BUSINESS COMMUNICATION Lecture 5 Strategies for Successful Interpersonal

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION Lecture 5

Strategies for Successful Interpersonal Communication • Dyadic Communication • Interviewing • Telephoning • Dictating

Interpersonal Communication • Face-to-face communication is the most common form of communication within organizations. • A more informal, more casual, more given to informal interactions between people, such communication is known as interpersonal communication. • It is primarily face-to-face communication between two or more people with the opportunity for immediate feedback.

Dyadic Communication • Dyad is defined as two persons seeking to exchange information. • Dyadic communication means to receive honest feedback from an immediate friend to test our self-perceptions.

Self-Perception • Setting us apart from animals is our ability to look at ourselves. We can objectively or subjectively consider who we are. • Consider the following characteristics of a man: Tall; Has a beard Married; Friendly; Wears jeans to class; Wears no socks; Smokes; Wears cap on backward; Has holes in jeans; Consistently late; Wears horn-rimmed glasses; Drives a four-wheel drive truck;

Self-Perception (cont’d …) • A college professor who has written over 40 articles, has appeared on national forums and currently is a leading university lecturer. His self-perception is positive; he gets along well with his peers, and he is diabetic. His teaching awards have been numerous. • Thus, misjudging a person because of idiosyncratic behavior can lead to serious misunderstandings. Your personal biases may shout so loudly that you do not even hear what the other person says. You may have thought a lot, but not very correctly; you may have spoken a lot, but not very precisely. In short, both your self-perception and perceptions of others can influence transactions in communication.

Self-Perception Cycle Self-Perception Oral responses Self-behavior Perception by others Nonverbal responses

Dyadic Communication Relationships Speaker A Minimal Feedback Speaker B Minimal Feedback Speaker C Minimal Feedback Speaker D Minimal Feedback Speaker E Minimal Interpersonal Communication

Dyadic Communication Relationships (cont’d …) Speaker A Extensive Feedback Speaker B Extensive Feedback Speaker C Extensive Feedback Speaker D Extensive Interpersonal Communication

Classification of Dyadic Communication • Two ways/types: – By Function – By Type • Functional Relationships – Interviewing for a position (Qualifications of a candidate) – Instructional interview (new employee finds out about the specific duties for a new position) – Telephone exchange (clarification of issues, informing on topics) – Grade review (session to clarify grades on an examination, between student and instructor) – Job termination (exit interview seeking to get departing employee’s reasons for leaving a position)

Classification of Dyadic Communication (cont’d …) • Types of Relationships: – A second way of viewing dyadic communication is to think about the levels at which you relate to people. On a continuum of intimate to non-intimate, where do the following persons lie? Your family Your boss Your coworkers Your fellow students Your spouse Your secretary Your teacher Your president Your roommate Your significant other

Classification of Dyadic Communication (cont’d …) Interpersonal Relationships Continuum INTIMATE FAMILY FRIENDS ACQUAINTANCES NON-INTIMATE

Interviewing • • A job interview may be the most intense dyadic communication you will ever encounter. The seven common interview objectives that will help you as an interviewee are: Use Procedure Example Seeking position Candidates speak with company representative Recruiter meets with students or job seekers Informing on job Job requirements are stated as based on job description or job experience Senior member or boss meets with new employee early in job experience Solving problem Facts are collected, options reviewed, decision is made Employer talks with employee who is abrasive Supporting solution Information is collected and arguments are planned to persuade Manager persuades employee who is opposed to recommendation Counseling employee Facts are used to support contention that employee needs help Employee, accused of drug abuse on job, is presented with treatment options Evaluating employee Job performance review form is discussed Supervisor makes yearly review of employee Gathering information Data is gather on why employees leave; emphasis is on events and not personalities Manager conducts exit interview Interview Purposes graduating successful

Interviewing (cont’d …) • Interviewee’s Responsibilities – Preparation before the job interview • Understand yourself (a rational self-assessment of your strengths and weaknesses is a must) • Know details about available position (review how your skills relate to the open position) • Do homework on company (analyze the firms, read articles about the firm) • Rehearse possible questions (brainstorm issues, questions) • Speak with insiders (learn from alumni, from others familiar with the company)

Interviewing (cont’d…) – Procedures during the job interview • Give positive first impression; offer a warm handshake; show a pleasant smile. • State your understanding of the interview (usually the interviewer gives this statement) • Organize your answers; think of stating a thesis or claim and then supporting that position with data or evidence, as you do in writing or formal speaking. • Listen. This task is difficult because you may desire to do most of the talking. Avoid confrontation. • Ask thoughtful questions; about the company, about the position. • Offer a conclusion at the end of the session; who, what, when, where and possibly why. Obtain agreement on those conclusions.

Interviewing (cont’d …) – Follow-up after the job interview • If there were specific actions to be accomplished, do so promptly. • If you are to provide additional information, gather that information and offer it to the interviewer. • If a thank you note is required, send it within a day or so.

Interviewing (cont’d …) • Computer Interviews – Videoconferencing, computer conferencing. • Suggestions for the Computer Interview Try out the equipment beforehand Avoid excessive movement Use an audio and visual check before beginning Dress as if the interview were live, person to person Operate on the assumption that everything you say will be heard Avoid high contrast clothing; small cameras have difficulty with contrast – Try to relax – – –

Interviewing (cont’d …) • Interviewer’s Responsibilities: – For your preparation and how the interviewer prepares, we look at : • • Objectives of the patterned interview A checklist of an interviewer’s preparation The procedures during the interview An evaluation of the conclusion

Interviewing (cont’d … • Objectives of the Patterned Interview: In a patterned interview the interviewer controls the direction of the conversation. Remember, they have read your resume, and they will know more about you than you will know about them. • Recruiters often have four goals: – Evaluate job qualifications that resumes cannot provide. – Determine the oral communication ability of the interviewee; can the interviewee think off the cuff in a cogent and logical manner? – Give the applicant essential facts about the job and company. – Establish goodwill on behalf of the company.

Interviewing (cont’d …) • Interviewer’s Preparation Before Interview – Warm up period of the interview: It is up to the interviewer to set the interviewee at ease, perhaps building on some current topic as suggested in the resume. A candidate’s hobbies are a nice, noncontroversial beginning to an interview. – Main content of the interview: After the brief warm-up, you make clear the purpose of the interview and the topics you plan to cover. You encourage the applicant to do most of the talking but you control the interview and see that it does not wander aimlessly. You ask appropriate planned questions, use desirable methods throughout the interview and avoid pitfalls. • Asking appropriate questions • Open-ended question and statements (using 5 w’s) • Dead-end questions (closed questions) usually ask for only “yes” or “no” answers • Using effective methods: Avoid biased, self-betraying, value judgment questions and any questions that the respondent may be reluctant to answer.

Interviewing (cont’d …) • Interviewer Preparation before the interview – Read each applicant’s resume prior to the meeting. – Focus on core information desired: for instance, character, personality, work experience, training, motivation, interests. – Be aware of national and state regulations regarding fair employment practices. – Plan your questions. Know if your questions are within the laws concerning marital status, age, race, gender, religion and other matters. – Omit personal bias from your prepared questions.

Interviewing (cont’d …) • Evaluation after the interview – Interviewers immediately write notes on all interviewed candidates because memories are variable but written notes help keep a paper trail of important recollections. – Some simply write a paragraph on each interviewee, others complete a checklist evaluation form. – The form is unimportant, more important are your topic conclusions such as, education and training, work experience, current off-the-job life, personal characteristics and an overall summary.

Interviewing (cont’d …) • Positive and Negative Impressions following an Interview Positive Cues Behavioral and Psychological Cues Early arrival Alert Emphatic attitude Relaxed manner Smiling Clear voice Negative Cues Late arrival Inattentive Withdrawn Tense Frowning Mumbling Verbal Cues Sticking to main point Incisiveness Relevant responses Organized presentation Appropriate use of humor Spontaneous replies Speaks well of people Candor Changes the subject Excessive detail Irrelevant responses Disorganized Uncalled for levity Long pauses Criticizes others Evasive