Unit 6.2 communicate in a business environment

BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE IN WRITING IN A BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

2.1 CONFIRM THE PURPOSE OF A SPECIFIED WRITTEN BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Successful business leaders are master communicators, whether in oral or written form. The digital age has transformed how businesses communicate with consumers, vendors and partners. Written business communication should be professional, clear and concise. Don’t fall victim to poorly written communication, before you realize just how important written communication is for your business.

Creates a Permanent Record

All forms of written communication become a permanent record of ideas, incidents, proposals and other facts. The record helps business owners access information quickly, especially if it is written in a digital medium. Written communication is also used in legal proceedings, and can become the only defense for adverse legal actions taken against the company. For example, a former employee could say there were no grounds for his firing and he might sue you. If his employee file clearly documented complaints and code of ethics violations over the course of his employment, you can demonstrate cause.

Defines the Brand

Written communication is part of your brand. In general, most letters should have a professional tone, as well as proper English and solid grammatical skills. Without these, readers might think that the company is filled with illiterate people, who are unable to do a good job. After all, with all the help that computer programs offer in spelling, grammar and style, there is no reason for a writer to be unprofessional in communication.

Although most communication should be professional in tone, certain written formats such as social media and email, allow you to add some corporate personality to your brand. This is important in developing and establishing your brand. For example, Millennial’s have their own slang, and the way in which they create posts and respond to emails could benefit a company if they use the slang for this target group. Don’t get carried away, keep slang to a minimum. Slang is there to relate to the group. Using too much slang, however, can detract from your message.

Establishes Relationships

Communication is about building relationships by conveying messages. Clear messages help build trust and integrity between the writer and the reader. Well-written communication helps define goals, identify problems and arrive at solutions. This is important in every aspect of business. Executives must clearly write memos so that staff understands the directives without confusion. Sales representatives must explain features and benefits in a way that excites the prospect. Human resource managers must objectively note any incidents and make reports.

Offers Ease of Distribution

When you need to get information distributed to a large number of people, written communication is very efficient. This could be a company memo outlining a new policy or process that everyone needs to be aware of and comply with. Using digital distribution methods makes the process faster so that implementation can start sooner.

2.2 COLLATE INFORMATION NEEDED TO CREATE A SPECIFIED WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

Types of Written Communication

There are two main types of communication: oral and written. Written communication involves any type of message that makes use of the written word. Written communication is the most important and the most effective of any mode of business communication.

Some of the various forms of written communications that are used internally for business operations include:

• Memos
• Reports
• Bulletins
• Job descriptions
• Employee manuals
• Emails
• Instant messages

Examples of written communications generally used with clients or other businesses include:

• Email
• Internet websites
• Letters
• Proposals
• Telegrams
• Faxes
• Postcards
• Contracts
• Advertisements
• Brochures
• News releases

2.3  CREATE A WRITTEN BUSINESS COMMUNICATION THAT IS APPROPRIATE FOR A SPECIFIED AUDIENCE

If you hope to communicate with people in a way that shares information, and especially, changes behavior and has a serious impact, you need to know your audience. It’s a fundamental principle of great communication. Understanding the perspective of the people you’re talking to helps you become a better presenter and Human Resources professional.

Know your audience. Know what they care about. Know what they want to hear. And by knowing them, and focusing your message, you can show them that you are a resource. You engage your audience and have a greater impact.

The problem? Knowing your audience takes time, and it’s always easier to do a brain dump of all of the things that you know or want to tell your audience about a topic. Thinking critically about what your audience wants or needs to hear is tougher.

A lot of HR professionals get caught up in giving their audience an everything they should know or do about an issue presentation. You know you’ve fallen into this trap when you find yourself putting bullet points on slides instead of thinking about:

• what the audience really cares about,
• what your most important points are, and
• how to map them into a clear story that creates an engaging talk.

The second trap many HR professionals fall into is repeating that same presentation day in and day out to different audiences. The problem is that different audiences care about and respond to different things—so if you want to be engaging, you need to customize your message every time you speak.

It is how to ensure that you customize your message, cut through the noise, and keep your audience engaged with what you’re telling them—no matter who or where they are. These five key reminders will ensure that your words achieve the impact they deserve—when you win your audience’s full attention and engagement.

Know What Your Audience Cares About

Your audience won’t care about what you say until you’ve demonstrated that you care about them. As you plan your presentation, ask what are the challenges and needs of your expected audience? What are the three to four main questions or issues on their minds about your topic?

If you don’t know, ask a few people who will attend your presentation, ask the manager of the department, or, if no information is available, make your best guess.

Then start your presentation by reminding your audience of their identified concerns. Say, “I know that several of you have been wondering about our benefits options, or “I imagine that these three things are what you really want to get out of this workshop.”

When you talk first about your audience and their problems and needs that you’ll address in your talk, you demonstrate that you care about them. That makes people want to listen.

Map Out Your Main Points for Your Audience

Most HR presentations feel like an information dump, not a clear story with a set of main points. HR professionals usually know much more than other people want or need to know about any necessary topic.

Authors Chip and Dan Heath, in their book „Made to Stick“ called this “the curse of knowledge.” When was the last time you felt a presentation was too short or covered too little information? Probably rarely if ever.

The people who stand out as presenters, the ones who are heard and have influence, start out by acknowledging the problem of the audience’s that they are helping to solve. Then, as they prepare their presentation, they separate the must know from the nice to know.

Take half of whatever preparation time you have to focus on the heart of your presentation and what your audience needs to know that will help them. The best way to break the “curse of knowledge” is to focus on what’s most important to both you and the audience.

Map your presentation out on a whiteboard or piece of paper, or use a set of sticky notes. What sequence of points is best? Is there an order to the points that will make more sense for your audience? How do your points relate to each other? Make them clear. If they don’t, tell people, “Here’s a totally different, yet important, topic.”

Tell Stories and Use Examples Your Audience Will Find Relatable

Besides trying to present too many things at once, all too often HR presentations sound abstract and unrelated to the daily life and work of the audience. What happens then is that people tune out, sit through the talk, assume it’s not about them, and take no action. This makes the presentation a waste of their time and yours.

To relate to them, to help them take action, people need the ideas grounded in stories and examples. Human brains are wired to relate to stories and to remember them. So, cover fewer points—better—with many examples. And, whenever possible, make the examples from their department and their day-to-day experience at work.

Tell stories about how to use the idea you’re sharing. Whether it’s how to solve a compensation problem, how to give feedback, how to sign up for your vision plan, or how the new organization is different from the old one, tell stories. Make the bridge clear between your topic and their lives and interests.

Show, Don’t Just Tell Your Audience

A picture is worth a thousand words in many instances. Videos are becoming the norm for effective communication. In this day of accessible video tools, presenters who use too much text often use excuses. They say, “But I have to communicate very specific information.” or, “My audience will be better able to digest this complicated idea if I write it down.” No, you don’t, and no, they won’t.

Unless your goal is to bore, alienate, and underwhelm your audience, and have no influence in a worst case scenario, cut the text. Send it in a follow-up email, or share it in a Google doc. The visuals you use need to support the story, not become your script. Once you have your clear set of main points and a good flow supported by stories and examples, only then should you launch a presentation tool.

Otherwise, you end up with your slides serving double duty as your speaker notes. In that case, you should have just emailed the presentation instead of wasting your audience’s time.

Customize and Improvise by Knowing Your Audience

Once you’ve created a good presentation that visually supports your main message, you have the freedom to tailor it to each audience you serve. You can make your point and then ask out loud, “So why should you care about this?” and tailor your answer to the audience that is in front of you. What your marketing team members care about may be very different from your development staffs’ needs.

In years of providing training and making presentations for leaders at dozens of organizations such as Apple, Oracle, SAP, and T-Mobile, the power of a simple set of messages has shone forth. When the messages were supported by simple images and delivered by a focused presenter who could make clear points and connect them to the daily life of their audience, communication occurred. And, isn’t that the point of making a presentation?

2.4 MAKE AMENDMENTS TO THE COMMUNICATION TO ACCOMMODATE DIFFERENT AUDIENCES

In today’s corporate world, leaders need excellent communication skills. Many are being asked to do more with fewer resources while also dealing with the stresses of a corporation that is downsizing and/or tightening budgets. To remain effective, leaders need near perfect communication skills regardless of their own communication type. Understanding the style of the person you are communicating with can make the difference between getting your message across and getting it across well.

Consider these four communication styles and how you can effectively communicate with each one:

The Aggressor-Asserter

These are your CEOs in attitude. They are very competitive, goal-oriented, demanding, task-oriented and fast-paced. To these people, time is money and money is time. You know where you stand since they are blunt and direct in their communication. Their biggest fear is losing control and they ask the „What questions. The Aggressor-Asserter has key strengths that include providing momentum, providing focus and making quick decisions. Their „on top of it approach to projects can keep the rest of the team on target or even get it done early. However, this must be balanced as their weaknesses include overstepping their assignments, taking over tasks that have been assigned to others (and not necessarily because they can do them better, they just want to get them done).

To effectively connect with the Aggressor-Asserter, you must:

• Be brief, direct and concise.
• Provide options.
• Use a fast, quick pace.
• Focus on results and return-on-investment.
• Avoid providing lots of details.
• Provide short answers.
• Look them straight in their eyes.
• Be truthful.

The Socializer

These individuals are charismatic, enthusiastic, persuasive, lively, loud, talkative, friendly, people-oriented and very social. They are also visual and creative. Their biggest fear is social rejection and they ask the „who questions. The Socializer is a great motivator. In the most organizations, these are on sales team. They are very creative and enjoy brainstorming. They do not keep track of time well and sometimes work tight to deadlines. They enjoy being the center of attention.

To effectively communicate with a Socializer, you must:

• Allow time for social interaction.
• Put details in writing or email.
• Have a fast pace, positive approach.
• Use a whiteboard in your discussions (Socializes are quite visual).
• Use phrases like „Picture this or „Do You See.
• Avoid a harsh, aggressive tone.

The Mediator

These individuals are calm, level-headed, great listeners, team-oriented, introverted and loyal. They make decisions in a consensus manner. Mediators like to marinate on questions you will not get an answer immediately. They dislike conflict so they will internalize and tolerate it. As a result, this internalization builds until they explode. Their biggest fear is loss of stability and they ask the „How questions. Team and project managers are typically fall into this style. Weaknesses include being hesitant in their approach slowing decision-making they are going to try to keep everyone happy at the expense of their happiness. Mediators are hard-working who are humble and do not pat themselves on the back. They make great teachers/trainers and mentors due to their calming and supportive nature

To effectively connect with a Mediator, you must:

• Be patient and logical.
• Use a steady, low-keyed approach.
• Involve Mediators in the planning process.
• Praise them privately.
• Allow time for „marination of ideas.  You will not get a quick answer.
• Start conversation with a warm and friendly greeting.
• Keep your tone of voice at discussion level.

The Analyzer

These individuals are meticulous, detail-oriented, introverted and task-oriented. These individuals can be considered perfectionists and they are suspicious of others. They may answer a question with a question. Their biggest fear is criticism of work and they ask the „why questions. Key strengths of the Analyzer include being detailed-oriented, superb problem solvers and providing the team’s reality check. Weaknesses include having tunnel vision on projects and looking for the perfect solution.

To effectively communicate with the Analyzer, you must:

• Be organized and logical.
• Support your position using facts.
• Make sure that each point is understood before moving to the next point.
• Not use the phrase „Let me give you some constructive advice.
• Use words such as process, data and procedure.
• Realize that Analyzers are motivated by quality and data.

Communicating effectively with the various types is an art. Understanding a person’s style allows you to create harmony and avoid confusion. Developing your „adaptitude – your ability to adapt your communication style to the listener – is a critical element of being an effective team member. When you are able to recognize the various styles and adjust your approach, your life will be easier and void of the common communication „ills.

2.5 PROOFREAD THE COMMUNICATION BEFORE SENDING AND CORRECTING ANY ERRORS

Proofreading is to business communication what buffing and polishing is to woodworking: One little blemish detracts from the entire piece, causing the overall impression to suffer. Mistakes and imperfections in any kind of work convey carelessness, and in the workplace, the stakes are even higher: A piece that is ridden with spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors is difficult to read and undermines the credibility and authority you probably have worked hard to achieve. Learn some proofreading steps and apply them judiciously to every piece of written communication — from short emails to lengthy financial reports — and savor a reputation for conscientiousness and precision.

1.Allow your piece of written communication to “get cold” before you proofread it. With a fresh set of eyes, you will be more apt to spot errors.

2.Read your work out loud, and slowly. If you find yourself stumbling over a clause or sentence, chances are that your readers will, too. You are more likely to catch missing or misplaced words when you read aloud, as well.

3.Force yourself to read your piece three times: once for spelling, once for punctuation and once for grammar. By focusing on one writing infraction at a time, you’re bound to find more mistakes, making the time investment worthwhile.

4.Buy a dictionary or use an online dictionary to check your spelling. Don’t rely on spell-checking devices, as they cannot “read” for context with regard to homophones, or words that sound alike but are spelled differently, such as “two” and “too” and “team” and “teem.”

5.Look up every word unless you are absolutely certain it is spelled correctly. This is one way, albeit tedious, that good spellers are created. Check your piece for typographical errors and transposed letters, too.

6.Scrutinize every single punctuation mark — every comma, period, semicolon, colon and apostrophe. In the haste of writing, it’s easy to misplace or forget punctuation that will impede the flow of your writing.

7.Examine your sentences for proper grammar, including subject-verb agreement, parallelism, pronoun-reference agreement, correct verb tenses, fragments and run-ons.

8.Invest in a superior writing handbook and keep it on your desk for easy reference. Some of the best are „The Elements of Style“ by William Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White, “The New St. Martin’s Handbook” by Andrea Lunsford and Robert Connors and “The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers” by Maxine Hairston and John Ruszkiewicz. These books are especially helpful because they show examples of common writing mistakes and also methods for fixing them.

9.Track the errors you are most prone to make and review your work specifically for these errors. For example, if you know you tend to write run-on sentences, check every sentence for this infraction.

REFERENCES

https://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-written-communication-business-2936.html

https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-written-communication-in-business-definition-types-examples.html

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/customize-communication-for-audience-1918925

https://www.agprofessional.com/article/understand-and-adapt-different-communication-styles