Table Of ContentCommunicating
for Results
A Guide for Business and the Professions
Eighth Edition
Cheryl Hamilton
Australia • Brazil • Canada • Mexico • Singapore • Spain • United Kingdom • United States
Communicating for Results:
A Guide for Business and the Professions, Eighth Edition
Cheryl Hamilton
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 11 10 09 08 07
Library of Congress Control Number: 2006940430
ISBN-13: 978-0-495-09584-2
ISBN-10: 0-495-09584-2
Brief Contents
Chapter1 The Communication Process: An Introduction 2
Chapter2 Organizational Communication 30
Chapter3 Improving Interpersonal Relationships 64
Chapter4 Effective Listening 100
Chapter5 Nonverbal Communication in the Organization 124
Chapter6 Overcoming Obstacles to Communication
in Organizations 154
Chapter7 Basic Information for All Types of Interviews 1886
Chapter8 The Employment Interview 210
Chapter9 Small-Group Communication and
Problem Solving 246
Chapter10 Participation and Leadership in Teams 276
Chapter11 Informative Presentations 302
Chapter12 Researching, Supporting, and Delivering
Your Ideas 334
Chapter13 Professional Visual Aids 360
Chhapter14 Persuasive Presentations: Individual or Team 392
iv CONTENTS
Contents
Chapter 1 The Communication Process: An Chapter 4 Effective Listening 100
Introduction 2 The Importance of Effective Listening in
Communication Defined 5 Organizations 103
Listening to Customers 103
The Basic Model of Communication 5
Listening to Employees 104
Person A/Person B 6
Listening to Supervisors 106
Stimulus and Motivation 6
Listening to Coworkers 107
Encoding and Decoding 7
Frame of Reference 7 Signs of Poor Listening 108
Code 12 Breaking the Chain of Command 108
Channel 13 Learning About Events Too Late 108
Feedback 17 Always Putting Out Fires 109
Environment 21 Information Must Be Repeated 109
Noise 21 Tasks Given to Others 109
Increase in Written Communication 109
Communication and Ethics 22
Causes of Poor Listening 110
Chapter 2 Organizational Physical Barriers 110
Communication 30 Personal Barriers 110
Gender Barriers 111
Communication Inside the Organization 33
Semantic Barriers 113
Formal Communication 33
Bad Listening Habits 114
Informal Communication 36
Improving Listening Skills 116
Coordination of People and Groups 37
Understanding the Stages of Listening 116
Organization Models 38 Listening More Each Day 120
The Traditional (or Classical) Model 41 Improving Your Listening—Key Points 120
The Human Relations Model 46
Payoffs of Effective Listening 121
The Human Resources Model 48
The Systems/Contingency Model 53 Chapter 5 Nonverbal Communication in the
The Transformational Model 57
Organization 124
Communication Differences in the
Organization Models 59 Nonverbal Communication: Definition and
Principles 127
Chapter 3 Improving Interpersonal Technical Level 128
Relationships 64 Formal Level 128
Informal Level 128
Interpersonal Relationships and
Types of Nonverbal Communication
Organizational Success 66
and Their Effects on Business
Developing and Maintaining
Communication 129
Relationships 68
Facial Expressions and Eye Contact 129
Relationships and Expectations 68
Other Body Movements and Gestures 133
Relations and Their Reciprocal Nature 69
Clothing and Personal Appearance 135
Relations and Trust 69
Distance and Personal Space 138
Communication Styles and Business Physical Environment 140
Relationships 70 Time 142
The Closed Style 74
Nonverbal Status Symbols in
The Blind Style 76
Business 143
The Hidden Style 78
Nonverbal Messages and International
The Open Style 80
Business Transactions 147
Practical Tips for Relating with People of
Expectancy Violations Theory 148
Different Styles 82
Immediacy Behaviors 149
Becoming Flexible in Use of Styles 86
Improving Nonverbal Skills 150
Using Feedback Effectively 87
Using Disclosure Effectively 87
Chapter 6 Overcoming Obstacles to
Managing Conflicts in Business
Communication in
Relationships 89
Organizations 154
Conflict Types 89
Conflict Strategies 90 Communicator Anxiety 156
Choosing the Best Conflict Strategies 92 Situational Anxiety 157
Cultural Differences in Conflict Trait Anxiety 159
Management 95 Inadequate Preparation 164
CONTENTS v
Vague Instructions 165 INTERVIEWER: Conducting the
Jumping to Conclusions 170 Interview 237
Ask Only Lawful Questions 238
Bypassing 172
Listen Carefully to the Interviewee 241
Sexual Harassment 173
Clarify and Verify Responses; Avoid False
Communication Technology 176 Inferences 241
E-mail, Instant Messages, and Blogs 177
Electronic Meetings 179 Chapter 9 Small-Group Communication
and Problem Solving 246
Chapter 7 Basic Information for All Types
Definition of a Small Group 249
of Interviews 186
Use and Value of Teams in the Effective
Types of Interviews 189
Organization 250
Counseling Interview 189
Characteristics of Effective Problem-Solving
Employment Interview 189
Teams 251
Exit Interview 190
Effective Teams Are Well Organized 251
Grievance or Confrontation Interview 190
Effective Teams Receive Periodic Training 252
Group Interview 190
Effective Teams Examine Assumptions and
Informational Interview 192
Opinions 252
Interrogation Interview 192
Effective Teams Evaluate Possible
Media Interview 193
Solutions 253
Performance Review 194
Effective Teams Avoid Groupthink 254
Persuasive Interview 194
Effective Teams Manage Cultural Diversity 255
Basic Interview Organization 195
Effective Teams Operate Virtually 256
Opening Phase 195
The Basic Problem-Solving Procedure 258
Question–Response Phase 196
Step 1: Define the Problem 258
Closing Phase 197
Step 2: Research and Analyze the
Using Questions Effectively in the
Problem 260
Interview 197
Step 3: Establish a Checklist of Criteria 262
Determine the Types of Questions to
Step 4: List Possible Alternatives 265
Ask 198
Step 5: Evaluate Each Alternative 268
Decide How to Best Organize
Step 6: Select the Best Alternative 270
Questions 201
Selecting the Group Format 271
Be Prepared to Answer Questions 205
Chapter 10 Participation and Leadership in
Chapter 8 The Employment Interview 210
Teams 276
INTERVIEWEE: Preparing for the
Job-Hunt 213 Effective Team Participation 279
Investigate the Employment Market 213 Committed Members 279
Prepare a Conventional Paper Resume 214 Communication Skills for Members 281
Prepare a Scannable Resume 219 Effective Team Leadership 284
Prepare an E-mail (ASCII) Resume 221 Trait Theory of Leadership 284
Prepare a Web Resume or e-Portfolio 223 Function Theory of Leadership 286
Prepare a Letter of Application 224 Three-Dimension Theory of
Check Resume Content for Accuracy and Leadership 288
Honesty 226 Situational Contingency Theory of
INTERVIEWEE: Preparing for the Leadership 289
Interview 227 Situational Leadership Theory 292
Have a Positive Attitude 227 Transformational Leadership 293
Communicate and Dress for the Occasion— Leader Responsibilities 295
Impression Management 227
Be Prepared for Any Type of Interview 229 Chapter 11 Informative Presentations 302
Carefully Plan Answers to Probable Informative Presentations: Tools to Aid
Questions 232 Understanding 305
Be Prepared with Questions to Ask the Definition 305
Interviewer 233 Description 306
Be Prepared to Follow Up the Interview 234 Explanation 306
Send a Thank-You Note or Card 234 Narration 306
INTERVIEWER: Planning the Basic Types of Oral Presentations 307
Interview 234
Informative Presentations: Overview 308
Get to Know the Interviewee Ahead of
Types of Informative Presentations 308
Time 234
Characteristics of High-Quality Informative
Plan the Environment 235
Presentations 308
Organize the Interview Carefully 235
vi CONTENTS
Basic Outline for Informative Presentations 309 Avoiding Major Mistakes 370
Informative Presentations: Preparation Choosing Text or Graphic Visuals 375
Steps 310 Deciding How Many Visuals to Use 375
Step 1: Carefully Analyze Your Potential Using the Appropriate Type Size and
Listeners 310 Typeface 375
Step 2: Identify the General Topic 312 Preparing Quality Text Visuals 376
Step 3: Write Your Exact Purpose in One Design Tips for Text Visuals 376
Sentence 312 Preparing Quality Graphic Visuals 379
Step 4: Plan the Body of the Presentation Organization Charts and Flowcharts 379
314 Diagrams and Schematics 379
Step 5: Prepare the Conclusion and Maps 380
Introduction 322 Graphs 381
Step 6: Practice Using Your Speaking Notes Design Tips for Graphic Visuals 381
and Visual Aids 326
General Design Principles 383
Informative Presentations: Delivery Analyzing Figure 13.16 Using
Methods 328 Design Principles 384
Speaking from Memory 328 Redesigning Figure 13.16 Using
Speaking Extemporaneously (with or Design Principles 385
without Notes) 329
Visual Aids and Color 386
Speaking from Visual Aids 330
Quality Color Visuals 386
Speaking from a Manuscript 330
Final Thoughts on Color 387
Impromptu Speaking 330
Using Microsoft PowerPoint 388
Chapter 12 Researching, Supporting, and
Chapter 14 Persuasive Presentations:
Delivering Your Ideas 334
Individual or Team 392
Researching Your Topic 336
Persuasive Presentations: Definitions and
Printed Materials 337
Types 396
Licensed Electronics databases 338
Persuasion Defined 396
The Internet 338
Types of Persuasive Presentations 397
Blogs 342
Persuasive Presentations in Business 398
Personal Interviews 342
Avoiding Plagiarism 344 Persuasive Presentations: Theory 398
Evidence and Logic of the Message 398
Verbal Supporting Materials 344
Credibility of the Speaker 405
Explanations 345
Psychological Needs of the Listeners 408
Comparisons 345
Opinions of Key Listeners 412
Illustrations 346
Examples 347 Persuasive Presentations: Preparation
Statistics 348 Steps 413
Expert Opinions 350 Step 1: Analyze Your Expected Listeners and
Their Needs 413
Improving Delivery 351
Step 2: Write Your Exact Purpose as a
Delivery and Nonverbal Behavior 352
Position Statement 414
Delivery and Voice 353
Step 3: Determine Your Initial Credibility and
Delivery and Language 355
Plan to Increase It If Necessary 415
Maintaining a Confident Delivery 356
Step 4: Research Your Topic and Choose the
Chapter 13 Professional Visual Aids 360 Best Method for Presenting Evidence
to This Audience 416
Benefits of Using Visual Aids 362
Step 5: Decide How to Organize Your
Visual Aids Improve Listener Memory 362
Presentation for the Best Effect 416
Visual Aids Speed Comprehension 363
Step 6: Prepare an Outline or Storyboards to
Visual Aids Add to Speaker Credibility 364
Check Your Verbal and Visual Supports,
Tips for Using Visual Aids 365 Introduction, and Conclusion 420
Audiovisual Aids 365 Step 7: Review Your Presentation to Ensure It
Electronic/Multimedia Presentations 366 Is Ethical 420
Flip Charts and Posters 367 Step 8: Practice Your Presentation to Gain
Markerboards and Chalkboards 368 Confidence 422
Objects, Models, and Handouts 368
Team Presentations 423
Slides and Transparencies 369
Effective Team Presentations 424
Selecting and Designing Your Visual Adapting Team Presentations to the
Aids 369 Media 425
Preface
The importance of effective communication skills in organizations is ever increasing. Man-
agers and employees who are skilled communicators have fewer misunderstandings, make
fewer mistakes, create less waste, and deal with disagreements more effectively. Thus, they
are more productive. And in this time of global marketing, downsizing, and continuing
technological advances, good communication skills are essential.
Communicating for Results, Eighth Edition, is directed at those who are interested in
self-improvement. It is designed to introduce necessary communication skills to people
with very little work experience, to improve the communication skills of entry-level man-
agers and employees, and to serve as a reference book for experienced professionals who
wish to refresh or update their communication skills. This text emphasizes important
skills from three basic communication areas: interpersonal and organizational, interview-
ing and group, and public. Interpersonal and organizational skills include understanding or-
ganizational communication; improving communication and relationships with bosses,
employees, and customers; handling conflict; improving listening; interpreting and using
nonverbal communication; decreasing misunderstandings with others, whether face-to-
face or electronically; and overcoming obstacles to communication. Interviewing and group
skills include preparing conventional, scannable, e-mail, and online resumes; conducting
or participating in interviews of various types; knowing what questions are unlawful in
preemployment interviews; conducting and participating in conferences; and making de-
cisions in small groups. Public communication skills include giving individual or team pre-
sentations to employees, managers, and groups inside or outside the organization; using
effective organization and delivery techniques for traditional and online presentations;
preparing professional visual aids; and knowing how to manage presentation software.
Although the chapters in this book may be read in any order, they are organized so that
each chapter builds on the skills taught in those preceding it. The skills are discussed practi-
cally and lend themselves to immediate application. In other words, what is read today can
be applied at work tomorrow. Activities within the chapters (Awareness Checks) and at the
end of chapters (Checkpoints) suggest ways for readers to practice new skills and techniques.
The Communicating for Resultsonline textbook resources and Instructor’s Resource Manual
feature additional application activities, test questions, and more.
Communicating for Results, Eighth Edition, not only features a skills orientation, but also
provides readers with the theoretical basis for each skill discussed. It is my hope that readers
will find this book valuable and that they will add it to their personal libraries.
Features of the New Edition
The Eighth Edition has been significantly revised and updated. In addition to a number of
updated sources and new examples, this edition introduces two new features:
■ New chapter-opening case studiespreview each chapter’s content, illustrate how the
communication skills discussed in the book are used (or not used!) in real-world situa-
tions, and help students apply the text’s concepts with accompanying activities and critical-
thinking questions. These case studies take a look at communication snafus at NASA,
FEMA’s response to Hurricane Katrina, ethical breaches at CNN, and much more.
Revisiting the Case Study boxesthroughout each chapter ask students to consider the
case study scenario in light of the concepts discussed in the chapter.
■ It Really Works boxes in each chapter highlight a real-world executive’s use of the
skills presented in the book, giving students insight into the business world and showing
them why learning business communication is important and helpful. Featured execu-
tives and businesses include Bill Gore, whose company manufactures Gore-Tex fabric,
The National Education for Assistance Dog Services, Claudia Kotchka of Proctor &
Gamble, and JetBlue Airways.
viii PREFACE
Other new and revised features include:
■ The Communicating for Results online textbook resources, which provide your
students with one-stop access to all the integrated technology resources that accom-
pany the book. These resources include the ThomsonNOW™ for Communicating
forResultsonline study system, chapter-by-chapter resources at the Communicating for
Results Premium Book Companion Website, the Communicating for Results interactive
video communication scenarios and speeches, InfoTrac® College Edition, and
Speech Builder Express™. All of these resources are referenced in the text and high-
lighted with an icon. Integrated throughout the chapters and expanded upon at the
ends of chapters in the Communicating for Results Online section, these references
direct students to numerous digital activities and reinforce and enrich the concepts
presented. Note to faculty:If you want your students to have access to the online
textbook resources, please be sure to order them for your course. The content in
these resources can be bundled at no additional charge to your students with every
new copy of the text. If you do not order them, your students will not have access to
these online resources. Contact your local Thomson Wadsworth sales representative for
more details.
■ The ThomsonNOW™forCommunicating for Results, available to your students if
you order this online textbook resource packaged with the text. Using chapter-by-chapter
diagnostic pre-tests that identify concepts students don’t fully understand, this online
system creates a personalized study plan for each chapter. Each plan directs your stu-
dents to specific resources designed to improve their understanding, including pages
from the text in e-book format. Chapter post-tests give them an opportunity to measure
how much they’ve learned and let them know if they are ready for graded quizzes and
exams. For instructors, ThomsonNOW is available on WebCT and Blackboard, allow-
ing you to provide virtual office hours, post syllabi, set up threaded discussions, and
track student progress.
■ The revised Communicating for Results Premium Book Companion Website,
available to your students at no additional charge when you order this online textbook
resource packaged with the book. This website includes quizzing and chapter-specific
resources such as interactive glossaries, the end-of-chapter Checkpoint activities,
InfoTrac College Edition activities, continually updated web links, and more.
■ The Communicating for Resultsinteractive video activities,available to students at
no additional charge when you order this online textbook resource packaged with the
book. These resources feature a variety of videotaped business scenarios and informa-
tive and persuasive presentations, analysis questions that students can answer and e-mail
to their instructors, and author rejoinders to each analysis question.
■ All new Ethical Dilemma boxes that ask students to think critically about how they
might handle questionable situations in the working world. These boxes now feature real-
world ethical lapses, such as Metabolife International’s use of ephedra in one of its prod-
ucts, the actions of Enron’s CFO Andrew Fastow, and James Frey’s misrepresentation of
the content in his book A Million Little Pieces.
■ New and updated coverage of communication technology and computer-mediated com-
munication, including discussions of electronic resumes and online job posting sites, vir-
tual teams, instant messaging, and blogs.
■ Expanded coverage of cross-cultural and gender communication, both in the United
States and internationally. New and updated topics include cultural differences in
conflict management (Chapter 3), MTV’s response to international customers about
its programming (Chapter 4), gender differences in listening for relational and emo-
tional messages (Chapter 4), monochromic and polychromic cultures (Chapter 5),
cultural influences on communicator anxiety (Chapter 6), and cross-cultural teams
(Chapter 9).
■ Expanded discussion of ethics in communication, including descriptions of four common
ethical rules: utilitarian, moral rights, justice, and practical. (Chapter 1)
■ New discussion of conflict types. (Chapter 3)
■ Updated material on trait anxiety. (Chapter 6)
PREFACE ix
■ New section on checking one’s resume for accuracy and honesty. (Chapter 8)
■ New discussion on teams that use face-to-face communication versus teams that use
computer-mediated communication, using the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) to
explain the differences. (Chapter 9)
■ Two new informative and one new persuasive speech in Chapters 11, 13, and 14.
■ New discussion on four tools informative speakers can use to aid audience understand-
ing: definition, description, explanation, and narration. (Chapter 11)
■ Updated section on online research for speech supporting material. (Chapter 12)
■ Expanded section on avoiding plagiarism while researching supporting materials for
speeches. (Chapter 12)
■ Completely revised material on effective visual aids, including antidotes for “Power-
Point poisoning.” (Chapter 13)
Additional Student and Instructor Resources
■ If you order this online textbook resource packaged with the text, your students
willhave access to Speech Builder ExpressSpeech Organization and Outlin-
ing Program, a web-based tool that coaches students through the speech organi-
zation and outlining process. By completing interactive sessions covering speech
goaland specific purpose, organizational patterns, thesis statement, main points, sup-
porting material, transitions, speech introduction, conclusion, and bibliography,
students can create full-sentence and keyword outlines, formatted according to the
principles presented in the text. Text and video models reinforce their interactive
practice.
■ InfoTrac® College Editionis an easy-to-use online library, available to students for
four months at no additional charge when you order this online textbook resource pack-
aged with the book. This extensive, easy-to-use database of more than 18 million reli-
able, full-length articles (not abstracts) from 5,000 top academic journals and popular
sources is ideal for helping your students master online research and is especially useful
when students are preparing speeches.
■ vMentor, available to students at no additional charge when you order this online
textbook resource packaged with the book, provides live one-on-one tutoring. vMen-
tor gives your students access to virtual office hours—one-on-one online tutoring
help from a subject-area expert, at no additional cost with the text. In vMentor’s
virtual classroom, students interact with the tutor and other students using two-way
audio, an interactive whiteboard for illustrating the problem, and instant messaging.
To ask a question, students simply click to raise a “hand.” For proprietary college and
university adopters only. For additional information, please contact your Thomson Wadsworth
sales representative.
■ Online Student Companion by Lisa Benedetti of Tarrant County College Northeast, and
Bobbi Rhe Stringer, Ph.D., of Tarrant County College Northwest. The student workbook
offers chapter objectives and outlines, lists of important concepts that students can
use to facilitate note-taking in class, skill-building activities, Internet activities and
lists of helpful web pages, and self-tests. The workbook can be bundled with the text
at a discount.
■ Instructor’s Resource Manual with Test Bank by Lisa Benedetti of Tarrant County Col-
lege Northeast, and Bobbi Rhe Stringer, Ph.D., of Tarrant County College Northwest. This in-
dispensable manual features teaching tips, suggestions for online instruction, sample
course outlines, lists of useful media resources, detailed chapter outlines, skill-building ac-
tivities, transparency masters, forms and checklists, and an extensive test bank.
■ Instructor’s Resource CD-ROM by Frank L. Kelly of Drexel University. This CD-
ROM contains an electronic version of the Instructor’s Resource Manual, ExamView
Computerized Testing, and pre-designed Microsoft PowerPoint presentations. The
PowerPoint presentations contain text and images, and can be used as is or customized
to suit your course needs.
