1. 1
Chapter 3
Communication Skills

2. Learning Objectives
Define Communication, and explain why effective communication is an important management skill
Describe the interpersonal communication process
Understand the importance and appropriate use of written and oral communication
Identify the best means of communication as it pertains to specific situations
Explain the most common mechanisms for communication within the organization
Understand the challenges of communication in international business activities
See Text Page: 55

3. Communication as a Management Skill
The act of exchanging information
Used to inform, command, instruct, assess, influence and persuade
Managers spend three-quarters of their time communicating
See Learning Objective 1: Define Communication, and explain why effective communication is an important management skill
See text page: 56
Communication as a Management Skill
Communication is the act of exchanging information.
It can be used to inform, command, instruct, assess, influence, and persuade.
Managers use communication every day. In fact, they spend as much as three-quarters of their time communicating. Good managers develop effective communication skills.

4. Communication as a Management Skill
Communication is an important skill because managers:
Must give directions
Must motivate
Must convince
Must absorb ideas
Must persuade
See Learning Objective 1: Define Communication, and explain why effective communication is an important management skill
See text page: 56
Communication as a Management Skill
Communicating effectively is an important management skill for several reasons:
Managers must give direction to the people who work for them.
Managers must be able to motivate people.
Managers must be able to convince customers that they should do business with them.
Managers must be able to absorb the ideas of others.
Managers must be able to persuade other people. 4

5. Interpersonal Communication
An interactive process
Transmit information
Sender communicates verbally and nonverbally
Factors can interfere and cause process to fail
See Learning Objective 2: Describe the interpersonal communication process
See text page: 57
Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal communication is an interactive process between individuals that involves sending and receiving verbal and nonverbal messages
The basic purpose of interpersonal communication is to transmit information so that the sender of the message is understood and understands the response of the receiver
The sender creates a message and communicates it both verbally and nonverbally
Many factors can interfere and cause this process to fail. Some causes of interpersonal communication failure are conflicting assumptions, different interpretations, differences in perception, emotions, and poor listening habits.

6. Conflicting or Inappropriate Assumptions
Assuming a receiver understands can create a misunderstanding
Always seek verbal or nonverbal feedback
Interpretation can be a problem
Ensure sender and receiver see and understand in the same way
See Learning Objective 2: Describe the interpersonal communication process
See text page: 58
Conflicting or Inappropriate Assumptions
If one assumes that communication is flowing as intended, one tends to move on with the dialogue without allowing feedback to indicate whether clarity of expression and communication has been achieved.
Good managers and salespeople always seek verbal and nonverbal feedback before continuing the communication process.
Remember the interpretation of meaning can always be a problem when assumptions are involved.
Sound communication usually flows from ensuring that the sender and the receiver see and understand assumptions in the same way.

7. Semantics The study of words and symbols
There is only meaning in people’s reactions
Two general types of problems
Multiple interpretations
Group technical language
Most common form of communication
Words must be carefully chosen
See Learning Objective 2: Describe the interpersonal communication process
See text page: 58
Semantics
Semantics is the science or study of the meanings of words and symbols.
Words themselves have no real meaning. They have meaning only in terms of people’s reactions to them.
The problems involved in semantics are of two general types.
Some words and phrases invite multiple interpretations.
Another problem is that groups of people in specific situations often develop their own technical language, which outsiders may or may not understand.
Words are the most common form of interpersonal communication.
Because of the real possibility of misinterpretation, words must be carefully chosen and clearly defined for effective communication.

8. Perception and Emotions
Mental and sensory processes
Perception is unique
Stimulus
Sense organs respond
People tend to listen to only part of the message
Emotions
Emotions effect the communication process
Setting is important
Good communication is emotional and physical
See Learning Objective 2: Describe the interpersonal communication process
See text page: 59-60
Perception
Perception deals with the mental and sensory processes an individual uses in interpreting information she or he receives.
Since each individual’s perception is unique, people often perceive the same situation in different ways.
Perception begins when the sense organs receive a stimulus. The stimulus is the information received.
The sense organs respond to, shape, and organize the information received.
Different people perceive the same information differently because no two people have the same personal experiences, memories, likes, and dislikes.
People tend to listen to only part of the message, blocking out the rest for any number of reasons.
Emotions either Preceding or during Communication
Anger, joy, fear, sorrow, disgust, or panic can all affect the way we send or receive messages.
The setting for the communication piece is obviously important.
Managers with good communication skills strive to manage the emotional as well as the physical communication environment.

9. Learning to Communicate
Communicate in writing and verbally
Understanding the Audience
Determine the audience
Answer the following questions about the audience
What does the audience already know?
Want to know?
What is its capacity for absorbing information?
What does it hope to gain?
Friendly or hostile?
See Learning Objective 2: Describe the interpersonal communication process
See text page: 60-61
Learning to Communicate
Managers communicate in writing and verbally. Before they can master either form of communication, they must be able to identify the audience, develop good listening skills, and understand the importance of feedback and nonverbal communication.
Understanding the Audience
Managers need to determine their audience.
Specifically, they need to be able to answer the following questions:
What does the audience already know?
What does it want to know/
What is its capacity for absorbing information?
What does it hope to gain by listening? Is it hoping to be motivated? Informed? Convinced?
Is the audience friendly or hostile?

10. Developing Good Listening Skills
Good skills = absorbed information
Learn to listen actively
Most people do not listen actively
Learning involves the following:
Identify purpose
Identify idea
Note tone and body language
Respond
See Learning Objective 2: Describe the interpersonal communication process
See text page: 61-62
Developing Good Listening Skills
Good listening skills enable managers to absorb the information they need, recognize problems, and understand other peoples viewpoints.
Managers need to learn to listen actively. Active listening involves absorbing what another person is saying and responding to the person’s concerns.
Most people do not listen actively.
Learning to listen actively involves the following steps:
Identify the speaker’s purpose.
Identify the speaker’s main ideas.
Note the speaker’s tone as well as his or her body language.
Respond to the speaker with appropriate comments, questions, and body language

11. Feedback Effective communication is a two way process
Feedback – Flow from receiver to sender
Understanding the Importance of Nonverbal Communication
Paralanguage
Gestures
Body posture and eye contact
Nonverbal communication can change the meaning of verbal communication
See Learning Objective 2: Describe the interpersonal communication process
See text page: 62-63
Feedback
Effective communication is a two-way process. Information must flow back and forth between sender and receiver.
The flow from the receiver to the sender is called feedback.
Understanding the Importance of Nonverbal Communication
One form of nonverbal communication is called paralanguage, which includes the pitch, tempo, loudness, and hesitations in the verbal communication.
People also use a variety of gestures in nonverbal communication.
People communicate nonverbally by how close they stand to each other. Body posture and eye contact also communicate messages.
Nonverbal communication is an important supplement to verbal communication and sometimes can even change the meaning of the verbal communication.

12. Written Communication
Think about what needs to be achieved
Identify purpose, audience, and main point to convey
Principles of Good Writing
Three basic principles:
Write simply
Appropriate content and tone
Proofread
See Learning Objective 3: Understand the importance and appropriate use of written and oral communication
See text page: 63-64
Written Communication
To communicate effectively, managers must be able to write clearly, concisely, and persuasively. Managers need to think about what they want to achieve.
They must identify the purpose of the document, the audience, and the main point they want to convey.
Principles of Good Writing
To improve their writing, managers can apply three basic principles:
Write as simply and clearly as possible
Be sure that the content and tone of the document are appropriate for the audience
Proofread the document

13. Oral Communication The Importance of Oral Communication
Most business communication is done orally
Formal and informal oral communication
The Importance of Oral Communication
Communicate effectively
Set tone
Developing Oral Communication
6 rules of thumb
See Learning Objective 3: Understand the importance and appropriate use of written and oral communication
See text page: 64-65
Oral Communication
Most business communication is done orally.
Some oral communication is formal and takes place during meetings or interviews. Most oral communication is informal. It takes place in offices and hallways.
The Importance of Oral Communication
Successful managers use their oral communication skills to give clear instructions, motivate their staff, and persuade other people.
Being able to communicate effectively also is important because it can set the tone within a department or company.
Developing Oral Communication
All businesspeople need to be able to speak effectively.
They need to follow some rules of thumb:
Make emotional contact with listeners by addressing them by name where possible.
Avoid speaking in monotone.
Be enthusiastic and project a positive outlook.
Avoid interrupting others.
Always be courteous.
Avoid empty sounds or words, such as “uh,” “um,” “like,” and “you know.”

14. Choosing the Best Method of Communication
Managers should master both written and verbal
Understand when to use each kind of skill
Verbal
Written
See Learning Objective 4: Identify the best means of communication as it pertains to specific situations
See text page: 65-66
Choosing the Best Method of Communication
Managers need to master both written and verbal communication skills.
They also need to understand when to use each kind of skill.
Verbal communication is most appropriate for sensitive communications, such as reprimanding or dismissing an employee.
Written communication is most appropriate for communicating routine information, such as changes in company policies or staff.

15. Communicating within the Organization
The Grapevine
Informal channels within the organization
Often accurate
Will always exist
High-speed exchange
Advantages
See Learning Objective 5: Explain the most common mechanisms for communication within the organization
See text page: 66-67
The Grapevine
Informal channels of communication in an organization are generally referred to as the grapevine. Grapevines develop within organizations when employees share common hobbies, hometowns, lunch breaks, family ties, and social relationships.
The does not follow organizational hierarchy and is often accurate. Information in the grapevine travels more rapidly than information in the formal channels of communication.
Grapevine will always exist and management should use it to complement formal channels of communication.
Especially valuable to communication in today’s organizations is the used of electronic mail systems, or , which provide for high-speed exchange of written messages.
The advantages of are:
Saves time
Eliminates wasted effort
Provides written records of communications without the formality of memos
Enables communication among individuals who might not communicate otherwise

16. The Internet Intranets Public Interconnected computers
Information superhighway
Massive amounts of information
Intranets
Private
“Information Hub”
See Learning Objective 5: Explain the most common mechanisms for communication within the organization
See text page: 67-68
The Internet
The Internet is a global collection of independently operating but interconnected computers.
Frequently referred to as the information superhighway, the Internet is actually a collection of computer networks.
The real value of the Internet to managers is the information that it makes available. Through the Internet, managers can access massive amounts of information by accessing computers around the world.
The Intranet
An intranet is a private, corporate computer network that uses Internet products and technologies to provide multimedia applications within organizations.
An intranet connects people to people and people to information and knowledge within the organization; it serves as an “information hub” for the entire organization.

17. Communication in International Business Activities
More complicated
Different languages
Leading international language
Cultural differences
No simple answers
Two things a manager should do:
Learn the culture
Write and speak clearly
See Learning Objective 6: Understand the challenges of communication in international business activities
See text page: 69
Communication in International Business Activities
Communication in international business activities becomes more complicated during the verbal and nonverbal communication processes.
In verbal communication, the obvious problem of dealing with different languages exists. More than 3,000 languages are spoken, and about 100 of those are official languages of different nations.
English is the leading international language, and its leadership continues to grow.
The nonverbal communication process is even more complicated because cultural differences play a significant role in nonverbal communication.
There are no simple answers to the problems of communicating in international business activities.
However, there are two things a manager should do:
Learn the cultures of the people with whom he or she communicates
Write and speak clearly and simply