Business Communication for Success Chapter 1
1.1.1 Where is the
safest place to learn
effective
communication skills
and why?
1.2.1 How is
communication
important in gaining
a better
understanding of
yourself and others?
1.2.2 How do
communication skills
help you solve
problems, learn new
things, and build your
career?
1.3.1 What is
communication and
its process?
1.3.2 What are each
of the eight essential
components of
communication?
1.3.3 What are the
two models of
communication and
how do they work?
1.4.1 What are the
five types of
communication
contexts?
It’s safest to learn effective communication skills in the classroom because it
takes preparation, practice, and persistence. Although learning through
experience is valuable, an unskilled learning experience on the job mean getting
fired. Developing new ideas and skills about effective communication through a
classroom experience will help give “skills, confidence, and preparation to use”
in furthering your career.
It’s important to realize that there are many ways in which we all
communicate—through speaking, writing, clothing, gestures, tone, etc. You need
to be cognizant of the messages you are sending by everything you say and do.
You can use these same self-awareness skills to read other people by what they
say and do to better understand their values and priorities.
Communication skills are the number one desired skills in business—no matter
what the profession for the most part, followed by strong work ethic, teamwork,
initiative, and analytical skills. Communicating the right questions and productive
discussions can help solve problems and advance your career: assess the
situation, look for possible communication strategies, evaluate the options and
decide on the best course of action, carefully construct the appropriate message
and figure out how to deliver it in the most effective way.
Communication is “the process of understanding and sharing meaning” (8) It is a
process in that there are many steps and variables in developing understanding
between or among people or even within oneself. Examples of these variables
are word meaning, audience, perspective, feedback, and message.
1. Source: the sender of information including words, tone, body language.
2. Message: information being conveyed through words, style, organization, etc.
3. Channel: how the message travels—visually, spoken, or written.
4. Receiver: the person who gets the message, intended or not.
5. Feedback: verbal and/or nonverbal response to a message that gives
information to the source.
6. Environment: physical & psychological aspects of the communication context.
7. Context: what’s going on and what’s expected, sometimes created through
environment.
8. Interference: “noise”; anything, internal or external, that prevents the
intended message from getting through.
1. transactional: process in which source and receiver are communicating
simultaneously, playing both roles at the same time—for example, speaking and
watching for feedback at the same time or listening and sending feedback.
2. constructivist: process of using negotiated meaning or common ground for
determining meaning, for example, cultural differences in word or phrase
meaning.
1. intrapersonal: “self-talk”; communication with yourself—thinking, imagining,
reflecting, etc.
2. interpersonal: communication between two people, formal or informal,
personal or impersonal.
3. group: “a dynamic process where a small number of people engage in a
conversation” (14). About 3-8 people.
Business Communication for Success Chapter 1
4. public: a speaker for a small or large group of people; may include exchange of
information, but different rules apply than within a group.
5. mass: sending a single message to a group of people like a commercial or news
story.
1.5.1 What are the
two main
responsibilities of a
business
communicator and
what are examples of
each?
1. Prepared: organized, clear, concise and punctual: appropriate topic for specific
audience, researched data, logical sequence, and reviewed and revised. For
example, if I am asked to teach a group of new teachers how to use the
electronic grade book, I would need to review the steps to getting started, think
about the most basic, need-to-know information, and prepare some written
step-by-step instructions for them to follow on their own. I should practice my
presentation by going through it with someone who doesn’t know how to use
the program, like my husband, to make sure my instructions are clear and easy
to follow. I would also take this opportunity to make sure that I could teach him
everything he needed to know within my allotted amount of time and make any
adjustments necessary to meet the needs of my specific audience.
2. Ethical: following culturally accepted principles and conduct. Being egalitarian,
respectful, and trustworthy. For example, be careful to construct a message that
everyone in the audience can understand, that is accurate, and that tells the
whole story. If you don’t know something, say so.