Verbal Communication

Verbal communications in business take place over the phone or in person. The medium of the Message
is oral. Let’s return to our printer cartridge example. This time, the Message is being conveyed from the
Sender (the Manager) to the Receiver (an employee named Bill) by telephone. We’ve already seen how
the Manager’s request to Bill (“We need to buy more printer toner cartridges”) can go awry. Now let’s
look at how the same Message can travel successfully from Sender to Receiver.

Storytelling

Storytelling has been shown to be an effective form of verbal communication; it serves an important
organizational function by helping to construct common meanings for individuals within the
organization. Stories can help clarify key values and help demonstrate how things are done within an
organization, and story frequency, strength, and tone are related to higher organizational commitment.
[1] The quality of the stories entrepreneurs tell is related to their ability to secure capital for their firms.
[2] Stories can serve to reinforce and perpetuate an organization’s culture, part of the organizing P-O-L-
C function.

Crucial Conversations

While the process may be the same, high-stakes communications require more planning, reflection, and
skill than normal day-to-day interactions at work. Examples of high-stakes communication events
include asking for a raise or presenting a business plan to a venture capitalist. In addition to these
events, there are also many times in our professional lives when we have crucial conversations—
discussions where not only the stakes are high but also where opinions vary and emotions run strong.
[3] One of the most consistent recommendations from communications experts is to work toward using
“and” instead of “but” as you communicate under these circumstances. In addition, be aware of your
communication style and practice flexibility; it is under stressful situations that communication styles
can become the most rigid.

Written Communication

In contrast to verbal communications, written business communications are printed messages. Examples
of written communications include memos, proposals, e-mails, letters, training manuals, and operating
policies. They may be printed on paper, handwritten, or appear on the screen. Normally, a verbal
communication takes place in real time. Written communication, by contrast, can be constructed over a
longer period of time. Written communication is often asynchronous (occurring at different times). That
is, the Sender can write a Message that the Receiver can read at any time, unlike a conversation that is
carried on in real time. A written communication can also be read by many people (such as all
employees in a department or all customers). It’s a “one-to-many” communication, as opposed to a one-
to-one verbal conversation. There are exceptions, of course: a voicemail is an oral Message that is
asynchronous. Conference calls and speeches are oral one-to-many communications, and e-mails may
have only one recipient or many.

Nonverbal Communication

What you say is a vital part of any communication. But what you don’t say can be even more important.
Research also shows that 55% of in-person communication comes from nonverbal cues like facial
expressions, body stance, and tone of voice. According to one study, only 7% of a Receiver’s
comprehension of a Message is based on the Sender’s actual words; 38% is based on paralanguage (the
tone, pace, and volume of speech), and 55% is based on nonverbal cues (body language).

Body Language

A simple rule of thumb is that simplicity, directness, and warmth convey sincerity. And sincerity is key to
effective communication. A firm handshake, given with a warm, dry hand, is a great way to establish
trust. A weak, clammy handshake conveys a lack of trustworthiness. Gnawing one’s lip conveys
uncertainty. A direct smile conveys confidence.

Eye Contact

In business, the style and duration of eye contact considered appropriate vary greatly across cultures. In
the United States, looking someone in the eye (for about a second) is considered a sign of
trustworthiness.

Facial Expressions

The human face can produce thousands of different expressions. These expressions have been decoded
by experts as corresponding to hundreds of different emotional states. [8] Our faces convey basic
information to the outside world. Happiness is associated with an upturned mouth and slightly closed
eyes; fear with an open mouth and wide-eyed stare. Flitting (“shifty”) eyes and pursed lips convey a lack
of trustworthiness. The effect of facial expressions in conversation is instantaneous. Our brains may
register them as “a feeling” about someone’s character.

Posture

The position of our body relative to a chair or another person is another powerful silent messenger that
conveys interest, aloofness, professionalism—or lack thereof. Head up, back straight (but not rigid)
implies an upright character. In interview situations, experts advise mirroring an interviewer’s tendency
to lean in and settle back in her seat. The subtle repetition of the other person’s posture conveys that
we are listening and responding.
Matter of credibility

All leadership is based on trust. If someone doesn’t trust you they simply will not be committed to truly
following you. They might comply with you, they may do what you tell them to do, they may even kind
of like you but they will not commit to you.

Building trust takes time. When I hear someone say “you must earn the right to lead” what I really think
they are saying is “you need to build some trust before anyone will actually follow you.”

Authentic leaders know that their title or position does little in the way of building trust. People don’t
trust titles, they don’t trust positions, and they don’t trust names. People trust people.

2. Identify and understanding your audience

Initial

The initial audience members are the first to hear or read a business communication message before
forwarding it or repeating it to others. Managers who assign communication message tasks also are
initial audience members. An example of an initial audience member is a small-business owner who
assigns the task of preparing a loan proposal presentation to his marketing manager. The manager may
send the draft presentation back to the owner for review, who may circulate the draft to other senior
managers for feedback before presenting it to the bank.

Gatekeeper

The gatekeeper can stop a business communication message from going any further. Executive
assistants of senior executives serve as gatekeepers because they often scan incoming telephone calls
and email messages before deciding which ones to forward to senior management. Executive assistants
may also serve as physical gatekeepers because they usually determine who gets to see their respective
bosses. An initial audience member may also be a gatekeeper. In the earlier example, the small-business
owner may decide to hold off on moving forward with the presentation if turbulence in the financial
markets would make a loan approval very unlikely.
Primary

The primary audience is the original target of the message. The audience member may decide to accept
the content of the business communication message and act on it, ask the originator for more
information, or ignore the message. For example, the primary audience for a budget presentation is
usually senior management, such as the chief financial officer of a public company or the senior partner
of a small business.

Secondary

The secondary audience may comment on the original message or be part of the implementation
process. For example, the primary audience at an investor conference consists of investors, business
reporters, stock analysts and other market participants. The secondary audience includes competitors,
suppliers and customers who may comment on the message or take other independent actions.

Watchdogs

Regulatory agencies, advocacy organizations and other watchdogs may not have the power to stop a
message but they have regulatory and economic power. They become aware of the communication
message but may not act on it until later. For example, the announcement of a new drug treatment
would get the attention of watchdogs, such as medical regulatory agencies, which may request more
information or issue advisory opinions.

7 essential communication skills

1. be complete

2. be concise

3. be considerate

4. be accurate

5. be clear

6. be courteous

7. be appropriate
Business writing style

1. Instructional Business Writing

Instructional business writing provides the reader with the information needed to complete a
task. The task may need be accomplished immediately or it may be for future reference.

This type of document must break down a process into steps that are understandable to the
reader. The written record must account for reader’s knowledge of the area, the scope of the
task while integrating variations or potential problems.

Examples:

User Manual: a guide focused on allowing the customer to use a product. Effective user
manuals are crucial to a good user experience and a happy customer. User manuals are often
considered part of technical writing, which is closely related to business writing.

Specifications: a technical document which provides an outline of a product or process that

allows it be constructed or reconstructed by an unfamiliar but knowledgeable user, enabling
effective distribution.

Memo: a short notification of new information shared within a large group in an organization.
The memo may include a direct instruction or be a reference on how to complete future tasks.

2. Informational Business Writing

Not all business writing requires action. A large volume of writing is created for reference or
record. This category can include some of the less glamorous but still essential documents.

Recording business information accurately and consistently is important for marking progress,
predicting future work, as well as complying with legal and contractual obligations.

Report: perhaps the bulk of informational writing is report writing. Organizations rely on
reports to act, to communicate business and technical information, to capture work completed,
to record incidents, to finalize projects and recommendations, and to act as an archive. A well
written report allows the reader to easily grasp the content and, if applicable, make informed
decisions.

Financials: documents that outline the financial state of a company. These statements provide a
fiscal snapshot of a company over a defined period.

Minutes: a summary of the proceedings of a meeting. A record of discussions, decisions, and

assignments for attendees and others.
3. Persuasive Business Writing

When people think of business writing, they often think of the persuasive writing category.
These documents are generally associated with sales. The persuasive writing may be direct,
with focus on a specific item, or indirect, with focus on developing the client relationship.

The goal is to two-fold: to convey information and to convince the reader that the presented
information offers the best value. The text is written to impress the reader and sway their
decision.

Proposals: these documents outline an offer of a product or service to a specific potential

client. The proposal generally presents project overview, benefits, timeline, costs, and
competency.

Sales Email: an email written to a large number of people to pitch a product or service.

Press Release: a text written for journalists and media presenting new information. The text
aims to persuade the reader to share the content through their own channels

4. Transactional Business Writing

Everyday communication falls under transactional business writing. The majority of this writing
is by email, but also includes official letters, forms, and invoices. An easy way to quickly
improve your transactional business writing is to take an online course.

These documents are used to progress general operations. They are also used to convey good
and bad news, often associated with human resource processes.

Emails: documents used to quickly communicate information between staff or clients in

business activities. Read our guide on how to write a business email here.

Dismissal notice: this letter provides the official context and procedural details associated with
employment termination.

Each business document falls into one of these four categories. By determining the category,
you will better understand your document’s goal. This insight will improve your writing.
 1. Use i before e. Remember the old rhyme? Believe me, it's very useful to know! Here are the
lines of the verse with examples or other information at the end of each line.

(Verse) (Examples)

Use i before e (friend, view, believe, niece, retrieve)

Except after c,

Or when sounded like "a," (receive, ceiling, deceive)

As in neighbor and weigh;

But leisure and seize (eight, vein, freight, sleigh, reign)

Do as they please. (Other exceptions are either, science, weird, height, foreign.)

Add –s to form the plurals of most nouns (books, desks, iPods).

2. Add –es to singular nouns that end in –s , –sh, –ch, or –x (kiss es, wish es, watch es, box es).

For nouns that end in a single consonant + o, add es (hero es, potato es ). If the final –o is preceded by
another vowel, as –s (studios, videos). (Note that the plural of zero, tornado , and volcano can be
formed by adding either –s or –es. Both spellings are acceptable.)

For most words that end in –f or –fe , change the –f or –fe to –v and add –es (life, lives ; wolf, wolves).

(Two other things that are good to know, but don't worry about them: First, for plurals of hyphenated
compound words, pluralize the first word: mother s -to-be, brother s -in-law, ladi es -in-waiting. Second,
some words from other languages maintain the plural spelling of that language: for example, criteria ,
syllabi , phenomena , and chateaux .)

3. For words that end in a consonant + y, change the y to ibefore adding –s, –es, –ed, or a suffix
that does not begin with i (try,tries,tried; library, libraries; marry, marries, married, busy,busily,
business)

If the word ends in a vowel + y, simply add the –s or -ed (relay, relay s, relayed; key, key s). Exceptions:
pay , paid; lay , laid. (Proper names are an exception: the Murphys, the O'Reillys).

There's a funny joke that has to do with this rule:

The public school started a sex-education program, and one day a third-grader came home from school
and told her mother, "Today we learned how to make babies." The mother was shocked because her
daughter was eight years old. She asked her little girl, "What exactly did the teacher say?" The little girl
replied, "You drop the 'y' and add 'i-e-s'''.

4. When a word ends in silent e , drop the final e before adding a suffix that begins with a vowel
(write, writing; dine, dining; move, movable; use, usage; weary , wearily; beauty, beautiful). One
reminder of this rule is a verse that goes, "When –ing- comes to stay, final e runs away!"

Keep the e if the suffix begins with a consonant (nine, ninety, nineteen; hope, hopefully; place,
placement). Exceptions: judgment, truly, argument.

When you add the suffix –ous or –able, keep a silent e that is preceded by a c or a g (notice, noticeable;
peace, peaceable; courage, courageous).

The next rule may seem complicated, but just take it piece by piece. It applies to several thousand
words, so it's worth the effort to learn it. You can do it!

5. When you add a suffix that begins with a vowel, double the final single consonant if

the consonant ends a one-syllable word or ends a stressed (accented) syllable and

the consonant is also preceded by a single vowel (get , getting ; drop , dropped ; regret , regrettable ;
refer , referred ; occur , occurred; permit, permitting ).

This rule also explains why the final consonant is not doubled in words such as benefited, pardoned,
worshiped, and focused : The accent is not on the last syllable.

In English, spelling can be frustrating, so let's end with a couple of jokes!

Frick: "How do you spell Mississippi '?"

Frack: "Do you mean the river or the state?

What did the meteorologist say to his daughter when he saw she had mistakenly written "whether"
instead of "weather" in her essay?

"Looks like a bad spell of weather