Business Communication Chapter 2 Homework The purpose of this chapter is to emphasize the importance of soft skills and why they are becoming increasingly important in our knowledge-based economy

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Instructor Manual

Guffey/Loewy, Business Communication: Process & Product, 10e, 2022, 9780357129234;

Chapter 2: Professionalism: Team, Meeting, Listening, Nonverbal, and Etiquette Skills

Table of Contents

Purpose and Perspective of the Chapter …………………………………………………………………………. 2

Cengage Supplements …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2

Chapter Objectives ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2

Complete List of Chapter Activities and Assessments ……………………………………………………… 3

Key Terms ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4

What’s New in This Chapter ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 6

Chapter Outline …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6

Discussion Questions …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 16

Additional Activities and Assignments …………………………………………………………………………… 18

Additional Resources ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 22

Cengage Video Resources ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 22

Appendix …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 23

Generic Rubrics ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 23

Standard Writing Rubric ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 23

Standard Discussion Rubric ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 24

Purpose and Perspective of the Chapter

The purpose of this chapter is to emphasize the importance of soft skills and why they are

becoming increasingly important in our knowledge-based economy. By developing soft

skills—which include oral and written communications, listening proficiency, nonverbal

communication, the ability to work in teams, and etiquette expertise—students will

Cengage Supplements

The following product-level supplements provide additional information that may help you

in preparing your course. They are available in the Instructor Resource Center.

• Transition Guide (provides information about what’s new from edition to edition)

• Educator’s Guide (describes assets in the platform with a detailed breakdown of

activities by chapter with seat time)

Chapter Objectives

The following objectives are addressed in this chapter:

2-1 Explain why teamwork is important in the digital-era workplace and how you can

contribute to excellent team performance.

2-2 Identify effective practices and technologies for planning and participating in face-

to-face meetings and virtual meetings.

2-3 Describe and apply active listening techniques.

Complete List of Chapter Activities and Assessments

For additional guidance, refer to the Teaching Online Guide.

Chapter

Objective

PPT

Slide

Activity/Assessment

Duration

Certification Standard

2-1

Small Group Activity in PPT

40 min

BUSPROG: Communication

DISC: Teamwork

2-2

Small Group Discussion in

PPT

45 min

BUSPROG: Communication

DISC: Meetings

2-3

Self-Assessment in PPT

20 min

BUSPROG: Communication

DISC: Teamwork; Meetings

2-4

Pair Activity in PPT

60 min

BUSPROG: Diversity

DISC: Cultural imperatives

2-1–2-5

Grammar and Mechanics

Quiz in PPT

30 min

BUSPROG: Communication

DISC: Standard English

N/A

Grammar and Mechanics

Pre-Course Diagnostic*

60 min

BUSPROG: Communication

DISC: Standard English

N/A

Grammar and Mechanics

Tutorials*

N/A

BUSPROG: Communication

DISC: Standard English

N/A

Grammar and Mechanics

Check-Up Activities*

N/A

BUSPROG: Communication

DISC: Standard English

(Unit 01 Communication

Foundations)**

2-1–2-5

N/A

Assignment: Chapter 02

Professionalism: Team,

Meeting, Listening,

Nonverbal, and Etiquette

Skills

20 min

N/A

2-1–2-5

N/A

Practice Quiz: Chapter 02

Professionalism: Team,

Meeting, Listening,

Nonverbal, and Etiquette

Skills

25–30

min

N/A

(Unit 01 Communication

Foundations)***

Key Terms

Close-ended question: A question requiring a choice among set answers; the opposite of

open-ended question.

Collaborative overload: Overwork resulting from the demands of the always-on

workplace as workers struggle to set boundaries to protect from constant interaction.

Critical listening: The type of listening in which listeners judge and evaluate what they are

hearing to decide whether the speaker’s message is fact, fiction, or opinion.

Discriminative listening: The type of listening that is necessary when workers must

discern, understand, and remember; requires a listener to identify main ideas, understand

a logical argument, and recognize the purpose of a message.

Empathic listening: Active listening when we sincerely strive to understand others’

viewpoints.

Matrixed teams: Workplace collaboration among workers whose job task are spread

across multiple teams and who don’t always work with the same people or report to the

same manager.

Mindful: Being fully present, a prerequisite for active and empathic listening.

Open-ended question: An interview question that requires a more detailed response than

a simple yes or no.

Soft skills: Oral and written communication skills and other competencies such as active

listening proficiency, appropriate nonverbal behavior, and proper business etiquette.

What’s New in This Chapter

The following elements are improvements in this chapter from the previous edition:

• Introduced the concept of collaborative overload in the digital-age workplace to

stimulate critical-thinking skills in students who will need to negotiate constant

interaction throughout their careers.

• Discussed the predominant best practices guiding the use of mobile electronic

devices in meetings.

• Addressed sensitive nonverbal cues and changing perceptions of workplace

etiquette exemplified by body art such as tattoos and piercings now common today.

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Chapter Outline

In the outline below, each element includes references (in parentheses) to related content.

“CH.##” refers to the chapter objective; “PPT Slide #” refers to the slide number in the

PowerPoint deck for this chapter (provided in the PowerPoints section of the Instructor Resource

Center); and, as applicable for each discipline, accreditation or certification standards (DISC).

Introduce the chapter and review learning objectives for Chapter 2. (PPT Slide 2).

I. Excelling in Professional Teams (2-1, PPT Slides 3–17, DISC: Teamwork)

a. Hard skills refer to the technical skills in your field.

c. Teams are formed for the following reasons:

i. Better decisions are made when group and team members

contribute different expertise and perspectives.

ii. Faster responses are possible, as small groups and teams can act

rapidly.

iii. Increased productivity results when team members are close

enough to the action that they can see opportunities for improving

d. Knowledge and information workers who struggle to set boundaries may

experience collaborative overload, where constant interaction inflates their

workload, they fall behind, and their performance suffers.

e. Virtual teams – remote collaborations with a group of dispersed people who,

aided by communication technology, must accomplish shared tasks without

face-to-face contact across geographic boundaries

f. There are four phases of team development. (Figure 2.1 outlines the four

phases of team development and how a team might proceed through these

steps to solve a problem and reach a decision.)

i. Forming – members get to know each other and establish rules for

g. To be a productive and welcome member of a group, be prepared to

perform the positive tasks described in Figure 2.2 and avoid the negative

behaviors.

h. A team player showing positive behavior:

i. Willingly establishes rules and abides by them

i. A team player showing negative behavior:

i. Blocks the ideas of others

j. Groupthink – faulty decision-making processes by team members who are

overly eager to agree with one another

i. Successful teams use productive conflict, listening, and debate to

arrive at the right answer.

k. The method teams use to reach decisions greatly affects morale,

commitment, and implementation success.

i. Majority: Majority wins via vote; leads to alienation and lack of

commitment

ii. Consensus: Team members ultimately agree through discussion;

time consuming, but results in commitment to implementation

l. Teams that do not work well together can increase frustration, lower

productivity, and create employee dissatisfaction.

m. Effective teams share some or all of the following characteristics:

i. Stay Small and Embrace Diversity

ii. Agree on a Purpose

n. Using the six-step plan for dealing with conflict illustrated in Figure 2.3 can

save time and enhance team commitment.

o. Small Group Activity: 40 minutes total. Activity 2.1—Team Decision Making:

Majority, Consensus, or What?

Break class into groups of three students. Have students complete the

II. Preparing and Participating in Face-to-Face and Virtual Meetings (2-2, PPT Slides 18–

29, DISC: Meetings)

a. Business meetings consist of three or more people who assemble to pool

information, solicit feedback, clarify policy, seek consensus, and solve

problems.

b. Workers on average spend more than 1/5 of their work time in meetings and

consider 25 percent of that time as wasted.

f. Attendees should include those with relevant information, those with

authority to make decisions, those responsible for implementation, and

representatives from those who will benefit from the decision.

j. Typical ground rules: communicate openly, be supportive, listen carefully,

participate fully, confront conflict frankly, silence digital devices, and follow

the agenda

k. Tips to move a meeting along include:

i. Use a parking lot list to avoid getting sidetracked.

l. Tips for participating actively and productively include:

i. Arrive early, showing respect and organization.

ii. Come prepared, be ready to ask knowledgeable questions, and

bring good ideas.

iii. Have a positive attitude and use positive body language.

m. Use this four-step process for handling conflict in meetings:

i. Encourage those who clash to make a complete case and question

one another while other attendees listen.

n. Effective meeting conclusion and follow-up involves:

i. Ending on time

ii. Summarizing decisions

o. Additional skills and practices are important in virtual meetings (Figure 2.8).

To prepare for virtual meetings, following these suggestions:

i. Select most appropriate technology.

ii. Ensure participants are able to use the technology.

iii. Encourage log-in 15 minutes early.

iv. Be aware of time zones.

v. Rotate meeting times.

p. Small Group Discussion Activity: 45 minutes total. Activity 2.6—Five-Minute

Meetings: The Answer to Meeting Bloat?

Break class into groups of three to five students. Have each small group

complete the activity found at the end of the chapter. Groups should

brainstorm all possible applications of quick meetings as a team, discuss the

activity questions, and be prepared to share their answers with the larger

group.

• What types of businesses could benefit from such meetings?

III. Practicing Active Listening (2-3, PPT Slides 30–36, DISC: Purpose; Teamwork;

Meetings)

a. Good listeners make good managers.

b. Most of us are poor listeners, with experts saying most people recall only 25–

50 percent of what they hear.

i. Schools focus on reading, speaking, and writing skills.

c. When listening to supervisors, don’t multitask or be distracted. Show interest,

take notes, and ask questions. Avoid criticizing or arguing.

d. Critical listening – listen to decide whether speaker’s message is fact, fiction,

or opinion

g. The following recommendations can help improve workplace listening

effectiveness:

i. Eliminate external and internal distractions.

ii. Become actively involved.

iii. Separate facts from opinions.