CHAPTER 1

Career Success
Begins With
Communication
Skills

Instructor Only Version

© 2010 Thomson South-Western
 Communication Skills:

Your ticket
to work...

OR

Your ticket out the door!

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 2
 Good communication skills
are essential for

 Job placement
 Job performance
 Career advancement
 Success in the new world
of work

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 3

 Flattened
Flattened
management
management
Information hierarchies
hierarchies More
Information More
as
asaa participatory
participatory
corporate
corporateasset
asset management
management

Trends
Trendsin
in
New
New the
thenew
new Increased
Increased
work
work workplace emphasis
emphasis
workplace
environments
environments on
onteams
teams

Innovative
Innovative Heightened
Heightened
communication
communication global
global
technologies
technologies competition
competition

MaryMary
EllenEllen
Guffey,
Guffey,
Essentials
Essentials
of Business
of Business
Communication,
Communication,
8e 8e Chapter 1, Slide 4
 The Process of Communication

MaryMary
EllenEllen
Guffey,
Guffey,
Essentials
Essentials
of Business
of Business
Communication,
Communication,
8e 8e Chapter 1, Slide 5
The Process of Communication

Verbally or nonverbally.
How may the sender
By speaking, writing,
encode a message?
gesturing.

What kinds of Letters, e-mail, IM,

channels carry memos, TV, telephone,
messages? voice, body. Others?

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 6

The Process of Communication

How does a receiver Hearing, reading,

decode a message? observing

When is When a message is

communication understood as the sender
successful? intended it to be.
How can a Ask questions, check
communicator reactions, don’t dominate
provide for feedback? the exchange.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 7

Barriers to Effective Listening

Physical hearing disabilities, noisy

barriers surroundings
Psychological tuning out ideas that counter
barriers our values
Language unfamiliar or charged words
problems
Nonverbal clothing, mannerisms,
distractions appearance

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 8

Barriers to Effective Listening

Thought speed our minds process

thoughts faster than
speakers say them
Faking pretending to listen
attention
Grandstanding talking all the time or
listening only for the next
pause

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 9

 Ten Misconceptions
About Listening

1. Listening is a matter of intelligence.

FACT: Careful listening is a learned
behavior.
2. Speaking is more important than
listening in the communication process.
FACT: Speaking and listening are
equally important.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 10

 Ten Misconceptions
About Listening
3. Listening is easy and requires little
energy.
FACT: Active listeners undergo the
same physiological changes as a person
jogging.
4. Listening and hearing are the same
process.
FACT: Listening is a conscious,
selective process. Hearing is an
involuntary act.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 11
 Ten Misconceptions
About Listening

5. Speakers are able to command listening.

FACT: Speakers cannot make a person
really listen.
6. Hearing ability determines listening
ability.
FACT: Listening happens mentally—
between the ears.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 12

 Ten Misconceptions
About Listening
7. Speakers are totally responsible for
communication success.
FACT: Communication is a two-way
street.
8. Listening is only a matter of
understanding a speaker’s words.
FACT: Nonverbal signals also help
listeners gain understanding.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 13

 Ten Misconceptions
About Listening
9. Daily practice eliminates the need for
listening training.
FACT: Without effective listening
training, most practice merely reinforces
negative behaviors.
10. Competence in listening develops
naturally.
FACT: Untrained people listen at only 25
percent efficiency.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 14
 Nonverbal Communication

Eye contact, facial expression,

and posture and gestures send
silent messages.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 15

 Nonverbal Communication

Appearance sends silent

messages.
 Appearance of business
documents
 Appearance of people

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 16

 Four Space Zones for Social
Interaction Among Americans

MaryMary
EllenEllen
Guffey,
Guffey,
Essentials
Essentials
of Business
of Business
Communication,
Communication,
8e 8e Chapter 1, Slide 17
 Four Space Zones for Social
Interaction Among Americans

MaryMary
EllenEllen
Guffey,
Guffey,
Essentials
Essentials
of Business
of Business
Communication,
Communication,
8e 8e Chapter 1, Slide 18
 Keys to Building
Strong Nonverbal Skills

 Establish and maintain eye contact.

 Use posture to show interest.
 Improve your decoding skills.
 Probe for more information.
 Avoid assigning nonverbal meanings
out of context.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 19

 Keys to Building
Strong Nonverbal Skills

 Associate with people from diverse

cultures.
 Appreciate the power of appearance.
 Observe yourself on videotape.
 Enlist friends and family.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 20

Improving Communication With
Multicultural Audiences
Oral Messages
 Use simple English.

© Creatas / Photolibrary Group / Index Stock Imagery

 Speak slowly and
enunciate clearly.
 Encourage accurate
feedback.
 Check frequently for
comprehension.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 21

Improving Communication With
Multicultural Audiences
Oral Messages
 Observe eye messages.

© Creatas / Photolibrary Group / Index Stock Imagery

 Accept blame.
 Listen without
interrupting.
 Smile when appropriate.
 Follow up in writing.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 22

Improving Communication With
Multicultural Audiences
Written Messages
 Consider local styles.
 Consider hiring a translator.
 Use short sentences and
short paragraphs.
 Avoid ambiguous wording.
 Follow up in writing.
 Cite numbers carefully.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 23
Improving Communication Among
Diverse Workplace Audiences
 Understand the value of differences.
 Seek training.
 Learn about your own cultural self.
 Make fewer workplace assumptions.
 Build on similarities.

Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 1, Slide 24

 END

Instructor Only Version

© 2010 Thomson South-Western