BUSINESS
COMMUNICATION
What is communication?
 “Communication” comes from the Latin word
“communis” which means “common”
 When individuals communicate, they try to
establish a common understanding between
or among themselves.
What is communication?
(Cont.)
 The process of speaking, writing etc., by
which people exchange information or
express their thoughts and feelings
 The way people express their thoughts and
feelings or share information
 A letter, message, or telephone call
Source: LONGMAN
Dictionary of Contemporary English
Business Communication
 Definition: the process of establishing a
common understanding between or among
people within a business environment
Goals of Business Communication
1) Receiver Understanding
2) Receiver Response
3) Favorable Relationships
4) Organizational Goodwill
What is goodwill?
 The kind feelings towards or between people
and a willingness to be helpful
 The value that company has because it has a
good relationship with its customers
Resource: LONGMAN
Dictionary of Contemporary English
2 Main Communication Forms
1. Verbal Communication: communication
uses the words
2. Nonverbal Communication: does not use
words
Verbal Communication
 Face-to-face or phone conversations
 Meetings
 E-mail and voice-mail messages
 Letters and memos
 Reports
Nonverbal Communication
 Pictures
 Company logos
 Gestures and body language
Why communication is
important?
 In your workplace, you’ll communicate by
reading information; listening to instructions;
asking questions; solving problem with other
workers in teams
 Communication ability consistently ranks
first among the qualities that employers look
for in college graduates!
3 Basic Purposes of Business
Communication
•
•
•
To inform
To request or persuade
To build goodwill
5 Basic Criteria for
Business Writing:
o Is clear: readers gets the meaning the writer
o
o
o
o
intended easily
Is complete: all of reader’s questions are
answered
Is correct: all information in message is
accurate
Saves reader’s time: style, organization,
visual impact help reader to read, understand
Builds goodwill: message represents a
positive image of writer and organization
COMMUNICATING ACROSS
CULTURES
Multicultural Business
Communication
 Definition1: the transmission of information
among business people of different cultures,
whether within national boundaries or across
national boundaries
 Definition2: Communication with many
cultures; multinational communication is
interaction across national boundaries
Diversity
 Gender
 Race and ethnicity
 Regional and national origin
 Social class
 Religion
 Age
 Sexual orientation (the fact of being
Heterosexual or Homosexual)
 Physical ability
FYI
 Diversity increases in the global marketplace
 Business Week reports that two-thirds of all
industries either operate globally or are in the
process of doing so
How does diversity relate to
business communication?
Culture
 Our understanding of acceptable actions and
beliefs
High-context culture or Lowcontext culture
High-context or Low-context
 High-context cultures: indirectness,
politeness, ambiguity
(Examples: Japan, United Arab Emirates)
 Low-context cultures: directness,
confrontation, clarity
(Examples: German, Canada, the United
States)
High-context culture VS.
Low-context culture
Source: ChangingMinds.org, n.d.
Opinion
Way of Life
Punctuality
Contacts
Anger
Party
3 Meals a Day
Queue When Waiting
HSBC’s Advertisement
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALWwK7
Vz4gY
Cross cultural communication
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrJTf97Ev
8o
Is this true?
Source: http://ikarusblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/international-business-reading.html
Gesture Around the World
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa_GCK-
Czqs
Body language, the power is
in the palm of your hands:
Allan Pease at TEDx
Macquarie University
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZZ7k8c
MA-4
How to kill your body
language Frankenstein and
inspire the villagers: Scott
Rouse at TEDxNashville
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro2dgzX
KJfQ
Stereotypes Intercultural
Communication
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQQtoySt
Me4
The Successful Intercultural
Communicator is:
 Aware of the values, beliefs, and practices in




other cultures.
Sensitive to differences among individuals
within a culture.
Aware that his/her preferred values and
behaviors are influenced by culture and are
not necessarily “right.”
Sensitive to verbal and nonverbal behavior.
Flexible and open to change