CLASS NOTES

Prologue

What Employers look for in Job Applicants?

1. Communication Skills

2. Interpersonal and team skills

3. Intercultural and international awareness and sensitivity

4. Data collection, Analysis and Decision- making skills

5. Digital, social and mobile media skills

6. Flexibility and Adaptability

7. Time and resource management

8. Professionalism

Building an employment portfolio:

1. Background

2. Project objectives

3. Collaborators

4. Constraints

5. Outcomes

6. Learning experience
Building your personal Brand:

1. Figure out the story of you

2. Clarify your professional theme

3. Reach out and connect

4. Deliver on your brand’s promise every time, all the time

Chapter 1: Professional Communication in a Digital, Social and Mobile

World

 Communication is the process of sharing information and meaning between

senders and receivers s

Effective communication helps businesses in numerous ways, by promoting

1. A stronger sense of trust between individuals and organizations

2. Closer ties with important communities in the marketplace

3. Opportunities to influence conversations, perceptions, and trends

4. Increased productivity and faster problem solving

5. Better financial results and higher return for investors

6. Earlier warning of potential problems, from increasing business costs to critical

safety issues

7. Stronger decision making based on timely, reliable information

8. Clearer and more persuasive marketing messages

 9. Greater employee engagement with their work, leading to higher employee

satisfaction and lower employee turnover

What makes business communication effective? (Practical, factual, concise, clear and

persuasive)

1. Provide practical information

2. Give facts rather than vague impressions

3. Present information in a concise and efficient manner

4. Clarify expectations and responsibilities

5. Offer compelling, persuasive arguments and recommendations

What Employers expect from you?

1. Digital information fluency

2. Organizing ideas and information logically and completely

3. Expressing ideas and information coherently, persuasively, and concisely

4. Actively listening to others

5. Communicating effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and

experiences

6. Using communication technologies effectively and efficiently

7. Following accepted standards of grammar, spelling, and other aspects of high-

quality writing and speaking

8. Communicating in a civilized manner that reflects contemporary expectations of

business etiquette, even when dealing with indifferent or hostile audiences

9. Communicating ethically, even when choices aren’t crystal clear or you have to

share news that people don’t want to hear

10. Managing your time wisely and using resources efficiently

11. Using critical thinking, which is the ability to evaluate evidence completely and

objectively in order to form logical conclusions and make sound

recommendations
 An audience-centered approach involves understanding, respecting, and meeting

the needs of your audience members

 Etiquette is the expected norms of behavior in a particular situation, can have a

profound influence on your company’s success and your career.

  The medium is the form a message takes, whereas the channel is the system used

to deliver the message.

Barriers in the Communication Environment:

1. Noise and distractions

2. Channel breakdowns

3. Competing messages

4. Filters

Successfully crafted messages:

1. Consider audience expectations

2. Ensure ease of use

3. Emphasize familiarity

4. Practice empathy

5. Design for compatibility

 Selective perception occurs when people ignore or distort incoming information

to fit their preconceived notions of reality

 The social communication model can increase the speed of communication,

reduce costs, improve access to expertise, and boost employee satisfaction

  Information overload results when people receive more information than they

can effectively process

REDEFINING THE OFFICE:

1. Web based meetings

2. Video conferencing and telepresence

3. Shared online workspaces

4. Voice technologies

5. Mobile business apps

COLLABORATING AND SHARING INFORMATION:

1. Instant messaging

2. Wikis

3. Data Visualization

4. Internet of things

5. Crowdsourcing and collaborative platforms

CONNECTING WITH STAKEHOLDERS:

1. Applicant tracking systems

2. Blogging

3. Content Curation

4. Podcasting

5. Online video

BUILDING COMMUNITIES:

1. User generated content sites

2. Gaming technologies

3. Microblogging

4. Social Networking

5. Community Q&A Sites

Unethical communication can distort the truth or manipulate audiences in a variety of

ways:

1. Plagiarizing

2. Omitting essential information

3. Selective misquoting

4. Distorting visuals

5. Failing to respect privacy or information security needs

 An ethical dilemma is a choice between alternatives that may not be clearly right

or clearly wrong

 An ethical lapse is making a choice you know to be unethical.

Business communication is also bound by a wide variety of laws and regulations:

1. Promotional Communication

2. Contracts

3. Intellectual property

4. Employment communication

5. Financial reporting

6. Defamation

7. Transparency requirements
 Chapter 2: Collaboration, Interpersonal Communication and Business

Etiquette

Advantages and Disadvantages of Teams:

Advantages

1. Increased information and knowledge

2. Increased diversity of views

3. Increased acceptance of a solution

4. Higher performance levels

Disadvantages

1. Groupthink - occurs when peer pressure causes individual team members to

withhold contrary or unpopular opinions

2. Hidden agendas - a private counterproductive motive

3. Cost

4. Overload

Characteristics of Effective Teams:

1. clear sense of purpose

2. open and honest communication

3. creativity
 4. consensus based decision making

5. effective conflict resolution

Resolving Conflict:

1. Proactive behavior

2. Communication

3. Fair play

4. Openness
 5. Research

6. Alliance

7. Flexibility

Guidelines for Collaborative Writing:

1. Select collaborators carefully

2. Agree on project goals before you start

3. Give your team time to bond before diving in

4. Clarify individual responsibilities

5. Establish clear processes

6. Avoid composing as a group

7. Make sure tools and techniques are ready and compatible across the team

8. Check to see how things are going along the way

Preparing for Meetings:

1. Define purpose for the meeting

2. Select participants for the meeting

3. Choose the venue and the time

4. Set the agenda

Effective Meetings:

1. Keep discussion on track

2. Follow agreed on rules

3. Encourage participation

4. Participate actively

5. Use mobile devices respectfully

6. Close effectively

Critical listening is to understand and evaluate the meaning of the speaker’s message on

several levels:

 The logic of the argument,

 The strength of the evidence,

 The validity of the conclusions,

 The implications of the message,

 The speaker’s intentions and motives, and

  The omission of any important or relevant points.

5 Steps of Listening Effectively:

1. Receiving

2. Decoding

3. Remembering

4. Evaluating

5. Responding
Six types of non-verbal communication:

1. Facial expressions

2. Gestures and posture

3. Vocal characteristics

4. Touch

5. Personal appearance

6. Time and space

Online Business Etiquettes:

1. Avoid personal attacks

2. stay focused on the original topic

3. don’t present opinions as facts, and support facts with evidence

4. Follow basic expectations of spelling, punctuation and capitalization

5. Use virus protection and keep it up to date

6. Use difficult to break passwords on email, twitter and other accounts

7. Ask if this is a good time for an IM chat

8. Watch your luggage and keep your emotions under control

9. Avoid multitasking while using IM and other tools

10. Never assume privacy

11. Don’t use reply all in email unless everyone can benefit from your reply

12. don’t waste others time with sloppy, confused and incomplete messages
13. Respect boundaries of time and virtual space

14. Be careful of online commenting mechanisms

 Active Listening: Making a conscious effort to turn off filters and biases to truly

hear and understand what someone is saying

 Collaboration: Working together to meet complex challenges

 Committees: Formal teams that usually have a long life span and can become a

permanent part of the organizational structure

 Constructive Feedback: Critique that focuses on the process and outcomes of

communication, not on the people involved

 Content Listening: Listening to understand and retain the speaker’s message

 Content Management Systems: Computer systems that organize and control the

content for websites

 Critical Listening: Listening to understand and evaluate the meaning of the

speaker’s message

 Destructive Feedback: Criticism delivered with no guidance to stimulate

improvement

 Empathic Listening: Listening to understand the speaker’s feelings, needs, and

wants so that you can appreciate his or her point of view

 Group Dynamics: Interactions and processes that take place among the members

of a team
 Groupthink Situation in which peer pressure causes individual team members to

withhold contrary or unpopular opinions

 Hidden Agenda Private, counterproductive motives, such as a desire to take

control of a group

 Minutes Written summary of the important information presented and the

decisions made during a meeting

 Nonverbal Communication Information sent and received, both intentionally and

unintentionally, without using written or spoken language

 Norms Informal standards of conduct that group members share and that guide

member behavior

 Parliamentary Procedure A time-tested method for planning and running

effective meetings; the best-known guide to this procedure is Robert’s Rules of

Order

 Participative Management An effort to involve employees in a company’s

decision making

 Problem-Solving Teams Teams that assemble to resolve specific issues and then

disband when their goals have been accomplished

 Selective Listening Listening to only part of what a speaker is saying; ignoring the

parts one doesn’t agree with or find interesting

 Self-Oriented Roles Unproductive team roles in which people are motivated

mainly to fulfill personal needs

 Shared Workspaces Online “virtual offices” that give everyone on a team access

to the same set of resources and information

 Task Forces A form of problem-solving teams, often with members from more

than one organization

 Task-Oriented Roles Productive team roles directed toward helping a team reach

its goals

 Team A unit of two or more people who share a mission and the responsibility for

working to achieve a common goal

 Team-Maintenance Roles Productive team roles directed toward helping

everyone work well together

 Unified Communication A single system of communication that integrating voice

and video calling, voice and video conferencing, instant messaging, real-time

collaboration software, and other capabilities

 Virtual Meetings Meetings that take place online rather than in person

 Wiki Special type of website that allows anyone with access to add new material

and edit existing material

 Chapter 3: Communication Challenges in a Diverse Global Market Place

The diversity of today’s workforce brings distinct advantages to businesses:

1. A broader range of views and ideas

2. A better understanding of diverse, fragmented markets

3. A broader pool of talent from which to recruit

Culture influences everything about communication, including

1. Language

2. Nonverbal signals

3. Word meaning

4. Time and space issues

5. Rules of human relationships

Overcoming Ethnocentrism and Stereotyping:

1. Avoid Assumptions

2. Withhold judgments

3. Acknowledge distinctions

Four Basic Principals of Ethical Messaging:

1. Send and receive messages without judgment

2. Show respect for cultural differences

 3. Send messages that are honest

4. Actively seek mutual ground

Social norms can vary from culture to culture in the following areas:

1. Attitudes toward work and success

2. Openness and inclusiveness

3. Use of communication technology

4. Use of Manners

5. Concept of time

6. Future orientation

7. Role and status

Adapting to any Business Culture:

1. Become aware of your biases

2. Be careful about applying the “Golden Rule”

3. Exercise tolerance, flexibility and respect

4. Practice patience and maintain a sense of humor

Writing Clearly:

1. Choose words carefully

2. Be brief
3. Use plenty of transitions

4. Cite numbers and dates carefully

5. Avoid slang, idiomatic phrases and business jargon

6. Avoid humor and references to popular culture

7. Address international correspondence properly

• Cultural Competency An appreciation for cultural differences that affect

communication and the ability to adjust one’s communication style to ensure

that efforts to send and receive messages across cultural boundaries are

successful

• Cultural Context The pattern of physical cues, environmental stimuli, and implicit

understanding that convey meaning between two members of the same culture

• Cultural Pluralism The practice of accepting multiple cultures on their own terms

• Culture A shared system of symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations, and

norms for behavior

• Diversity All the characteristics and experiences that define each of us as

individuals

• Ethnocentrism The tendency to judge other groups according to the standards,

behaviors, and customs of one’s own group

• High-Context Culture Culture in which people rely less on verbal communication

and more on the context of nonverbal actions and environmental setting to

convey meaning

• Idiomatic Phrases Phrases that mean more than the sum of their literal parts;

such phrases can be difficult for nonnative speakers to understand

• Intercultural Communication The process of sending and receiving messages

between people whose cultural backgrounds could lead them to interpret verbal

and nonverbal signs differently

• Low-Context Culture Culture in which people rely more on verbal communication

and less on circumstances and nonverbal cues to convey meaning

• Stereotyping Assigning a wide range of generalized attributes to an individual on

the basis of membership in a particular culture or social group

• Xenophobia Fear of strangers and foreigners

 Chapter 4: Planning Business Messages

Developing an Audience Profile

1. Identify your primary audience.

2. Determine audience size and geographic distribution

3. Determine audience composition

4. Gauge audience members’ level of understanding

5. Understand audience expectations and preferences.

6. Forecast probable audience reaction

Informal techniques to gather insights and guide your research efforts:

1. Consider the audience’s perspective

2. Listen to the community

3. Read reports and other company documents

4. Talk with supervisors, colleagues, or customers

5. Ask your audience for input

However, here are several situations in which you should consider a printed message

over electronic alternatives:

1. When you want to make a formal impression

2. When you are legally required to provide information in printed form

3. When you want to stand out from the flood of electronic messages

4. When you need a permanent, unchangeable, or secure record

The unique Challenges of Communication on Mobile Devices:

1. Screen size and resolution

2. Input technologies

3. Bandwidth, speed, and connectivity limitations

4. Data usage and operational costs

Factors to consider when choosing media and channels:

1. Richness

2. Formality

3. Media and channel limitations.

4. Urgency

5. Cost

6. Audience preferences

7. Security and privacy

Techniques to generate creative ideas:

1. Brainstorming

2. Journalistic Approach

3. Question-and-answer chain

4. Storyteller’s tour

5. Mind mapping

 The direct approach starts with the main idea (such as a recommendation, a

conclusion, or a request) and follows that with supporting evidence.

 The indirect approach starts with the evidence and builds up to the main idea

 Free Writing An exploratory technique in which you write whatever comes to

mind, without stopping to make any corrections, for a set period of time

 General Purpose The broad intent of a message—to inform, to persuade, or to

collaborate with the audience

 Journalistic Approach Verifying the completeness of a message by making sure it

answers the who, what, when, where, why, and how questions

 Letters Brief written messages sent to customers and other recipients outside an

organization
 Main Idea A specific statement about the topic of a message

 Memos Brief printed documents traditionally used for the routine, day-to-day

exchange of information within an organization

 Scope The range of information presented in a message, its overall length, and

the level of detail provided

 Specific Purpose Identifies what you hope to accomplish with your message and

what your audience should do or think after receiving your message

  Topic The overall subject of a message

Chapter 5: Writing Business Messages

To build, maintain, or repair your credibility, emphasize the following characteristics:

1. Honesty

2. Objectivity

3. Awareness of audience needs

4. Credentials, knowledge and expertise

 5. Endorsements

6. Performance

7. Sincerity

You can achieve a tone that is conversational but still businesslike by following these

guidelines:

1. Understand the difference between texting and writing

2. Avoid stale and pompous language

3. Avoid preaching and bragging

4. Be careful with intimacy

5. Be careful with humor

Finding words that communicate well:

1. Choose strong, precise words

2. Choose familiar words

3. Avoid clichés and be careful with buzzwords

4. Use jargon carefully

Transitional elements include:

1. Connecting words (conjunctions)

2. Repeated words or phrases

3. Pronouns
 4. Words that are frequently paired

To write effectively for mobile devices:

1. Use a linear organization

2. Prioritize information

3. Write short, focused messages

4. Use short subject lines and headings

5. Use short paragraphs

• Abstract Word Word that expresses a concept, quality, or characteristic;

abstractions are usually broad

• Active Voice Sentence structure in which the subject performs the action and the

object receives the action

• Bias-Free Language Language that avoids words and phrases that categorize or

stigmatize people in ways related to gender, race, ethnicity, age, or disability

• Complex Sentence Sentence that expresses one main thought (the independent

clause) and one or more subordinate, related thoughts (dependent clauses that

cannot stand alone as valid sentences)

• Compound Sentence Sentence with two main clauses that express two or more

independent but related thoughts of equal importance, usually joined by a

conjunction such as and, but, or or

• Compound-Complex Sentence Sentence with two main clauses, at least one of

which contains a subordinate clause

• Concrete Word Word that represents something you can touch, see, or visualize;

most concrete terms related to the tangible, material world

• Connotative Meaning All the associations and feelings evoked by a word

• Conversational Tone The tone used in most business communication; it uses plain

language that sounds businesslike without being stuffy at one extreme or too

laidback and informal at the other extreme

 • Credibility A measure of your believability based on how reliable you are and how

much trust you evoke in others

• Denotative Meaning The literal, or dictionary, meaning of a word

• Euphemisms Words or phrases that express a thought in milder terms

• Passive Voice Sentence structure in which the subject receives the action

• Simple Sentence Sentence with one main clause (a single subject and a single

predicate)

• Style The choices you make to express yourself: the words you select, the manner

in which you use those words in sentences, and the way you build paragraphs

from individual sentences

• Tone The overall impression in your messages, created by the style you use

• Topic Sentence Sentence that introduces the topic of a paragraph

• Transitions Words or phrases that tie ideas together by showing how one thought

is related to another

Business proposal writing

OVERVIEW OF THE COMPANY:

• Vintage restaurant is one of the best eateries in Pakistan.

• To cater two different market segments, we have, "Vintage on the go" and

"Vintage Bake shop".

• We have been operating in Pakistan since 2000, and providing yummy dishes and

mouth-watering desserts right at your door step.

OBJECTIVE:

• Currently we have 100 branches all over Pakistan covering 20% of all the

shopping malls.

• We intend to open our new branch in "Lucky one shopping mall".

• As Lucky one mall is one of the most trending shopping centers now days, we

would likely want to open a branch in the food court.

TACTICS:

• We have carefully evaluated our SWOT analysis, and we want to enhance our

strength. We want to increase our availability to the daily customers of Lucky one.

For this we will need

A prime location, visible to all.

Proper marketing done through media and social networks.

STRATEGY:

• We will use the strategy of Profit Maximization.

• We will use buy-one-get-one-free strategy in the beginning.

• prices will be low during the growth stage and will increase in the maturing stage.
 BENIFITS:

• This project expansion will not only benefit us but Lucky one overall sales as well.

• New deals and offers will attract more shoppers.

• People will have an incentive to stay longer in the Mall.

• Overall sales of Lucky one mall will increase as well.

• This project will ensure customer retention as well.

COST:

• The cost of rent we are willing to pay will be Rs. 100,000.

• Vintage will share 3% of its monthly revenue with Lucky one.

• The manufacturing of the shop will take 1 month at max.

• Vintage restaurant will follow all the rules and regulations of Lucky one.

PERSONNEL:

• The total panel of employees includes 10 people at max.

GROUP PRESENTATION
CLASS ACTIVITIES

Letter writing

15th Feb 2018

Office# 308, 3rd Floor, Loreal, Pakistan

Respected Mr. Khan,

We, the Loreal Team, deeply apologize for the bad experience you had with our
products. Following are the details of your purchase:
• You bought 12 shampoos out of which 6 were faulty.
• You made this purchase at 7:48 p.m. on 28th Jan 2018.
• Your total bill was Rs. 3642.
Keeping in mind your loyalty for our brand, we would like to offer you a flat 33%
off
on all our newly launched products and a complete refund for the faulty
shampoos.

Sincerely,

Uzair Khan, Manager Customer Care & Services.

Attachment: Purchase Slip

CC: Umair Khan, Brand Manager.

Business proposal writing

OVERVIEW OF THE COMPANY:

• Vintage restaurant is one of the best eateries in Pakistan.
• To cater two different market segments, we have, "Vintage on the go" and
"Vintage Bake shop".
• We have been operating in Pakistan since 2000, and providing yummy dishes
and mouth-watering desserts right at your door step.
OBJECTIVE:
• Currently we have 100 branches all over Pakistan covering 20% of all the
shopping malls.
• We intend to open our new branch in "Lucky one shopping mall".
• As Lucky one mall is one of the most trending shopping centers now days, we
would likely want to open a branch in the food court.

TACTICS:
We have carefully evaluated our SWOT analysis, and we want to enhance our
strength. We want to increase our availability to the daily customers of Lucky one.
For this we will need
• A prime location, visible to all.
• Proper marketing done through media and social networks.
STRATEGY:
• We will use the strategy of Profit Maximization.
• We will use buy-one-get-one-free strategy in the beginning.
• prices will be low during the growth stage and will increase in the maturing
stage.

BENIFITS:
• This project expansion will not only benefit us but Lucky one overall sales as
well.
• New deals and offers will attract more shoppers.
• People will have an incentive to stay longer in the Mall.
• Overall sales of Lucky one mall will increase as well.
• This project will ensure customer retention as well.
COST:
• The cost of rent we are willing to pay will be Rs. 100,000.
• Vintage will share 3% of its monthly revenue with Lucky one.
• The manufacturing of the shop will take 1 month at max.
• Vintage restaurant will follow all the rules and regulations of Lucky one.
PERSONNEL:
The total panel of employees includes 10 people at max.