Study Guide-Business Comm.

Test #1-Chapters 1,2,4,5,6,7,8

Chapter three will not be on Test #1
50 questions-true/false and multiple choice
Questions from chapters, lectures and activities
Chapter #1
-What employers expect from you
Employers expect you to possess a wide range of communication skills.
-The Basic Communication Model

-Barriers to communication
noise and distractions
competing messages
filters
channel breakdowns
-Decoding of messages-perception
Selective perception occurs when people ignore or distort incoming
information to fit their preconceived notions of reality.
-Business Communication 1.0 versus 2.0

-Four guidelines for using communication technology

1. keep technology in perspective
2. guard against information overload and information addiction
3. use technological tools productively
4. disengage from the computer frequently to communicate in person.
-Ethical communication
includes all relevant information, is true in every sense, and is not deceptive
in any way.
Chapter #2
-Advantages and disadvantages of teams
Advantages
Disadvantages
Increased information and
Groupthink
knowledge.
Hidden agendas
Increased diversity of views.
Excessive cost
Increased acceptance of a
solution.
Higher performance levels.
-Five phases of Team Evolution

-How to resolve conflict in a team

Proactive behavior Deal with minor conflict before it becomes major

conflict.
Communication Get those directly involved in a conflict to participate in
resolving it.
Openness Get feelings out in the open before dealing with the main
issues.
Research Seek factual reasons for a problem before seeking solutions.
Flexibility Dont let anyone lock into a position before considering other
solutions.
Fair play Insist on fair outcomes and dont let anyone avoid a fair solution
by hiding behind the rules.
Alliance Get opponents to fight together against an outside force
instead of against each other.

-Guidelines for writing in a team

Select collaborators carefully.
Agree on project goals before
you start.
Give your team time to bond
before diving in.
Clarify individual
responsibilities.
-Constructive feedback

Establish clear processes.

Avoid composing as a group.
Make sure tools and techniques
are ready and compatible
across the team.
Check to see how things are
going along the way.

-Preparing and conducting efficient meetings

Preparing
Conducting
clarify your purpose
keep discussion on track
select the right participants
follow agreed upon rules
choose the venue and time
encourage participation
set a clear agenda.
participate actively
close effectively
-Different types of listening
content listening is to understand and retain the information in the
speakers message
critical listening is to understand and evaluate the meaning of the speakers
message on several levels.
empathic listening is to understand the speakers feelings, needs, and wants
so that you can appreciate his or her point of view
active listening making a conscious effort to turn off their own filters and
biases to truly hear and understand what the other party is saying.
-The listening process
1. Receiving Start by physically hearing the message and recognizing it as
incoming information.
2. Decoding Assign meaning to sounds, according to your own values,
beliefs, ideas, expectations, roles, needs, and personal history.
3. Remembering Store the information for future processing.

4. Evaluating Evaluate the quality of the information.

5. Responding React based on the situation and the nature of the
information.
-Nonverbal communication
facial expression
gesture and posture
vocal characteristics
personal appearance
touch
time and space
Chapter #4
-The three step writing Process
-The five steps in the planning stage
-The two steps in the writing stage
-The five steps in the completion stage

-Four questions utilized to assist in defining your purpose

1. Will anything change as a result of your message?
2. Is your purpose realistic?
3. Is the time right?
4. Is your purpose acceptable to your organization?
-Audience analysis
Primary audience
Size and geographic distribution
Composition

Level of understanding
Expectations and preferences
Probable reaction

-Selecting the correct medium

Types
Oral Media
o best when you need to encourage interaction, express emotions, or
monitor emotional responses.
Written Media (memos/letters)
Visual Media (illustrations)
Electronic Media
o deliver messages quickly, to reach widely dispersed audiences, and to
take advantage of rich multimedia formats.
Consider
Media Richness
Message formality
Media limitations
Urgency
Cost
Audience preferences
-Organizing the information
Define your main idea.
Limit your scope.
Choose the direct or indirect approach.
o direct approach: Start with the main idea (such as a
recommendation, a conclusion, or a request) and follow that with
your supporting evidence.
o indirect approach: Start with the evidence first and build your case
before presenting the main idea.
Outline content by starting with the main idea, adding major points, and
illustrating with evidence.
Look for opportunities to use storytelling to build audience interest.
Chapter #5
-Showing sensitivity to your audience
adopt the you attitude
maintain good standards of etiquette
emphasize the positive
use bias-free language.
-Three ways to control Style and Tone
1. Using Conversational Tone (w/ close colleagues )

2. Using Plain Language

3. Selecting Active or Passive voice
-Choosing powerful words-four categories
Denotations and Connotation
Abstract and Concrete
-Words that communicate well
Choose strong, precise words
Choose familiar words
Avoid clichs and use buzzwords carefully
Use jargon carefully
-Four types of sentences
1. simple sentence has one main clause (a single subject and a single
predicate),
2. compound sentence has two main clauses that express two or more
independent but related thoughts of equal importance, usually joined by and,
but, or or.
3. complex sentence expresses one main thought (the independent clause)
and one or more subordinate, related thoughts.
4. compoundcomplex sentence has two main clauses, at least one of which
contains a subordinate clause:
-Passive vs. Active voice
active voice, the subject performs the action and the object receives the
action: Jodi sent the email message.
passive voice, the subject receives the action: The email message was sent
by Jodi.
Chapter #6
-Revising to improve readability
Vary sentence length
Keep paragraphs short
Use lists to clarify and emphasize
Add headings and subheadings

-Editing for clarity and conciseness

Clarity
Break up overly long sentences
Rewrite hedging sentences
Impose parallelism
Correct dangling modifiers
Reword long noun sequences
Replace camouflaged verbs

Clarify sentence structure

Clarify awkward references
Conciseness
Delete unnecessary words and
phrases.
Shorten long words and
phrases.

Eliminate redundancies.

-Using technology to produce your message

Spell checker
Thesaurus
Grammar checker
Style checker

Recast It is/There are

starters.

Chapter #7
-Social networking and community participation websites
Social networking
Gathering market Intel
Recruiting
Sharing product info
Fostering brand communities (redbull)
Community participation websites pool the input of multiple users in order to
benefit the community as a whole.
-Planning, Writing and Completing email messages
Planning
Dont send unnecessary emails
Legal hazards, companies have formal email policies
Respect chain of command
Writing
Business messages are more formal
Subject line very important
Completing
Include email signature
Double check before sending

-Understanding the business application of bogging and podcasts

Chapter #8
-Three parts of the routine requests and positive messages
1. State your request upfront / Start with main idea
2. Explain and justify your request
3. Request specific action in a courteous close
-Elements of the Closing in a request message
1. A request for some specific action
2. Information about how you can be reached
3. An expression of appreciation
-When to use the Direct or Indirect approach
-Goodwill