BUSINESS

COMMUNICATION
FOUNDATIONS
Part A: Parameters of
Business Communication

ENGL 325, Denise Cosper, Ferris State University

Types of Workplace
Communication
• Listening/contributing to decision
making
• Attending meetings
• Writing messages
• Presenting and clarifying information
Types of Workplace
Communication (cont)
• Coordinating work and work
processes
• Evaluating and counseling others
• Promoting organization products,
services, and image
 Soft skills for the workplace, 1991 vs 2020
• Integrity • Problem-solving skills
• Interpersonal • Ability to work in a team
skills • Strong work ethic
• General • Analytical/quantitative
communication skills
skills • Communication skills
(written and verbal)
• Leadership
Based on a survey of 500 CEOS: Smith, K. V., and Savoian, R. Source: Job Outlook 2020, National Association of Colleges and
(1991, December 21). Climbing to the top: Rising through the Employers
corporate ladder. Review of Business, St. John’s University.
The Big Three
Soft skills, specifically:
• Communication Skills
• Leadership Skills
• Organizational Skills
Top characteristics of success at
Google
• Coaching skills
• Communication and listening skills, including
empathy
• Insights into others, including others different values
and points of view
• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Making connections across complex ideas

Based on hiring, firing, and promotion data accumulated since Google’s incorporation in 1998. Glazer, L. (2018, 5
January). Google finds STEM skills aren’t the most important skills. Michigan Future Inc.
COMMUNICATION PROCESS MODEL
Communication Process Barriers
(NOISE)

• Differences in education level,

experience, and culture
• Physical issues, such as noise or room
temperature
• Mental distractions, such as
developing a response instead of
listening
Communication Systems

• Reflects rules and procedures

Formal • Created by management to
system control individual and group
behavior

• Emerges as people interact

Informal within a formal system to create
system a satisfying environment
Social Communication Model
Contextual Forces Influencing
Business Communication

• Legal and Ethical Issues

• Diversity Challenges
• Changing Technology
• Team Environment
Causes of Illegal and
Unethical Behavior
• Excessive emphasis on profits
• Misplaced corporate loyalty
• Obsession with personal advancement
• Expectation of not getting caught
• Unethical tone set by top management
• Uncertainty about whether an action is
wrong
• Unwillingness to take a stand
Examples of Illegal/
Unethical Behavior (2020)

Tesla
Twitter McDonald’s
Attempted to defy
How/when give COVID lockdown CEO fired for sexting
out customer data orders, sued with subordinate

PPP Fraud Wells Fargo

Other?
Waste, graft, fraud Fake accounts
Diversity Challenges
Intercultural

Intergenerational

Gender

Educational
Benefits of Diversity in
the Workplace
• Different talents, experiences, skill
sets
• Increased productivity and
satisfaction
• Increased creativity and innovation
• Better focus on facts
• Process info more carefully
Barriers to Intercultural
Communication
• Ethnocentrism
• Stereotypes
• Interpretation of time
• Personal space requirements
• Body language
• Translation limitations
Labor Force Share by Age Group,
1999-2029

https://www.bls.gov/emp/graphics/2019/labor-force-share-by-age-group.htm

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Communication Styles
of Men and Women
• Men are more likely to control discussion
• Women talk less and assume more
supportive roles
• Both may use exclusionary language that
reinforces stereotypes
• Women may show verbal submissiveness
while men use vocal cues to control the
group
Handling Religious
Differences in the Workplace
Legal and Ethical Implications
of Technology

Information Information
Ownership Access

Threats to
Privacy
Coronavirus has changed
the way we communicate
• Technology aided connection
(initially)
• Zoom/video conferencing fatigue
• Connection/software issues?
• Blurring of home/work
• Building relationships can be harder
• Contributes to information overload
Benefits of Teams in the
Workplace
• Fosters creativity and learning
• Blends complementary strengths
• Builds trust
• Teaches conflict resolution
• Promotes a wider sense of ownership
• Encourages healthy risk-taking 1+1=3
Purposes of Team
Communication

• Achievement or task purpose

• To serve on a decision-making or
problem-solving group
• To get the job done
• Maintenance or social purpose
• To assist in the betterment of individual
Personalities vs. Skills

• Functional role, based on formal

position and technical skill
• Psychological role, based on kind of
person/personality qualities

Create teams based on both

roles
Psychological Team Roles
• Results-oriented—organize work and take
charge. Socially self-confident, competitive,
energetic
• Relationship-focused—focus on
relationships, attuned to others’ feelings,
good at building cohesion. Warm, diplomatic,
approachable
• Process and rule followers—pay attention to
details, processes, and rules. Reliable,
organized, conscientious
Psychological Team Roles (cont)
• Innovative and disruptive thinkers—focus
on innovation, anticipate problems,
recognize when team needs to change.
Imaginative, curious, open to new
experiences
• Pragmatic—practical, hard-headed
challengers of ideas and theories. Prudent,
emotionally stable, level-headed