Download Chapter summary

Chapter One—The Basics
Chapter summary
The first chapter prepares the student for the more sophisticated discussions of
communication issues later in the text by defining several basic principles, forms, and
functions of communication specific to the business world. Communication is defined as the
internal (intrapersonal) and external (interpersonal) exchange of meaning through the use of
various verbal, nonverbal, and cultural messages. Business communication is defined within
this field as the exchange of message meaning between people who work together to meet
organizational goals. In business, the communication issues that are most emphasized are
listening skills, interpersonal communication, verbal (both oral and written), and collaborative
communication (most notably, teamwork skills).
Lecture Guide:





Intrapersonal communication is what goes on inside an individual’s head while he or she
thinks. It is also what happens before he or she externalizes a concept. It is the ideas,
thoughts, knowledge, and opinions that we think about or sift through before we choose
which words we believe will best suit our needs when communicating with others. The
intrapersonal skills that are most important to business are listening, which is the process
of internalizing an external oral message and using it to fuel new ideas (see Chapter 4),
and reading, which is the process of internalizing an external written message for the
same purpose.
Interpersonal communication is the external expression of the ideas, thoughts, knowledge,
and opinions from one mind to one or many others. The delivery and reception of these
messages is complex, including simultaneous use by all parties of intrapersonal, verbal
(spoken or written, depending on the situation), nonverbal (gesture or visual presentation),
and listening skills. Interpersonal communication is the basis for all business interactions.
Small-group communication involves interactions between two or more people working
together to accomplish tasks. Successful small-group communication requires
participation, cooperation, and collaboration among all members of the group (Chapter
13). Small groups may be subject to conflict, which can often result in stronger task
resolutions (Chapter 14).
Public communication is the delivery of a message to a group audience. Individuals make
public communications to audiences within an organization as well as to audiences
outside of the organization. They include oral reports, presentations, and sales messages
(Chapter Seven).
Non-verbal communication consists of messages delivered without speaking; smiling,
fidgeting, stretching, or watching attentively. Non-verbal communications may or may not
be intentional, but it is important in business situations to be aware of these
communications because they influence the relationships we form and develop with our
audience.
Angell, Business Communication Design
1
Chapter One—The Basics









2
Symbols are signs that designate various objects or concepts. Symbols have meanings that
depend on a number of factors, including a shared experience, culture, and context. When
the audience does not share the same experience, culture, or context as the person
delivering the message, the symbol may fail to deliver the meaning that was intended
(Chapter Five).
Culture refers to a social structure that determines how an individual perceives the world.
In business, especially in international business interactions, knowledge of the audience’s
cultural background can be crucial if we are to design a meaningful and effective message.
This is called intercultural communication (Chapter 12).
Communication is often a collaborative act. Individuals work together routinely in
business to develop presentations, make decisions, or solve problems, both orally and in
writing. The messages produced are a collective effort based on the intra- and
interpersonal communications within a group (Chapter 13).
The goal of any communicated message is high fidelity. That means that the audience has
successfully received and understood the symbols used to communicate the intended
message meaning.
Noise interrupts the clear reception of meaning by an audience, making it difficult to focus
on the message (Chapter 4). Noise includes:
o Internal noise. Any mental or physical issue that makes it hard for the message to
be either sent or received. Examples include having a cold while trying to listen to
a presentation or worrying about your day care provider while writing a report.
o External noise includes external, environmental interference. Examples include an
annoying hum coming from the computer as you write or overpowering cologne
on a coworker.
o Message-based noise includes flaws in message design or execution. Examples
include an email message that is formatted in a difficult to read manner, and flaws
in meaning, as in an incorrectly used or unfamiliar term.
All messages begin in the mind as an idea. The original idea is an abstract concept that
has to be translated into a symbol that can be further developed intrapersonally or shared
with others. This translation is called encoding.
The interchange of message meanings requires both a source, the originator and
transmitter of the message, and a receiver, the destination of the message. Identifying who
we want to receive the message often has an impact on how we encode it in the first place.
Once the ideas have been encoded using symbols, they become a message, which can then
be transmitted to a receiver.
The message is transmitted to the receiver using a channel. Channels carry the message to
the receiver from the source. Channels include human channels, which require face-toface interactions with another, and technological channels, which make use of
technological devices to interact with others. Both types of channels can be used to
transmit speech, visual, or written messages.
Angell, Business Communication Design
Chapter One—The Basics



When the receiver accesses the message from whatever channel the source used to
transmit it, the receiver then must decode the meaning from the message. To do this, the
receiver attaches his or her own array of meanings to the symbols used to encode the
message.
Finally, the receiver responds to the message with feedback. Feedback enables the source
and receiver to determine how successfully the meaning was transmitted during the
communication process.
Selectivity allows us to attach concepts to one another according to our interests and what
we already know. We then encode the new information we’ve identified through
selectivity with symbols that have personal meaning for us, independent of the meaning
they may have in a larger, more public context. The message we send ourselves, then,
takes the form of an internal dialogue or a mental image.
We rarely think about the intrapersonal process of communication because we do it
automatically. The challenge can be effectively communicating the product of that process to
others. While we understand the precise meanings we’ve attached to various symbols, others
may not. In business, misunderstandings can be disastrous. For this reason, business people
must become effective communication designers, designing message meanings that are
clearly understood by receivers. Communication designers use a variety of design strategies
to simplify this process. Design strategies offer receivers recognizable forms to help them
understand the use of symbols in the message.
In Text Exercises
 In a Nutshell: Walt Disney College Program.
Ask students about a recent trip to an amusement park: how did the attitudes and behaviors of
the employees influence their enjoyment of the park and its attractions? Ask them whether
they believe the training Disney cast members are given applies to other business interactions.
Then ask students to give examples of such interactions and to explain why these Disney
methods would be effective.
 Creative Challenge: Winter Desert
The answer to the question, “Can you stop communicating completely?” is no. Even all alone
in a wilderness, one must still communicate with oneself intrapersonally to complete survival
tasks like building a fire or pitching a tent. The mind is constantly being flooded with sensory
input that must be processed. And then, there is also the question of dreaming, which may be
considered an unconscious form of intrapersonal communication.
Angell, Business Communication Design
3
Chapter One—The Basics
 Jump In!: CompuTalk
Translation: Ogden:
Majic:
Ogden:
Majic:
Ogden:
Majic:
Ogden:
Majic:
Ogden:
Majic:
Ogden:
Majic:
Hey Majic! What’s up? [How are you?]
Hey Ogden. I just logged on to the Internet. I’m having
problems with my computer today.
What kinds of problems are you having?
My computer system keeps crashing. [becomes inoperative]
That’s awful.
Yes, it is.
By the way, have you heard about the latest computer virus
named Goner?
Yes, I’ve downloaded an anti-virus program for it, too, just in
case.
Smart.
You can never be too prepared, in my humble opinion.
Hang on, my mom’s calling me. Be right back.
Ok.
 Creative Challenge: Noise
Examples of external noise can take the form of anything that can be perceived by the five
senses: sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. Encourage students to think of examples in as
many of these categories as possible. Internal noise is generally something that others cannot
readily perceive: having a cold, being distraught over a fight with a friend, or an intense like
or dislike of a political or religious idea.
 Jump In!: Trucker Notes
Translation: There is an inoperative truck on Route 66 near Flagstaff, Arizona. Tell Marc
Johnson (owner) to get Maria Tannhauser (chief of operations) to the site to assess damage to
the shipment. The truck’s driver, Joe, is on his way to a Las Vegas hospital. Call the
California Highway Patrol (Flagstaff is near California) and the Flagstaff Police department to
get accident reports. Call the company’s insurance agent to begin claim resolution. Call and
notify Joe’s wife (need to find her number).
 Word on the Web: Career Counselors
Career counselors work with clients to help them determine what they wish to do with their
lives. This may be an opportunity for students to not only consider more seriously what their
career goals are, but also to examine their own intrapersonal communication system.
 Creative Challenge: Talking Without Thinking
Experiences like this usually result in embarrassment or arguments between two people who
misunderstand one another. To prime students, it may be useful to refer to a scene in from a
television program or movie. [A classic example would be the death scene in Romeo and
Juliet.]
4
Angell, Business Communication Design
Chapter One—The Basics
Discussion questions
1. Why do businesspeople need to learn about other cultures?
Since the process of encoding and decoding message meanings successfully depends on an
exchange of shared symbols, it is necessary for communicators to use symbols that are
recognizable to the receiver.
2. What channels of communication do you think are used most frequently in business—
human or technological channels? Why?
There are many ways to answer this question, often dependent on the field under discussion.
In some businesses, such as those that employ a workforce that completes its tasks from an
off-site location, technological channels may be used more frequently. For other businesses,
like direct sales, human channels may be more common. In general, both channels are used
regularly in the completion of business communication tasks.
3. In what ways do you think communication is vital to the success of any business?
Effective communication is necessary to complete the goals of a business. Communication is
used to coordinate the efforts of a work force, develop new ideas, solve problems, and make
decisions.
4. How is communication used at your college or university? How do you learn about school
activities, events, or cancellations?
In general, information at colleges and universities is disseminated using various print
methods, like brochures, booklets, schedules, fliers, and school newspapers. However, there
are other communication methods that are used regularly, including face-to-face
communication with instructors (in or outside of the classroom) and other students, and
institution-run radio, film, and television programming. College websites are another
important source of information for students, faculty and visitors.
5. How can effective communication enhance employee morale and productivity?
A workforce that understands corporate goals clearly is better able to meet those goals.
Individuals in such a workforce also understand the value of their contribution towards those
goals.
Angell, Business Communication Design
5
Chapter One—The Basics
6. How does feedback improve the communication process and help communicators reach
mutual understanding?
Feedback enables the individual (source) of a message to determine whether that message has
been effectively communicated to its intended receiver. It also allows the receiver to
contribute suggestions, ideas, or concerns.
7. Why is intrapersonal communication important for a business communicator?
Before a successful message can be encoded into a form that will be recognized by a receiver,
the source must understand as clearly as possible what it is that he or she wishes to
communicate. This means processing the initial idea into a form that the source can work
with, creating symbols that will be meaningful to the receiver.
8. Describe business situations that require each of these communication skills:
a. Intrapersonal communication. [Problem-solving, decision-making]
b. Organizational communication. [Inter- and inner corporate communication]
c. Interpersonal communication. [Face-to-face communication]
d. Small group and team communication. [Collaborative work]
e. Verbal communication. [Face-to-face; written documents; presentations]
f. Public communication. [Presentations; sales]
Examples vary greatly. A few concrete examples might include a small group determining a
marketing strategy for a new product, or a presentation of a business plan to a group of
investors.
9. When do you use predesigned communication strategies in your day-to-day life? When do
you use integrated or situational strategies?
Predesigned communication strategies are often forms that are filled out in the process of
completing a task at work, like sales or inventory rosters or progress reports. They are also
forms like exams or exercises that are executed using a prescribed format. Predesigned
strategies also include specific oral or written communication formulas. Integrated or
situational strategies are more elaborate reports or communications of policy or change in the
workplace, or essay exams or in-class discussions. Integrated or situational strategies may
also be used when an unusual or unfamiliar communication event occurs.
6
Angell, Business Communication Design
Chapter One—The Basics
Case development
Wal-Mart Goes to Germany
One direction the instructor can take when discussing or developing a written assignment
based on this case is to focus on the break down of communication in this situation. Ask
students to identify the message(s) that Wal-Mart was trying to send to its acquisitioned
Wertkauf and Interspar chains. Also, ask them to identify the sender (Wal-Mart), the receiver
(Wertkauf, Interspar, the German consumer). Wal-Mart’s intrapersonal communication is a
corporate one, but it may be worth investigating how Wal-Mart’s corporate officers made
internal decisions before trying them out on the European marketplace. Students may also be
asked to consider encoding problems: what cultural, political, or social signs did Wal-Mart
corporate officers miss when adapting their American business model to Germany? Consider
feedback as the response of the German marketplace and consumer to the new Wal-Mart
model. Finally, students can offer a new communication process that takes into account the
variances in symbol and meaning between Wal-Mart and its new subsidiaries that will avoid
similar problems in the future.
Angell, Business Communication Design
7