Chapter 1

Business Communication
Foundations

Communications in Business
Williams, Krizan, Logan, & Merrier

2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 1

Business Communication

The process of establishing a common

understanding between or among
people within a business environment.

2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not

be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 2

The Importance of Communicating

Effectively
Getting

jobs you want

Gaining promotions
Providing leadership
Being productive on the job
Relating positively to others
Assuring the success of your
organization
2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 3

Internal and External

Communication
Internal

Involves day-to-day exchange

among employees

External

Flows between an organization and

the entities with which it interacts
2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not
be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 4

Business Communication is
Transactional
Give-and-take relationship
between sender and receiver in
order to establish a common
understanding

2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not

be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 5

Goals of Business Communication

1. Receiver understanding
2. Receiver response
3. Favorable relationship
4. Organizational goodwill
2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not
be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 6

Internal Communication Patterns

Vertical
Horizontal
Network

2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not

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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 7

Formal Communication
Is

business related
May be written or oral
Is planned by the organization
Flows in all directions
Is essential for effective operation
of the business
2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not
be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 8

Informal Communication
Is

both business-related and

personal
Is not planned by the organization
Flows in all directions
Develops and maintains positive
human relationships
2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not
be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 9

Serial Communication
Chain

of three or more people

Messages usually change as passed
Senders should
Keep the message simple
Request feedback

Receivers

should

Take notes
Repeat the message

2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not

be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 10

Grapevine
Managers

should:

Be open, honest, and as complete as

possible
Monitor the grapevine to learn whether
formal messages have been understood
or need restating
Identify and work with those who are key
sources of grapevine information
Ask employees how they use the
grapevine

2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not

be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 11

Communication Process Model

2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not

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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 12

Office Politics
The competitive
environment that
exists within the
corporate culture
2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 13

Political Fundamentals
Be

honest and ethical in all dealings

with people
Believe in yourself
Believe in your work
Do the best job you can
Keep your commitments
Be a pleasant person
Feel true respect for everyone
2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 14

Senders Role
Selecting

the type of message

Analyzing the receiver
Using the you-viewpoint
Encouraging feedback
Removing communication
barriers
2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 15

Receivers Role
Listening

or reading carefully
Being open to different types of
senders and to new ideas
Making notes when necessary
Providing appropriate feedback to the
sender
Asking questions to clarify the
message
2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 16

Verbal and Nonverbal

Communication
Verbal

Communication

Uses words

Nonverbal

Communication

Does not use words

2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 17

Message Channels
Written
Oral
Nonverbal
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Ch 1 - 18

The You-Viewpoint
The sender gives primary
consideration to the
receivers point of view when
composing and sending
messages
2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 19

Analyzing the Receiver

Knowledge
Interests
Attitudes
Emotional

Reaction

2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not

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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 20

Feedback
The

senders role includes

providing for feedback
Ask directly or indirectly for a
response
Assist the receiver in giving the
response

2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not

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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 21

Communication Barriers
Any factor that interferes
with the success of the
communication process

2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not

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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 22

Communication Barrier: Word Choice

Denotative

versus connotative

meaning
Idioms
Implications

and inferences

2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not

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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 23

More Communication Barriers

Incorrect

grammar, sentence
structure, punctuation, and
spelling
Wrong message type
Poor message appearance
Poor appearance of the sender
2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not
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accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 24

More Communication Barriers

Distracting

environmental

factors
Receivers capability
Ineffective listening skills
Other barriers
2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not
be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly
accessible website, in whole or in part.

Ch 1 - 25