Key points of the rule by Albert Merabyan.

There are three elements in our communication: words, tone of the voice and body language (gestures and face expression).

Albert stated that non-verbal communication, i.e. not the words, transport to communication partner feelings, attitude and beliefs, especially when they are not congruent with the words.

Three elements described above have the stated influence at the disposition and attitude to the communication partner: the words bear in themselves 7% of influence, the tone of the voice – 38% and body language – 55%.

To ensure effective communication related to emotions all three elements should transport identical information. Then communication will be congruent, i.e. the pronounced word will match non-verbal signals. In case of not congruent transportation, the person who you talk to will feel irritation in response to falseness he can watch.

Lecture No 3. Types and Forms of Business Communication.

General concepts.

Group forms of business communication.

Ethics of telephone communication.

Key words – direct and indirect business communication, verbal and written communication, monologue, dialogue, business correspondence, business conversation, agenda, meeting, chairman, facilitator, debate, dispute, negotiations, telephone conversation, business lunch.

General Concepts.

Business communication is the process of interrelation and interaction in which exchange of activity, information and experience takes place. Business communication differs from conversation in broad sense by the fact that in the process of business communication we set objective and specific tasks which require solution.

In business communication it is not impossible to cease relationship with the partner (at least, without losses for both sides).

Considerable part of business communication is made by job related communication, i.e. the interaction of people which is carried out during working hours in the organization. However business communication is wider concept than just job related communication as it includes interaction and hired workers, and owners-employers, happens not only in the organizations, but also on various business parties, seminars, exhibitions and so forth.

Business (official, office) communication may be conditionally divided into direct (direct contact) and indirect (between partners there exist distance in space and time). In the first case communication takes place at direct contact between subjects of communication, i.e. assumes personal contacts and direct perception of each other in the communication process, and in the second case communication takes place by means of correspondence or technical means, or through the intermediary. Direct business communication has more significant productivity, emotional impact and influence than indirect one.

According to the method of exchange of information oral and written business communication are distinguished.

Oral types of business communication, in turn, are divided into monological and dialogical.

1. Monological. This type implies the address of one person to others with the aim of messaging information. The following types fall under monological:

• Welcoming speech;

• Trade speech (advertising);

• Information speech;

• The report (at the meeting).

2. Dialogical. Oral contact of two and more people with the aim to achieve desirable result is the cornerstone of this type of communication. Dialogical types are: business conversation; business negotiations; interview; dispute, discussion, debate; business meeting; public presentation; telephone conversation.

In direct contact and direct conversation oral and non-verbal communication are of the greatest value.

Discussion or transmission of messages by phone are the most common forms of communication and they are distinguished by direct contact and variety of methods of communication that allows to combine without effort business (formal) and personal (informal) parts of any message.

Written types of business communication are numerous job related documents: business letter, minutes, report, reference, report and explanatory note, act, statement, agreement, charter, provision, instruction, decision, order, decree and power of attorney, etc.

Communication
Speaking	Listening	Reading	Writing
Verbal/Nonverbal Oral Direct/Indirect Dialogical/Monological			Business correspondence
Business conversation Business negotiations Dispute, discussion, debate Business meeting Public presentation Telephone conversation
Managing communication

2. Group Forms of Business Communication.

There are various forms of group discussion of business (office) matters. The most common forms are meetings.

The meeting is the general term to define any situation when accidentally or intentionally several people get together, and this meeting may be either short or long.

Business meeting is group meeting devoted to discuss any specific issue or several questions.

Modern businessmen spend in average 25% of their working time at the meetings. The Top leaders spend twice more time at business meetings. Statistics says that 53% of time spent at the meetings is not productive. At the same time modern business demands to achieve greater results in less time. Therefore the quality of the meetings is important. Well-conducted, productive meetings which deal with relevant subject matter efficiently are a sign of good teamwork, a high level of morale and commitment, and typify a healthy organization.

A number of ethical requirements is imposed to the meetings to regulate relations both between the heads and subordinates as well between participants of the meeting. The stage of preparation for the meeting is important. Success of the meeting for 90% depends on quality of its preparation. Any, even the shortest meeting, will only benefit from early planning.

An employee who is responsible for preparation of event firstly should clarify the following:

· objective of the meeting;

· key discussion points;

· list of participants;

· place, time and form of the meeting;

· composition of the Agenda.

The agenda is the key factor which influences efficiency of discussion. The agenda is made only after the objective of the meeting is defined. At the same time the objective should be accurately formulated, have logical completeness and unambiguous interpretation. It is necessary to compose the document thoughtfully, making clear which item in the agenda assumes discussion, and which item may require decision making. It is recommended to describe the essence of the problem.

The agenda is usually made in a written (printing) form with allocation of certain time for each point of discussion.

Time spent for preparation seldom is wasted for nothing. If you come to a meeting and the objectives of the meeting are clear to you, you gave a thought to the issue under discussion beforehand and prepared all the materials then efficiency of such meeting is almost guaranteed.

The issue of managing discussion is complicated by the fact that discussion in its nature assumes disorder and inconsistency. The role of chairman (facilitator) in discussion is performed by the chairman of the meeting and this role comprises several other roles which are: the leader, referee, regulator and catalyst.

How to conduct effective meeting:

Objective	Start in time, to set objective clearly State the problem/situation/reason Define obstacles and limitations Define the task of the meeting
Plan	Draft agenda Formulate topics of agenda Set priorities and allocate necessary time
Guidance	Ensure effective discussion Announce topics for discussion Find out opinions, points of view and experience Keep up interest and ensure participation of the members of the group Limit discussion by the topics as per the agenda Use time limitations to ensure discussion does not shift aside.
Crystallization	Ensure formulation of conclusions Recognize senses and changes of points of view Summarize agreements and disagreements Speak out conclusions as soon as they are generated Check that conclusions are understood and accepted
Activity	Achieve approval and commitment Summarize and formulate accurately conclusions Achieve commitment to the developed tactical plan Determine responsibility for action steps Be convinced that participants understand further actions Finish in time

Right chairman is very important for an effective meeting. Managing the meeting means management of group of people. In order to manage the meeting effectively it is important to differentiate its content from the process. Content constitutes the theme of discussion and key issues of the agenda, while the process is the method of running discussion. The chairman should not only be good with the content (essence of the issues under discussion), but to know the nuisances of the process how to conduct the meeting.

Sometimes the position of the chairman leads to outburst of problems, but the right chairman is capable to make sure that the meeting is held within the allocated time, that nothing is missed and relevant decisions were made. Purposeful communication is the cornerstone of this process.

Anyone in the role of the chairman should always keep in mind about two key functions of the chairman:

- to see that all the established procedures are met, to watch behavior of the participants and motivate their effective input into discussion;

- be the leader who sets before himself the aim to achieve definite result.

The other functions of the chairman in the process of managing discussion:

- creation of warm, friendly and at same time business atmosphere;

- ability to translate into simple language the speeches of the colleagues so that the content of the speech is understood by all the present;

- to cut off pointless topics, both potential and real;

- from time to time to summarize discussion points and doing this to draw attention to the topics left in the agenda. Summing up of discussion points requires high level of inborn capabilities and practice in order to sum up the result briefly, in due time and in such manner that it is accepted as the correct summary of achievements at specific point of time.

In order to perform the abovementioned functions of the leader and to stimulate discussion the chairman (facilitator) should be able to:

· think accurately and quickly;

· listen attentively;

· be able to express thoughts clearly and briefly;

· be ready to explain the point of view which was badly formulated;

· be fair and impartial;

· prevent unnecessary interventions;

· be patient, tolerant and good willed;

· be friendly, but at the same time vigorous and business like.

 

3. Ethics of Business Telephone Communication.

Business communication over the phone is not aimed for detailed exchange of opinions; it is aimed to exchange operational information. The art of telephone communication is in the ability to give full information in the minimum of time and to receive all the needed information.

People speak long on their personal phones. Business communication requires short but not long conversation over the phone. You need not distract yourself and your client by long phone conversations. The standard norm for business phone calls is 3 minutes. The experience of people with a high culture of telephone communication states the following:

· 20 seconds to establish contact

· 40 seconds to formulate the issue

· 100 seconds to have serious discussion of the issue

· 20 seconds to finalize the conversation.

In total – 180 seconds this is equivalent to 3 minutes.

In business telephone communication one distinguishes two types of rules depending on the type of the call:

- rules of telephone communication for the incoming calls;

- rules of telephone communication for the outgoing calls.

These rules are known as unwritten rules of business telephone communication.