Effective Communication Strategies in Business
Listening 8
Key Takeaways from a Cross-Cultural Business Event
1. What did he say was his mistake?
He didn’t talk about the successes of the Russian bank and what the Spanish bank could learn from them.
2. What else does he say he did wrong?
He didn’t co-present with the local boss, which had a negative impact on the event.
3. What is his advice for professionals?
Principally, you need to show respect for the people, and especially for the local management and their successes.
Listening 9
Evaluating an Email-Free Day Proposal
1. Which proposal is being discussed?
A proposal to have an email-free day in the company.
2. Summarize the opinions of the colleagues regarding the proposal.
- Jari: Agrees with the idea. He believes it is actively addressing the problem.
- Marie: Agrees that email is a problem but thinks the email-free day idea is not the right solution.
- Sue: Agrees with the proposal. She thinks it will make people think about how they use email.
Listening 10
Decision-Making and Project Management
1. How does Kaneko describe the decision-making process?
Slow and relatively careful.
2. He says the style has…?
He says the company has to accelerate its decision-making because it’s a competitive advantage.
3. What target does the company have?
To reduce product development time to six months from twelve.
4. Which two factors make it difficult to achieve this target?
The fact that many levels of management have to approve decisions, which is time-consuming, and the project team culture of working together means it takes more time to get a collective decision.
5. Why does Kaneko believe it’s harder to reach decisions via teleconference?
Because speakers can’t see each other and gauge how people are feeling.
6. How does Kaneko describe his own decision-making style?
Fast; he likes to get things done and move on.
Listening 11
Strategies for Efficient Decision-Making
1. What two things does the team need to decide?
What decision to take; how to take it.
2. Which two decisions does the team leader want to finalize?
Final decision on product design; final launch date.
3. She says she doesn’t want a ‘big…’ Why not?
They don’t have much time. They have already discussed a lot. The project leader suggests listing what she likes and doesn’t like and then taking feedback.
4. The designer wants to ‘slow down’ the decision. Why?
To make sure the right decision is made. It’s difficult and expensive to return to the design phase again.
Listening 13
Active Listening and Building Rapport
1. In Abhijit’s opinion, what is the biggest barrier to effective listening?
We listen for what is important to us and not what the other person is trying to communicate.
2. How does he try to overcome this?
He listens carefully, concentrates, and asks for clarification if necessary.
3. What helps to build ‘two-way’ understanding?
Showing interest and intent to solve a problem.
4. How important is face-saving in his culture?
It doesn’t often happen, but when it does, it requires careful handling.
5. How does Abhijit say we can make our partner feel valued?
You have to show positive intent.
Listening 15
Adapting Presentations to Different Audiences
1. What is the most important advice for giving presentations to international audiences?
Work with others to make the presentation understandable for them.
2. Which two universal rules of presenting does Dom mention?
Customize the message and style to the different needs and perspectives of different audiences. Simplify everything to be structured, logical, and focused on the main points; keep it short.
3. How is the style of presentation in the UK different, according to Dom?
In the UK, presentations can be longer and heavier to convince the client that the presenter is an expert.
4. Dom tells a story about a manager who…?
The manager communicated in too strong a way and upset people. The main message of the story is that it is important to adapt your style to the local context or you will fail.