Effective Communication in Business Settings

The provided text comprises a collection of references related to effective communication in professional environments. It encompasses topics such as crisis communication, accounting student communication apprehension, millennial communication styles, social work communication skills, workplace emotion and communication, nonverbal communication, and negotiation strategies. These resources collectively shed light on the multifaceted aspects of effective business communication.

Running Head: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION 1
Business Communication

Business Communication 2
Contents
Part 1 Introduction...........................................................................................................................3
Self-reflection...............................................................................................................................3
Identified Communication Issues.................................................................................................4
Personal Experience.....................................................................................................................6
Part 2 Literature Review..................................................................................................................7
Action plan.....................................................................................................................................12
Gantt chart..................................................................................................................................14
References......................................................................................................................................15

Business Communication 3
Part 1 Introduction
Business communication is an integral part of the professional growth. It is necessary to
put forward personal views and present in a confident manner. A professional with good
communication skills is capable of sending intended message to the audience without any
distortion in the meaning. Good business communication is essential in preparing a document,
presentation, or speech (Angour, 2012). Therefore, the present task will identify the issues in the
personal communication and propose an action plan to address the situation.
The essay is a self-reflection in which the student applies several communication tools to identify
the weakness in the personal communication and focus on two communication issues identified
from the diagnosis. The communication issues identified from the diagnosis are anxiety in public
speaking and low tolerance for the disagreement with other people. The essay will also comprise
of a literature review related to the key concepts and issues identified in the self-diagnosis part.
The literature review will discuss the importance of eradicating the communication issues nd
how the identified problems can be answered.
The essay comprised of undertaking participation in a series of activities which has
increased my understanding and capability of tackling communication issues. Several activities
are also identified to address the issue which is discussed in the action plan of the essay.
Self-reflection
While completing this essay, I used five diagnostic tools to investigate my communication in
different situations. The first tool used was the self-perceived communication competence
questionnaire which identifies the communication skills of a person, while he is talking to
different category of people. The communication style of a person changes while he is talking to

Business Communication 4
a stranger, to a friend, to a person in different age category. It analyzes the self-perception of a
person while talking to different people. The second tool was intercultural communication
apprehension which measures the feelings of a person towards communication by providing
different communication situations and their behavior in them. The third tool used in the report is
non-verbal immediacy scale-self report, which identifies the behavior or the cues which shows
positive feelings towards other people. However, the score of different genders is different for
this tool. The fourth and the fifth tool used in the task are public speaking anxiety and talkoholic
scale.
Identified Communication Issues
The public speaking anxiety refers to a phenomenon wherein the speaker is not comfortable
being in the limelight. He becomes unconfident to present strong views to other person. The
nervousness can be perceived with forgetfulness, nervousness or excessive sweating. It is a
major issue as today, it is important to communicate confidently in the business world. A
professional should have adequate knowledge and preparation to speak confident to a large
audience. It clearly makes a good impression and also assists the person in pursuing business
goals.
Another issue identified with the personality test was the tendency to avoid the conflicting
situations. I have a calm and peaceful nature and usually avoid conflicts of any nature. I have a
natural tendency to avoid conflicts and I usually consider accepting other’s viewpoints rather
than contradicting it. It has created a negative image of mine. People do not give my perception
and viewpoints importance and ignore them as they think that I will get along with the majority.
Therefore, it is necessary to have the confidence and the capability to present one’s views in a
clear and concise manner.

Business Communication 5
The results obtained from the various test are quite correct. It was found that I avoid conflicts as
well as become nervous in public speaking. I have myself adjusted to various situations to avoid
conflicts. Several times, I accept the false claims of others and false allegations in order to avoid
conflicting situations. However, it is a cowardly behavior and the people take advantage of such
behavior. Other than that, in professional setting, it is important that the person has the
confidence and the skill to communicate with a large number of people. In this case, it is
important that an individual can communicate with strangers and other people for
communication. In the non-verbal immediacy scale test, my score was about 100 which were
adequate. It shows that I somewhat show closeness or proximity with non-verbal behavior. Non-
verbal immediacy is very important in demonstrating proximity with other people.
The self-perceived communication competence scale examines a person’s capabilities to
different kind of people. The scale highlights when a person talks to different category of people.
It asks questions regarding when
Public speaking anxiety report analyzes the confidence of the person in communicating
publically to other people. The scale has 34 questions and examines the perception of a person
regarding his confidence while communicating with other persons. There were several questions
in which I scored very low. For instance, my heartbeat runs faster before addressing public and I
perspire before giving a speech to the audience. Several times, I get nervous and confused while
communicating to a large number of people. I also fear and tremble that I am going to forget my
speech before addressing a large crowd. The overall result of the scale was low and indicated
that I fail to effectively present myself to a large number of people.
The fifth diagnostic tool used in the self-assessment was talkoholic scale in which I was tested
regarding the compulsiveness of communication. The talkoholic people talks too much and have

Business Communication 6
a compulsion in being quiet in the presence of others. They can be termed as ineffective
communicators. In psychology, it is regarded that if a person communicate more, he is regarded
as more competent. In the scale, it is perceived that I understand that I am a talkoholic, I also
realized that I talk in an adequate manner. I do not leave any opportunity to communicate, if
talking is in my benefit. I am a great communicator and communicate with efficiency to different
people.
The results obtained from various tests are quite accurate and my communication style and
preference is related to it. The results of various test stated that I am comfortable while talking to
friends and quite comfortable while communicating on a day-to-day basis. The results show that
I am a little bit uncomfortable while talking in public. I find it difficult while communicating
with a large group of people or while presenting myself in large meetings. The results also show
that I have little bit of anxiety while giving presentation to a large group of people (Leutenberg,
Liptak & Brodsky, 2008).
Personal Experience
With the scores and the self-evaluation, it has been evaluated that there are a few communication
areas, which needs strong improvement. I believe that by focusing on these communication
areas, I will enhance my business communication. It has been identified that the public speaking
anxiety is higher for me. Moreover, I also have a low tolerance for disagreement. I understand
that I have low tolerance for the conflicts and I have a tendency to avoid conflicts and
disagreements in the personal communication. However, it is important to understand that
disagreements and conflicts are inevitable in the personal lives and it requires appropriate
decision making and the right way of communication. While discussing the problem of public
speaking anxiety, I remember I was asked to give a presentation on communication issues in the

Business Communication 7
organization. I was an intern; however, I have to give the presentation to a large number of
people which made me extremely nervous. Most of the audience comprises of highly
experienced and skilled people. Therefore, I was extremely nervous. The whole ordeal was quite
challenging for me and I forgot a large number of important points during the presentation and
was nervous while communicating to the audience. Another example related to the intolerance
also occurred during my internship at the firm. One of my managers gave me a task which was
outside my agreed work responsibilities. However, in order to avoid any responsibilities, I ended
up doing that work. The work was quite challenging and I ended up delaying my regular work.
Part 2 Literature Review
In the following section, a literature review is developed which includes the views of the eminent
authors related to the communication issues. It will assist the student in learning about the
communication issues and addressing the problem in a proper manner.
As per Maravelas (2005) communication apprehension is the hesitation is strongly presenting
oneself in a communication. It refers to the fear or anxiety which arises for some unexpected
situations in a communication. People with such kind of fear are not able to strongly present
themselves in a communication. The people with communication apprehension associate
communication with negative feelings and as a result do not take voluntary participation in a
communication. These people abstain themselves in engaging in an oral communication. Even
when they are included, they are only passively engaged in the communication.
Accroding to McKay, Davis, & Fanning (2009), most of the anxiety arising in a communication
can be categorized into four categories, namely, trait, audience, context and the situation. The
trait related anxiety refers to an individual in which, he avoids speaking in public due to the lack

Business Communication 8
of knowledge or experience. However, it is an initial inhibition and such people can overcome
the anxiety with practice. The audience anxiety is caused by the knowledge or the behavior of
the people. It results in the nervousness of the people. Leutenberg, Liptak, & Brodsky (2008)
have stated that context anxiety is another type of anxiety caused by the uncertainty of the
situation. The situational anxiety is caused by the cultural, social, and psychological factors. It
hinders the ability to communicate; however, communication capability is different from the
communication comprehension. There is strong link between the two capabilities or skills and
the any kind of anxiety can hinder the understanding of the communicators. The anxiety can also
reduce the ability of a person to perform in an unpleasant situation and create negativity in the
mind of the people.
Maravelas (2005) critiqued that the competence in the public speaking can reduce the capability
of a person to advance in his professional life. It is one of the predominant elements in the
professional life and the professional success is characterized by the ability to communicate with
others in a clear manner. The level of communication efficiency can impact on the interpersonal
communication between the managers and other associated and help on network building. It also
drastically impacts on the interpersonal relationships at the workplace. The managers who are
not efficient in communication are less likely to include others in the decision process. It can
increase the communication with the workplace employees. These people have less collaborative
communication with their subordinates. It also increases the credibility in the professional life. It
can be concluded that the level of communication competence has a far reaching effect on the
professional competence of an individual (Kuhnke, 2013).
According to Knapp, Hall & Horgan (2013) tolerance for the disagreement can be
conceptualized or understood by conducting research in a group setting. It is the phenomenon of

Business Communication 9
identifying the communication characteristics in an organization setting. The disagreement in an
organization setting is circumstantially different which means that disagreement is dependent on
the individual circumstances. Along with it, it is also dependent on the opponent in the
communication. The presentation of disagreement is different for different opponents, such as
family members, colleagues or senior employees. In addition to it, disagreement is also different
when the discussion is face to face or online. There are other factors also, such as the background
of the opponent, their position within the company, communication style, ability to influence
which has a formative influence on the shaping of the argument.
The theoretical framework in the generation of an argument comprises of several factors,
including opponents, situation and other similar factors. These factors affect the manner of
disagreement and impacts whether it will shape into a conflict. There are four interpersonal
factors which affect the disagreement or conflicts at the workplace. It includes verbal
communication, non-verbal communication, emotions in communication and the listening. The
verbal communication style affects the disagreement in several factors. There are several factors
in the verbal communication such as precision, expressiveness, assuredness, supportiveness, and
verbal aggressiveness which effects the development of argument. The communication style of
the manager affects other success factors if the organization such as team commitment and the
knowledge sharing between different team members (Koprowska, 2014).
Due to the high importance of the communication in the professional and the business success,
most of the business organization desire excellent communication skills in the future employees.
The effective communication is a dominant skill which is sought by the company and it is linked
to the team efficiency and the opportunity for promotion in the occupation. Most of the talented

Business Communication 10
communicators or speakers understand the needs and the expectations of the audience and
change their communication style accordingly (DeMarco, 2015).
Gardner Milne, Stringer & Whiting,(2005) have stated that the non-verbal communication can
prevent the disagreements in the communications. The non-verbal communication can be
categorized as positive non-verbal communication as well as negative non-verbal
communication. The positive non-verbal communication can enhance the positive signals in the
communication. It can also bring positive attitude towards the communication. It refers to several
immediacy signals such as a smile or a nod which can create positivity to the disagreement. The
emotional aspect of the communication also affects the disagreement in the negotiations. In a
conflicting situation, which demands negotiations are affected by the personal views of another
person (Henderson & Mathew Byrne, 2016). In negotiation situation, if a person shows
disappointment, do not demonstrate confidence or shows worry in the interpersonal
communication increases the negativity in the communication.
Koprowska, (2014) have discussed that the ability to listen is another major factor which
influences the interpersonal communication in the professional setting. It can be critiqued that
the ability to listen is important in increasing the professional competency, increasing the
knowledge base, and enhancing the skill set of the professionals. Listening ability is the skill of
enhancing the professional and the personal competency of the employees. There are variations
in the ability to listen and comprehending the meaning of the communication (Fearn-Banks,
2016).
In the views of Kreuger (2008), the professional environment, the negotiation and conflict-
handling skills impacts on the business growth and overall growth of the organization. As a
result, it is the most desired skill in the potential candidates. It is an asset which can benefit the

Business Communication 11
firm in numerous manners. The ability to negotiate requires a lot of interpersonal and
communication skills, which work together to bring the desired result. The negotiation
circumstances affect the level of negotiation. It is affected by the parties or the group of
individuals and the goals or a project or the contact. The negotiation process requires that two
parties agree and work out a situation which is agreeable to both the parties. It is important that
the effective negotiator analyzes the problems to determine the interest of each of the parties in
the negotiation. It is also important in identifying the issue, the interested parties in the
negotiation and the intended target of the negotiation.
Jia, Cheng, & Hale (2017), it requires extensive preparation regarding the goals, trade areas,
alternatives and the subsequent goals of the negotiation. The person equipped with the
negotiation skills should have active listening skills. Along with it, he should also study the
history of the parties, area of agreement and the common goals. The active listening skill is
required to understand the perspective of both the parties in a debate. It requires learning of the
body language, understanding the verbal communication and identifying the vulnerable areas,
which can be used in the meeting. Listening to the other party can easily lead to the areas worth
negotiation. Another important aspect in establishing oneself as a skilled communicator is the
emotional control in the communication (Elliott, Smith & Gentry, 2015).
As per the views of Mero (2015), it is important that a communicator has the capability to keep
his emotions in check while communicating with others. The negotiation in the communication
process can be frustrating and several times, emotion can take control of the situation which can
result in an unfavorable situation. Collaboration and team work is also essential in reducing the
conflict situations in the workplace. In order to build a positive environment, the communicators
should build the skill as an effective negotiator. They should make efforts to work as a team and

Business Communication 12
foster a collaborative atmosphere for the negotiation of the employees. In a professional
environment, it is also important to build ethical standards and reliability so that a trusting
environment can be created which promotes negotiations in the organization (Calero, 2005).
Moreover, Burgoon, Guerrero & Floyd (2016) have discussed that in order to solve a conflict
situation, the negotiator must be able to explore novel solutions or approaches to reach out the
problem. There are different decisions which have different value for the conflicting sides. It is
important to be creative under stress and identify novel approaches which can appeal both the
parties. Moreover, good interpersonal skills require that the person must be able to take strong
decisions in a small duration.
Action plan
The action plan outlines series of actions which are required to achieve a specific target or goal.
It encompasses different activities and the time devoted to each of them so that the intended
target of the action plan can be achieved. In the above sections, two weaknesses in personal
communication have been identified and an action plan has been formed to get rid of these
issues. The action plan has been formed for duration of six months (Burgoon, Guerrero & Floyd,
2016). In the personal perception, a personal journal is essential part of an action plan. It helps in
keeping track of different activities and monitoring the personal growth. I can monitor the
personal growth and reflect on my progress (Dolan, 2016). At the end of the six months, I can
seek help from the journal in identifying the areas which needs improvement and, which
strategies are effective in dealing with these strategies. The journal would be beneficial in the
personal planning of the organization.

Business Communication 13
Other than that, mentoring is also an effective strategy to deal with the communication issues.
The mentor can suggest effective strategies to deal with the interpersonal communication
problem and learn confidence strategies. It is important to understand that the confidence
building and development is a necessary for the professional growth. I will hire one of the
professors the University as my mentor so that I can hone my professional interpersonal
communication skills (De Vries, Bakker-Pieper & Oostenveld, 2010).
There are several University courses as well as short-term private programs which can assist in
building confidence. I will enroll in one such professional course.
As the major weakness is the inefficiency in giving presentation, I will seek professional courses
which focus on public speaking and giving presentations (Cocks, Moulton, Luu & Cil, 2014).
Other than that, the mental practice and preparation are also an effective strategy to deal with the
difficult situations. It can be comprehended that the communication skills can be improved by
visualizing the situation in the mind. It will also reduce the anxiety or the stress level related to
the upcoming situation. I will also engage in reading different literature related to
communication anxiety and interpersonal conflicts. I have selected various books which can be
used as a self-help guide for improving my professionalism and effectiveness in the
communication place. Such courses increase the skill of a person and assist him in identifying
which communication medium is beneficial in which situation. There are also several books
which can reduce the public speaking anxiety and enhances the knowledge of designing the
presentations in an effective manner. Such courses also enhance the knowledge of the person
regarding the non-verbal communication methods. These methods can increase the effectiveness
as a communicator (Cengage Learning, 2017).

Business Communication 14
Gantt chart
Action plan
Activities
1st-2nd month 2rd-3rd month 4th to 5 month 6th month
Short term
courses
University
courses
Reading
Journal
keeping
Mentoring
Evaluation
of the
methods

Business Communication 15
References
Angour, J. (2012). Managing disagreement in problem solving meeting talk. Journal of
Pragmatics, 44, 1565-1579. doi: 10.1016/j.pragma.2012.06.010
Burgoon, J.K., Guerrero, L.K., & Floyd, K. (2016). Nonverbal Communication. Routledge.
Calero, H.H. (2005). The Power of Nonverbal Communication: How You Act is More Important
Than what You Say. Silver Lake Publishing.
Cengage Learning. (2017). Umm . . .: A Complete Guide to Public Speaking. Retrieved on 28
january 2018 from https://www.questia.com/library/119674157/umm-a-complete-guide-
to-publicspeaking
Cocks, M., Moulton, C. A. Luu, S., & Cil, T. (2014). What surgeons can learn from athletes:
mental practice in sports and surgery. Journal of Surgical Education, 71(2), 262–269.
doi: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2013.07.002
De Vries. R. E., Bakker-Pieper, A., & Oostenveld, W. (2010). Leadership = Communication?
The relations of leaders ‘communication styles with leadership styles, knowledge
sharing and leadership outcomes. Journal of Business & Psychology, 25(3), 367-380.
doi: 10.1007/s10869-009-9140-2
DeMarco, J. (2015). Desensitizing Anger: A Comprehensive Anger Management Guide. Page
Publishing Inc.
Dolan, R. (2016). Branding Yourself Effective Communication Skills. FEMS Microbiology
Letters, fnw289.(page 9)

Business Communication 16
Elliott, C.H., Smith, L.L., & Gentry, S.W.D. (2015). Anger Management For Dummies. John
Wiley & Sons.
Fearn-Banks, K. (2016). Crisis communications: A casebook approach. Routledge (page 9)
Gardner C. T, Milne, M. J., Stringer C. P., & Whiting, R. H. (2005). Oral and written
communication apprehension in accounting students: curriculum impacts and impacts
on academic performance. International Journal of Accounting Education, 14(3), 313–
336. doi: 10.1080=0693928050007726
Hartman, J. L., & McCambridge, J. (2011). Optimizing millennials’ communication styles.
Business Communication Quarterly, 74(1), 22-44. doi: 10.1177/1080569910395564
Henderson, K., & Mathew Byrne, J. (2016). Developing communication and interviewing
skills. Skills for social work practice, 1-22. (page 7)
Jia, M., Cheng, J. & Hale, C. L. (2017) Workplace emotion and communication: Supervisor
nonverbal immediacy, employees’ emotion experience, and their communication
motives. Management Communication Quarterly, 31(1), 69-87.
doi:10.1177/0893318916650519
Knapp, M.L., Hall, J.A., & Horgan, T.G. (2013). Nonverbal Communication in Human
Interaction. Cengage Learning.
Koprowska, J. (2014). Communication and interpersonal skills in social work. Learning Matters.
Kreuger, J. (2008). Nonverbal Communication. GRIN Verlag.
Kuhnke, E. (2013). Communication skills for dummies (1st ed.). Chichester: Wiley.

Business Communication 17
Leutenberg, E., Liptak, J., & Brodsky, A. (2008). The Communication Skills Workbook (1st ed.).
Whole Person Associates.
Maravelas, A. (2005). How to Reduce Workplace Conflict and Stress: How Leaders and Their
Employees Can Protect Their Sanity and Productivity from Tension and Turf Wars. Red
Wheel/Weiser.
Marinho, A. C. F, Mesquita de Medeiros, A., Gama A. C. C, & Teixeira, L. C. (2017). Fear of
public speaking: perception of college students and correlates. Journal of Voice, 31(1),
127.e7–127.e11. doi: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2015.12.012
Marra, M. (2012). Disagreeing without being disagreeable: Negotiating workplace communities
as an outsider. Journal of Pragmatics, 44, 1580-1590. doi:10.1016/j.pragma.2012.06.009
McKay, M., Davis, M., & Fanning, P. (2009). Messages: The Communication Skills Book (1st
ed.). Oakland, Calif.: New Harbinger Publications.
Mehrabian, A. (2017). Nonverbal Communication. Routledge.
Mero, J. (2015). The Role of Non-Verbal Communication in Intercultural Business. GRIN
Verlag.

Business Communication 18