIDERATION: Understanding Of The Human Nature

Consideration means that you prepare every message with the recipient in mind and try to put
yourself in his/her place.

 Try to visualize your readers (or listeners)- their desires, problems, circumstances,
emotions, and probable reactions to your request.
 Then, handle the matter (message, channel and context) from their point of view; this
thoughtful consideration is also called “you-attitude,”
Are your letter and message considerate?

 Do you show your readers you care about their needs in the
message you send and the way in which you send it?

 Have you looked at your letter from your reader’s point of view?

 Have you used a warm, friendly tone that tells your readers you
care about their needs?
Four specific ways you can indicate you are considerate:
 Focus on “you” instead of “I” and “we.”
 Show reader benefit or interest in the reader.
 Emphasize positive, pleasant facts.
 Apply integrity & ethics.

1. Focus on “you” instead of “I” and “we.”

 If psychologically desirable, begin with “you” or “your,” and keep your reader in
the message (tactfully) until you finish.
We: We give the best service from around
the vicinity.
You: You can get the best service from
around the vicinity.

We: We welcome you to our online

bookshop. If we can be of additional help,
please call on us.
You: You are welcome to our online
bookshop. Please call on us whenever you
need additional help.
In situations like those below, it is advisable not to use ‘YOU’.

When the reader has made a mistake

Poor: Your contract tells you clearly not to …
Better: I am glad to explain more fully the contract terms.

When a reader has an opinion different from ours.

Poor: You are entirely wrong in your attitude.
Better: The proposed plan has three aspects which are
extremely important and which we need to explain now.
2. Show Reader Benefit or Interest in Reader

 Whenever possible and true, show how your readers will benefit from whatever
the message asks or announces.

3. Emphasize the positive, pleasant Facts

 Stressing what can be done instead of what cannot be done.

 Focusing on words your recipient can consider favorably.

Negative-Unpleasant

 It is impossible to open an account for you today.

Positive-Pleasant

 As soon as your signature card reaches us, we will

gladly open an account for you.
4. Apply Integrity & Ethics

 To apply integrity – high moral standards, personal honour, truthfulness, &

sincerity.
 Ethics, indicates right and wrong behaviour.
E.g., Some companies use a different material (low quality) after they make a
contract with a particular client.

 Unfair Communication with co-workers:

E.g., Giving false information about someone to a superior.
 4. CONCRETNESS: Helps To Reinforce Confidence

Communicating concretely means being specific, definite, and vivid rather than
vague and general.
 Do you use easy-to-understand words that give your reader specific mental pictures of
your message?

The following guidelines help you compose a concrete message.

A. Use specific facts and figures

 10 million people in Ethiopia need food assistance than a person who tells you a lot of
people in Ethiopia are facing drought and mass displacement.
 B. Strong verbs can activate other words. Generally, use active rather
than passive verbs,

General: Our company serves the majority of the market.

Concrete: Our company serves 60% of the market.

General: NASA claims that it has the best Physicists from all over the world.
Concrete:7 out of the 10 physicists who have won the ‘Nobel’ prize
in the field of physics have worked in NASA at one point in their lives.
C) Choose Vivid, Image- Building words

 Use comparisons, figurative language, and concrete instead of abstract

nouns.
 Abstract – Consideration was given to the fact that…..

 Concrete – The committee considered……..

 5. CLARITY: Make Understanding Easier

Clarity - is making your receiver understand what you are trying to convey and interpret your words with
the same meaning you have in mind.

Ways that help you make your message clear include:

A) Choose short, familiar, conversational words

B) Construct effective sentences and paragraphs

C) Include Examples, Illustrations, and other visual Aids, when desirable

D) All ambiguity should be avoided.

 6. COURTESY: Strengthen Relations and Build Goodwill.

Courtesy messages help to strengthen present business friendships, as well as

make new friends.

 It is not merely politeness with the insertion of “pleases” and “thank- you.”

To be courteous, follow the following guidelines:

A. Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful, and appreciative
 Use Tact instead of Bluntness
 Tactless /Blunt Tactful

Your letter is not clear at all: I can’t understand it. If I understood your

letter correctly it seems that it

needs some clarification.

B. Grant and apologize good-naturedly
C. Omit expressions that irritate, hurt or belittle.
Irritating Expressions Questionably Humorous
 We don’t believe  You Should Know
 We are amazed you can’t  You Are Delinquent
 Why have you ignored  You Failed That
 7. CORRECTNESS : Build Confidence

Everyone has a tendency to focus on errors

A. Use the right level of language

Formal: interrogate; terminate
Informal: ask; end

B. Maintain acceptable writing mechanics, including correct punctuation, capitalization,

and syllabication.
nad (and); form (from) Careless Omission: NO (NO.)
C. Choose non-discriminatory expressions
 Equal treatment of the sexes” and nonbiased toward people of different
races, ethnic origins, and physical features.
 Discriminatory: mankind; manpower; chairman
 Nondiscriminatory: human being; human power; chairperson

D. Check the accuracy of figures, facts, and words

 Report an amount of $300,000 instead of $30,000 as the total revenue in an
important company meeting.
 Between and among -between involves two people or groups, while among
involves three or more.
Public Speaking
People's Biggest
Fears

 Death
 Snakes
 Public Speaking
 Public Speaking

The process of speaking to a group of people in

a structured, deliberate manner intended to
inform, influence, or entertain the listeners.
Public Speaking
cont.

Public Speaking is one of the media of

communication that we use to deliver messages
or information to many people at once.
It is the process of establishing a common understanding
among people within a business environment by means of
spoken language.
Public Speaking cont.

“There are always three speeches for everyone you gave. The
one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish
you gave.”
– Dale Carnegie

“It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a

good impromptu speech.”
– Mark Twain
 About 10 percent of the population loves
public speaking.

Fear of Public Another 10 percent are genuinely

Speaking(Glossophobia) terrified.

The rest of us –roughly the 80 percent in

the middle –get butterflies, get anxious,
and don't sleep much the night before –
but we know that we are going to live
through it . It’s just not fun.
Why Fear?
• You may be judged by people; judged
badly
• You may feel like a fool
• You might make mistakes and lose your
way
• You will be extremely humiliated
• You will never be as good as……
• They won’t like you
• They won’t get what you are trying to
say
 Guidelines for preparing a speech that should be considered
before delivery

1. Determine the purpose of your speech

Determine what you want to do with your speech.

 To Inform
 To Persuade
 To Entertain?

Answer this question and proceed with other steps of

preparation.
 Audience

 Demographic
 Situational

Purpose

 Inform
PUBLIC SPEAKING – What’s  Persuade
Your Purpose?  To Entertain?

Interaction

 Think about them –

What’s in it for them?
 Don’t think about you
Informative Presentations
The basic purpose of an informative presentation is to promote/increase
understanding of ideas, not to change an attitude.

Types of informative presentations are; Oral briefing or Oral report, Instruction,&

Community goodwill.
 Informative presentations might be formal/informal in nature, i.e., most employees are
expected to organize and present informal briefings and reports to colleagues and
supervisors as a normal part of their jobs or formal, such as a briefing on the status of a
particular project given to an entire department
 Persuasive Presentations

The basic purpose of a persuasive presentation is to influence choices (selling ideas).

• “Persuasion is communication intended to influence choice” but it is not the same as
coercion.
 To coerce is to eliminate or exclude options.
• To inform is to increase the number of person’s options or choices.
• To persuade is to limit the options that are perceived as acceptable”
• There is no force or trickery in persuasion.
Harvard School Formula
For persuasive speeches >> PREPY
• Point of View – “Smoking is hazardous for your life”

• Reasons – “Smoking causes cancer”

• Examples/Evidence – “50,000 people die per year by cancer”

• Point of view restated – “If you want a long life, give up cigarettes”

• “You” oriented – “Take the first step tonight and sign up for ‘no more
smoking’ seminar”
2. Analyze your audience
 Audience analysis is all about understanding your
audience in terms of their interests, knowledge,
numbers, etc.
 Analysis of the audience is important because the
speech should be tailored to fit the specific nature and
mix of your audience.

3. Gather information relevant to your speech

 To be able to deliver a successful speech you should
gather up-to-date and comprehensive information
from various sources.
  Your speech should be organized into three parts,
namely introduction, body, and conclusion.

4. Organize  In other words, tell your audience what you are

the speech going to tell them, tell them and tell them what you have
told them.

Parts Of Speech
Speech has three main parts:
• Introduction
• Body
• Conclusion
 An introduction is to take place in the first few minutes
of our speech and the introduction of an oral
presentation should:

Introduction  Capture the attention of your listeners

 Motivate them to listen by showing the importance

or benefit your presentation will have for them
 Convince them that you are qualified to speak on
the subject, and
 Explain the purpose & main points of your
presentation.
 Some common techniques for gaining attention
are:
Capture the  Reveal one or more startling facts
attention of  Tell a joke or humorous story relating
your listeners directly to the topic
 Briefly cite two or three specific incidents or
examples that relate to the topic.
 Quote or paraphrase a well-known
publication or expert.
 Briefly demonstrate the item or skill you will
be discussing in your presentation
 Convince the audience of the benefit to them
 Convince them that the presentation will benefit
them in some way- that will help them satisfy
Cont.… personal or job-related needs.
Assure the audience that you are qualified to speak
on the subject
 The speaker is expected to demonstrate his
qualification to speak on the topic by referring to
his personal experience, the detailed research he
has done
Explain the purpose of your presentation
 The speaker is expected to state the purpose and a
summary of the main points to be covered.
  Here main points that are summarized in the
introduction part need to be discussed in detail.

Body  Organize the information into seven or fewer key ideas or main
points, since Researchers have found that people are “capable of
accurately receiving and remembering only seven facts, ideas or “bits”
of information at a time”.
The main points to be included depends on
 How many topics are needed to develop
 The time limit
 The knowledge and interest of the audience.
 Body cont.
Method of organizing the main points

1. Topical arrangement

 This arrangement is used to break a topic into clusters, divisions, or parts.

 It is probably the easiest and the most popular method of arrangement.

It is most effective when arranged in one of the following ways:

 From the most to the least popular
 From the most to the least impressive
 From the known to the unknown
 From the familiar to the unfamiliar
 Cont.…

2. Spatial or geographical arrangement

 This arrangement organizes main points according to their spatial location, such as
front to rear, north to south, bottom to top, and left to right.
3. Chronological or time arrangement
 This arrangement is used to present events in the order (or by the date) of their
occurrence
4. Problem- Solution arrangement
 This arrangement contains two basic categories: The analysis of the problem and the
explanation of one of several solutions.
 The conclusion normally contains two
parts:

A summary and a closing thought or

Conclusion statement.
 The summary can be general (referring to the
overall topic of the presentation) or specific
(listing the main points covered).
 The intent of the summary is to clarify for the
listeners any confusion about the purpose and
main points of your presentation.

 The closing thought or statement gives the

audience a thought or challenge that will keep
them thinking about your presentation long after
it is completed.
 5. Prepare visual aids

There are various types of visual aids that can be used to enhance the quality of a speech. Some of
these are black or whiteboards, overhead projectors, computerized presentations, graphs, drawings,
maps, photographs, charts, and so on.

Visual aids have many benefits during speech delivery. These include
 They facilitate listeners’ understanding
 They make the speech more interesting
 They serve as speakers’ memory aid
 They reduce the speaker’s nervousness
If the particular speech you are going to deliver calls for the use of visual aids, you should prepare
them in advance. And the visual aids should be visible to your audience.
6. Practice Practice Practice!
 Characteristics of a Good
Speaker

Here below are the guidelines for being

a good speaker:

1. Know the subject

2. Know the audience
3. Be well organized
 Write down key ideas on a note card to keep your thoughts
straight and decide on the order that will be followed.
 Research. Don't just fake it!
 State what you want to discuss clearly (problem? process?
project?)

4. Involve your listener

 Tell a real story
 Tell a hypothetical story
 Present statistics
 Use of quotation
 Tell a joke

5. Plan your conclusion

Effective
Communication

 Preparation
 Practice
 Presence
 There are about seven guidelines for speech:

1) Look at your audience

Guidelines for an Effective
2) Speak clearly
Delivery of Speech
3) Use appropriate gestures

4) Check your postures and appearance

5) Make a clear transition

6) Vary your volume and speed

7) Watch and listen for feedback

  Talk with the audience and look at
1. Look At Your them.
Audience  Do not look podium platform or over
the heads.
 Make good eye contact
 Let your eyes rest on different
sections of the audience and a mass
of faces.
 All these will permit you to relate
your information to them, not at
them.
2. Speak Clearly

 The speech is related to accent. An accent is pronounced

noticeably.
 Pronunciation means saying words correctly while enunciation
means saying words clearly.

3. Use Appropriate Gesture

 A speaker appearing before a formal group generally should use
relatively few body actions.
 A speaker appearing before an informal audience should use more
than what you should use on a given occasion is a matter of your
best judgment.
4. Check your posture and Appearance

It is important for you to dress properly, stand correctly and bring the
focus of the audience for your message and not to destructions.

Practice speaking before a mirror or with video type equipment.

 5. Make Clear Transition

 Watch your transitions, At the end of a major point, slow down or pause for a moment.
 Tell the audience that you are now moving

Some common transitions that might be used are:

 ‘Now let’s turn to another point…’
 However, there is another aspect that we should look at today…..’
 ‘now with our understanding of…we can discuss …’
6. Vary Your Volume and speed

Some ideas need to be started forcefully; others need to be

noted softly, and respectfully.
 Look for a good piece, that is fast, slow, high, loud, or
soft, so should a speech reflect changes that match with
the content of the idea
 As a rule, you should present the easy parts of the
message at a fairly quick rate and hard-to-understand
information at a lower ( slower pace )
 By observing your audience’s condition in the
presentation, you should vary your volume and speed of
voice to hold their attention.
 You can and should train yourself to watch the
audience as you speak and to be sensitive to its
7. Watch & changing moods.
Listen to
Feedback  Alert speaker will be on the lookout for feedback.
 If the audience looks confused on a particular point you can
assist by interjecting a statement like ‘let me repeat that…or
perhaps I can state this concept in another way …’
 Paying attention to the audience.
 Successful interaction with the audience, makes your
audience glad for coming to hear you.
General Tips For Public Speaking
MUST DO’S IN A PUBLIC SPEAKING
 Smile and have fun
 Speak loud
 Relax
 Be yourself
 Know your Audience
 Be confident
 Be flexible
 Connect with your people during the presentation
 Use more gestures
 Use simple and understandable language
 Do not fear
 Do not underestimate your
Audience
 Do not point fingers
 Do not hurt people’s feelings
 Avoid repetition of the words or
phrase
 Do not put up an aggressive face
 Don’t make things which you are
not sure about
 Things you
shouldn’t do
 Read directly from notes
 Read directly from the screen
 Turn back on the audience
 Slouch, hands in pockets
 No um, ah, you know
 No nervous gestures
 Talk too fast, / too slow
 Talk too quietly
 THANK
YOU

Mulusew Ashenf
mulusew.ashenf@aau.edu.et

us.sogeti.com