Task 2. Taking into account the importance of competencies in hiring decisions, rank the following factors/skills in order of priority and fill in the table.

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 502.

Communication Process

F. The sender transforms the idea into a message (encoding).

E. The receiver interprets the message (decoding).

D. The receiver sends a feedback.

C. The sender has an idea.

B. The receiver gets the message.

A. The sender transmits the message.

Task 1. Think about the main phases of the communication process and complete the diagram below. For gaps 1-6, choose from the list (a-f).

UNIT 2. BUSINESS COMMUNICATION CHANNELS AND MEDIA

After studying this unit, you will be able to:

· discuss the specifics of the communication process in business

· describe the qualities of oral and written business communication

· list basic communication media in business

· identify the media richness

· define the criteria for choosing among the communication channels and media in business

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· Time management

· Problem-solving

· Written communication

· Oral communication

· Teamwork

Ø Does anything surprise you in this table?

Task 3. Read the text about oral business communication and find out:

a)four advantages of face-to-face communication

b)some drawbacks of personal contacts

c)the distinctive features of telephone conversations

d)the advantages and drawbacks of telephone communication

e) various ways of speaking via telephone.

Qualities of Oral Communication in Business

Face-to-face business communication comes in many forms. Some are one-to-one meetings, either scheduled or spur of the moment. Others involve small groups of people, gathering spontaneously or in formal meetings. Still other face-to-face communication occurs in large groups, where one or more speakers make presentations to an audience. Whatever the setting and number of people, all types of face-to-face communication possess the same qualities.

One potential advantage of face-to-face communication is its speed. Once you make contact with your audience, there is no time lag between the transmission of a message and its reception. This is especially valuable when time is of the essence: if you need a price or have to have the funds in an account released now, putting your request in a letter or memo won't be much help.

A second advantage of face-to-face communication is the control it gives you as the speakers. You might spend hours drafting a memo, or report only to have the recipient scan it superficially or not read it at all. In a personal contact, however, you have much more command over the receiver's attention. The listener at least has to pretend to pay attention – and if you use the speaking skills described in the lowing chapters, your messages ought to be clear and interesting enough to capture the attention of your audience.

Another enormous advantage of face-to-face communication is that it permits instantaneous feedback. When you speak directly to one or more listeners, you can respond to questions as soon as they arise. You can rephrase or elaborate when your listeners seem confused, and you can speed up if details are not necessary. You can revise hurriedly if you see you have used the wrong word and offended or confused your audience.

A final advantage of face-to-face interaction is its personal quality. When a personal meeting goes well, the relationship that communicators develop can help solve problems that might have been more difficult when handled at a distance. Personal meetings are especially important in some cultures, where failure to visit someone in person is an insult. The same principle can occur closer to home. People who do not show up for meetings may (intentionally or unintentionally) suggest to others that they are too important or too busy or too apathetic to be present.

Although it has many advantages, face-to-face communication is not always the best approach. The biggest drawback of personal contacts is the difficulty in arranging them. Even when communicators are in the same building, scheduling a meeting can be difficult and frustrating. When the people who need to meet are separated by greater distances, personal contact is expensive and time-consuming. Even a cross town trip for a half-hour meeting can take most of the morning or afternoon, depending on traffic and weather.

A personal encounter might also be unproductive if the contact antagonizes one or more of the participants. If the personalities or the subject is likely to make someone angry or defensive, then less confrontational forms of communication might be better.

A telephone conversation lacks the visual feedback that often reveals how your message is getting across. But the telephone still communicates vocal cues such as tone of voice, pauses, interruptions, pitch and rate. Telephone conversations also make it harder to hold attention of your listener. Recall, for instance, all the fingernail cleaning and paper-clip sculpting you have done while unsuspecting speakers have rattled on. Since many people are moving targets, you might not get through your first (or even second or third) try. As more people carry cellular phones, mobility is becoming less of a challenge.

The drawbacks of telephone communication are offset by one tremendous advantage: it often lets you contact a receiver who would be impossible to reach in person. You can touch base with someone halfway around the world in less time than it takes to catch an elevator to the next floor. The telephone can even help you get through to busy people who are nearby. Office hermits who barricade themselves behind closed doors will often drop everything when the telephone rings, or at least answer it grudgingly.

Telephone can be a useful tool for group communication as well as on-to-one contacts. For examples, audioconferencing allows a group of geographically separated people to speak via telephones. Voice mail, which is a high-tech version of the answering machine, allows you to leave a message at any time of the day or night. Sophisticated voice-mail systems date-stamp a message, letting the other person know precisely when you called. Many systems also let you set up vocal mailing lists and send a spoken memo to several people at once, notifying when your message has been received.

Task 4. Read the text about written business communication and find out:

a) advantages and disadvantages of written communication

b) the basic forms of written communication inside and outside the company

c)the most formal and informal form of written communication in business

d)common types and components of business letters

e)the distinctive features of memos

f) the forms of written business communication that may compete with the those of oral communication.