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Apr30 Mindmap (C17 Creativity and Visual Design)

Apr30 Summary (C17 Creativity and Visual Design)

Chapter17 Summary

Visual designs can be used effectively in oral presentations, training sessions, web pages, reports, proposals, and many other channels of business communication. Visual design is not just about making your application look pretty. Good visual design is about communication. A well-designed application will make it easy for the user to understand the information that is being presented, and show them clearly how they can interact with that information. If you can achieve all that, your application will look good to the user, even if it doesn't have any fancy graphics or spinning logos!

We can choose visual channels through pie chart, bar or line chart, map, photograph, bar chart, table and Gantt chart etc. These visual elements are the most interesting part while reading a book.

Apr30 Mindmap (C16 Interviewing to Get the Job)

Apr30 Summary (C16 Interviewing to Get the Job)

Chapter16 Summary

An employment interview involves the interpersonal communication exchange between a potential employer and a job applicant who both consider an employment match during a formal business meeting.

How to Get a Job? In my opinion, there are several methods in securing a job. First, the student can scan the latest information of recruitment on newspapers or in the Internet. Consequently, he may send his application letter coupled with his resume and wait for the possible interview. Second, he can tell his intention of seeking employment to all his friends, teachers and relatives and require their assistance. If they have any information, they may immediately notify him or even recommend him to the personnel manager. What's more, he may publicize his resume in the Internet for the reference of prospective employers. Finally, he can attend the recruiting fairs in which he may send his resume to the companies he desires and even be given an immediate interview.

Apr30 Mindmap (C15 Creating a Career and Designing Resumes)

Apr30 Summary (C15 Creating a Career and Designing Resumes)

Chapter15 Summary

Creating a career means selecting the right field and matching your skills to the job you want and will enjoy, where as resume is a written marketing tool that briefly summarizes yours skills, abilities, education and experience for a potential employer. Start your resume with work, then included community involvement and activities, and finally address your education. That includes the firms you've worked for, the amount of time you spent in each of your jobs, and your accomplishments in each position.

Try structuring your resume in the following order.

(1) Your Name and Address
Write your name and address at the top of the page. It's becoming increasingly common for schools to notify accepted applicants by e-mail, though, so be sure to include an e-mail address and a telephone number at which the firm can reach you.

(2) Your Work History

Start each job history with the name of the company on the left side of the page. Under that company name write your job title, and on the right side of that same line write your dates of employment (just month and year). It might look something like the following.

(3) Your Community Involvement and Activities

You might list it in the same manner you listed your work experience.
You might also list your personal interests. That includes sports, hobbies and pastimes.

(4) Your Education

Start with graduate level experience if you have any, and then work your way back through undergraduate work and even extension school studies. Use the same format you used above for work experience. List the school first, and then list the degree awarded and the year it was received on the following line. And remember to list any academic awards or distinctions you received and even your GPA if it's good.

Apr23 Mindmap (C14 The Business of Change and Conflict)

Apr23 Summary (C14 The Business of Change and Conflict)

Chapter14 Summary

Change is often inevitable and necessary for business to expand and progress into the future. Conflict is an event expressed through communication when individual or group behave in ways that indicate they have in compatible positions or goals. There may be conflict in a company for different purposes like for positions or personal interest. There are different traditional conflict strategies, they are: negotiation, positional bargaining, mediation, conflict management and arbitration.
Conflict is actual or perceived opposition of needs, values and interests. A conflict can be internal (within oneself) or external (between two or more individuals). Conflict as a concept can help explain many aspects of social life such as social disagreement, conflicts of interests, and fights between individuals, groups, or organizations. In political terms, "conflict" can refer to wars, revolutions or other struggles, which may involve the use of force as in the term armed conflict. Without proper social arrangement or resolution, conflicts in social settings can result in stress or tensions among stakeholders. When an interpersonal conflict does occur, its effect is often broader than two individuals involved, and can affect many associate individuals and relationships, in more or less adverse and sometimes even humorous way.
One should not confuse the distinction between the presence and absence of conflict with the difference between competition and co-operation. In competitive situations, the two or more individuals or parties each have mutually inconsistent goals; either party tries to reach their goal it will undermine the attempts of the other to reach theirs. Therefore, competitive situations will, by their nature, cause conflict but if you have good sportsmanship or are just fair it won't cause undesirable conflict. However, conflict can also occur in cooperative situations, in which two or more individuals or parties have consistent goals, because the manner in which one party tries to reach their goal can still undermine the other individual or party.

Apr16 Mindmap (C13 Interpersonal and Collaborative Messages)

Apr16 Summary (C13 Interpersonal and Collaborative Messages)

Chapter13 Summary

Why is interpersonal communication so important? First, it helps people understand each other better. Second, it helps people get more information and knowledge. Third, without interpersonal communication, our life would become a desert of emotion and friendship. Interpersonal communication is just like a bridge of understanding between people.

A person who has effective interpersonal communication skills will be open to the ideas of others and willing to put forward views of his or her own – both essential activities in the process of problem solving. So, in fact, interpersonal communication is the process of which two or more individuals communicate. You see this in many different forms every day, from something as normal as a smile or funny face. Interpersonal communication involves both verbal and nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication refers to body movements or vocal variations that communicate without words. Nonverbal behavior manages and regulates conversation, displays emotions and feelings, provides feedback, and influences others. For example, when I am talking with a friend, I am smiling, nodding my head in agreement. But sometimes I am talking to someone that I am not agree with, but I will smile and seem interested in order to be polite. Those messages (the smile, for example) are not natural. However, my choice to deliver positive feedback is the result of a conscious decision. I want to deliver that feedback for whatever reason. From this chapter, I understand that sometimes we are not aware that we are sending nonverbal signals, and through kinesic behaviors, eye behavior, paralanguage, chronemics, proxemics and haptics to help me better understand my communicative methods.

Apr09 Mindmap (C12 Culture: Inside and Out)

Apr09 Summary (C12 Culture: Inside and Out)

Chapter12 Summary

The term "culture" in American anthropology had two meanings: (1) the evolved human capacity to classify and represent experiences with symbols, and to act imaginatively and creatively; and (2) the distinct ways that people living in different parts of the world classified and represented their experiences, and acted creatively. Following World War II, the term became important, albeit with different meanings, in other disciplines such as sociology, cultural studies, organizational psychology and management studies.
Textbook author describes macro Culture as a commonly produced and shared model of reality that communicates how people are expected to behave, think and feel where a micro view of organization culture is that exists within the organization's beliefs, values norms etc. We usually learn macro culture through interaction with family, friends and other member of society. A Macro view of culture includes race/ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation etc whereas A Micro view of organizational culture includes corporate culture, co-culture, deep culture, values and beliefs etc of an organization.
Every organization has their own culture and follows with their own styles. Customer service, valuing employees, meeting project deadlines, observing dress codes etc are organization's culture.

Apr02 Mindmap (C11 Writing Strategies for Reports and Proposals)

Apr02 Summary (C11 Writing Strategies for Reports and Proposals)

Chapter11 Summary

Reports are a highly structured form of writing often following conventions that have been laid down to produce a common format. Structure and convention in written reports stress the process by which the information was gathered as much as the information itself.
The following stages are involved in writing a report:
• clarifying your terms of reference
• planning your work
• collecting your information
• organizing and structuring your information
• writing the first draft
• checking and re-drafting.
There are two types of components of reports and design strategy they are; executive summary and sample executive summary. In executive summary typical sources of key points in a report are: headings, topic sentences, enumerations, cause and effect statements and essentials.
The skills involved in writing a report will help you to condense and focus information, drawing objective findings from detailed data.
The ability to express you clearly and succinctly is an important skill and is one that can be greatly enhanced by approaching each report in a planned and focused way.

Mar26 Mindmap (C10 The Business of Reports: Informal and Formal Report Writing)

Mar26 Summary (C10 The Business of Reports: Informal and Formal Report Writing)

Chapter10 Summary

This chapter discussed what reports and proposals are designed to do and strategies to compose and organize them.

A formal report is used to document the results of an experiment, a design, or to pass on any type of information in a formal style. When writing a formal report it is important to ensure good English use and to follow the correct format. A formal report that has been done correctly will leave the reader understanding what has been done, why it was done, and the conclusion on what was done. Examples of primary data collection methods are surveys, experiments, observation, interviews etc and Examples of secondary data collection methods are library, internet search engines, books, specific data bases, authoritative websites, journal articles etc.

Writing report is no different than sitting down to write a letter in terms of the approach taken.
1. Determine your purpose(s).
2. Consider your audience.
3. Analyze the problem(s).
4. Conduct your research.
5. Evaluate your results.
6. Prepare your outline.

Mar26 Mindmap (C9 Direct and Indirect Communication Strategies)

Mar26 Summary (C9 Direct and Indirect Communication Strategies)

Chapter9 Summary

Direct and indirect strategies allow us to communicate clearly and efficiently, with greater attention paid to the purpose of the message. The direct communication strategy allows you to deliver an important point quickly, usually in the beginning of a message. The indirect communication strategy delays an important point until you have had a chance to provide an explanation. We need both of these strategies because the audience is the communicator’s first consideration.

Communication does not just happen. It must be organized, developed, and built. The first step in the process is to define a communications strategy.

A good communications strategy allows you to exercise better control over your work and to frame the issues in a perspective other than research. A communications strategy removes doubt, emphasizes planning, and involves all the project participants in raising the visibility of the research.

Defining the communications strategy is a task that is best carried out as a group. In addition to pooling expertise, a group approach has the even more important advantage of building on interactions between the participants.
There are different types of direct messages they are; request for information, claims and adjustments, directive and policy statement, good news, good will etc. And the components of direct messages are; main idea, justification, explanation, details and courtesy close. There are also different types of indirect messages they are; refusals/ denials, collections, social refusals .And the goal of indirect persuasive message are; to generate attention, to arouse interest, to arouse desire, to reduce resistance and to push for action.

Mar05 Mindmap (C8 Business Writing Design)

Mar05 Summary (C8 Business Writing Design)

The ability to write clearly and use the tools and formats appropriate to your audience will significantly increase your chance of moving up the corporate ladder. Writing is a communication channel that preserves over a period of time the details of an action, idea, or contact.

The writing process includes brainstorming and prewriting, gathering information, considering strategy, outlining and drafting, revising and editing, and proofreading. The best business writing style also uses positive expressions, reader benefits, active sentences, concrete language, and grammatically correct sentences.
Memos are primarily circulated internally within a business and contain one topic only. Letters can communicate requests, claims, adjustments, rejections, reports, sales information, and goodwill. Good business letter writing is almost lost art in our society today. With the speed of electronic mail, voice mail, and faxes, good letter writing has held less importance in daily business operations. A well-written letter that is personalized can do wonders for your key business relationships. Business correspondence does not have to be dry and tedious. In fact, the most effective business letters often touch on very personal matters, not just on money or the bottom line. There are basically two types of business letters: formal business letters and informal business letters. Examples of informal letters include congratulatory letters, complimentary letters, and requests for favors, thank you letters, and letters of encouragement. And formal business letters do not have to be all business. Business letters may include one or two personal sentences or even touch on a personal subject. How to improve our business writing skills? I think we will find what is most effective for us. In the meantime, consider taking classes in business letter writing to improve our ability to communicate effectively with others.

Memos and letters contain an introduction, a body, and a close that calls for action. However, E-mail messages are written communication and conform to the principles of written communication. They are usually very short.

Feb26 Mindmap(C7 Designing Oral Presentations)

Feb26 Summary(C7 Designing Oral Presentations)

Chapter 7 explores how to overcome speech anxiety and strategies to design effective presentations.

How can you reduce speech anxiety and how to design effective presentations? First of all, select a topic based on your interests, your skills, or current events. Informative, persuasive, requesting, and entertaining are four speech goal intentions. Secondly, analyze your audience to customize your presentation to meet their information, point of view, and background needs.
And the most important, a speech should have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. The introduction should preview the main idea; establish your credibility; get the audience’s attention; and make a connection among you, the audience, and the occasion. The body of speech should describe, explain, or demonstrate the main ideas through supportive secondary ideas. The conclusion should summarize and connect main points, provide future direction, and close in a meaningful and memorable way.
Every speech must have a general and a specific purpose. A general purpose is to inform, to persuade, to entertain or to inspire. A specific purpose is what you want the audience to do after listening to your speech. Once you have established your general and specific purposes, you’ll find it easy to organize your speech. You’ll also have more confidence, which makes you more convincing, enthusiastic and sincere. Of course, the better organized the speech is, the more likely it is to achieve your purpose.
Good speech organization is essential if our audience is to follow and understand your presentation. You must take the time to put your ideas together in an orderly manner. You can organize your speech in several different ways; choose the outline that best suits your topic. The opening should catch the audience’s attention, the body must support the idea you want to convey, and the conclusion should reinforce your ideas and be memorable. Transitions between thoughts should be smooth.

Feb19 Mindmap (C6 Designing Messages with Words)

Feb19 Summary (C6 Designing Messages with Words)

Designing messages with words requires intrapersonal communication skills even in impromptu conversations. Verbal communication is the use of language symbols to deliver meaningful messages. We use a particular verbal style to convey our meaning to a specific audience and within a specific context. Words are powerful. They convey our message and influence the audience and its perception of us. Word choice and arrangement need just as much attention as speech organization and purpose. Select clear, accurate, descriptive and short words that best communicate your ideas and arrange them effectively and correctly. Every word should add value, meaning and punch to the speech.

If we believe we are communicating clearly but our audience still misunderstands the message goal, we may be using words, phrases, or strategies that limit or undermine our meaning. I think there is a better way to use information collected from numerous sources and carefully support points with specific facts, examples and illustrations, rather than with just your own opinions.
What’s more, reasons consist of evidence, support, or proof used in an argument, however, the process of making connections between ideas and evidence is called reasoning.
Appeals to an audience can be based on personal credibility, the arousal of an emotional response, and proof.

Feb12 Mindmap(C5 Creating and Using Meaning)

Feb12 Summary(C5 Creating and Using Meaning)

Chapter 5 explores how we learn and design clear message meaning.

Meaning is a process of perception and interpretation. We make meaning according to our social, cultural, historical, interpersonal, and business environments. In meaning making, we receive sensory information from our environment through sight, sound, taste, touch, or smell, and we mentally become aware of, or perceive, the stimuli. We also associate meaning with certain symbols as a type of sign with only an indirect association. Both signs and symbols are socially created to help us share and communicate meaning. We can find this material on the Internet, at a library and in other places. I think these signs and symbols are good for visual aids, it help an audience understand and remember what they hear; they are valuable tools for speakers. Such as PPT, movies, TV, etc.
The type of visual aid you choose depends on several factors, including the information you wish to display and the size of the audience. Visuals must be appropriate for your message and the audience, and be displayed correctly with ease and confidence.

And meaning is also derived through the various contexts in which our communication occurs. The different contexts that create the conditions for our different interpretations of meaning are intrapersonal, personal history, cultural, interpersonal, and business contexts. Understanding each other’s meaning is not always easy because two people rarely see their personal and social worlds in exactly the same way.

Feb05 Mindmap(C4 Listening: A Silent Hero)

Feb05 Summary(C4 Listening: A Silent Hero)

In most business situations, we listen more than we read, write, or speak. We use listening more than virtually any other communication skill, so listening is so important.

Listening is the intrapersonal process of selecting, attending to, interpreting, and remembering the sounds that we hear. But hearing is the physiological reception of sound waves that is necessary for listening. Active listening is an important business tool in which you focus, interpret, and respond verbally and nonverbally to the messages you receive. Meanwhile, I think when you talking, you may pay more attention on your voice, it has a major effect on your audience. A lively, exciting voice attracts and keeps listeners’ attention. A speaking voice should be pleasant, natural, forceful, expressive and easily heard. Use volume, pitch, rate and quality as well as appropriate pauses to reflect and add meaning and interest to your message. Your voice should reflect the thoughts you are presenting.
What’s more, Pleasure listening can be a soothing way for busy professionals to relax after long meetings or while they are crafting documents, listening for pleasure is an example of passive listening. While, not listening in meetings, conferences, or other business groups can cost a business precious time and effort because messages may need to be repeated or assignments may need to be revised.

Jan29 Mindmap(C3 Creating Effective Messages)

Jan29 Summary(C3 Creating Effective Messages)

Chapter 3 provides a framework for how to plan and design messages strategically to increase your chances of achieving high fidelity and reaching your goals.

Goal intentions cover your wants or needs and what you expect from the message receiver. Goal response is feedback from the message receiver. Knowing your audience helps you design messages appropriate to their specific needs and viewpoints. Tell the audience what they may gain from your message.
Message content includes your main idea, theme, argument, message frame, and elements. Your argument is the support or evidence you offer as part of a logical appeal to your audience. Furthermore, select the best channel to carry your message to your audience and resources are what you will need to accomplish your goals. A preferred source has audience credibility, which encompasses competence, expertise or experience, and reliability. Two other important source traits are dynamism and similarity.

Jan22 Mindmap(C2 How Business Communicates)

Jan22 Summary(C2 How Business Communicates)

This chapter focuses on how and what information flows inside and outside organizations.

Organizational communication involves the exchange of messages to facilitate structure, working relationships, and shared meaning creation among members. Internal communication refers to the exchange of messages inside an organization. These message flows through human, technological, and structural channels. Structural channels relate to levels of authority. Internal message flows are often managed by networks, which are pathways through which information travels between employees. Sometimes, we can also use body language; it is an important part of speaking because it enhances your message and gives you more credibility. It also helps release any nervousness you may feel. Stance, movement, gestures, facial expressions and eye contact help communicate your message and achieve your speech’s purpose. Body language should be smooth, natural and convey the same message that your listeners here.

External communication refers to the exchange of messages between an organization and the environment, including customers, stockholders, the media, and the community. The external communication process consists of message input, throughput, and output. Meanwhile, external information can also help the organization plan, make decision, avoid problems, and satisfy consumer demand.

Jan15 Mindmap(C1 The Basics)

Jan15 Summary(C1 The Basics)

From this chapter, I understand what communication is.

Communication is the process of creating shared meaning through the internal and external exchange of messages, TV, Radio, Text messaging, Fax, and email are examples of communication . It is a process that purposefully uses spoken, nonverbal, and visual symbols. Modern communication has many applications in the world of business. We will need to be skilled in intrapersonal, business, interpersonal, small-group, verbal, and public communication. These categories overlap in a variety of ways, such as Intrapersonal or internal communication, Business communication, Verbal communication, etc. Through internal communication, I can develop skills of critical thinking and reasoning.

Communicators need to create effective messages internally before they send them to others. Competent communication designers plan, develop, and design messages thoughtfully in order to inform, increase awareness, and influence receivers. I know that there is an ability to persuade people – getting them to understand, accept and act upon your ideas – is a valuable skill. Your listeners will more likely be persuaded if they perceive you as credible, if you use logic and emotion in your appeal, if you carefully structure your speech and if you appeal to their interests. Avoid using notes because they may cause listeners to doubt your sincerity, knowledge and conviction. To design effective business messages, communication designers use predesigned, integrated, and situational strategies for a variety of communication purposes.