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Section 3: Making Your Meetings More Productive
Learning Objective 3: List the key steps needed to ensure productive team meetings.
Well-run meetings can help you:
Solve problems
Develop ideas
Identify opportunities
Meetings are unproductive when they:
Wander off the subject
Lack an agenda
Run too long
Preparing for Meetings
To increase the productivity of meetings, prepare carefully. Steps include:
Define your purpose—whether you need an informa onal or a decision-making mee ng.
Select par cipants whose presence is essen al.
Choose the venue and me and prepare the facility.
Set the agenda. An effec ve agenda answers three ques ons:
What do we need to do in this mee ng to accomplish our goals?
What issues will be of greatest importance to all par cipants?
What information must be available in order to discuss these issues?
Conducting and Contributing to Efficient Meetings
Ensure a productive meeting by:
Keeping the discussion on track
Following agreed-upon rules, including parliamentary procedure, if appropriate
Encouraging par cipa on
Par cipa ng ac vely
Use mobile devices respec.ully
Closing effectively
Putting Meeting Results to Productive Use
The value of a meeting’s interaction and discovery usually doesn’t (or at least shouldn’t) end when
the meeting ends.
In formal meetings, one person is appointed to record the minutes.
In small meetings, attendees often make their own notes on their copies of the agenda.
The minutes of a meeting summarize:
The important informa on presented
The decisions made
The people responsible for follow-up action
Section 4: Using Meeting Technologies
Learning Objective 4: Identify the major technologies used to enhance or replace in-person meetings.
Replacing in-person meetings with long-distance, virtual interaction can:
Drama cally reduce costs and resource usage
Reduce wear and tear on employees
Give teams access to a wider pool of exper se
Virtual teams have members who work in different locations and interact through virtual meetings.
Basic teleconferencing involves three or more people connected by phone simultaneously.
Videoconferencing combines live audio and video letting team members see each other, demonstrate
products, and transmit other visual information.
More-advanced telepresence systems create interaction so lifelike that participants can forget that the
person “sitting” on the other side of the table is actually in another city.
Web-based meeting systems combine the best of instant messaging, shared workspaces, and
videoconferencing with other tools, such as virtual whiteboards, that let teams collaborate in real time.
The benefits are compelling, but conducting successful virtual meetings requires extra planning and more
diligence during the meeting in order to overcome potential communication barriers.
Section 5: Improving Your Listening Skills
Learning Objective 5: Identify three major modes of listening, describe the listening process, and explain
the problem of selective listening.
Effective listening:
Strengthens organiza onal rela onships
Enhances product delivery
Alerts the organiza on to opportuni es for innova on
Allows the organiza on to manage growing diversity
Gives you a compe ve edge
Enhances your performance and influence within your company and industry
Recognizing Various Types of Listening
You will become a more effective listener by learning to use several methods of listening. For
example:
Content listening emphasizes informa on and understanding, not agreement or approval.
Cri cal listening emphasizes evalua ng the meaning of the speaker’s message on several levels (logic of
the argument, strength of evidence, validity of conclusions, implica ons of the message, inten ons of
the speaker, and omission of any important or relevant points).
Empathic listening emphasizes understanding a speaker’s feelings, needs, and wants (without advising or
judging).
Active listening means making a conscious effort to turn off their own filters and biases to truly hear and
understand what the other party is saying.
Understanding the Listening Process
Most people aren’t very good listeners—in general, people:
Listen at or below a 25 percent efficiency rate
Remember only about half of what has been said in a 10-minute conversa on
Forget half of that within 48 hours
Mix up the facts when questioned about material they’ve just heard
The listening process involves five separate steps:
Receiving
Decoding
Remembering
Evalua ng
Responding
Overcoming Barriers to Effective Listening
Good listeners look for ways to overcome potential barriers.
Selective listening is one of the most common barriers to effective listening.
Defensive listening—protecting your ego by tuning out anything that doesn’t confirm your beliefs or
your view of yourself—is even worse.
To become a good listener, recognize and overcome potential barriers:
Avoid interrup ng or crea ng nonverbal distrac ons that make it hard for others to pay a?en on.
Avoid selec ve listening, whereby you pay a?en on only to those topics in which you have an interest.
Focus on the speaker (because people think faster than they speak, their minds tend to wander).
Avoid prejudgment, and listen with an open mind.
Avoid misinterpre ng messages because of the lack of common ground.
Don’t rely on your memory.
To remember material, you must first capture it in short-term memory, and then successfully transfer
it to long-term memory.
Use four techniques to store information in long-term memory:
Associate new informa on with something closely related.
Categorize new informa on into logical groups.
Visualize words and ideas as pictures.
Create mnemonics.
Class discussion question: How might smartphones and other personal devices enhance or impede the
listening process, including efforts to retain key information after a conversation is over?
Section 6: Improving Your Nonverbal Communication Skills
Learning Objective 6: Explain the importance of nonverbal communication, and identify six major
categories of nonverbal expression.
Nonverbal communication is the interpersonal process of sending and receiving information, both
intentionally and unintentionally, without using written or spoken language.
Nonverbal cues affect communication in three ways:
Strengthen a verbal message
Weaken a verbal message
Replace a verbal message
Recognizing Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal communication can be grouped into six general categories:
Facial expression
Gesture and posture
Vocal characteris cs
Personal appearance
Touch
Using Nonverbal Communication Effectively
To be a better speaker and listener, pay closer attention to nonverbal cues in every situation:
Be aware of the cues you send when you’re talking.
Be aware of the cues you send when you’re not talking (through clothing, posture, and so on).
Be aware of the cues you receive when you’re listening.
If something doesn’t feel right, ask the speaker an honest and respectful question.
Class discussion question: Some nonverbal signals, particularly touch and facial expressions, are
vulnerable to misinterpretation—such as when a person smiles to be friendly but the other party interprets
this as an expression of romantic interest. Given these risks, should you play it safe and avoid sending any
signals that could be misinterpreted? Why or why not?
Section 7: Developing Your Business Etiquette
Learning Objective 7: Explain the importance of business etiquette, and identify three key areas in which
good etiquette is essential.
Etiquette is now considered an essential business skill.
Poor etiquette can:
Destroy morale and drain produc vity
Drive away customers, investors, and other cri cal audiences
Limit your career poten al
Business Etiquette in the Workplace
Workplace etiquette includes a variety of behaviors, habits, and aspects of nonverbal communication.
Personal appearance may be thought of as an element of etiquette and sends a strong signal to
managers, colleagues, and customers.
Personal appearance guidelines include:
Matching your style of dress to the situa on
Dressing modestly and simply
Paying close a?en on to cleanliness and avoiding the use of products with powerful scents
Following company policy regarding hairstyle
Smiling genuinely at appropriate times
Telephone etiquette is essential for overcoming the lack of visual contact and feedback:
Be conscious of how your voice sounds.
Be courteous when you call someone; take into account that you are interrup ng.
Convey a posi ve, professional aDtude when you answer the phone.
Business Etiquette in Social Settings
When meeting people, learn about their cultural customs beforehand.
When introducing yourself, include a brief description of your role in the company.
When introducing two other people, remember to:
Speak both their first and last names clearly.
Offer some informa on to help them ease into a conversa on.
Introduce the lower-ranking person to the senior-ranking person.
When conducting business over a meal, be sure that you:
Choose foods that are easy to eat.
Avoid ordering alcoholic beverages or save them un l aFer business is concluded.
Leave business papers under your chair un l entrée plates have been removed.
Choose topics of conversa on carefully (avoid poli cs, religion, or other emo onal topics),
Avoid going overboard when chaDng about personal interests.
Don’t complain about work.
Avoid profanity.
Avoid deeply personal ques ons.
Be careful with humor.
Business Etiquette Online
Learn the basics of professional online behavior to avoid mistakes that could hurt your company or
your career. Here are some guidelines to follow:
Avoid personal a?acks.
Stay focused on the original topic; don’t hijack threads.
Don’t present opinions as facts, and support facts with evidence.
Follow basic expecta ons of spelling, punctua on, and capitaliza on.
Use virus protec on and keep it up to date.
Ask if this is a good me for an IM chat.
Watch your language and keep your emo ons under control.
Avoid mul tasking while using IM and other tools.
Never assume privacy.
Don’t use “reply all” in email unless everyone can benefit from your reply.
Don’t waste others’ me with sloppy, confusing, or incomplete messages.
Respect boundaries of time and virtual space.
Be careful with online commenting mechanisms.
Business Etiquette Using Mobile Devices
The way you use your mobile devices sends a message—positive or negative—about your
professionalism and respect for others. Avoid these:
Selec ng obnoxious ring tones
Talking loudly in open o:ces or public places
Using your phone right next to someone else
Making excessive or unnecessary personal calls during work hours
Invading someone’s privacy by using your camera phone without permission
Taking or making calls in restrooms and other inappropriate places
Tex ng while someone is talking to you
Allowing incoming calls to interrupt meetings or discussions
Using voice commands or voice dictation in ways that interrupt other people
Class discussion question: As mobile devices become more commonplace in business settings around
the world, do you think etiquette standards will gradually relax regarding what is and isn’t acceptable
behavior? Be prepared to explain your answer.
ETHICS DETECTIVE
Solving the Case of the Missing Team
1. Students’ answers will most likely vary. Those who place the good of the organization before
themselves will agree with the colleague who stated that the goal of the team was to solve a problem
for the company and not seek personal recognition. Those who are most interested in advancing their
own careers, like the person described in the story, will most likely agree that Mueller behaved in an
unethical manner. You might want to ask students if Mueller had taken one minute to introduce each
team member to the board, would they be satisfied with his decision?
2. Students want to argue either side of this question. As a matter of etiquette, at least, Mueller could’ve
avoided any bruised feelings by saying “we” rather than “my team.”
HIGHLIGHT BOX: THE ART OF PROFESSIONALISM
Being a Team Player
1. Students will have to answer this one honestly for themselves. People who truly prefer to work alone
can have a hard time in a team-based environment.
2. Unprofessionalism in others is no excuse to act unprofessionally, of course. Ultimately, though, it
comes down to individual choice and matters of self-respect and social awareness.
Note: This box was inadvertently duplicated in Chapters 2 and 17 of the 14th edition. As there are two
other boxes here in Chapter 2, you might want to reserve this box for Chapter 17, if you assign the boxes.
HIGHLIGHT BOX: COMMUNICATING ACROSS CULTURES
Whose Skin Is This Anyway?
1. Students will no doubt have a range of opinions on this ma?er, and those opinions will be influenced
by their experiences as employees and as consumers, and by their rela ve depth of perspec ve in
ma?ers of business. Any considered response to this ques on must include context and common
sense, however. For example, one would be hard-pressed to mount a strong defense for body art
and other appearance choices that openly clash with the brand image and customer experience that
a company is spending thousands or millions of dollars to create and protect. Employees who choose
to work in customer-facing posi ons are “constrained” in other ways as well (they most likely aren’t
allowed to swear or smoke in front of customers, for example), so on the face of it, having stricter
standards of appearance for these employees does not seem unreasonable.
2. This ques on is more nuanced than the previous issue; but again, it comes down to a ma?er of
context and common sense. A building supplies wholesaler and a bank might both cater to a
clientele fond of body art, but brand message and customer experience mean two different things to
these two businesses.
COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES AT CEMEX
Individual Challenge
This is a chance for students to demonstrate an understanding of resolving conflict and the purposes of
collaborative writing. All three communication choices offered in the text have potential shortcomings.
Calling her out of the blue could create even more tension and misunderstanding, particularly if language
is a barrier. Sending an email precludes the use of vocal characteristics to help convey meaning and
increases the chances that she might misinterpret your message. Inserting a sarcastic comment on the wiki
not only avoids the problem but also allows the firm to see your comments. Of the three, we can eliminate
the sarcastic comment, because it doesn’t solve the problem. The choice between phone and email would
come down to the nature of the relationship and any knowledge of language compatibility issues. The
optimum solution could be to send an introductory email expressing your concern in calm, non-defensive
language and proposing that you have a phone conversation to iron out any misunderstandings.
Remember the rules for resolving conflict:
Proac ve management
Communica on
Openness
Research
Flexibility
Fair play
Alliance
When considering the form of your message, students should make sure to discuss the benefits of
collaborative writing but not patronize their colleague; rather, they should make sure that she knows they
appreciate the interactive nature of the wikis and her attention to their postings, but that they’re noticing
she’s making several changes that don’t seem necessary.
Team Challenge
The guidelines developed by the team should incorporate the following points about collaborative writing that
apply to this scenario:
Restate the agreed upon project goals.
Clarify individual responsibili es. (This will help others realize that the gramma cal and
mechanical errors will be corrected before the final report is submi?ed.)
Remind everyone about the process that was established at the beginning of the project.
Reassess whether the group even needs to be wri ng together.
