Communication for Business Success - 2012 Book Archive (PDF)

Communication for Business Success v. 1.0  This is the book Communication for Business Success (v. 1.0). This book is licensed under a Creative Commons by-nc-sa 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/ 3.0/) license. See the license for more details, but that basically means you can share this book as long as you credit the author (but see below), don't make money from it, and do make it available to everyone else under the same terms. This book was accessible as of December 29, 2012, and it was downloaded then by Andy Schmitz (http://lardbucket.org) in an effort to preserve the availability of this book. Normally, the author and publisher would be credited here. However, the publisher has asked for the customary Creative Commons attribution to the original publisher, authors, title, and book URI to be removed. Additionally, per the publisher's request, their name has been removed in some passages. 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You can browse or download additional books there. ii  Table of Contents About the Author .................................................................................................................. 1 Acknowledgments................................................................................................................. 2 Dedications............................................................................................................................. 4 Preface..................................................................................................................................... 5 Chapter 1: Effective Business Communication ............................................................... 7 Why Is It Important to Communicate Well? ...............................................................................................9 What Is Communication? ............................................................................................................................ 14 Communication in Context......................................................................................................................... 24 Your Responsibilities as a Communicator.................................................................................................28 Additional Resources................................................................................................................................... 34 Chapter 2: Delivering Your Message............................................................................... 35 What Is Language? ....................................................................................................................................... 40 Messages ....................................................................................................................................................... 45 Principles of Verbal Communication.........................................................................................................49 Language Can be an Obstacle to Communication.....................................................................................56 Emphasis Strategies..................................................................................................................................... 63 Improving Verbal Communication ............................................................................................................ 70 Additional Resources................................................................................................................................... 75 Chapter 3: Understanding Your Audience..................................................................... 77 Self-Understanding Is Fundamental to Communication .........................................................................82 Perception..................................................................................................................................................... 90 Differences in Perception.......................................................................................................................... 104 Getting to Know Your Audience............................................................................................................... 107 Listening and Reading for Understanding ..............................................................................................113 Additional Resources................................................................................................................................. 116 Chapter 4: Effective Business Writing .......................................................................... 117 Oral versus Written Communication ....................................................................................................... 119 How Is Writing Learned?........................................................................................................................... 123 Good Writing .............................................................................................................................................. 129 Style in Written Communication.............................................................................................................. 135 Principles of Written Communication.....................................................................................................139 Overcoming Barriers to Effective Written Communication..................................................................145 Additional Resources................................................................................................................................. 150 iii  Chapter 5: Writing Preparation..................................................................................... 151 Think, Then Write: Writing Preparation.................................................................................................153 A Planning Checklist for Business Messages...........................................................................................159 Research and Investigation: Getting Started ..........................................................................................171 Ethics, Plagiarism, and Reliable Sources .................................................................................................177 Completing Your Research and Investigation ........................................................................................186 Reading and Analyzing.............................................................................................................................. 191 Additional Resources................................................................................................................................. 194 Chapter 6: Writing ............................................................................................................ 197 Organization............................................................................................................................................... 203 Writing Style............................................................................................................................................... 223 Making an Argument................................................................................................................................. 233 Paraphrase and Summary versus Plagiarism..........................................................................................242 Additional Resources................................................................................................................................. 246 Chapter 7: Revising and Presenting Your Writing .................................................... 247 General Revision Points to Consider........................................................................................................ 249 Specific Revision Points to Consider........................................................................................................ 252 Style Revisions............................................................................................................................................ 263 Evaluating the Work of Others ................................................................................................................. 270 Proofreading and Design Evaluation ....................................................................................................... 274 Additional Resources................................................................................................................................. 279 Chapter 8: Feedback in the Writing Process ............................................................... 281 Diverse Forms of Feedback ....................................................................................................................... 284 Qualitative and Quantitative Research....................................................................................................298 Feedback as an Opportunity ..................................................................................................................... 304 Additional Resources................................................................................................................................. 309 Chapter 9: Business Writing in Action ......................................................................... 311 Text, E-mail, and Netiquette..................................................................................................................... 312 Memorandums and Letters....................................................................................................................... 318 Business Proposal....................................................................................................................................... 327 Report.......................................................................................................................................................... 333 Résumé........................................................................................................................................................ 340 Sales Message ............................................................................................................................................. 350 Additional Resources................................................................................................................................. 354 iv  Chapter 10: Developing Business Presentations ........................................................ 356 Before You Choose a Topic........................................................................................................................ 360 Choosing a Topic ........................................................................................................................................ 365 Finding Resources...................................................................................................................................... 372 Myths and Realities of Public Speaking...................................................................................................384 Overcoming Obstacles in Your Presentation ..........................................................................................388 Additional Resources................................................................................................................................. 394 Chapter 11: Nonverbal Delivery..................................................................................... 395 Principles of Nonverbal Communication ................................................................................................398 Types of Nonverbal Communication ....................................................................................................... 407 Movement in Your Speech........................................................................................................................ 416 Visual Aids .................................................................................................................................................. 421 Nonverbal Strategies for Success with Your Audience..........................................................................433 Additional Resources................................................................................................................................. 436 Chapter 12: Organization and Outlines........................................................................ 438 Rhetorical Situation................................................................................................................................... 442 Strategies for Success ................................................................................................................................ 446 Building a Sample Speech ......................................................................................................................... 455 Sample Speech Outlines ............................................................................................................................ 459 Organizing Principles for Your Speech....................................................................................................462 Transitions.................................................................................................................................................. 471 Additional Resources................................................................................................................................. 475 Chapter 13: Presentations to Inform............................................................................ 476 Functions of the Presentation to Inform.................................................................................................478 Types of Presentations to Inform............................................................................................................. 485 Adapting Your Presentation to Teach .....................................................................................................489 Diverse Types of Intelligence and Learning Styles.................................................................................500 Preparing Your Speech to Inform ............................................................................................................ 503 Creating an Informative Presentation.....................................................................................................510 Additional Resources................................................................................................................................. 514 v  Chapter 14: Presentations to Persuade........................................................................ 515 What Is Persuasion?................................................................................................................................... 518 Principles of Persuasion............................................................................................................................ 521 Functions of the Presentation to Persuade .............................................................................................525 Meeting the Listener’s Basic Needs.......................................................................................................... 530 Making an Argument................................................................................................................................. 538 Speaking Ethically and Avoiding Fallacies ..............................................................................................548 Sample Persuasive Speech ........................................................................................................................ 553 Elevator Speech.......................................................................................................................................... 557 Additional Resources................................................................................................................................. 560 Chapter 15: Business Presentations in Action............................................................ 562 Sound Bites and Quotables........................................................................................................................ 564 Telephone/VoIP Communication............................................................................................................. 567 Meetings...................................................................................................................................................... 571 Celebrations: Toasts and Roasts ............................................................................................................... 574 Media Interviews........................................................................................................................................ 578 Introducing a Speaker ............................................................................................................................... 582 Presenting or Accepting an Award .......................................................................................................... 584 Serving as Master of Ceremonies ............................................................................................................. 588 Viral Messages............................................................................................................................................ 591 Additional Resources................................................................................................................................. 594 Chapter 16: Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Business Communication ............. 596 Intrapersonal Communication ................................................................................................................. 598 Self-Concept and Dimensions of Self ....................................................................................................... 600 Interpersonal Needs................................................................................................................................... 604 Social Penetration Theory ........................................................................................................................ 609 Rituals of Conversation and Interviews...................................................................................................616 Conflict in the Work Environment........................................................................................................... 626 Additional Resources................................................................................................................................. 634 Chapter 17: Negative News and Crisis Communication ............................................ 635 Delivering a Negative News Message....................................................................................................... 637 Eliciting Negative News............................................................................................................................. 650 Crisis Communication Plan....................................................................................................................... 657 Press Conferences ...................................................................................................................................... 661 Additional Resources................................................................................................................................. 669 vi  Chapter 18: Intercultural and International Business Communication ............... 670 Intercultural Communication................................................................................................................... 673 How to Understand Intercultural Communication ................................................................................677 Common Cultural Characteristics ............................................................................................................ 681 Divergent Cultural Characteristics .......................................................................................................... 687 International Communication and the Global Marketplace .................................................................695 Styles of Management ............................................................................................................................... 701 The International Assignment.................................................................................................................. 704 Additional Resources................................................................................................................................. 711 Chapter 19: Group Communication, Teamwork, and Leadership .......................... 712 What Is a Group? ........................................................................................................................................ 714 Group Life Cycles and Member Roles....................................................................................................... 720 Group Problem Solving.............................................................................................................................. 730 Business and Professional Meetings ........................................................................................................ 738 Teamwork and Leadership........................................................................................................................ 748 Additional Resources................................................................................................................................. 754 vii  About the Author Scott McLean is the Shadle-Edgecombe Endowed Faculty Chair at Arizona Western College. He serves as the professor of speech communication with an emphasis in business communication for a combined campus partnership with the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University–Yuma. Scott is the author of The Basics of Speech Communication and The Basics of Interpersonal Communication, both currently published by Allyn & Bacon. Beyond his classroom experience, Scott regularly serves as a communications advisor to the industry. He has extensive experience and publications in the areas of health communication, safe and healthy work environments, and organizational and crisis communication. He has served as an evaluator for the United States National Institutes of Health’s Small Business and Innovative Research (SBIR) program since 1995. He served as an evaluator of educational programs for the Ministerio de Hacienda de Chile. His development of the Tenio Natural Reserve in Southern Chile has brought together people from around the world to preserve and restore indigenous flora and fauna. Their collective effort will serve for generations to come. Scott studied at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and at Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow School of Communication. He and his family divide their time between the United States and Puerto Montt, Chile. 1  Acknowledgments I would like to say thank you to Jeff Shelstad for answering my e-mail after I heard about Unnamed Publisher on National Public Radio. To say Unnamed Publisher’s model just makes sense is an understatement. I am honored to be a part of it all. Jenn Yee has been an excellent project manager. When I needed feedback she made sure it was available, and when I needed space to create, she helped facilitate it. Writing can be a solitary activity but she made the journey positive and productive. Elsa Peterson, you are wonderful. Your sharp eye for detail, consistent dedication to the text, and quick turnarounds on requests were invaluable to this project. I have never worked with a better developmental editor. Dan Obuchowski also offered valuable insight into the construction industry and practices that lends real-world credibility to this text. To my reviewers in the field, I appreciate all the specific feedback that contributed to clear improvements in the text. • Brenda Jolivette Jones, San Jacinto College - Central Campus ([email protected]) • Christina McCale, Regis University ([email protected]) • Billie Miller, Ph.D., Cosumnes River College ([email protected]) • Joyce Ezrow, Anne Arundel Community College ([email protected]) • Sally Lederer, U of M Carlson School of Management ([email protected]) • Greg Larson, Salt Lake Community College ([email protected]) • Gayla Jurevich, Fresno City College ([email protected]) • Laura Newton, Florida State University ([email protected]) • Judy Grace, Arizona State University ([email protected]) • Rita Rud, Purdue University ([email protected]) • Edna Boroski, Trident Technical College ([email protected]) Your words of encouragement and constructive criticism have made this effort worthwhile. Finally, to Lisa, my life partner, you are amazing. You were a draft recruit on this project and quickly learned the formatting requirements in short order. You are a 2  valuable part of this team. Your relentless editing serves as a clear example of Strunk’s axiom: “Omit needless words.” This text is the better for it. Writing with you, like life, gets better with each year. Scott McLean Puerto Montt, Chile Acknowledgments 3  Dedications For Lisa and our children, Mackenzie, John, and Katherine 4  Preface Business Communication for Success (BCS) provides a comprehensive, integrated approach to the study and application of written and oral business communication to serve both student and professor. This series features chapters with the following elements: • Learning Objectives • Introductory Exercises • Clear expectations, relevant background, and important theories • Practical, real-world examples • Key Takeaways or quick internal summaries • Key terms that are easily identified • In-chapter assignments • Postchapter assessments linked to objectives and skills acquisition Each chapter is self-contained, allowing for mix-and-match flexibility and custom or course-specific design. Each chapter focuses on clear objectives and skill demonstrations that can be easily linked to your syllabus and state or federal requirements. Supported by internal and external assessments, each chapter features time-saving and learning-enhancement support for instructors and students. BCS is designed to help students identify important information, reinforce for retention, and demonstrate mastery with a clear outcome product. The text has three content categories: 1. Foundations 2. Process and products 3. Contexts The first three chapters form the core foundation for the study of oral and written business communication. The next sequence of chapters focus on the process of writing, then oral performance with an emphasis on results. The final sequence focuses on contexts where business communication occurs, from interpersonal to intercultural, from groups to leadership. 5  In each of the process and product chapter sequences, the chapters follow a natural flow, from prewriting to revision, from preparation for a presentation to performance. Each sequence comes together in a concluding chapter that focuses on action—where we apply the skills and techniques of written or oral communication in business, from writing a letter to presenting a sales speech. These performances not only serve to reinforce real-world applications but also may serve as course assessments. All chapters are compartmentalized into sections so you can choose what you want to use and eliminate the rest, and here the beauty of Unnamed Publisher rings true—you can adapt and integrate content from other texts or your own work to truly make it fit your course and student needs. Preface 6  Chapter 1 Effective Business Communication Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing. - Rollo May I know that you believe that you understood what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant. - Robert J. McCloskey, former State Department spokesman Getting Started INTRODUCTORY EXERCISES 1. Write five words that express what you want to do and where you want to be a year from now. Take those five words and write a paragraph that clearly articulates your responses to both “what” and “where.” 2. Think of five words that express what you want to do and where you want to be five years from now. Share your five words with your classmates and listen to their responses. What patterns do you observe in the responses? Write a paragraph that addresses at least one observation. Communication is an activity, skill, and art that incorporates lessons learned across a wide spectrum of human knowledge. Perhaps the most time-honored form of communication is storytelling. We’ve told each other stories for ages to help make sense of our world, anticipate the future, and certainly to entertain ourselves. The art of storytelling draws on your understanding of yourself, your message, and how you communicate it to an audience that is simultaneously communicating back to you. Your anticipation, reaction, and adaptation to the process will determine how successfully you are able to communicate. You were not born knowing how to write 7  or even how to talk—but in the process of growing up, you have undoubtedly learned how to tell, and how not tell, a story out loud and in writing. You didn’t learn to text in a day and didn’t learn all the codes—from LOL (laugh out loud) to BRB (be right back)—right away. In the same way, learning to communicate well requires you to read and study how others have expressed themselves, then adapt what you have learned to your present task—whether it is texting a brief message to a friend, presenting your qualifications in a job interview, or writing a business report. You come to this text with skills and an understanding that will provide a valuable foundation as we explore the communication process. Effective communication takes preparation, practice, and persistence. There are many ways to learn communication skills; the school of experience, or “hard knocks,” is one of them. But in the business environment, a “knock” (or lesson learned) may come at the expense of your credibility through a blown presentation to a client. The classroom environment, with a compilation of information and resources such as a text, can offer you a trial run where you get to try out new ideas and skills before you have to use them to communicate effectively to make a sale or form a new partnership. Listening to yourself, or perhaps the comments of others, may help you reflect on new ways to present, or perceive, thoughts, ideas and concepts. The net result is your growth; ultimately your ability to communicate in business will improve, opening more doors than you might anticipate. As you learn the material in this text, each part will contribute to the whole. The degree to which you attend to each part will ultimately help give you the skills, confidence, and preparation to use communication in furthering your career. Chapter 1 Effective Business Communication 8