Questions and Answers of Business Communication Essentials

Find a job description that interests you. Based on the tasks and qualifications, list the job competencies and specialized skills the company seeks, for example, detail orientation, customer
Based on the competencies you identified for Exercise 2—and for other competencies you may need for jobs that interest you—identify between 10 and 15 examples of stories from your experience, as
Working in groups of three, practice answering a behavioral interview question from Figure 3 and others you wrote for Exercise 2.Take turns, with one of you asking the question, another responding,
For an upcoming interview (or from your research completed in Exercise 1), prepare a list of questions you might ask. You may not have the time to ask everything but prepare at least ten questions,
To prepare for your job search, conduct research and meet with people who can help you.First, target specific people within companies where you might like to work. You will need to send a few
Find a sample interview by searching for “mock interview” on YouTube or another video site. Watch at least two questions and answers with a classmate. How did the candidate do?What improvements
Ask someone to do a complete practice interview with you. Your school’s career management office might offer mock interviews, or you can reach out to a business professional you know or an alumnus
Thinking about jobs that interest you, what could a hiring manager ask that would be difficult for you to answer? Consider questions about your experience, coursework, grades, and so on. Write a few
Imagine that you are asked to interview through HireVue. Visit the website and review guidelines to ensure that your device is compatible. Next, answer a few of the practice questions. Say your
After an interview, answer the questions in Figure 8. Write your responses and submit them to your instructor. At the end, summarize your conclusions by answering one more question:under what, if
Find an email you sent in the past to thank someone for an interview. Exchange messages with a classmate and give each other feedback. Assess the tone, writing style, tailored content, and so on.
Imagine that you had a great interview for a job. Write a thank-you email to your interviewer to summarize your qualifications and reinforce your interest in the position. Invent whatever details you
Have you been declined a job offer? Write an email to request feedback. It might be too late to send it, but this is good practice for next time. Exchange drafts with a classmate to make sure your
Find two other students who have career interests similar to yours. Think about a job you would all like when you graduate. Then, separately, search online at Glassdoor, PayScale, Salary.com, and
When you think about compensation and benefits for a future job, what is most important to you? Consider the salary, healthcare benefits, retirement plan, bonus, equity, location, relocation
Revisit the guidelines in this chapter for negotiating a job offer. Then, with the two classmates you worked with for Exercise 16, practice negotiating. Divide roles: the hiring manager, candidate,
Imagine that you received an offer that you don’t accept. Instead, you accepted an offer for a higher starting salary in your hometown. Write an email declining the offer. Your goal is to express
Just for fun, imagine that you received a great job offer from your favorite company, but alas, you have been cast as your favorite actor’s love interest in an upcoming movie. You cannot pass up
Think about a recent job for which you applied but weren’t offered a position. If you received a generic or template rejection, write something more specific and personal. Even if you weren’t the
With two classmates, discuss the culture of an organization where you have worked or that you know well. How would you define professionalism at that location? Specifically, what type of behavior was
Consider your own professional behavior. Looking at the list of behaviors in Figure 15, which do you consider assets? Of which do you feel most proud? How can you emphasize these qualities throughout
In small groups, discuss your personal relationships at past jobs. How were friendships and romantic relationships perceived at the office? In what ways did you benefit from your relationships at
Provide a response to a behavioral interview question in the “STAR” format.
Describe ways to make a good first impression during a job interview.
Write a thank-you email for a given job offer.
Write an email to decline a job offer.
List behaviors that describe professionalism.
What’s your favorite company? Which of the platforms shown in Figure 10 does the company use and how? If you’re a customer, what other ways does the company communicate with you and for what
Use one of the scenarios in the previous exercise to practice facilitating and participating in a meeting. You may do this in person or online. Have each person assume the role of another
To summarize the meeting for your colleagues in the previous scenario, write up the meeting minutes. Each of you in the group should prepare the minutes separately. Then, as a group, compare your
Find a company message or use one you found for a previous exercise. Write down the specific objective—what did the writer hope to accomplish? Do you believe the message achieved that objective?
Find about ten mentions of your favorite brand on Twitter. Using the Social Media Response Guidelines in Figure 13, to which of the posts do you think the company should respond?Next, analyze which
Give the review you completed in the previous exercise to another student in class. Imagine that you’re the business manager responsible for responding to online reviews. First, decide how you
Imagine that you’re the corporate communications vice president for Harley-Davidson Motor Company. To promote motorcycle use in the United States, you’re planning a communication campaign focused
Imagine that you wrote the executive summary in Figure 9 about tuition assistance in PowerPoint. When you showed your draft to a couple of coworkers, they suggested that you rewrite it for a more
Research shows that, although we need to acknowledge our weaknesses, focusing more on our strengths—and finding ways to use them—has more positive outcomes for people and for those around them.
Imagine that you’re winning an award from your company or from a community organization for your leadership. What would someone say about you, particularly about ways you were able to overcome
In her article “What Self-Awareness Really Is (and How to Cultivate It),” Tasha Eurich explains four “archetypes” to categorize current levels of internal and external
Imagine that an employer asks you the question, “Tell me about a time when you took action because a situation conflicted with your values.” Write a response that includes context or background
List a few times when you had trouble communicating with someone. Do you see a pattern? Consider language, cultural, attitudinal, emotional, and other barriers described in the chapter. Which
Do you default to using text and email when a phone call might be a better choice? Sometime in the next week, consider a situation that you can address by phone. What makes you uncomfortable about
Find a recent message that demonstrates or fails to demonstrate strong character. Use your own news sources, or go to amynewman.com. What in the leader’s message demonstrates character? What do the
Do you know someone you would describe as having strong character? What examples from this person’s communication demonstrate character?
From a movie, series, or TV show, find at least five communication examples that illustrate the character dimensions defined in Figure 1. Briefly describe the scene and what the actor does or says to
While watching a movie, series, TV show, or interview, analyze two people talking. Track how communication happens between the initial communicator and the audience. In particular, note how the
Think about a message you need to send, and walk through the character, audience, message (CAM) communication model:What drives you to communicate? To what are you reacting, and what is your purpose?
At the end of a day, write down your answers to the following questions:a. What communication makes me feel most proud today? What did I do to contribute to the success? What did others do to
Do you know someone you would describe as having high emotional intelligence? What examples from this person’s communication demonstrate self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and
Given what you know about the United Airlines situation and business communication, rewrite the tweet shown in Figure 4. Try to do a better job of conveying character in this first message about the
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued Facebook for illegal monopolization. Read more about the case at www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2020/12/ftc-sues-facebook-illegal-monopolization.
If you’re working now and have access to it, share the organization’s policy with the class and describe how the policy is implemented. How do employees both abide by and skirt the policy? In
Imagine that you got a job offer and accepted it. You were happy about your decision until you got another offer—this time from your ideal company and in your ideal location. Write responses to
Working in small groups, identify at least one ethical dilemma one of you has experienced in each of the following categories. Using the Framework for Ethical Decision Making (Figure 7), analyze how
Find a news story on businesswire.com or from your own sources about a CEO leaving a company. These communications are sensitive: leaders need to be respectful to the departing CEO and, at the same
Do you know someone you would describe as having organizational savvy? Perhaps someone is a good networker or knows just the right things to say in business or group situations. What examples from
Think of an organization where you worked recently. Create an organization chart for two or three levels of employees. Identify examples of upward, lateral, and downward messages you remember from
In the classic business movie Office Space, watch Scene 13, “Flair.” This communication does not go very well. Identify the communication barriers in this scene.
Some emails and texts seem to go on forever. At some point, a phone call might work better to resolve an issue. Talk with a partner about a recent experience and how you knew that the current medium
Imagine that you’re the owner of a retail store and decide to close three of your 14 locations. Working in groups, identify in the communication plan template in Figure 14 which medium you would
Image that you were offered a summer internship but decide not to accept it. With a partner, discuss the most appropriate communication medium to use for your message. Would you use a different
Describe the relationship between communication and character.
Explain components of the character, audience, message (CAM) communication model.
Identify factors to consider during the character check step of the communication model.
Describe aspects of the audience to consider in business communication.
Choose the best medium for your message in a business situation.
Think about a negative experience you had as part of a team. What was your role in the team’s failure? Without wallowing in it too much, try to identify what you could have done differently. Get in
When you’re part of a new team, introduce yourself by including some self-disclosure—nothing too personal but a few aspects of your life that will help your team members know you better and feel
Exchange a few pages of writing with a friend or classmate. Following the guidelines in Figure 6, Commenting on Team Writing, provide written feedback, and then discuss your feedback by taking turns.
Next time you’re on a video meeting, record yourself speaking and listening. Watch yourself later to observe your nonverbal communication. Are your words aligned with your facial expressions,
Reflect on your listening skills by rating the behaviors in Figuren20. For which of the items did you mark “often” or “always”? Next time someone is talking to you, observe these behaviors in
Watch a segment of a movie, series, or TV show in which a team is communicating. Search for “team movies” if you need ideas. Write down examples you observe of conflict, conformity, and
For a team project in class, agree on team norms. Answer the following questions:● What if team members miss a deliverable or team meeting? How should they notify the team? What will be the
Think about a past or current job. Looking at Figure 2, External and Internal Accountability Measures, how would you describe leaders in the organization? Did you notice a difference between your
Imagine this situation: your manager calls you into her office and asks for product information for a customer. She seems annoyed that you haven’t already sent it to her, but this is the first
Review text or instant messages you exchanged with a coworker or classmate. What aspects of the messages are informal, for example, slang, abbreviations, emoticons, and so on? How does your
If you are part of a remote team, develop a charter to agree on how you’ll work together. Refer to Figure 3 for questions about your purpose, results, communication, roles and responsibilities,
In a small group, research a few collaboration platforms. Also share your own experience about the advantages and disadvantages of each. Which platforms might be best for which type of work or team?
Imagine that you applied for a job and received the following voicemail message from the company’s HR manager: Hello. This is Marley Catona from Bank on Me. We received your cover letter and
Working in groups of four or five, plan an upcoming event. You may choose something real in your lives—a club or social event—or invent something. Complete the first two steps for team writing
Working in groups of three, use the tips in Figure 6, Commenting on Team Writing, to provide feedback on other students’ writing. If you’re working as part of a team, use a writing sample for
In pairs, think about the best and worst meetings you ever attended. They could have been at work, at school, or with a community organization. List the factors that made each the best and worst.
Prepare to participate during an upcoming meeting. Review the meeting citizenship behaviors listed in Figure 10. Try to demonstrate as many behaviors as possible and observe other participants to see
Working in groups of five, choose one of the following scenarios for the next three exercises. For the scenario you and your team members choose, prepare an email and detailed agenda to send to
Next time you participate in an online meeting, evaluate which of the suggestions in Figure 9 the host follows. How well did the host arrive, check in, and check out of the meeting? Which of the
Throughout the day, keep a list of emotions you see on people’s faces. Try to be more precise than happy, sad, or angry. People might feel upset, delighted, anxious, determined, grateful,
With a friend or classmate, schedule time for a video meeting on Zoom or another platform. Practice different gazes to see which appears to be the most direct eye contact. Also take a few screenshots
Use your voice tone to convey emotions.With a partner, practice conveying different emotions. If you go first, read the sentences in the left-side column, changing your tone to reflect each emotion.
Working in pairs, have one person describe a time when someone didn’t listen well. This can be a situation with a family member, friend, doctor, or someone else. Have the listener identify (1)
Working in groups of three, have one person talk about a difficult decision. As your classmate describes the situation, have a second person listen, using skills discussed in this chapter. The
Find Brené Brown’s popular TED talk. Watch the video in groups or on your own. In small groups, discuss the video and how her concept of vulnerability relates to empathy. If you’re comfortable,
Describe ways to improve team communication.
Explain ways to build relationships when working remotely.
Apply the steps for team writing in a business situation.
Identify best practices for in-person and online business meetings.
Explain examples of nonverbal communication.
Describe ways to improve listening skills in business situations.
To develop self-awareness, complete the Social Identity Wheel in Figure 18. Write your identities in the open sections, and then respond to the statements in the middle. With a friend you trust and
At Harvard’s Implicit Bias site (https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html), you’ll find tests about your perceptions on race, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, weight, skin
If mindfulness isn’t part of your daily practice, try it for at least five minutes a day for a week. Consider one of Thich Nhat Hanh’s guided breathing meditations, or follow instructions from
Think about a difficult conversation you initiated recently. What was the situation, and what led to your decision to address rather than ignore it? What did you risk? Which skills and steps

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