978-1285094069 Chapter 1 Lecture Note

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Chapter 1 Lecture Notes and Teaching Suggestions

Chapter 1 LECTURE NOTES

Business Communication in the Digital Age

CHAPTER SYNOPSIS

In today’s digital, fast-paced workplace, excellent communication skills matter more than ever.

As electronic and digital channels of communication continue to expand, today’s working

professionals must learn to write and speak effectively and ethically in this information-driven

workplace. This requires training, as we are not born with these skills. Moreover, workers need

to develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, identified as top priorities among human

resource professionals. Employees who master these skills are better equipped to evaluate

critically the avalanche of information that flows at great speed, across various media, and in

many directions.

In this chapter, students will learn how communication and critical thinking skills fuel career

success and understand significant workplace changes including social media,

anytime-anywhere availability, global competition, shrinking management layers, and an

increased use of teams. In addition, flexible work environments and a diverse workforce are

creating dramatic changes in how and where we work.

In this chapter, students will also learn how to compare and contrast internal and external

functions of communication, formal and informal forms of communication, and oral and written

communication. This chapter concludes with a summary identifying the goals of ethical business

communicators and provides practical guidelines for making ethical decisions and addressing

wrongdoing in the workplace.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Explain how communication skills fuel career success, and understand why writing skills are

vital in a digital workplace embracing social media.

2. Identify the tools for success in the hyperconnected 21st-century workplace, and appreciate

the importance of critical-thinking skills in the competitive job market of the digital age.

3. Describe significant trends in today’s dynamic, networked work environment, and recognize

that social media and other new communication technologies require excellent communication

skills, particularly in an uncertain economy.

4. Examine critically the internal and external flow of communication in organizations through

formal and informal channels, explain the importance of effective media choices, and

understand how to overcome typical barriers to organizational communication.

5. Analyze ethics in the workplace, understand the goals of ethical business communicators,

recognize and avoid ethical traps, and choose the tools for doing the right thing.

WHAT’S NEW IN THIS CHAPTER

Completely rewrote substantial sections of the chapter to reflect the pervasive influence of

new communication technology on business writing to prepare students for the digital-age

workplace.

Presented state-of-the-art research arguing the prominence of writing and other

communication skills in the thoroughly networked, hyperconnected workplace awaiting our

students.

Devoted much attention to social media such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter to impress

upon students that writing is more important than ever in the digital world because of the

global reach and repeatability of digital messages.

Showed how the explosive growth of social media networks, particularly Twitter, is changing

the global political landscape and shaping today’s communication in the digital-era

workplace.

Drew on latest statistics and examples to provide students with current practices in business

and to offer advice on “recession-proofing” their skill sets.

Added coverage of media richness and social presence to help readers better grasp which

communication channels are best suited for particular situations and purposes, ranging from

face-to-face interactions (rich) to bulk e-mail, posters, and flyers (lean).

Designed helpful graphics illustrating key concepts to facilitate understanding for visual

learners.

Created new activities for more than a third of the end-of-chapter items to provide fresh,

contemporary scenarios that foster student learning.

Conceived several end-of-chapter activities addressing the use of social media and reflecting

the preeminence of writing in the digital workplace by prompting students to inventory their

social media use, employ communication technology to introduce themselves, and choose the

most appropriate media for several communication situations.

LECTURE OUTLINE

I. Communicating in the Digital World (p. 3)

A. Communication Skills: Your Pass to Success

Communication skills are critical to effective job placement, performance, career

advancement, and organizational success.

Employers often rank communication skills among the most requested

competencies.

The National Commission on Writing found that two thirds of salaried employees

have some writing responsibility.

Communication skills include reading, listening, nonverbal, speaking, and writing

skills. In addition, workers today must be media savvy and exercise good

judgment when posting messages on the Internet and writing e-mails.

B.Writing in the Digital Age

Respondents to a Pew Internet & American Life study rightly believe that solid writing

skills are a necessity in today’s networked digital world.

Writing matters more than ever because the online media require more of it, not

less.

Employees with excellent writing skills earn more than those with poor writing

skills and have greater opportunities for advancement.

Figure 1.1 Timeline: Communication Technology and Social Media

C. It’s Up to You: Communication Skills Can Be Learned

Communication skills must be learned because we are not born with the abilities

to read, listen, speak, and write effectively.

This business communication textbook and course will help you develop the

communication skills you need to thrive in a demanding work world.

PowerPoint slides 1-10

II. The Digital Revolution and You: Tools for Success in the 21st-Century Workplace (p.

Definitions: Knowledge workers are individuals who get paid for their education and

their ability to learn. Information workers describe those who work with information and

technology. Knowledge and information workers deal with symbols: words, figures, and

data.

A.Why Should You Care?

Knowledge and information workers can expect to be generating, processing, and

exchanging information across various communication channels and multiple

media.

Human resource professionals identify problem solving and critical thinking as

top workplace skills today.

B.Thinking Critically in the Digital Age

Thinking creatively and critically means having opinions that are backed by

reasons and evidence and offering good ideas.

The Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem-Solving Process illustrates critical thinking

and competent decision making. . Understanding the problem is essential and

must come first.

Figure 1.2 Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem-Solving Process

PowerPoint slides 11-19

C.Managing Your Career Well

As an employee, you must be willing to continuously learn new skills that

supplement the strong foundation of basic skills that you are acquiring in college.

Training programs will help you keep up with evolving technologies and

procedures.

In the networked environment of the digital era, you must carefully manage and

guard your office and online reputation. Be intentional about creating a positive

image with thoughtful blog posts, astute comments on LinkedIn and Facebook, as

well as competent e-mails.

D.Succeeding in a Volatile, Competitive Job Market

Employers are seeking employees who meet the employer’s fundamental criteria,

including having the required major, course work, and GPA.

Employers look for communication skills, a strong work ethic, the ability to work

in a team, and initiative.

Figure 1.3 Survey Shows Skills Employers Want

III. Trends and Challenges Affecting You in the Information Age Workplace (p. 9)

Social media and changing communication technologies

Anytime, anywhere: 24/7/365 availability

The global marketplace and competition

Shrinking management layers

Collaborative environments and teaming

Growing workforce diversity

Virtual and nonterritorial offices

Figure 1.4 Some Twitter and YouTube Facts

Figure 1.5 Internet and Facebook User Statistics

Figure 1.6 Communication and Collaborative Technologies

Figure 1.7 Racial and Ethnic Makeup of the U.S. Population

PowerPoint slides 20-33

IV. Information Flow and Media Choices in Today’s Business World

A. The Networked Workplace in a Hyperconnected World

Forms of interactive and mobile communication in today’s workplace include the

Internet, intranets, corporate websites, audio and video podcasting,

videoconferencing, and Web chats.

Smart mobile electronic devices include smartphones, tablets, and notebook PCs.

They are predicted to grow three times as fast as the overall mobile market by 2015.

Low-cost Android handsets will account for 80 percent of the smartphone market in

Africa, India, and China by 2015.

B. Internal and External Communication

Internal communication includes exchanging ideas and messages with people inside

the organization, including superiors, coworkers, and subordinates.

E-mail is the most common form of written communication within an organization.

External communication includes exchanging ideas and messages with those outside

the organization, including customers, suppliers, the government, and the public.

External communication is also handled by e-mail in most routine cases.

Figure 1.8 Comparing Oral and Written Forms of Organizational Communication

C. Media Richness and Social Presence

Daft and Lengel’s media richness theory attempts to classify media in organizations

according to how much clarifying information they are able to convey from a sender

to a recipient.

Rich media include face-to-face conversations and videoconferencing. Leaner media

include e-mail, memos, and newsletters.

Senders should choose the richest medium necessary to communicate the message to

the recipient with as little ambiguity as possible.

Social presence has come to mean the degree to which people are engaged online and

ready to connect with others. Social presence is greater in synchronous communication

(live chat, IM) than in asynchronous communication that is rather impersonal (e-mail,

forum post).

Figure 1.9 Media Richness and Communication Effectiveness

D. Formal Communication Channels

Downward Communication. Formal channels of communication generally

follow an organization’s hierarchy of command. Information flowing downward

moves from executives at the top of the organization through the management

level to lower-level employees. Downward communication includes policies,

procedures, directives, job plans, mission goals, and motivation.

Upward Communication. Information flowing upward begins with

nonmanagement employees and moves to management. This information, in the

form of phone messages, e-mail, memos, reports, department meetings, and

suggestion systems, guides managers in making decisions. Upward

communication includes product feedback, customer data, progress reports,

suggestions, problems, and requests for clarification.

Horizontal Communication. Horizontal communication takes place among

workers at the same level. This communication includes task coordination,

problem solving, conflict resolution, idea generation, team building, and goals

clarification.

To improve the downward flow of information, many companies are

reengineering themselves into small operating units and work teams and sharing

organizational information through intranet postings and announcements, e-mail,

meetings, videos, podcasts, company publications, and other channels.

To improve the upward flow of information, some companies are hiring

communication coaches to train employees, asking employees to report customer

complaints, encouraging regular staff meetings, cultivating an environment of

trust, and offering incentive programs that encourage employees to collect and

share valuable feedback.

To improve horizontal communication, companies are training employees in

teamwork and communication technologies, establishing reward systems based on

team achievements, and encouraging full participation in team functions.

Figure 1.10 Information Flow in Organizations

Figure 1.11 Barriers Blocking the Flow of Communication in Organizations

E. Informal Communication Channels

Definition: The grapevine is an informal channel of communication that carries

organizationally relevant gossip.

The grapevine can be a powerful, pervasive source of information, accounting for

as much as two thirds of an employee’s information.

Studies demonstrate that the grapevine can be nearly 80 percent accurate, but it

flows haphazardly.

Follow these tips for handling gossip ethically:

oRun, don’t walk, away from anyone who starts to gossip.

oEnd rumors about others.

oAttack rumors about yourself.

oKeep confidences.

oLimit the personal tidbits you share about yourself; keep them light.

oAvoid any form of coworker belittlement.

oBuild coworkers up; don’t tear them down.

PowerPoint slides 34-42

V. Ethics in the Workplace Needed More Than Ever (p. 24)

A.Defining Ethics

Definition: Ethics refers to conventional standards of right and wrong that prescribe

what people should do. These standards usually consist of rights, obligations, and

benefits to society.

Figure 1.12 Employees Reveal Office Dilemmas—Ethics Survey

Figure 1.13 The Context of Ethical Decision Making

B. Doing What Ethical Communicators Do

Abide by the law.

Tell the truth.

Label opinions.

Be objective.

Communicate clearly.

Use inclusive language.

Give credit.

C. Overcoming Obstacles to Ethical Decision Making

The false necessity trap

The doctrine-of-relative-filth trap

The rationalization trap

The self-deception trap

The ends-justify-the-means trap

D. Choosing Tools for Doing the Right Thing

Is the action you are considering legal?

How would you see the problem if you were on the opposite side?

What are alternate solutions?

Would a trusted advisor agree?

Would family, friends, employer, or coworkers approve?

Figure 1.14 Five Questions to Guide Ethical Decisions

PowerPoint Slides 43-47