TRUIMPHANT COLLAGE

Assignment 1
Name: Bronwine F. Morris
Address: B9, Taurus court, BC Barnes street, Klein Windhoek
Student number: 2019021770
Course: Business Management
Subject: Business Communication
Due date: 22 March 2019
Lecturer: Ms. Olivia Shilongo
QUESTION 1.

1. The use of jargon.

Over-complicated, unfamiliar and/or technical terms.
2. Emotional barriers and taboos.
Some people may find it difficult to express their emotions and some topics may be completely
'off-limits' or taboo. Taboo or difficult topics may include, but are not limited to, politics, religion,
disabilities (mental and physical), sexuality and sex, racism and any opinion that may be seen
as unpopular.
3. Lack of attention, interest, distractions, or irrelevance to the receiver
4. Differences in perception and viewpoint.
5. Physical disabilities such as hearing problems or speech difficulties.
6. Physical barriers to non-verbal communication.
Not being able to see the non-verbal cues, gestures, posture and general body language can
make communication less effective. Phone calls, text messages and other communication
methods that rely on technology are often less effective than face-to-face communication.
7. Language differences and the difficulty in understanding unfamiliar accents.
8. Expectations and prejudices which may lead to false assumptions or stereotyping. People often
hear what they expect to hear rather than what is actually said and jump to incorrect conclusions.
9. Cultural differences.
The norms of social interaction vary greatly in different cultures, as do the way in which emotions
are expressed. For example, the concept of personal space varies between cultures and
between different social settings.

Question 2

The Non-Verbal Communication is the process of conveying meaning without the use of words
either written or spoken. In other words, any communication made between two or more persons
through the use of facial expressions, hand movements, body language, postures, and gestures
is called as non-verbal communication. The Non-Verbal Communication, unlike the verbal
communication, helps in establishing and maintaining the interpersonal relationships while the
verbal’s only help in communicating the external events. People use non-verbal’s to express
emotions and interpersonal attitudes, conduct rituals such as greetings and bring forward one’s
personality.

1. Proxemics
People often refer to their need for "personal space," which is also an important type of nonverbal
communication. The amount of distance we need and the amount of space we perceive as
belonging to us is influenced by a number of factors including social norms, cultural expectations,
situational factors, personality characteristics, and level of familiarity. For example, the amount
of personal space needed when having a casual conversation with another person usually varies
between 18 inches to four feet. On the other hand, the personal distance needed when speaking
to a crowd of people is around 10 to 12 feet.

2. Body Language and Posture

Posture and movement can also convey a great deal of information. Research on body language
has grown significantly since the 1970's, but popular media have focused on the over-
interpretation of defensive postures, arm-crossing, and leg-crossing, especially after publishing
Julius Fast's book Body Language.
 3. Eye Gaze
The eyes play an important role in nonverbal communication and such things as looking, staring
and blinking are important nonverbal behaviors. When people encounter people or things that
they like, the rate of blinking increases and pupils dilate. Looking at another person can indicate
a range of emotions including hostility, interest, and attraction.

Question 3

1. Confidence
According to a study published by the University of Wolverhampton “A highly confident speaker
is viewed as being more accurate, competent, credible, intelligent, knowledgeable, likable, and
believable than the less confident uncertain speaker.”

2. Passion
In order to really communicate to people through speech, you need to have passion about your
subject. Without passion, your speech is meaningless. You need to exude a level of sincerity in
your emotion when communicating to your audience if you want them to be moved by your
presentation.

3. Be Yourself
You don’t have to be someone else on stage, all you have to do is just be yourself. Sometimes,
no matter how much you believe in your message or how well you’ve rehearsed, if you don’t act
like yourself in front of the group, your audience may view your speech as insincere or calculated.

4. Practice, not memorization

In order to ‘be yourself’ in a presentation, you shouldn’t memorize your speech in absolutes.
Practice your speech as often as possible, but be willing to change up the wording. This makes
it easier to change it up during the actual presentation if things aren’t going exactly as planned.
Memorization can set up a barrier between you and your audience.

5. Connect with your Audience

A speech is just like a conversation, which means you need to communicate your message to
someone else. In this sense, there is no difference between talking to one person or a thousand.

Question 4

Advantages of using email

Email can increase efficiency, productivity and your business readiness. Using email in business
is:

 cheap - sending an email costs the same regardless of distance and the number of people you
send it to
 fast - an email should reach its recipient in minutes, or at the most within a few hours
 convenient - your message will be stored until the recipient is ready to read it, and you can easily
send the same message to a large number of people
 permanent - you can keep a record of messages and replies, including details of when a
message was received
One of the main advantages of email is that you can quickly and easily send electronic files such
as text documents, photos and data sheets to several contacts simultaneously by attaching the
file to an email.
 Disadvantages of using email
Despite the host of benefits, there are certain weaknesses of email that you should be aware of,
such as:
 Spam - unsolicited email can overwhelm your email system unless you install a firewall and anti-
spam software. Other internet and email security issues may arise, especially if you're using the
cloud or remote access.
 Viruses - easily spread through email attachments. See how to detect spam, malware and
viruses.
 Sending emails by mistake - at a click of a button, an email can go to the wrong person
accidentally, potentially leaking confidential data and sensitive business information. You should
take care to minimize the likelihood of business data breach and theft.
 Data storage - electronic storing space can become a problem, particularly where emails with
large attachments are widely distributed.
Less formal nature of email can lead to careless or even libelous remarks being made which can
damage your business.

Question 5

1. Prepare
Take a moment to prepare before you pick up the phone. Write down the key points you need
to cover during the conversation, as well as any questions you need to ask. This will also serve
as an outline to help guide you through the call while maintaining control of the conversation.

2. Identify Yourself
Always identify yourself to the party that answers the phone. To sound as professional as
possible, give your first and last name as well as your title if applicable. If your call will be lengthy
and you sense that the person you're calling is pressed for time or otherwise distracted, try to
set a better time when you can call back.

3. Identify Purpose
You can exchange pleasantries, such as a brief "How are you today," but don't get involved in
an extended conversation about sports or the weather, as this can serve as a distraction from
the purpose of your call. State the purpose politely and directly, such as, "I received your email
this morning and I'm calling to follow up."

4. Take Time to Listen

While you may be intent on achieving the purpose of your call, be sure that you engage in a two-
sided conversation. Give the other party time to respond to your points and ask any questions
they may have. Be careful not to interrupt unless you discover that the other party is drifting from
the topic at hand. If this occurs, interrupt politely by saying, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but another
question just popped into my mind and I want to ask it before I forget."

5. Review Call
Before hanging up, review what was accomplished during the call with the other party and be
sure you both agree on what should happen next. If additional communication is required, set
up a specific day and time for a follow-up phone call or other method of communication such as
email. Always part on a pleasant note, even if the end result of the call is that a business
relationship won't occur or continue at present.
Question 6

1. Do your research
Always do your research on a company before your head into an interview. Wouldn’t it be a
shame to get hired only to discover you don’t even want to work there? At the very least, research
information about the company and the job, and do a Google search for current news on the
company.

2. Prepare stories to tell

Part of a successful job interview is your ability to market your experiences and skills as they
relate to the job described, and a great way to do just that is by telling stories to illustrate your
experiences and successes with those skills.

3. Gather your questions

A classic recruiter pet peeve is the part of the interview when they wonder out loud if you have
any questions for them, and you simply reply “no.” That can be a big strike against you.

4. Dress for success

While your skill and experience should stand on their own, to have a successful job interview,
start with your clothing. Dress one level above the job you’re seeking. It’s not all about expensive
suits and ensembles — it’s about looking the part and wearing clothes that are clean and fit you
well.

5. Bring what you need

Although you may have emailed your resume to the company, bring paper copies for you and
your interviewer to refer to. It’s also a good idea to have paper copies of your references list in
the event that you are asked for them. These should always be on a separate sheet of paper,
not on your resume.

6. Respect the schedule

How to succeed in a job interview 101: Plan to arrive for your interview 10-15 minutes before the
appointed time. Arriving too early can confuse the employer and create an awkward situation.
On the other hand, arriving late creates a bad first impression and may doom your chances right
off the bat.
REFRENCES

1. Author: Jacob Share

12 Tips for How to Succeed in a Job Interview
https://www.livecareer.com/career/advice/interview/interview-success

2. Author: Chris Joseph writes for websites and online publications, covering business and
technology. He holds a Bachelor of Science in marketing from York College of
Pennsylvania Joseph.
Accessed 27 March 2019.
Pathway to Tomorrow: Making a Business Call

3. By Kendra Cherry
Updated March 14, 2019
Accessed 27 March 2019
www.verywellmind.com/types-of-nonverbal-communication

4. © Skills You Need (2017)

Accessed 27 March 2019
https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/barriers-communication.html

5. Benefits of email and the internet

www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/advantages-and-disadvantages-using-email-business