Essentials of Business Communication - Assignment Example

Reflective Journal: Questions Name Institution Course Tutor Date Reflective Journal: Questions A1: The environment is one of the determinants of effective communication. Its various cues influence the expectation and choice of communication that exists between the speaker and the audience. Some of these environmental cues that impact the expectations in communication include distance, colour, and attire. They determine the type of communication; as either formal or informal; language choices and moods for the communication. A2: effective communication entails observation of responsibilities of the participants. Besides being prepared, punctual, organised, clear, concise, the speaker is also expected to be ethical. Gregory (2013) argues that the speaker should employ ethics and address the audience with respect and equality; the speaker should avoid issues such as stereotyping. On the other hand, the audience has the responsibility to listen and provide an open environment for the speaker. A5: the message that the speaker delivers to the audience should follow the five-part structure to enhance effectiveness. For instance, The Guardian observed the structure to communicate the new about the perceive gas crisis in the country. The article says that there is no gas crisis in Australia rather than an attack on the natural resources as the attention part (Schneiders 2017). It introduces why it is not correct to argue that the country is experiencing gas crisis, and then proceeds to the body where it explains about the attack on the natural assets that is causing the perceived crisis. As a conclusion, the article revises the evidence that the crisis perception is due inadequate understanding of what goes on in the country concerning natural resources. The residual message is that Australia is experiencing various attacks on its natural assets. A6: There are some justifiable uses of doublespeak. People use this form of communication, which entails the choice of appropriate words and language; to make a negative or unpleasant situation considerably acceptable or friendly. For example, using “has passed on” instead of "has died" while communicating eliminates the focus on the negatives of the death of a person and emphasises that it is a passage to the next life. Another example includes "reducing salary costs" instead of "cutting people's salary.” Therefore, the primary purposes of doublespeak include masking the negativities, sound more polite, and enhancing formality and professionalism in communication, especially in business communication activities and processes such as customer care services. A7: Public speaking, for instance, involves the speaker and the audience as some of the main elements beside the topic of the message itself. Even though the speaker can be professional or eloquent enough on the topic of discussion, it is essential that he or she observes the methods of keeping the audience attentive and continuously interested in the topic as well as the content. Signposts are sued to prevent the audience from tuning off from the presentation (Public Speaking Power 2013). For example, Jennings (2012) has used “10 Impressive Health Benefits of Apple” as the heading to familiarise the audience with what the articles seeks to address; “In one study…In the same study…In another study…” [8, 9, 10] to bring the attentions of the audience to what research says about the role of apples in weight loss actitivites, and “They also contain polyphenols…” [16] to bring the attention of the readers to the additional constituent of apples amongst the elements that had already been discussed. Therefore, signposts can help the audience when a new point is introduced; the topic is changed; more details are given; earlier points are repeated; examples are given, and summarising or completing the presentation. A10: The field of psychology offers an understanding of mechanism through praises, and positive comments can influence the developmental adjustment. In the concept of self-fulfilling prophecy, psychology argues that people have expectations about other, which they communicate through cues, verbal and non-verbal ways to them, that motivate them to adjust to match the expectations. Ferraro et al. (2005) explain that the result of the adjustments toward the expectation is perfection and improved performance. Therefore, psychology offers improved self-confidence, self-motivation and esteem concerning self-fulfilling prophecy. A11: The process of perception has both limiting and expansion effect to our views. Before addressing the audience, the sense of perception exists on both the speaker and the audience side. The speaker employs the process of perception to select and organise the points that are relevant depending on the perceived characteristics of the audience and the environment. Also, the audience, depending on the perception about the purpose of the presentation and characteristics of the speaker, can have expectations before the presentation. The expectations are then compared to the realities that the speaker delivers, which then affects the audience as the member tend to select the information that they perceive relevant. Therefore, individuals can choose how they perceive things. A12: According to The following are the benefits and drawbacks of the four listening styles: 1. The people-oriented listening style focuses mainly on the speaker. This style is beneficial in cases where the audience wants to identify itself with the feelings of the speaker about their message. However, this style can result in missing the intents of the speech. 2. Action-oriented listening gives more attention to the necessary action that the message requires; it focuses on what needs to be done. Even though this style helps to understand what the audience are expected off concerning action responses, it is ineffective since the audience can miss the other details about the message and its objectives. 3. The content-oriented listening style is relatively more beneficial than the others. Since the listeners pay more attention to the content, they are likely to understand and learn from the message. However, the listeners can fail to understand what the feeling and expectation of the speaker are concerning the message. 4. Time-oriented listening style helps to save time since it requires briefing and not explanations. However, the listener is more likely to miss the details and the intentions of the message that the speaker communicates. A15: The intended audience influences the choice of words and language in the document. The language and words that a speaker would you in a document addressing his friends and peoples of his position are relatively different from his or her selection towards an official and professional audience. For instance, an employee explaining the damage to a machine in the workplace to his or her employer or the other colleagues would use different words and language choices in each case. To the colleagues, the employee might say: If the responsible departments don’t maintain the machines appropriately, chances of breakage are high, and I don’t think its fault that the machine broke. However, addressing the issue to the employer, the employee is likely to say: I believe the machine broke down due to mechanical or technical failures. I will ensure that it receives adequate and proper maintenance to avoid this incident in future. A16: In the contemporary business society, the practitioners are not only required to learn and perfect themselves with the knowledge and experience of writing a sales letter, but also the ability to recognise and consider the cultural characteristics of the intended audience. Ghezeljeh & Moini (2013) explain that the practitioners should address the relevance of their products to the needs of the chosen culture as reflected in the document. For instance, addressing an ingenious doctor in a pharmacy serving a community that relies much on the herbal medicines about the benefits of a new medicine drug product, the letter would be as follows. Dr. Miles Soldier Purchases Director, Native Healers Pharmacy 54 Osaka streets Osaka October 23, 2017 Dear Dr. Soldier You may currently be searching for medicines that are purely herbal and effective. If so then, we at PTA Industry Ltd are ready to offer a solution to your search. PTA Industry Ltd has various medicines that are made from the extracts from selected herbs with the natural healing power for patients with appetite issues, ulcers, back pain, and stomach complications, amongst many others. Our products give the users the opportunity to experience the herbal effects of our community. There are varieties of these products at different quantities at fair prices. A20: preparing a speech for a diverse audience entails knowing their characteristics of diversity. For instance, cultural and social practices would influence the choice of language and words used. The speaker should first understand the cultures and how they perceive the topic to be addressed. This consideration will help the speaker to carefully choose the appropriate phrases that are universal across the cultures present. Besides, a phrase or word may be used to mean different things in different cultures or social contexts (Ellen & Almonte 2010). Therefore, the speaker should employ informed perception to make an appropriate selection of language and words, review, reflect, and revise them considerably. A21: Considering rhetorical situation while addressing the audience is an important aspect of effective communication. The situation identifies the audience with the problem or issue that needs attention or solution. The rhetorical situation also compels the audience to imagine on the contrary to the public perception of the issue being addressed. For instance, inflation rates are likely to increase the price of products. However, rhetorically, the author can present a contrary aspect where it has resulted in reduced costs as influenced by other factors besides it. Therefore, rhetorical situation captures the attention of the audience and develops their interest on the topic and the author concerning the solution to the presented situation. A23: Preparing a presentation involves ethics. The speaker is expected to consider ethical factors that determine the credibility of the information to be presented and him or herself as well. The presenter is supposed to prepare adequately before the presentation. He or she is purported, to be honest and avoid misleading information. Also, the presenter is required to respect the audience concerning their age, emotions, culture, and social classifications. Moreover, it is imperative to consider the time available for the presentation and abide by the limits. A24: The former US president, Barack Obama, presented a speech about race and the resolutions that are necessary for a more unified country. As an attention part piece, Obama narrated a story about the slavery which affected almost all the nation decades ago (National Constitution Centre 2008). As an introduction, he related the concept of race and how the constitution addressed in the past years as well as then. The body part of his speech focuses on the understanding the past and its effects on the people of the United States. He also addresses how the citizens can be more united. At the conclusory part, he summarises the purpose for his speech towards his political choice and stance concerning the issue of race. The residual message in this speech is that race has affected the past of the country, but the citizens should abandon their anger from the past and focus on unity and development. Reference List Ellen, M. & Almonte, R, 2010. Essentials of Business Communication, 6th ed. Toronto, Canada: Nelson Education Limited. Gregory, H, 2013. Introduction to public speaking. In Public Speaking for College & Career 10th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Ghezeljeh, F.H. & Moini, MR, 2013. The importance of cross-culture awareness in writing sales promotion letters. Procedia-Social and Behavioural Sciences, Vol. 70, No. 25, 771-776. Jennings, K, 2012. 10 Impressive health benefits of Apples. Authority Nutrition. Available from https://authoritynutrition.com/10-health-benefits-of-apples/ National Constitution Centre, 2008. A more perfect union: A virtual exhibition of Barack Obama’s race speech at the constitution centre on March 18, 2008. Available from https://constitutioncenter.org/amoreperfectunion/ [2017] Public Speaking Power, 2013. What is a signpost in public speaking: 9 examples. Available from http://publicspeakingpower.com/what-is-a-signpost-in-public-speaking/ Scneiders, L, 2017. There is no gas crisis in Australia, but there is attack on our natural assets. Available from https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/mar/27/gas-crisis-australia-attack-natural-assets Read More