Communicating in the Workplace

Communicating in the Workplace

Learning Objectives (1) Explain and/or describe the following concepts:

1. The importance of business communication to you and to business.

2. The ways in which business communication is a form of problem solving.

3. The skills needed by today’s business communicators.

4. Professionalism and its importance to business communicators. 5. The three main categories of business communication.

Learning Objectives (2)

6. The two types of communication networks in an organization.

7. The main factors that affect the types and amount of communicating that an organization does.

8. The contexts for each act of business communication. 9. The business communication process.

Importance

Communication was rated as one of the top attributes desired by employers.

National Association of Colleges and Employers Survey, 2015

Need

1 in 5 projects is unsuccessful

because of ineffective communication.

Project Management Institute, 2013

Communication as Problem Solving When a customer complains . . .

How do I respond? In what format?

When do I respond?

What tone should I use?

What should I say?

Image: © Ingram Publishing / Fotosearch

Problem Solving

Most business communication problems are ill-defined and require

• Research

• Analysis

• Creativity

• Judgment

Test Your Judgment

You work at a startup where two employees have reported sexual harassment, even though no formal policy is in place.

As the Director of Human Resources, you need to announce a new sexual harassment policy.

What do you think is the best medium for this?

• Email? • Memo?

• Presentation? • Workshop?

• Or a combination?

Communication Skills

A Baby Boomer statistical genius who grew up in the inner city and a Millennial designer from the suburbs are assigned to the same team to develop an online marketing campaign.

• What communication skills will they need to work together well?

• What kinds of literacy may present challenges for them?

Workplace Diversity

Lifestyle Academic background

Culture Value

Experience

Gender Life stage

Mid-career recruitment Race

Age

Diversity makes companies stronger and more competitive.

Workplace Diversity Analysis

§Have you ever worked at a company where diversity, from age to lifestyle, was a low priority?

§How did that affect your work experience or the quality of work?

§How did it affect the development of other communication skills?

§How did a lack of diversity affect interpersonal skills?

§How did it relate to attitudes about social responsibility?

A Recipe for Better Companies?

“High-value work” has “an imaginative component.”

Businesses now operate in an age of social accountability.

Trust . . . is critical to the success of business.

Do you agree?

Professionalism

Goes beyond etiquette and social behavior and includes

• Respectful communication

• Loyalty

• Work ethic • Adaptability • Service

“Why didn’t anyone tell me it was casual Friday?”

The goal of good manners “is to build positive relationships that enable a working environment to function in the most favorable way to all concerned.”

Jacqueline Whitmore, Business Etiquette Expert

You Make the Call: Professional or Not?

§A clothing store cashier talks on the in -house headset to a coworker about a demanding customer.

§Your doctor refers to some other patients’ cases (without revealing names) that are similar to your own.

§A bank CEO texts some potential clients to ask them to join him for after -work drinks.

How Professional Is This Email?

Susan,

With the deadline at our doorstep, we are looking for your confirmation you are on it. John reached out via Chatter and email an hour ago, and you still haven’t responded. I also reached out via Chatter.

While I realize your last day is Wednesday, and you had funeral services to attend today, it’s important to maintain communication and keep up your brand. I know John and Leo appreciate you—let’s land on a good note and maintain that strong relationship :)!

—Noelle

Categories of Communication

§Internal-Operational

§External- §Personal Operational

External Audiences

Networks

Formal network

• Well-established along operational lines

• Depends on certain established forms or “genres” in the company

• Planned and managed Informal network

• Complex • Dynamic

§Give an example of a formal network. Who’s in charge? Who is allowed to talk directly to the boss?

§Give an example of an informal network. Who leads the conversations in this network?

Formal vs. Informal Networks

What’s the Culture?

• CEO in blue jeans

• Decision by committee • Open cubicle layout

• Paper reports

• Telecommuting team • Posh boardroom

• Community service sign-ups • Suits

• Paper-free office

Communication Model

Role Play

An executive is in a hurry to get to an important meeting, but construction in his company’s parking lot is blocking his way. Act out a conversation that might happen between the exec and a road worker.

Some people can act out a negative outcome and some can act out a positive outcome. What contexts are at play in this interaction?

Communication Process The sender . . . The receiver . . .

• Senses a need to communicate

• Defines the situation

• Considers possible communication strategies

• Selects course of action

• Composes the message (medium, content, structure, style, form)

• Sends the message

• Receives the message • Interprets it

• Decides on a response

• Replies (becoming a new sender)

Bottom Line

“The goal of business communication is to create a shared understanding of business situations that will enable people to work successfully together.”

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