Chapter 1 Lecture Notes and Teaching Suggestions 1
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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.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Explain how communication skills fuel career success, and understand why writing skills are
vital in a digital workplace embracing social media.
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
II. The Digital Revolution and You: Tools for Success in the 21st-Century Workplace
(p. 6)
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
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.
Figure 1.2 Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem-Solving Process
PowerPoint slides 11-19
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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.
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.
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
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.
Chapter 1 Lecture Notes 5
B. Internal and External Communication
• Internal communication includes exchanging ideas and messages with people inside
the organization, including superiors, coworkers, and subordinates.
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.
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
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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:
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.
Chapter 1 Lecture Notes 7
B. Doing What Ethical Communicators Do
• Abide by the law.
• Tell the truth.
• Label opinions.
C. Overcoming Obstacles to Ethical Decision Making
• The false necessity trap
• The doctrine-of-relative-filth 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?
Figure 1.14 Five Questions to Guide Ethical Decisions
PowerPoint Slides 43-47
Answers to Chapter Review Questions
1. Explain why writing has been called a “career sifter,” a “threshold skill,” or “the price
of admission.” (Obj. 1)
2. What does the expression communication skills include? (Obj. 1)
3. What type of employee is required in today’s dynamic world of work, and what new job
requirements have emerged? (Obj. 1)
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4. What kind of digital-age literacy does the hyperconnected workplace of today require?
(Obj. 2)
To achieve literacy in the digital age means not only using multimedia applications and
5. Who are knowledge workers? Why are they hired? (Obj. 2)
Knowledge workers are thinkers and planners who generate, process, and exchange
6. What types of jobs will probably remain plentiful in the future, and how can you
prepare for them? (Obj. 2)
7. How are tech-savvy companies using social media and other digital tools? (Obj. 3)
Tech-savvy companies are embracing digital tools to connect with consumers, invite
8. What does it mean that the office of the future is mobile and always “on”? (Obj. 3)
In a global economy in which corporations own far-flung operations around the world, a
9. Why do fewer layers of management mean greater communication challenges for
frontline workers? (Obj. 3)
Chapter 1 Lecture Notes 9
10. How has technology changed the way businesses communicate internally and
externally? (Obj. 4)
Social media and other information technology have led to instant, interactive, less paper-
based communication. E-mail, instant messaging, texting, voice mail, and social media
11. Why is information-rich oral communication considered more effective than written
communication transmitted by “leaner” media? Why doesn’t everyone exclusively use
the richest media to communicate? (Obj. 4)
Oral communication is considered more effective because people conversing can provide
12. Compare formal and informal channels of communication within organizations. Which
is more valuable to employees? (Obj. 4)
Formal channels of communication include such tools as staff meetings, intranet
13. How can you control or respond ethically to office gossip? (Obj. 5)
a. Run away from anyone who starts to gossip.
14. What are seven goals of ethical business communicators? (Obj. 5)
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a. Abide by the law.
b. Tell the truth.
15. When you face a difficult ethical decision, what questions should you ask yourself?
(Obj. 5)
a. Is the action legal?
Answers to Critical Thinking Questions
1. Do you consider your daily texting, Facebook updates, blog entries, e-mails, and other
informal writing to be “real writing”? How might such writing differ from the writing
done in business? (Obj. 1)
Answers will vary. A Pew Internet & American Life study found that teens and young adults
2. Sharing various digital media impulsively can lead to embarrassment and worse. Have
you or has someone you know ever regretted posting a comment, photo, or other digital
media online? (Obj. 2)
3. How do you feel about the work–life balance in today’s 24/7 “anytime, anywhere”
digital workplace? Do you anticipate negative effects on your health and personal life?
(Obj. 3)
Answers will vary, but most students are probably aware that being constantly tethered to
their jobs with smart mobile technology comes at a price. A potential overreach by the office
4. Critics complain that e-mail is reducing the amount of face-to-face communication at
work and this is bad for business. Do you agree or disagree? (Obj. 4)
First, one must decide whether the assertion that e-mail is replacing face-to-face
communication is a fact or an opinion. It might be difficult to prove that e-mail is indeed
replacing face-to-face communication. Regardless, it is a fact that e-mail is rapidly becoming
5. Ethical Issue: Josh in the Accounting Department tells you that he heard from a reliable
source that 15 percent of the staff will be fired within 120 days. You would love to share
this juicy news with other department members, for their own defense and planning.
Should you? Why or why not?
ZOOMING IN
Intel Blazes the Social Media Trail
Critical Thinking
• Why is a natural writing style more appropriate for social media than a formal writing
style?
Writing in a conversational style helps engage readers. By using clear, natural prose with
simple words in shorter sentences, social media writers help their readers feel as though they
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• Why is reading and revising especially important when using social media?
Sometimes we rush when we write, and by doing so, we may use words or write in a tone we
• How are an organization’s values reflected in its business practices?
Organizations such as Intel have core values, or principles, that guide their day-to-day
ZOOMING IN
Your Turn: Applying Your Skills At Intel
Students will compose a short e-mail that explains when and where they saw the negative post.
They will also refer to Intel’s policy that states: “if the content is ugly, offensive, denigrating,
and/or completely out of context, then we ask our moderators and communities to reject the
content.”
Ethics Check Solutions
Ethics Check, Page 15
Too Connected?
Office workers use smartphones, e-mail, voicemail, and text messaging. Many are literally
always on call and feel overwhelmed. What are the limits of connectedness, and what is the
expected response time for various media? Is it fair to dodge an unpleasant call by sending
it to voice mail or to delay answering certain e-mail messages? How about text messages?
Most of us would probably agree that it is not appropriate to take a call in the restroom, yet
extreme forms of connectedness exist in the workplace. Trading partners may be on call in the
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Ethics Check, Page 22
Office Grapevine
Like a game of “telephone,” the grapevine can distort the original message because the
news travels through many mouths and ears at the office. Knowing this, can you safely
share with even a trusted colleague something that you would not comfortably discuss with
everyone?
Aside from the advantages and the general accuracy of the office grapevine, participating in this
informal communication channel can spell trouble. Meaning can be distorted, and even
Ethics Check, Page 27
Blurt Out the Truth?
While serving as an interviewer on behalf of your organization, you are expected to tell
prospective employees that the firm is a great place to work. However, you know that the
work environment is bad, morale is low, and staff turnover is high. What should you do?
If the employment situation with your employer is that bad, you should probably be looking for
another position yourself. However, if you must give a response, try to find something positive to
Photo Essay Solutions
Photo Essay, Page 9
Online communication and collaboration skills are critical in today’s business world, especially