1
Issues and Trends
in Professional
Communication
Communicating for Change
in the New Economy
• Communication: a transactional and relational process
involving the meaningful exchange of information (p.
4)
• Why is communication important?
o What is the importance of communication in the
current and future workplace? (p. 4)
o How is communication important for you personally
or for your career? (p. 4)
Communicating for Change
in the New Economy
The new, evolving workplace requires:
• Every member of the team to be a skilled
communicator
• Ability to communication in a variety of ways – both
verbal and written
• Communication across numerous channels and media
• Proficiency in using various Information and
Communication technologies (ICTs)
(p. 3)
Communicating for Change
in the New Economy
Contemporary workplaces also emphasize:
- Team work and collaboration
- Collaboration across space and time (geographic
distance and different time zones)
- Ability to work effectively work from home and
other unconventional locations
- Creativity and flexibility
- Critical thinking skills
(p. 3)
Communicating for Change
in the New Economy
Soft Skill: a social, interpersonal, selfmanagement, or language skill that
complements a person’s technical skills.
Hard Skill: a technical skill (know-how and
abilities) that a person requires for a specific
job.
*We need both skill sets – they complement each
other.
(p. 4)
Communicating for Change
in the New Economy, cont’d
• Effective workplace
communication
o Designed for a particular purpose
o Makes difficult concepts easy to understand
o Tailored to the audience
o Flexible in different situations
(p. 4)
Communicating for Change
in the New Economy
The two most important factors to consider
before delivering your message – either in writing,
verbally, or as a presentation:
1. Purpose or goal
2. Audience
Communicating for Change
in the New Economy, cont’d
• Communicators: Key skills
o Read and understand information
o Speak and write effectively
o Listen actively* (we’ll go into this in more detail in a
future lesson)
o Share and manage information via technologies
o Apply knowledge from other disciplines
(p. 5)
Communicating in
the Current Workplace
Teams:
A team is a group whose members have complimentary skills
and work toward a common mission or goal
• Teamwork involves group collaboration
• Technology facilitates communication across locations and time
constraints
• Good communication skills minimize conflict in decision-making
There are different types of teams for different
functions
(pp. 10, 20-21)
Communicating in
the Current Workplace
Advantages of teamwork:
1. Accomplishing tasks or projects too large or too
complex for individuals
2. Forming bonds and a sense of community
3. Different perspectives are effective for evaluating and
solving problems
4. Teams facilitate innovation.
Disadvantages of teamwork:
Personality/style conflicts. Specialized communication
training helps overcome challenges and
boosts team performance.
(p. 21)
Communicating in
the Current Workplace
Types of Teams:
1. Project teams – formed for a time-limited basis to
perform a specific task or project
2. Cross-functional teams – bring together members
from different departments, sectors, areas of
expertise
3. Intact standing teams – exist as ongoing
organization units (example: committees)
4. Virtual teams – collaborate across time and space
barriers in online / virtual environments
(pp. 21-26)
Communicating in
the Current Workplace
- Globalization
- The changing landscape of work
- The Canadian economy, Canadian business, and
contemporary Canadian work environments
- Shift from manufacturing and resource-based economies
to a knowledge-based economy
- Risk society and manufactured risks (piracy, hacking,
cyberwarfare, ransomware, identity theft, scams)
- Risk communication
(pp. 5-7)
The Knowledge Economy
• Disruptive technologies and digital
connectivity
• Disruptive technologies are accessible, affordable
products that begin at the bottom of the market and move
up to displace existing technologies. This impacts
competition and makes some existing products and services
obsolete
• Digital connectivity has changed the way we communicate
across our personal and business relationships through
social networking,
interactive internet (Web 3.0), open
source software, and apps.(pp. 11-12)
New Economies
• Attention economy
o Value in seeking and receiving attention, particularly from consumers
• Distraction economy
o Draw attention away from one source and to another
• Share (peer) economy
o Collaborative consumption,
sharing rather than owning
• Gig economy
o Short-term contracts, casual and temporary work, self-employment, etc.
Lack job security, stable income, and benefits such as health care and
retirement plans.
(pp. 12-13)
Indigenous Economic
Empowerment
Canadians live, work, go to school, play, and enjoy
their lives on unceded traditional territories of First
Peoples. In order to practice reconciliation, it’s
important (and has become standard practice) to
acknowledge the indigenous territory we’re on.
(p. 14)
Thompson Rivers University’s Kamloops
campus is located on the Tk’emlúps te
Secwepemc territory within the unceded
traditional lands of Secwepemcúl’ecw
(Secwepemc Nation).
Professionalism and
Employee Engagement
Professional
A professional is a practitioner in whom others place their
trust.
Professionalism
o Requires demonstration of the level of competences or
skill expected from a professional
o “An ongoing process of social learning that involves
thinking about and carrying out your duties according to a
set of shared values, objectives, norms,
and expectations important to you,
your organization, and its stakeholders.”
(p. 13)
Why Professionalism Is Important
• Act professionally
o Put clients first
o Maintain confidentiality
o Use knowledge for honest, legal, and ethical purposes
• Follow company and industry
guidelines
(pp. 15-16)
Professional Boundaries
and Behaviours
• Personal boundaries
o “The emotional, physical and mental limits
individuals establish to protect themselves
from harm and to set their thoughts and
feelings apart from those of other people.”
(p. 17)
Professional Boundaries
and Behaviours, cont’d
• Professional boundaries
o Define the roles and responsibilities of employees
o Help employees work safely, comfortably and
productively
o Show employees where they stand and what is expected
of them
o Help to minimize conflict with customers or colleagues
o Know your job and role. Do your own job.
(pp. 17-20)
Ethics and Legal Responsibilities
of Business Communication
Business ethics
o “Socially accepted moral principles and rules of
business conduct” for businesses in general.”
Company code of ethics
o Upholds important company values
o Sensitizes managers and staff to how to behave
(pp. 26-29)
Tips for Ethical Communication
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tell the truth
Accept responsibility
Don’t suppress or de-emphasize important information
Offer value for money
Back up your claims
Avoid libel. Libel is printed or recorded defamation characterized by
false negative comments about an individual or organization
• Don’t claim authorship of documents you haven’t written – always
cite sources
• Exercise caution when communicating online.
Everything online creates a permanent record
(pp. 28-29)