Communication Skills as Career filtersCommunication Skills as Career filtersCommunication Skills as Career filtersCommunication Skills as Career filters

1. Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy
Essentials of
Business
Communication 9e
© 2013 Cengage Learning ● All Rights Reserved
Chapter 1
Communication Skills as
Career Filters

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Your ticket
to work...
OR
Your ticket out the door!
Communication Skills and Careers
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 2

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Good Communication Skills Needed
§ Job placement
§ Job performance
§ Career advancement
§ Success in a
challenging world
of work
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 3

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What Do Employers Want?
§ Communication Skills
Today’s workers communicate more because of
technology, the Web, mobility, globalization, and
the anytime-anywhere workplace.
§ Professionalism
Employers demand
professionalism and
other “soft skills” such
as the ability to work
with others.
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 4

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Writing Skills Matter
"Businesses are crying out—they
need to have people who write
better.”
Gaston Caperton, business
executive and president,
College Board
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 5

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Your Guide
Build Your Communication Skills
Instructor Your Coach
See
http://www.cengagebrain.com
Textbook
Bonus
Resources
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 6

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Renewed
emphasis
on ethics
Anytime-
anywhere and
nonterritorial
offices
Innovative
communication
technologies
Emphasis on
work groups
and virtual teams
Flattened
management
hierarchies
Heightened
global
competition
Advancing in
a Challenging
World of Work
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 7

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The Communication Process
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 8

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The Communication Process
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 9
How may the sender
encode a message?
• Verbally or nonverbally
• By speaking, writing,
gesturing
What kinds of
channels carry
messages?
• E-mail, texts, memos,
letters, phone, body
• Other?

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The Communication Process
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 10
How does a receiver
decode a message?
Hearing, reading,
observing
When is
communication
successful?
When a message is
understood as the sender
intended
How can a
communicator
provide for feedback?
Ask questions, check
reactions, don’t dominate
the exchange

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Why Good Listening Skills Count
“No man ever listened himself out of a job.”
--Calvin Coolidge
30th U.S. President
(1923-1929)
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 11

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Barriers to Effective Listening
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 12
Physical
barriers
Hearing disabilities, noisy
surroundings
Psychological
barriers
Tuning out ideas that counter
our values
Language
problems
Unfamiliar or emotionally
charged words
Nonverbal
distractions
Clothing, mannerisms, radical
hairstyle, appearance

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 13
Thought speed Minds processing thoughts
faster than speakers say
them
Faking
attention
Pretending to listen
Grandstanding Talking all the time or
listening only for the next
pause
Barriers to Effective Listening

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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 & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 14

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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 & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 15
Misconceptions About Listening

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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 & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 16
Misconceptions About Listening

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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 & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 17
Misconceptions About Listening

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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 & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 18
Misconceptions About Listening

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Building Powerful Listening Skills
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 19
§ Stop talking.
§ Control your surroundings.
§ Establish a receptive
mind-set.
§ Keep an open mind.
§ Listen for main points.
§ Capitalize on lag time.

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§ Listen between the lines.
§ Judge ideas, not
appearances.
§ Hold your fire.
§ Take selective notes.
§ Provide feedback.
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 20
Building Powerful Listening Skills

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Nonverbal Communication
Eye contact, facial expressions,
and posture and gestures send
silent messages.
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 21

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Nonverbal Communication
Time, space, and territory send
silent messages.
§ Time (punctuality and structure)
§ Space (arrangement of objects)
§ Territory (privacy zones)
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 22

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Social Interaction in North America
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 23

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 24
Social Interaction in North America

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Nonverbal Communication
Appearance sends silent messages.
§ Business documents
§ People
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 25

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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 & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 26

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§ Associate with people
from diverse cultures.
§ Appreciate the power of
appearance.
§ Observe yourself on video.
§ Enlist friends and family.
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 27
Building Strong Nonverbal Skills

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Culture and Communication
Good communication
demands special
sensitivity and skills
when communicators
come from different
cultures.
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 28

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Culture
Context
Individualism
Formality
Communication
Style
Time
Orientation
Dimensions of Culture
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 29

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Dimensions of Culture: Context
High-Context Cultures
§ Relational, collectivist, intuitive, contemplative
§ Japan, China, Arab countries
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 30

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Dimensions of Culture: Context
Low-Context Cultures
§ Logical, individualistic, linear, action-oriented
§ North America, Scandinavia,
Germany
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 31

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Dimensions of Culture: Individualism
High-Context Cultures
Tend to prefer groups values,
duties, decisions
Low-Context Cultures
Tend to prefer individual
initiative, self-assertion,
personal achievement
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 32

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Dimensions of Culture: Formality
High-Context Cultures
Tend to place more emphasis
on tradition, ceremony,
and social rules
Low-Context Cultures
Tend to place less
emphasis on tradition,
ceremony, and social
rules
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 33

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Dimensions of Culture:
Communication Style
High-Context Cultures
Rely on nonverbal cues and total picture to
communicate
Low-Context Cultures
Emphasize words,
straightforwardness,
and openness
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 34

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Dimensions of Culture: Time
North Americans
Correlate time with productivity, efficiency, and
money
Some Other Cultures
See time as an unlimited and
never-ending resource to be
enjoyed
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 35

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Proverbs Reflect Culture
What do these U.S. proverbs tell us
about this culture and its values?
1. The squeaking wheel gets the grease.
2. Waste not, want not.
3. He who holds the gold makes
the rules.
4. If at first you don’t succeed,
try, try again.
5. The early bird gets the worm.
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 36

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Proverbs Reflect Culture
What do these Chinese proverbs tell us
about the Chinese culture and its values?
1. A man who waits for a roast duck to fly into his
mouth must wait a very long time.
2. A man who says it cannot be
done should not interrupt a
man doing it.
3. Give a man a fish, and he will
live for a day; give him a net,
and he will live for a lifetime.
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 37

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Proverbs Reflect Culture
What do these proverbs suggest about
each culture and its values?
1. No one is either rich or poor who
has not helped himself to be so.
(German)
2. Words do not make flour. (Italian)
3. The nail that sticks up gets
pounded down. (Japanese)
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 38

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Intercultural Workplace Skills
Barriers
§ Ethnocentrism: the belief in the superiority
of one’s own culture
§ Stereotypes: oversimplified perceptions of
behavioral patterns or characteristics applied
to an entire group
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 39

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Overcoming Barriers
§ Tolerance: learning about and appreciating
other cultures
§ Empathy: seeing the world through another’s
eyes, being nonjudgmental
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 40
Intercultural Workplace Skills

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Communicating Interculturally
Oral Communication
§ Use simple English.
§ Speak slowly and
enunciate clearly.
§ Encourage accurate
feedback.
§ Check frequently for
comprehension.
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 41

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Oral Communication
§ Observe eye messages.
§ Accept blame.
§ Listen without
interrupting.
§ Smile when
appropriate.
§ Follow up in writing.
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 42
Communicating Interculturally

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Written Communication
§ Consider local styles.
§ Consider hiring a translator.
§ Use short sentences and
short paragraphs.
§ Avoid ambiguous wording.
§ Cite numbers carefully.
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 43
Communicating Interculturally

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Communicating Effectively With
Diverse Audiences on the Job
§ Understand the value of differences.
§ Seek training.
§ Learn about your cultural self.
§ Make few assumptions.
§ Build on similarities.
Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition Chapter 1, Slide 44

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Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy, Essentials of Business Communication, 9th Edition
“You can have brilliant ideas, but if you
can't get them across, your ideas won't get
you anywhere.”
--Lee Iacocca, former
president and CEO,
Chrysler Corporation
Chapter 1, Slide 45

46. Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy
Essentials of
Business
Communication 9e
© 2013 Cengage Learning ● All Rights Reserved
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