BUSN20017 - Business Communication: A Reflective Essay on Skills

This essay presents a self-reflective analysis of personal business communication skills, utilizing five diagnostic tools to identify areas for improvement, specifically public speaking anxiety and low tolerance for disagreement. The author reflects on their communication style, acknowledging issues with anger management and stage fright. A literature review explores these communication challenges and potential solutions. The essay details experiences in classroom activities that enhanced the understanding of business communication dimensions. The diagnostic tools used include the Self-Perceived Communication Competence (SPCC), intercultural communication apprehension, non-verbal immediacy scale, talkoholic scale, and public speaking skills assessment. The author admits to experiencing public anxiety and difficulty in expressing thoughts during disagreements, which impacts professional interactions. The literature review further discusses communication apprehension, its causes (trait, audience, context, and situational anxiety), and the importance of public speaking in professional life. The essay concludes by highlighting the need to develop leadership skills and confidence in multicultural settings.

Running Head: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION 1
Business Communication

Business Communication 2
Part 1
Diagnosis and Reflection
In the professional life, the business communication has a high importance. It means that
it is necessary for the professional growth and achieving leadership position at the workplace. A
professional with superior communication skills has certain advantages over other employees
with average communication skills. Suh professional can easily achieve leadership roles and
quick growth in their corporate lives. The business professionals with good communication skills
can clearly send the intended message to the people. They will be known as effective
communicator and can easily convey the actual and clear message to the audience. Good
business communication skills are necessary in every aspect of social and professional life. It is
important in developing a document, a presentation or a speech. In this regard, the present essay
has highlighted the importance of business communication skills in the professional life
(Angour, 2012). It is a reflective essay, in which the personal communication skills are analyzed
through communication diagnosis tools and an action plan is proposed to eradicate these issues.
The communication tools are identified to analyze the weakness in the personal communication
and identify two major issues in the communication style of the person. These diagnosis tools
were given at the classrooms, wherein we have to apply these tools and identify the results.
According to the results of these tools, there were two primary weaknesses in my personal
communication style, namely, public speaking and low tolerance for disagreement (Burgoon,
Guerrero & Floyd, 2016). I agree with the results as I have observed in my personal
communication style that I have issues in managing my anger. I also have stage fear and find it
difficult in communicating with a large number of people. In the essay, a literature review has

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been conducted, which has discussed these communication issues and the way to eradicate these
issues.
During the completion of the project, I have to participate in various classroom activities, which
has improved my understanding of the importance of the business communication. It has also
improved my understanding of the various dimensions of business communication, which are
essential to become an effective communicator (Calero, 2005).
It is a group project, in which we have to use five different communication diagnostic
tools and investigate the ranking in different communication dimensions. Each tool gave us a
score, which can be used to interpret the results. The first tool given to us is the self-perceived
communication competence (SPCC) which identifies the communication competence of a
person, while he is communicating to people in different category. It analyzes the
communication competence of an individual in different communication setting, such as while
communicating to a friend, an acquaintance in the same age category, an acquaintance in
different age group and communicating to a total stranger.
The second tool used in the exercise was the intercultural communication apprehension. This
scale analyzes the communication capability of a person, while he is communicating with an
individual from different culture community. It analyzes the communication situation and the
behavior of an individual in different cultural setting (Cocks, Moulton, Luu, & Cil, 2014). The
third tool used in the analysis is the non-verbal immediacy scale, which analyzes the capability
of a person to understand non-verbal cues. While completing this test, I also realize that the
scores are gender-specific. In the same essence, the fourth and the fifth tool used are the
talkoholic scale and the public speaking skills.

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While completing this test, I realize that I have public anxiety issues. In this phenomenon, I do
not prefer becoming the limelight or center of attraction. I realize that I become unconfident
while presenting my views to other persons. The nervousness is also associated with public
anxiety. The nervousness can be associated with forgetfulness, or excessive sweating of an
individual (DeMarco, 2015). A business professional should have a proper knowledge and ability
to speak in public to a large number of audiences. Business communication helps a person in
communicating business goals and achieving them.
During the accomplishment of the test, I realize that I have a tendency to avoid fight and cannot
present my thoughts in a clear manner, in a string discussion or fight. I realized that I accept the
viewpoints of other people, without contradicting them so as not to hurt them. I realize that I
avoid such instances to avoid fight. However, it has resulted in bullying and I cannot completely
justify my image at the workplace. It is also necessary to enhance the confidence and capabilities
of a person (Dolan, 2016).
According to the personal perception, the results acquired during these tests are correct and
authentic. I myself perceive that I have issues related to public anxiety, which inhibits my
communication with my colleagues and peers. I also realize that I have issues in public speaking.
There were several instances at the workplace wherein I was not able to properly communicate
my thoughts to the peers. In order to avoid fight, I was not able to present my thoughts to my
manager s in a clear manner. It is cowardly and most of the people take advantage of such
behavior. In the professional settings, it is important to understand that such behavior is
unacceptable. It should be realized that an individual should develop leadership skills and able to
motivate others with their vision. In the professional setting, it is important to build confidence
and build skills to communicate with other people (Fearn-Banks, 2016). Further, in multicultural

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setting, an individual meets several different people with different ethnic background. It is
important to note that in such setting, an individual should be able to demonstrate leadership
skills and capabilities. My score was adequate in the non-verbal immediacy test, which shows
that I develop an emotional bond with other people.
The self-perceived communication competence scale can be used to analyze the confidence of an
individual in different social settings. However, my score was low in this scale, which shows that
I have public anxiety. The questionnaire has about 35 questions and analyzes the response of an
individual at different social setting. There were several questions, in which the score was very
low. I feel unconfident and confused while speaking to a large audience. Due to the fear and
anxiety, I forget the speech while communicating or speaking in front of large crowd (Hartman
& McCambridge, 2011). The result of the scale is low, which shows that I am unable to
communicate in front of large people.
The last diagnostic tool, which I used, was talkoholic scale. This scale analyzes the
compulsiveness of the communication process. The talkoholic people speak a lot and are
addicted to it. They feel as though they need to talk every single moment. Although talkoholic
people communicate a lot, they are not efficient communicators as they cannot control their
communication. Moreover, they cannot handle what information they are revealing in the
communication process. It is a general perception, that if a person speaks a lot, he has efficient
communication kills; however, it is not always true. The competency of the communication can
be analyzed through the proper communication at the proper time. According to the scale, I am a
compulsive speaker. It means that I talk excessively. I myself have realized that I sometimes talk
too much and it makes other people getting bored. I do not leave any opportunity to speak,

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which makes it easy for the people to communicate (Henderson & Mathew Byrne, 2016).
However, talking excessively shows my weakness that I become dependent on other people.
The results obtained in the test are accurate as I have personally seen such behavior in my
personality. Overall, the test result shows that while I am comfortable communicating with
people of same age group and friends, it is difficult for me to communicate with people outside a
certain age group. According to the results, I feel uncomfortable while communicating with the
large group in the public setting. According to the results, I have anxiety while giving
presentation to a large group of people.
I remember that in the personal lives too, I have encountered several instances in which I
was asked to give a PowerPoint presentation; however, I felt uncomfortable and anxious while
speaking in front of a large public. At that time, I was an intern and the audience comprises of
experiences or skilled people. Therefore, I felt extremely nervous and in front of all these people.
As a result, I felt nervous as I was uncomfortable while communicating with the audience. I
forgot several main points while communicating with the clients (Knapp, Hall & Horgan, 2013).
As I am hesitant to communicate with my peers, once I was given a responsibility outside my
pre-agreed work responsibilities. However, as I am hesitant in communicating with my peers, I
agreed to take the responsibility.
Part 2 Literature Review
In the present section, a literature review has been conducted in regard to the weakness
identified in the above reflective section. It will assist the students in learning the communication
issues. The assist the student in learning the communication issues and addressing the issues

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related to communication. The present section will discuss these issues and provide their solution
in a proper manner.
In the views of Koprowska (2014), the communication apprehension refers to the hesitation
while communicating with the peers. It refers to the hesitation in clearly presenting oneself in
front of large group of people. Such people are concerned about some unexpected situation in the
communication process. The people having strong social fear or anxiety are never able to leave a
good impression in spite of their capabilities. They have a high degree of negative feelings and
do not voluntary participate in the communication. Such people might restrain themselves in
communicating with other person. Further, such people only passively engage in the
communication process (Worth, 2009).
In the perception of Kreuger (2008), there can be four reasons, which increase the anxiety in the
communication process. These reasons are trait, audience, context and the situational anxiety.
The trait anxiety theory states that the person has in-born, natural characteristics which inhibit
the communication in front of high population. The trait anxiety arises, when a person is not able
to speak at public platforms due to the lack of knowledge or experience. However, currently, a
large number of programs and university courses have been introduced which can improve the
trait related anxiety. Further, this anxiety can be reduces, if the person regularly practices to
overcome the anxiety. According to Leutenberg, Liptak, & Brodsky (2008) the audience anxiety
is another anxiety, which results from the high-class audience and behavior of different people.
The audience anxiety develops, when an individual is specifically busy in due to the
demographics and the characteristic of the audience. The situational anxiety occurs, when the
person is concerned about the culture, social issues and the psychological factors. The context
anxiety occurs, when the person is concerned about the uncertainty of the situation. The

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communication comprehension is a significant challenge in the multicultural setting. In a global
environment or challenging workplace, anxiety reduces the ability of a person to perform in an
unpleasant situation. It also creates a negative impression (Vangelisti, 2016).
In the perception of Maravelas (2005), the public speaking is important in the professional life of
an individual. The people with high quality of public speaking can easily advance their career. It
is a significant factor in the professional life and the professional success of a person is
characterized by the ability to communicate with other people in a proper manner. The
communication efficiency might impact the interpersonal communication and the relationships
with the managers. It is also an effective technique to build professional relationships at the
workplace.
According to Marra (2012) the managers, who are not efficient in communication, are not able to
take proper and correct decisions after the workplace. The managers, who are not efficient in
communication process, might include others in the decision process. They are not proficient in
the decision making process. Other than that, people with less collaborative communication with
the subordinates also create workplace complexities. Therefore, it can be comprehended that
communication comprehension has a direct impact on the professional competence of a person
(Simpson, 2015).
In the perspective of McKay, Davis, & Fanning (2009) the tolerance for the disagreement
reduces the learning ability of an individual. An individual can conduct research in the group
setting and it might impact the communication characteristics of the organization. In an
organization setting, the disagreement impacts the individual performance of the team. It also
creates opponent in the business organization. The nature of disagreement is different, when the

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person is face to face or communicating through online medium. There are also several other
factors, such as the background of the opponents, their hierarchy in the company and influence
within the company, which might impact the argument in organization (Reilly and Hynan, 2014).
It can be critiqued that conflicts between employees can arise from unresolved issues and faulty
system. However, conflicts can also result in developing creativity and innovation. In the
workplace, conflicts can be addressed through different negotiation skills. The negotiation can
resolve conflicts and disputes at the workplace or home. The negotiation skills can be improved
through a series of role plays and experiential learning situations. The negotiation skills can be
learnt by collective or one-to-one setting. The participants can gain insight from the negotiation
bias, weaknesses and developing the confidence and individual competency (Mehrabian, 2017).
In the views of Mero (2015) there are several cross-cultural issues, which might increases
conflicts at the workplace. The program provides unique and detailed examination of the culture
in the resolution of the conflicts. However, conflicts can have a destructive impact on the
performance of the team. There are several communication aspects, which are inherent in
workplace conflicts, namely, verbal communication, non-verbal communication, emotions and
listening. The verbal communication impacts several different aspects of communication such as
assuredness, supportiveness and the verbal aggressiveness. It impacts the development of the
argument (McKay, Davis, & Fanning, 2009). There are other different factors, namely, team
commitment and knowledge sharing, which impact the communication between different team
members.
In the perspective of Berent (2011) the business organizations also expect high professional
skills and interpersonal skills in their employees. As the employees of the organization represent

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the organization, they should possess appropriate communication skills. The communication is a
dominant skill, and most of the companies have made is a top criterion for the recruitment. The
communication skills are a dominant skill, which is associated with the efficiency of the
employees. The communication is a dominant skill and associated with the team efficiency and
increases the chances of promotion in the occupation. Further, it has been highlighted that the
people with high level of communication skills can adapt their communication style according to
the audience.
In the views of Baraldi (2017) the non-verbal communication can prevent disagreements in the
communication system. It can prevent disagreements in the organization. The positive non-
verbal communication can improve the attitude towards the communication. There are several
instances such as smile or establishing positivity, which can reduce the disagreement. There are
also certain emotional aspects of the communication, such as demand negotiations, which can
improve the communication process. In negotiation, if a person shows disappointment, it shows
worry in the personal communication.
According to Chaloupka-Risser & Füssl (2017) the communication process can be improved by
becoming a keen listener in the communication process. The ability to listen can enhance
professional competence and improve the knowledge of an individual person. Listening skills is
essential in making sound decisions and becoming aware of the surroundings. The negotiation
and the conflict-handling skills can improve the business and the overall growth of the
organization. The business communication is the most desired skill of the organization. It is an
additional skill, which is beneficial for the firm in several different ways. It increases the
productivity of the organization and also improves the brand image of the organization. In the
negotiation process, two parties agree and work on a similar situation and create an arrangement,

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which is agreeable to both the parties. The negotiator determines the interest of different parties
in the negotiation process (Kuhnke, 2013).
Further, it is necessary that a communicator controls his emotions, while communicating with
each other. The negotiation process can be frustrating; however, by keeping the emotions in
check, a person can achieve an agreeable situation. The negotiation process requires
collaboration between the team members. It will also reduce the conflicts at the workplace. In
order to build a positive environment, it is important to learn negotiation skills.
In the views Choren (2015) the hesitation in the public speaking arises from shyness, which
might be a personality trait or arises occasionally. Most of the people have experienced shyness
at one time or other. The shyness or hesitation is used to describe people who are quiet, reserved
or timid. For some people, it is an occasional emotion whereas for some other people, it is a
personality trait. However, it can be referred as a response from fear, which can pervade the lives
of the people and prevent them from their regular behavior. It can create a significant hurdle in
personal fulfillment and achieving the career goals. However, the shyness is a broad term;
however, shyness from the large groups or public speaking is referred as social anxiety
(Leutenberg, Liptak & Brodsky, 2008). The interaction related anxiety is an extreme term and
the person avoids all the situations, which might cause people to avoid the specific situation.
Action Plan
The action plan refers to the set of activities, which can be used to address a specific target or
organization’s goals. The action plan encompasses certain activities, which shows the targeted
efforts of to achieve certain goals. In the above section, two significant weaknesses have been
identified and an action plan has been developed to address these weaknesses. In the present, an

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action plan has been developed for six months as it is a substantial time to change certain
behavioral aspects. A personal journal is kept to monitor the activities and reflect on the
improvement plans. The personal journals also used to evaluate if the activities were enough to
introduce the behavioral change or requires further intervention (Dolan, 2016).
It is analyzed that mentoring is also a significant strategy, which can be used to develop the
communication skills of an individual. The mentoring is an appropriate strategy, which can be
used to understand the interpersonal skills and learn confidence strategies. I realized that I have
to develop confidence and enhance my professional growth (Fearn-Banks, 2016). In this
strategy, a senior person guides a junior fellow. The junior fellow will get access to knowledge
base, which can be beneficial in the future.
There are several University professors, who provide short-term private programs, which can be
used to develop confidence. I also learnt that I have an inherent weakness about communicating
with the people while speaking in front of large audience (Henderson & Mathew Byrne, 2016).
Therefore, I will take classes and professional courses so that I can address this behavioral issue.
In order to address the conflict issues, it is important to develop a strategy, which can be used to
deal with difficult situations. The communication skills can be improved by communicating and
visualizing the situation with other people. With the preparation, a person can also reduce the
anxiety level in a foreign situation. Further, I will also read different literature and learn about
communication anxiety and interpersonal conflicts. In the present, I have read several books,
which might seem helpful in dealing with challenging social situations (Koprowska, 2014). The
self-help guide can be used for professionalism and increasing effectiveness in the workplace.