Solution Manual For Essential Skills for Business 1e Lee Perlitz Chapters 1-21 Chapter 1 Answers to knowledge check questions
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Explain why it is important to establish who is the audience for your workplace communication.
When communicating in a business environment, the first thing you need to consider is who your audience is. Your audience will determine the level of formality you use. When passing information on to a colleague or team leader, you won’t need to be as formal as if you were addressing the company CEO or a customer. Your audience may include:
colleagues, with whom you might discuss day-to-day issues related to your specific jobs supervisors or senior managers, with whom you might need to communicate to: o o o o o
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report on any issues or problems receive instructions pass on customer complaints request authority for something you want to do that may need approval discuss reviews, training or any other business-related issues
customers, who might need assistance with or information about products or services suppliers, to order stock or other necessary supplies or to chase up deliveries.
List at least five reasons why workplace communication might take place.
There will be many reasons for communication in a work environment, including to:
gather information that you need to complete a task or project share information with colleagues or supervisors provide training update others on the progress of a work project research information to meet a specific work need sell a product or service to customers lodge a complaint suggest improvements.
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Give at least four examples of how communication needs might vary between different audiences and purposes.
The sales and marketing department needs information relating to: o competitor brochures or product information o results of customer feedback on your products and services o latest trends and fashions within your company’s industry.
The accounts department needs information about: o o o o o o
Customers want to know about: o o o o
the features and benefits of your products or services refund policies sales and special promotions events.
Operations managers will need information about: o o o o
financial reports sales figures banking records and paperwork receipts for sales made invoices received stocktakes, inventories, and so on.
customer orders to be fulfilled delivery schedules for incoming and outgoing goods the state of the organisation’s inventory, so that supplies can be replenished maintenance of equipment or premises.
Company managers will need to know about: o o o o
sales reports staff performance workplace health and safety (WHS) issues legal matters and codes of practice.
Some of this information will be communicated in written form (either on paper or in electronic format). For example: o brochures or articles you have found
o bank statements, receipts and invoices to accounts o customer order forms and delivery schedules to the operations staff. Customer feedback, on the other hand, could be passed on verbally, and products and services would often be sold in a face-to-face encounter.
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When determining the audience for and the purpose of a communication, you should ask yourself a range of questions. List three of these.
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How quickly or urgently does the information need to be passed on? Does there need to be a written record of the communication? What is the audience preference? Do they prefer to discuss issues face to face, or to talk on the phone, or do they generally like to see things in writing?
Briefly describe the following communication methods:
verbal written Internet of Things (IoT).
Verbal communication Verbal communication allows for efficient interaction between people. It enables them to ask and answer questions, examine a topic and debate an issue, so that they can quickly solve a problem or make a decision. Verbal communication, in the traditional sense, means actually speaking with someone. This can be done in a number of ways:
By face-to-face communication. This occurs when you speak to, for example, a colleague, supervisor or customer directly. By telephone. Most larger organisations use landlines for their telecommunication systems. A number of lines are routed via a switchboard, with calls answered by a receptionist who then passes them on, or via direct extension numbers. Companies that use landlines may have FreeCall numbers for customers to call them, such as 13 or 1300 numbers. By mobile devices and videoconferencing. More and more employees are being offered flexible work-from-home arrangements. The recent pandemic, COVID-19, has had a significant impact on such workplace arrangements and it is expected that these will remain in place for the foreseeable future. This means that devices and laptop computers that allow users to communicate both verbally and visually are increasingly popular.
Many organisations now use apps such as Google Meet, Zoom, GoToMeeting and Microsoft Teams to facilitate remote communication with employees and customers. Written communication Written communication, on the other hand, allows you to document a conversation or a process. This may be important for compliance issues or future audits. Written documents can also be used as proof of what was said or not said during a dispute. If a ―paper trail‖ is necessary as part of an improvement process or a conflict resolution, then written communication is the best option. Written communication includes:
Letters. While sending printed letters via the post is less common these days, there are still cases where a traditional letter is needed—for example, for more formal or official documentation such as legal matters, reference letters and job offers that require signatures. These letters can also be sent and signed electronically with programs such as DocuSign.
Reports. Business reports contain facts and research that help businesses to plan and make decisions. Reports use headings to organise information and often are based on a company template.
Emails. One of the most widely used written communication methods, emails allow you to send attachments such as documents and images. They also provide an excellent written pathway, as they are date and time stamped, so you can track exactly when an email was sent or received.
SMS (Short Message Service). Similar to sending an email, text messaging has the added advantage of being totally mobile. By providing ―on the go‖ access, it enables quick responses.
Social media. A great deal of business communication today takes place via social media. It is an excellent way of staying in touch with customers, and of promoting your organisation and its products to potential consumers.
Intranet. Many organisations have an intranet, where information can be shared internally. They may also have administration or operational systems that collect information from data that you enter. This data can then be used to: o understand and take advantage of any trends in product or service sales that might be occurring o control stock or material inventories, allowing the organisation to better manage and control its finances o communicate with staff, customers or suppliers in an automated manner, sending information that is of interest as and when required.
Internet of Things Internet of Things (IoT) is a catch-all term used for the increasing number of electronics that aren't traditional computing devices but are connected to the internet to send information, receive instructions, or both. Almost every aspect of our lives now generates data. Smart watches track each step we take and sense each beat of our heart. The smartphones in our pockets know our location at any moment, our hobbies, where we’re going on holiday, and what we’re considering buying. The IoT brings the power of the internet, data processing and analytics to the real world of physical objects. Among many other things, the IoT can be used in the workplace to:
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track maintenance with connected printers or copiers. Many offices are already using internet-connected office equipment, but a new generation of smart alternatives has become available that allows the organisation to monitor paper, ink and toner usage and warns when they are getting low. They can also connect to inventory systems and make orders without human involvement. enable intelligent lighting with smart bulbs. Such lighting can be used in a number of ways to improve business office efficiency; for example, it can be set to adjust brightness or colour balance throughout the day, thereby helping to minimise eye strain, stress and discomfort. enable smart assistants such as ―Alexa‖ or ―Cortana‖ to sync whole offices, track meetings and control all manner of customer-related settings. control the office climate. Smart thermostats can be used to adjust the temperature and keep staff comfortable.
Which method of communication would be most appropriate for each of the following examples? Briefly explain why you chose each method.
Passing on a phone message to a colleague. Sharing the outcomes of research your boss has asked you to undertake. Advising your boss of sensitive personal information.
Student answers will vary for this question. The method chosen should be appropriate for the situation, and the student should explain their reasons for choosing each. Here are some suggested responses:
Passing on a telephone message to a colleague. This might be done via SMS using Teams or similar, or by email. This helps to ensure the message isn’t forgotten, and that important details (including the caller’s number) will be recorded.