BUSINESS COMMUNICATION - Pc-Freak

1 Diploma in BUSINESS Administration Study Manual BUSINESS COMMUNICATION The Association of BUSINESS Executives William House 14 Worple Road Wimbledon London SW19 4DD United Kingdom Tel: + 44(0)20 8879 1973 Fax: + 44(0)20 8946 7153 E-mail: Copyright RRC BUSINESS Training Copyright under licence to ABE from RRC BUSINESS Training All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, mechanical, photocopied or otherwise, without the express permission in writing from The Association of BUSINESS Executives. abc ABE Diploma in BUSINESS Administration Study Manual BUSINESS COMMUNICATION Contents Study Unit Title Page Syllabus i 1 Principles and Methods of COMMUNICATION 1 Purpose of BUSINESS Communications 2 The COMMUNICATION Process 6 Key Factors for Effective COMMUNICATION 12 The Barriers to Effective COMMUNICATION 15 2 The Basics of Communicating 21 The Importance of Language 22 Non-Verbal COMMUNICATION and Self-Presentation 26 Effective Reading 32 Verbal skills 34 Listening 36 Effective Note Taking 37 3 Written COMMUNICATION 45 The Written Word 47 General Approach to BUSINESS Correspondence 49 BUSINESS

2 Correspondence Practical Applications 56 Reports and Reporting 60 Writing Articles 68 Preparing and Placing a Press Release 68 Writing an Effective Mailshot 73 4 Oral COMMUNICATION 75 Organising a Presentation 76 Presentational skills 84 Using the Telephone 97 5 Visual COMMUNICATION 103 Nature and Purpose of Audio and Visual Aids 104 Designing Audio-Visual Aids 109 Presenting Statistical Information 115 Design and Corporate Identity 123 6 Interviews and Meetings 137 Interviews 138 Meetings An Overview 142 Documentation for Meetings 144 Procedure in Meetings 149 7 Electronic COMMUNICATION Systems 155 introduction 156 Modes of COMMUNICATION 156 The Internet 159 The Use of IT in BUSINESS 166 Input Devices 170 Output Devices 1738 IT and Presenting Information 177 introduction 178 Word Processing 178 Desktop Publishing 181 Electronic or Web Publishing 182 9 Information Processing 187 introduction 188 Data and Information 188 Gathering and Organising Information 190 i Copyright ABE Diploma in BUSINESS Administration Part 1 BUSINESS COMMUNICATION Syllabus Aims 1.

3 To enable students to maximise their personal BUSINESS COMMUNICATION skills necessary both within the organisation and for COMMUNICATION with external audiences. 2. To provide students with an opportunity to appreciate the internal mechanisms needed for BUSINESS COMMUNICATION and how to ensure that these are effective. 3. To be able to deal with different types of data, particularly for the purposes of presenting information that is visually appealing and professionally produced. 4. To fully understand the role of Information Technology in the BUSINESS COMMUNICATION environment and the efficiencies that these opportunities bring to the world of work. Programme Content and Learning Objectives After completing the programme, the student should be able to: 1. BUSINESS COMMUNICATION : Background and Theory In this section students will achieve the ability to: Understand the COMMUNICATION process, barriers to it, techniques for overcoming them and for assessing the effectiveness of COMMUNICATION .

4 Acknowledge the different modes of COMMUNICATION , including face-to-face interactions, letters, memos, telephone contact, electronic mail, the Internet and video conferencing and assess the relative advantages and disadvantages of each one. 2. Written COMMUNICATION : Modes of COMMUNICATION and Computer Software applications In this section students will achieve the ability to: Produce and use appropriately a range of written communications including electronic mail messages, memos, letters, briefs, direct mail, reports, press releases and job descriptions. Understand the key elements of word processing including, page layout, typefaces and fonts and printing and other software computer applications. 3. Oral COMMUNICATION : Presentations and Visual aids In this section students will achieve the ability to: Understand the purposes of presentations and speeches and how to prepare for their delivery.

5 Demonstrate the choice and use of visual aids. Appreciate how to effectively use the telephone and the importance of listening ii Copyright ABE 4. Visual COMMUNICATION 1: Logos, Graphics and Multimedia In this section students will achieve the ability to: Identify the use of visual communications in the presentation of information, including the role and value of graphics and multimedia. 5. Visual COMMUNICATION 2: Using Statistical Data and Information In this section students will achieve the ability to: Understand basic statistics and how to organise this data into statistical information as part of a visual presentation. 6. Meetings and Interviews: Structure, Content and Listening In this section students will achieve the ability to: Identify different types of meetings and interviews. Understand the formal structures, procedures and documentation necessary for successful meetings and interviews.

6 7. Information Technology and BUSINESS COMMUNICATION In this section students will achieve the ability to: Understand the use of information technology in BUSINESS organisations, including telecommuting, workgroup computing, bulletin board systems, commercial services and use of the Internet, including global perspectives such as the world-wide web. Appreciate the value of personal computing in COMMUNICATION , including word processing, desktop publishing, electronic publishing and presenting and organising and gathering information via spreadsheets, databases and browsers. 8. Input through Computer Hardware In this section students will achieve the ability to: Appreciate the use of input devices such as the keyboard, pointing devices and scanners. 9. Output through Computer Hardware In this section students will achieve the ability to: Understand how output devices work, such as screen displays, large computer systems and microcomputer systems.

7 Method of Assessment By written examination. The pass mark is 40%. Time allowed 3 hours. The question paper will contain: Eight questions from which the candidate will be required to answer any four. All questions carry 25 marks. iii Copyright ABE Reading List Essential Reading R. H. Sheldon. BUSINESS Communications, Peter Andrew ISBN 094676505 Additional Reading Ludlow, R. and Patteson, F. The Essence of Effective COMMUNICATION ; Prentice-Hall Capron, H. L. Computers: Tools for an Information Age; Addison-Wesley Bergin, F. Practical Communications; Pitman Stevens, M. Improving Your Presentation skills ; Kogan Page iv Copyright ABE 1 Licensed to ABE Study Unit 1 Principles and Methods of COMMUNICATION Contents Page introduction 2 A.

8 Purpose of BUSINESS Communications 2 Role of Organisational Structure and Culture 2 COMMUNICATION Systems Within and Between Organisations 3 B. The COMMUNICATION Process 6 The Need to Communicate 6 Encoding and Transmission 7 Channels of COMMUNICATION 7 Decoding 7 Interpreting and Feedback 10 C. Key Factors for Effective COMMUNICATION 12 Intentional and Unintentional COMMUNICATION 12 Personality Perception 12 Judgment and Concealment 13 Congeniality 13 Rumour 13 Status 13 Effective Feedback or Evaluation Mechanisms 15 Conclusion 15

9 D. The Barriers to Effective COMMUNICATION 15 Sample Case Studies 17 2 Principles and Methods of COMMUNICATION Licensed to ABE introduction In order to achieve effective BUSINESS communications you must understand the context in which communications take place and identify all the elements which contribute to successful COMMUNICATION . We start, then, by considering the nature of communications in BUSINESS organisations and move on to examine the basic principles of the COMMUNICATION process. Finally, here, we go on to consider the key factors which influence the effectiveness or otherwise of communications. There are many things that can get in the way of successful communications and we shall look in detail at these, including a case study where you can use the understanding you have gained to identify barriers to successful COMMUNICATION in a real-life situation.

10 A. PURPOSE OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS No organisation exists solely in isolation with one member who has no contact with anyone or anything. The exchange of ideas, information or instructions is a fundamental feature of all organisations. This exchange may take place internally between different sectors or departments, or externally with other organisations. The purpose of BUSINESS communications is to understand more fully how this process functions most effectively. At an individual level, using the correct formats for letters, memos, reports, or the correct language or approach in oral presentations, telephone calls, meetings or interviews, will be an accurate representation of how an organisation organises and communicates. Information can enter an organisation in a variety of ways: personal experience of staff; newspapers and print media; television; from customers and competitors.