Business Communications for

Microsoft Specialists
Module 2: Creating Effective
Presentations

Christie Christelis
Reflection
 Presentation order
Reshny Masoumeh
Marwa Suresh

Presentations Idowu
Ensieh
Adi
Maedeh
William
Rekha
Anwar Henry
Neda Roya
Nazia Shazia
Jasper Lishanthi

Module 2: Session 5
Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.
Business Communications for
Microsoft Specialists
Module 3: Communication to
Empower Interaction

Christie Christelis
Module 3: Communication to Empower Interaction

Learning Outcomes: Topics to be Covered

At the completion of this module, • Behavioural Characteristics Essential for
Success
you will be able to:
• Communication to Empower Analytical
• Identify the key behavioural
Thinking
characteristics for successful
organizational interactions • Interacting with Teams
• Explain how effective communications
empowers analytical thinking
• Demonstrate the role of communications
in promoting effective teamwork
Copyright 2022 Sheridan College. 5
 Behavioural Characteristics
Essential for Success

Module 3: Session 1
Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.
Two Levels of Skills

Technical Skills
Can you do the technical job well?

Soft Skills
Can you interact well with people,
in order to succeed in your job?
Activity 3.1: “What are the most important
attributes that employers value in an employee?”
In your allocated groups answer the
following:
• What are the most important attributes that
employers value in an employee?
• Consider both soft and hard skills

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

The Top Behavioural Characteristics

• Communication skills • Adaptability

• Interpersonal skills • Trustworthiness
• Analytical thinking • Personal Accountability
• Teamwork • Organization and Time
• Negotiation Management

• Ethics

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Ethics
Why is ethical behaviour important for an organization?
• It allows the organization to build trust amongst its key
stakeholders (customers, suppliers, investors,
employees, civil society, regulators, etc.)
• It leads to higher profits over the long term
• It reduces risk
Ethics require an understanding and focus on fairness,
consideration, and moral behaviour through business
activities and relationships.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Cornerstones of Ethics

• Understanding what is considered by the organization to be

ethical and unethical behaviour:
o Core value statements
o Codes of Conduct
• Personal values
• Integrity – doing the right thing while no one is watching
• Respect
Awareness of ethical issues allows employees to identify when
ethical dilemmas occur and find ways, with the help of the
organization in some cases, to navigate these dilemmas.
Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.
Ethical Behaviour

• Identification and resolution of ethical dilemmas

• Ethical decisions
• Full and prompt disclosure of potential ethical
issues
• Openness and transparency regarding ethical
issues, dilemmas and decisions
• Honesty regarding one's abilities, the
performance of one's work, and accepting
responsibility for failures or errors
Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.
Adaptability

Adaptability is the ability to change techniques, style, methods, and

approach because of changing situations and business context.
Employees need to be aware of the context in which their
organization operates and the changing goals and objectives of the
organization.
Employees who are able to adjust their behavioural style and
method of approach in a fast-paced environment will increase their
effectiveness and value to the organization.
This is particularly important in the dynamic technology space.
Part of this involves adaptability in communications, tailoring the
communication to the target audience

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Markers of adaptability

• Adapting to changing conditions and environments

• Valuing and considering other points of view and approaches
• Demonstrating a positive attitude in the face of ambiguity and
change
• Demonstrating a willingness to learn new methods,
procedures, or techniques in order to accomplish goals and
objectives
• Changing behaviour to perform effectively under changing or
unclear conditions
• Acquiring and applying new information and skills to address
new challenges
Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.
Markers of adaptability

• Acceptance of having changes made to tasks, roles and

project assignments as organizational realities change
• Altering interpersonal style to highly diverse individuals and
groups in a range of situations
• Evaluating what worked, what did not, and what could be
done differently next time.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Personal Accountability

• Personal accountability is being accountable for

the tasks that must be performed to achieve
targets and goals, and to ensure that the value
delivered is aligned with business needs.
• Personal accountability is important because it
ensures that tasks are completed on time and to
the expectations of managers, colleagues and
stakeholders. It aids in establishing credibility.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Markers of Personal Accountability

• Ensuring that work effort is planned and

articulated to others as required
• Work is completed as planned or re-planned with
sufficient reasoning and lead time
• Risks and issues are identified and appropriately
acted on
• Decisions are traceable to requirements and
business needs

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Trustworthiness

• Trustworthiness is the perception that one is

worthy of trust. In your career being considered
trustworthy may offset the natural fear of change
experienced by many stakeholders when you
propose new technological solutions.
• Earning the trust of stakeholders helps
developers, business analysts and system
architects elicit information around sensitive
issues and enables them to help stakeholders
have confidence that their recommendations will
be evaluated properly and fairly.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Markers of Trustworthiness
• Intentionally and consistently completing tasks and
deliverables on time, within budget, and achieving
expected results so that colleagues and
stakeholders consider your behaviour dependable
and diligent,
• Presenting a consistent attitude of confidence, so
that colleagues and stakeholders consider your
demeanor as strong,
• Acting in an honest and straightforward manner,
Trustworthiness
addressing conflict and concerns immediately so
that colleagues and stakeholders consider you to
be honest and transparent, and

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Markers of Trustworthiness

• Maintaining a consistent schedule over a long

period of time so that colleagues and stakeholders
consider your availability predictable and reliable.
• Stakeholders raise issues and concerns with you,
and are willing to discuss difficult or controversial
topics with you
• Stakeholders respect your ideas and referrals and
do not blame you when problems occur
• Stakeholders respond to your ideas and referrals
with positive feedback

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Organization and Time Management

Organization and time management skills help

employees perform tasks effectively and use work time
efficiently.
It involves:
• The ability to prioritize tasks
• Perform them efficiently
• Manage time effectively.
• Organize and store information in an efficient manner
• Differentiate important information that should be retained
from less important information.
• Effective time management requires the ability to prioritize
tasks and deadlines.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Markers of Organization and Time Management

• The ability to produce deliverables in a timely

manner,
• The ability to prioritize tasks effectively
• Relevant information is captured, organized, and
documented
• Adherence to the project schedule and the meeting
of deadlines
• Providing accurate, thorough, and concise
information in a logical manner
• Maintaining up-to-date information on the status of
work items and outstanding work.
Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.
 Communication to Empower
Analytical Thinking

Module 3: Session 2
Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.
Analytical Thinking
Analytical thinking and problem-solving skills are required for
systems architects, engineers and developers to analyze
problems and opportunities effectively, identify which
solutions may deliver the most value, and work with cross-
functional teams to ensure successful implementation.
Classes of Analytical Thinking
• Systems Thinking
• Conceptual Thinking
• Problem Solving
• Creative Thinking
• Decision Making
• Learning
Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.
Systems Thinking
• Systems theory and systems thinking suggest that a system as
a whole has properties, behaviours, and characteristics that
emerge from the interaction of the components of that system.
• These factors are not predictable from an understanding of the
components alone.
• In the context of systems theory, the term system includes the
people involved, the interactions between them, the external
forces affecting their behaviour, and all other relevant elements
and factors.
Understanding how the people, processes, and technology within
an organization interact allows system architects, developers, and
engineers to provide holistic solutions to problems.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

System Diagram
Markers of Systems Thinking

• Demonstrating an understanding of how

components interact in systems
• Taking cognizance of the impact of the
environment in which the system
operates on the system, and how the
system impacts on the environment

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Conceptual Thinking
• Conceptual thinking involves understanding the linkage
between contexts, solutions, needs, changes,
stakeholders, and value abstractly and in the big picture.
• It includes understanding and connecting information and
patterns that may not be obviously related, and where
details fit into a larger context.
• It involves using past experiences, knowledge, creativity,
intuition, and abstract thinking to generate alternatives,
options, and ideas that are not easily defined or related.
Technical specialists apply conceptual thinking skills to find
ways to understand how systems or development
requirements fit into a larger picture, what details are
important, and to connect seemingly abstract information.
Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.
Markers of Conceptual Thinking
• Formulating abstract concepts using a combination of
information and uncertainty
• Drawing on past experiences to understand the
situation.
• Connecting disparate information and to better
understand the relationship

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Problem Solving

A core part of any developer’s job is to find ways to solve

problems effectively. This involves establishing the root cause of
the problem and finding solutions to address that root cause.
• Defining a problem involves ensuring that the nature of the
problem and any underlying issues are clearly understood.
• Assumptions are identified and validated.
• The objectives that will be met once the problem is solved are
clearly specified, and alternative solutions are considered and
possibly developed.
• Alternatives are measured against the objectives to determine
which possible solution is best and identify the value and trade-
offs that may exist between solutions.
Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.
Markers of Problem Solving

• Confidence of the participants in the problem-solving

process
• Selected solutions meet the defined objectives and solve
the root cause of the problem,
• New solution options can be evaluated effectively using
the problem-solving framework
• The problem-solving process avoids making decisions
based on unvalidated assumptions, preconceived
notions, or other traps that may cause a suboptimal
solution to be selected.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Creative Thinking

• Thinking creatively helps to be effective in generating

new ideas, approaches, and alternatives to problem
solving and opportunities.
• Creative thinking involves generating new ideas and
concepts as well as finding new or different associations
between existing ideas and concepts.
• It helps overcome rigid approaches to problem solving
by questioning conventional approaches and
encouraging new ideas and innovations that are
appropriate to the situation.
• Creative thinking may involve combining, changing, and
reapplying existing concepts or ideas.
Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.
Markers of Creative Thinking

• Generating and productively considering new ideas

• Exploring concepts and ideas that are new
• Exploring changes to existing concepts and ideas
• Generating creativity for self and others
• Applying new ideas to resolve existing problems

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Decision Making

• When a architects, engineers or developers are faced with

having to select an option from a set of alternatives, a
decision must be made on which is the most advantageous
for the organization.
• Determining this involves gathering the information that is
relevant to the decision, analyzing the relevant information,
making comparisons and trade-offs between similar and
dissimilar options, and identifying the most desirable
option.
• The rationale supporting decisions represents an important
reference in explaining (possibly at some future date) why a
decision was made.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Markers of Decision Making

• The appropriate stakeholders are represented in the

decision-making process
• The rationale behind the decision is understood
• The pros and cons of all available options are clearly
communicated
• The decision reduces or eliminates uncertainty, and any
remaining uncertainty is accepted,
• The decision made addresses the need or the opportunity
at hand and is in the best interest of the organization
• A decision is made

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Learning
• The ability to quickly absorb new and different types of information and also
modify and adapt existing knowledge allows systems architects, developers
and engineers to work effectively in rapidly changing environments.
• Learning is the process of gaining knowledge or skills. Learning about a
domain passes through a set of stages, from initial acquisition and learning
of raw facts, through comprehension of their meaning, to applying the
knowledge in day-today work, and finally analysis, synthesis, and
evaluation.
• System architects, engineers and developers need to understand the
business problem and be capable of applying that understanding to
determine which analyses need to be performed in a situation.
• They must then be able to synthesize the information to identify
opportunities to create new solutions and evaluate those solutions to
ensure that they are effective.
Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.
Markers of Learning
• Learning the concepts acquired and
then demonstrating an understanding
of them
• Demonstrating the ability to apply
concepts to new areas or relationships
• Rapidly absorbing new facts, ideas,
concepts, and opinions
• Effectively presenting new facts, ideas,
concepts, and opinions to others.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Activity 3.4: The Role of Communication in Analytical
Thinking?
Each group will be allocated one form of
analytical thinking to discuss. In your
discussions, determine:
• What role communication plays in the
type of analytical thinking allocated to
your group? How does it empower the
analytical thinking type allocated to
your group?
Each group will present their answers
back to the class

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

 Interacting with Teams

Module 3: Session 3
Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.
Understanding the People Dimension – Motivation

What motivates people? There are many different

theories and perspectives:
• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
• Herzberg’s Motivational and Hygiene Factors
• McClelland’s Acquired Needs Theory
• McGregor’s Theory X and Y

Personal motivation is an important factor in the

formation and functioning of groups and teams.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Group Dynamics
How people interact in groups depends on:
• Personality
• Social styles
• Task or objective
• Authority
• Power relationships
• Expertise
• Constraints
• Behaviour of other participants (which in turn, is affected by the
above)
Groups consist of individuals interacting with each other in highly
variable and sometimes unpredictable ways.

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Communication Phases and Processes in Groups
Communication forms the foundation of working in groups and/or teams.

Socio-emotional processes Task processes

Function • Breaking the ice • Focus on getting the job
• Establishing rapport done
• Supporting group morale • Meeting objectives and
targets
Leadership Role Socio-emotional leader Task leader
Phases Opening and closing, with Takes control after the socio-
facilitation during the meeting emotional phase

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Tuckman Model of Team Development
Adjourning
5
▪ ‘All good things come
to an end’
Norming ▪ Giving teammates
3 time to reflect and
▪ Face internal give thanks
challenges head-on
and create norms to
cope
Forming ▪ Accept feedback
1 and move on with Performing
▪ Members first meet work 4
▪ Members are ▪ People follow norms
optimistic about and begin to operate as
future performance one team
▪ Productivity and morale
2 Storming increase
▪ Spread between what
members “expected” and
what they “got”
Edison’s Team Development Lifecycle – Dysfunction

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Punctuated Equilibrium Model

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Team Function and Dysfunction

Trust fellow team members Absence of trust

Engages in conflict Fear of conflict
Commits to the goals of the team Lack of commitment
Holds one another accountable Avoidance of accountability
Focuses on collective results Inattention to results
Have shared values Values are unimportant

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Cohesive Groups

High Performing Teams are cohesive groups that have

reached the stage where all of the characteristics of a
functional team have been embedded.
Characteristics cohesive groups:
• A collective identity
• Emotional bond
• Desire to remain part of the group
• Share a sense of purpose
• They establish a structured pattern of communication
Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.
High Performing Teams
Ideal characteristics:
• Ten or fewer members in the team
• They volunteer to be on the team
• Will serve on the team from beginning to end
• They are assigned full-time
• The organization culture that fosters cooperation and trust
• Report to a single point of authority (e.g., project manager)
• All required functional areas are represented on a team
• The project involves a compelling objective
• Members are able to communicate easily with each other (i.e. the
systems are in place to facilitate collaboration and communication)
Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.
Virtual Teams – Technology
Numerous technologies that are available for conducting virtual or
online team meetings (e.g. Zoom, Google, Cisco Webex, Microsoft
Teams, etc.).
Some platforms may not be accessed easily by some audience
members
Most platforms have features for organizing and facilitating
engagement in meetings. (e.g. scheduling, invitations, screen
sharing, whiteboards, breakout rooms, chat, etc.).
Make sure that you can deal with the technology effectively.
Give some consideration to the accessibility requirements of
members of your audience (e.g. live captioning, described video,
ASL interpreters) and how to integrate that into your presentation

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.

Activity 3.6: Key Challenges in Operating in Teams

In your groups, consider the following questions:

• What are some of the most important challenges
involved in working in teams?
• How would you promote team effectiveness?
Each group will present their answers back to the
class

Copyright 2022 Sheridan College.