Study Sheet Chapter 1 - Summary Professional & Business Communication PDF

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Download Study Sheet Chapter 1 - Summary Professional & Business Communication PDF

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Chapter 1 – Understanding Business Communication in Today’s Workplace Objectives: 1. Define communication and explain the importance of effective business communication. (1 – 2) a. Communication is the process of sending and receiving information from one person to another through the means of oral, written, visual, or electronic channels. The importance of effective business communication is that the messages will be factual and concise; therefore, this will build strong relationships between managers and employees and will develop a strong customer-base with consumers (customers, retails) 2. Explain what it means to communicate as a professional in a business context. (4) a. Professionalism defined as acting and performing accordingly to the business standards. This means that you perform at a high-level conduct with purpose and pride. An example of this would be: a young and recent Memorial University graduate goes to an interview for Air Canada for the position as a telecommunications officer. He or she is expected to conduct herself in a professional manner and communicate according to her set of skills and background. 3. Describe the communication process model and the ways that social media are changing the nature of business communication. (7 – 8) a. The sender has an idea b. The sender encodes the idea as a message c. The sender produces the message in a transmittable medium d. The sender transmits the message through a channel e. The audience receives the message f. The receiver decodes the message g. The receiver responds the to the message h. The receiver provides feedback. i. This process consists of eight steps that we take to communicate successfully. Everything begins with the sender and ends with the receiver. The sender first has an idea, encoding of a message, then choosing a channel through which the message wants to be sent, after which the receivers gets the message and decodes it, and finally giving back a response to the sender. I personally believe that social media has changed the nature of business communication. A way in which social media has changed business communication would be immediacy. A personal example of immediacy would be when I had privately messaged a fashion boutique outlet in Belize concerning an item that I wanted to purchase. I would think that someone is in front of the computer or with a phone in

their hand that the business would respond to be immediately that never really is the case. 4. Define ethics and explain the difference between an ethical dilemma and an ethical lapse, and list six guidelines for making ethical communication choices. (10 – 11) a. Ethics are the accepted principles and guidelines developed by society that oversee behavior within communities. The difference between ethical dilemma and ethical lapse is that ethical dilemma is that ethical dilemma involves choosing among alternatives that aren’t clear-cut (grey area) and ethical lapse is a clearly unethical choice. The six guidelines for making ethical communication choices are: i. Define the situation fairly and accurately ii. Make clear your intention in communicating the message iii. The impact this message will have on other people who receive it or who might be affected by it iv. Ask yourself if the assumptions made will change overtime v. Make yourself decision comfortable with your own decision 5. Explain how cultural diversity affects business communication and describe the steps you can take to communicate more effectively across cultural boundaries. a. Throughout our working years, we will experience the melting pot of different cultures within the workforce. This doesn’t necessarily mean religion or ethnicity, but it also includes age, sexual orientation, and attitudes. An example of how this would affect business communication would be customs. Two people are meeting for the first time, a Latina woman and a Muslim woman. These two women come from two very different backgrounds. The Latina woman would greet by wanting to hug or kiss you while the Muslim woman would greet by shaking hands or simply exchanging hellos. Steps we can take to communicate more effectively are: i. Avoid ethnocentrism – the tendency to judge all other groups according to the standards and behaviors. ii. Avoid stereotyping iii. Don’t assume what others think iv. Accept differences and don’t judge v. Learn how to communicate and respect cultures vi. Tolerate ambiguity and control frustration vii. Don’t be distracted by superficiality viii. Be prepared to habit and attitudes ix. Observe and learn 6. List four general guidelines for using communication technology effectively. a. Keep technology in perspective b. Using tools productively c. Guarding against information overload

d. Reconnecting with people frequently...