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Business
Communication for
Success
Canadian Edition
Scott McLean and Murray Moman
Version 1.0
Additional Resources 164
Endnotes 165
Index 423
About the Authors
SCOTT MCLEAN
Scott McLean is the Shadle-Edgecombe Endowed Faculty Chair at Arizona Western College. He serves as the professor of speech
communication with an emphasis in business communication for a combined campus partnership with the University of Arizona
and Northern Arizona University–Yuma.
Scott is the author of The Basics of Speech Communication and The Basics of Interpersonal Communication, both currently pub-
lished by Allyn & Bacon.
Beyond his classroom experience, Scott regularly serves as a communications advisor to the industry. He has extensive experi-
ence and publications in the areas of health communication, safe and healthy work environments, and organizational and crisis
communication. He has served as an evaluator for the United States National Institutes of Health’s Small Business and Innovative
Research (SBIR) program since 1995. He served as an evaluator of educational programs for the Ministerio de Hacienda de Chile.
His development of the Tenio Natural Reserve in Southern Chile has brought together people from around the world to preserve
and restore indigenous flora and fauna. Their collective effort will serve for generations to come.
Scott studied at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and at Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow School of
Communication. He and his family divide their time between the United States and Puerto Montt, Chile.
MURRAY MOMAN
Murray Moman is an instructor in the Applied Commerce and Management Education department at Red River College in Win-
nipeg, Manitoba. He teaches business communication, sales communication, professional development, management and organiza-
tional behaviour, and office administration to students in a variety of college programs including: business administration, com-
merce/industry sales and marketing, international business, applied accounting, aviation management, and computer programming.
Prior to embarking on a teaching career, Murray worked as a corporate trainer with Agricore United, and spent 16 years in vari-
ous sales, marketing and editorial roles in the publishing industry. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of Man-
itoba (Psychology/English) and is currently completing his Certificate in Adult Education.
Murray is passionate about teaching, hockey, and good food and drink with good friends. He and his family currently live in
Winnipeg but dream of living in Hogwarts.
Acknowledgements
FROM SCOTT:
I would like to say thank you to Jeff Shelstad for answering my e-mail after I heard about Flat World Knowledge on National Public
Radio. To say Flat World Knowledge’s model just makes sense is an understatement. I am honored to be a part of it all.
Jenn Yee has been an excellent project manager. When I needed feedback she made sure it was available, and when I needed
space to create, she helped facilitate it. Writing can be a solitary activity but she made the journey positive and productive.
Elsa Peterson, you are wonderful. Your sharp eye for detail, consistent dedication to the text, and quick turnarounds on requests
were invaluable to this project. I have never worked with a better developmental editor. Dan Obuchowski also offered valuable in-
sight into the construction industry and practices that lends real-world credibility to this text.
To my reviewers in the field, I appreciate all the specific feedback that contributed to clear improvements in the text.
< Brenda Jolivette Jones, San Jacinto College - Central Campus (brenda.jolivette@sjcd.edu)
< Christina McCale, Regis University (cmccale@regis.edu)
< Billie Miller, Ph.D., Cosumnes River College (millerb@crc.losrios.edu)
< Joyce Ezrow, Anne Arundel Community College (jezrow@aacc.edu)
< Sally Lederer, U of M Carlson School of Management (sally@melsa.org)
< Greg Larson, Salt Lake Community College (Greg.Larson@slcc.edu)
< Gayla Jurevich, Fresno City College (gayla.jurevich@fresnocitycollege.edu)
< Laura Newton, Florida State University (lpnewton@fsu.edu)
< Judy Grace, Arizona State University (judy.grace@asu.edu)
< Rita Rud, Purdue University (ritarud@purdue.edu)
< Edna Boroski, Trident Technical College (edna.boroski@tridenttech.edu)
Your words of encouragement and constructive criticism have made this effort worthwhile.
Finally, to Lisa, my life partner, you are amazing. You were a draft recruit on this project and quickly learned the formatting re-
quirements in short order. You are a valuable part of this team. Your relentless editing serves as a clear example of Strunk’s axiom:
“Omit needless words.” This text is the better for it. Writing with you, like life, gets better with each year.
FROM MURRAY:
A very special thank you to Jim Rozsa at Northrose Publishing for introducing me to Flat World Knowledge. I was hooked within
five minutes of exploring the Web site. He knew it was a perfect fit for my teaching style, and I was honoured when he first suggested
that I take those baby steps towards producing a Canadian version of Scott's book.
Scott McLean, of course, has been an excellent support. He was always ready to help and give advice, and never once did he
complain about all the email questions I sent his way. One day I hope to meet him in person...
There are a number of people on the Flat World team who helped me along with the Canadian edition: Michael Boezi, Brad
Felix, Pam Hersperger, Jess Carey (wherever you are), and Sarah Rosenblum at Scribe. I greatly appreciate all your support and as-
sistance. Thank you.
Finally, there is the moral support provided by Andrea, the life partner who will always have my hand to hold. Thank you for
being there, for allowing me the time on the weekends to work on this project, and for still letting me play hockey.
Dedications
For Lisa and our children, Mackenzie, John, and Katherine. —Scott
- Rollo May
The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.
1. GETTING STARTED
I N T R O D U C T O R Y E X E R C I S E S
1. Write five words that express what you want to do and where you want to be a year from now. Take those
five words and write a paragraph that clearly articulates your responses to both “what” and “where.”
2. Think of five words that express what you want to do and where you want to be five years from now.
Share your five words with your classmates and listen to their responses. What patterns do you observe in
the responses? Write a paragraph that addresses at least one observation.
Communication is an activity, skill, and art that incorporates lessons learned across a wide spectrum of
human knowledge. Perhaps the most time-honoured form of communication is storytelling. We’ve
told each other stories for ages to help make sense of our world, anticipate the future, and certainly to
entertain ourselves. The art of storytelling draws on your understanding of yourself, your message, and
how you communicate it to an audience that is simultaneously communicating back to you. Your anti-
cipation, reaction, and adaptation to the process will determine how successfully you are able to com-
municate. You were not born knowing how to write or even how to talk—but in the process of growing
up, you have undoubtedly learned how to tell, and how not to tell, a story out loud and in writing.
You didn’t learn to text in a day and didn’t learn all the codes—from LOL (laugh out loud) to BRB
(be right back)—right away. In the same way, learning to communicate well requires you to read and
study how others have expressed themselves, then adapt what you have learned to your present
task—whether it is texting a brief message to a friend, presenting your qualifications in a job interview,
or writing a business report. You come to this text with skills and an understanding that will provide a
valuable foundation as we explore the communication process.
Effective communication takes preparation, practice, and persistence. There are many ways to
learn communication skills; the school of experience, or “hard knocks,” is one of them. But in the busi-
ness environment, a “knock” (or lesson learned) may come at the expense of your credibility through a
blown presentation to a client. The classroom environment, with a compilation of information and re-
sources such as a text, can offer you a trial run where you get to try out new ideas and skills before you
have to use them to communicate effectively to make a sale or form a new partnership. Listening to
yourself, or perhaps the comments of others, may help you reflect on new ways to present, or perceive,
thoughts, ideas and concepts. The net result is your growth; ultimately your ability to communicate in
business will improve, opening more doors than you might anticipate.
As you learn the material in this text, each part will contribute to the whole. The degree to which
you attend to each part will ultimately help give you the skills, confidence, and preparation to use com-
munication in furthering your career.
6 BUSINESS COMMUNICATION FOR SUCCESS (CANADIAN EDITION) VERSION 1.0
L E A R N I N G O B J E C T I V E S
Communication is key to your success—in relationships, in the workplace, as a citizen of your country,
and across your lifetime. Your ability to communicate comes from experience, and experience can be
an effective teacher, but this text and the related business communication course will offer you a wealth
of experiences gathered from professional speakers across their lifetimes. You can learn from the les-
sons they’ve learned and be a more effective communicator right out of the gate.
Business communication can be thought of as a problem solving activity in which individuals may
address the following questions:
< What is the situation?
< What are some possible communication strategies?
< What is the best course of action?
< What is the best way to design the chosen message?
< What is the best way to deliver the message?
In this book, we will examine this problem solving process and help you learn to apply it in the kinds of
situations you are likely to encounter over the course of your career.
speaking and writing are reflections of your thoughts, experience, and education. Part of that combina-
tion is your level of experience listening to other speakers, reading documents and styles of writing, and
studying formats similar to what you aim to produce.
As you study business communication, you may receive suggestions for improvement and clarific-
ation from speakers and writers more experienced than yourself. Take their suggestions as challenges
to improve; don’t give up when your first speech or first draft does not communicate the message you
intend. Stick with it until you get it right. Your success in communicating is a skill that applies to al-
most every field of work, and it makes a difference in your relationships with others.
Remember, luck is simply a combination of preparation and timing. You want to be prepared to
communicate well when given the opportunity. Each time you do a good job, your success will bring
more success.
In September 2004, the National Commission on Writing for America’s Families, Schools, and
FIGURE 1.1 Colleges published a study on 120 human resource directors titled Writing: A Ticket to Work…Or a
Ticket Out, A Survey of Business Leaders.[3] The study found that “writing is both a ‘marker’ of high-
Effective communication
skill, high-wage, professional work and a ‘gatekeeper’ with clear equity implications,” said Bob Kerrey,
skills are assets that will get president of New School University in New York and chair of the commission. “People unable to ex-
you there. press themselves clearly in writing limit their opportunities for professional, salaried employment.”[4]
On the other end of the spectrum, a 2003 International Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey con-
ducted by Statistics Canada and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
showed that there are "approximately four out of ten adults in Canada, or 9 million people, who are
considered to have low literacy and this group is twice as likely as other Canadians to be unemployed."
[5]
If you are reading this book, you may not be part of an at-risk group in need of basic skill develop-
ment, but you still may need additional training and practice as you raise your skill level.
An individual with excellent communication skills is an asset to every organization. No matter
what career you plan to pursue, learning to express yourself professionally in speech and in writing will
help you get there.
K E Y T A K E A W A Y
Communication forms a part of your self-concept, and it helps you understand yourself and others, solve
problems and learn new things, and build your career.
E X E R C I S E S
1. Imagine that you have been hired to make “cold calls” to ask people whether they are familiar with a new
restaurant that has just opened in your neighbourhood. Write a script for the phone call. Ask a classmate
to copresent as you deliver the script orally in class, as if you were making a phone call to the classmate.
Discuss your experience with the rest of the class.
2. Imagine you have been assigned the task of creating a job description. Identify a job, locate at least two
sample job descriptions, and create one. Please present the job description to the class and note to what
degree communication skills play a role in the tasks or duties you have included.
3. WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?
L E A R N I N G O B J E C T I V E S
Many theories have been proposed to describe, predict, and understand the behaviours and phenom-
ena of which communication consists. When it comes to communicating in business, we are often less
interested in theory than in making sure our communications generate the desired results. But in order
to achieve results, it can be valuable to understand what communication is and how it works.
The first key word in this definition is process. A process is a dynamic activity that is hard to de-
process
scribe because it changes.[8] Imagine you are alone in your kitchen thinking. Someone you know (say,
A dynamic activity that is
your mother) enters the kitchen and you talk briefly. What has changed? Now, imagine that your
hard to describe because it
mother is joined by someone else, someone you haven’t met before—and this stranger listens intently changes.
as you speak, almost as if you were giving a speech. What has changed? Your perspective might change,
and you might watch your words more closely. The feedback or response from your mother and the
stranger (who are, in essence, your audience) may cause you to reevaluate what you are saying. When
we interact, all these factors—and many more—influence the process of communication.
The second key word is understanding: “To understand is to perceive, to interpret, and to relate understanding
our perception and interpretation to what we already know.”[9] If a friend tells you a story about falling To perceive, to interpret, and
off a bike, what image comes to mind? Now your friend points out the window and you see a motor- to relate our perception and
cycle lying on the ground. Understanding the words and the concepts or objects they refer to is an im- interpretation to what we
portant part of the communication process. already know.
Next comes the word sharing. Sharing means doing something together with one or more people.
You may share a joint activity, as when you share in compiling a report; or you may benefit jointly sharing
from a resource, as when you and several coworkers share a pizza. In communication, sharing occurs Doing something together
when you convey thoughts, feelings, ideas, or insights to others. You can also share with yourself (a with one or more other
process called intrapersonal communication) when you bring ideas to consciousness, ponder how you people.
feel about something, or figure out the solution to a problem and have a classic “Aha!” moment when
something becomes clear.
Finally, meaning is what we share through communication. The word “bike” represents both a bi- meaning
cycle and a short name for a motorcycle. By looking at the context the word is used in and by asking
What we share through
questions, we can discover the shared meaning of the word and understand the message. communication.
Source
The source imagines, creates, and sends the message. In a public speaking situation, the source is the
source
person giving the speech. He or she conveys the message by sharing new information with the audi-
ence. The speaker also conveys a message through his or her tone of voice, body language, and choice Person who imagines,
creates, and sends the
of clothing. The speaker begins by first determining the message—what to say and how to say it. The message.
second step involves encoding the message by choosing just the right order or the perfect words to con-
vey the intended meaning. The third step is to present or send the information to the receiver or audi-
ence. Finally, by watching for the audience’s reaction, the source perceives how well they received the
message and responds with clarification or supporting information.
Message
“The message is the stimulus or meaning produced by the source for the receiver or audience.”[10]
message
When you plan to give a speech or write a report, your message may seem to be only the words you
choose that will convey your meaning. But that is just the beginning. The words are brought together The stimulus or meaning
produced by the source for
with grammar and organization. You may choose to save your most important point for last. The mes- the receiver or audience.
sage also consists of the way you say it—in a speech, with your tone of voice, your body language, and
your appearance—and in a report, with your writing style, punctuation, and the headings and format-
ting you choose. In addition, part of the message may be the environment or context you present it in
and the noise that might make your message hard to hear or see.
10 BUSINESS COMMUNICATION FOR SUCCESS (CANADIAN EDITION) VERSION 1.0
Imagine, for example, that you are addressing a large audience of sales reps and are aware there is a
Stanley Cup playoff game tonight. Your audience might have a hard time settling down, but you may
choose to open with, “I understand there is an important game tonight.” In this way, by expressing
verbally something that most people in your audience are aware of and interested in, you might grasp
and focus their attention.
Channel
“The channel is the way in which a message or messages travel between source and receiver.”[11] For
channel
example, think of your television. How many channels do you have on your television? Each channel
The way in which a message takes up some space, even in a digital world, in the cable or in the signal that brings the message of each
or messages travel between
source and receiver.
channel to your home. Television combines an audio signal you hear with a visual signal you see. To-
gether they convey the message to the receiver or audience. Turn off the volume on your television.
Can you still understand what is happening? Many times you can, because the body language conveys
part of the message of the show. Now turn up the volume but turn around so that you cannot see the
television. You can still hear the dialogue and follow the story line.
Similarly, when you speak or write, you are using a channel to convey your message. Spoken chan-
nels include face-to-face conversations, speeches, telephone conversations and voice mail messages, ra-
dio, public address systems, and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP). Written channels include letters,
memorandums, purchase orders, invoices, newspaper and magazine articles, blogs, e-mail, text mes-
sages, tweets, and so forth.
Receiver
“The receiver receives the message from the source, analyzing and interpreting the message in ways
receiver
both intended and unintended by the source.”[12] To better understand this component, think of a re-
Receives the message from
ceiver on a football team. The quarterback throws the football (message) to a receiver, who must see
the source, analyzing and
interpreting the message in and interpret where to catch the ball. The quarterback may intend for the receiver to “catch” his mes-
ways both intended and sage in one way, but the receiver may see things differently and miss the football (the intended mean-
unintended by the source. ing) altogether.
As a receiver you listen, see, touch, smell, and/or taste to receive a message. Your audience “sizes
you up,” much as you might check them out long before you take the stage or open your mouth. The
nonverbal responses of your listeners can serve as clues on how to adjust your opening. By imagining
yourself in their place, you anticipate what you would look for if you were them. Just as a quarterback
plans where the receiver will be in order to place the ball correctly, you too can recognize the interac-
tion between source and receiver in a business communication context. All of this happens at the same
time, illustrating why and how communication is always changing.
Feedback
When you respond to the source, intentionally or unintentionally, you are giving feedback. Feedback
feedback
is composed of messages the receiver sends back to the source. Verbal or nonverbal, all these feedback
The verbal and/or nonverbal signals allow the source to see how well, how accurately (or how poorly and inaccurately) the message
response to a message.
was received. Feedback also provides an opportunity for the receiver or audience to ask for clarifica-
tion, to agree or disagree, or to indicate that the source could make the message more interesting. As
the amount of feedback increases, the accuracy of communication also increases.[13]
For example, suppose you are a sales manager participating in a conference call with four sales
reps. As the source, you want to tell the reps to take advantage of the fact that it is World Series season
to close sales on baseball-related sports gear. You state your message, but you hear no replies from your
listeners. You might assume that this means they understood and agreed with you, but later in the
month you might be disappointed to find that very few sales were made. If you followed up your mes-
sage with a request for feedback (“Does this make sense? Do any of you have any questions?”) you
might have an opportunity to clarify your message, and to find out whether any of the sales reps be-
lieved your suggestion would not work with their customers.
Environment
“The environment is the atmosphere, physical and psychological, where you send and receive mes-
environment
sages.”[14] The environment can include the tables, chairs, lighting, and sound equipment that are in
Involves the physical and
the room. The room itself is an example of the environment. The environment can also include factors
psychological aspects of the
communication context. like formal dress, that may indicate whether a discussion is open and caring or more professional and
formal. People may be more likely to have an intimate conversation when they are physically close to
each other, and less likely when they can only see each other from across the room. In that case, they
may text each other, itself an intimate form of communication. The choice to text is influenced by the
CHAPTER 1 EFFECTIVE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION 11
environment. As a speaker, your environment will impact and play a role in your speech. It’s always a
good idea to go check out where you’ll be speaking before the day of the actual presentation.
Context
“The context of the communication interaction involves the setting, scene, and expectations of the in-
context
dividuals involved.”[15] A professional communication context may involve business suits
Involves the setting, scene,
(environmental cues) that directly or indirectly influence expectations of language and behaviour
and expectations of the
among the participants. individuals involved.
A presentation or discussion does not take place as an isolated event. When you came to class, you
came from somewhere. So did the person seated next to you, as did the instructor. The degree to which
the environment is formal or informal depends on the contextual expectations for communication held
by the participants. The person sitting next to you may be used to informal communication with in-
structors, but this particular instructor may be used to verbal and nonverbal displays of respect in the
academic environment. You may be used to formal interactions with instructors as well, and find your
classmate’s question of “Hey Teacher, do we have homework today?” as rude and inconsiderate when
they see it as normal. The nonverbal response from the instructor will certainly give you a clue about
how they perceive the interaction, both the word choices and how they were said.
Context is all about what people expect from each other, and we often create those expectations
out of environmental cues. Traditional gatherings like weddings are often formal events. There is a
time for quiet social greetings, a time for silence as the bride walks down the aisle, or the father may
have the first dance with his daughter as she is transformed from a girl to womanhood in the eyes of
her community. There may come a time for rambunctious celebration and dancing. You may be called
upon to give a toast, and the wedding context will influence your presentation, timing, and
effectiveness.
In a business meeting, who speaks first? That probably has some relation to the po-
sition and role each person has outside the meeting. Context plays a very important FIGURE 1.2
role in communication, particularly across cultures. Context is all about what people expect from
each other.
Interference
Interference, also called noise, can come from any source. “Interference is anything
that blocks or changes the source’s intended meaning of the message.”[16] For example,
if you drove a car to work or school, chances are you were surrounded by noise. Car
horns, billboards, or perhaps the radio in your car interrupted your thoughts, or your
conversation with a passenger.
Psychological noise is what happens when your thoughts occupy your attention
while you are hearing, or reading, a message. Imagine that it is 4:45 p.m. and your boss,
who is at a meeting in another city, e-mails you asking for last month’s sales figures, an
analysis of current sales projections, and the sales figures from the same month for the
past five years. You may open the e-mail, start to read, and think, “Great—no prob-
lem—I have those figures and that analysis right here in my computer.” You fire off a
reply with last month’s sales figures and the current projections attached. Then, at five
o’clock, you turn off your computer and go home. The next morning, your boss calls on © 2010 Jupiterimages Corporation
the phone to tell you he was inconvenienced because you neglected to include the sales
figures from the previous years. What was the problem? Interference: by thinking about
how you wanted to respond to your boss’s message, you prevented yourself from reading attentively Interference
enough to understand the whole message. Anything that blocks or
Interference can come from other sources, too. Perhaps you are hungry, and your attention to changes the source’s
your current situation interferes with your ability to listen. Maybe the office is hot and stuffy. If you intended meaning of the
were a member of an audience listening to an executive speech, how could this impact your ability to message.
listen and participate?
Noise interferes with normal encoding and decoding of the message carried by the channel
between source and receiver. Not all noise is bad, but noise interferes with the communication process.
For example, your cell phone ringtone may be a welcome noise to you, but it may interrupt the com-
munication process in class and bother your classmates.
many models of communication, here we will focus on two that offer perspectives and lessons for busi-
ness communicators.
transactional
Rather than looking at the source sending a message and someone receiving it as two distinct acts,
researchers often view communication as a transactional process (Figure 1.3), with actions often hap-
Model of communication in
which actions happen at the
pening at the same time. The distinction between source and receiver is blurred in conversational turn-
same time. taking, for example, where both participants play both roles simultaneously.
Researchers have also examined the idea that we all construct our own interpretations of the message.
constructivist
What the sender said and what the reciever heard may be different. In the constructivist model
Model of communication (Figure 1.4), we focus on the negotiated meaning, or common ground, when trying to describe com-
focusing on the negotiated
meaning, or common munication.[17] ,[18]
ground, when trying to Imagine that you are visiting Atlanta, Georgia, and go to a restaurant for dinner. When asked if
describe communication. you want a “Coke,” you may reply, “Sure.” The waiter may then ask you again, “What kind?” and you
may reply, “Coke is fine.” The waiter then may ask a third time, “What kind of soft drink would you
like?” The misunderstanding in this example is that in Atlanta, the home of the Coca-Cola Company,
most soft drinks are generically referred to as “Coke.” When you order a soft drink, you need to specify
what type, even if you wish to order a beverage that is not a cola or not even made by the Coca-Cola
Company. The words “pop,” “soda pop,” or “soda” may also be used to refer to a soft drink; not neces-
sarily the brand “Coke.” In this example, both you and the waiter understand the word “Coke,” but you
each understand it to mean something different. In order to communicate, you must each realize what
the term means to the other person, and establish common ground, in order to fully understand the re-
quest and provide an answer.
Because we carry the multiple meanings of words, gestures, and ideas within us, we can use a diction-
ary to guide us, but we will still need to negotiate meaning.
CHAPTER 1 EFFECTIVE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION 13
K E Y T A K E A W A Y
The communication process involves understanding, sharing, and meaning, and it consists of eight essential
elements: source, message, channel, receiver, feedback, environment, context, and interference. Among the
models of communication are the transactional process, in which actions happen simultaneously, and the
constructivist model, which focuses on shared meaning.
E X E R C I S E S
1. Draw what you think communication looks like. Share your drawing with your classmates.
2. List three environmental cues and indicate how they influence your expectations for communication.
Please share your results with your classmates.
3. How does context influence your communication? Consider the language and culture people grew up
with, and the role these play in communication styles.
4. If you could design the perfect date, what activities, places, and/or environmental cues would you include
to set the mood? Please share your results with your classmates.
5. Observe two people talking. Describe their communication. See if you can find all eight components and
provide an example for each one.
6. What assumptions are present in transactional model of communication? Find an example of a model of
communication in your workplace or classroom, and provide an example for all eight components.
4. COMMUNICATION IN CONTEXT
L E A R N I N G O B J E C T I V E
Now that we have examined the eight components of communication, let’s examine this in context. Is a
quiet dinner conversation with someone you care about the same experience as a discussion in class or
giving a speech? Is sending a text message to a friend the same experience as writing a professional pro-
ject proposal or a purchase order? Each context has an influence on the communication process. Con-
texts can overlap, creating an even more dynamic process. You have been communicating in many of
these contexts across your lifetime, and you’ll be able to apply what you’ve learned through experience
in each context to business communication.
When your supervisor invites you to a meeting and says it will start at 7 p.m., does that mean 7:00
sharp, 7-ish, or even 7:30? In the business context, when a meeting is supposed to start at 9 a.m., is it
promptly a 9 a.m.? Variations in time expectations depend on regional and national culture as well as
individual corporate cultures. In some companies, everyone may be expected to arrive ten to fifteen
minutes before the announced start time to take their seats and be ready to commence business at 9:00
sharp. In other companies, “meeting and greeting” from about 9 to 9:05 or even 9:10 is the norm.
When you are unfamiliar with the expectations for a business event, it is always wise to err on the side
of being punctual, regardless of what your internal assumptions about time and punctuality may be.
“Ahem!” began Deacon Cornhill, clearing his throat, and while he did
so looking anxiously over the crowd, wondering still how so many
came to be there. “Ahem! I—you see, fri’nds, this is sich a s’prise to
me that I hardly know how to begin. You see I got to New York, and I
never see sich sights, I swan, I never did! I hadn’t more’n got into
town afore a spruce chap stepped up and slapped me on the
shoulder, just same’s Sam Williams would, and you all know Sam’s
terrible common. Wa’al, he claimed he knowed me up here in
Basinburg—told a whopping story ’bout chasin’ a calf out of my
garden seven or eight years ago. But all the time he was arter the
church money, and ’tween him and ernother and a parcel of boys
they eenamost got it, and——”
“Not got the church money, Elihu!” cried a shrill voice from the rear of
the throng of spectators, and then Mrs. Cornhill, who had been
attracted to the scene the same as the others, pushed her way
frantically forward, until she stood on the station platform in front of
the abashed deacon. “You don’t say you hev lost the church money,
Elihu?”
Several among the spectators groaned.
“Don’t get ’scited, Mandy; don’t git ’scited. I didn’t lose the church
money, thanks to this boy here. But if them dog——”
“Hush, deacon! It’s you who is getting ’scited.”
“Wa’al, if you had been where I have, Mandy, and seen what I did
you’d get ’scited. But this boy here got my money all back, and then,
when he tuk me round and showed me how folks live in that big,
wicked city, I swan, I felt like giving ’em all homes right here in
Basinburg!”
“I should think you had brought back a good part of the city,” said
one of the bystanders.
“Pity the poorest if you call these good,” cried another.
“I tuk a fancy to Rob, here,” continued the deacon, unheeding the
interruption, ’arter the good turn he did me. But when I come to ax
him to go home with me, he said he couldn’t leave his mother. I told
him to take her right along, too. But he had fri’nds, and I told him to
take ’em along, though I didn’t s’pose there were more’n a house full.
Lordy me! when I come to see how they lived, I wouldn’t take no for
an answer, with all the land, and fresh air, and room we have out
here.
“Why, it nearly tuk away my breath to just look in their houses. If you
will b’lieve it, Mr. Little,” pointing to the invalid man, “lived in a den
right under the street, with teams driving overhead, and he a
suffocating in a leetle room nine feet under ground. It was only six
feet by eight, and he had no fire, only a part of an old bedstead to lie
on, an old tick half full of musty hay and a dirty pillow. Mrs. Willet and
her darter lived in a house only four feet wide, though the Lord only
knows how high it was. Just think of that, and then of the houses that
stand empty here the year round.
“These youngsters here were running round wild, like colts turned
out to parster, only there weren’t no fences to keep ’em within
bounds, and there was no halter on ’em to lead ’em to their stalls
when it come night. I tell you, it made my blood bile just to see sich
works right in this civilized land. I thought of ’em houses on Hare
road standing empty, and says I to myself, ‘there’s room for ’em, and
I know the good people of Basinburg will turn to and lend a helping
hand.’”
He was perspiring freely, while he showed great excitement, but his
animated speech was greeted with a profound silence. It is true
some one started to cheer him, but he did not have the courage to
give full expression to his feelings. The majority were waiting for
’Squire Hardy to speak, and the rest were too timid to venture an
opinion, until he had spoken. Clearing his throat, he finally said:
“It might have been well enough, deacon, if you hadn’t brought a
carload. It’s a mystery to me how they got money enough to pay
their fares.”
Deacon Cornhill was modest enough not to mention the fact that it
had cost him nearly fifteen dollars to make up for their deficit.
Withholding this fact, he demanded:
“Am I to understand that you are opposed to treating these poor
people like neighbors, ’squire?”
“I’m opposed to nothing that’s humane, but you know there is a limit
to what we can endure. I never was in favor of foreign immigration.
What do you say, good folks?” appealing to those around him. “No
doubt the good old deacon meant all right, but look at the crowd he
has brought among us, and say if you want them.”
“Paupers, every one of them!” cried a voice from the crowd.
“Perhaps worse’n that,” declared another. “They look to me like a
parcel of thieves!”
“Paupers and thieves!” exclaimed a dozen in the same breath, until
Deacon Cornhill turned pale, as he felt that ominous results were
likely to come from his well-meant intentions.
The little party of strangers huddled together in great trepidation,
excepting their leading spirit, Ragged Rob, who had so gladly
yielded to the counsel of their protector and lent his influence toward
getting them here. Something of the spirit of the stern man for whom
he had been nicknamed flashed in Little Hickory’s eyes, and drawing
his figure to its full height with a dignity felt all the more for the
ragged suit in which he was clothed, he exclaimed, in a tone heard
to the limit of the scene:
“Paupers and thieves, never! We are poor, but we are willing to earn
an honest living. Deacon Cornhill, if we are not wanted here——”
“Tut, tut, lad!” said the other, in an undertone, “this will soon blow
over,” though he had his misgivings.
“You see how it is, deacon, and how the people feel,” said the
’squire, with a ring of triumph in his voice. “This settling so many city
hoodlums in our midst is a risky experiment. For my part, I had rather
my house should burn down than to have such people in it.”
“It would be pretty sure to if they were in it,” cried a zealous friend.
“I do not believe there is a house on the Hare road they could get.”
“No, no, no!” came from every quarter.
’Squire Hardy looked exultant, while Deacon Cornhill was
dumfounded. No one had dared to speak a word in his behalf.
“What have you done, Elihu?” asked his wife, who had but a vague
understanding of the situation.
“Don’t get ’scited, Mandy; it’ll soon blow over. Fri’nds,” he continued;
addressing the crowd, “don’t misjudge your neighbors. These poor
folks are all honest, as I am willing to vouch. Why, if it hadn’t been for
this boy I shouldn’t have been living to come home. He not only
saved my money, but my life, and I’ll stand by him now!”
“Good for you, deacon!” some one was bold enough to cry out, when
a faint cheer followed. This encouraged him to resume:
“But if you don’t want these poor folks in your houses, I’ll look ’em up
some places. They can stop at my place to-night. But here we are,
keeping this sick man and woman here, to say nothing of the rest. I
wish I had my two-hoss jingle wagon here, I swan, I do!”
At first no reply was made to this, but finally a farmer from the upper
part of the town said:
“If you want to go arter your wagon, deacon, you may have my team
to go with, only if you’ll leave a barrel of flour that is in the wagon at
Widder Short’s.”
Deacon Cornhill gladly accepted this offer, and he lost no time in
starting, saying, as he clambered into the high-backed seat:
“You can go with me if you want to, Rob.”
“I thank you, sir, but I had rather remain with mother and the rest. I
think it will be best for me to do so.”
“If you please, mister, I would like to go,” said Chick.
“So you can, my boy; and you, too,” nodding to another, a year older
than Chick, and known as Ruddy.
The boys were happy, but Deacon Cornhill was too deeply
engrossed over the situation to pay much heed to his young
companions, as he gathered up the reins and drove away from the
station. This reception was very different from the triumphal entry
into town of which he had anticipated.
“The ’squire is still ag’in me, and he means to make trouble,” he said,
giving expression to his thoughts. “If he won’t let ’em go on the Hare
road, they shall go somewhere. I have it! I’ll put ’em up to Break o’
Day; that’s just what I’ll do. Git along, old Jim! that’s just what I’ll do.”
So absorbed was the good man in his plans that he did not notice he
had already got the raw-boned horse into a smart gait, so that the
old wagon was drawn through the mud and over the rocks at a
tremendous rate, giving the boys about all they could do to hold
upon the high-backed seat, while the barrel of flour rolled about at
the imminent risk of being sent from the vehicle altogether.
“The Break o’ Day is their only hope,” repeated the deacon, as he
rode on.
So absorbed was the good man in his plans and his anxiety to get
back to the station, that he failed to heed the tremendous speed he
had urged the horse to take until by the time they had reached the
outskirts of the village the spirited animal was flying along the
country road at the top of its speed. The way was rough, and the
wagon jolting over the stony places kept the barrel of flour in
constant motion. In fact, an uncommonly severe movement sent one
head flying out into the mud, and the white, fluffy mass within, caught
up by the wind, flew about like a perfect cloud over the occupants of
the vehicle.
“Ginger and snap!” cried Chick, who was enjoying the situation, “ain’t
we spinning, Ruddy?”
“You bet! this is better’n the circus. Get up, old nag! If this is country
life, it jess knocks the spots off’n New York at her best.”
The boys were enjoying the affair if the deacon was not. Then, in the
midst of this wild flight, when it seemed as if the sober member of
Basinburg church had really lost his head, those inhabitants of the
village who had not gone to the station rushed out of their houses to
see what was taking place.
Getting a vague outline of the deacon’s stalwart figure amid the
cloud of flour, they began to cry out in dismay. This only served to
arouse the deacon the more, and, swinging his long whip in the air,
he shouted, louder than ever:
“Get erlong there, Jim Crow. It’s Break o’ Day or nothing!”
The old wagon, making a noise and confusion heard to the farthest
section of the village, the half-crazed deacon and his young
companions, who were shouting with laughter, were borne on at a
wilder pace than ever. In the midst of this they passed the
parsonage, when the horrified minister rushed out of the house,
bareheaded and with outstretched arms, calling out to the horse to
stop. Then, recognizing the form of his respected parishioner
enveloped in the cloud of flour, he shouted, in amazement:
“Why, Deacon Cornhill! what has happened? Stop—stop—st——”
“It’s Break o’ Day or nothing, parson; snowstorm or no snowstorm!
Get erlong, Jim!”
The old man barely saved himself from being run over, as the
deacon and his companions were carried past, the latter crying out in
the ears of the bewildered preacher:
“Did you ever get left on the pavements?”
CHAPTER VIII.
A PRINCE IN RAGS.
Meanwhile the crowd about the station had watched the departure of
Deacon Cornhill in silence, but no sooner had he disappeared in the
distance than Squire Hardy held a consultation of a few words with
his nearest friends. Then he turned to address Rob, who, realizing
that a crisis of some kind was at hand, calmly waited for him to
speak.
“Youngster,” began the ’squire, “it must be plain to you by this time
that you and your followers made a mistake in coming here as you
have. In the first place, it can be of no advantage to you, and in the
second place, you are not wanted by us.”
“I am sorry, sir, that it has happened as it has, but it does not seem
to me that any one is to blame. We have come with honest intentions
——”
“It requires honest people to carry out honest intentions. It’s the
doing that counts. Come, it is nearly night, and you have barely time
in which to get out of town before dark. The walking is good on the
railroad track.”
The tone, more than the words, nettled Ragged Rob, and he
exclaimed:
“It will be better or worse before I or my friends go that way.”
“Don’t you throw any of your New York sass in my face, you ragged
dog. You’ll either get out of town pretty lively of your own account, or
we will get help for you in a way you may not like. I give you fair
warning, and five minutes of time to get started in.”
A groan came from the suffering man on the settee, while the others
of the forlorn little group turned pale with fright. But Little Hickory was
made of sterner stuff, and, drawing his slender figure to its full
height, making him like a fairy prince in a disguise of rags, he
replied, in a tone heard by the most distant of the spectators:
“Sir, you cannot drive us away without making trouble for yourself.
We have come here peacefully, and we demand fair treatment. This
poor man here”—pointing to the invalid Mr. Little—“cannot take a
step to save his life. And this sick woman”—now pointing to Mrs.
Willet—“deserves kind treatment at your hands.”
This fearless speech was received with varying effect by the
onlookers. It won the respect, if not the admiration of some, while still
others thought that perhaps the ’squire had been hasty in his
denouncement. Others again looked askance toward the justice,
while he, feeling that he had been openly and defiantly humiliated,
shook with anger, and he exclaimed, in a voice husky with passion:
“Fool! if you think this high-handed piece of impudence is going
through all right you’ll find yourself most —— mistaken.”
’Squire Hardy used a word where I have inserted the dash which I do
not care to quote, while he advanced toward Ragged Rob with a look
of intense hatred. He seemed about to seize the brave boy in his
grasp of iron, when the latter said:
“Lay a hand on me if you dare, Mr. Hardy!”
“Be careful how you make yourself liable for striking the boy,” spoke
up one of the spectators, who was standing at the corner of the
station.
“If it wasn’t for the law I’d throw the young rapscallion into ——”
using another word that may have fitted his feelings, but which
grated harshly even on that exciting scene. “As it is I will make out a
warrant for their arrest as quick as I can find pen and paper to do it,
Johnson.”
“If you do you will have to get Sheriff Stanyan to serve it, ’squire.”
“I suppose you think I ought to let these hoodlums go where they
wish, Johnson. I tell you the safety of the public demands that I stop
them where they are.”
“You mistake my meaning, ’squire. While I may be sorry that they
have come, I believe in fair treatment, and abiding by the law.”
“I should like to know who is breaking the law if it is not them,”
snapped the justice, who was already inquiring for pen, ink and
paper.
“I hardly know what charge you can bring against them, ’squire, but
you are doubtless better posted than I.”
“If I weren’t I’d hold my mouth,” muttered the other, though being
careful not to speak loud enough for Mr. Johnson to hear. In a louder
tone he cried:
“I can arrest the whole crowd for vagrancy, and bring them up as
suspicious characters. I calculate enough can be brought against
them to put them in the lockup to-night, and to send them adrift to-
morrow. At any rate, I propose to see what can be done. I want some
one to go for Sheriff Stanyan. As Mr. Jones, the station agent, may
wish to have his place cleared of such stock before night, I should
advise that the messenger go for the officer with all speed possible.”
At the conclusion of this speech the ’squire turned to see what effect
his words had upon the little group of homeless strangers. He was
disappointed to find that they had not brought any visible show of
trepidation to any of them.
“Look here, Trask,” addressing one of the spectators, continued the
justice, “you have got a good horse. Go to Bradford and find Sheriff
Stanyan. Tell him I will have the papers all made out by the time he
gets here.”
“It’s awful traveling, ’squire, and my horse——”
“Don’t stop to consider the traveling, Trask, at a time like this. The
safety of the public must be upheld. You shall lose nothing by the
trip.”
Without further opposition the man called Trask started for his team,
which was hitched nearby, and a minute later he rode away on his
errand, while ’Squire Hardy went into the station agent’s office to
make out the required paper.
Though there was little display of excitement on the surface, it was
really an exciting situation. The onlookers began to gather in little
knots to talk over the affair, a few blaming the ’squire, but the
majority upholding him in his decisive action. As is usual under such
conditions, the forlorn strangers, ragged and penniless, proved to be
equally friendless.
Ragged Rob improved the opportunity to speak a few words of
encouragement to his companions, trying to assure them that it
would be all right as soon as Deacon Cornhill should return. But
even he felt in his heart that the kindly deacon would be powerless to
meet and overcome the increasing enmity of his townspeople.
CHAPTER IX.
A STARTLING SURPRISE.