Which term involves adjusting your initial perceptions by making more objective?

Presentation on theme: "Chapter 7 and Other Traditional Tools for Business Communication"— Presentation transcript:

1 Chapter 7 Email and Other Traditional Tools for Business Communication

2 Learning Objectives Learning Objective 7.1 Explain the trade-offs associated with richness, control, and constraints when choosing a communication channel. Learning Objective 7.2 Apply principles for writing effective s. Learning Objective 7.3 Explain how to handle emotion effectively in online communications. Learning Objective 7.4 Describe strategies for effective instant messaging in the workplace. Learning Objective 7.5 Describe strategies for managing digital message overload. Learning Objective 7.6 Explain principles for effective phone conversations and videoconferences. LO7.1 Explain the trade-offs associated with richness, control, and constraints when choosing a communication channel. LO7.2 Apply principles for writing effective s. LO7.3 Explain how to handle emotion effectively in online communications. LO7.4 Describe strategies for instant messaging in the workplace. LO7.5 Describe strategies for managing digital message overload. LO7.6 Explain principles for effective phone conversations and videoconferences.

3 Chapter Overview Tradeoffs of richness, control, and constraints with a communication channel Writing effective s Emotion in online communications Effective instant messaging in the workplace Digital message overload Effective phone conversations and videoconferences Chapter Overview Tradeoffs of richness, control, and constraints with a communication channel Writing effective s Emotion in online communications Effective instant messaging in the workplace Digital message overload Effective phone conversations and videoconferences

4 Strategically Selecting Channels for Communication (1 of 4)
Richness Involves two considerations: the level of immediacy and the number of cues available Immediacy Relates to how quickly someone is able to respond and give feedback Strategically choosing a communication channel involves three basic considerations related to their limitations: richness, control, and constraints. Richness involves two considerations: the level of immediacy and the number of cues available. Immediacy relates to how quickly someone is able to respond and give feedback.

5 Strategically Selecting Channels for Communication (2 of 4)
Control The degree to which communications can be planned and recorded, thus allowing strategic message development Planning Implies that the communication can be tightly drafted, edited and revised, rehearsed, and otherwise strategically developed before delivery Permanence The extent to which the message can be stored, retrieved, and distributed to others Control refers to the degree to which communications can be planned and recorded, thus allowing strategic message development. Planning implies that the communication can be tightly drafted, edited and revised, rehearsed, and otherwise strategically developed before delivery. Permanence refers to extent to which the message can be stored, retrieved, and distributed to others. Control may be your primary concern for many important communications.

6 Strategically Selecting Channels for Communication (3 of 4)
Constraints The practical limitations of coordination and resources Coordination The effort and timing needed to allow all relevant people to participate in a communication Resources The financial, space, time, and other investments necessary to employ particular channels of communication Constraints refer to the practical limitations of coordination and resources. Coordination deals with the effort and timing needed to allow all relevant people to participate in a communication. Resources include the financial, space, time, and other investments necessary to employ particular channels of communication. A meeting of ten corporate employees who fly in from different cities is a high-constraint communication that requires extensive coordination and resources.

7 Strategically Selecting Channels for Communication (4 of 4)
Synchronous communication Occurs in real time Individuals give immediate responses to one another and engage in turn-taking. Asynchronous communication Does not occur in real time Individuals involved in such communication can pay attention to and respond to communications at a time of their choosing. The distinctions between spoken and written business messages mirror the relative benefits and weaknesses of synchronous and asynchronous communications. Synchronous communication occurs in real time; the individuals involved give immediate responses to one another and engage in turn-taking. Asynchronous communication does not occur in real time. Individuals involved in such communication can pay attention to and respond to communications at a time of their choosing. Most successful working relationships depend on both synchronous and asynchronous communication.

8 Creating Effective Emails
communication is the primary form of written business communication. Most analysts expect it to be the primary tool for at least the next five to ten years in most companies. communication is the primary form of written business communication. Most analysts expect it to be the primary tool for at least the next five to ten years in most companies.

9 Principles of Effective Emails (1 of 2)
Use it for the right purposes. Ensure ease of reading. Show respect for time. Protect privacy and confidentiality. Writing effective s involves applying principles of writing style discussed in Chapters 5 and 6. It also involves adapting to the unique characteristics of . Principles of effective s include the following: Use it for the right purposes. Ensure ease of reading. Show respect for time. Protect privacy and confidentiality.

10 Principles of Effective Emails (2 of 2)
Respond promptly. Maintain professionalism and appropriate formality. Manage emotion effectively. Avoid distractions. Other principles of effective s include: Respond promptly. Maintain professionalism and appropriate formality. Manage emotion effectively. Avoid distractions.

11 Use Email for the Right Purposes
communication has few constraints (low cost, little coordination) and high control (the writer can think them out carefully, and they provide a permanent record). It is rarely appropriate for sensitive or emotional communication tasks. It is also inefficient for facilitating discussions. communication has few constraints (low cost, little coordination) and high control (the writer can think s out carefully, and they provide a permanent record). Yet because it is not a rich form of communication, it is rarely appropriate for sensitive or emotional communication tasks. It is also inefficient for facilitating discussions.

12 Ensure Ease of Reading Provide a short, descriptive subject line.
Keep your message brief yet complete. Clearly identify expected actions. Provide a descriptive signature block. Use attachments wisely. In all written communication, ensuring ease of reading is critical. It is even more critical in s and other digital messages. Simply put, your readers are unlikely to read your message unless you make it easy for them. Use the following tips to ensure ease of reading in your s: Provide a short, descriptive subject line. Keep your message brief yet complete. Clearly identify expected actions. Provide a descriptive signature block. Use attachments wisely.

13 Figure 7.1 Time Devoted to Email by Business Professionals
Most business professionals spend between 20 and 50 percent of their time reading and writing (see Figure 7.1). Jump to Appendix 1 long image description

14 Figure 7.2 Less Effective Email
Notice the difficulty of reading in the less effective example of in Figure 7.2. Think about how quickly a reader can process the information. Jump to Appendix 2 long image description

15 Figure 7.3 More Effective Email
Compare the ease of reading in the less effective to the more effective example in Figure 7.3. Think about how quickly a reader can process the information. Jump to Appendix 3 long image description

16 Show Respect for Others’ Time
Select message recipients carefully. Provide timelines and options. Be careful about using the priority flag. Let others know when you will take longer than anticipated to respond or take action. Avoid contributing to confusing and repetitive chains. Since communication is so convenient, some people overuse and even abuse it. With business professionals sending and receiving hundreds of s each week, they often experience information overload and fatigue. You can engender goodwill by writing s that are professional, relevant, easy to read, and other-oriented. To show your respect for others when sending , consider the following advice: Select message recipients carefully. Provide timelines and options. Be careful about using the priority flag. Let others know when you will take longer than anticipated to respond or take action. Avoid contributing to confusing and repetitive chains.

17 Jump to Appendix 4 long image description
Figure 7.4 Use of Greetings and Names in a Low-Morale and a High-Morale Organization In a recent study, a communication researcher was given access to the s in two organizations. One was a low-morale organization and one was a high-morale organization. She found that the presence or absence of greetings and names at the beginning of s was a strong indicator of company climate (see Figure 7.4). Jump to Appendix 4 long image description

18 Maintain Professionalism and Appropriate Formality
Avoid indications that you view as casual communication. Apply the same standards of spelling, punctuation, and formatting you would for other written documents. Use greetings and names. communication is typically considered fairly formal. Since so many more people can potentially see an than would ever see a hard copy of a message, having high standards is even more important. Generally, you are better off erring on the side of too much formality as opposed to too much casualness. Consider the following recommendations: Avoid indications that you view as casual communication. Apply the same standards of spelling, punctuation, and formatting you would for other written documents. Use greetings and names.

19 Manage Emotion and Maintain Civility (1 of 5)
Neutrality effect Recipients are more likely to perceive messages with an intended positive emotion as neutral. Negativity effect Recipients are more likely to perceive messages that are intended as neutral as negative. In the absence of face-to-face communications, s tend to elicit either the neutrality effect or the negativity effect. The neutrality effect means that recipients are more likely to perceive messages with an intended positive emotion as neutral. That is, the sender may wish to express enthusiasm about an event, but the receiver decodes the information without “hearing” the enthusiasm. The negativity effect means that recipients are more likely to perceive messages that are intended as neutral as negative. The effects of emotional inaccuracy due to the neutrality and negativity effects can lead to conflict escalation, confusion, and anxiety.

20 Manage Emotion and Maintain Civility (2 of 5)
Flames s or other digital communications with “hostile intentions characterized by words of profanity, obscenity, and insults that inflict harm to a person or an organization Cyber silence Nonresponse to s and other communications Two characteristics of asynchronous electronic communications can lead to feelings of anger and frustration. First, people often feel comfortable writing things they would not say in person. In some cases, this sense of online freedom leads to flames, which are s or other digital communications with “hostile intentions characterized by words of profanity, obscenity, and insults that inflict harm to a person or an organization.” The second aspect of asynchronous electronic communications that can lead to anger and frustration is cyber silence, which is nonresponse to s and other communications. During the nonresponse stage, message senders often misattribute explanations for the silence. They sometimes wonder if message recipients are purposely avoiding or even ignoring them. As the length of time between messages increases, they often experience more frustration and anger.

21 Manage Emotion and Maintain Civility (3 of 5)
Cyber incivility The violation of respect and consideration in an online environment based on workplace norms Can be active incivility or passive incivility Civility is important in electronic communications. Cyber incivility is the violation of respect and consideration in an online environment based on workplace norms. Active incivility involves direct forms of disrespect (i.e., being condescending, demeaning, saying something hurtful). Passive incivility involves indirect forms of disrespect (i.e., using s for time-sensitive messages, not acknowledging receipt of s, not replying to s).

22 Figure 7.5 Active and Passive Incivility from Supervisors
Cyber incivility has been shown to lead to lower job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Active incivility was the most damaging. In Figure 7.5, you can see a summary of this research. One interesting finding was that male and female supervisors engaged in different types of incivility. Male supervisors were far more likely to engage in active incivility, whereas female supervisors were far more likely to engage in passive incivility. Jump to Appendix 5 long image description

23 Manage Emotion and Maintain Civility (4 of 5)
Reinterpretation Adjusting your initial perceptions by making more objective, more fact-based, and less personal judgments and evaluations Relaxation Releasing and overcoming anger and frustration so that you can make a more rational and less emotional response The steps that you can take to address uncivil s constructively include reinterpretation and relaxation. Reinterpretation involves adjusting your initial perceptions by making judgments and evaluations that are more objective and fact-based and less personal. When people are distressed, they often make extreme, subjective, and overly personal judgments. By reinterpreting the event, you allow yourself to take the communication less personally. Relaxation involves releasing and overcoming anger and frustration so that you can make a more rational and less emotional response. People use a variety of methods to alleviate the physiological impact of anger, including counting to ten, taking time-outs, engaging in deep breathing, and looking for the humor in the situation.

24 Manage Emotion and Maintain Civility (5 of 5)
Defusing Avoiding escalation and removing tension to focus on work objectives Another action that you can take to constructively address uncivil s is defusing. Defusing involves avoiding escalation and removing tension in order to focus on work objectives. To defuse the situation when you receive an uncivil you can try the following: Focus on task-related facts and issues in your reply. Focus on shared objectives and agreements. Express interest in arranging a time to meet in person. If meeting is not possible, attempt to establish a richer channel of communication than .

25 Figure 7.6 Less-Effective Response to an Angry Email
In the example shown in Figure 7.6, Jaclyn expresses frustration with a conversation she had with Haniz. Jaclyn, perhaps unwisely, fired off an angry (see the bottom message), and Haniz responded (the top message). Whether or not Jaclyn was correct about Haniz’s approach to developing the website, is rarely an effective communication channel to air complaints or to discuss emotionally charged issues. Jump to Appendix 6 long image description

26 Figure 7.7 More-Effective Response to Defuse an Angry Email
is rarely an effective communication channel to air complaints or to discuss emotionally charged issues. Figure 7.7 presents a more effective response from Haniz to this exchange. Jump to Appendix 7 long image description

27 Instant Messaging in the Workplace (1 of 3)
Instant messaging (IM) is a relatively new and undeveloped form of communication in the workplace, and attitudes toward it vary significantly. Many professionals consider instant messaging in the workplace to be impersonal, uninteresting, rude, intrusive, or inadequate. Instant messaging (IM) is a relatively new and undeveloped form of communication in the workplace, and attitudes toward it vary significantly. Many professionals consider instant messaging in the workplace to be impersonal, uninteresting, rude, intrusive, or inadequate. In contrast, other professionals associate instant messaging in the workplace with exactly the opposite qualities: warm and personal, nice, less intrusive than calls, fun, inviting, and helpful. Instant messaging, therefore, requires a lot of judgment.

28 Instant Messaging in the Workplace (2 of 3)
Evaluate the meta message of instant messaging. Use IM for simple and brief conversations, not for important decisions. Make sure your tone is positive, supportive, and appropriately fun. Don’t ask questions you can get answers to yourself. Be careful about abbreviated language, emoticons, acronyms, and emoji. As you text with colleagues and other contacts, consider the following tips: Evaluate the meta message of instant messaging. Use IM for simple and brief conversations, not for important decisions. Make sure your tone is positive, supportive, and appropriately fun. Don’t ask questions you can get answers to yourself. Be careful about abbreviated language, emoticons, acronyms, and emoji.

29 Figure 7.8 Instant Messages to Show Support
Instant messaging can be a particularly effective way to send quick notes of support, congratulations, and appreciation to close colleagues (see Figure 7.8). Jump to Appendix 8 long description

30 Instant Messaging in the Workplace (3 of 3)
Avoid sarcasm and jokes in most cases. Avoid rescheduling meeting times or places. Consider turning off sound alerts for incoming messages/ s. Identify yourself. Clearly end the IM exchange. Avoid personal IM during work hours. Avoiding sending instant messages after work hours. Establish rules with your colleagues for instant messaging during meetings. When texting in the workplace, you should consider the following tips: Avoid sarcasm and jokes in most cases. Avoid rescheduling meeting times or places. Consider turning off sound alerts for incoming messages/ s. Identify yourself. Clearly end the IM exchange. Avoid personal IM during work hours. Avoid sending instant messaging after work hours. Establish rules with your colleagues for instant messaging during meetings.

31 Figure 7.9 Mismatched Messaging Styles
Figure 7.9 shows how IM styles can be mismatched. Jaclyn uses complete sentences and standard language conventions, while Haniz uses abbreviated language and acronyms. To communicate better, Haniz might consider adopting more standard language conventions to match Jaclyn’s style. On the other hand, Jaclyn might consider using some nonstandard language conventions when instant messaging with Haniz. Jump to Appendix 9 long image description

32 Figure 7.10 A Potentially Effective Instant Message in a Meeting
Instant messaging is increasingly common during meetings in some organizations. Texting can be used to prompt team members about topics to cover, give quick updates as needed to team leaders, ask for information from colleagues or clients outside of the meeting, and assist teammates in a variety of ways (see Figure 7.10). Jump to Appendix 10 long image description

33 Figure 7.11 An Ineffective Instant Message in a Meeting
Some organizations’ cultures encourage this, whereas others strictly discourage it. So, pay attention to the culture of texting at your company. Of course, even where texting is encouraged in meetings, it can also be abused (see Figure 7.11). Jump to Appendix 11 long image description

34 Managing Your Digital Communication Efficiently
Check digital messages just four to five times each day at designated times. Wean yourself off checking your mobile devices constantly. Develop strategies to manage your inbox. Turn off message alerts. Use rich channels, such as face-to-face and phone conversations, to accomplish a task completely. Reply immediately only to urgent messages. Avoid unnecessarily lengthening an chain. Use automatic messages to help people know when you’re unavailable. A variety of research about the brain shows that it is not hardwired to multitask effectively. In most business positions, however, you need to respond to others as soon as possible. How can you stay responsive to others yet focus enough to achieve peak performance in your work tasks? Consider the following guidelines: Check digital messages just four to four times each day at designated times. Wean yourself off checking your mobile device constantly. Develop strategies to manage your inbox. Turn off message alerts. Use rich channels, such as face-to-face and phone conversations, to accomplish a task completely. Reply immediately only to urgent messages. Avoid unnecessarily lengthening an chain. Use automatic messages to help people know when you’re unavailable.

35 Building Connections with Phone Conversations (1 of 2)
Schedule and plan for your phone calls. Ensure quality audio. Open with a warm greeting, and use your caller’s name. After brief small chat, direct the conversation to the issues at hand. Speak with a pleasant, enthusiastic voice. Compared to less rich channels, such as , phone calls generally allow business professionals to connect more deeply, resolve problems more quickly, make important decisions better, and manage conflict more effectively. Keep in mind the following guidelines for one-to-one calls in the workplace: Schedule and plan for your phone calls. Ensure quality audio. Open with a warm greeting, and use your caller’s name. After brief small chat, direct the conversation to the issues at hand. Speak with a pleasant, enthusiastic voice.

36 Building Connections with Phone Conversations (2 of 2)
Share conversation time equally. Apply the rules of active listening and avoid multitasking. Take notes on important points and summarize next steps at the end of the call. Close with appreciation. Follow up on agreements. Also follow these guidelines for one-to-one calls in the workplace: Share conversation time equally. Apply the rules of active listening and avoid multitasking. Take notes on important points and summarize next steps at the end of the call. Close with appreciation. Follow up on agreements.

37 Figure 7.12 Time Devoted to Calling among Business Professionals
Ironically, the increased use of mobile phones in people's personal lives has actually led to a downward trend in calls. In fact, making calls is just the fifth most used function of smartphone users on their phones. However, business professionals continue to use landline and mobile calls extensively (see Figure 7.12). Jump to Appendix 12 long image description

38 Figure 7.13 Sample Meeting Request and Agenda for a Phone Call
Like other forms of business communication, think ahead about your key discussion topics and points. Many phone conversations are much like meetings, so consider sending an invitation with an agenda to your conversation partner (see Figure 7.13 for an example). For less formal conversations, at least plan your purpose and major points to cover. Out of respect for your conversation partner’s time, let them know roughly how long the call will take. Jump to Appendix 13 long image description

39 Figure 7.14 Sample Follow-Up Message with Action Items
Many professionals often don’t follow through on commitments they make to each other on calls. This happens most often when neither person documents the content and agreements of their conversation. Consider sending a message within a few hours of your call while the conversation is still fresh in your minds (see Figure 7.14 as an example). This dramatically improves the likelihood that you will accomplish your shared objectives. Jump to Appendix 14 long image description

40 Participating in and Leading Group Voice and Video Calls
Practice using the technology before the group call. Use your webcam effectively. Use interactive tools wisely. Start the call with purpose and take charge. Follow the guidelines of effective virtual meetings. You’ll also have the opportunity to participate in conference calls. Sometimes you’ll have video and other times you may have only audio. You’ll sometimes use high-end videoconferencing platforms and other times use web conferencing tools such as Google Hangouts or Skype. Many of the tips that were discussed for one-to-one calls apply, as do the guidelines for effective virtual meetings discussed in Chapter 3. In addition, consider the following tips: Practice using the technology before the group call. Use your webcam effectively. Use interactive tools wisely. Start the call with purpose and take charge. Follow the guidelines of effective virtual meetings.

41 Chapter Takeaways Tradeoffs of richness, control, and constraints with a communication channel Writing effective s Emotion in online communications Effective instant messaging in the workplace Digital message overload Effective phone conversations and videoconferences After studying chapter 7, you should understand the following topics: tradeoffs of richness, control, and constraints with a communication channel; writing effective s; emotion in online communications; effective instant messaging in the workplace; digital message overload; and effective phone conversations and videoconferences.

42 Business Communication Chapter 7
The End

Which of the following is the first step in the planning process for writing persuasive messages?

What is a component of setting expectations?

How is productivity affected when employees multitask quizlet?

What are the six 6 components of effective emails list the six below?