1 Establishing a Framework for Business Communication
IN THIS CHAPTER YOU WILL FIND:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
KEY CONCEPTS
KEY TERMS
CHAPTER OUTLINE
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
REVIEW QUESTIONS & SUGGESTED ANSWERS
FEATURED ASSIGNMENTS
ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS
CASE ASSIGNMENTS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1 Define communication and describe the value of communication in business.
2 Explain the communication process model and the ultimate objective of the
communication process.
3 Discuss how information flows in an organization.
4 Explain how legal and ethical constraints, diversity challenges, changing technology,
and team environment act as contextual forces that influence the process of business
communication.
KEY CONCEPTS
Understanding what communication is and how it occurs is central to successful
transactions in the workplace. Business communication does not take place in a vacuum
but is impacted by various external forces, including legal and ethical constraints,
diversity challenges, team environment, and changing technology.
© 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part
1
,KEY TERMS
TERM PAGE TERM PAGE
Chronemics 14 Internal messages 8
Diversity skills 13 Kinesics 14
Downward communication 6 Organizational communication 4
Ethics 10 Proxemics 14
Ethnocentrism 13 Social media 16
Stakeholders 9
External messages 8 Stereotypes 13
Formal communication network 4 Synergy 18
Horizontal (or lateral) 8 Team 17
communication
Informal communication network 5 Telecommuting 15
Interferences 4 Upward communication 7
CHAPTER OUTLINE
1-1 Value of Communication 3
1-2 The Communication Process 3
1-3 Communicating within Organizations 4
1-3a Communication Flow in Organizations 4
1-3b Levels of Communication 8
1-4 Contextual Forces Influencing Business Communication 9
1-4a Legal and Ethical Constraints 9
1-4b Diversity Challenges 12
1-4c Changing Technology 14
1-4d Team Environment 17
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1
Define communication and describe the main purpose for value of communication in
business.
Value of Communication
• Communication is critical to satisfy needs in an individual’s private and professional
life. Students need to be impressed with the importance of communication to be
successful in business. Managers spend up to 80 percent of their time
communicating—working in small groups, writing reports, and speaking with
employees and clients. Students can talk with working business professionals to get a
realistic sense of how many communication activities occur within a given day.
© 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part
2
,• Companies are successful, in part, only when they communicate effectively—both
internally within the company and externally to outside customers and stakeholders.
With students, list the many communication-related activities in which an
organization is involved.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2
Explain the communication process model and the ultimate objective of the
communication process.
The Communication Process
• Build upon students’ own experiences communicating. Ask them to briefly give a
definition of communication and draw a picture of how communication happens.
Discuss when they have been in a situation where communication went well and
situations when it did not. Relate their experiences with the Transactional Process
Model of Communication.
• Initiate a class discussion to identify breakdowns in the communication process. You
may repeat the activity, allowing the speaker to use nonverbal signals and to answer
questions from the class. Consider improvements in the communication process and
lead students into a discussion of the communication process model. Discuss the
importance of context and an audience’s experience in understanding the intended
message.
Summarize the section by emphasizing the following points:
Communication is complete only when the message has been understood as it
was intended at its destination.
Although it is not always readily available (as in written communication),
feedback normally provides senders with information about the effectiveness
of their messages.
Our ability to understand one another draws upon shared or similar
experience.
To illustrate the complexity of the communication process, complete the following
activity:
Have a regular sheet of paper for each member of the class. Ask them to shut
their eyes and follow the instructions given. No one is to peek or to ask
questions. Ask students to fold the paper in half and tear off a small piece in
the lower right-hand corner. Tell them to fold it in half again and tear off the
upper left-hand corner. Have them fold it in half one more time and tear off
the upper-right hand corner. Tell them to open their eyes and see if anyone
has a page that looks like the instructors. Discuss why there are differences,
ambiguity in whether the page is held landscape or portrait when folding, how
the lack of questions and feedback led to different interpretations, and so
forth.
Ask a student to leave the classroom and make a paper airplane from a single
piece of paper or build a model with building blocks. Ask another student to
© 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part
3
, study the design of the airplane. Tell the class that the student will give them
instructions for making something from a piece of paper. Vary the activity by
having the student create a simple origami object (e.g., paper cup). Ask the
student to give the instructions to the class, giving only verbal instructions (no
nonverbal cues) and answering no questions from the class.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3
Discuss how information flows in an organization.
Communicating within Organizations
Because the course is new to most students, vocabulary, theory, and background for later
study are introduced here. Major concepts to cover include the following topics:
• The major purpose of communication is to satisfy needs—personal, social, task, or
job. Interpersonal communication grows into group communication, which grows
into organizational communication as size and complexity lead to different needs.
• Formal organizations are marked by characteristics that call for increases in the
amount and effectiveness of communication: specialization of individuals and units
and interdependence of individuals and units.
• The concept that all people have task and maintenance goals—get the job done and
feel good about themselves—is an important factor in understanding the difference
between an externally imposed system and an internally (within the person) generated
system.
Formal and Informal Communication Networks
• Discuss formal and informal channels of communication in organizations and the
importance of the grapevine as an informal communication system.
Directions of Communication Flow
• Discuss the directions of communication flow within organizations—upward,
downward, and laterally (vertically or horizontally as you view an organizational
chart).
• Describe the efforts of organizational managers to exercise control and effective
coordination.
Levels of Communication
• Differentiate between internal and external messages.
• Review the basic communication levels: intrapersonal, interpersonal, group,
organizational, and public.
• Discuss examples of each level of communication, providing examples from
students’ experiences and from business settings.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 4
Explain how legal and ethical constraints, diversity challenges, team environment, and
changing technology influence the process of business communication.
© 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part
4
IN THIS CHAPTER YOU WILL FIND:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
KEY CONCEPTS
KEY TERMS
CHAPTER OUTLINE
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
REVIEW QUESTIONS & SUGGESTED ANSWERS
FEATURED ASSIGNMENTS
ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS
CASE ASSIGNMENTS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1 Define communication and describe the value of communication in business.
2 Explain the communication process model and the ultimate objective of the
communication process.
3 Discuss how information flows in an organization.
4 Explain how legal and ethical constraints, diversity challenges, changing technology,
and team environment act as contextual forces that influence the process of business
communication.
KEY CONCEPTS
Understanding what communication is and how it occurs is central to successful
transactions in the workplace. Business communication does not take place in a vacuum
but is impacted by various external forces, including legal and ethical constraints,
diversity challenges, team environment, and changing technology.
© 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part
1
,KEY TERMS
TERM PAGE TERM PAGE
Chronemics 14 Internal messages 8
Diversity skills 13 Kinesics 14
Downward communication 6 Organizational communication 4
Ethics 10 Proxemics 14
Ethnocentrism 13 Social media 16
Stakeholders 9
External messages 8 Stereotypes 13
Formal communication network 4 Synergy 18
Horizontal (or lateral) 8 Team 17
communication
Informal communication network 5 Telecommuting 15
Interferences 4 Upward communication 7
CHAPTER OUTLINE
1-1 Value of Communication 3
1-2 The Communication Process 3
1-3 Communicating within Organizations 4
1-3a Communication Flow in Organizations 4
1-3b Levels of Communication 8
1-4 Contextual Forces Influencing Business Communication 9
1-4a Legal and Ethical Constraints 9
1-4b Diversity Challenges 12
1-4c Changing Technology 14
1-4d Team Environment 17
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1
Define communication and describe the main purpose for value of communication in
business.
Value of Communication
• Communication is critical to satisfy needs in an individual’s private and professional
life. Students need to be impressed with the importance of communication to be
successful in business. Managers spend up to 80 percent of their time
communicating—working in small groups, writing reports, and speaking with
employees and clients. Students can talk with working business professionals to get a
realistic sense of how many communication activities occur within a given day.
© 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part
2
,• Companies are successful, in part, only when they communicate effectively—both
internally within the company and externally to outside customers and stakeholders.
With students, list the many communication-related activities in which an
organization is involved.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2
Explain the communication process model and the ultimate objective of the
communication process.
The Communication Process
• Build upon students’ own experiences communicating. Ask them to briefly give a
definition of communication and draw a picture of how communication happens.
Discuss when they have been in a situation where communication went well and
situations when it did not. Relate their experiences with the Transactional Process
Model of Communication.
• Initiate a class discussion to identify breakdowns in the communication process. You
may repeat the activity, allowing the speaker to use nonverbal signals and to answer
questions from the class. Consider improvements in the communication process and
lead students into a discussion of the communication process model. Discuss the
importance of context and an audience’s experience in understanding the intended
message.
Summarize the section by emphasizing the following points:
Communication is complete only when the message has been understood as it
was intended at its destination.
Although it is not always readily available (as in written communication),
feedback normally provides senders with information about the effectiveness
of their messages.
Our ability to understand one another draws upon shared or similar
experience.
To illustrate the complexity of the communication process, complete the following
activity:
Have a regular sheet of paper for each member of the class. Ask them to shut
their eyes and follow the instructions given. No one is to peek or to ask
questions. Ask students to fold the paper in half and tear off a small piece in
the lower right-hand corner. Tell them to fold it in half again and tear off the
upper left-hand corner. Have them fold it in half one more time and tear off
the upper-right hand corner. Tell them to open their eyes and see if anyone
has a page that looks like the instructors. Discuss why there are differences,
ambiguity in whether the page is held landscape or portrait when folding, how
the lack of questions and feedback led to different interpretations, and so
forth.
Ask a student to leave the classroom and make a paper airplane from a single
piece of paper or build a model with building blocks. Ask another student to
© 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part
3
, study the design of the airplane. Tell the class that the student will give them
instructions for making something from a piece of paper. Vary the activity by
having the student create a simple origami object (e.g., paper cup). Ask the
student to give the instructions to the class, giving only verbal instructions (no
nonverbal cues) and answering no questions from the class.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3
Discuss how information flows in an organization.
Communicating within Organizations
Because the course is new to most students, vocabulary, theory, and background for later
study are introduced here. Major concepts to cover include the following topics:
• The major purpose of communication is to satisfy needs—personal, social, task, or
job. Interpersonal communication grows into group communication, which grows
into organizational communication as size and complexity lead to different needs.
• Formal organizations are marked by characteristics that call for increases in the
amount and effectiveness of communication: specialization of individuals and units
and interdependence of individuals and units.
• The concept that all people have task and maintenance goals—get the job done and
feel good about themselves—is an important factor in understanding the difference
between an externally imposed system and an internally (within the person) generated
system.
Formal and Informal Communication Networks
• Discuss formal and informal channels of communication in organizations and the
importance of the grapevine as an informal communication system.
Directions of Communication Flow
• Discuss the directions of communication flow within organizations—upward,
downward, and laterally (vertically or horizontally as you view an organizational
chart).
• Describe the efforts of organizational managers to exercise control and effective
coordination.
Levels of Communication
• Differentiate between internal and external messages.
• Review the basic communication levels: intrapersonal, interpersonal, group,
organizational, and public.
• Discuss examples of each level of communication, providing examples from
students’ experiences and from business settings.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 4
Explain how legal and ethical constraints, diversity challenges, team environment, and
changing technology influence the process of business communication.
© 2020 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in
part
4
