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Chapter 2 LECTURE NOTES
Professionalism: Team, Meeting, Listening, Nonverbal, and Etiquette Skills
CHAPTER SYNOPSIS
This chapter emphasizes the importance of soft skills and why they are becoming increasingly
important in our knowledge-based economy. Soft skills include oral and written communications,
listening proficiency, nonverbal communication, the ability to work in teams, and etiquette
expertise. By developing soft skills, students will increase their ability to succeed in today’s
digital-age workplace. With the increased use of teams in the workplace, it’s particularly important
for students to understand the roles of team members and how to contribute to the productivity of
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Understand the importance of teamwork in today’s digital-era workplace, and explain how
you can contribute positively to team performance.
WHAT’S NEW IN THIS CHAPTER
• Highlighted the key soft skills employers want and students will need in the digital-age
workplace.
• Introduced the latest statistical evidence that illustrates the prevalence of collaboration in the
contemporary workforce and, therefore, the need for team skills.
• Emphasized the reach of collaboration facilitated by the latest virtual meeting technology in a
global world of work.
Chapter 2 Lecture Notes 15
LECTURE OUTLINE
I. Adding Value to Professional Teams (p. 41)
A. What Do Digital-Age Employers Want?
• Hard skills refer to the technical skills in your field.
B. Why Form Teams?
• Better decisions
• Faster response
C. Collaborating in Virtual Teams
Definition: Virtual teams are groups of people who work interdependently with a shared
purpose across space, time, and organization boundaries using technology.
PowerPoint slide 6
D. Understanding the Four Phases of Team Development
• Forming—members get to know each other and establish rules for working together
16 Chapter 2 Lecture Notes
• Storming—members define their roles and plans for achieving goals; conflict may
arise
Figure 2.1 Four Phases of Team Development in Decision Making
PowerPoint slide 7
E. Examining Positive and Negative Team Member Traits
A team player showing positive behavior:
• Willingly establishes rules and abides by them
• Analyzes tasks and defines problems
A team player showing negative behavior:
• Insults and criticizes others
Figure 2.2 Positive and Negative Group Behaviors
PowerPoint slides 8, 9
F. Combating Groupthink
Definition: Groupthink describes faulty decision-making processes by team members who
are overly eager to agree with one another. Effective teams can avoid groupthink by adhering
to the following:
• Strive for team diversity—in age, gender, background, experience, and training.
G. Reaching Group Decisions
• Majority
Chapter 2 Lecture Notes 17
PowerPoint slide 12
H. Defining Successful Teams
• Small size, diverse makeup
• Agreement on purpose
II. Checklist for Developing Team Effectiveness (p. 47)
• Establish small teams.
• Encourage diversity.
• Determine the purpose, procedures, and roles.
III. Planning and Participating in Face-to-Face and Virtual Meetings (p. 48)
A. Making Face-to-Face Meetings Productive
• Nearly 50 percent of respondents in a recent Salary.com survey named “too many
PowerPoint slides 15, 16
B. Deciding Whether a Meeting Is Necessary
• Only call a meeting if the topic is important, can’t wait, and requires an exchange
of ideas.
18 Chapter 2 Lecture Notes
Figure 2.4 Meeting Purpose and Number of Participants
C. Distributing Advance Information
• Date and place of meeting
• Start time and end time
Figure 2.5 Typical Meeting Agenda
PowerPoint slide 17
D. Using Digital Calendars to Schedule Meetings
• Schedule meetings
Figure 2.6 Using Calendar Programs
E. Getting the Meeting Started
• Goal and length of the meeting
F. Moving the Meeting Along
• Encourage equal participation among participants.
PowerPoint slide 18
G. Participating Actively and Productively
• Arrive early.
• Come prepared.
• Have a positive attitude.
Chapter 2 Lecture Notes 19
H. Handling Conflict in Meetings
• Encourage full discussion of issues.
• Reach consensus on a direction to follow.
I. Ending and Following Up
• End on time.
Figure 2.7 E-Mail Meeting Minutes
PowerPoint slide 19
J. Using Effective Practices and Technologies in Virtual Meetings
• Virtual meetings are gatherings of participants who are connected technologically.
• Audioconferencing involves one or more people in a work area using a handset or
enhanced speakerphone to confer with others by telephone.
K. Planning Virtual Meetings and Interacting Professionally
Premeeting Considerations:
• Decide which technology will be used.
• Distribute materials in advance.
Ground Rules for Virtual Meetings:
• Explain how questions may be asked and answered.
20 Chapter 2 Lecture Notes
Techniques for Collaborating Successfully in Virtual Meetings
• Be precise, give examples, and use simple language.
IV. Checklist for Planning and Participating in Productive Meetings (p. 57)
Before the Meeting
• Consider alternatives.
During the Meeting
• Start on time and introduce the agenda.
Ending the Meeting and Following Up
• Review meeting decisions.
V. Listening in the Workplace (p. 58)
A. Poor Listening Habits
Poor listening habits result from the following:
B. Types of Workplace Listening
• Listening to superiors
Chapter 2 Lecture Notes 21
Figure 2.9 Listening to Customers: Comparing Trained and Untrained Listeners
PowerPoint slide 30
VI. Improving Workplace Listening
A. Ten Keys to Building Powerful Listening Skills
1. Control external and internal distractions.
2. Become actively involved.
PowerPoint slides 31-37
VII. Checklist for Improving Listening (p. 62)
• Stop talking.
• Work hard at listening.
• Block out competing thoughts.
IIX. Communicating Nonverbally (p. 62)
A. Forms of Nonverbal Communication
• Eye contact—maintain direct but not prolonged eye contact
22 Chapter 2 Lecture Notes
Figure 2.10 Four Space Zones for Social Interaction
Figure 2.11 Sending Positive Nonverbal Signals in the Workplace
PowerPoint slides 38-41
IX. Checklist for Techniques for Improving Nonverbal Communication Skills in the
Workplace (p. 67)
• Establish and maintain eye contact.
• Use posture to show interest.
X. Developing Professionalism and Business Etiquette Skills (p. 68)
A. Professionalism Leads to Success
Figure 2.12 Projecting Professionalism When You Communicate
B. Gaining an Etiquette Edge
• Use polite words.
• Express sincere appreciation and praise.
Chapter 2 Lecture Notes 23
Answers to Chapter Review Questions
1. What are soft skills, and why are they increasingly important in the knowledge-based
economy of the digital era? (Obj. 1)
Soft skills involve not only oral and written communication competencies but also active
listening, appropriate nonverbal behavior, and proper business etiquette. In addition,
2. Name at least five reasons that explain why organizations are forming teams. (Obj. 1)
3. What are virtual teams, and how can they reduce misunderstandings among
participants? (Obj. 1)
Virtual teams are groups that work interdependently with a shared purpose across space,
4. What are the four phases of team development as identified by psychologist B. A.
Tuckman? (Obj. 1)
Forming: Individuals get to know each other and discuss fundamental topics to slowly form
a cohesive, productive unit.
Storming: Members define their roles and responsibilities, decide how to reach their goals,
5. What is the best approach to address conflict in meetings? (Obj. 2)
If two people clash, the best approach is to encourage each to make a complete case while
24 Chapter 2 Lecture Notes
6. How is videoconferencing different from Web conferencing? (Obj. 2)
Videoconferencing combines video, audio, and communications networking technologies for
7. List five behaviors you consider most important in participating actively in workplace
meetings. (Obj. 2)
Students should select from among the following: (a) Arrive early, (b) come prepared, (c)
8. What techniques can make virtual meetings as effective as face-to-face meetings?
(Obj. 2)
Effective virtual meeting techniques include (a) making sure all participants can use the
9. Is listening automatic? How much time do we spend listening in the workplace? (Obj. 3)
10. According to experts, we ignore, forget, distort, or misunderstand 75 percent of
everything we hear. Why are we such poor listeners? (Obj. 3)
Poor listening habits may result from lack of training, as well as the large number of
11. What are ten techniques for improving workplace listening? Be prepared to describe
each. (Obj. 3)
Chapter 2 Lecture Notes 25
12. Which forms of nonverbal communication or nonverbal cues send silent messages
about us? (Obj. 4)
13. List ten techniques for improving nonverbal communication skills in the workplace.
Be prepared to discuss each. (Obj. 4)
(a) Establish and maintain eye contact, (b) use posture to show interest, (c) reduce or
14. How is projecting a professional image related to career success? (Obj. 5)
Employers are far more likely to hire a courteous and professional job candidate than one
15. What five specific behaviors do you think would be most important in giving you an
etiquette edge in your business career? (Obj. 5)
Students will choose five from among the following: (a) Use polite words, (b) express
Answers to Critical Thinking Questions
1. Author and teamwork critic Susan Cain claims that research “strongly suggests that
people are more creative when they enjoy privacy and freedom from interruption.” In
her book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, in articles,
and public appearances, Cain cautions against the current emphasis on teamwork in the
workplace. Cain cites studies by the psychologists Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Gregory
Feist, according to whom “the most spectacularly creative people in many fields are
often introverted. . . . They are not joiners by nature.” How would you, as a critical
thinker, respond to these statements? (Obj. 1)
26 Chapter 2 Lecture Notes
A critical thinker might question a general statement claiming that “research strongly
suggests” something. Even if the names of researchers are included, how many studies were
involved? What are the credentials and affiliations of the primary investigators? Teams are
2. Evaluate the following humorous analogy between the murder of a famous Roman
emperor and the deadening effect of meetings: “This month is the 2,053rd anniversary
of the death of Julius Caesar, who pronounced himself dictator for life before running
the idea past the Roman Senate. On his way to a meeting, he was met by a group of
senators who, wishing to express their unhappiness with his vocational aspirations,
stabbed him to death. Moral of the story: Beware of meetings.” Is the comparison
fitting? What might the author of the article have wanted to convey? (Obj. 2)
The author of this article critical of meetings uses humor to mock meetings, which are almost
universally disliked. He opens his article with this rather incongruous comparison between a
3. Why do executives and managers spend more time listening than do workers?
(Obj. 3)
Before they can make decisions, executives must listen to feedback from supervisors,
specialists, and others. They also listen to their bosses—boards of directors and owners—and
4. What arguments could you give for or against the idea that body language is a science
with principles that can be interpreted accurately by specialists? (Obj. 4)
Chapter 2 Lecture Notes 27
Although few would argue that body language does send silent messages, no scientific
principles have evolved explaining exactly what those messages mean. Most researchers
agree that nonverbal cues contain much information, but specifically what those cues mean is
5. Ethical Issue: After much discussion and even conflict, your workplace team has finally
agreed on Plan B, but you are firmly convinced that Plan A is a much better option.
Your team is presenting Plan B to the whole department and company executives are
present. A vice president asks you for your opinion. Should you (a) keep your mouth
shut, (b) try to persuade the team to adopt Plan A, (c) explain why you believe Plan A is
a better plan, (d) tell the VP and all present that Plan B is not your idea, or (e) discuss
one or two points you can agree on in Plan B? (Objs. 1, 2, 5)
Here is the answer provided in the Ferguson book Professional Ethics and Etiquette, 2nd
edition [(2004). New York: Ferguson Publishing, pp. 50-51]: Option (e) is the answer most
ZOOMING IN
Turner Broadcasting System
Critical Thinking
• What are some of the main benefits teamwork brings to an organization?
• How can a team improve an organization’s efficiency?
28 Chapter 2 Lecture Notes
• What are some individual team member traits that reduce a team’s effectiveness?
ZOOMING IN
Your Turn: Turner Broadcasting System
Collaboration
Office walls and organization charts are good for some things, but collaboration isn’t one of
them. Sharing information and ideas always makes us faster, smarter and stronger. Our focus is
on finding ways to work with, not against, one another to seek solutions.
The next slide should transition from TBS’s value statement to general reasons for using teams in
business. Slide content will include some or all of the following points from the textbook:
• Better decisions
• Faster response
Discussion Material for CAREER COACH:
Perils of Casual Apparel in the Workplace
Students are asked to debate the proposition that business casual dress be the professional dress
standard throughout the United States. To stage a debate, you might wish to follow some of the
suggestions made by Dr. James Calvert Scott, “Business Casual Dress,” Part 2, Delta Pi Epsilon
Instructional Strategies, December 1999:
Chapter 2 Lecture Notes 29
Divide your class into small groups of four to six students, each of which is assigned a number.
Each group is given a set amount of time to prepare arguments both for and against the debate
proposition. Just before the debate begins, each group selects two representatives to serve as its
Ethics Check Solutions
Members Riding Teams’ Coattails, Page 46
Teamwork is a staple in college classes today and usually works well for students and their
instructors. However, occasionally a rogue member will take advantage of a group and
barely collaborate. How do you deal with a student who does sloppy work, misses team
meetings, and fails to respond to calls or e-mails?
Nonparticipating team members tend to be the most common complaint among students about
teamwork. Instructors should establish clear ground rules for dealing with “flaky” group
Ethics Check, Page 49
Unresponsive Team Member
Assume you are a member of a campus committee to organize a celebrity auction to raise
funds for a local homeless shelter. Your friend Marika is committee chair, but she is
carrying a heavy course load and is also working part time. As a result, she has taken no
action. You call her, but she is evasive when you try to pin her down about committee
plans. What should you do?
30 Chapter 2 Lecture Notes
Ethics Check, Page 64
Impressing Your Instructor
Projecting a professional image begins in your business communication classroom and in
other courses where your instructors evaluate your work and your participation. Imagine
how a professor perceives students who skip classes, arrive late, forget homework, yawn
with their tonsils showing, chew gum or eat, and doodle during class. What message does
such nonverbal behavior send?
Even if told repeatedly, students often don’t make the connection between behavioral guidelines
Photo Essay Solution
Photo Essay, Page 54
Enterprise-level videoconferencing systems are transporting professionals to a futuristic world of
virtual face-to-face meetings. Telepresence rooms like the one pictured here feature high
definition, multiple-screen systems with such low delay that participants can carry on
conversations and read the body language of people half way around the world. The benefits of
videoconferencing are so wide-ranging that telepresence applications are replacing business
travel, doctor’s visits, and even courtroom appearances. What are the advantages of
videoconferencing compared to live face-to-face meetings?