Achieving Success Through Effective Business Communication

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Achieving Success Through Effective Business
Communication
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Achieving Success Through Effective Business
Communication. Communicating in Teams. Mastering
Listening and Nonverbal Communication Skills.
Searching for Employment and Preparing
Employment Messages. Interviewing for Employment
and Following Up (PROJECT ONE)Planning,
Writing, and Completing Oral Presentations
(PROJECT TWO)Planning Business Messages.
Writing Business Messages. Completing Business
Messages. Working with Letters, Memos, and E-Mail
Messages. Writing Routine, Good-News, and
Goodwill Messages. Writing Bad-News Messages.
Writing Persuasive Messages. Understanding and
Planning Business Reports and Proposals. Writing
and Completing Business Reports and
Proposals.The Negotiation Process. Influences
on Negotiation. Management of Negotiations.
Multi-party NegotiationsCreative Problem
Solving. Dealing With Difficult Behaviours.
Dispute Resolutions and Conflict Management
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Linda Richardson,THE SALES SUCCESS HANDBOOK, the
employee handbook for enhancing corporate
performanceMcGraw-Hill, USA Pete Swanson,
Frank CarrTHE NEGOTIATIORS TOOLKITENHANCING
SUCCESS IN BUSINESS TRANSACTIONSCar Swanson
Randolph, llc, USA Bil StinettTHINK LIKE YOUR
CUSTOMER A WINNING STRATEGY TO MAXIMIZE SALES BY
UNDERSTANDING HOW AND WHY YOUR CUSTOMERS BUYMc
Graw-Hill, USA (html) Tim BirdsallSALES
PROCESS OVERVIEW - ADVANCED SALES MANAGEMENG
SKILLS FOR SOLUTION ORIENTED SALES
ENVIRONMENTSBTC - Birdsall Training
ConsultingDave Carter, Marijana
FilipovicZAPOCNI SVOJU KARIJERUCentar za razvoj
gradjanskog drustva MilenijuM, septembar
2005(pdf)Roberta CavaDEALING WITH DIFFICULT
PEOPLE
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WORKING STYLES QUIZ

• The purpose of this quiz is to get some idea of
  your dominant working style and the working
  styles of others as you prepare for
  communications. Working styles and their
  prevalent characteristics are an important part
  of one-on-one and team communications including
  negotiations.
• There are no wrong answers in the quiz, and
  several of the choices may appeal to you because
  your working style is a combination of more than
  one style. For the purposes of this quiz please
  read each statement and order your responses 1,
  2, 3, 4, with 1 being the response that
  best describes you and 4 being the response
  that least describes you.

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Analytics Technique Specialists

• In general
• Strong sense of duty and obligation
• Forceful work ethic
• Steadfast, reliable and dependable
• Finds creative solutions
• Especially at work
• Set high standards
• Wants everything done right
• Schedule oriented
• Detail conscious
• Orderly and organized
• Likes charts, graphs, figures and lists
• Persistent and thorough
• Finishes what he or she starts
• Some Challenges
• Often takes on too much responsibility
• Tends to worry
• Wants to be right and often has no problem saying
  I told you so!

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• Key challenge to being an analytic You factor a
  great deal of information and decision-making in
  your mind, and often think you have communicated
  that to others. Frequently, you have not actually
  verbalized your thoughts, so others dont know
  how you got there. While you think you have
  carried others along with you to an obvious end,
  they resent being presented with a fait accompli
  that expects you to simply buy-in.
• Suggested solution Make every effort to
  verbalize your thoughts as you reason through a
  project or problem. Double-check with others that
  they follow your thinking and are buying in at
  earlier stages of the decision-making process.
  Confirm that you have heard and considered
  others information and ideas, and clearly lay
  out for them how you incorporated their input
  into your final decisions or recommendations.

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Drivers - Control Specialists

• In general
• Strong compulsion to perform
• Takes pleasure in any kind of work because it
  involves activity
• Low tolerance for idleness
• High self-control
• Controls and masters everything they do
• Likes new ideas, challenges and competition
• Speaks with precision and little redundancy
• Especially at work
• Goal oriented daring attitude just tell me I
  cant do it!
• Sees whole picture
• Seeks practical solutions
• Makes plans
• Moves quickly to action
• Stimulates activity
• Organizes well
• Delegates work
• Insists on production
• Thrives on opposition

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• Key challenge to being a driver You are
  confident that your efforts to lead the group
  will yield good results for the right mission.
  You focus so intently on the outcome, however,
  that you often do not communicate your commitment
  to the groups mission and well being during the
  process. Others perceive you as driving the group
  for your own ambition or interests and they buck
  you, which only leads you to drive harder.
• Suggested solution Explicitly state your
  understanding of the groups mission and concern
  for the group members as you lay out a plan for
  action. When you meet resistance, take a few
  moments to hear why others buck you and consider
  how to adjust the plan. Ultimately, if the group
  does not choose you as its leader, you might need
  to back up and take on a more specific sphere of
  responsibility in the group instead.

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Amiables Support Specialists

• In general
• Promotes harmony
• Seeks deep meaning
• Patient, good listener
• Works well in groups
• Emphasizes interaction over action
• Likes directions
• Found wrapped in causes
• Especially at work
• Steady
• Not easily upset
• Good under pressure
• Takes good with bad
• Avoids or works around conflict
• Strong administrative skills
• Mediates problems
• Some Challenges
• Romanticizes relationships and experiences an
  have unrealistic expectations of self and others
• Overemphasizes process over goals

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• Key challenge to being an amiable You respect
  the personal strength required to manage others
  needs and wishes and to suspend oneself to create
  harmony in a group. Others, however, frequently
  underestimate you. They perceive peacemaking and
  compliance as weakness, and might dismiss your
  input, which hurts. Once others cross your line
  to their surprise you become intractable, which
  often leaves them confused, angry and
  uncooperative.
• Suggested solution While encouraging positive
  interactions, be as explicit as possible about
  where your boundaries are set and any points that
  are non-negotiable in your mind. If you find
  yourself harboring resentment, talk to others
  directly earlier on, explain your objectives, and
  suggest specific ways others can meet them.

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Expressives Social Specialists

• In general
• Friendly, easy going, giving
• Eager to try new and different things
• Enjoys wondering
• Happy spirit
• Lives for here and now
• Enjoys being in social organizations
• Finds it easier to break social tied
• Sees discomfort or hardship as a new experience
  that will pass
• Especially at work
• Has energy and enthusiasm
• Volunteers for jobs
• Thinks up new activities and approaches
• Creative and colorful, starts in an eye catching
  way
• Inspires others to join
• Charms others to work
• Shares big picture-vision
• Questions why should we be doing this?
• Easily bored, ready to move on

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• Key challenge to being an expressive You
  sometimes feel overwhelmed by so much information
  involved in a task. You want others to understand
  the full scope of your thoughts and plans,
  though, and tend to communicate in a data dump.
  Others can perceive you as verbose and spacey.
• Suggested solution When focused on a group task,
  use discipline. Give your bottom line up front
  for the listener and then select out the most
  important details to support your ideas and
  suggestions. Remember youll have the chance to
  talk about more general concerns and socialize at
  another time, when the group is more receptive to
  your role.

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Effective Communication

• Quicker problem solving
• Stronger decision making
• Increased productivity
• Steadier work flow

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Effective Communication

• Stronger business relationships
• Clearer promotional materials
• Enhanced professional image
• Improved stakeholder response

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Characteristics of Effective Messages

• Provide factual information
• Give facts, not impressions
• Clarify and condense information
• State precise responsibilities
• Persuade and make recommendations

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Basic Communication

• Nonverbal
• Less structured, harder to classify
• More spontaneous, less control
• Verbal
• More structured, easier to study
• Conscious purpose, more control

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Usage of Business Communication Channels

• Listening 45
• Reading 16
• Speaking 30
• Writing 9

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The Listening Process

• Receiving
• Interpreting
• Remembering
• Evaluating
• Responding

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Barriers to Listening

• Prejudgment
• Self-centeredness
• Selective listening

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Active Listening

• Find areas of interest
• Focus on content
• Hold your fire
• Listen for ideas
• Take selective notes

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Active Listening

• Work at listening
• Block competing thoughts
• Paraphrase the speaker
• Stay open-minded
• Stay ahead of the speaker

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Active Listening Skill Sheet

• Active listening is a skill that offers
  challenges to everyone.
• If you are an Expressive, remember
• ? You are not listening if you are talking
• ? Silence is often needed for others to formulate
  a messageso push yourself to sit quietly in
  moments of quiet reflection
• ? You tend to speak to thinksome may hear
  conclusion and hold you to what you say when that
  may not be your intention
• ? You tend to be more physically and facially
  expressive, so you may be communicating more than
  you know
• If you are an Analytic, remember
• ? People cant listen to the conversations you
  are having in your head
• ? Listening requires you to engage is what is
  being communicatednot mentally prepare for what
  you would like next to say
• ? You tend to think to speakfiltering much of
  your mental activity out before you share it in
  the world
• ? You tend to be less physically and facially
  expressive, so you may be communicating less than
  you knowand less than is helpful

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Active Listening Skill Sheet

• If you are a Driver, remember
• ? Your speech tends to sound directive, closed,
  opinionated and finaleven when you are not
• ? Discussions with you often take on a goal
  driven, work now-play later tonein both the
  verbal and non-verbal cues you give off
• ? You will tend to struggle with asking open
  ended, facilitative questions
• If you are a Amiable, remember
• ? Your speech tends to sound facilitative,
  open-ended and questioningeven when you are not
• ? Discussions with you often take on a flexible,
  casual, play now-work later tonein both the
  verbal and non-verbal cues you give off
• ? You will tend to struggle with asking
  closed-ended, directive questions

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Preparing for Meetings

• Decide on the purpose
• Select participants
• Choose the location
• Set and follow an agenda

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Effective Meetings

• Focus
• Procedures
• Participation
• Closing
• Follow-up

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Receiving Telephone Calls

• Answer promptly
• Identify yourself
• Establish rapport
• Be positive
• Take messages
• Explain your actions

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Making Telephone Calls

• Get ready
• Schedule the call
• Minimize distractions
• Introduce yourself
• Maximize your time
• Maintain focus
• Use a positive close

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Using Voice Mail

• Minimize time zones
• Reduce paperwork

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EffectiveVoice Mail Greetings

• Be brief and accurate
• Sound professional
• Keep callers in mind
• Make options helpful
• Update your greetings
• Respond to calls promptly

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EffectiveVoice Mail Messages

• Keep the message simple
• Sound professional
• Avoid personal messages
• Replay the message
• Avoid multiple messages
• Dont hide behind voice mail

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Communication Challenges in Todays Workplace

• Advances in technology
• Globalization
• Workforce diversity
• Team-based organizations

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Internal Communication

• Official structure
• Formal chain of command
• Up, down, across formal power lines
• The grapevine
• Informal networking
• Unofficial lines of power

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External Communication

• Formal contacts
• Marketing
• Public relations
• Informal contacts
• Employees
• Managers

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The Communication Process

• Sender has an idea
• Sender encodes the idea
• Sender transmits the message
• Receiver gets the message
• Receiver decodes the message
• Receiver sends feedback

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Communication Barriers

• Perception and language
• Restrictive environments
• Distractions
• Deceptive tactics
• Information overload

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Overcoming Barriers

• Adopt audience-centered approach
• Foster open communication climate
• Commit to ethical communication
• Create lean, efficient messages

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Audience-Centered Approach

• Understand biases
• Consider education
• Factor in age
• Recognize status
• Acknowledge style

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Communication Climate

• Modify organizational structure
• Facilitate feedback

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Ethical Communication

• Recognize ethical choices
• Make ethical choices
• Motivate ethical choices

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Efficient Messages

• Send fewer messages
• Minimize distractions
• Develop communication skills

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Nonverbal Communication

• Intent
• Spontaneity
• Honesty
• Efficiency

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Types of Nonverbal Communication

• Facial expressions
• Gestures and posture
• Vocal characteristics
• Personal appearance
• Touching behavior
• Use of time and space

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Maximizing Nonverbal Communication

• Avoid conflicting signals
• Strive for honesty
• Smile genuinely
• Maintain eye contact
• Be aware of posture and gestures
• Use appropriate vocal signals

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Maximizing Nonverbal Communication

• Know your audience
• Acknowledge comfort zones
• Shake hands appropriately
• Respect varying attitudes about time
• Use touch carefully
• Be aware of false cues

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• Exercise
• OSTRICH EGG

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Communicating in Teams and Mastering Listening
and Nonverbal Communication Skills
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• Exercise
• THE AVALIABLE HEART

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• You are a surgeon at a large hospital. You must
  make a very important decision. You have, in the
  hospital, seven patients, each of whom needs an
  immediate heart transplant operation.
  Unfortunately, only one donor heart is available
  at this time. Each of the seven patients is
  compatible with the available heart and may well
  die before another appropriate heart becomes
  available.

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• Which patient would you select to receive the
  heart?
• Why?

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• Potential Recepients
• A famous brain surgeon at the height of her
  career (single, Turkish female, 31 years old, no
  children)
• A brilliant 12 year-old female Japanese musician.
• A 40 year-old Greek male teacher with two
  children and a wife who does not work outside the
  home.
• A 15 year-old pregnant woman who is single,
  Caucasian and who has no children.
• A 35 year-old Roman Catholic priest working in a
  ghetto parish.
• A 17 year-old waitress who is white, a high
  school dropout and helps to support her siblings
  and aging parents.
• A 38 year-old scientist who is pursuing a
  promising line of research that will hopefully
  lead to a cure for AIDS. She is Chinese, a
  lesbian and has no children.

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• Each of you has now made an individual decision
  about your choice to receive the available heart,
  and the criteria upon which you made your
  decision.
• The second phase of this exercise involves group
  decision making. Your group is to employ the
  process of consensus decision making in arriving
  at a group decision. This means that the group
  must reach a consensus on who receives the
  available heart and the standards for making that
  decision.
• The choice must be one that everyone in the group
  can agree upon even if the choice does not meet
  with everyones complete approval all members of
  the group will support the decision because every
  member of the group has been heard and they
  support the choice as being the best decision at
  the time.

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Characteristics ofEffective Teams

• Have a clear sense of purpose
• Communicate openly and honestly
• Reach decisions by consensus
• Think creatively
• Remain focused
• Resolve conflict effectively

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• Dr. Robert CIALDINI Interview on influence,
  September 1999