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2: Collaboration, Interpersonal Communication, and Business Etiquette
2-1
CHAPTER 2: Collaboration, Interpersonal Communication, and
Business Etiquette
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Building on material presented in Chapter 1, this chapter focuses on improving interpersonal
skills that are critical in business. Students learn about the advantages and disadvantages of
teamwork and collaborative writing. This chapter’s focus on interpersonal communication within
teams addresses how to prepare for and conduct an effective meeting, and how to effectively use
meeting technologies. The chapter explains the various types of listening, the listening process,
and sound strategies for improving students’ listening skills. Students are introduced to six
categories of nonverbal communication: facial expressions, gesture and posture, vocal
characteristics, personal appearance, touch, and the use of time and space. Students are also
presented with suggestions for improving their nonverbal communication skills. The importance
of business etiquette is stressed, and four key areas in which good etiquette is essential are
identified.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Communicating Effectively in Teams
Advantages and Disadvantages of Teams
Characteristics of Effective Teams
Conflict Resolution in Team Settings
Collaborating on Communication Efforts
Guidelines for Collaborative Writing
Technologies for Collaborative Writing
Collaboration Systems
Collaboration via Mobile Devices
Giving—and Responding to—Constructive Feedback
Making Your Meetings More Productive
Preparing for Meetings
Conducting and Contributing to Efficient Meetings
Putting Meeting Results to Productive Use
Using Meeting Technologies
Improving Your Listening Skills
Recognizing Various Types of Listening
Understanding the Listening Process
Overcoming Barriers to Effective Listening
Improving Your Nonverbal Communication Skills
Developing Your Business Etiquette
Workplace Etiquette
Telephone Etiquette
Mobile Device Etiquette
Online Etiquette
Business Etiquette in Social Settings
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The Future of Communication: The Internet of Things
What’s Your Prediction?
Chapter Review and Activities
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TEACHING NOTES
Communicating Effectively in Teams
Collaboration—working together as a team to meet complex challenges—has become a core job
responsibility. Employers expect collaboration in work activities, and the productivity and
quality of collaborative efforts depend heavily on communication skills.
The advantages of successful teamwork include:
• More information and knowledge
• Learning opportunities
• Boldness
Teams need to be aware of and work to counter the following potential disadvantages:
• Groupthink—when peer pressure causes team members to withhold contrary or
unpopular opinions and go along with decisions they don’t really believe in.
• Hidden agendas—when private motives affect group interaction.
The most effective teams share the following characteristics:
• A shared sense of purpose and compatible values
• A clear and challenging goal
• A belief in the value of the team’s efforts
• A well-balanced mix of people.
Conflict in team settings isn’t necessarily bad; diverse points of view can boost creativity and
help avoid groupthink. Conflict becomes destructive when it begins to derail the team’s efforts.
Teams should take proactive steps to avoid conflicts and move quickly if conflict does arise.
Collaborating on Communication Efforts
Teams are often expected to collaborate on reports, websites, presentations, and other
communication projects. These guidelines will help teams work together successfully:
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• Select collaborators carefully.
• Agree on project goals before you start.
• Give your team time to bond before diving in.
• Clarify individual responsibilities.
Technology provides a variety of collaboration tools that allow team members to work together.
Collaboration tools include group review and commenting features, content management
systems, wikis, and dedicated collaboration platforms.
Mobile collaboration systems can now do virtually everything computer-based systems can do.
Mobility allows people to collaboration on the go, from wherever they happen to be. An
important aspect of mobile collaboration and mobile communication in general is unified
Making Your Meetings More Productive
Well-run meetings can help companies solve problems, develop ideas, and identify opportunities.
However, meetings can also consume lots of time and money, so don’t hold a meeting if some
other form of communication (like an email) will serve the same purpose.
Preparing for meetings requires:
• Clarifying your purpose
• Selecting participants
An effective leader contributes to the success of a meeting by:
• Keeping the meeting on track
• Following agreed-upon rules
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• Closing the meeting effectively
After the meeting, action steps and key decisions made should be communicated to all who are
affected but couldn’t attend. Participants should receive a copy of the minutes as soon as possible
after a meeting.
Improving Your Listening Skills
Effective listening strengthens organizational relationships, alerts the organization to
opportunities for innovation, and allows the organization to manage growing diversity both in the
workforce and in the customers it serves.
The goal of content listening is to understand and retain the information in the speaker’s
message.
The goal of critical listening is to understand and evaluate the meaning of the logic of the
speaker’s message, including the:
• Logic of the argument
• Strength of the evidence
The goal of empathic listening is to understand the speaker’s feelings, needs, and wants so that
you can appreciate his or her point of view, regardless of whether you share that perspective.
No matter what mode of listening listeners are using, they should always try to engage in active
The listening process involves five steps:
• Receiving—physically hearing and acknowledging the message.
• Decoding—assigning meaning to sounds.
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Good listeners recognize and overcome barriers such as selective listening—allowing your mind
to wander while others are speaking. We think faster than people speak. Most people process
information at up to 500 words per minute; yet, most people speak at a rate of 120 to 150 words
per minute.
Improving Your Nonverbal Communication Skills
Nonverbal communication is the process of sending and receiving information, both intentionally
and unintentionally, without using written or spoken language. Nonverbal skills are important
when you both enter the workforce and when you advance in your career.
Nonverbal communication can strengthen a verbal message, weaken a verbal message, or replace
words entirely.
Nonverbal communication can be grouped into six general categories:
• Facial expressions
• Gestures, posture, and gait
Developing Your Business Etiquette
Poor business etiquette is a drain on workplace morale and productivity. Long lists of etiquette
rules can be difficult to remember, but you can get by in most situations by being aware of your
effect on others, treating everyone with respect, and keeping in mind that the impressions you
leave behind can have a lasting effect on you and your company.
Follow these tips to ensure a pleasant and productive workplace:
Factors that influence etiquette in the workplace include:
• Respect other people’s time.
• Don’t interrupt people.
• Watch your language.
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• Don’t come to work when you’re sick.
• Keep the noise level down.
• Don’t discuss religion, politics, or other potentially emotional issues.
Telephone Etiquette Tips:
Be conscious of how your voice sounds.
Be courteous when you call someone.
Mobile Device Etiquette Tips:
• Don’t select obnoxious ringtones.
• Don’t forget to mute your phone during meetings.
• Don’t talk loudly in open offices or public places.
• Don’t talk on your phone right next to someone else.
Business Etiquette Online: Using electronic media effectively requires knowing the basics of
good etiquette. To represent your company well online, follow these tips:
• Avoid personal attacks.
• Stay focused on the original topic.
• Don’t present opinions as facts; support facts with evidence.
• Follow basic expectations of spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.
Business Etiquette in Social Settings: As you represent your company when you are in public,
follow these steps:
• Make sure your appearance and actions are appropriate to the situation.
• Get to know the customs of the culture when you meet new people.
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• When introducing two people, speak both their first and last names clearly and offer
some information about each person to ease them into a conversation.
• Introduce the lower-ranking person to the senior-ranking person.
Business is often conducted over meals. Remembering these steps will help you be more
effective in these situations:
• Choose foods that are easy to eat.
• If appropriate, order an alcoholic beverage only at the end of the meal.
The Future of Communication: The Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the billions of devices now connected to the Internet and
the networking potential of having all these gadgets communicate with each other, feed data into
vast information warehouses, and interact with people and the physical environment. These
“things” range from simple sensors that measure temperature, location, and other parameters all
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OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES STUDENTS OFTEN FACE
Some members of your class will have limited experience working in teams designed
specifically to make decisions. Include team assignments related to the chapter to help them
improve team communication skills. A number of the Apply Your Knowledge exercises can be
completed using teams. The fifth Practice Your Skills activity offers students the opportunity to
analyze an agenda for a meeting. A brief review of parliamentary procedure can also be tied to
the meeting agenda exercise since students may have some misconceptions of what is and is not
correct parliamentary procedure.
Many students may think they are good listeners. Convincing them that each of us can benefit
from polishing our listening skills may be a challenge. You might also wish to read a passage in
a text and ask students to summarize it or answer questions related to it. This activity helps
students understand that most of us listen at a 25 percent efficiency rate. You could also give
students a set of instructions orally and ask students to follow those instructions (for example,
Before students identify ways to improve their listening skills, have them review the bad listener
habits in the textbook. You may also want to have students complete the listening skills self-
assessment (Practice Your Skills 2-20), which asks them to track their listening skills
improvements over a number of days.
The concept of vocal characteristics, use of space, and use of time as components of nonverbal
communication may be new or even difficult for some students to grasp, so be sure to provide
examples during the nonverbal communication discussion. Examples from different cultures will
enhance student understanding. To further enhance their understanding of these items as
components of nonverbal communication, you may want your students to conduct secondary
research to find examples of how different cultures interpret the use of space and time.
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SUGGESTED CLASSROOM EXERCISES
1. Planning Effective Meeting Agendas. Assign students to work in teams of two or three. Tell
students they must plan the agenda for the monthly meeting of the accounting club (or let
2. Listening for Facts. Ask a student to stand and provide some personal background
information about him or herself. Or, if you prefer, you may wish to give some background
3. Analyzing Listening Skills. Have students complete the Listening Skills Self-Assessment
(Practice Your Skills 2-20). Ask them to identify one area in which they note room for
4. Emphasizing Various Meanings of Nonverbal Communication. The Public Broadcasting
System’s website features compelling examples of how political candidates are able to
5. Developing Effective Handshakes. As students enter the classroom, shake hands with each
one. Have each student shake hands with another member of the class. Direct the students to
write a brief phrase describing the handshake. Next, have the students repeat the activity by
6. Researching Nonverbal Communication Components. Assign students to work in teams of
two or three. Assign each team one of the following nonverbal communication components to
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Inc.
2-12. Answers to starred discussion items not provided.
PRACTICE YOUR SKILLS
2-13. In the presentation, students should discuss challenges such as how to ensure that
employees present a positive image of the organization through the messages they send.
2-14. Students should know that while some conflict can be helpful, conflict becomes destructive
when it starts to derail the team’s efforts. If members feel their voices are not being heard
2-15. In addition to providing an opportunity for collaboration, this exercise encourages students
to take an audience-centered approach to a topic with which they are likely to be very
2-16. Encourage students to implement the guidelines for effective collaborative writing listed in
the chapter. At least one team is likely to attempt writing as a group. If so, having them
2-17. Students should examine the sample agenda in Figure 2.3 and then reorganize and reword
the information provided in the exercise to create a well-organized agenda. Here’s one
suggested agenda: AGENDA
Budget Committee Meeting
December 12, 2018, 9:30 a.m.
Conference Room 3
I. Call to Order
II. Approval of Minutes from Previous Meeting
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III. Director Reports
A. Greentree Site Director’s Report on Cost Overruns
B. Finance Director’s Report on Quarterly Revenues and Expenses
IV. New Business
A. Discussion of Cost Overrun Issues
B. Discussion of Additional Quarterly Budget Issues
C. Presentation of Divisional Budget
V. Announcements
VI. Adjournment
2-18. This exercise gives students the opportunity to practice listening, observe nonverbal cues,
and critique a group in action in an actual setting. To answer the questions, students will
2-19. Students should try to be as inclusive as possible without making the situation unreasonably
uncomfortable. Consider two options: (1) They might ask the speech-impaired person to team
2-20. The objective here is to stimulate self-analysis. The following list of traits of ineffective
listeners should spark discussion:
• Listening passively
2-21. This assessment provides students with information about their empathic listening skills. If
you choose to discuss the results of the self-assessments in class, be sure to ask students to
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EXPAND YOUR SKILLS
Critique the Professionals: In completing this exercise, students should cite specific suggestions,
concepts, and guidelines from the chapter in their evaluations. Encourage students to comment
on what they view as the primary purpose of the posts on each of the pages they select, and to
determine whether or not they believe the celebrities themselves actually authored them. If they
do not, they could discuss the potential risks celebrities face in having their publicist (or another
employee) manage their Facebook page. In addition, the exercise also offers an opportunity to
Sharpen Your Career Skills Online: This exercise calls upon students to use Bovée and Thill’s
Business Communication Web Search to research information on an essential skill related to
teamwork, collaborative writing, listening, nonverbal communication, or business etiquette.
IMPROVE YOUR GRAMMAR, MECHANICS, AND USAGE
Level 1: Self-Assessment—Pronouns
Copyright © 2019 Pearson Education, Inc.
2-36. After giving every employee a (his, their, a) raise, George told them (them,
they, all) about the increased workload. (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
2-37. Cherise and Tim have opposite ideas about how to achieve company goals. Who (Who,
Whom) do you think will win the debate? (AACSB Tag: Written and oral communication)
Level 2: Workplace Applications
2-40. Anita Doig from Data Providers will outline the company’s data interpretations as they
2-43. Podcasting effectively distributes messages to a widespread audience, but you must pay
2-44. Among the specialties of Product Marketers International are promotional efforts for
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the statements are an important part of the purchasing decision. A failures to
the statements are an important part of the purchasing decision. A failure to
include important information are also considered deceptive. Also, the FTC
include important information is also considered deceptive. The FTC
