1. Principles of Business Communication
Overview
Communication Skills
Nonverbal communication
Oral communication
Written communication
Interpersonal Applications
Business Applications

2. Why Study Communication?
The Only Completely Portable Skill
You will use it in every relationship
You will need it regardless of your career path
The “Information Age”
The history of civilization is the history of information
Language and written documents facilitate the transfer of information and knowledge through time and space

3. Why Study Communication?
Your Quality of Life Depends Primarily on Your Communication Skills
You Cannot Be Too Good at Communication
People Overestimate Their Own Communication Skills

4. We Want Others to Change

5. What Is Communication? Transfer of Meaning—No
Influence of Mental Maps—Yes
Redundant
Visual
Auditory
Kinesthestic
Energetic

6. What Is Communication? Conscious and Intentional Nonverbal Verbal
Unconscious and Unintentional

7. Unconscious Processing
Conscious Processing = 7±2/Second
Unconscious Processing = 200,000,000/Sec.
Short-term Memory
Long-term Memory
Habits
Physical
Mental

8. Habits Learned Behavior Established Over Time Practice Self-talk
Change

9. Learning Unconscious Incompetence Conscious Incompetence
Conscious Competence
Unconscious Competence
Mastery

10. External Reality The Map is Not the Territory Models of the World
We delete information
We distort information
We generalize
We assign meaning
Models of the World

11. Sensory Data The Building Blocks of Subjective Experience
What we see
What we hear
What we touch, taste, and smell
The Four-tuple
Meanings and Memories

12. Filtering Experience Primary Mediation Secondary Mediation
Genetic predisposition
Conditioning
Personal profiles of behavioral type
Beliefs, values, core questions, and core metaphors
Physical and mental state

13. Perception Can Be Tricky

14. The Communication Process
Message
Decision-
Making
Decision-
Making
Filters
Beliefs
Values
Questions &
Metaphors
Beh. Type
State
Filters
Beliefs
Values
Questions &
Metaphors
Beh. Type
State
Sensory Data
Meaning
Meaning
Sensory Data
Encoding
Encoding
Sender
Receiver
Channel
The Bowman Communication Model,

15. Metaphor: The Language of Perception
Metaphors and Similes
My love is a flower.
My love is like a flower.
Core Metaphors
Argument is war
Business is war
Business is a sport or a game
Business is a building

16. Core Metaphors Metaphors, Similes, and Analogies Perceptual Filters
Common Operational Metaphors
Time is…
Learning is…
Men/Women are…
Success is...
Life is…

17. Experience, Language, and Meaning
Mental Maps
Sensory Data
Experience

18. Symbol Systems 1+1=2 Language Mathematics Money Words and sentences
Meaning and labels
Mathematics
Money
1+1=2

19. History of Communication
Nonverbal: 150,000 years
Oral: ,000 years
Written: ,000 years
Early writing: BC
Egyptian hieroglyphics: BC
Phoenician alphabet: to 2000 BC
Book printing in China: 600 BC
Book printing in Europe: AD

20. Communicating Meaning
Physiology and Appearance: 55 percent
Paralanguage: percent
Language: percent

21. Sensory Data and Mental Maps
Bridge Between Internal and External
Internal and External Processing
Internal Processing
Posture and breathing
Language and paralanguage
Eye accessing cues

22. Sensory Modalities Visual Auditory Kinesthetic Touch Taste Smell
Emotional responses (feelings)

23. Preferred Sensory Modalities
People Use All Their Available Senses
Some Prefer Visual
Some Prefer Auditory
Some Prefer the Kinesthetic Cluster
Senses of touch, taste, and smell
Associated emotional responses
Some Prefer “Digital” Processing

24. Visuals Vocabulary Physiology and Appearance Paralanguage
I see what you mean.
It looks good to me.
Let’s stay focused on the problem.
She has a bright future.
He’s always in a fog.
Physiology and Appearance
Paralanguage

25. Auditories Vocabulary Physiology and Appearance Paralanguage
I hear what you are saying.
It sounds good to me.
Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
That’s music to my ears.
He’s always blowing his own horn.
Physiology and Appearance
Paralanguage

26. Kinesthetics (Kinos) Vocabulary Physiology and Appearance Paralanguage
I can grasp the concept, and it feels right to me.
It smells fishy to me.
It left me with a bad taste in my mouth.
She’s still rough around the edges.
He’s a smooth operator.
Physiology and Appearance
Paralanguage

27. Eye Accessing Cues Vr Vc Ac Ar Ai K

28. Exercise: Observing Eye Movements
Ask questions that require internal processing.
Visual
Auditory
Kinesthetic
Taste or smell
Touch
Emotions

29. Exercise: Flexibility
Determine your preferred system.
What are you doing when you “think”?
Speak for two minutes using predicates from one sensory modality, then do the the same for each of the other two.
Work in groups and take turns speaking using sense-based predicates in a systematic way.

30. Rapport Finding Commonalities Matching and Mirroring
Values
Vocabulary and paralanguage
Physiology and appearance
Matching and Mirroring
Cross-over Matching
People who are like each other, like each other.

31. Developing Rapport Nonverbal (what you see and do)
Physiology
Appearance
Congruence
Verbal (what you hear and say)
Sense-based predicates
Values, beliefs, and criteria
Voice tone and rate of speech

32. Reading Nonverbal Messages
Sensory Acuity
Agree and Disagree
Posture and Movement
Associated or dissociated
Bodily response

33. Exercises: Rapport Matching and Mirroring Observing others Practicing
Calibration
Like/dislike
Yes/no

35. Congruence Physiology Nonverbal and Verbal Messages “Parts” Groups
Left/right body
Left/right brain
Nonverbal and Verbal Messages
“Parts”
Groups

36. Strategies The Structure of Subjective Experience Learned Behavior
Four-tuples
Syntax
Learned Behavior
TOTE (Test, Operate, Test, Exit)
Habits
Skills

37. Common Strategies Accommodate Spelling Making Decisions Communicating
Auditory (spell “phonics” phonetically)
Visual
Making Decisions
Communicating
Listening and speaking
Writing
Accommodate

38. Decision-making Strategies
Purchasing
An inexpensive product
Dinner in a nice restaurant
An expensive product or service
Relationships
Career Choices

39. Communication Strategy, 1 & 2
Pace
Match (nonverbally and verbally)
Meet expectations
Lead
Set direction
Maintain interest
Maintain rapport

40. Communication Strategy, 3 & 4
Blend Outcomes
Understand objectives and desires
Create win-win solutions
Motivate
Clarify who does what next
Future-pace possibilities
Presuppose positive results

41. Exercise: Eliciting Strategies
Ordering a Meal in a Restaurant
Learning Something New
Teaching Something for the First Time

42. Personal Profiles Achiever Communicator Specialist Perfectionist A C P

43. Profile Characteristics
Achiever
Likes to set goals, challenge the environment and win.
Sees life as a competition.
Communicator
Likes to achieve results by working with and through people.
Finds more enjoyment in the process than in the results.
Specialist
Likes to plan work and relationships.
Finds enjoyment in knowing what to expect.
Perfectionist
Enjoys jobs requiring attention to detail.
Complies with authority and tries to provide the “right” answer.

44. Metaprograms Action — Initiate or Respond
Direction — Toward or Away From
Source — Internal or External
Conduct — Rule Follower or Breaker

45. More Metaprograms Response — Match or Mismatch
Scope — Global or Specific
Cognitive Style — Thinking or Feeling
Confirmation — VAK and Times

46. Exercise: Eliciting Metaprograms
Metaprograms are revealed by
Nonverbal messages
Language
Question s
What do you mean?
How do you know?
What’s important to you about that?

47. Changing Behavior Patterns and Pattern Interrupts
Anchors and Anchoring
Stimulus-response conditioning
Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic anchors
Advanced Language Patterns
The Metamodel
The Milton Model

48. Exercise: Anchoring Setting Anchors Kinesthetic Visual Auditory
Stacking Anchors
Collapsing Anchors
Using Sliding Anchors

49. The Structure of Subjective Experience
Sorting for Time
Past, present, and future
Timelines
Sorting for Like and Dislike
Creating and Changing Meaning

50. Modalities and Submodalities
Visual Submodalities
Location, size, distance, brightness, point of view
Color or black & white, moving or still
Auditory Submodalities
Location, tone, rate, pitch, inflection, rhythm
Language, voice (your voice, the voice of a parent)
Kinesthetic Submodalities
Location, strength, duration, movement
Quality (warm, cold, “tingly,” etc.)

51. Exercise: Changing Submodalities
Select something, someone, or an activity you want to like better.
Elicit submodalities for
Things you like.
Things you dislike.
Change the submodalities with which you represent the thing, person, or activity.

52. Belief Systems Cultural Parental Group Individual Global (Identity)
Cause-effect
If X, then Y
If I study, then I will...
Rules
Can/can’t
Must/must not
Should/should not

53. Values A Type of Belief Hierarchical Either Positive or Negative
Something desired
Something to avoid
Congruent or Incongruent

54. Core Questions Remain Out of Conscious Awareness Focus Attention
Influence Interpretation of Events
Influence Psychological State
Influence the Range of Possibilities

55. Exercise: Belief and Disbelief
Elicit the submodalities of something you believe absolutely.
Elicit the submodalities of something you doubt.
Elicit the submodalities of something you disbelieve.
Select a limiting belief and change its submodalities.

56. Frames and Reframes The Filters That Determine Meaning
Influence State and Behavior
Creating and Changing Frames
Anchoring
Reframing Context
Reframing Content

57. Reframing Context Key Questions Common Context Reframes
Where would the characteristic or behavior be useful?
When would the characteristic or behavior be useful?
What would have to be true for this to be useful?
Common Context Reframes
Rudolph’s red nose
Oil
Procrastination

58. Reframing Content Key Questions Common Content Reframes
What else could this mean (or be)?
What am I missing here?
How can he or she believe that?
How could this mean the opposite of what I thought?
Common Content Reframes
The ugly duckling
Plastic or sawdust
Failure

59. The Metamodel Used to Understand Another’s Mental Maps
Used to Recover Lost Information
Used to Help Correct Distortions
Universal Metamodel Questions
What, who, or how specifically?
What do you mean?
How do you know?
What would happen if you did (or didn’t)?

60. Metamodel “Violations”
Unspecified Nouns
Abstract nouns (a student, teachers)
Nominalizations (freedom, justice)
Unspecified or Missing Pronouns
Someone you know
It’s wrong to think that.

61. Metamodel “Violations”
Unspecified Verbs
You have to learn this.
You will solve your problems.
Unwarranted Generalizations
You never want to do anything.
Politicians are crooks.

62. Metamodel “Violations”
Unwarranted Comparisons
Brand X gives you more.
Sally is the best.
Unwarranted Rules
You can’t do that on television.
Clean your plate.
No pain, no gain.

63. The Milton Model Used to Change Another’s Mental Maps
Used to Create New Possibilities
Used to Influence

64. Milton Model Techniques
Metamodel “Violations”
Unspecified nouns, pronouns, and verbs.
Generalizations
Comparisons
Shifts in referential index

65. More Milton Model Techniques
Presuppositions
Embedded Questions
Embedded Commands
Negative Commands
Metaphors
Quotes
Ambiguities

66. Basic Language Skills My automobile prefers to warm up slowly.
The organization is in excellent shape. For example, the record profits last year.
The company has decided to purchase new furniture.
While busy working at the computer all day was no doubt the cause of her eye strain and stiff neck.

67. More Basic Language Skills
Not only will Alex need to justify his behavior to his boss, but also to the company president.
The data is from “Service Is the Key”, by Eileen Johnson in the May issue of The Journal of Customer Relations.

68. Language Skills for Case 1
As an employee of Con-U-Tel, it is my responsibility to set up our companies annual convention.
I am writing this letter to inquire about your hotel’s accommodations.
How many people can your hotel accommodate at one time?

69. More Language Skills for Case 1
Does your hotel have banquet facilities?
How many conference rooms does your hotel have with audio/visual equipment?
I must have your answer by July 10th so that I can make a decision.
Thank you in advance for sending this and other helpful information.

70. Block Format and Mixed Punctuation
Date goes on left margin
5 January 2004
January 5, 2004
NOT: 1/5/2004 or
Inside address includes the following:
Name of the individual with courtesy title
Professional title and/or office or department
Organization plus “mail stop” information
City, state, and ZIP code information

71. Block Format and Mixed Punctuation—Part 2
Salutation
Dear Ms. Goldman:
Dear Director:
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The signature block includes the following:
An appropriate complimentary close (Sincerely, Cordially, Best Wishes)
The signature of the person who wrote the letter
The typed/printed name of the writer

72. Message Structure for Case 1
Ask the most important question.
What is the make-or-break question?
Why are convention facilities more important than guest rooms?
Why is it important to include the dates in the opening question?
Explain your needs.
What does she need to know to help you?
What does she not need to know?
What is required for transition to the list of secondary questions?

73. More Structure for Case 1
Ask your secondary questions.
What is implied by the numbered list?
How do you ensure that the information you receive will help you make a decision?
Set and justify an end-date.
Is it possible that she can help you in ways you haven’t asked about?
Why do you need a time index to justify a specific end-date?