Guidelines for Oral Business Communications
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Guidelines for Oral Business Communications
- 1. Guidelines for Oral Business Communications
- 2. What to Know about Oral Business Communications 75% of business centers around oral business communication #1 way you build your professional brand 41% of graduates don’t even have the basic verbal communication skills needed in the workplace
- 3. 7 Guidelines for Oral Business Communications
- 4. Listen Actively Listening is the most important element of oral communication Don’t interrupt or start worrying about how you’ll respond until you’ve thoroughly listened to their point Be responsive Ask questions
- 5. Reflect and Clarify Paraphrase the essence of the facts and feelings expressed and say them back to the person you listened to Check you’ve understood correctly Show you respect them and their opinions Clarify your message contextually based on what was said
- 6. Think Before You Speak Never speak before you are sure of what you will say Avoid highly emotionally charged responses Make a plan going in
- 7. Speak Slowly and Clearly Too fast and no one can understand you Enunciate Choose a smooth, clear tone of voice
- 8. Hone Your Word Choice and Tone How you say something > What you say “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” —Mark Twain Choose the right word and tone for each unique situation Be friendly and open
- 9. Be Genuine and Humble No one likes a fake person Be yourself Don’t over-inflate your own importance Respecting others garners respect
- 10. Get to the Point Be concise Ask yourself, “How can I say what needs to be conveyed in the fewest possible number of words while still being courteous and respectful?” Stick to the plan
- 11. –John Kotter “Good communication does not mean that you have to speak in perfectly formed sentences and paragraphs. It isn’t about slickness. Simple and clear go a long way.”
Editor's Notes
- In our last section, we discussed the key elements of any nonverbal business communication, whether the message is conveyed through email, formal reports, or even simply body language. In this section, we focus our purview to look just at the lessons for spoken communications. In this lesson in particular, we look at the general guidelines you can apply to everything you say in the office from here on out.
- When you are at work every conversation that you have with a coworker is a means of communication—even a quick chat next to the coffee machine. In fact, according to the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, 75% of all business transactions, projects, and interactions centers around oral business communication. Not communicating well face-to-face with other people will do measurable damage to your career, especially since a survey by Kelly Services reveals that verbal communication skills are the #1 way that you develop your personal brand. The way you communicate makes a lasting impression, far beyond what most people realize. Even worse, oral communications skills are so commonly overlooked that 41% of recent graduates don’t have even the most basic verbal communication skills needed to succeed in the workforce. Sadly this number remains alarmingly high even among workers with experience in the field. Too often, basic verbal communication skills are assumed to be innate, when in reality, they are something you need to practice—and perfect.
- Luckily, you can perfect your oral business communication skills through practice and by applying these 7 simple guidelines.
- First, listen actively. The way you listen is actually the most important element of oral communication, not the way you speak. That’s because understanding is predicated on the other person, not you. Unless you listen actively, you won’t be responsive to their needs and concerns, and the message won’t get through. No one likes a person who domineers the conversation. Take your turn only after carefully listening. This means being engaged in what the other person is saying or how the audience is reacting. Don’t interrupt a thought. It’s rude. But also don’t interrupt them in your head. Far too often people stop listening to the other person’s point halfway through in order to decide how to respond. This only hinders communication—and it won’t go unnoticed by the person you’re communicating with, even if you think it will. Keep an open mind and delay response or judgement until they finished speaking. Instead, be responsive. Nod along and respond when appropriate. Smile and show you are listening by making eye contact. Finally, when they’ve finished speaking, ask appropriate questions. Get everything you need to know about their point of view before sharing your own.
- After listening, reflect and clarify. That is, first reflect their words by paraphrasing the essence of the facts and feelings expressed and say them back to the person you listened to and clarifying any misunderstandings or unclear parts. Check that you’ve understood and make it clear you’ve listened. Reflecting shows you respect them and their opinions, which makes them more receptive to what you have to say. The final element of reflecting and clarifying is contextualizing your message. Reflect the themes, emotions, and opinions of what was expressed and integrate them into what you need to say. This doesn’t mean that you need to change your message, but simply that you weave the concerns of the other person into your own point, making it relevant to their point of view.
- Next, take your time and think before you speak. Never speak before you are sure of what you will say. Plan your thoughts out, and make sure that any comment is appropriate and clear. Not doing so make you look foolish. After all, as the proverb says “It’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” Too often, people say whatever goes through their minds without putting any thought into it. As a result, they end up saying things reflecting poorly on them that they later regret. This is especially true if you are feeling particularly upset or emotional. Never shoot off your mouth in anger. Your point is almost guaranteed to be hidden in the emotion. Instead, avoid highly emotionally charged responses. Wait until you can think about what you want to say and come back to say it when you’ve cooled off. Make a plan before a conversation or meeting or speech for what you will say. While you may have to adjust exactly what is discussed at a later point, your plan can ground you in what’s important.
- Make sure that your words are just as clear as your meaning. Speak slowly and clearly so that no one misunderstands you simply for mechanical reasons. After all, if you speak too fast, no one can understand you. This doesn’t mean you need to slog along unnaturally slow or slow down to a condescending level but rather that you need to be aware of speaking at a rate that is easy to understand. As you do this, enunciate. Slurred, choppy, or unintelligible words will just get you ignored, especially when speaking to someone you manage. No one wants to be rude and say you aren’t speaking clearly, so ensure that it isn’t a problem. Instead, choose a smooth, clear tone of voice and speak distinctly.
- Next, hone your word choice and tone. As we talked about a little bit during the video on non-verbal communication, how you say something matters much more than what you actually say in most cases. This means that you can’t orally communicate effectively without taking into consideration the tone and word choice. After all the implications of a single word can totally change your intended meaning. To quote Mark Twain, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” This is even more true in face-to-face workplace settings. A terse “Sorry” will never convey the same message as a warm, contrite apology that explains why. Choose the right word and tone for the moment. Each situation is unique. Consider the implications of any given word within the emotional and work context. Still, always be friendly and open. Even if you are tempted to use a harsh word or an angry tone and even in the most serious discussions you can be friendly and open. The key to this is empathy. Respond to coworkers and other people in the workplace like you would to a real friend, no matter how you ultimately feel about them.
- A friendly tone will take you far, but don’t fake it. Be genuine and humble in your verbal communications, as well. No one like an inauthentic, fake person. Instead, be yourself. A professional version of you, sure, but one that reflects who you really are. You’ll only turn people off if they feel like you’re always putting on a show. A big part of what feels authentic is humility. Don’t over-inflate your own importance. At its core, humble communication respects others as much as yourself. In turn, you’ll be respected by others. Humility in business communication helps your reputation in the workplace a lot. After all, people who speak with humility and genuine respect for others are almost always held in high regard.
- Finally, get to the point. Oral business communications should be concise. Just because you are being respectful and friendly doesn’t mean that you should ramble. Get straight at the heart of the matter as quickly as possible once you’ve finished basic courtesies required by smalltalk. To do this, ask yourself, “How can I say what needs to be conveyed in the fewest possible number of words while still being courteous and respectful?” This will help you pare down the conversation or meeting to the most important issues. Time is money in business and no one wants to waste time, so get to the point quickly and efficiently. This means sticking to your plan for communication. Remember, it’s always ok to schedule another meeting or presentation to discuss a tangential issue, but don’t get off topic during any single communication. Otherwise, you’ll develop a reputation for being someone time consuming to communicate with and people will start avoiding it, making effective communication much more difficult. Stick to your plan until the end. Together with the other guidelines, this will help you ensure that all of your oral communications are effective—and get you a reputation as someone who can be trusted.
- In the end, good communication boils down to clarity and simplicity. As John Kotter put it, “Good communication does not mean that you have to speak in perfectly formed sentences and paragraphs. It isn’t about slickness. Simple and clear go a long way.” Aim always to speak to others as respectfully as possible and as simply and clearly as you can. Thanks for listening. I hope that you are starting to feel more confident communicating orally in the workplace. Of course, different specific types of oral communications require very different skills which is why we’re going to spend this entire section focusing on how to communicate better in some of these specific contexts. Make sure to watch our next video for how to communicate better one-on-one with coworkers, management, and your subordinates and improve workplace interactions overall.