Thursday, June 16, 2011 Management and Information Processing (cont.)

1. Thursday, June 16, 2011Management and Information Processing (cont.) Chapter 14 Essential Business Communication Skills Odgers, Administrative Office Management with Workbook, 13th edition, Cengage Learning, 2008.

2. Objectives: List some basic tips when communicating in the workplace. Describe the four steps when reading for comprehension. Identify activities writers should do at each of the five steps in the writing process. Explain the seven steps followed by presenters when preparing to give a formal presentation. Distinguish between effective listening skills and active listening. State some concerns businesses face relative to cell phone usage by employees.

3. Basics of Workplace Communication • Tips • Learn when to talk and when to write • Use—don’t abuse—electronic message • Be informal in your responses • . . . You must thoroughly understand the information you are communicating. • An effective approach is to: • Be straightforward and truthful • Use simple, concise language and key sentences as short as possible • Prioritize information • Organize information

4. Effective Reading Skills • When you read, get a general understanding of the framework by following these 4 basic steps: • Previewing • Questioning • Reviewing • Mapping

5. Effective Writing Techniques • Effective writing is an essential career tool. • Writing skills are becoming increasingly important in the workplace. Reasons for the increase include: • E-mail • Downsizing

6. The Writing Process • Step one: Prewriting • . . . Writers should develop a plan for composing their document • Create a rough-draft • Answer 4 basic questions: • Who am I writing to? • What is my purpose for writing? • What action do I want my reader to take? • What is in it for the reader?

7. Step two: Brainstorming • Record as many ideas as possible without sorting or evaluating them • Jot lists of words • Use mapping • Step three: Writing and Organizing • . . . Select the pattern that best serves the document’s purpose • Keep reader’s preference in mind

8. Step four: Revising for Style • Revisit what you’ve written to search for words to cut • Verbiage acts like static on the radio; it just adds distracting noise to the message. • Choose the simplest words possible • Ex. Why say “assist with recuperative maintenance” when “help clean up” will do? • Step five: Proofreading • Check the fine details by proofing for spelling, punctuation, and grammar. • Tip: • If possible, let document sit for a day, or at least one hour, then re-read it.

9. Business Correspondence, Reports, and Forms • Types of business correspondence include: • Letters • Memos • Reports • Minutes • Proposal • Itinerary

10. Effective Speaking and Presentation Skills • Speaking Techniques • When you speak, • Give clear examples • Use appropriate language • Repeat information • Ask questions, and • Use your voice effectively.

11. Effective Speaking and Presentation Skills (cont.) • Your Voice . . . • has a vital role in confirming another person’s first impression of you. • has a physiological effect on your listener • is a barometer of your physical and emotional state. • The voice is divided into two components: • Verbal and vocal • Verbal is “what you say” • Vocal is “how we say it”

12. Effective Speaking and Presentation Skills (cont.) • The objective of communication is to make your message understood and remembered. • 8 step process to deliver a professional presentation: • Step 1: the Plan – formulate a precise objective.

13. Effective Speaking and Presentation Skills (cont.) • Step 2: Structure – format • Sequential Argument • Series of linked statements ultimately leading to a logical conclusion • Hierarchical Method • Main topic is broken down into subtopics and each subtopic into smaller topics until eventually everything is broken down into very small basic units. • The Sandwich Approach • Beginning-middle-end format in which the main part of presentation is contained in the middle. • Question-Oriented • Introduce the problem and any relevant background, and then outline the various solutions to that problem, listing the advantages and disadvantages of each. • Pyramid Style • First part of talk introduces the presentation in its entirety; the next few parts repeat the same information.

14. Effective Speaking and Presentation Skills (cont.) • Step 3: The Beginning • Get their attention • Present a structure • Establish a rapport • Step 4: The Ending • Step 5: Visual Aids • Step 6: The Delivery • Whatever you say and whatever you show, it is you, who will remain the focus of the audience’s attention. • When delivering a presentation, pay attention to your: • Eyes – during presentation, establish eye contact • Voice – vocal intonation • Expression – facial expression • Appearance – “dress for the audience, not yourself” • Stance and Posture - appear professional, yet comfortable with yourself.

15. Effective Speaking and Presentation Skills (cont.) • Steps 7: Techniques in Presenting • Every speaker has a set of “tricks of the trade” • Memorable stories • Support key points with vivid, relevant stories • Pauses • Good music and good communication contain changes of pace, pauses, and full rests • Using Technology • Make technology a support to your message, not a crutch • Prepare Handouts for your Audience • It gives them something to take away, and it might be a memory prompt. • Carefully choose an appropriate to give hand-outs, you don’t want everyone reading during your presentation.

16. Effective Speaking and Presentation Skills (cont.) • Step 8: Conclusion • Evaluate performance

17. Listening and Helping Skills in Business • Effective Listening Skills • Listening is hard work; it is active, not passive. • To listen well, you have to mentally prepare yourself and get ready to listen • Roadblocks to Effective Listening • We think we know what is being discussed already • We are looking, but not listening • We are busy listeners; we try to do too many other things while we listen • We miss the big ideas, we are listening to words, not ideas • Our emotions make us deaf when someone offers opposing thoughts on matters • Effective listening encourages the other person to talk.

18. Listening and Helping Skills in Business (cont.) • Active Listening • A restatement of the sender’s total communication (thoughts and feelings) that help the sender to understand both the thoughts and feelings of his or her communication as the listener views them. • How do you listen actively? • By feeding back the underlying feelings you hear as well as the content

19. Listening and Helping Skills in Business (cont.) • Effective Helping Skills • When you perceive cues that the other person is experiencing a communication problem, (being upset and needing someone to listen) and you choose to be a helping agent, there are a number of communication skills that you can use: • Silence • Listening passively with accompanying nonverbal gestures (eye contact, posture, nodding your head, etc.) • Noncommittal acknowledgment • Brief expressions that encourage the person to continue talking, i.e. “Oh, I see,” and “Mm-hmm.” • Door openers • Gently invite the speaker to expand, explain, or continue, i.e. “Tell me about it,” and “Would you like to talk about it?” • Content paraphrasing • Putting the factual portion of the message into your own words and sending it back to check your accuracy.

20. Communicating Effectively on the Telephone • Telephone Techniques • Talk directly into the mouthpiece • Speak at a normal volume • Enunciate clearly • Tell the other person what you are doing if you have to leave the line • Handle the receiver gently

21. Communicating Effectively on the Telephone (cont.) • Cell Phone Usage • A work/life tool • Cell Phone Hazards • DWP - driving while phone • Creates distractions • Visual • Biomechanical • cognitive

22. Communicating Effectively on the Telephone (cont.) • Guidelines for cell phone use for drivers: • If safe, consider pulling over and stopping • Invest in hands-free models • Have a passenger send or receive calls • Keep calls short, less than one or two minutes • Familiarize yourself with the features on your phone • Limit additional distractions while using the phone, such as drinking, eating, changing CD, etc.

23. Communicating Effectively on the Telephone (cont.) • Other Business Liabilities • Technology has created a 24-hour workplace, but there are hazards in creating a 24-hour employee is not a member of management (overtime vs. off-duty).. • To minimize liability, companies need clear written guidelines and regular employee meetings about unauthorized overtime.