Type:
Solution Manual
Resource:
Business Communication Today
Edition:
12th Edition
Author(s):
Courtland L. Bovee John V. Thill
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Chapter Guides This section provides information about the chapters in the textbook and suggested solutions and answers for the activities. Each Chapter Guide includes the following items: • • • • • • •
Chapter outline Lecture notes, with the Learning Objective included for each major section in the chapter Answers to highlight box questions Answers to Test Your Knowledge questions Answers to Apply Your Knowledge questions Answers to Practice Your Skills activities Example solutions to cases (complete solutions for cases in Chapters 7-12; guidelines in other chapters with cases)
Part 1: Understanding the Foundations of Business Communication The first three chapters give students a general understanding of why good communication skills are important in business, how today’s communication is enhanced through technology, why effective interpersonal communication can be difficult, how communication is used in teams, and how it can overcome intercultural barriers. As you present this material, try to stimulate students to personalize basic concepts. Encourage them to think about their own careers and the communication skills they’ll need to be successful. Ask members of the class who have work experience to comment on the communication requirements and challenges they have encountered.
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Chapter 1: Achieving Success Through Effective Business Communication CHAPTER OUTLINE Understanding Why Communication Matters Communication Is Important to Your Career Communication Is Important to Your Company What Makes Business Communication Effective? Communicating as a Professional Understanding What Employers Expect from You Communicating in an Organizational Context Adopting an Audience-Centered Approach Understanding the Unique Challenges of Business Communication The Globalization of Business and the Increase in Workforce Diversity The Increasing Value of Business Information The Pervasiveness of Technology The Evolution of Organizational Structures and Leadership Styles A Heavy Reliance on Teamwork Exploring the Communication Process The Basic Communication Model Barriers in the Communication Environment Inside the Mind of Your Audience How Audiences Receive Messages How Audiences Decode Messages How Audiences Respond to Messages The Social Communication Model Using Technology to Improve Business Communication Keeping Technology in Perspective Guarding Against Information Overload and Information Addiction Using Technological Tools Productively Reconnecting with People Committing to Ethical and Legal Communication Distinguishing Ethical Dilemmas from Ethical Lapses Ensuring Ethical Communication Ensuring Legal Communication
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LECTURE NOTES Section 1: Understanding Why Communication Matters Learning Objective 1: Explain the importance of effective communication to your career and to the companies where you will work. Communication is the process of transferring information and meaning between senders and receivers, using one or more written, oral, visual, or electronic media. The essence of communication is sharing—data, information, insights, and inspiration. Communication Is Important to Your Career Improving your communication skills may be the single most important step you can take in your career. Even great ideas won’t go anywhere without great communication. As you take on leadership and management roles, communication becomes even more important. If you learn to write well, speak well, listen well, and recognize the appropriate way to communicate in any situation, you’ll gain a major advantage that will serve you throughout your career. Communication Is Important to Your Company Effective communication helps businesses in numerous ways: • • • • • • • •
Closer ties with important communities in the marketplace Opportunities to influence conversations, perceptions, and trends Increased productivity and faster problem solving Better financial results and higher return for investors Earlier warning of potential problems Stronger decision making More persuasive marketing messages Greater employee engagement
What Makes Business Communication Effective? Stakeholders are groups affected in some way by the company’s actions: customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers, neighbors, the community, the nation, the world. When communication breaks down, the results can range from time wasting to tragic. To make your communication efforts as effective as possible, focus on making them practical, factual, concise, clear, and persuasive.
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Section 2: Communicating as a Professional Learning Objective 2: Explain what it means to communicate as a professional in a business context. If you don’t have a lot of work experience yet, meeting the expectations of a professional environment might require some adjustment. Professionalism is the quality of performing at a high level and conducting oneself with purpose and pride. Professionalism can be broken down into six distinct traits: • • • • • •
Striving to excel Being dependable and accountable Being a team player Demonstrating a sense of etiquette Making ethical decisions Maintaining a positive outlook
Understanding What Employers Expect from You Today’s employers expect you to be competent at a wide range of communication tasks: • • • • • • • • •
Organizing ideas and information logically and completely Expressing ideas and information coherently and persuasively Actively listening to others Communicating effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences Using communication technologies effectively and efficiently Following accepted standards of grammar, spelling, and usage Communicating in a civilized manner Communicating ethically, even when choices aren’t crystal clear Managing your time wisely and using resources efficiently
Communicating in an Organizational Context In the formal communication network, ideas and information flow along the lines of command in three directions; downward, upward and horizontally. In the informal communication network, often referred to as the grapevine or the rumor mill, communication occurs outside the formal network; social media now play a huge role. Adopting an Audience-Centered Approach An audience-centered approach involves understanding and respecting the members of your audience and making every effort to get your message across in a way that is meaningful to them.
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