Business ethics: concept, principles, norms, features

Business communication is a form of communication interaction that is based on the basic principles, norms and rules of business etiquette and is characterized by a focus on relationships with subjects or a group of subjects to obtain mutually beneficial results. Subjects who take part in professional communication interaction adhere to the official style of communication and are aimed at obtaining results by solving assigned tasks and achieving established goals.

The skills of competently conducting a business conversation and a correct understanding of the personal characteristics of the interlocutor, his goals, objectives and interests can be considered the determining factors for conducting successful professional meetings and negotiations.

Ethics of business communication

Unlike other types of communication interactions, for example, personal or social, business communication has its own meaningful characteristics and features. The identification of such features allows us to give a more specific and complete definition of the concept of “business communication”.

The ethics of business communication is determined by how successfully the distinctive features of national psychological types preserved in group ideas about the state, nationality, and in phraseological turns that contain generalized characteristics of the image are taken into account.

Knowledge of national and understanding of the psychological types of different nationalities, their traditions, customs, uniqueness of cultural and historical heritage, their customs, language, peculiarities of expression of feelings, temperament, is urgently necessary for a business person, regardless of his field of activity, professional orientation, since it promotes effective communication , overcoming national egoism, fostering respect for the culture of other peoples.

The ethics of business communication is fundamentally based on many sciences, in particular on the psychology of management and communication, ethics, and the scientific organization of labor. The study of communication ethics is driven by the needs of the modern world. Psychology and ethics of business communication are unique pillars of successful interaction with various individuals.

A person, regardless of his role (a leader or middle manager, a simple entrepreneur or a civil servant), must certainly be able to clearly formulate his own thoughts, argue his point of view, analyze the judgments of a partner, and critically evaluate relevant statements and proposals. For this, the most important condition is the ability to listen to the interlocutor, correctly conduct and direct the conversation, create a friendly atmosphere during communication, and make a positive impression. All these skills are impossible without appropriate preliminary training.

The central element of communication ethics is the direct personality of the leader or subordinate. In order to become a professional and an excellent specialist in any industry, it is not enough to have the necessary knowledge and skills, and interpersonal skills. In addition, you also need to have an appropriate level of speech culture and internal culture. Speech culture and business communication are closely interconnected.

Today, ethical argumentation is represented by the two most common principles of its construction: the principle of utilitarianism and the moral imperative. The principle of utilitarianism is based on an action that will be considered morally justified provided that it tends to benefit the maximum number of people. The amount of damage caused is compared with the total benefit of the action. If the harm outweighs, then the decision is considered unethical. In cases where any alternative actions will cause damage to some extent, the path of least damage is chosen. The principle of the moral imperative is based on the fact that moral decisions under no circumstances depend on a specific consequence (i.e., a bribe is bad, deceiving one consumer is the same immoral act as many).

Business communication etiquette is considered the most important aspect of people’s professional behavior. Knowledge of etiquette is an urgently needed professional quality that must be acquired and improved. The role of business communication in the success of any business is difficult to overestimate. It is a necessary component of the life of individuals, the most important type of interaction with other individuals. After all, it is in communication that a certain system of goals is developed, which is characterized to some extent by stability. To achieve success in conversations with business partners, you must understand and take into account their interests. No less important for people is the ability to competently formulate and express their thoughts, to achieve mutual understanding in solving problems in the direct interaction of individuals.

Don't neglect your health and that of others

Bosses must take care of their subordinates. If a project is on deadline, you can ask employees to work overtime, but they should be given an extra day off for this overtime. If overtime happens too often, think about how correctly the work process is set up. Perhaps your trusted people who oversee this or that project are not coping with the task assigned to them.

In the ethics of professional and business communication, there are invisible boundaries that separate each person. This area is called personal space. It should not be violated. Each person should take care not to overstep the boundaries of a colleague’s personal space and not bring his delicate spiritual nature to tears. Such cases are not uncommon. In any team you can meet energy vampires who do nothing but spoil the mood of those around them.

Psychology of business communication

In psychological terms, communication interaction is at the same time an exchange of actions, thoughts, emotional experiences, feelings and the orientation of the individual towards himself, his own soul, conscience, dreams.

Business communication can be considered a process that is based on education and self-education. This is a form of personal creativity that helps to identify and develop the best sides of an individual’s personality.

Psychology and ethics of business communication are components of a complex of sciences that are based on the basic categories and principles of most sciences.

The effectiveness of business communication interaction is, first of all, determined by the activities of the subjects. Such activity has a socially significant equivalent, which can ultimately be measured by such a valuable and important indicator as monetary resources.

Business communication helps to establish connections and develop relationships aimed at cooperation and partnership between colleagues, superiors and subordinates, partners, rivals and competitors. A specialist, not to mention a manager, will never be successful in his activities if he does not master at least the basics of business communication. Communication interaction requires a high psychological culture from the individual.

Successful business communication also requires constant study and consideration of the emotional aspects of relationships. Often business people believe that feelings have no place in business, but they are very mistaken. After all, not paying attention to the feelings and emotional experiences of employees, you can lead the team to serious conflicts that will cost the enterprise dearly. Reason and emotions are inseparable components of the subject. During a communication interaction with a partner or colleague, many different signals are received by their senses.

There are certain techniques with which you can turn the interlocutor’s disposition in your direction. The “proper name” technique is based on the obligatory pronunciation of the interlocutor’s name out loud. “Mirror of attitude” means that a smile on the face will cause a reciprocal smile, and a gloomy grimace, on the contrary. A pleasant facial expression attracts the interlocutor's favor. Compliments are the “golden words” of any conversation. They contain a slight exaggeration of the merits that the interlocutor represents. However, it is necessary to distinguish compliments from rude flattery, which consists of greatly exaggerating the merits of the interlocutor.

In the psychology of business communication, it is important to use methods of influencing interlocutors through speech. Business communication and speech during it have certain specifics. During communication interactions, 90% of the interlocutor’s attention is paid to speech characteristics, when, for example, during interpersonal interactions – 50%, or even less. Its main characteristics include:

  • vocabulary that makes the conversation more vivid, rich, reasoned, accessible, and persuasive;
  • composition of speech, which allows the use of professional terms instead of jargon;
  • literacy;
  • pronunciation and intonation.

It is necessary to understand that it matters not only what exactly the subject says, but also how he says it; non-verbal components, which include the speaker’s posture, facial expressions and gestures.

Business etiquette - 6 commandments

Business relationships cannot develop without internal culture, despite the fact that business etiquette determines only external forms of behavior. To achieve it you need to do something, but what?

Jen Yager, author of the book "Business Etiquette", says that there are 6 commandments of business etiquette, which are formed in his book:

  1. All tasks must be completed on time. Being late at work is inappropriate and can only interfere. In addition, it makes it clear that such an employee cannot be relied upon.
  2. There is no need to say too much. Employees are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of company data. In addition, this also applies to the personal lives of colleagues.
  3. You need to be friendly, welcoming and accommodating. You must follow this rule even if someone is picking on you.
  4. You can't think only about yourself. Everyone is obliged to pay attention not only to themselves and clients, but also to their colleagues, managers, and so on. Perhaps you need to listen to some of their advice or criticism.
  5. Maintain an impeccable appearance.
  6. Observe business speech etiquette and write correctly.

All these points must be followed by employees daily to achieve effective results.

Business communication culture

The most important indicator of assessing the professionalism of an employee is the culture of business communication. Many bosses focus their attention on this when hiring an individual and in the process of fulfilling his official instructions and job responsibilities.

Business communication over the phone is one of the main types of business conversation. After all, this is the only type of conversation in which it is impossible to influence the interlocutor non-verbally. This is why it is so important to use business communication skills during a telephone conversation.

There are generally accepted rules for conducting any business conversation. These include interest in the topic of the conversation, favor and goodwill towards the conversation partner, and the absence of influence of your general mood on the nature of the conversation.

Communication is considered to be the communication interaction of two or more subjects. Its main purpose is the exchange of messages of a cognitive or emotional nature. In the process of communication, the interlocutor influences the behavior of the communication partner, his state, beliefs and worldview. Such influence will always be mutual, but quite rarely even. Most often, communication is discovered during the joint activities of individuals.

In the process of communication, individuals exchange facial expressions, gestures and phrases with each other. In addition, both communication partners have virtual images of what each of them looks like from the outside, located in their heads. Such images may be similar to the true ones, but not completely. The head also contains the image of your partner. Such an image may correspond to reality, but each individual makes adjustments to it every time. In addition to the two subjects directly involved in a business conversation, there are also social norms. Each individual believes that he is unique, extraordinary and has his own opinion on everything, however, the result of any communication comes down to the judgment of the social norm.

The culture of business communication implies several communication styles and their principles. The culture of business communication interaction also includes business communication etiquette, which implies adherence to certain frameworks, norms and rules of behavior, for example, punctuality, speech culture, appearance, etc.

Speech culture and business communication are indispensable in the modern world of business and entrepreneurship. After all, most of the work process is occupied by conversations, conversations, meetings, and negotiations. In some areas of activity, career growth directly depends on the culture of speech and perfect knowledge of business communication etiquette.

The business type of communication differs from others in that it will always pursue specific goals, have a time limit and are often divided into intervals. Communication will be successful only if there is mutual understanding and trust between the partners.

Conflict resolution

Conflict situations in the business sphere are not uncommon, and their consequences can be quite serious. In this regard, various means and ways to resolve them are used. Today, there are 5 basic concepts that determine behavior in conflict situations:

  • Ignoring the actions of the other party.
  • Adaptation to partners' conditions.
  • Searching for a new format for cooperation.
  • Finding a compromise.
  • Competitive fight.

The choice of behavior style in a particular situation is determined by the specific interests of the participants in the conflict. The competitive style is most often chosen by people who have sufficient authority, will, and broad powers and are not very interested in partnering with the opposite side. This tactic can be used if the outcome of the conflict does not have a major impact on the interests of the organization. But it is important to remember that the ethics and culture of business communication still require compliance with certain laws of competition. That is, even with the obvious advantage of a large company over a small company, the manager who will seek a compromise resolution of the conflict, acting in the interests of the partner, will win. Even if you have to sacrifice your interests, in the future the reputational dividends will be able to cover the lost profits at the moment.

Features of business communication

Business communication is a rather complex, multifaceted process of forming contacts between individuals who are connected by professional interests, work or official activities. Participants in communication interactions act in an official capacity and are aimed at achieving results and solving specific problems. A characteristic feature of the process of communicative interaction is its regulation, which means subordination to established frameworks determined by national traditions and cultural customs, and professional ethical standards.

The etiquette of business communications contains two groups of rules - norms and instructions. Norms are horizontally directed rules that work in the course of communication between members of the same group of equal status. Instructions are vertically oriented rules that determine the nature of the interaction between a boss and a subordinate.

The peculiarities of business communication are expressed in submission to general requirements, which consist of a friendly and helpful attitude towards absolutely all work colleagues and service partners, regardless of personal preferences, mood, likes or dislikes.

The regulation of business communication is also expressed in the culture of speech.

Business communication and speech must comply with socially developed norms of linguistic behavior, grammar and style, standard ready-made “formulas” that allow the formation of etiquette situations of greeting, gratitude, etc., for example, “hello.” All sustainable label designs must be selected taking into account age and socio-psychological characteristics.

Communication as an interaction implies that subjects establish relationships with each other, exchange the necessary information and information in order to build joint activities, i.e. cooperation. And for communication as a communicative interaction to occur without any problems, it must contain the following stages:

  • establishing contact, i.e. acquaintance, which involves understanding another individual, a kind of presentation (introduction) of oneself to another subject;
  • orientation in a situation of communicative interaction, comprehension of what is happening, maintaining pauses and intervals;
  • discussion of an issue or task of interest;
  • if necessary, solving the problem;
  • ending the contact.

The organization of business communication should be built on a partnership basis, based, first of all, on the principles of cooperation, based on mutual needs and requests, and on the interests of the business. Such cooperation will increase labor productivity and creative activity, which is the most important factor in the progress of production, commerce and business.

LABEL COMMUNICATIONS

It should be noted that the culture of behavior is an integral part of the general culture and culture of speech, which contains forms of communication and actions of people that are based on aesthetic taste, morality, and compliance with certain rules and norms. A true culture of behavior is the organic unity of a person’s external and internal culture, the ability to find the right line of behavior in any life situation, including business.

In the most general sense, etiquette (from the French etiquette - label, label) means an established order of behavior somewhere. In a narrower sense, etiquette is a set of rules of behavior that relate to the external manifestation of a person’s attitude towards others (forms of greetings and addresses, treatment of other people, clothing and manners, behavior in public places). Etiquette is an aesthetic form of manifestation of moral culture.

That is, these are generally accepted rules of individual behavior in society. We can say that etiquette connects the inner world of an individual with its external manifestation. It is associated with such concepts as politeness, intelligence, correctness, modesty, tact, etc. It is based on respect for the people around you. We can say that etiquette and ethics are the basis of a person’s morality; they form and lay the basis for all of his activities.

Business etiquette is the most important aspect of the professional behavior of a businessman, a businessman. Knowledge of etiquette and its rules is a necessary professional, business quality that requires not only acquisition, but also constant improvement. As researchers note, almost two-thirds of failed deals that were profitable for Russian entrepreneurs did not take place precisely because businessmen do not know the rules of business communication and do not have a culture of behavior. Due to incorrect or ill-mannered behavior, the careers of employees of many organizations are destroyed.

Business etiquette is an established procedure for behavior in the field of business communications and business. In the practice of business relations, there are standard situations that cannot be avoided; for these situations, forms and rules of behavior are developed. We can say that this is a set of rules of conduct in business that represents the external side of business communications.

Business etiquette is the result of a long selection of forms and rules of the most appropriate, optimal behavior that contributed to success in business relationships.

At the same time, business etiquette consists of many sections, in particular:

— Technologies of non-verbal communication, including gait, gestures of good manners, rules of greeting, etc.;

— Protocol issues, rules for receiving delegations: meeting, acquaintance, appeal, as well as rules for negotiations.

— Manners of managers and subordinates;

— Business clothes, style (the so-called dress-code).

— Telephone etiquette;

— Speech etiquette, netiquette, etc.

A culture of behavior in business communication is simply unthinkable without observing the rules of speech and verbal etiquette, which is associated with the forms and manners of speech, vocabulary and principles, that is, with the entire style of speech adopted in the communication of a given circle of business people.

There are historically developed stereotypes of speech that were previously used by Russian entrepreneurs and merchants, and are now used by cultured Russian and foreign business people. In particular, these are the words: “ladies” and “gentlemen”, “sirs” and “madams”.

Speech etiquette is built taking into account the characteristics of partners entering into business relationships, conducting a business conversation: the social status of the subject and recipient of communication, their place in the official hierarchy, their profession, nationality, religion, age, gender, character. Speech etiquette is determined by the situation in which communication occurs. This could be a presentation, conference, symposium; a meeting at which the economic and financial situation of a company or enterprise is discussed; hiring or firing; consultation; company anniversary, etc.

Here are some rules of official business etiquette:

— when arriving at work, the first person to say hello is the one who entered the room; shaking hands is not necessary;

- no long telephone conversations, especially long discussions of problems of personal and intimate life, both your own and those of strangers;

- do not gossip or collect gossip, this is below the dignity of not only business people, it is below the dignity of any person;

- do not allow rudeness or familiarity; even criticism, disapproval or just a remark is expressed in the most polite and tactful form;

— disagreement and criticism are allowed only when discussing a common cause or project, and always takes the form: “wouldn’t it be better for us...”, where the emphasis is on the word “us.” This applies not only to peers, but also to subordinates or superiors.

So, business etiquette determines the forms and “techniques” of an individual’s communication, while business behavior should be based on general norms and principles of morality, demonstrating the connection between etiquette and ethics.

Language of business communication

The language of business communication is an official business style of speech, which is a functional type of syllable and is intended for communicative interaction in the field of business, entrepreneurship, commerce and other professional activities. The functional variety of a syllable represents a failure of the system of linguistic units, methods of their selection and use, which are determined by the social purposes of speech communication.

Speech communications in the field of professional activity have a number of specific characteristics explained by the communication situation. An important significance in the context of business communication is that members of such communication can be legal entities (organizations, enterprises) and officials, ordinary employees. The peculiarity and essence of information relationships into which subjects of business communication can enter depend on the place of the institution or employee in the hierarchy of organizations or positions, respectively, competence, content of activity and a number of other factors. The relationship between institutions and specialists is stable and regulated by accepted norms of law, as a result of which the information flows of institutions have a so-called “programmed” nature that meets the needs of the organization or field of activity.

The fundamentals of business communication always include three main aspects: orthological, communicative and ethical.

Orthology is the science of correct speech, the norms of language and their changes. In the mind of a subject who expresses his thoughts either orally or in writing, a norm is a sample, a template, a scheme according to which a phrase or sentence is constructed. The formation of such norms is influenced by the literary creativity and speech practices of the ethnic group, which are a mandatory criterion for the unity of the language and the proper functioning of the speech system. Therefore, literacy is an indispensable condition for success in business communications. An important characteristic of business communication is the mastery of the normative aspect of the language of oral and written business speech by managers, executives, employees, and employees.

The language of business communication has a huge arsenal of means that must be used, taking into account the scope of application, situation, tasks, circumstances, genre of speech and mobilized to achieve the goal of communication. The communicative side of speech culture examines precisely these issues.

The choice of words in accordance with the goals and situation of communication is determined by the requirements of appropriateness and purity of speech. And for this you need to know the styles of the literary language. For example, an abundance of specific terms, standard phrases and cliches is typical for business writing, but is absolutely not suitable for colloquial speech.

The ethical side of speech culture is represented by speech etiquette, which studies special means of speech to regulate social connections and interpersonal relationships. These include: speech etiquette formulas, texts and norms for their application, as well as rules of behavior in different conditions.

Etiquette standards for business communication depend on the national character. So, for example, what would be a sign of respect in European countries can be considered an insult in Muslim countries.

INTRODUCTION

Relevance of the research topic. Of all the living creatures inhabiting the Earth, in fact, only man is endowed with the mental function and the function of speaking, communication - intelligent communication. Communication is a necessary condition for the existence of human society. To live fully, people must communicate with each other, act together, that is, interact. When realizing one’s own spiritual and material needs, a person, through communication, enters into relationships of various kinds - moral, political, industrial, ideological, etc. In the ability to build relationships with people, find an approach to them, and their disposition toward oneself, including in the professional sphere activities that every person needs.

That is, communication is one of the most important tools for human socialization, a way of his existence, regulation and satisfaction of basic needs, the main channel of interaction between people. In everyday life, a person learns to communicate from childhood and masters different types of communication depending on the environment and the people with whom he interacts. This happens in everyday experience.

However, for professional activities, especially if it is related to the transfer of information and people or entrepreneurial activity, this experience is not enough; it is necessary to master theoretical knowledge. In addition, modern conditions place ever new demands on young professionals who must be able to productively and psychologically competently build their communication with colleagues, management, clients and partners of the organization.

Business communication is the main tool of relationships in a work group. Communication is one of the most important factors in management integration; it is the means by which organized activities are united into a single whole. The effectiveness of the organization’s activities, the length of time employees work in it, staff turnover, etc. directly depend on well-structured business communications. At the same time, it is important in professional activities to have a high level of speech culture and

Object of study : business communication.

Subject of research : the essence and content of business communications and business etiquette.

The purpose of the study is to analyze business etiquette as an aspect of business communication.

To achieve this goal, the following research objectives :

— consider the concept of speech culture and highlight the specifics of business communications;

— study the essence of business etiquette as an aspect of business communication.

The degree of scientific development of the topic. Currently, the issues of the essence and specificity of business communications and business etiquette are sufficiently covered in theoretical studies of both domestic and foreign scientists. Moreover, the problems of business relations in general and its individual aspects have been given attention by scientists and thinkers since ancient times (Confucius, Plato, Aristotle, I. Kant, Z. Freud, etc.). The general theoretical basis of this study was the work of such authors as L.I. Dorofeeva, M. A. Izmailova, L.V. Komarova, V. N. Lavrienko, S. V. Mkrtychyan and others.

Types of business communication

The business type of communications involves setting tasks and solving the most important problematic issues. There is a classification of types and forms of business communication. Each type of communication explains a process that is closely interconnected with the specified sphere.

The types, forms and means of business communication today are quite diverse. However, information is transmitted only through sign systems. From here, business communication can be divided into verbal communication, where the sign system is represented by language, and non-verbal business communication, in which non-verbal sign systems are used. This division is also used in other types of communicative interaction.

Verbal communications include conversation, i.e. This is oral verbal communication.

Nonverbal business communication contains everything that gives the subject of communication additional information about the subject of the conversation and about the speaker himself. This type of communication includes postures, facial expressions, gestures, and intonations.

Many experts are confident that interlocutors in the process of communication receive only a small percentage of information through words, and the rest through signals that they read and decipher subconsciously during non-verbal communication. Also, types of professional communication include direct and indirect (indirect).

The direct type of professional communications represents the interaction of individuals in the same space and at the same time. This includes negotiations, conversations, etc. In direct contact during a conversation, non-verbal communication and oral communication are of greatest importance.

Indirect communication includes the transmission of information through written language (for example, email or telephone communication). This type of interaction is considered less effective compared to direct communications. Among indirect communications, business communication over the telephone is in greatest demand. It is distinguished by direct voice contact during a conversation and a wide variety of communication techniques. This makes it easy to combine the business (formal) interaction and the personal (informal) part of any message.

In any case, in business communication, just as in other types of interpersonal communicative interactions, it is important for people to be present simultaneously in the same space and at the same time, which allows you to establish eye contact, make a pleasant impression and influence the entire process of communicative interaction.

Standards of behavior for a subordinate

An adequate and correct attitude towards the manager is also the key to an employee’s successful and effective professional activity. In this case, the culture of business communication is also based on the moral requirements that the manager makes of his subordinates.

Principles of employee behavior in relation to the manager:

  • Contribute to and assist management in creating a benevolent moral climate within the organization.
  • You should not try to impose your opinion on your boss - all comments and suggestions should be expressed extremely tactfully and politely.
  • If any event that is significant for the team, sad or joyful, is planned, the manager should be notified about it.
  • A categorical tone in a conversation with a manager is excluded. Moreover, the communicative culture in business communication also requires bosses to avoid a rigid style in conversation even with subordinates.
  • The desire to please, as well as excessive flattery, do not contribute to improving relations with superiors and the team. Such an employee is perceived as a sycophant and a person not worthy of respect.

There are many controversial and ambiguous situations where it is not easy to choose a specific relationship style. For example, difficulties may arise in communication between colleagues from different departments who occupy positions of different status in the organization. In such situations, it is worthwhile to be guided by a simple ethical principle, which instructs a person to treat others the way he wants to be treated.

Forms of business communication

There are several forms of business communications that meet the specific requirements of professional situations. These include: business correspondence, conversation, meeting, negotiations, public speaking, press conference and dispute.

Business correspondence refers to an indirect type of communication, which is implemented through written speech (orders, letters, requests, resolutions, etc.). There are business correspondence within an institution (enterprise), for an organization and between organizations.

A business conversation includes discussions of all sorts of working nuances and processes to make an important decision or to discuss details.

To hold a business meeting, the working team of a company, enterprise, organization or individual management team, some departments gather to solve pressing problems, plan future activities and set tasks.

Public speaking is a subtype of business meeting, during which one subject takes a leadership position and highlights an important issue and shares information with a certain circle of people. The main thing is that the speaker has a complete and detailed understanding of the topic and content of the conversation, and has the necessary personal qualities that would allow him to convey the topic of the speech to the audience.

During business negotiations, the mandatory outcome of communication should be finding a solution and its adoption. During the negotiation process, each party has its own position and direction of views, and the result is a concluded deal or a signed contract.

A press conference involves a meeting of officials (for example, managers, government officials, businessmen, politicians, etc.) with representatives of the media to inform society on current and exciting issues.

Not all issues in the course of business communications can be resolved without a dispute arising, but it can often only complicate the situation due to the fact that individuals do not always behave professionally and are too enthusiastic, emotionally defending their own position.

Forms of business communication cover all situations arising in the course of professional activities. The role of communication in professional activity is to streamline the processes of communicative interactions within the boundaries of the business environment.

Business card in business life

It’s hard to imagine business life without business cards, which are available in a wide variety. They can be of the following types:

  • a standardized business card for a company employee;
  • employee representative business card;
  • organization card;
  • family business card and others.

A typical business card should contain important information about its owner. You can also use the option where only the first and last name is indicated on the card. Such business cards are exchanged only during the first meeting. Business etiquette involves the exchange of business cards, as this is an essential part of business relationships.

Rules of business communication

The rules and norms of business communication are of great importance in the professional activities of individuals. One wrong word can lead to the loss of a multimillion-dollar deal or ruin all efforts towards career growth. So, there are several general rules of business communications.

The first rule is clear, intelligible speech. The listener must understand what the interlocutor is saying.

The second rule is to avoid monotony during the conversation. Monotonous speech can make anyone feel sad. Emotionally uncolored speech causes an irresistible desire to run away from the interlocutor.

The next rule assumes that the speaker's speech should be at an average pace. Very slow speech leads to disinterest in the interlocutor. It forces one to be distracted from the speaker's information. And speaking too quickly leads to the fact that the communication partner simply cannot keep up with the speaker’s train of thought. If the speech rate is excessively fast or slow, good communication will not work. You should try to alternate short and long sentences. Since long, overloaded sentences are difficult to understand. And a speech consisting only of short phrases will not make the right impression. You should ask questions wisely. Open and closed questions are equally important in a conversation. You need to learn to hear your interlocutor during a conversation. It is not recommended to start a conversation with business proposals. This can only cause rejection and aggression on the part of the interlocutor. You should try to avoid advice given directly. The point of view should be expressed softly and unobtrusively, while constantly emphasizing that this is just a subjective vision of the topic. Independent thinking about the problem should be encouraged. It is not recommended to communicate ready-made solutions. It is necessary to comply with accepted cultural norms and rules of etiquette. After all, the success of professional activity as a whole depends on their compliance.

Business communication differs from other types of interpersonal communications in its regulation. Such communication can be characterized as strict adherence by all participants in the process to their personal roles. This means that in different professional situations an individual can be both a leader and a subordinate, a partner and a colleague. The high responsibility of each participant in business interaction for its result is the main characteristic of business communication.

The success of business communications and communication is largely determined by the chosen communication strategies and tactics, which implies the ability to clearly formulate the goals of communication interactions and correctly determine the interests of partners.

Standards of behavior for a leader

The practice of developing a business style of interaction within organizations has made it possible to develop the most effective norms of behavior for managers and subordinates. Thus, for managers, the following examples of a reference management style can be given:

  • Work on uniting a team whose members have moral and ethical communication skills.
  • Involving employees in the company’s tasks, which will allow them to feel more comfortable both morally and psychologically. This usually occurs in the process of identifying an employee with the team.
  • All comments to employees should be made in full accordance with the rules that prescribe the ethics and culture of business communication within organizations.
  • When conflicts arise, the manager must find out all the reasons. If the problem arose due to dishonesty or inappropriate behavior of a certain employee, then the boss’s task will be to help the subordinate change his behavior style.
  • You should not give recommendations to subordinates in matters that go beyond the scope of professional duties.

Business communication styles

The sphere of business communication extends to the legal, managerial, and social aspects of the life of subjects. Therefore, the official business style of communication is determined by the practical requirements of professional activity and life in general. It can be implemented in written form (for example, business correspondence by e-mail, regulations, etc.) and orally (for example, meetings, negotiations).

In modern society, using the style of business communications correctly means ensuring sustainable advancement on the career ladder, increasing personal status and success in all areas of business activity.

Business style, in turn, is divided into several subtypes - legislative subtype, diplomatic and administrative-clerical subtype. Each of these subtypes has its own specifics, communicative forms and speech clichés. For example, in diplomatic communications a memorandum and a note are used. In the administrative-clerical style, a receipt, memorandum, certificate, power of attorney, characterization, order, etc. are used. In legislative style - law, paragraph, regulation, agenda, code, etc.

Extreme precision of speech is an essential component of business style. It is achieved, first of all, through the use of special terms, which can be both widespread and highly specialized. Today, the business style of communication is considered the most common in the everyday practice of formal interaction.

Business communication styles include manipulative, ritualistic, and humanistic.

The manipulative style implies the attitude of one conversation partner to another as a production tool and the use of it to complete tasks or obtain certain results. Typical examples of such communications are personal control over the implementation of assigned tasks.

The main task of partners in a ritual style of communication is to create the desired image in society. In such communications, the status of the interlocutors is important, and not their personal or business qualities.

The main direction of the humanistic style is the interlocutors’ support of each other and collective discussion of problems. Individual characteristics of partners are not analyzed and are not divided into positive or negative qualities. The personality is perceived completely. This approach highlights the personal qualities of the individual and his individual characteristics. However, in some circumstances this style of interaction is inappropriate. Knowledge of communication features and means of business communication ensures the success of professional activities.

Memo for every day: key points

Judging by the significant amount of reading, it becomes clear how rich the psychology of business communication is. To systematize everything on the shelves, you should re-present a short course on key theses. Keep this reminder in your head; it will come in handy in many moments of everyday and professional life.

The concept of business communication includes the process and procedure for establishing interpersonal professional contact;

  • The ideal of business relations is mutually beneficial cooperation based on understanding each other and preserving the interests of others and one’s own;
  • Long-term relationships with one circle of people are more effective than short-term relationships with many;
  • Written and remote communication is not comparable to oral agreements and face-to-face meetings;
  • There are several models for regulating work interactions, and each of them has a right to exist.

Principles

Identify the basic principles of business communication. These include:

  • cooperativeness (all participants are active during the conversation);
  • sufficiency of information (speakers express their thoughts concisely, but you should not remain silent either);
  • quality of information (honesty of participants);
  • expediency (do not be distracted from the problem under discussion);
  • convincingness of the argument (it is necessary to provide verified facts);
  • respectful tone (it is forbidden to neglect other people’s opinions or speak with a sarcastic intonation);
  • individual approach (the characteristics of employees are taken into account; if tension arises, the main goal is an urgent resolution of the conflict);
  • literacy, accessibility (it is important to formulate thoughts simply and competently);
  • “flexibility”, correct tactics (you must be able to adequately perceive criticism, adapt, and respond to difficulties in a timely manner).

Coping Methods

It is important to establish contact quickly. There are several methods:

  1. Relieving tension. They show concern and say kind words that are not related to the purpose of the meeting. It is important to imagine yourself in your partner’s place and understand his difficulties. You can joke gently. Laughter will make the environment more relaxed.
  2. The "hook" method. The essence of the problem under discussion is associated with an interesting story, a funny situation.
  3. Rational, “cold” method. Negotiations begin without preamble, the essence is immediately stated. The effectiveness of this technology has been proven for a long time. Especially suitable for important but short-term cooperation.

Psychological problems and stiffness of interlocutors can create barriers between participants in a business meeting. To organize fruitful communication, it is worth considering the following recommendations:

  • calling your partner by name (this is a sign of attention; the interlocutor will better perceive the information);
  • smile friendly (a smiling person is more trusted);
  • remain humane, show attention (you must remember that negotiators are people who like care and sincerity);
  • be honest (it is enough to conceal or distort information once and your reputation will be damaged).

To make a good impression on your companions during business negotiations, it is enough to show honesty, literacy, attentiveness and friendliness. The meeting will be comfortable and fruitful.

Rules

There are many rules of business communication. Most popular:

  • the desire for mutual understanding (it is important to be open to different ideas, to be willing to seek compromises; it is forbidden to provoke or ignore partners; respect for your partner is manifested in body language and the ability to listen to your interlocutor);
  • pleasant speech, intonation (you should speak legibly, slowly, clearly; you should not allow extremes that make speech tiresome or incomprehensible);
  • thoughtfulness of the monologue (it is better to think through and write down the speech in advance or mark important issues on a sheet of paper; it is worth making a plan);
  • the ability to formulate questions (if you voice a closed question, the partner will have to answer succinctly; and if an open question is voiced, the partner will be able to speak out in more detail; tactless questions should not be allowed);
  • simplicity of presentation (the text should consist of succinct short phrases that are easy to understand and save time).

Talking on the phone

During a personal conversation, partners use verbal (verbal) and nonverbal (other) methods of influence. Only verbal methods are used over the phone. If professional success depends on a correspondence conversation, it is important to conduct it competently.

You need to think about whether a phone call is really necessary. It may be worth meeting in person or discussing the issue with another person. If you need to call, it’s worth remembering the rules for conducting telephone conversations. After all, preparation will affect the outcome of the negotiations. Recommended rules for such communication:

  • greet;
  • introduce yourself;
  • clarify whether the partner can speak;
  • state the essence concisely;
  • give the necessary answers;
  • say goodbye

The standard duration of a business dialogue over the phone is about 5 minutes. If difficulties arise, you can arrange a personal conversation.

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