MBA 510

Business and Professional

Communication
Classes Fridays and
Saturdays 4:45-9:15
pm
June- September 2016
1

Unit 1
Foundations of Business and
Professional Communication

Chapter 1
Introducing Business and Professional
Communication

Business Communication
in the workplace
Why is professional business
communication important in the
workplace?
What is the central roll of
communication in the workplace?
What are your personal
communication skills strengths and
weaknesses?
What are the components of the
communication model?

What is the
central roll of
communicatio
n in the
workplace?
the technological revolution is all about
gaining communicating efficiency and
effectiveness.
Text, Skype, Viber, Line, WhatsAp, blogging, SMS
Google docs, cloud storage, Yahoo groups
5

Why is professional business communication

important in the workplace?
to manage distribution of facts and ideas
in the workplace
managers and executives must have
excellent communication skills.
Advances in technological communication
stymie an individuals ability to connect on a
personal level with co-workers and present
barriers because they remove much of the
necessary information, such as gestures,
body language, speaking cadence and tone.
6

Effective workplace communication

Effective workplace communication
is based on interpersonal,
professional relationships that are
developed through a keen awareness
of courtesy, attentive listening,
active participation and situation
appropriate body language.

What are your personal communication

skills strengths and weaknesses?

Positive communicator
Active listener
Assertive
Write effectively
Able to articulate ideas clearly and
concisely
Good verbal and non-verbal delivery
Avoid arguing
Express self-confidence
8

What are the components of the

communication model?

Communication Gaps in the

Workplace
What does, We need to improve
communication in our office, really
mean?
Giving clear instructions or requests
Responding in a timely manner to a
request

10

Identifying Workplace
Communication Obstacles
The most common workplace communication
barriers are non-attentive listening, interrupting
others, inappropriate reaction, jumping to
conclusions, failure to recognize body language
synchronicity and gender differences.
The first four barriers are self explanatory, not
listening, acting disproportionately to a situation
or information, and making a judgment before
having all the information. Most persons are
aware these are negative actions in the
workplace. However, the last two are more subtle.
11

Identifying Workplace
Communication Obstacles contd
To be more effective in your workplace
communication, you must be conscious of
how you are presenting yourself. For instance,
body language synchronicity means having
your actions match your words and tone.
In addition, recognizing and accepting that
women and men communicate differently;
women gesticulate more to demonstrate
what they are saying and use more words
then men when communicating.
12

Networking And Personal

Contact
Networking in your workplace is essential to
effective communication. You should attempt to
speak with co-workers (not only in your
department) as often as possible to learn more
about the company.
This will in turn, make you more interesting and
reflect to your manager or supervisor that you
are professionally invested in the company.
Moreover, it will allow you to expand youre
ability to communicate outside your
departments jargon
13

Attitude And Demeanor

Your attitude and demeanor should be
courteous, clear and consistent. Being
courteous gives others the impression
that you care and have an investment in
the professional relationship. When
asking a co-worker for advice or
assistance, use the phrase would you
please rather than just please and
always show gratitude to promote
rapport and convey parity.
14

Attitude And Demeanor

Asking follow up questions such as
Have I explained this clearly?
instead of Do you understand
builds trust and reflects consistency
in parity and rapport. This also helps
to foster clarity, lessening
miscommunication.

15

Active Participation
Conversations should be a fluid
volley between participantseach
allowing the other to make a
statement, observation, or ask a
question without interruption or
negative reaction.
Have something interesting to say
besides work related topics.

16

Active Participation
You can read your local newspaper in the
morning to help gain an understanding of
what is occurring outside the workplace.
For conversations that are work related, read
trade or industry publications to stay
informed and up-to-date.
Effective communication is not only about
listening; it is about being able to bring an
interesting or informed opinion to the
conversation.
Sometimes it means just being a good
listener.
17

Etiquette And Technology

According to a study conducted by
the Interactive Advertising Bureau,
more than 70 percent of mobile
phone users use text messaging and
95 percent of text messages are
opened, while only 25 percent of
email messages are opened.

18

Etiquette And Technology

Moreover, co-workers will actually
email one another rather than
engaging in direct conversation when
situated right next to or adjacent to
one another.
This causes a significant obstacle in
workplace communication and using
less of these mediums to
communicate will foster more
effective communication.

19

Body
Language

Body language is perhaps the biggest part of

effective workplace communication because
of its tellsgestures and facial expressions
tell the listener what you are thinking or what
your attitude is regardless of what you are
verbalizing.
20

Body Language
If you find a new policy unfair, when your
superior asks your opinion, regardless of
what words you choose to use, your body
language will reveal your true feelings.
Such as shaking your head no when you
say that you completely agree with the new
policy or crossing your arms while giving
your approval; both gestures will say I
dont like the new policy while your lips are
saying, Fine by me.
21

How to improve communication in

your firm

Handle Conflicts with Diplomacy

Respect Cultural Differences
Give Good Feedback
Give Employees What They Want
four things that motivate employees:
the desire for compensation and material things
the need to bond with others and feel as though they
belong
the need to make sense of their environment
the desire to defend their accomplishments

[source: Psychology Today]

22

How to improve communication in

your firm contd

Take Your Emotions Out of the Equation

Actively Listen
Make Work Fun
Stay Positive
23

What General Competencies are

needed in the workplace?
Personal
Ethics, motivation, reliability, willingness to learn

Academic
Computer use, business writing, fact finding and
fact checking, presentation skills, interpersonal
communication

Workplace
Business fundamentals, teamwork, flexibility,
customer focus, problem solving/critical
thinking, team and project participation
24

What General Competencies are

needed in the workplace? Contd
Industry-wide
Technical competencies, quality
Assurance, maintenance, health and
safety

Industry-specific
Management Technical Software such as
SAP
Able to make reports (information and
marketing) and conduct surveys
25

Definition and Model of Business

and Professional Communication
Participants
interpreting
information by
interacting through
sending and
receiving messages
across a channel in
an organizational
context.
26

Models
Transactional Model concurrent
learning and sharing of a message
Action Model mostly linear; one
person talks
Interaction Model communication
goes back and forth between source
and receiver
27

Communication Model Focusing on

Components in Business and the Professions

When I issue a directive

from my office, nothing
ever changes.
The information I try to
communicate becomes
distorted by the time
everyone in the firm
hears about it.
28

Communication Model
Context and
occasion

Participant A

Organizational
Culture

MESSAGE Participant B

Environmental
Factors

Noise and
Filtering

29

The Message
Shared meaning occurs when participants
understand the expectations of the situation,
understand the other person or persons, and
understand the symbols used in the
interaction.
Requires knowledge of an organizations
structure, leadership style, interpersonal
roles, team expectations, cultural diversity,
and presentational requirements.
The message and its interpretation is the
central component of communication.
30

Message filtering
Enron shedding documents in 2002
GM order not to put anything in
writing about the ignition switch
problem 2003-2014
Volkswagen emission testing lies
2016

31

Noise
Auditory
Visual
Feel touch
Smell
Retailers spend a lot of time thinking about what
the shopping experience is like for customers, and
how that reflects on the stores brand. They think
about the signature decor of the store, the colors
used, they think about lighting and they think
about overhead music and they think about the
stores scent. In fact, scent is something theyve
thought long and hard about.
32

Communicating with the

nose
How does smell communicate
Bloodhounds have 500 times the
sense of smell of humans
Pheromones

33

Sent Quiz
Most are esters or alcohols
Many people are allergic to some scents.
Some scents stimulate buying, others
stimulate appetite
Scents can sell a house
Cinnamon, cloves with lemon peel at a low boil
on the kitchen stove
Take out the garbage and pets
Bake bread or cookies with cinnamon or
chocolate
34

Sent Sells
Set up a couple potpourri pots around the
house or heat some apple juice in a pot
on the stove and throw in apple slices,
orange slices, lemon slices or lemon juice,
cinnamon and nutmeg.
Let it simmer for awhile so the smell has
a chance to spread throughout the house.
Put out a fresh bouquet of flowers or fresh
cut herbs.
35

Scent Quiz
Q1
Which high-end clothes retailer has
the scent: "Tamboti Wood Smooth
rich, aromatic wood from the Atlas
Mountains of northern Africa?"
American Apparel
Hugo Boss
Bloomingdale's
Barney's New York
36

Q2
Which luxury hotel chain has this scent
in their lobbies: "Fresh and luxurious
blend of mandarin, grapefruit,
tarragon, ylang and amber?"
Hilton Hotels & Resorts
Ritz-Carlton
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
JW Marriot Hotels & Resorts
37

Q3
Which sports and entertainment
stadium has this smell wafting
through the stands: "Fresh, whimsical
pink cotton candy?"
St. Louis Rams Edward Jones Dome
Los Angeles Dodgers Dodger
Stadium
New York Rangers Madison Square
Garden
NASCAR Daytona International

38

Q4
Which Las Vegas casino smells like:
"A warm, sexy blend of light jasmine,
lily and vanilla bean?"
Luxor Hotel & Casino
Circus Circus
Aria Casino & Resort
MGM Grand Hotel & Casino

39

ScentAir
Kindfuller, CEO of SentAir has worked
with medical waiting rooms where the
goal was to create a calming
atmosphere, with a hotel whose lobby
now subtly smells like cookies and tea,
and a sport stadium that smells, as
Kindfuller says, like victory.

40

ScentAir
ScentAir works closely with their clients
marketing team as they devise a scent. When
it comes to actually creating the fragrance,
Kindfuller says it really does boil down to a
team of folks in a room with a whiteboard.
The perfumers that we use, use up to
10,000 different ingredients... whats amazing
is they can identify those 10,000 just by smell
and so we will often create a fragrance that
can have several hundred different notes.
41

Assumptions about Communication:

A Word on Axioms
Axioms are fundamental
assumptions
Four Communication Axioms
Communication is unavoidable
Communication is irreversible
Communication = content + relationship
CRM

Communication is rule governed

42

Message
Get this report done nowand I
mean it!
What does this message really
communicate when it comes from a
boss?

43

Message
Get this report done nowand I
mean it!
What does this message really
communicate when it comes from a
boss?
Power, raw emotion, negative
attitude, unfriendly
Important are also body movements,
voice quality, posture, facial
expression, and eye movement

44

Communication is rule governed

Communication is rule governed by
rules and guidelines some are clear,
others are ambigious
Examples:
Quality is job one
Safety first
Safety is no accident

45

Business and Professional

Communication in Four Contexts
The rest of the course focuses on:
Organizational culture
Interpersonal communication
Group and team building and
communication
Public Presentations

46

Chapter 2
Managing Leadership Communication
in Organizational Cultures
What we will cover in Chapter 2
Organizational culture
Expected structures
Leadership styles
Reporting authority
Lines of formal and informal communication
Expected procedures of teamwork
Crisis approaches
Decision-making procedures
47

Organizational Culture as a Context

for Communication
Organizational culture represents a
uniform platform on which workplace
communication competencies stand.
It is a complex web of relationships
and values in a firm.
It includes formal and informal
policies and procedures

48

Corporate Culture or
Organizational Culture
It is comprised of Organizational
norms, attitudes, beliefs, and
procedures
Common set of values, language,
and behaviors.
Uniform attitudes and actions among
members
Strive for unity and consistency
Common mission
49

Instilling Corporate Culture

Professional standards and best practices

Industry standards
Job Interview
Orientation
OJT
Wal-Mart customer friendly policy
regarding returns
Disneys gust approach to customedrs
50

Case Study 2.1: Culture Clash

1986 Uniroyal and Goodrich merger
Both well established and profitable
After merger customers cancelled
orders and profits dried up
Why?
Production systems were different
Cost-accounting systems were different
Policies were different
Management styles were different
51

What Saved Uni-Goodrich?

Threat of takeover
Michelin won and in 1990 bought
them
What could have prevented the take
over?
What issues of corporate culture do
you think company leaders should
have considered before the merger?
How about after the merger?
52

Yahoo-Microsoft failed
merger
Yahoo-Microsoft hostile take-over
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn announced
plans to buy $2.5 billion worth of Yahoo shares
in order to lead a proxy fight against a Yahoo
board he claims "irrationally" rejected
Microsoft's $33 per share merger offer. May
2008.
Yahoo pulled together with Right Management
Icahn and MS backed off after 11 months of
negotiations
53

Features of Organizational
Culture
Firms mission, goals, values and
beliefs, procedures and rituals, scope
and space, roles and relationships,
methods of reward and recognition,
language and communication style,
leadership design and approach,
identity and image.
Organizational stories, metaphors,
and mottos
54

Firms mission and goals

A Firms mission is its purpose
A Firms goals are the actions or
steps taken to accomplish the
mission
Slogans serve as mission statements

55

56

57

Values
TI - daily innovation
Delta - family feeling
Maytag product reliability and
employee work ethic
Ford focus on quality and teams
People Soft - integrity

58

Case Study 2.2:

Accepting Company Values
New car dealer belief in success from
four qualities
One is integrity
New hire quits because he believed he
could not sell cars if he was honest

59

Beliefs
Beliefs are what is true and real for a
company
Reinforced in companys newsletters,
meetings, training manuals
Employees must buy in or leave
this is fit

60

Procedures and Rituals

Expense report reinforces company values
IBMs policy of no travel that is not revenue
generating
Promotion policies - IBMs policy of
Promotion from within
Rituals are routine activities performed at
the firm
Yahoos downtown Mt. View beer and pizza
celebrations
Casual Fridays
61

Case Study 2.3:

Taco Bells
Organizational Culture
From Mex in 1983 to fast-food 1993
to competing with ALL fast food
chains 2000
Expanding scope led to rapid growth

62

Roles
Prescribed or expected behavior
Each position has a role that is
clarified
Housekeeper in the hospital
Receptionist
President of the firm

63

Relationships
Associations and interactions among
employees
Hierarchy defined Relationships
Often clouded after mergers or
during rapid growth

64

Reward and recognition

How staff move ahead
Success factors
Awards for service and innovation
Career ending errors

65

Language and Communication Style

Jargon may not make sense outside
the firm
Military acronyms AWOL
POC

Communication Style
What is said, how it is said and through
what channel it is said

66

Stories and Narratives

HP started in a garage
Some stories are half-truths or
rumors
Some are hero stories
Waltons unannounced visits to stores

Rules and procedures stories

Leadership expectation stories

67

Skills at Work 2.1

Improving Communication Styles in
the workplace (page 25 of text)
How does a firm communicate?

68

Leadership in Organizational
Cultures: Structures and Styles
Cultures influence leadership styles
We usually see a multidimensional
blended style
Some are highly bureaucratic with formal
authority, ingrained procedures, personal
accountability, and auditing (scrutiny)
Loosely structured firms and are less
formal and more participatory (more
delegation and decentralization)
69

Case Study 2.4: Developing Ethics in

Communication Strategies
Midwestern Services grew fast over a
decade, and things ran smoothly for
a while
Rumors and scuttlebutt emerged and
got back to management
The perpetrator was angrily
addressed by the male manager
saying she had no right to criticize
him to fellow workers. He claimed
her allegations were inaccurate. She

70

Case Study 2.4: Developing Ethics in

Communication Strategies contd
The CEO held a forum and an outburst of
negativity erupted (confusion and anger)
The CEO openly welcomed employee
sentiments which were aired
He thanked staff for their input and said that
people expressed their feelings because they
felt it must be brought out in then open.
It was a companywide conflict that was
damaging the firm but the CEOs listening
approach worked
71

Changes in Management Philosophy

Scientific Management Perspective
1800s Max Weber military approach
1915 Taylor scientific management
Efficiency engineering and ergonomics
Developed time-and-motion studies, worker
motivation, organizational structure and
lines of formal authority

72

Time and Motion Studies

Work dwindled down to the smallest
work units to improve processes,
save time and effort, motivate
workers, reduce training time,
Producing more with less work
Depended on the equipment and
tools and rewards and incentives
He changed the coal shovel from 38
pounds to 21 pounds and increased
output

73

Motivation
Taylors carrot and stick approach
Reward and bonuses
Sever punishment and dismissal
Yelling at workers or firing them on the spot;
making an example of them
Restaurant worker get large tip for good job
and fired it incompetent

Today it is expanding territories and

raising minimum sales orders
74

Organizational Structure
Organizational Structure is part of Scientific
Management
Grouping staff by unit and responsibilities
Allowed formal downward flow of orders
Developed by Scientific Management
Boards and policy makers
Upper Management (CEO, CFO, COO, CIO, ETC.)
Middle Management
Supervisors
Support staff
Front-line workers
75

Tall and flat firms?

76

Flat org chart

77

Human Relations Perspective

Looked at effects of working
conditions and other environmental
factors on worker productivity
Result was that workers were hungry
for management attention
Hawthorne Effect

78

Hawthorne Effect
Introduced in 1920 the human relations
approach to management.
A change from the scientific approach
Examined effects of lighting on productivity
Hypothesis: lower lighting and productivity
will drop, but the opposite happened
Explanation: increase attention to workers
increased their productivity
This began human relations management
79

Human Resources Perspective

After WWII
Researchers saw employee
development as key to increased
productivity
Goal: help employees reach their
potential

80

81

Maslow Hierarchy of Need

1954
Human needs and motivation
Motivation occurs when needs are
met
People who feel secure in their jobs
are more motivated and therefore
more productive
We want to belong to a group and be
accepted
We want appreciation and respect for
our work

82

Herzbergs hygienic and motivating factors 1986

Examples of Herzberg's 'hygiene' needs (or maintenance
factors) in the workplace are:
policy
relationship with supervisor
work conditions
salary
company car
status
security
relationship with subordinates
personal life
Herzberg's research identified that true motivators were other
completely different factors, notably:
achievement
recognition
work itself
responsibility
advancement
growth

83

Theory X and Y
X employees are lazy
Y employees are conscientious and
want to work
Z combines both

84

Skills at work 2.2

Rethinking Herzberg and Applying
Ethics
Systems communication Perspective
Should employers communicate
incentives to workers? No
Saw sales promotions as gimmicky but
were motivated by the work itself
Black and Decker job enrichment
program showed a 15% increase in sales
with job enrichment factors such as
85
training, communication

Case Study 2.5:

Incentives and Performance
Recap of Leadership Communication
Perspective
IncenSoft electronic manufacturer
sought team workers and selfdirected employees
Money is as important as recognition
in motivating employees
Created self-motivated, team
oriented work environment with
frequent goal articulation

86

Blake and Moutons Managerial Grid

1985 approach to leadership
Task versus people grid
Task masters versus people-oriented
managers
Country club - hi people, low task
Impoverished low task, low people
Team management hi people, hi task
Authority/Obedient hi task, low people
Organizational-people management is
medium people and medium task
87

Likerts Four System

1961 group performance model
Four levels of individual involvement
across six tasks usually done in a firm
1. Leadership
2. Motivation
3. Communication
4. Decisions
5. Goals
6. Control
88

Likert takeaway
Likert evolved to say adapt
communication to the companys
culture and needs of the employee

89

TQM
TQM is a composite of ideas over two
decades
Based on values important to leaders
Give great service and great product
quality
Outcome and market driven
Continuous improvement
Employee buy-in and rigorous
training are required
90

Skills at Work 2.3

What are your qualities as a leader?

91

Web at Work 2.1

Organizational Culture and Leadership

92

Unit 2
Interpersonal Communication in
Business and Professional
Communication

93

Chapter 3
Managing Interpersonal
Communication
in the Workplace

94

Interpersonal Communication
Principles in the Workplace
Managing Expectations
The Pygmalion Effect
The Self-fulfilling Prophecy
The Hawthorne Effect

95

Managing Interpersonal Perceptions

Impression
Formation
First
impressions

96

Skills at Work 3.1

Impression Formation in Action
Social Equity Theory
Cost Benefit Approach
Ratio of Rewards to Cost

97

Skills at Work 3.2

Social Equity Theory at Work
Cost benefit/rewards of work relations
Provides helpful information
Is cooperative
Is agreeable
It feels good being around them

Drawbacks or costs of work relations

They are not prepared, undependable,
and complain a lot
98

Managing Interpersonal
Communication Skills

99

Focusing on positive
communication climate to build
and maintain relationships

100

Expand awareness (page

51)

101

Initiate affinity-seeking
communication (page 52)

102

Developing assertiveness skills

(page 52)

103

Practice communication immediacy

(page 53)

104

Apply improved verbal and

language style (page 55)

105

Verbal communication skills

assessment (page 59)
Improve efficiency and clarity (page
60)

106

Improve interpersonal communication

in leadership (page 61)

107

Managing Social networking as

interpersonal communication
(page 62)

Organizations seeking IT and Social

Media
Case study: Johnson & Johnson
Is there harm in unconnected
employees?
Case 3.3 Twitter has uses in Eduation
and Organizations

108

Case 3.1

109

Is Blogging communicating?

110