ICFAI - Business Communications and Soft Skills - preparation notes

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AN INTRODUCTION TO DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING TOOLS
Participants in flexible learning programs have limitations on the nature of the
time they can spend on learning. Typically they are employed fully or partially,
pursuing higher studies or have other social and familial responsibilities.
Availability of time is a great constraint to these students.
To aidthe participants,we have developedfour unique learningtools as below:
 Bullet Notes : Helps in introducing the important concepts in each unit
of curriculum, equip the
student during preparation of
examinations and
 Case Studies : Illustrate the concepts through real life experiences
 Workbook : Helps absorption of learning through questions based on reallife nuggets
 PEP Notes :Sharing notes of practices and experiences in the Industry will help the student to
rightly perceive and get inspired to learn concepts at the cutting edge
application level.placementinterviews
Why are these needed?
 Adults learn differently from B. School or college going
students who spend long hours at campus.
 Enhancing analytical skills through application related learning
kits trigger experiential learning
 Availability of time is a challenge.
 Career success increasingly depends on continuous learning
and success
What makes it relevant?

How is it useful?


Where does this lead to?
As and when you get 5 to 10 minutes you can read one of these and absorb and comprehend.
Spending more time is your choice.
You can use the time in travel, waiting for meetings, lunch time, small breaks or at home
usefully.
Through these tools, the learning bytes are right sized for ease of learning for time challenged
participants.
The content starts from practice and connect to precept making it easy to connect to industry
and retain.
They can be connectedto continuous assessment process of the academic program.
Practitioners can use their real life knowledge and skill to enhance learning skills.
Immediate visualization of the practical dimension of the concept will offer a rich learning
experience.

 Easier to move ahead in the learning process.

 Will facilitate the student to complete the program earlier than
otherwise.Helpsstay motivated and connected.
When is it useful?


PEP NOTES
BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
& SOFTSKILLS
 

© The ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education(IFHE), Hyderabad,
April, 2015.All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spread sheet, or
transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise – without
prior permission in writing from The ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education (IFHE), Hyderabad.
Ref. No. BC&SS-PN-IFHE – 042015
For any clarification regarding this book, the students may please write to The ICFAI Foundation for Higher
Education (IFHE), Hyderabad giving the above reference number of this book specifying chapter and page
number.
While every possible care has been taken in type-setting and printing this book, The ICFAI Foundation for
Higher Education (IFHE), Hyderabad welcomes suggestions from students for improvement in future
editions.
Our E-mail id: cwfeedback@icfaiuniversity.in
ii

INTRODUCTION
Participants in ICFAI University Programs are eager to apply theory to practice. They realize that
application orientation can enhance their learning and subsequent usage of management precepts and
practices. Picking out the principle behind real world events is critical to this learning. Towards this end the
institution has introduced the PEP Notes.
The PEP Notes (Practice, Experience and Perspective Notes) is a collection of annotative notes on practices,
experiences and perspectives from industry as appearing in articles from reputed sources such as Harvard
Business Review, Economist, Mckinsey Quarterly, Accenture, Bain Consulting etc.
Practice: Organizations follow practices based on their past learning
Experience: Based on changing context, they face fresh experiences
Perspective: Organization learns from the experience and the practice to gain fresh perspective
These notes connect the three dimensions of the real world to key concepts in the subject. Each note is brief
– about one to two pages and is adapted from the article referred to in the note. The concept underlying the
note is highlighted in a box. The concept is also connected to the article through an introductory abstract in a
box at the beginning.
The learning outcomes expected are:
1. Real world Application based approach significantly enhances absorption and retention.
2. Exposure to the current trends,practices and is illustrated and connected back to theory.
3. Thoughts from leading sources.
The PEP Notes may be used for Assessment.
iii

CONTENTS
Block I:
1. Communication Skills – The Lack of it 8
2. Communication Barriers – UK in USA 9
3. Body Language for Professional Success 10
4. Nonverbal Communication for Interviews 12
5. Tune in to Listen 13
6. Listening skills for leaders 15
7. Interpersonal Skills for Entrepreneurs 16
8. Conflict is Good for Business 18
9. Negotiation Tactics 20
10. Tactics for Internal Negotiation 22
11. Interview question: What is your greatest weakness? 24
12. Candid questions to askthe interviewer 25
13. Steve Jobs way of conducting meetings 27
14. Conduct productive meetings as the experts‟ do 28
15. How to make a Brilliant Presentation 30
16. Communication for Business Success 32
17. Expert tips for Effective Presentations 34
18. Ethos, logos and pathos in Persuasive Speeches 36
iv

Block II:
19. Tips to draft an email Business Letter 39
20. Routine credit letter to get better customer response 41
21. The Art of Conveying Bad News 43
22. 10 Guidelines for Communicating Bad News 45
23. Persuasion through psychology 47
24. Persuasion Techniques in Digital Marketing 49
25. Techniques to minimize mistakes in a résumé 51
26. Résumé inLinkedIn – A must for job aspirants 53
27. E-cover letter – the latest trend 55
28. Recruiter‟s Preference of a cover letter 57
29. Steps to write a bad news Memo 59
30. Microsoft Memo – what went wrong 61
31. The Case of a Complaint Letter 63
32. Formatting business letters for US and UK 65
33. Executive Summary – Why is it good or bad? 66
34. Influencing an investorwith an Executive Summary 68
35. SMART Objectives 71
36. SMART Recommendations 73
37. Subtle data Presentation Techniques 75
38. Latest tools for data interpretation 78
39. 8 most ridiculous grammatical mistakes 79
40. Impact of poor grammar skills in business 81
v

Block III
41. Google: Is there a need for Managers? 83
42. Managerial Effectiveness – Bad, Good or Great 84
43. Manage stress as the successfuldo 85
44. Consequences ofstress and ways to combat it 86
45. It is time to budget time 88
46. Productivity through productive use of collective time 90
47. Secrets of the #1 innovation company, Salesforce.com 92
48. Business and Creativity go hand-in-hand 94
Block IV
49. Emotional Intelligence Training in Leadership Development 97
50. EQ or IQ for Hiring Talent? 99
51. Competencies for Job Efficacy 101
52. Interpersonal skills through employee engagement 103
53. Traits of engaging leaders 105
54. An outsiderto lead Infosys 106
55. Language strategies for communicating cross-culturally 108
56. German work culture – Less is more 110
vi

Block I:
Fundamentals of Communications
1. Communication Skills – The lack of it
2. Communication Barriers – UK in USA
3. Body language for professionalsuccess
4. Nonverbal communication for interviews
5. Tune in to listen
6. Listening skills for leaders
7. Interpersonal skills for entrepreneurs
8. Conflict is good for business
9. Negotiation tactics
10. Tactics for internal negotiations
11. Interview Question: What is your greatest weakness?
12. Candid questions to askthe interviewer
13. Steve Jobs ways of conducting meetings
14. Conduct productive meetings as the experts‟ do
15. How to make a brilliant presentation
16. Communication for business success
17. Expert tips for effective presentations
18. Ethos, logos and pathos in persuasive speeches
vii

PEP Notes: Business Communication & Soft Skills
1. Communication Skills – The Lack of it
60% of job applicantslack communication and interpersonal skills.
Employers and business leaders voice that the demand for talent is not met by the existing supply. Though
the students are quite knowledgeable in STEM skills (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), they do not
possess the „soft skills‟ required for day-to-day functioning in a workplace. Managers feel that candidates can‟t
think critically and creatively, solve problems and write well. Employers feel there is a skill
gap crisis and find it hard to define whether it is the employment crisis or education crisis.
Adecco feels that the new talent has the gap of both hard and soft skill sets; absolutely required for all
employees, from the blue-collar workers to CEOs. Educational institutions must work towards imbibing
these attributes into the academic curriculum to produce industry-ready job aspirants:
 Develop skills like problem-solving, leadership, empathy, social and emotional intelligence.

 Ability to take ownership for tasks, attribute purpose to work, and possess personal and intellectual
humility.Preparestudents to lead, collaborate, and create positive change.
14% of Google employees consist of people with no college education, but possess the above-mentioned
personal attributes which facilitates them to professional success. Hence, job aspirants with good GPAs
alone may turn out to be non-starters in an organization. The reason being the transition from an industrial
economy to a service economy and now to the purpose-based economy; which requires employees to
distinguish how they approach to work; prominence to team work and development of strong relationships.
An attempt is now being made by some universities in collaboration with some private institutions to
integrate business and education to engage students into professional occupations. They also insist that a
school accountability system should measure how students are being prepared for the various options after
their 12th grade.
A countrywide „talent management‟ strategy to develop a competitive workforce is the need of the
hour. This requires a collaboration of both industry and education institutions to address the ever-changing
workforce demographics and market relevant STEM skills and SOFT skills to bridge the gap between
education and employment talent crisis.
Effective communication skills play a key role in fulfilling organizational needs and contribute
significantly to individual as well as organizational success. Good communication skills help individuals
effectively to interact with others in an organization. These skills are important for career development as
they boost confidence; ensure clarity of thought and information flow. Good communication is a
prerequisite for good managers and is vital for organizational functioning.
DiscussionQuestions:
1. Why is effective communication important in business?
(Hints: clarity of thought - information flow - internal and external communication)
2. How can educational and industry work in collaboration contribute towards decreasing the skills
gap?
(Hints: talent management strategy - training in STEM skills and Soft Skills)
(Source : http://www.forbes.com/sites/ashoka/2014/03/04/two-sides-of-the-same-coin-the-employment-crisis-and-
the-education-crisis/)
Unit/Section Topic Course
1.3 The importance of communication Business Communication and Soft Skills
8

Block I: Nonverbal, oral and Group Communication
2. Communication Barriers – UK in USA
Though Americans and British both speak English, communication barrier soccur due to diverse
communication styles and cultural contexts.
USA and UK are separated by a common language; English. A British, a native English speaker faces
confusion to adapt to American English. A few differences in the meanings of nouns of both British and
American English are: pavement = sidewalk, motorway = highway, boot = trunk, push chair = stroller,
nappy = diaper, etc. Americans are considered to be more direct and straightforward compared to the
obscured British.
While British are extremely polite, reserved, modest, diffident and indirect communicators, an American
prefers to be direct and bold. British‟s cultural context in being direct and bold means rudeness.
Saying „sorry‟ is a common phrase for the British, while in America it is understood to be admittance
to guilt. British expect their audience to read between t he lines; for example when they ask „Are there
any options to consider?‟ it means „I don‟t like your idea‟. But an American might interpret it as
„They have not yet decided‟.
What a British says What does a British mean What is understood by an
American
I believe… It is A weak suggestion
May be Just do it Lack of confidence
I hearwhat you say… I disagree and do not want to discuss it He accepts my point of view.
further.
With the greatest respect… I think you are idiot. He is listening to me.
That‟s not bad. That‟s good. That‟s poor.
That is a very brave proposal. You are insane. He thinks I have courage.
Quite good. It is disappointing. Quite good.
Very interesting That is clearly nonsense. They are impressed.
I only have a few minor comments Please re-write completely. He has found a few typos.
I‟m sure, it‟s my fault. It was your fault. Why do they think it was their fault?
I almost agree. I don‟t agree at all. He‟s not far from agreement.
In business, a lot of miscommunication can occur due to varied cultural contexts and styles of
communication between British and Americans. Regional communication styles are seen between
Americans who belong to the west coast and the east coast. Thus communication not only means sending a
message and receiving it; but receiving it the way you want to deliver.
The process of communication is susceptible to many barriers. These can be categorized into: problems
caused by the sender, problems in message transmission, problems in reception, and problems in receiver
comprehension. The barriers to effective communication can be overcome by a thorough knowledge of the
subject, by focusing on the purpose, by knowing the audience and by organizing content.
1. What are the barriers to communication?
(Hints: message transmission –Sender/receiver –reception - comprehension- language – noise)
2. What are the language barriers when a British visits USA?
(Hints: cultural differences - difference in meaning of words - slang)
(Source :http://www.forbes.com/sites/sungardas/2014/08/14/lost-in-translation-overcoming-the-language-barrier-as-a-
brit-in-america/)
1.6 Barriers to communication Business Communication and Soft Skills
9

3. Body Language for Professional Success
People perceive and relate to you based on your body language.
After getting inputs from over 200 businesses,universities,associations,and government agencies, the
following ten but powerful body language tips facilitate professionalsuccess.
Tip
Body Language Tip Significance
No.
1 Taking a deep breath, exhaling through your mouth and a
Before a meeting, breathe through your small „aah‟ sound removes the tension in the neck; shoulders
mouth and the jaw which would have made you look rigid and
aggressive.
2 Utilize thespace near thepodium for movement while
For a presentation, move while speaking
speaking during presentations, make use of different physical
positions in tandem with pauses in speech, and still position
while highlighting a point.
3 Open palms indicate that you are open for negotiations. Palms
Gestures to show authority down on table and using both hands while speaking shows a
definitive sign of authority.
4 If you look for an opportunity to discuss your views at the end,
Speak early if your words should be chances of your opinion being considered is lesser. To
taken seriously establish your identity and showcase your views, it is better to
begin early to gain audience attention.
5
Observe peoplewho may want to leave People sit on the edge of the chair, or try to rise from their seat
indicating that it is time to leave. Quickly observe and try to
early
complete your speech.
6 While at a conference table, push back and lean back from
your counterpart. He may also try to do the same. Then move
Makerapport, ease thenegotiation forward, palms open, looking at his eyes with a smile
process demonstrating you are open for negotiation. Theinteraction
turns to be friendlier with a lot of openness between thetwo
parties.
7
Team collaboration improves with body Talking, singing, dancing with team members aids in
synchrony between team members. It motivates the team
movements
members to work for the collective good.
8 Feet firmly on theground, one-foot apart, body weight equally
Amplify your voice to sound vibrant
distributed calms the nerves, allows you to breathe with ease
and amplifies the voice. This body posturewill help you to
relate your points energetically.
9
Step back to cope with difficult
Backward motion increases cognitive control. The ability to
encounter a difficult situation increases when thebody stepssituations
back.
10 Emotional cues of the team leader are closely monitored by
the teammembers. A closed, angrybody posture mayinhibit
Work on your body posture to enhance
the team to perform. A relaxed posture, inclusive and open
employee productivity
body language enables the team members to be more
consistent, positiveand productive.
Nonverbal communication is all those messages expressed through non-linguistic means. Nonverbal
messages primarily communicate emotions and attitudes.They can contradict, substitute for, emphasize
or regulate verbal messages. They can often be ambiguous, but they are more reliable as they are difficult
to fake. Non-verbal signals largely communicate a person‟s subjective responses such as anger,
appreciation, dislike or resentment to a particular situation.
10

1. What are the characteristics of nonverbalcommunication?
(Hints: regulates verbal messages – emotions – attitudes – subjective responses)
2. What are the powerful body language tips provided by experts?
(Hints: paralanguage – gestures – body movements - posture)
(Source : http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2014/01/02/10-simple-and-powerful-body-language-tips-for-
2014/)
2.3 Characteristics of Nonverbal Business Communication and Soft
11

4. Nonverbal Communication for Interviews
Nonverbal communication slip-upscan cost a job interview.
“A manager can read you the moment you walk in the door”, says the Managing Director of Harris
Allied, an American firm. The first impression traits that the employer gets within the first 30 seconds are
critical to get hired. How you present yourself, the clothes you wear, the handshake, the confident self-
introduction can make or break chances of getting into the company you desire.
What does the recruiter conclude about the candidate when he/she exhibits the below mentioned eight
nonverbal behaviors during an interview process?
Leaning back: Lazy and arrogant Looking away from the recruiter, touching hair, lying, low
Leaning forward: Aggressive in confidence
Slouching: Lazy Eye contact while shaking hands andanswering questions:
Sit tall, back straight, hands open confidence, clarity and certainty
Pointing fingers, frowning, staring :
Aggressive, intolerant, creepy
Use open palms, calm facial expression
Too much of nodding: Loss of focus
Nod once or twice with a smile of agreement, can
reciprocate with eyecontact
Hands at the back, no gestures while
speaking: Inhibits movement, stiffness,
nervousness Open hand movements, hand
gestures releases tension, easy flow of speech
Closedarms: defensivenessandresistance
Open arms: Approachableand open to new ideas
Biting nails, fidgeting: Lowin confidence, Nervous
Avoid hands in the mouth, jingling of coins in thepocket,
playing with pen, legs shaking
Mismatchedfacial expressions: hidden feelings, closed
minded, negativity
Matched facial expressions: attitude, positivity, open minded
Nonverbal communication is all those messages expressed through non-linguistic means. Nonverbal
messages primarily communicate emotions and attitudes.They can contradict, substitute for, emphasize
or regulate verbalmessages.They can often be ambiguous,buttheyare more reliable as they are difficult to
fake. Non-verbal signals largely communicate a person‟s subjective responses such as anger,
appreciation, dislike or resentment to a particular situation. A good communicator is one whose non-
verbal cues authenticate and reinforce his or her words.
1. What are the components of nonverbalcommunication?
(Hints: kinesics – postures – gestures – facial expressions – eye contact)
2. “A manager can read you the moment you walk in the door” – Justify this statement.
(Hints: first impression – confidence – grooming - kinesics)
(SOURCE : http://www.forbes.com/pictures/lml45lide/10-body-language-interview-mistakes-2/)
2.4
Components of Nonverbal Business Communication and Soft Skills
communication - Kinesics skills
12

5. Tune in to Listen
We are trained to speak but not to listen.
According to a research on how much we can recall a conversation, it was observed that people remembered
only 10% of what was said during a face-to-face conversation. Multi-tasking and interruptions has
drastically reduced the listening skills of people. The mind of the listener wanders off twice as much as the
speed of an average speaker. The results of poor listening can be seen in meetings and discussions being
prolonged which might impede interpersonal relationships and growth in careers.
Barriers to listening:
 Filtering and judging other‟s talk based on pre-emptive assumptions,expectations and intentions.
 Listenonly for the time it takes to distinguishwhether the speaker‟s opinions match with their own.

 Critically listen when they assume that the speaker has little to offer.

 Interruptions, noise and different knowledge levels of speakers.
Listening has reduced from 53% (1980) to 24% (2008), due to increasing use of technology and internet.
The people believe that they can obtain the same information through googling.
Steps to listen to a conversation:
It is important to tune the noise out and tune in to listen by:
 „Mindful listening‟: Observe the body movements, emotions and listen to the speaker‟s words
without any interruptions (including mobile phones,computers), feel the meaning behind them.
Before the conversation During the conversation
List tasks,questions, topics that you wish to discuss. Avoid distractions,make notes during discussion.
Set the time limit of your contribution to the topic. Paraphrase what you have heard and make sure you
are in-line with the topic
Don‟t presume what is expected from the speaker. Ask relevant questions to focus and grasp the
intricacies.
Switch off phones,log off from computers and other Observe the nonverbal cues of the speaker for better
electronic gadgets. comprehension.
 Positive vibes: Positive vibes between the speaker and the listeners can happen when both think

positive of each other.
Important terms: Try to note down the key terms of the speaker, ask questions in case of difficulty
in understanding the language and accent of the speaker; in case you have to talk to people of

different countries. Join the dots later and follow the message.
Preparation:Prepare well on the topic of the conversation to make it more productive.
 Goal: Set a time limit of how much to speak and how much to listen; for example 25% of time to

give your inputs on the topic and 75% of time on listening to others inputs.
Nonverbal cues: Eye contact,facial expressions, emotions, tone of the voice, pauses can assist to
absorb the contents ofthe message.
Listening is considered an important tool in business communication because people spend a good
amount of time listening to their bosses, peers or subordinates. Listening is the most frequent and
important type of on-the-job communication. Listening can improve work quality and boost
productivity. Listening skills can be improved through conscious effort by being motivated and
prepared to listen, being objective, alert to all cues, making good use of the thinking-speaking gap,
giving feedback, practising listening, and encouraging the speaker through verbal and nonverbal cues.
13

1. What are the barriers to listening?
(Hints: physiological – environmental – attitudinal – poorlistening habits – lack of common
experiences)
2. How can you prepare yourself for an important conversation?
(Hints: preparation before – focus – paraphrase – nonverbal cues)
(Source :http://www.wsj.com/articles/tuning-in-how-to-listen-better-1406070727)
3.6 How to be a better listener Business Communication and Soft Skills
14

6. Listening skills for leaders
Employees want leaders to listen to them.
Leaders should listen to the employees to fulfil their individual needs, feedback and support for professional
development. Leaders, by listening, can en-cash on building team collaboration, trustworthy relationships
and employee loyalty. Listening also helps a leader in employee engagement by being compassionate and
manages a diverse, multigenerational, multicultural workforce. Listening is a 24-hour job due to the
uncertain demands and constant changes that can arise at the workplace.
A leader has to work on these 6 effective ways of listening to start with:
 Show concern: Don‟t consider employees as tools or objects which aidin your success but unique
resources and beneficial assets who have capabilities and attitudes and who can add value to your
growth.Employees also would like to be considered as part ofthe organization andbe respected forwhat
they are worth, to be heard and cared for during their personal and professional hardships.

 Appreciate views: Engage the employees to share their views, ask questions, and persuade themto
explain to indicate that you listen to them. Provide your perspective and bring in active
participation, leading to a cordial relationship.

 Empathize: Try to understand the stress and work pressure, be approachable and empathize.
Empathy is the extreme form of listening. Your wholehearted attention will be appreciated and
enhances employee performance.
 Don‟t carry preconceived notions: Don‟t presume or criticize which only shows your
immaturity and inability in handling people. A 21st century leader should be an active listener,
constant learner and adaptable to change.

 Be aware of your environs: A leader is much watched upon and should act as a role model. You
should be able to listen and communicate beyond verbal and nonverbal communication. Your
dynamic presence motivates the employees and connects themto you in a unique way.
 Don‟t interrupt: Encourage two-way communication, don‟t interrupt. An employee gets
disengaged if they find you are not listening or paying attention. An employee would always want a
compassionate leader who listens.
Listening skills are more crucial in business as we spend 45% of our time listening, 30% talking, 16%
reading and 9% writing in one business day. 25% of what we have learnt is through listening and humans
generally listen at a 25% comprehension rate.
Listening is considered an important tool in business communication because people spend a good
amount of time listening to their bosses, peers or subordinates. Listening is the most frequent and
important type of on-the-job communication for leaders who might be listening for various reasons .
Depending on the purpose, a listener adopts listening approaches like discriminative, comprehensive,
critical, empathetic listening.
1. How can listening improve work quality and boost productivity?
(Hints: most frequent – being objective and alert – understand both verbaland nonverbalcues)
2. What are the ways a leader can enhance his listening skills?
(Hints: empathy – showing concern – no preconceived notions – appreciate – avoiding interruption
(Source :http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2013/05/20/6-effective-ways-listening-can-make-you-
a-better-leader/)
3.6 How to be a better listener Business Communication and Soft Skills
15

7. Interpersonal Skills for Entrepreneurs
An entrepreneurshould have two basic qualities – quality of work and interpersonal skills.
Interpersonal skills are those employed by individuals to interact and communicate with one another. Public
speaking, group tasks, project presentation, professional writing as in emails, reports, contract documents
require interpersonal skills. Development of interpersonal skills happens in disguise from the school itself.
Preparing assignments, presenting group presentations, debate and extempore sessions, organizing and
coordinating events, bringing-in sponsorships are some formal ways in which we hone our interpersonal
skills.
An entrepreneur or any professional would require interpersonal skills in his day-to-day functioning like;
handling meetings with employees or investors, dealing with customers or clients or advertisers,
interviewing candidates for various positions with the outcome of each of these activities depending on good
interpersonal skills. An investor just does not invest on the idea but also on the people who present the idea.
Though your product‟s value is more than its worth itmay remain unsolddue to poor interpersonal skills.
The foundation of building better relationships lies in good interpersonal skills. A few tips can help to
improve the skill-set and increase the ability to handle people efficiently:
 Keep your ego in check: Ego will lead you nowhere. Egoistic people may not find many takers and
people will think twice before doing business with such people.

 Be an active listener: Listen intently and show that you are paying attention through body language
gestures like nodding the head, leaning forward, maintaining eye contact and using paralanguage to
know if you share the same perspective with the speaker.

 Nonverbal language: Shaking hands,smiling, eye contact, grooming, personality traits can create
positive vibes even before you actually speak.

 Empathy: Imagine yourself to be in the position of the person before you and attempt to understand
his feelings. This will help you to respond easily and showthat you care.

 Humor: You need not be always serious. Take care not to make snide remarks about anyone but
add humor in some contexts and make others smile. This will diffuse the tension prevailing in the
room and aids in audience engagement.

 Optimism: Open-mindedness, positive attitude and optimism will foster healthy relationships. It is
contagious and breeds teamwork and commitment.

 Think on your feet: Sharp thinking, quick responses and pro-activeness in understanding both
verbal and nonverbal cues will be an added advantage.

 Patience: Take time to discern if the opposite person is able to comprehend the topic as you desire.
Try to make him comfortable and provide assistance when he is not able to grasp your line of
thought.

 Practice: Take opportunities and try to talk to people of different age groups,professions,positions
and check your progress in cultivating interpersonal skills.
The ability of individuals to build and maintain positive relationships with other members of the
organization constitutes their interpersonal skills which are an essential part of effective
communication. The interpersonal skills of an individual determine the quality of his/her relationships.
Being open and empathetic towards others goes a long way in building positive relationships at the
workplace. The communication climate in an organization depends on the personal relations shared by
the employees.
16

1. How can „interpersonal skills‟ determine the communication culture in an organization?
(Hints: open communication - trust – empathy – problem solving - positive relationships)
2. What are the interpersonal skills an entrepreneur should essentially possess?
(Hints: ego in check – patience – attitude – optimism – active listening)
(Source : http://under30ceo.com/the-importance-of-interpersonal-skills-to-an-entrepreneur/)
4.3 Building positive relationships Business Communication and Soft Skills
17

8. Conflict is Good for Business
Conflict avoidance preventsteam collaboration.
A multigenerational workforce is prevalent in today‟s organizations which give rise to unique challenges.
With a large poolofyoungergeneration enteringthe workforce,there seems to be shift in the mind-set and ways
of doing a particulartask.The youth are more independent in theiroutlook,focus mostly on short-termgoals and
are aware of the global opportunities. Parents are now open and children are encouraged to
make decisionswhich hascreated dissonance betweenthe home and workenvironment.The workplace functions
mostly in a „plan, control and review‟ mode resulting in dysfunctional relationships, conflicts and
disengagement.
Conflict avoidance and disruptive behaviors are usually noticed in companies. People resort to grapevine or
form compatible groups to pursue their own agendas instead of dealing with differences and working
collaboratively. The theory of conflict resolution (developed by Kenneth Thomas and Ralph Kilmann in
1974) and a lot of management literature state that conflict avoidance is one of the five most preferred
strategies in conflict management. This is hardly an effective strategy as just a few people enjoy confronting
others; try to create anxiety resulting in a host of other problems and issues.
The ways to benefit from conflict are:
 Provide equal responsibilities:
– Align Individual business goals with organizational goals, incentives and performance

appraisals to enterprise goals. Initially creates friction among employees, may feel the
other person is not worthy – create a rule that every employee is accountable and the
effectiveness of the job performed will be measured.
– Improves individual and group‟s responsibility,develops mutual trust, may in turn solve

internal problems and begin to respect each other. Team bonding improves and the success
and effectiveness of the job will be considered as the entire team‟s responsibility.
 Focus on the issues rather than the person:
– Resolving issues is prime importance in the workplace than with dealing with the persons
who disagree. Tensions may escalate and the attention on the issues may get diverted.
– Try to figure out the internal intentions of the persons; do not allow blame-game. Interests
of the persons can be changed but positions cannot be changed. For example: the people
may feel there might be a decline in sales if they follow your promotional strategy,they
may feel their reputation is at stake, or they may feel the new norm may displease
customers.
– A common resolution which satisfies almost all the important needs after taking into account
their individual interests can be taken.
 Handle tough issues and bring in cohesiveness:
– Be courageous while handling tough issues; expect negative reaction from the co-workers
and accept criticism with grace.
– Explain the potential benefits clearlyand how it aids in the company‟s success.Example:
When two companies merge, a lot of issues may arise in culture, working style, new
competition, reporting and may create a toxic work environment.
– Endeavor to undertake cohesive behavioral strategies to bring-in the best consciousness
among the people that their best effort would enable to achieve the desired growth.
A true leader is one who fosters an open environment, an honest and supportive culture and who un leashes
the potential in team cohesion; ultimately increasing the organization‟s productivity.
18

The ability of individuals to build and maintain relationships with other members of the organization
constitutes their interpersonal skills which are an essential part of effective communication. Dealing
with criticism in a positive and efficient way can help avoid conflicts and maintain good work
relationships. Avoiding, accommodating, competing, collaborating, and compromising are different
approaches that can be used to manage conflicts. One can use the strategies of restate, agree, refocus,
dissect, compliment, compromise, postpone, or exit for resolving conflicts.
1. What are different approaches to handle conflict?
(Hints: avoiding – accommodating – competing – collaborating – compromising)
2. How to handle conflict in business?
(Hints: equal opportunities – focus on issues – work towards cohesiveness)
(Source: http://fortune.com/2014/03/11/the-benefits-of-conflict-at-work/) and
(http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/indias-new-hr-challenge-managing-multigenerational-
workforce/)
4.6 Managing conflict Business Communication and Soft Skills
19

9. Negotiation Tactics
A negotiation isabout give and take.
Negotiation consists of givers and takers who are at opposite ends of the process. Takers like to gain more
than what they get and givers pay attention to what they have to offer. Givers and takers have to first work
towards earning trust. Once the trust is established then a few steps have to be followed to gain a win -win
negotiation.
Step1: Receive and share information
Sharing information can sometimes prove to be risky and make you susceptible. Hence share only
selective information which will not put you in danger.
 Take care to share that information to showcase that you are trustworthy. The other party will
reciprocate and disclose a similar kind of information and the process of negotiation begins.
Step2: List your priorities
Listing priorities in the discussion and emphasizing the relative importance of them may make the
other party to understand your point of view. They would then list their priorities which can open
up opportunities to think towards a mutually beneficial agreement.
 Take care to put all the priorities on the table for discussion to enable flexibility to reach an
agreement and attain a win-win negotiation. If priorities get solved in a serial manner, a few
reservations can crop up between the parties and in some extreme cases, may perhaps defer the
negotiation process.
Step3: Be the first one to offer
The first offer acts like an anchor which sets the basis for further discussion. The party which
makes the offer first displays confidence and strength; creates a flexibility to offer concessions. The
counter party may be mentally attracted towards the offer.
 Take care to give a legitimate offer with a good analysis to support it. The first offer should be
made only after a lot of deliberations along with expert guidance, as in this information era,
anyone can obtain data from a host of resources. If the other party has a better knowledge about it
and is backed by facts and figures; finds your offer baseless and not worth it; then the first offer can
backfire. The counter party should not feel offended by the offer and lead to relationship damage.
Step4: Don‟t provide too many reasons to support your offer
Too many arguments to support your offer reveal the vulnerability of the person. Not more than two
reasons to support the offer should be given. If, say five reasons are given, then the other party will
look for a weak reason and acquire an advantageous position during negotiation.
 Take care to validate your offers with two arguments to gain advantage in a deal. When in cases
where there is not enough time to make the first offer, the counter party may start with an extreme
offer. In such cases, it is better to make an extreme offer hoping that the negotiation is achieved in
the midpoint of two offers. If you feel the negotiation is moving towards an extreme, it is better to
state that the offer is far off from the mark and it is better to sum it off.
In negotiation behavior, testing understanding and summarizing made up for below 9% of communications
of average negotiators and above 17% by skilled negotiators.
Negotiation plays a vital role in business, at all levels. Effective negotiation must result in providing
solutions to the parties involved. Negotiation is a delicate process, and requires a lot of thinking and
analysis. The parties negotiating must know their objectives, the variables they are prepared to concede,
and have complete data about the points on the basis of which they want to win. The tactics of
negotiation and interpersonal behavior also play a crucial role in the negotiation process.
20

1. What are the major elements in negotiation preparation?
(Hints: understand the people – objectives – conduct)
2. What are the steps to gain a win-win negotiation?
(Hints: trust – information – priorities – offer – no too many reasons)
(Source : https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20130603122628-69244073-the-bad-habits-of-good-negotiators)
5.4 The major elements of negotiation Business Communication and Soft Skills
21

10. Tactics for Internal Negotiation
Internal negotiation istough as relationships are at stake.
Issues like disputes, conflicts, change management, budget and res ource allocation, project management,
etc., require negotiation within a company. Internal negotiation is like throwing stones at our own glass
houses. Limited options and tactics can be employed since various inter-relationships are involved. Internal
negotiation gets manipulated by:
 Hierarchy: The hierarchy can induce the decision makers through peer pressure or easy access to
decision makers which can impact generating practical decisions. The people who made the
proposal may take dominance compared to the elements of the proposal.

 Approach to highercommand: Easy access to higher authority can affect the negotiation decision.
Committed stakeholders in higher positions should listen to both parties for effective negotiation.

 Dependency: One department dependent on otherdepartment could slow down important
management decisions in business.

 Threat and consent: Employing threat and then giving consent proves that the person is using his
authority and power. Such tactics can only yield short-term solutions. A better way to show
authority is to heed to all parties, and even if it ends in a compromise, the parties should feel and
accept that probable options were considered and the solution provided was the best.

 Empowerment: Empowering managers to handle situations independently without escalating to the
higher authority should be encouraged. Expert-committee formation, direct accountability and
involvement of stakeholders to utilize negotiation tactics reduce the burden of the higher authority
in handling trivial situations.

 Identify interests, priorities and scope for creative solutions: Good interpersonal relationships
develops trust among employees who feel comfortable in revealing their real interests. The outcome
of providing creative solutions through collaboration reduces the disagreement among members.

 Long-term perspectives:Long-term prospects while giving solutions can open a number of
possibilities and probable options.
 „How‟ approach: Instead of a „no‟ approach, a „how‟ approach opens a multitude of
alternatives like „give and take‟ or „making a concession‟ which becomes more acceptable.
 Stakeholders‟ interests: Consider all stakeholders without whom the negotiation cannot be done.
Planning, preparing, taking care of all interests and priorities, inviting proposals to offer innovative
solutions enhances transparency while taking decisions by alienating all unwanted perspectives.
The concept of preconditioning reduces resistance and unprejudiced decision-making criteria gains
backing and credence.
Negotiation plays a vital role in business, at all levels. Effective negotiation must result in providing
solutions to the parties involved. Negotiation is a delicate process, and requires a lot of thinking and
analysis. The parties negotiating must know their objectives, the variables they are prepared to concede,
and have complete data about the points on the basis of which they want to win. The outcome of
negotiation depends on the approach adopted: Bargaining orientation, lose-lose, win-win, or compromise.
22

1. What are the approaches to negotiation?
(Hints: bargaining orientation –lose-lose – compromise– win-win orientation)
2. What are the tactics to excel in internal negotiation?
(Hints: hierarchy – dependency – long-term perspectives – „how‟ approach – stakeholders; interests)
(Source : http://www.thegappartnership.com/insight/blogs/9-key-factors-influencing-internal-negotiation/)
5.4 The major elements of negotiation Business Communication and Soft Skills
23

11. Interview question: What is your greatest weakness?
Interviewers enquire about weaknesses to get an insight on the candidates‟ self-awareness.
Interviews usually begin asa casualconversationwherein the interviewertries to understandthe interviewee‟s
past experiences andjob expectations. The interviewer tries to evaluate whether the candidate
is the right fit to handle the job responsibilities. He expects the candidate to give a straightforward and
honest answerbut well worded with a positive tone.
Some strategies to handle the question, „what is your greatest weakness‟ are:
Strategy 1: Focus on the skills required for that particular job.
Avoid the question completely “This job entails to have skills like negotiation, conversational and
analytical skills.Ibelieve I possess all these skills,whereas this job
requires me to use more of negotiation skills.In my previous job, I
had very little opportunity to develop this skill,but I will try to
work harder and focus on becoming a good negotiator”.
Strategy 2: Select the least skill required for the job.
Talk about minor/irrelevant For the job of a Business Analyst, you can say, “I am working on my
weaknesses networking skills”
Strategy 3: Don‟t make generalized statements like „I am hardworking‟ Instead put
Avoid general statements it in a betterway.
“If the job requires me to work over the weekends to make up for the
project deadlines, I don‟t mind working hard.”
Strategy 4: Insist that you like to work on developing new skills:
Talk about past development “I am always interested to develop new skills.Iam quite adept with
success Excel, but now I am learning how to use SAS.”
Strategy 5: Weaknesses to avoid:
Avoid mentioning important Don‟t ever say, “I am not a team player.” “I am not open to feed back.”
skills that you require for the “I find difficult to learn new technologies.” “I am bad at taking
present job initiation and working independently.”
An interview can be described as a goal oriented, interpersonal communication between an interviewer
and respondent, primarily undertaken to accomplish a specific purpose. While the opening of an interview
aims at putting the respondent at ease, the body includes the actual question-answer session, and the close
indicates the end of the interview and the future course of action that can be expected by the respondent.
Depending on the purpose, business interviews can be categorized as employment, performance appraisal,
counselling, disciplinary and persuasive interviews.
1. What are the types of business interviews?
(Hints: employment – personalappraisal – counselling – disciplinary - persuasive)
2. What is your greatest weakness – What will be your strategy to answer this question?
(Hints: focus on skills – developing new skills –no generalized statements)
(Source : https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140318071857-64875646-the-toughest-interview-question-of-all-
and-how-to-answer-it)
6.5 Conducting an interview Business Communication and Soft Skills
24

12. Candid questions to ask the interviewer
Job aspirantsrarely prepare to ask questions to the interviewer.
Job seekers generally prepare on howto answer „Frequently asked questions‟. When the interviewer asks,
“Do you want to ask us any questions?” some reply that they do not want to ask any questions or a fewask
one or two irrelevant questions; nothing related to the job designation. It is better for job aspirants to list
down a few questions which might help to gain clarity on their roles and responsibilities, the skill sets that
need to be mastered upon to succeed in the organization.
Asking thoughtful, insightful questions makes the interviewer think and may also appreciate your interest in
taking the job seriously. Some questions to ask the interviewer are:
 What skillsare most critical for the challenges this positionrequires?

 It is a way to understand that the interviewer has identified that you possess those skills
 and are interested to offer the job.

It is important to know whether you are an expert in those skills or you need to hone them.
It also indicates if you are till now least focused on those skills, now is the time to work on
 them.

It provides a clue to you if your expectations from this job match your expertise.

 What is the career growth for this job?

 This job should not only entail you to apply your knowledge and skills, but also help you
to learn new things. This question helps you to know the company‟s involvement in
 providing training programs for professional development.
It also indicates to the employer that you are keen in developing yourself, grow and
succeed in the organization.

 Could you please tell me what team will I be working with?

 This question will enable you to understand the „culture‟ ofthe organization apart from
 what you have observed fromtheir vision and mission statements.

It helps to make out if you are culturally fit and mentally prepares you that you might
stand a chance to gain this job.

 What gaps in my qualificationsand skills that I need to work upon?

 This is a bold question to ask, which provides a direct feedback. The interviewer may get
the impression of your intention to fill the gaps, and if he does not answer, you may be rest
 assured that you are chosen for the job.
If he answers the question,this is again a candid way to know the industry requirements. It
acts as an eye-opener to you and you need to fill in the gaps as soon as possible.
Some candidates just pose insignificant questions like salary, benefits, time, etc. A candidate, if he feels he is
the best suited for the job, can stand out from the crowd and also demonstrate he is the best candidate and
not just a résumé in attack.
An interview can be described as a goal oriented, interpersonal communication between an interviewer
and respondent, primarily undertaken to accomplish a specific purpose. While the opening of an interview
aims at putting the respondent at ease, the body includes the actual question-answer session, and the close
indicates the end of the interview. The respondent gets an opportunity to ask relevant questions to the
interviewer. Lastly the interviewer may indicate through his words what can be expected by the
respondent in the future.
25

1. What are the guidelines an interviewee must follow?
(Hints: preparation – conduct – follow-up)
2. What questions can be asked to the interview panel?
(Hints: Career challenges – career growth – skills required – company growth)
(Source : https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141124074017-64875646-job-interview-the-5-questions-you-
must-ask)
6.5 Conducting an interview Business Communication and Soft Skills
26

13. Steve Jobs way of conducting meetings
Every meeting that Steve Jobsheaded resulted in action and was highly productive.
Apple is one of the most valuable corporations to work for. Apple is a company with zero tolerance for
imperfection. Steve Jobs was a ruthless dictator who maintained secrecy comparable to the CIA.
Maintaining secrecy helped Apple in introducing new product categories and gaining the market share even
before any other company could think of it.
It took nearly 3-years of top secrecy to develop the iPhone; a 3-year ahead of its rivals. An elite 100
employees would be chosen by Steve Jobs to attend a top-secret, 3-day strategic meeting at an undisclosed
location. The dates of the meeting nor the place would not be given to those elite 100. They would not even
be allowed to drive to the location of the meeting. A superior influential group would inform the growth
prospects expected of the company, a few would be allowed to present new products or strategies that
enhance Apple‟s growth. During one such meeting, the Apple iPod was disclosed to the employees.
Apart from these top-secret meetings, on every Monday, Steve Jobs would meet the executives to discuss
important projects and on every Wednesday hold meetings with the department of marketing and
communications. He did not tolerate an employee express any confusion after the meeting. An effective
meeting would conclude with an action list and DRI – directly responsible individual, who had to
accomplish the task.
When he would talk to senior employees like Vice-Presidents, they could not cite reasons for any
shortcomings. They could only bring in solutions but not problems. When Apple had introduced Mobile Me
web service in 2008, it faced several criticisms as the product was mystified with bugs and thousands of
buyers experienced email blackouts. The critics named it Mobile Mess. Steve Jobs was furious as Mobile
Me had brought Apple‟s reputation at stake. During the meeting, he named a new executive to run
the operations of Mobile Me and suspended many members of the team.
To ensure that Apple can run even without its visionary leader Steve Jobs, a programcalled Apple
University was launched.The Dean ofYale University,JoelPod olny with his teamof business professors were
assignedto prepare a series of case studies on Apple‟s significant decisions so that future leaders who
head Apple will continue to do; as successfully as their founder leader, Steve Jobs.
Communication among group members is very important, as it leads to group decisions. If these decisions
are to be effective, a group‟s members must be able to communicate freely and openly with the others.
Groups generally develop certain norms for discussion and group members develop roles that affect the
group‟s interactions. Effective meetings require skilful planning on the purpose, nature, composition,
location, and timing of the meeting. A leader‟s responsibility includes opening a meeting, conducting
business, concluding the meeting, and following it up. He can also choose which type of meeting should
be held depending on the objective of the meeting like informational, problem solving, or change
facilitating meeting.
1. What are the reasons for meetings to fail?
(Hints: planning process – conducting the right type of meeting)
2. How could Steve Jobs convert meetings to be productive?
(Hints: agenda – focus – size – time limit)
(Source :http://www.wired.com/2011/05/steve-jobs-magic/)
7.5 Effective meetings Business Communication and Soft Skills
27

14. Conduct productive meetings as the experts‟ do
Meetings need to be speedier, productive and enjoyable for all involved.
Several researches have been conducted on ways of productively conducting meetings with the least amount
of wastage of time and ending with decision-making. The tips mentioned below has taken into consideration
the science of psychology,backed by research; found to be successful in conducting productive meetings by
companies of repute.
Let us look at a few more suggestionsfrom experts:
1. Set a timer: Meetings to not exceed 15 minutes.
a. It is easy to schedule on Outlook calendar or Google calendar.
b. People‟s attention span is around 15 – 18 minutes. Physical fatigue sets in if extended.
c. Presenters can organize their thoughts.
2. Conduct a stand-up meeting: Take the chairs away.
a. The longer you stand,the more uncomfortable you get,the more quickly the meeting ends.
b. Participants feel excited at the creative way of handling meetings, team bonding and
collaboration, sharing of ideas increases.
c. Meetings that are held for daily briefings, status updates,orlatest happenings can adopt
this process
3. Avoid electronic gadgets:No laptops,no cell phones.
a. Hand-written notes to be encouraged.
b. Conceptual recall is higher when hand-written notes are made; factual recall is same
whether notes are prepared through hand-written notes or laptops.
c. No cell phones and laptops should be allowed inside the meeting hall as games, messages
and emails distract the attention of the participants during meetings.
d. Improves focus and attention of the participants.
Meeting tips from Google, Apple and American Express:
4. Keep a leaner participant list:
O Work time is more precious - Keep the list of participants to 10 per meeting, the more the
number, the time to complete the meeting is longer.
5. Assign a DRI – Directly Responsible Individual:
O Assign responsibilities for tasks and decisions; enhances accountability and ensures the
task is done
O Provides clarity of instructions for the team to follow.
 Provide silence breaksof 2-minutes in the midst of a meeting:
O Encourages thinking and development of new ideas, strategies,plans, solutions and
decisions.
 What’s the meeting about – in less than 5 words:

O Begin with every participant saying what and why the meeting is being called for in 5
words or lesser.
O Helps to understand if everyone is aware, brings focus and direction to the meeting.
28

Communication among group members is very important,as it leads to group decisions.Ifthese decisions
are to be effective, a group‟s members must be able to communicate freely and openly with
the others.Groupsgenerally developcertain norms fordiscussion and group members develop roles that
affect the group‟s interactions. Effective meetings require skilful planning on the purpose, nature,
composition, location, and timing of the meeting. A leader‟s responsibility includes opening a
meeting, conducting business,concluding the meeting, and following it up.
1. Why do effective meetings require skilful planning?
(Hints : pur pose – nature – composition – location – timing)
2. Discuss how Apple, Google and American Express conduct productive meetings?
(Hints: number – time – responsibilities – silence breaks – equal participation)
(Source :http://www.fastcompany.com/3033232/the-future-of-work/9-science-backed-methods-for-more-productive-
meetings)
7.5 Effective meetings Business Communication and Soft Skills
29

15. How to make a Brilliant Presentation
A presentation involveswriting the script, repeated rehearsals and a lot of fine-tuning.
Presenters need not be born to speak confidently, but can be trained to render compelling speeches.
Presentation depends on three major things: the quality of the idea, the narration and the fervor of the
speaker. Before you actually plan to deliver the speech, conduct a basic groundwork:
 Prepare a story out of the topic:

– Identify whether the topic is worth talking about.
– Imagine and frame the topic into an interesting story-line
 Know your audience:
– To plan the start and the end of the story – analyze their subject knowledge.
– Using too much of jargon or being too technical may divert the audience interest.

 Breakup the topic:

– Introduce the topic quickly, explain why it has to be chosen and convince the audience to
listen to you.
 Set a time limit:
Audience Content
Research Send the report to the audience in advance,limit the presentation to just your
Findings important findings, be brief and to the point. The audience will refer the report if
they want more information.
Financial Present data with analysis, use visual representation of data,provide interpretation
Presentation to the data,
Product Launch Focus on the value the product brings than the features and specifications, tell
stories how the product can simplify their lives.
VC Pitch Well-prepared, crisp and compelling presentation to convey your idea in less than
10 minutes, plan enough time for Question-Answer session,prepare to clarify the
doubts in a clear and concise manner.
Keynote address Formal talks in huge events have to be handled with care, with high impact and
work on bringing emotional connect.
– Public speeches,unless otherwise necessary,should not exceed beyond 15 – 18 minutes. To
capture the attention of the audience it is best to finish in 15 minutes lest they experience
fatigue.
 Concentrate on key terms:
– Limit the scope of the talk, concentrate on key terms that you want to highlight and add
suitable examples to increase the comprehension of the topic.
 Prepare the audience to think:
– Don‟t provide the entire information to the audience. Keep the discussion open and
allow them to think and draw out suitable conclusions.
A few successful ways to engage the audience are mentioned:
 Delivering the speech:
– Three ways of doing it – reading the script word to word, writing key terms and explaining
each term, and memorizing the entire speech.
– If you are memorizing, it should not look like you are reciting it like poetry,it looks
audacious if you forget yourlines and take a long pause to recollect it.
– Rehearse as many times you think it is necessary; work on the tone,pace, pauses and
emphasis that goes with public speaking. Rehearsing improves the flow of words.
30

– It is better to carry cue cards with key terms written on it and ensure a smooth transition
from one point to the next.
– Don‟t sound too authoritative, passionate, wise or powerful. Just be yourself and don‟t
force it on the audience.
 Work on nonverbal language:
– Don‟t pace around too much, don‟t swing on one leg by shifting your weight from one
leg to the other– distracts the audience
– It is better to stand in a position and use your hand gestures for providing emphasis to your
speech.
– A powerful way to establish audience connect is to maintain eye contact with people at

different points in the room, people normally look more at people sitting in the first few
rows – which shows your discomfiture in facing the audience.
– To handle nervousnessbefore a speech take a few strides,stand tall and extend yourhands
and legs and breathe loudly to provide the energy and mental strength to face the public.
 Plan your visual aids:
– Use a minimum number of slides. You have gone to speakthere; the slides should not
convey the information that you would give in your speech.Key ideas on the slides also
act as clues; to expand your speech.
– Don‟t ever read from the slide.
– Make your slides interesting by putting photographs and illustrations. New software
options to get a 2D view and zoom can be employed to engage the audience.
– Auto changing of slides, using videos and speaking along with it can sustain the audience
interest and enhance the creativity of the speaker. But take care not to use a long video of 3
-4 minutes in a speech of 15 minutes. Keep the audio for the video only if it is relevant;
avoid self-promotional videos and info-commercials.
A presentation can involve speeches that are informative, persuasive or entertaining. Speeches can
be general or specific. A specific speech is made what audience wants to know, feel, believe, or do.
It should contain only one central idea; it should be clear and concise; and, most important, it
should be worded in terms of the audience response desired. Nonverbal communication plays an
important role in communicating verbal messages.
1. What does a presentation involve?
(Hints: speech – specific – audience centric – clear and concise)
2. What are the ways to engage your audience?
(Hints: delivering the speech – nonverbal language – visualaids)
(Source : https://hbr.org/2013/06/how-to-give-a-killer-presentation/)
8.4 Speech purposes Business Communication and Soft Skills
31

16. Communication for Business Success
Communication facilitatesin personality,confidence and business to grow.
Communicating in business is extremely important to express ideas, opinions and to improve your overall
personality characteristics. Public speaking is an art which is challenging and worth the time and energy.
Public Speaking helps to:
Recipes to develop public speaking skills -honed through focus and practice:
 Make a beginning:
– Observe and listen to talks from famous personalities.
To convey experiential learning and energize the audience.
To show that you care for your audience and their needs.
To build a true relationship when the audience approaches you for help.
To acquire positivity and excitement.
To learn the art of practicing and learn in the process.
To achieve more during meetings, conferences and sales-calls.
To win the trust of audience indirectly.
To increase mastery in preparing the script, slides and speech delivery.
To prepare, practice and present with perfection, passion and enthusiasm.
To influence new audience for new business ventures.
To focus on key points when communicating with business partners and
superiors.
To channelize yourenergies on bettercontent and delivery
To engage and entertain people who matter the most.
To explore new opportunities and build-on new clients/ customers
To progress towards long-term contracts and overcome current competition.
– Apply well-crafted and well-tested techniques ofexperts.
 Face fear:

– Plan and prepare the message after knowing the target audience.
– Practice speaking without the visual aids or notes to obtain self-confidence.
 Tell a story:
– Take help from trusted sources to list ideas for presenting the topic.
– Add a few relevant real-life examples.
Public speaking involves three types of speeches – informative, persuasive and entertaining.
Communication is generally initiated to convey a message. Clarity is required for effective conveyance of
the message. In public speaking, the speaker has a preconceived purpose. He/she must determine and
clarify that purpose before conveying the message. By doing this, the speaker can select better ideas,
language and delivery methods that will help in goal realization.
32
Structure key
messages and
augment personal
speaking abilities
Earn rewards and
enjoy attention in the
process
Develop work
relationships
Increase personal
impact
Improve confidence
Inspire people

1. Explain the three types of public speeches.
(Hints: informative – persuasive– entertaining)
2. What are the tips to deliver an effective public speech?
(Hints: prepare – focus – practice – observe– apply)
(Source :http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexmcclafferty/2014/09/29/public-speaking/)
8.5 Methods ofspeaking Business Communication and Soft Skills
33

17. Expert tips for Effective Presentations
Effective presentationsfollow some rules.
Many speakers do not plan and present their speeches with visual aids that do not supplement the speech or
prominence being given to trivial matter. While presenting graphs or numerical data, the presenter usually
tries to prove the effort that has gone to collect the data rather than how the results obtained is relevant to the
target audience for further action. The effect of bad presentations is the audience engages with the speaker
for a few minutes and then turns busy with their smart phones. According to experts, effective presentations
follow a few rules:
Tip No. Tip Elucidation
1. Think like a GPS (Global Determine the knowledge of the audience, and plan the
Positioning System) while preparing route from where they are at present to where you want
content them at the end of the presentation.
2. Think analog before digital Take some paper and pencil, conceptualize and visualize
how you want the presentation to be and draw a
flowchart.
3. Slides should act as supporting cast Plan what you need to say,prepare material
meticulously and then design the slides. Focus more
on the speech than on slides. Even in cases when
something goes wrong with the presentation,you can
still deliver the speech,as your focus was more on the
preparation of the speech.
4. Choose the template depending on Decide on the template based on the fonts,slide design,
the information you want to present charts/ graphs it provides.High definition visuals can
add value to the concept.Color palettes and magazine
layout tools are available in Interest and Adobe Kuler.
Diagrams can be drawn using Freeform AutoShape.
Formatting for consistency in fonts,colors, alignments
should not be forgotten.
5. Design the slides to engage the Don‟t dump the entire word document of the speech on
audience the slides and then add bullet points.Excess text,
animations and fancy transitions will take away the
audience attention from you to the screen.Concise
headers,key terms of the speech,intelligent visual
representation with limited number of slides will be a
winner.
6. Guy Kawasaki‟s 10/20/30 rule A power point should have 10 slides, the presentation
should not last more than 20 minutes, the slides must
have font size not less than 30 points.
7. Encourage your audience to think Every slide should make the audience to feel and react as
you desire, animation can be used to emphasize at
strategic points.
8. Act as a news presenter Deliver the message with clarity, having simple
background graphics and a few words of text.
8. Set up the room to feel comfortable Have a copy of the speech,cue cards on your laptop or
tablet or smart phone. Work on optimum space
utilization between the screen, the systemand the
audience; upload the presentation prior to check for
any technical errors or any otherhardware and
software requirements. It is better to not use the
podium as the audience responds to the gestures and
body language of the speaker as well.
9. Say + show +give Say without slide scripts, show slides as visual signposts
and give handouts to the audience.
34

Organizing the contents ofan effective presentation is helpful to both the speaker and the listeners.
Combining ideas, determining the way it accomplishes the purpose and that which matches to their
audience should be planned.An effective presentation includes the introduction, the body,and the
close. Visual aids increase the audience‟s ability to absorb and retain information. Depending on the
size of the audience, the speaker can choose the right medium to express ideas that cannot be expressed
through words alone.
1. How can you organize content in an effective presentation?
(Hints: ideas – purpose– audience centric – right medium)
2. What are the rules followed by experts for delivering effective presentations?
(Hints: plan – logical flow – visualaids – say – show – give)
(Source :http://www.forbes.com/sites/markfidelman/2014/08/15/20-world-class-presentation-experts-share-their-
top-tips/)
9.7 Visual aids Business Communication and Soft Skills
35

18. Ethos, logos and pathos in Persuasive Speeches
2000 years ago, Aristotle provided three basic ways to deliver persuasive speeches – ethos, logos and
pathos.
The thought of speaking in public sometimes unnerves even the professional speakers. Everyone needs to
develop their own toolkit to communicate confidently and persuasively be it within their company, to
customers or clients, to investors or to the media. Aristotle‟s three basic principles of ethos, logos and
pathos holds good even today to transform the public talk into an effective one.
Ethos, logos and pathos is good for public speaking, advertising, marketing campaigns, online content
development and for companies who have established a good reputation in the minds of the customers.
Ethos Logos Pathos
Aristotle says that if you find Logical thinking and rationality or Emotional appeal influences our
the speaker credible with good providing facts and figures rational judgments and thereby in
sense,morally and ethically persuades and emotionally decision-making.
responsible, and goodwill then connects the audience.
the audience get influenced by
his speech.
The speaker‟s ethos lies in the The audience should believe that The language and images impact
knowledge on the subject the facts presented are the truth the emotional appeal of the
matter he possesses to impress called rhetorical reasoning. audience.
his audience. As a speaker you should cite Small babies or puppies in a
If you are delivering a speech credible sources and data to marketing commercial have a
on „the ill effects of eating junk convince your claims, as a huge audience connect.
food‟, you can establish ethos if marketer you need to prove that
you introduce yourself as a your product has better functions
nutritionist and dietitian. compared to yourcompetitor.
The writer‟s ethos lies in the Persuasion involves convincing Advertisements aim at making us
choice of his words, tone and people to accept our assumptions insecure with our physical
style of content preparation. as truth and take appropriate unattractiveness orsocial
action. acceptance and then offer aA customer feels credible to
remedy by introducing theirpurchase from a reputed online A marketing commercial which
marketing website; for example shows a soiled and stained cloth product.
Amazon in comparison to a appearing clean with the use of Fairness products,toothpaste,
lesser-known website. one brand of washing detergent in mouthwash, clothing and
comparison with another.A automobile campaigns.
logical customer prefers to buy
the brand that does a betterjob.
A few questions can help you
build your image or ethos:
What is the kind of image that I
should project to my audience?
What background work should
be done to project this image?
build your logical/ rhetorical
reasoning and logos:
Are logical arguments better for
positioning or that which are built
on authority and character?
Would the audience purchase a
brand if it is endorsed by a
celebrity or an expert?
build your emotional appeal
and pathos:
Do emotions hamper /facilitate
in decision-making? When is it
deceptive to use emotions to
persuade people?
36

Organizing the contents of an effective presentation is helpful to both the speaker and the listeners.
Combining ideas, determining the way it accomplishes the purpose and that which matches to their
audience should be planned. The simplest form of persuasive speeches have a statement or point that
requires clarification, amplification, or proof and the materials that clarify, amplify, or prove the statement
to inform, persuade, or entertain the audience.
1. How are persuasive speeches different from other types ofspeeches?
(Hints: clarification – amplification – proof)
2. Aristotle‟s ethos, logos, and pathos in persuasive speeches. Explain
(Hints: credibility – logical thinking – rationality – emotional appeal – convincing – proof)
(Source :http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2014/24283/six-public-speaking-tips-that-help-your-
marketing-too)
9.5 Organizing the Persuasive speech Business Communication and Soft Skills skills
37

Block II:
Written Communication
19. Tips to draft an email business letter
20. Routine credit letter to get better customer response
21. The art of conveying bad news
22. 10 guidelines to communicate bad news
23. Persuasion through psychology
24. Persuasion techniques in digital marketing
25. Techniques to minimize mistakes in a résumé
26. Résumé in Linked In - A must for job aspirants
27. E-cover letter: The latest trend
28. Recruiter‟s preference ofa cover letter
29. Steps to write a bad news memo
30. Microsoft memo – what went wrong
31. The case of a complaint letter
32. Formatting business letters for US and UK
33. Executive Summary – Why is it good or bad?
34. Influencing an investor with an Executive Summary
35. SMART Objectives
36. SMART Recommendations
37 Subtle data presentation techniques
38. Latest tools for data interpretation
39. 8 most ridiculous grammatical mistakes
40. Impact of poor grammar skills in business
38

Block II: Written Communication
19. Tips to draft an email Business Letter
Business letters are posted through email, which has become the ubiquitous form of business
communication.
Email is the most useful form of business communication today in comparison with instant messaging (IM)
and social networks. According to a study done by The Radicati Group, the email traffic in the business
world in 2014 is over 108.7 billion emails being sent and received every day. Business users send and
receive about 121 emails per day in 2014 which may increase to 140 emails per day by 2018. The mobile
email market has also seen a rapid increase of having 1.1 billion users in 2014 due to the Apple IOS and
Google Android smart phones. Though writing business letters are being taught since high school, it is
observed many falter while writing business communication using emails.
Given below are tips on how to draft an effective email business letter:
 Clear Subject line– Should clearly convey what is expected in the body of the email.

 Brevity is the key - Keep your email content as small as possible.Give importance to what you want
to communicate in the first few sentences only,as nobody reads till the last line.

 Small sentencesand small paragraphs - Use small sentences,in case the email is long, generously
break them into small paragraphs using clear concise language.
 Send the email to only whom you want to – Sending mails to groups may be disastrous as the person
who should not receive it will also be conveyed the information. This can prove costly if the email
contains some confidential information.

 While replying to a chain – Make others in the chain aware by keeping themin the loop about the
conversation that is happening, if you do not want others in the chain to know about your
conversation, take care to remove them from the chain.

 Make use of BCC – This helps the receiver not to know to who else the copy of the mail has been
posted and protects the email addresses ofthose people.
 Avoid use of „Reply All‟ or „Forward‟ – Reply only to who has sent you the mail, „reply all‟
and „forward‟ might turn to be problematic to the sender.
 Acknowledge received emails – In case, you are being sent an invitation, or asked to respond to an
email, acknowledge the receipt of the email like for example: „Received your email, will get
back to you soon on it‟. This displays your courteous nature.
 Name the Attachment – Take care the attachment is given a proper name (depending on its contents)
before enclosing it in the email. A brief write-up of the attachment can also be added in the body of
the email.

 Size of the Attachment – Don‟t send photos or files which consume a lot of GB, try to minimize
the size by sending compressed files using jpg or WinZip formats.

 Not a substitute to face-to-face conversations - Email should be used judiciously taking care not to
initiate tough conversations and confrontations, where oral communication serves a much better
solution.
 No response means no – In case the email requires an affirmation and the reply does not come, it is
understood that it means no. The other person might not be interested in conveying his negative
response to you.

 Allot dedicated time to email – If email is taking most of your time and you are becoming
unproductive, slot definite hours to check your email. If any information needs to be passed quickly
an IM on phone would do.
39

Business correspondence is one of the most common forms of communication. However people neglect
to write business letters carefully, and may inadvertently antagonize customers, business partners and
potential clients. An effective way to write a letter is to understand the audience, know the subject and
purpose of sending the letter. Writing business letters using emails is most common and writing an
effective email is most desired by all companies.
1. What should a writer take care while drafting business letters?
(Hints: audience – subject matter – purpose)
2. Discuss the steps to draft and email business letter?
(Hints: cc and bcc – subject – content – closing – attachment – brevity)
(Source : http://www.forbes.com/sites/robasghar/2014/06/12/the-art-of-the-effective-business-email/)
10.5 Business Letters Business Communication and Soft Skills
40

20. Routine credit letter to get better customer response
Routine credit letters are written to remind customers of their outstanding credit balances.
The C2 Partnership Company was engaged by a famous UK lender company to work on their collection
letters for customer current accounts and mortgages. The letter had to convey all the statutory rules and
regulations and inform the customer on the new collection strategies. The letter was to be used to act as a
customer response and a collection tool.
The C2 Partnership Company worked on the project in the following manner:
 Meetings were conducted with the business leads to understand the client and the products; to
prepare specific content for the collection letter.

 Suggestions were offered in terms of the formatting, structure, content and tone of the letters to
capitalize on their main objectives, convey information clearly and obtain a positive response from
the customers.

 Several samples were worked out and discussed with the business leads before getting approval of
the final draft.
Changes made in the collection letters:
 Clear and visual appealing format – contact information, advice on handling difficulties in finance,
methods of payment looked more prominent in the letters.

 Wording– simple language that provided clarity with information drafted concisely.

 Content – prepared in such a way to receive immediate response from customers.

 Tone – customized each letter depending on the risk indicators in the customer‟s account.

 Managing responses – several gateways were opened for handling payments, SMS, email and
voice-messaging options were alternatively utilized if call center traffic was more.

 Compliance to regulatory requirements and guidelines on debt collection were followed.
Benefits observed after dispatching of this collection letters:
 Proved to be the most effective method to communicate to the customers on the collection
strategies.
 Reduction in costs to the lender with an increase in the rate of communication from the customers.
The tone (in some cases; a strong tone) and content (intense and powerful messages) varied with ample use
of assertiveness as well as empathy to gain as many positive responses from the recipients. Options to the
customer to fill in changes in personal information like address, contact number were provided in the
response form, responses were recorded and wherever possible, marketing of new products done.
Business letters not likely to generate any emotional reaction are called routine letters, which follow the
deductive pattern wherein the main idea is presented first, followed by certain supporting details.
Deductive pattern helps to gain the attention of the receiver, puts him in a positive frame of mind and is
easy to write. An option in a credit letter is the use of fill-in items. This enables the recipient to provide the
required information with a minimum amount of effort. An inductive approach is used when writing about
the unpleasant or when writing to persuade.
41

1. What are deductive and inductive approaches in drafting letters?
(Hints: main idea – receiver attention – positive – direct – unpleasant – buffer)
2. Discuss how C2 Partnership Company drafted the credit letter for their clients and the outcome?
(Hints: clarity – visualappeal – tone – wording – compliance – content – responses rate – cost reduction)
(Source : http://thec2partnership.co.uk/case-study-5-customer-communications.pdf)
10.5 Routine Letters about credit Business Communication and Soft Skills
42

21. The Art of Conveying Bad News
A manager should learn the art of conveying unpleasant feedback to his employees to facilitate them to
learn and grow.
Pratik Raghuram, Vice-President of „Design n Develop‟ Company receives a complaint regarding
Rohit Shah, Manager, who is excellent in his work under tight deadlines, but is not delegating tasks to his
subordinates and helping them learn and grow in the organization. Pratik aggressively reprimands Rohit for
not allowing the team to grow thinking that Rohit will accept his mistake. Rohit turns defensive and both try
to convince each other and retaliate. A minor discussion led to their relations turn sour due to the way they
handled the situation which can be explained as:
 Narrow – Where no alternatives were considered

 Binary – Either win or lose
 Frozen – Remain unchanged
 Restrictive – Demoralizing the manager
A manager can experience unfriendly responses, emotional flare-ups and negative conversations while
providing feedback or sending unpleasant information to his team members. By learning the art of
conveying unpleasant news, constructive relationships can develop that can lead to openness in
conversations, better productivity and performance in the organization.
Understanding people‟s behavior while providing feedback is equally important but errors in judgment
may usually occur:
 Fundamental Attribution error: Overestimate the person‟s temperament and capabilities and
underestimate the circumstances under which he is functioning like huge workloads, tight
deadlines, or additional responsibilities.

 Binary framing – People tend to react differently understress,often without their knowledge to
obtain control of situations and win.

 False consensus effect – The consequences of the issue and its reality may be viewed differently by
two people. Generally bosses assume that the subordinate is also thinking as he is, but the case may
not be so; which may lead to varied interpretations of the issue.

 Frozen framing – Both devoting themselves to solve the issue in their own ways where they might
be left with no resources to listen, process and respond constructively.

 Restrictive framing – Stressful feedback conversations wherein the subordinate does not believe his
superior, may get demoralized and hamper his performance and professionalrelationships.
People‟s perceptions while accepting feedback:
 The person is reliable and has good intentions about them.

 Feedback process is fair – the person providing feedback has considered all the relevant details,
taken subordinate‟s clarifications and opinions, and follows company standards to deliver
criticisms.
 Feedback communication is fair – Respects the subordinate and considers his ideas and supports
him despite differences.
An employee may perceive that the feedback process was unfair (narrow framing), feedback was not
communicated fairly as the boss is biased, close-minded and unsupportive (binary/ frozen framing).
Therefore a manager has to develop a broad and flexible approach to communicate the fair practices of
feedback and to encourage an honest conversation forthe team to learn and grow.
43

 How to approach the situation - which are the issues that need immediate resolution, which are the
components that are involved most or least, what is the information that needs to be conveyed to
solve the problem to attain a better outcome. The ways to do this are:
– Soften bad news with something good
– Use an indirect approach
– Carefully design the conversation
– Make the other person to not feel the pressure,feel ease and open-minded
Businessmen sometimes have to write bad news to the reader who can be either customers or employees.
The ability to communicate bad news as delicately andclearly as possible is an essentialbusiness skill.A skilful
managerwill attempt to say „No‟ thatthe receiver supports the decisionand continues to maintain a
healthy relationship. To do this successfully,the manager must try to understand howthe recipient accepts
this unpleasant news.
1. What care should be taken while conveying unpleasant news for the reader?
(Hints: inductive approach – neutral idea – positive language –clear statements)
2. What kinds of errors in judgment are observed while providing feedback?
(Hints: fundamental attribution error – binary, frozen and restrictive framing – false consensus)
(Source : https://hbr.org/2002/09/a-better-way-to-deliver-bad-news)
11.3 Writing for the reader Business Communication and Soft Skills
44

22. 10 Guidelines for Communicating Bad News
A manager should follow some guidelines while communicating bad news at times of crisis
The once second largest mobile phone maker, Nokia, in its Chennai plant, was manufacturing 15 million
phones a month, having around 8000 employees working three shifts. On April 10th, 2014 the company
offered Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) option which was taken by 5000 employees knowing that the
company was on the verge of closure. On April 15th and 16th, 2014, it laid off 750 trainees each day and
thousands of contract workers had been laid off in the past few months. Only 1000 employees are retained,
manufacturing around 2 million phones as of August 2014.
Managers at such times of crisis need to develop the skills of communicating bad news. A lot of research has
been conducted and below are 10 guidelines for managers who have to convey bad news:
1. Treat people with respect and dignity – Sometimes people are fired through a simple email message
or their name struck off from the rolls of the company; which indicate that people are not given
importance in the organizations. Companies which took extreme care while conveying layoffs by
maintaining transparency found workers working harder even before receiving the bad news. The
employees who survived also worked harder knowing how the company believes in its people. It is
business sense while communicating bad news appropriately to people.
2. Follow through – The Company needs to analyze the circumstances as to why they had to lay off
people, solve those problems in a rapid pace, keep the leadership continuously informed about the
progress and the methods employed, and fix the disasteras soon as possible. It is important to
convey the bad news that has turned out to be „good‟.
3. Take care of your stakeholders – Keep all the stakeholders (lay-offs, survivors, customers,
investors) informed. There should be no ambiguity in delivering the message as it will be closely
watched and interpreted.
4. Develop an action plan – a Probable solution for the bad situations that has occurred has to be
presented with élan to accentuate the efforts taken by the company and to avoid rumours.
5. Identify positives – List out the positives that have emerged due to the bad circumstances. Leaders
will find it easier to improve the employee morale and hope in the future of the company especially
during lay-offs, budget cuts and corporate turnarounds.
6. Justify - Recognize the specific reasons for the company turnaround and justify it.
7. Maintain written records – Records showcase the evidence and causes for the problems, warnings
issued to avoid exceptionally in cases of employee performances or product safety.
8. Never hide facts – Hiding facts may make the company lose its reputation, trust,faith by all the
stakeholders and the public.
9. Never delay in communicating bad news – Delay in communicating bad news can compound
problems letting conditions to worsen. It may prove to be costly to the company in rectifying it.
10. Keep the bad news informed – Timely information of the loss of a client, poor sales, or product
malfunction should be informed to the superiors and should not come as a surprise to them.
Conveying the employees of their performance and providing opportunity for corrective action
should be done as deemed fit without any delay.
These guidelines on communicating bad news may sometimes be difficult and challenging to follow, but in
the general interest and reputation of the company; these guidelines may provide direction for a timely
intervention, appropriate actions to be taken to emerge triumphant in times of crisis.
45

While communicating bad news, an inductive approach with no negative phrases, a positive tone and using
techniques like facts, analysis can minimize the receiver‟s disappointment, can convey diplomatically
and develop positive relationships. Sequencing the ideas to understand the receiver‟s needs and feelings
provides the communicator the likely reaction to a bad news message.
1. Why is sequencing of ideas essentialwhile preparing a bad newsletter?
(Hints: understand receiver‟s needs – inductive and diplomatic approach – facts and figures)
2. What guidelines should managers follow while conveying bad news?
(Hints: identify positives – justify – respect – don‟t delay – written record)
(Source : http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesleadershipforum/2012/05/30/10-commandments-for-delivering-bad-news/)
11.3 Sequence of ideas Business Communication and Soft Skills
46

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