Business Communication:
Process and Product, 8e
Mary Ellen Guffey and Dana Loewy
Instructor PowerPoint Library, 8e
Ch. 1, Slide 1
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part.
1
Business
Communication in the
Digital Age
Explain how communication skills
fuel career success and understand
why writing skills are vital in a digital
workplace embracing social media.
Ch. 1, Slide 2
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part.
Learning Objective 1
Your pass to success
A hot commodity now
more than ever
A learned ability, not
inborn
Ch. 1, Slide 3
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part. © Scanrail/Fotolia
Communication Skills in a
Complex, Networked World
Most desirable competencies
in employers’ view
Critical to effective job
placement, performance,
and career advancement
“Career sifter,” leading to
great job opportunities or
out the door
Ch. 1, Slide 4
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part.
Communication Skills:
Your Ticket to Work
TOP CHOICES:
Writing
Critical thinking
Problem-solving skills
Self-motivation
Team skills
Source: The MetLife Survey of the American Teacher (2011, May)
Ch. 1, Slide 5
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part.
Communication Skills:
Your Ticket to Work
Two thirds of salaried employees have some
writing responsibility. One third of them do not meet
the writing requirements for their positions.
Source: College Board: The National Commission on Writing (2004, September)
Ch. 1, Slide 6
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© Iadam/Fotolia
Communication Skills:
Your Ticket to Work
Traditional abilities
Reading
Listening
Nonverbal
Speaking
Writing
New requirements
Media savvy
Good judgment online:
• Maintaining positive
image and presence
• Protecting employer’s
reputation
Ch. 1, Slide 7
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part.
What Are
Communications Skills?
Teens and young adults
habitually text, instant
message, blog, and e-mail.
Employers expect more
formal, thoughtful, informative,
and error-free messages.
Workers write their own
messages, and less business
is conducted face-to-face.
Ch. 1, Slide 8
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part. © Marina Zlochin/Fotolia, © denis_pc/Fotolia
Writing in the Digital Age
Writing matters more than ever;
online media require more of it, not
less.
Communicating clearly and
effectively has never been more
important than it is today.
Life-changing critical judgments
about people are being made
based solely on their writing ability.
Ch. 1, Slide 9
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part. © raven/Fotolia
Writing in the Digital Age
“To succeed in today’s workplace, young people
need more than basic reading and math skills.
They need substantial content knowledge and
information technology skills; advanced thinking
skills, flexibility to adapt to change; and
interpersonal skills to succeed in multi-cultural,
cross-functional teams.”
-- J. Willard Marriott, Jr.,
Chairman and CEO, Marriott
International, Inc.
Source: Casner-Lotto et al. (2006, September). Are they ready to work?
Ch.1, Slide 10
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part.
Digital Workplace
Survival Skills
Identify the tools for success in
the hyperconnected 21st century
workplace, and appreciate the
importance of critical thinking
skills in the competitive job
market of the digital age.
Ch. 1, Slide 11
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part.
Learning Objective 2
Knowledge
and
information
workers
engage in
mind work.
Workers of the
future must
make sense of
words, figures,
and data.
Knowledge
available in the
digital universe
doubles every
year.
Talent
shortages
plague even a
bleak U.S.
labor market.
Ch. 1, Slide 12
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part. © Mopic /Fotolia
Tools for Success in the 21st
Century Workplace
As a knowledge worker, you will be
generating, processing, and
exchanging information.
You will need to be able to transmit
information effectively across various
communication channels and media.
You will be expected to make sound
decisions and solve complex
problems.
Ch. 1, Slide 13
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part. © denis_pc/Fotolia
Why Should You Care?
Three out of four jobs will involve
some form of mind work.
m-commerce
(mobile
technology
businesses)
e-commerce
(Internet-based
businesses)
Brick-and-mortar
commerce
(traditional
businesses)
Ch. 1, Slide 14
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part. © Andrey/Fotolia, © canrail/Fotolia
Jobs for Knowledge Workers
Thinking creatively and critically means:
Having opinions backed up
by reasons and evidence
Anticipating and solving
problems
Making decisions and
communicating them
effectively
Ch. 1, Slide 15
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part. © Petr Vaclavek/Fotolia
Thinking Critically in the
Digital Age
1
2
3
Explore the
Challenge
Generate
Ideas
Implement
Solutions
Identify the
challenge.
Come up with
many ideas to
solve the problem
Select and
strengthen
solutions.
Gather information
and clarify the
problem.
Pick the most
promising ideas
Plan how to bring
your solution to life
and implement.
Ch. 1, Slide 16
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part.
Osborn-Parnes Creative
Problem Solving Process
Being proactive and
exercising control
over your career.
Forging your own career
path and developmental
experiences
Finding fewer nine-to-five
jobs, predictable raises,
lifetime security, and
conventional workplaces.
Ch. 1, Slide 17
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part. © denis_pc/Fotolia
What You Can Expect in
Tomorrow’s Workplace
Working for multiple
employers, even
Keeping up with
changing careers.
evolving
technologies.
Needing constant
training and
lifelong learning.
Managing and
guarding your
reputation at the
office and online.
Ch. 1, Slide 18
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part. © denis_pc/Fotolia
What You Can Expect in
Tomorrow’s Workplace
What makes the “perfect” job candidate in a
gloomy economy?
Fundamental criteria:
required major,
course work, and GPA
Strong work
ethic and
initiative
Communication
skills
Ability to work in
a team.
Ch. 1, Slide 19
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part. © denis_pc/Fotolia
Succeeding in a Volatile,
Competitive Job Market
Describe significant trends in
today’s dynamic, networked
work environment, and
recognize that social media and
other communication
technologies require excellent
communication skills,
particularly in an uncertain
economy.
Ch. 1, Slide 20
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part.
Learning Objective 3
To connect
with
consumers
To invite
feedback
To improve
products
and
services
To announce
promotions
To draw traffic to and events
blogs, tweets, the
company website,
To respond
and online
to crises
communities
Ch. 1, Slide 21
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part. © Maksym Yemelyanov/Fotolia
Social Media and Changing
Communication Technologies
Word of mouth,
positive and negative,
can travel instantly at
the speed of a few
mouse clicks.
Ch. 1, Slide 22
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© TAlex/Fotolia
Social Media and Changing
Communication Technologies
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© Sashkin/Fotolia
Anytime, Anywhere:
24/7/365 Availability
The challenges of relentless
connectedness across time zones
and distances:
Working long hours without extra
compensation
Being available practically anywhere
and anytime
Living with an increasingly blurry line
between work and leisure
Remaining tethered to the workplace
with electronic devices around the clock
Ch. 1, Slide 23
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© Sashkin/Fotolia
Anytime, Anywhere:
24/7/365 Availability
The challenges of relentless
connectedness across time zones
and distances:
The physical office is extending its
reach by becoming mobile and
always “on.”
Americans work 50 percent more
than their colleagues in other
industrialized nations while enjoying
the shortest paid vacations.
A networked, information-driven
workforce never goes “off duty” in an
organization that “never sleeps.”
Ch. 1, Slide 24
Factors that prompted companies to move to
emerging markets around the world:
Rise of new
communication
technologies
Removal of trade
barriers
Advanced forms
of transportation
Saturated local
markets
Ch. 1, Slide 25
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© denis_pc/Fotolia,
The Global Market Place and
Competition
Requirements for successful communicators in
new markets:
Understanding different
customs, lifestyles, and
business practices
Coping with challenges of multiple
time zones, vast distances, and
different languages
Developing new skills
and attitudes
Practicing cultural awareness,
flexibility, and patience
Ch. 1, Slide 26
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© smarques27/Fotolia, © MichaelBrown/Foltolia
The Global Market Place and
Competition
Cost savings and efficiency
Fewer layers between managers
and line workers
Shorter lines of communication
Faster decision making
Quick response to market
changes
Ch. 1, Slide 27
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part. © Kheng Guan Toh/Fotolia
Shrinking Management Layers:
Advantages
The digital revolution has
connected us horizontally.
Even rank-and-file workers
shoulder more responsibility.
Frontline employees must think
critically and make decisions.
Nearly everyone is a writer and
communicator.
Ch. 1, Slide 28
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part. © eng Guan Toh/Fotolia
Shrinking Management Layers:
Disadvantages
What cross-functional teams do:
 Involve empowered employees in decision
making
 Form as stable units with the same participants
 Learn to work well together over time
Ch. 1, Slide 29
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part. © Anatoly Maslennikov/Fotolia
Collaborative Environments
and Teaming
What project-based teams do:
 Meet ad hoc to solve a particular problem
 Disband after meeting their objectives
 Face challenges of diverse makeup and
dispersed members
Ch. 1, Slide 30
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part. © jojje11/Fotolia
Collaborative Environments
and Teaming
70
60
Percent
50
65%
60%
46%
40
30%
30
19%
16%
20
13% 13% 13%
10
8%
6%
5%
0
White NonHispanics
Hispanics
2010
2020
African
Americans
2050
Asian and
Pacific
Islanders
Ch. 1, Slide 31
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part.
Growing Population Diversity
Benefits consumers, work teams, and
businesses
A diverse staff is better able to respond to an
increasingly diverse customer base locally and
globally.
Team members with various experiences are
more likely to create products that consumers
demand.
Consumers want to deal with companies
respecting their values.
Ch. 1, Slide 32
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part. © Moneca/Fotolia
Growing Workforce Diversity
Mobile and
decentralized
workspaces
“Coworking,”
sharing
communal
office space
as needed
Flexible work
arrangements
“Work
shifters,” a
new breed of
telecommuter
Anytime,
anywhere
office enabled
by technology
Ch. 1, Slide 33
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part. © nattstudio/Fotolia
Virtual and Nonterritorial
Offices
Examine critically the internal and
external flow of communication in
organizations through formal and
informal channels, explain the
importance of effective media
choices, and understand how to
overcome typical barriers to
organizational communication.
Ch. 1, Slide 34
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part.
Learning Objective 4
Smart
electronic
devices
Mobility
Social media
networks,
Web 2.0
Interactivity
Biggest shift:
One-sided, slow
forms of
communication
Interactive,
instant, paperless
communication
Ch. 1, Slide 35
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part. © Andrey/Fotolia, © TAlex/Fotolia © tashatuvango/Fotolia,
The Networked Office in a
Hyperconnected World
The more helpful cues and immediate feedback
the medium provides the richer and less
ambiguous it is:
RICH:
Face-to-face
and telephone
conversation
Complex issues,
sensitive subjects
LEAN:
Written media
(e-mail, letter,
memo, note,
report)
Routine,
unambiguous
problems
Ch. 1, Slide 36
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part. © Dark Vectorangel/Fotolia
Media Richness
Definition: The degree to which people are
engaged online and ready to connect with others
Media with high social presence convey warmth
and are personal.
HIGH in synchronous
communication:
LOW in asynchronous
communication:
face to face
e-mail
video conference
social media post
live chat
Ch. 1, Slide 37
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part.
Social Presence
Horizontal Communication
Among workers at same level
Task coordination
Problem solving
Conflict resolution
Idea generation
Team building
Goals clarification
Ch. 1, Slide 38
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part. © nataliasheinkin/Fotolia
Information Flow in Organizations
Upward
Communication
Downward
Communication
From subordinates to
management
Product feedback
Customer data
Progress reports
Suggestions
Problems
Clarification
From management
to subordinates
Policy procedures
Directives
Job plans
Mission goals
Motivation
Ch. 1, Slide 39
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part. © leremy/Fotolia, © Emir Simsek/Fotolia
Information Flow in Organizations
 Create smaller operating units and work
teams
 Shorten long chains of communication
 Provide greater transparency through
company publications, meetings, blogs,
internal social networks, intranet, videos,
podcasts, and other channels
 Provide an open, trusting environment for
the sharing of ideas
 Encourage regular meetings with staff
Ch. 1, Slide 40
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part.
Overcoming Barriers to
Effective Communication
 Train managers and employees to improve
communications skills
 Establish hotline and ombudsman
programs
 Train employees in teamwork and
communication techniques
 Establish fair reward system for individual
and team achievement
 Encourage full participation in teams
Ch. 1, Slide 41
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part.
Overcoming Barriers to
Effective Communication
The grapevine: gossip from the
break room to the water cooler to
social media




Carries unofficial messages
Flows haphazardly
Can be remarkably accurate
Is mostly disliked by
management
 Thrives where official
information is limited
Ch. 1, Slide 42
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part. © lenka/Fotolia
Informal Communication
Channels
Analyze ethics in the workplace,
understand the goals of ethical
business communicators,
recognize and avoid ethical traps,
and be able to choose the tools
for doing the right thing.
Ch. 1, Slide 43
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part.
Learning Objective 5
Abide by
the law
Tell the
truth
Label
opinions
Give
credit
Be objective
Communicate
clearly
Use inclusive
language
Ch. 1, Slide 44
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part. © Marek/Fotolia
Goals of Ethical Business
Communicators
Common ethical traps to avoid on the job
The false necessity trap:
Convincing yourself that no other
choices exist
The doctrine-of-relativefilth trap:
Comparing your unethical behavior
with someone else’s even more
unethical behavior
Ch. 1, Slide 45
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part. © denis_pc/Fotolia
Overcoming Obstacles to
Ethical Decision Making
Common ethical traps to avoid on the job
The ends-justify-the-means trap:
Using unethical methods to accomplish a goal
The self-deception trap:
Persuading yourself, for example, that a lie is
not really a lie
The rationalization trap:
Justifying unethical actions with excuses
Ch. 1, Slide 46
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part. © denis_pc/Fotolia
Overcoming Obstacles to
Ethical Decision Making
Five questions to guide
ethical decisions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Is the action legal?
Would you do it if you were on the opposite side?
Can you rule out a better alternative?
Would a trusted advisor agree?
Would family, friends, employer, or coworker
approve?
Ch. 1, Slide 47
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part.
Choosing Tools for Doing
the Right Thing
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part. © denis_pc/Fotolia
End
Ch. 1, Slide 48