WORKPLACE

COMMUNICATION
(COM3593)

FOR INTERNAL CIRCULATION ONLY (Session 3/2020)

KOLEJ PROFESIONAL MARA
DIPLOMA IN ENGLISH COMMUNICATION

SESSION 3/2020 (NOV-DEC2020)

Course Title WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION

Code COM3593
Status CORE
Credit Value 3
Prerequisite None
Mode of Delivery Lecture (L), Tutorial (T), Presentation (P), Practical (P), Consultation (C),
(MOD) Workshop (W)
60%
Course Works (Quizzes, Tests, Assignments)
(A1) Role Play (Pair) 15%
(A2) Case Study (Group + Presentation) 25%
Assessment
(A3) Mock Meeting (15%) +Documentation (5%) 20%

Final Examination 40%

100%

Lecturers 1. HASNURLISDA HILMI

2. ANIS ARIANTI NORMAN

Sem/Year Semester 6 / Year 2

The course focuses on communication skills necessary to function well in

the workplace environment. Students are exposed to various crucial
factors influencing one’s conduct – culture, context, conflict and resolution,
Synopsis leadership, and roles of media. Other skills emphasized are on developing
students’ negotiation skills as well as developing their problem-solving
skills.

On completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Present a role play based on the workplace issues
Course Learning Outcomes 2. Display useful language expression and roles in group meetings
3. Appraise negotiation and problem-solving skills
4. Relate concepts and practices of effective communication skills at
workplace

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Course Contents
WEEK TOPIC MO REFERENCE
ASSESSMENT
D S
1 WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION Module p OUT IN
- Different: 6-27 ASSESSMEN
 Context T1
 Culture
 Audience L/T
- Flexibility vs. stereotype
- Respect for others
- Spoken vs. written language
- Entertaining clients / visitors
1 MEDIATED COMMUNICATION Module p
- Media usage 28-53
- Types of media
 Electronic – TV,
Internet, Digital
 Printed – brochures /
promotional materials L/T
- Ethics of media usage at
workplace
- Language skills
 Active voice vs.
passive voice
 Stylistic features
2 IMPACT OF CULTURE Module p
- Human relationship 54-59
- Workplace relationship
L/T
- Gender
- Leadership

2 NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION Module p

- Eye contact 60-72
- Body position
L/T
- Encouraging signs
- Different cultures
- Do’s and don’ts
2 ROLE PLAY (ASSESSMENT 1) Module p ASSESSMEN
180 T1
3 ORGANIZATIONAL Module p ASSESSMEN
COMMUNICATION 73-96 T2
- Organization structures
- Leadership styles
- Language skills:
 Hedging vs. direct L/T
speech
 talking to superiors /
colleagues /
subordinates
 levels of formalities
3 PROBLEM SOLVING Module p
- Critical thinking vs. Creative
L/T
97-103

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 thinking
- Problem solving techniques
- Language skills:
 Suggestions
 Giving options
 Agreeing and
disagreeing

4 NEGOTIATION SKILLS Module p

- The key steps and stages 104 - 118
- Common negotiation
scenarios
- Assertiveness vs.
aggressiveness
L/T
- Handling conflicts
- Language skills:
 Politeness strategies
 Modals
 Face saving

5 CASE STUDY AND Module p ASSESSMEN ASSESSMEN

PRESENTATION (ASSESSMENT 2) 181 T3 T2
6 GROUP MEETINGS AT Module p
WORKPLACE 119-177
- Meeting agenda
- Roles
- Language skills:
L/T
 Useful expressions in
meetings
 Presentations and
handling Q & A
session
7 MOCK MEETING (ASSESSMENT 3) Module p ASSESSMEN
182 T3
Main Workplace Communication Module (2020)
Reference
Additional 1. Argenti, Paul A (2016) Corporate Communication -- Paperback (7 Rev ed) [Paperback],
Ref Mcgraw-hill Education (Asia) (GB)
2. Barker, Alan (2016) Improve Your Communication Skills (Creating Success), Kogan Page
Ltd
3. Kuhnke, Elizabeth (2015) Communication Essentials For Dummies, For Dummies
4. Pachter, Barbara (2016) The Communication Clinic: 99 Proven Cures for the Most
Common Business Mistakes, Mcgraw Hill
5. Priscilla Shak, Kamsilawati Kamlun (2015) Ready to Work: English For Employment,
Kuala Lumpur: Cengage Learning
6. Sullivan, Jay (2016) Simply Said: Communicating Better at Work and Beyond
[Paperback], Wiley (US)

3
TABLE OF CONTENT

NO ITEM PAGE NUMBER

1. COURSE OUTLINE 1-4
2. INTRODUCTION 6-15
3. WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION 16-27
4. MEDIATED COMMUNICATION 28-53
5. IMPACT OF CULTURE 54-59
6. NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION 60-72
7. ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION 73-96
8. PROBLEM SOLVING 97-103
9. NEGOTIATION SKILLS 104-118
10. GROUP MEETINGS AT WORKPLACE 119-177
11. APPENDIX 178
12. GUIDELINES FOR CASE STUDY REPORT 179
12. ASSESSMENT 1 180
13. ASSESSMENT 2 181
14. ASSESSMENT 3 182
15. PAST YEAR EXAM QUESTIONS 183-

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INTRODUCTION

COMMUNICATION NEEDS FOR THE WORKPLACE

Different people communicate in different ways. However, there are ways of communicating in
a simple and clear manner so that people understand your message better.

To be able to communicate effectively, you may need to consider a lot of things and make some
changes in old habits. You might communicate differently in a formal and informal setting. For
example, in a formal setting, it is important that you address specific details and not give too
much information. However, too little details might also be insufficient. Therefore it is
important for you to identify ways to communicate effectively in a workplace.

In the workplace you will spend more time talking and listening to colleagues and clients than
writing and reading. Oral communication can take place in a variety of forms, for example:

a. Private discussion
b. Small talk in the lift
c. Telephone conversation
d. Meeting at the corridor
e. Informal gathering
f. Instructing subordinates
g. Dealing with clients
h. Formal meetings
i. Interviews
j. Training sessions
k. Giving a presentation
l. Conferences/seminars

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

How to Develop your Communication Skills?

There are many ways to develop successful communication skills. The skills include oral, written
and non-verbal behaviour.

The ability to communicate effectively is important to develop successful relationships,

education and careers. These are steps and tips to help you develop good communication skills.

1. Understand the Basics of Communication Skills

 Know what communication is

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  Have the courage to voice what you think
 Practice makes perfect

2. Engage Your Audience

 Make eye contact
 Use gestures
 Do not send mixed messages
 Use correct body language
 Have constructive attitudes and beliefs
 Use effective listening skills

3. Use Your Words

 Enunciate your words correctly
 Pronounce your words correctly
 Use the right words
 Slow down your speech

4. Use Your Voice

 Use appropriate tones
 Animate your voice
 Use appropriate volume

Why are Communication Skills Important?

The art of communication is the language of leadership. Therefore, communication is very

crucial in any organization. Good reading, writing, speaking and listening skills are very
important to develop successful communication in the workplace. There are many reasons why
successful communication skills are important, for example:

a. To secure an interview – to ensure application letter is accepted and acted upon.

b. To get a job – to ensure you communicate effectively during an interview, to sell
yourself and ultimately, get the job you desire.
c. To do your job well – you will need all the required skills to request for information,
discuss problems, give instructions, work in groups, and interact with colleagues and
clients.
d. To advance your career – employers normally seek staff who are valuable to the
organization, especially those who perform their job functions effectively and have an
interest in the long-term success of the company.

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EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Communication skills in the workplace are very important to make sure everything runs
smoothly. In the workplace, the language used is dependent on the context of the
communication. It must be effective, precise, polite and appropriate.

Communication in a workplace may be:

 Formal
 Informal

WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION

Formal

 Formal communication takes place in a formal setting and is governed by rules and
conventions of formal business etiquette
 The communication generally serves various purposes such as informing, persuading or
influencing
 The message and setting are intentional
 Examples of formal communication:
- Presentation
- Meeting
- Speech
- Report
- Publication

Informal

 Informal communication is more casual

 It is not managed or planned in any organized order
 Examples of informal communication:
- Conversation at an annual dinner party
- Conversation between colleagues of similar positions
- Lunch conversation
- Small talk

Activity 1.0

Instruct students to give examples or conduct a role play of formal and informal communication.

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How to Promote Effective Communication in the Workplace?

Effective communication helps us to better understand a person or situation. Apart from that, it
enables us to resolve issues or differences, build trust and respect, solve problems as well as
create an environment that is more conducive.

There are many ways to promote effective communication skills in the workplace. The following
are some examples of effective communication:

1. Ask Questions
Asking the right types of questions will encourage effective communication in the
workplace. Make sure you use open ended questions to get the proper answers you seek.
This type of question include details like who, what, where, when and how.

2. Be Courteous
This is to show respect to your listener. Do not add humour because others might find it
disrespectful and inappropriate. Remember to thank your listener for their time.

3. Be Confident
Display confidence to ensure that you will not be taken for granted. If you show your
uncertainty, your listener will treat the information with disdain.

4. Be Clear
Be clear so that the listener understands your message easily. Use precise language and
familiar words. It is better to avoid technical and business jargon unless you are sure that
the listener is familiar with the terms.

5. Encourage Feedback
Allow your listener to give feedback so that you can measure the effectiveness of your
communication. It also shows that your message was well understood.

6. Keep it Short and Simple

Avoid lengthy sentences and use words that can be easily understood or else you can be
misunderstood and you waste a lot of time of having to explain yourself.

7. Listen Attentively
Listen carefully to what others say. Listening can help ensure you know what everyone is
thinking. When someone is speaking, focus on their face rather than letting your eyes
wander, and if necessary, take notes.

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 8. Be Positive
Try to maintain a positive attitude although it may not always be easy. Try to view problems
as challenges rather than letting them become a burden.

9. Try to Compromise
Listen to what others have to say. Instead of trying to win an argument, look for solution
that meet everybody’s needs.

Activity 1.1

Form a small group and discuss the following situation. (The outcome of the discussion can
be presented)

Case Study

You were given a project and it started off very well, but by the following week, progress
has declined as the following problems have emerged.

The problems:

Yusof has been conducting interviews with a survey sample on behalf of the team and has
not been keeping detailed records of all the interviews.

Ariff wanted to meet William at the office, but William did not show up.

Raja set up a spreadsheet for recording the result without consulting the others. Both Yusof
and Ariff saw significant disadvantages with Raja’s spreadsheet.

During team meetings, Raja likes to talk about ideas and activities, whereas Yusof likes to
focus on one item at a time. Yusof thinks that Raja interrupts Ariff and William too much
and causes the team to lag.

Your tasks:

Consider the following questions and suggest some solutions.

1. What is the nature and likely cause of communication breakdown in the team?
2. How could the team improve the communication process and build better interpersonal
relationship between the members?
3. List some ground rules that the team might establish to avoid conflict.

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POLITENESS IN THE WORKPLACE
It is very crucial to be polite in the workplace. If you are rude, then it gives a negative
impression of the type of person you are. For example, if you are rude to your clients, they
might end up taking their business elsewhere.

There are standard polite phrases practiced in workplace communication. These normally
include:

 Addressing people correctly and appropriately

 Making polite requests
 Keeping track of time
 Providing the listeners and readers information they need to understand what the
communication/conversation is about
 Using polite expressions
 Showing respect to your listener/reader by using careful and correct
language/phrases

Examples of polite phrases

In the form of questions and answers:

Questions Answers
Can you assist me, please? Yes, sure.
May I borrow your phone, please? Yes, certainly.
May I know who is on the line, please? Yes, this is Sheila.
Could you let me know of there are any Yes, I definitely will.
changes?
Can I leave a message? Yes, certainly.

In the form of positive and negative responses:

Positive responses Negative responses

Yes, no problem. I’d rather you didn’t make any changes to the
report.
Yes, that would be fine. I’m afraid you can’t decide on your own.
It would be my pleasure to assist you. Sorry, but I can’t help you.
Yes, that sounds great. Sorry, but that doesn’t sound right.
Yes, I certainly will. Sorry, but I have to disagree with that.

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Effective communication in the workplace is very crucial in getting people to do things
effectively and on time. Therefore, using polite phrases will motivate people at work, whereby
you try to avoid sounding harsh and your tone is made softer. Instructions or orders given
harshly or using a strong tone often demotivate people and lead them to their job grudgingly.
The following are some examples to soften your instructions:

- Do you mind…?
- Is there any way you can…?
- I don’t suppose you could…?
- It’d be great help if you…
- I really appreciate it if you…
- I was wondering if you could…?
- Would you do me a favour and…?

The standard phrases used when making a request or offering to do something usually begin
with “would,” “could,” “will,” “shall,” and “can”. These phrases include:

- Can you explain your rationale for choosing the location, please?
- May I have a look at your proposal, please?
- Shall I call the supplier to deliver more paper supplies?
- Would you please inform all that the meeting is postponed to a different date?
- Would you mind taking over my duties as the chairperson tomorrow?

At work people often have to answer questions. You may have to respond to questions during a
meeting or negotiation, or after you have given a presentation. There are several possible
responses to questions. The following are what you can do when posed with questions:

1. Answer directly (“Yes”, “No”, “I’m…”, etc)

2. Ask for clarification
3. Reassure the questioner
4. Give yourself time to think
5. Avoid answering

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The language you use when responding to questions is very important. Look at these useful
phrases:

Responses to question

Answer directly (“Yes”, “No”, “I’m…”, Yes, you are welcome to ask any questions.
etc)
No, thank you. I don’t want to add anything else to
the discussion.
No, I’m sorry I can’t help you.
I’m sorry, but I don’t agree with you

SEEK CLARIFICATION Would you mind rephrasing the question? I didn’t

quite understand you.
When you say… do you mean…?
Have I understood you correctly?
If I understand you, you’re asking…

GIVE REASSURANCE I’d like to reconfirm with you

There is no need for concern at this point
You don’t have to worry
I can understand your concern but…

GIVE YOURSELF TIME TO THINK That’s a very interesting question

I’m glad you asked that question
Would you mind rephrasing that question?

AVOIDANCE I’d prefer not to comment on that for the moment

Perhaps I could answer that question later
I’m afraid I can’t give you the answer at the moment
Well, that would depend on various factors

Activity 1.2

Instruct students to give examples or conduct a role play of using polite expressions in a
workplace context.

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WORKPLACE JARGON

Workplace jargon can be defined as a technical language relative to a particular field, trade or
profession. It focuses on vocabulary and language used by professionals who work in a
particular field and with common interest. Even though workplace jargon is very common and
varies from one field to another, the function is similar, which is to deliver field-specific
messages.

Why is jargon necessary?

1. It is useful and saves time, whereby it helps professionals to get information faster.
2. It helps to identify members of a particular group.
3. It helps to address certain ideas or issues because it is sometimes not easy to express
ideas using plain language.
4. It helps you to look knowledgeable. Some people adopt jargon so that they look
educated and alert with what is going on.
5. You are able to impress others by using technical jargon by using words and terms that
other people do not understand.

However, be very careful when using jargon in the workplace. There are three things you need
to look into before using jargon which are know your listener, choose your language carefully
and keep your message short.

The following are examples of jargon that are used in different fields:

Business:

The helicopter view An overview of something – e.g. a project/job

Bang for the buck Value for the money spent
All-hands meeting A compulsory meeting for all employees
Face time Getting in touch with the client using the phone or any online
communication tools
10,000 foot view It can either mean a situation that needs to be looked in detail or
looking at the big picture
Shotgun approach When using a broad approach
Ballpark figure To make an estimate
End-user perspective What the client thinks about a product or service

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Computer/IT:

@symbol There are two usages:

1. To indicate cost or rate per unit: e.g. 10 items @ 1.50
each
2. In internet address between user’s name and the domain
name: e.g. nadg73@[Link]
FAQs Frequently Asked Questions
GB Gigabyte
GIF Graphic Interchange Format
LAN Local Area Network
RAM Random Access Memory

Engineering:

ACA Automatic Circuit Assurance

HP747 A type of scientific calculator used by engineering professionals
Contributing cause Any cause that is not self-sufficient
Self-sufficient cause A cause that is sufficient enough to explain the nature,
magnitude, or timing of an adverse consequence
TC Temperature Coefficient

Law enforcement:

ABH Actual Bodily Harm

B&E Breaking and Entering
CSI Crime Scene Investigation
RTC Road Traffic Collision
WOFF Write Off

Medical:

ABG Arterial Blood Gas

BP Blood Pressure
CAT/CT scan Computerized Axial Tomography
C-section Caesarean Section
MRI Magnetic Resonance Imaging

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WEEK 1 - WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION

Definition: Workplace communication is the process of exchanging information, both verbal

and non-verbal, within an organization. An organization may consist of employees from
different parts of the society. In order to unite the activities of all employees, communication is
crucial. Communicating necessary information to the entire workforce becomes necessary.
Effective workplace communication ensures that all the organizational objectives are achieved.

The following are the factors influencing workplace communication:

 Method of communication

Different people absorb information in different ways. To make sure that the information
conveyed is understood by all, the method used for communication needs to be simple and
clear. When presenting vital information, using pictures will make way for easy understanding.
Preferring two-way communication is considered best for communicating. Adequate
importance can be given for discussion, questions and clarifications.

 Content

The content of the information plays a major role in workplace communication. The level of
detail must be according to the grasping capacity of the audience. Giving too much detail may
get the audience bored and too little detail won’t make them involved. Use of jargon while
communicating is not considered good for effective workplace communication.

 Frequency

While formal workplace communication that is done too rarely or too often is not good for an
organization, frequent informal workplace communication has its benefits. A perfect balance is
required for the proper functioning of an organization. Information must be communicated as
and when required rather than holding unnecessary meetings frequently. At the same time
crucial information must not be held till the last hour or day, instead they have to be
communicated as early as possible to get employees in tune with the objectives of the
organization.

 Skills

Getting the message across efficiently depends on the skills of the communicator such as
presentation skills, group facilitation skills and written communication skills. Successful
communication also depends upon the capacity of the employees to understand the
information. This requires providing the employees some basic financial literacy like financial
statements, sales, profitability, etc.

15
WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION IN DIFFERENT CONTEXT

According to Edward T. Hall “What does it mean to communicate in high and low context
cultures?”
It all has to do with the way different cultures communicate, and the role that the surrounding
context plays. Low context cultures prefer to communicate explicitly through words - it is
important to say what you think. Problems can be solved in isolation, and facts are central.
“Separate the people from the problem” is an example of a low context perspective of
successful negotiation. High context cultures prefer to communicate by leaving certain things
unsaid. The priority is to build relationships and to know what is going on. Empathy is the key.
Explicit explanations and details are unnecessary, and even insulting. People and problems are
inextricably connected.

It is often argued that Western cultures like the USA and Germany are low context, whereas
Asian cultures like Japan and China tend to be more high context, but it is important to note
that Hall’s distinction does not only have to do with national cultures - co-workers who work
with each other on a day-to-day basis might also be likely to communicate with each other in a
high context way even if they come from a low context culture. When these two
communication styles come in contact with each other it is easy for both sides to get frustrated.

High context cultures might see low context as insensitive, aggressive, rude, tactless, full of
irrelevant information and overly preoccupied with the problem and not with the overall
picture. Low context might see high context as dishonest, elusive, lacking real opinions, vague,
ambiguous, dilatory, repetitive, and unable to focus on a problem.

Japan, India, Middle East etc. - Rely less on verbal communication and more on the context of
nonverbal communication, actions and environmental setting to convey meaning. This
approach would backfire because executives assume that anyone who ignores the details is
untrustworthy.

Scandinavia, US, UK, Germany - Rely more on verbal communication and less on contextual
clues. Business people try to reach decisions as quickly and efficiently as possible. They are
concerned with reaching an agreement on the main points, leaving the details to be worked out
later by others. Tolerance for disagreement when solving problems – business persons shun
such tactics

High context culture - negotiators, immediate economic gains are secondary to establishing and
maintaining long-term relationships. Tolerance for disagreement when solving problems –
typically enjoy confrontation and debate whereas members of Low context culture see their
negotiating goals in economic terms.

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Activity 1.3

Instruct students to give examples or conduct a role play in different situations of High context
culture and Low context culture

17
WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION IN DIFFERENT CULTURE

What is culture?

Culture has various meanings but it is taken here to include the social understandings,
knowledge, values, beliefs and customs in a given society.

A culture refers to a large group of people, although within that group there can be sub-
cultures — smaller groups with their own identities within the major culture. For example,
these groups could be surfers, bike riders, teenagers, lawyers or Canadians.

We hear the word culture used a lot but what does culture actually mean?

You may only think of culture as meaning ‘race’, referring to the country where someone lives
or where they were born.

But when a large group has similar expectations about values and behaviours then they can be
said to share a culture.

We are all members of many different cultural groups.

Culture is based on knowledge, beliefs, art, laws, morals, customs, religion, language and any
capabilities or habits acquired as a result of being a member of a certain group.

Subjective culture is developing an understanding of your own core values and how cultural
filters affect your perception of the world.

These values and cultural filters are developed as a result of all the things that encompass your
background as a child and life experiences including: your religion, things your parents taught
you, perceptions of ethics and morality, and more.

Consider your work experience and how you communicate and make decisions. Have you had
instances where you have been at an impasse with a colleague on a project due to
miscommunication? Was this colleague from another culture and could that have been one of
the issues? What perceptions did you develop? These perceptions are our personal reality and
each of us perceives the same situation through different cultural filters.

Cultural Literacy is where you learn to understand and accept the differences in other
people. When you reach out to your fellow co-workers and neighbors that are from other
cultures, you find you have several things in common that can start a friendship such as our
jobs, our children, and our religion, etc. Your neighbors and congregation at church are a
natural way to meet and get to know people from other cultures. As your friendship deepens
you can ask them to start to share their culture and values. You then learn the “color” or

18
nature of the filter that creates their and your perceptions of the world – you develop cultural
literacy with the other person. When we become culturally literate we can then form cultural
bridges at work, at home, our churches and our community. We can use the positive
differences we discover to provide more creative productivity in the work place. Employee
attitude surveys have shown that if a company embraces intercultural diversity their staff is
more satisfied with their jobs. These surveys also show employees of these companies would
recommend the company to friends and, most importantly, they are loyal to the firm.

Some examples of what defines some different cultures are:

 the age of the people within a group (old or young)

 whether the people live in the city or country
 whether the people in the group have a particular physical similarity or disability
 whether the people work in the same place. This is sharing workplace culture.

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WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION IN DIFFERENT AUDIENCE

Many executives, managers, and contributors struggle with matching their communication to
different audiences in the workplace. What is the fastest way to solve this problem? Workplace
communication is the single biggest barrier to success in today's hectic business environment.
Whether you are a solo entrepreneur, business owner or part of a larger organization, you
know exactly how poor communication kills success. And how successful workplace
communication drives success. Everyday trouble in workplace communication most often stems
from how you approach your audience. Are you taking the best and most appropriate
approach? This breaks down into the simplest question: are you telling or asking? You have to
speak in a language that your audience understands. And when you do, you can make your
strategy message work - fast.

This is even more critical when your audience is:

 Multi-lingual
 Cross Cultural
 Multi-generational
 Varied in literacy and education levels
 And it gets even more crucial when you have super high turnover. This is common in
service industries such as restaurants, casinos and hotels. This is added to if your
staff is stressed or overwhelmed with new information.
Your workplace communication must match these four criteria to be 100% successful with any
audience. Your strategic message must be:
 Simple
 Visual
 Action-Oriented
 Quick and Easy To Remember

Each of these 4 criteria shapes the workplace communication into a memorable and flexible
message. With this in hand, you will succeed in matching your message to your audience. A
successful match equals high -level engagement.

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FLEXIBILITY VS STEREOTYPE

FLEXIBILITY

 Flexibility in the workplace can improve the way your workplace operates and
can help you retain good staff.
 Flexibility allows you to work with your employees to decide hours of work, work
location and the way work is carried out.
 It involves thinking creatively about how working lives can be better structured to
match individual and business needs.

STEREOTYPE

 Stereotyping is the act of ascribing a set of traits to a person or group of people

based on cultural preconceptions.
 When stereotypes persist in the workplace, candidates for promotion may be
overlooked, work teams do not function properly and the corporate culture erodes.
 In some cases, lawsuits result from discrimination suits, damaging public perception
of the company.
 Dealing with stereotyping in the workplace should include education of and
interaction with all employees, as well as a clear directive to treat every worker as
an individual.
 Gender stereotyping occurs with men and women.
 When females are comparatively rare in a work environment, the expectation may
be that they will be overly assertive in an effort to compete with their male
counterparts.
 Male stereotyping involves the idea that males are inherently stoic and
unemotional. More harmful stereotypes imply cronyism among male workers,
known as the "old boys network." This stereotype asserts that promotions and
perks go to friends of the boss as opposed to more qualified - and often female -
workers.
 The sexual preferences of both genders may be questioned when a certain gender
is rare in a given field, such as female truck drivers or male hair stylists.
 Racial stereotypes have existed throughout human history. The multinational and
multicultural nature of global business demands a broad understanding of race and
ethnicity in the face of persistent misconceptions.
 For example, racial stereotypes commonly ascribed to African-American and
Hispanic workers include laziness, distrust and incompetence. Muslim employees
may suffer from the perception that they are inherently dangerous and threatening
due to their religion.
 Even positive stereotypes can be counterproductive. For example, the assumption
that decisions and efforts made by Asian workers are inherently better due to

21
 perceptions of higher intelligence and work ethic may cause supervisors to ignore
actual output. Although not necessarily insulting, stereotypes may prove harmful
when a certain level of competence is assumed rather than proven individually.
 Age-based stereotyping affects all groups. Young workers may be viewed as having a
sense of entitlement in that recent graduates expect a high grade of employment;
young employees may be considered incompetent due to lack of experience. This
unfair thought process works against individuals who have true drive and a strong
work ethic.
 Conversely, older workers may be seen as "lifers" or simply counting the days
toward retirement without putting in much effort. This stereotype ignores years of
hard work performed by these employees, along with the experience and
leadership these dedicated professionals can provide to younger generations.

22
RESPECT FOR OTHERS

 Respect can be defined as consideration for self and of others.

 Respect includes consideration for other people's privacy, their physical space and
belongings; and respect for different viewpoints, philosophies, physical ability,
beliefs and personality.
 In order to earn the respect of others, one must first have respect for themselves.
One must recognize they are a person worthy of respect.
 They refrain from making jokes or negative remarks that demean their abilities,
skills or other aspects of them.
 They don't make jokes or negative comments about the ability, skills or other
attributes of others.
 One earns respect by giving respect to one self and to others.
 If a manager criticizes the work of employees using negative or derogatory
comments about everything they do, should they receive respect because they are
the boss?
 If the employee silently accepts criticism the employee is saying that the boss is
better than they are because they are the boss and the employee thus shows a lack
of respect for them self.
 Everyone deserves to be treated without abuse regardless of the quality of their
work. If the employees work is good and is still being criticized, they are permitting
themselves to be demeaned unnecessarily.
 If their work is of lower quality than expected, this should indicate to the manager
they may need help in learning how to do the job better.
 Regardless, the employee still deserves respect.
 There are employees who not only love the company but also the work they do and
yet they will still leave.
 This often occurs due to an individual, usually not a manager, in the workplace who
is critical, disruptive and disagreeable about everything and everyone.
 This person usually does not perform as well as their peers and has a poor
attendance record.
 One person with a poor attitude can contaminate the workplace.
 Although, not a manager, their influence, especially on new employees, although
less powerful is still unhealthy.
 The manager should have a very blunt talk with this individual about their ability to
perform and fit into the company's culture.
 Specific training may be required and if so the training must be reviewed and the
person's behavior monitored to make certain they change in appropriate ways.
 If the employee cannot adapt they must be released from employment so they do
not continue to disrupt the rest of the workplace.
 Terminating a disruptive employee shows respect not only for the people who are
meeting the company standards but also the person who does not fit in.
 The terminated employee is not wrong for being who they are; they simply must be
shown that their attitude and work style is not appropriate in the organization.
23
SPOKEN VS WRITTEN LANGUAGE

 Writing is usually permanent and written texts cannot usually be changed once they
have been printed/written out.
 Speech is usually transient, unless recorded, and speakers can correct themselves
and change their utterances as they go along.
 A written text can communicate across time and space for as long as the particular
language and writing system is still understood.
 Speech is usually used for immediate interactions.
 Written language tends to be more complex and intricate than speech with longer
sentences and many subordinate clauses. The punctuation and layout of written
texts also have no spoken equivalent. However some forms of written language,
such as instant messages and email, are closer to spoken language.
 Spoken language tends to be full of repetitions, incomplete sentences, corrections
and interruptions, with the exception of formal speeches and other scripted forms
of speech, such as news reports and scripts for plays and films.
 Writers receive no immediate feedback from their readers, except in computer-
based communication. Therefore they cannot rely on context to clarify things so
there is more need to explain things clearly and unambiguously than in speech,
except in written correspondence between people who know one another well.
 Speech is usually a dynamic interaction between two or more people. Context and
shared knowledge play a major role, so it is possible to leave much unsaid or
indirectly implied.
 Writers can make use of punctuation, headings, layout, colours and other graphical
effects in their written texts. Such things are not available in speech
 Speech can use timing, tone, volume, and timbre to add emotional context.
 Written material can be read repeatedly and closely analysed, and notes can be
made on the writing surface. Only recorded speech can be used in this way.
 Some grammatical constructions are only used in writing, as are some kinds of
vocabulary, such as some complex chemical and legal terms.
 Some types of vocabulary are used only or mainly in speech. These include slang
expressions, and tags like y'know, like, etc.

24
ENTERTAINING CLIENTS / VISITORS

 Coffee house
 Hotels – lounges, lunch & dinner
 Bowling, driving range, relaxing retreat, exclusive event, boating excursion

Definition : What is travel and entertainment expense? An expense incurred by an employee

while he/she is traveling for business purposes or entertaining a
business client. ... Entertainment expenses may include taking a client to dinner, to a theater
show, or to a sporting event.

Tips

Here are seven quick tips for making sure you properly welcome (and wow) your client when
they visit your office.

1. Train all employees that all visitors are their personal customers, even if they do not
have a functional role with that visitor. This means making eye contact, smiling, saying
hello and asking any unattended visitors they see, if they can help. This alone can make
a huge difference between having a terrible experience and a potential customer feeling
welcome enough to consider making a transaction with the people behind the business.
2. Have a lobby board that says, "Welcome, Joe Smith from XYZ Company." This incredibly
simple gesture takes you no more than a couple of minutes to put together and pays
dividends by showing your visitors that you consciously thought about them before their
arrival. And if it's a potential client you're having in, this small welcome gesture that
shows how much you care about their experience can make the difference between
their choice to do business with you or a competitor that does give them a memorable
experience.

1. Maintain a clean workplace in every area a visitor can see, especially near the entrance.
Have someone other than yourself look at your work entrance and critique it from the
point of view of a potentially valuable customer who comes in to visit. Is the paint
chipped? Carpet worn? Are two-year-old tattered magazines strewn around the visitor
lobby? Make it part of someone's job to assure that the visual aesthetics of your
workplace shine through and reflect the professionalism you want to convey for
welcoming in clients and prospects.

1. The most important people in the office is the reception staff. What is he or she
communicating when someone walks in? Even if they're busy answering phones, they
can still make friendly eye contact, use hand gestures to indicate they'll be right with the
visitor and offer assistance immediately after getting off the phone. Be sure to instruct
your reception staff to not be constantly looking down at their phones, as this can be a
huge turn off when a guest is patiently waiting, trying not to be rude.

25
 1. Offer self-serve refreshments: Invest in a nice coffee and water system that isn't buried
in the kitchen area. Put it where customers can find it and serve themselves while they
wait or prepare for their meeting. Have some fresh fruit or healthy, wrapped snacks
available (not cheap, stale candy).
2. Offer today's newspapers in the lobby with a sticker that says, "Please feel free to take
this newspaper with you, courtesy of XYZ Co."
3. If the company has a mission or guiding principles statement, post it in many places
where customers will see, and make sure everyone lives up to it.

For bonus points after your client leaves, consider sending all of your most important visitors a
thank you card or small gift to show them that you appreciated them taking the time to come
into your office and visit. While this is yet another small gesture, it can go a long way towards
wowing a client and giving them a reason to choose you over the competition.

Remember, whether your company is large or small, every one of your employees is selling, all
of the time.

[Link]
BY MITCHELL YORK

Updated August 29, 2018

Activity 1.3

Find out the do’s and don’ts when entertaining clients, present a role play or find videos on
entertaining clients.

26
WEEK 2 – MEDIATED COMMUNICATION

 Definition: communication carried out by the use of information communication

[1][2]
technology, and can be contrasted to face-to-face communication.
 While nowadays the technology we use is often related to computers, giving rise
to the popular term computer-mediated communication, mediated technology
need not be computerized: writing a letter using a pen and a piece of paper is also
[3]
using mediated communication.
 Thus Davies defines mediated communication as the use of any technical medium
[3]
for transmission across time and space.

Types of media

1. Electronic – tv, internet, digital

 Email

 Texting

 Instant messaging

 Social networking

 Tweeting

 Blogs

 Video conferencing

2. Printed – brochures / promotional materials

 Marketing brochures & Promotional Materials - Documentation can help you promote
your organisation, conference, meeting, trade-show, product for example:-
 Marketing / Events Brochures
 Newsletters (Print or Online)
 Fliers
 Brochures
 Annual Reports / Reviews
 Product Guides

27
 Postcards
 Custom Calendars

Promotional items provide a business with the opportunity to control the marketing
message and how the clients perceive the business. They are a unique and targeted
message that shows you value your customers. Using logo branded promotional products
to brand your business can be done in an easy, simple and cost-effective way. Promotional
materials are a way for you to have your company logo and name in front of your client, and
anyone around your client, as much as possible. If you use the right promotional items, your
return on investment can be a jump in sales and revenue.

 T-shirt, mugs, umbrella, pens etc.

3. A brochure is a flyer, pamphlet or leaflet that is used to pass information about

something. Brochures are advertising pieces mainly used to introduce a company or
organization and inform about products and/or services to a target audience. Brochures
are distributed by radio, handed personally or placed in brochure racks. They may be
considered as grey literature. They are usually present also near tourist attractions.

28
Ethics of media usage at workplace

 Let employees know that the company has a vested interest in any ways that their
use of social media may impact the company, their duties to the company, or their
business responsibilities.
 Set policies that:
◦ Recognize the value of social media to the company and employees’
personal lives and that permit its use to forward the company’s goals
while not unduly restricting employees’ outside interests.
◦ Realistically have a chance of being followed.

 Be clear about what is not allowed, what is restricted and what is permitted.

 Cross reference social media policies with related standards or policies, such as use and
protection of business resources and information and conflicts of interest.

 Because social media is quickly changing, use care not to be overly prescriptive so that
policies quickly go out of date.

 Instead, set broad principles about proper use, such as “Do not communicate company
confidential or non-public information through social media devices that reach an
external audience without proper approval.”

 Do not forget use of electronic devices that may have a social component, such as
cellular telephone ‘texting’ and smartphones.

 When the company relies on social media for its own needs, set and communicate
policies on its use by employees and external parties.

Risks that a company may face with employees’ use – whether for their personal or business
purposes – of social media.

 Misuse of work time

 Misuse of company resources

 Risk to company computer systems, network or data

 Disclosure of confidential or other non-public information

 Disparagement or Harassment

 Conflicts of interest

29
  Advertising and marketing and fair competition

 Records Maintenance

 Espionage or fraud

 Privacy

 Personal reputation damage

Refer to article 1

30
Article 1

Managing the Workplace Ethics of Social Media

-Jason Lunday , July 21, 2010

 Jason Lunday Codes of Conduct Column

[Editor's Note: This is the sixth post in an ongoing series on Codes of Conduct by Jason Lunday.
Follow this link to view all of Mr. Lunday's articles in his Codes of Conduct featured column
series.]

Online social media applications are quickly gaining the mindshare of company employees and
changing just as rapidly. With all the benefits that social media is bringing to the corporate
world, a company faces numerous risks in its use, from misuse of company resources, to
conflicts of interest and disparagement of others.

Social media is a challenging topic because it crosses over so many ethics and compliance
issues. But like any other ethics and compliance topic, it can and must be proactively managed
for a company to safeguard its reputation and provide its employees with the tools to manage
their own personal and business activities.

Introduction

My colleague Greg Duffy tells of a recent experience while flying from Boston to Los Angeles.
Early in the long flight he noticed the fellow in his early twenties in the window seat donning
headphones to watch an in-flight movie. Greg then became aware that his seatmate employed the
plane’s new in-flight networking technology to carry on a video chat with a friend in another
seat. Added to this, the young man was simultaneously using the plane’s Internet connectivity to
engage in somewhere around a dozen “chats” with friends on the ground – all the while sipping
tequila – for the entire seven-hour flight. This is the new ‘wired’ world – and degree that young
workers are embracing it. Always wired, always communicating, always multitasking.

New, emerging and not-even-developed social media applications and other tools not only
consume more of our time, they are changing the business world. A recent online social media
presentation claims that the medium is now the number one online activity, with its use
accounting for 10 percent of all users’ time on the Internet. What’s more, it claims that social
media use is growing three times faster than the Internet’s overall growth rate.1 For many
companies, these tools can provide new ways of connecting with potential and current
customers, employees, suppliers and other stakeholders. They offer companies the opportunity
to speed up the pace of business, better establish the message that a company wants to convey,
strengthen a company’s relationships with customers and others and further facilitate a
continuous conversation about the business.

But social media when not well managed opens the door to numerous risks – breach of
confidentiality, conflicts of interest, misuse of company resources, to name a few of the more

31
obvious ones. Since social media can touch so many aspects of a company’s operations, its
leadership needs to address it in context to its overall business operations. Unlike some risk
areas, it cannot be successfully addressed largely as a stand-alone matter.

A company without an initiative to effectively identify, assess and manage its approach to social
media and its various tools not only loses out on its many opportunities they offer but faces
numerous risks to and improper business practices and activities that may damage the
business. A program to harness these risks does not need to be onerous or intrusive, but it does
need to be proportional to the company’s exposure. Further, a company should expect the social
media arena to continue to change both in technologies, their uses, business providers and ways
social media impacts the business landscape.

The Social Media Landscape

To begin assessing social media’s potential corporate impact, it is important to understand its
various forms and tools. According to one of the most prolific social media sites, Wikipedia,
social media’s predominant uses are for:

 Communication, such as blogs, micro-blogs, social networking and events.

 Collaboration, like wikis, social news and bookmarking/tagging.
 Multimedia, including video, photography, music/audio sharing and presentation sharing
and livecasting.
 Entertainment, for example, media platforms, virtual worlds and game sharing. 2

Company management may be familiar with some of the most prevalent applications –
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Myspace – but how many know about Open
Diary, Tumblr, BigTent, Wetpaint, Mixx, Vimeo, [Link], ccMixter, [Link],
or Forterra? Chances are that a company’s younger employees know about many of these
applications and more – and are actively using them. Further, as smartphones become more
ubiquitous in the workplace, employees’ access to the Internet and its social media applications
will speed up the media’s adoption – and create more difficulty for a company to monitor
workplace use.

Companies are early in understanding the application of legal and regulatory standards to social
media. Currently, a number of U.S. laws and regulations are being applied to the media’s
applications. Regulation FD responds to the communication of company financial or other key
operational information outside of the company. Employee privacy is covered by FCPA and
HIPAA. Intellectual property laws address how employees may communicate a company’s IP
across social media. FINRA, the securities self-regulatory organization, recently adopted a
regulatory notice on use of blogs and social networking sites. But companies should expect the
legal and regulatory environment to continue to broaden around social media as its impact on the
business world becomes better understood.

Each company needs to consider three ways in which social media can impact it. First, it needs
to address how employees use social media for their personal, non-company use. Second, it
should consider how it and its employees use social media for the company’s business

32
objectives. Another issue of social media involves where a company needs to set rights and
responsibilities for the non-employees it invites to engage in its social media activities. This
article addresses the first two uses of social media.

Companies and their employees have related, though not always complementary, interests in
social media. Employees – whether for business or personal use – look to social media to stay in
touch with family and friends; for amusement during the day, such as during lunch, or after
hours, if they have a laptop computer they bring home; and to build and maintain a professional
network and for professional education. Companies want to learn about the marketplace and
needs and desires of potential customers; to stay in front of current and potential customers; to
find and establish a positive face for potential employees; and to reinforce the company’s value
to current employees.

Risks that Companies Face

A review of numerous companies’ social media policies3 indicates numerous risks that a
company may face with employees’ use – whether for their personal or business purposes – of
social media.

1. Misuse of work time

 Accessing social media, like Facebook, for personal use while at work. With the
increasing amount of time that employees spend on social media sites, this risk is quickly
growing that employees will regularly access social media from work.

2. Misuse of company resources

 Using a company computer, personal digital assistant or Smartphone to access social

media, with risks of excessive bandwidth use, equipment ‘wear and tear’ or breakage, or
access to improper social media (such as ‘adult’ or ‘hate’ sites).
 Using without permission the company name, logo, trademarks, copyrighted information
or other intellectual property in blogs, discussion boards or other social networking sites
that can infringe on the company’s rights to and control over these assets.
 Using one’s company email address or a username that refers to one’s employment with
the company. Some employees do not maintain a personal email account and so rely on
the corporate email for personal matters.

3. Risk to company computer systems, network or data

 Using a company computer, network, personal digital assistant or smartphone to access

social media, with risks of introducing possible malicious software or other rogue
applications, especially for social media that involves accessing or downloading files.

33
4. Disclosure of confidential or other non-public information

 Disclosing this information a) on discussion boards or in chat rooms, or b) as part of

professional social networking activity though, not authorized to disclose it. As
businesses turn to the Internet and social media to facilitate business, such inadvertent
disclosure becomes a greater risk.
 Such disclosures can involve:
o Sensitive information that harms the company’s competitive advantage.
o Information for which the company is required to ensure fair disclosure.
o Product or other related information that may conflict with the company’s official
communications.

5. Disparagement or Harassment

 Inappropriately discussing colleagues, customers, suppliers or other stakeholders or

competitors with colleagues or individuals outside the company on discussion boards, in
chat rooms or through blogs. Blogs are a principal culprit – such as with Open Diary –
where an employee’s personal musings about his or her life turn to frustration about
work. Even an employee’s comments that are poorly worded or misunderstood can cause
harm.
 Developing or compiling and then displaying an audio stream or video – intended to be
humorous – but that makes fun of the employee’s industry, profession or company.
 Posting or discussing others or displaying certain social media at work that can lead to
claims of harassment.

6. Conflicts of interest

Conflicts of interest can take many forms and can cross with other forms of misconduct, from
use of company resources, use of one’s work position and other personal interests that conflict
with one’s duty to the company.

 Blogging or maintaining a website favorable to or critical of or posting information about

an industry, company or related issues without disclosing one’s employment with an
interested company. This also may be true for family members of someone who works
for an interested company, or even former employees.
 Serving in an outside professional role, such as an expert on a topical discussion board,
that conflicts with one’s duty to his or her company.
 Maintaining a blog that accepts advertising from his or her company’s competition.
 Making a personal recommendation or endorsement of an individual or company that
may suggest the company’s support for the recommendation or endorsement.

7. Advertising and marketing and fair competition

 Using instant messaging, a chat room, a discussion board or other social media to make
recommendations or otherwise market to current or prospective customers, in violation of
company policy (whether the message or the channel).

34
  Communicating critically about a competitor’s product or service on a discussion board
and without disclosing one’s employment with a competing company.

8. Records Maintenance

 Sending communications over social media that the company is not able to retain for its
own records maintenance requirements.

9. Espionage or fraud

 ‘Shopping’ a competitor by pretending to be a potential customer and misrepresenting

oneself in doing so.
 Posting a false review about a competitor’s product or service.

10. Privacy

 Mistakenly or intentionally providing personal information of a colleague, customer or

supplier on a discussion board or chat room or through other social media.
 Disseminating another employee’s postings without that employee’s permission.

11. Personal reputation damage

 Posting personal information or about personal activities that leads one’s company, a
recruiting company or others to believe that the individual is acting unprofessionally or
otherwise inappropriately. This situation can hurt the employer where the employee’s
personal reputation is tarnished and so affects the individual’s business reputation.

Corporate Use of Social Media

Because of the many ways in which social media can be misused and thus lead to ethics and
compliance problems, companies that plan to use this media for business purposes should
consider setting standards and other expectations that address:

 Collecting and using personal and corporate information belonging to individuals who
contribute.
 Creating or maintaining company-sponsored blogs, discussion boards, chat rooms,
audios/videos, contests, marketing activities and other social media, and employees
specifically authorized to do so. In certain instances, companies also may want to limit
employees authorized to contribute to these channels.
 Reviewing information to be posted on company social media.
 Disclosing the company’s sponsorship and ownership of certain posted materials.
 The company’s rights regarding use, redistribution and retention of others’ contributions
to its social media.
 Disclosing any company conflicts of interest with information posted on its social media.

35
Establishing Realistic Expectations

Among the more significant errors that companies can make is setting standards and expectations
that are impractical and so easily set aside. A company needs to consider practical expectations
in use of social media. For instance, a company that bans all employee personal use of social
media in the workplace – and even institutes technological lockdowns to prohibit its use on
company technology systems – may do more harm than good when employees pull out their
personal smartphones and tap into Facebook or Twitter at work.

Other considerations include:

 Employees’ desire to use social networking sites like LinkedIn or Plaxo that can involve
listing one’s company position and duties, and even posting testimonies of current and
former employees or suppliers.
 Employees who access social media while traveling on company business but seek to
avoid carrying both a company and personal laptop computer.
 Employees involved in online activities with friends, such as sports pool, that may
require them to take action during the work day to participate.
 Employees’ desire to use personal lunch time to ‘quickly catch up on what’s happening’
on social media outlets. As more employees forgo the lunch outing for a quick meal at
their desks, this activity becomes more common.
 Employees who identify social media applications that can help them improve their
business and professional knowledge. Professional associations’ websites may provide
employees with additional knowledge that is helpful for their work.

36
  Employees who use social media, such as through Google or Bing searches, to check on
prospective or current employees or suppliers when the data sources or data may not be
accurate.
 Employees who are working longer hours and so rely on personal email or other social
media, like [Link], to keep up with family and friends because they now have less
time to do so after work.
 Employees involved in charitable or other community activities – and that may in part
involve their company position – that use social media like [Link] to keep apprised
of the activity’s communications.
 Employees using social media for business research where a certain application’s use
requires advanced approval, and the approval process is time consuming.

An issue taxing many company leaders is the degree to allow the younger generation, many of
whom are highly adept at Internet technology and are frequently ‘connected’, to ‘stay connected’
during work. On one hand is the argument that the ‘wired’ worker is a smarter, more
technologically-savvy worker; on the other hand is the clear risk to work getting done or
inappropriate conduct on the job.

An Effective Social Media Ethics and Compliance Initiative

A more robust ethics and compliance initiative is appropriate for those companies where social
media is more pertinent to its business environment. Some considerations for a company
determining the depth and breadth of its social media ethics and compliance initiative include:

 Industry. Companies in an industry that rely on or are heavily involved in social media –
such as entertainment, news, sports, broadcasting, marketing and advertising, to name a
few – should expect that employees will be accessing online social media.
 Internet access. Companies where many employees have regular Internet access and
more frequently use the Internet in their work.
 Corporate social media use. Companies that regularly use social media for their own
business purposes.
 Job function. Employees in roles that interact with social media activities more regularly
– possibly communications, marketing, sales, investor relations, community affairs –
should consider whether function-specific mechanisms are needed.
 External environment. Companies with operations in locations that are heavily ‘wired’
– like Japan and South Korea – should anticipate employees’ regular use of and
expectations to use social media. Companies in locations that have been traditionally
‘underwired’ but are quickly becoming ‘wired’ should anticipate the problems that are
likely to arise.

The U.S. Organizational Sentencing Guidelines’ recommendations for an effective compliance

and ethics program have served as an important framework for overall corporate programs and
can be effectively applied to a social media initiative. This is not to suggest that effective
management of social media requires its own stand-alone program as we have seen with privacy,
safety, anti-corruption or other key risk areas. To the contrary, because social media is so much

37
a part of other ethics and compliance topics, it should be well integrated in and part of a
company’s overall ethics and compliance program. (That being said, some companies where
social media is a significant part of the business – like entertainment or other media companies –
may consider assigning a social media compliance officer.) Still, as with any ethics and
compliance risk area, the overall framework should be fit to address social media’s specific
characteristics.

Risk Assessment

 As the social media landscape changes regularly and quickly, understand the current
social media technology and how it is being used. Tap into the knowledge of information
technology staff and other social media-savvy employees in this effort. Review current
literature on the topic.
 Identify and assess the most likely risks to your business. All companies face certain
risks; other risks may be more specific to your company’s industry or specific activities.
 Identify what social media your company uses in conducting its business vs. what is
simply used by employees for non-business reasons. Ensure you explore what social
media employees are using for business purposes, whether or not the company
encourages or authorizes it.

Policies

 Let employees know that the company has a vested interest in any ways that their use of
social media may impact the company, their duties to the company, or their business
responsibilities. Set policies that:
o Recognize the value of social media to the company and employees’ personal
lives and that permit its use to forward the company’s goals while not unduly
restricting employees’ outside interests.
o Realistically have a chance of being followed.

 Be clear about what is not allowed, what is restricted and what is permitted.
 Cross reference social media policies with related standards or policies, such as use and
protection of business resources and information and conflicts of interest.
 Because social media is quickly changing, use care not to be overly prescriptive so that
policies quickly go out of date. Instead, set broad principles about proper use, such as
“Do not communicate company confidential or non-public information through social
media devices that reach an external audience without proper approval.”
 Do not forget use of electronic devices that may have a social component, such as cellular
telephone ‘texting’ and smartphones.

 When the company relies on social media for its own needs, set and communicate
policies on its use by employees and external parties.

38
Procedures

 Establish procedures for:

o Non-business use of social media. For instance, if employees should receive
approval before using the company name or their company position on social
networking websites, ensure procedures exist for them to obtain approval.
o Any manager responsible for overseeing or monitoring their employees’ use of
social media and for higher-level managers with broader supervisory oversight of
use of social media.
o Employees involved in the company’s business use of social media.
o Functional employees involved in proper monitoring use of social media, such as
information technology staff.

 Ensure employees have specific resources for more information and guidance as you
likely have not identified all ways in which social media uses can thwart good business
practices.

 Include internal procedures to assess any new social media that becomes a real presence.
It can be difficult to monitor and set policies for the many different social media tools, so
at least seek to respond to those applications that become popular or that otherwise your
company’s employees are likely to use because of their field or the company’s location or
activities.

Communications and Education

 While in many cases dissemination of a social media policy may be sufficient, it can be
helpful at for work group managers to review the policy with staff, discuss its application
to the work group’s business and respond to any questions or concerns.
 More formal training is helpful for those employees who will use social media for the
company’s business and employees involved in monitoring employees’ use of social
media (especially to ensure employee privacy) and supervisory employees where risk to
employee privacy is great.

 Help managers understand how they need to help their employees and when they need to
seek help themselves.

Monitoring & Auditing

 Determine social media use that your company’s systems can easily monitor or track to
reasonably ensure compliance with related policies and procedures. Look to advisory
and misconduct reporting systems as one monitoring mechanism.
 As with a risk-based compliance initiative, consider establishing monitoring activities
based on the risk that certain social media tools or activities pose. For example, if very
few employees have regular computer access during working hours, it seems
overwrought to assign someone to review their computer activity for social media access.
On the other hand, if your company regularly uses online discussion boards to market its

39
 services and expertise, then monitoring employees’ contributions to these discussion
boards seems reasonable.

 If social media risks are significant, consider identifying an outside expert to audit your
company’s social media compliance program – even to help identify emerging and future
risks.

Oversight

 Effective oversight does not mean that a company needs to assign a social media
compliance officer. It means that a company should ensure effective accountability and
ongoing management of social media use that befits its risks. Large companies that rely
heavily on social media may appoint someone to this role; many companies likely can get
by on ensuring that the compliance function regularly reviews the social media
compliance program on its own. Also, the oversight might involve a committee
comprised of individuals with responsibilities related to privacy, communications,
information technology and ethics and compliance.

Periodic assessment

 Because social media is changing so quickly, it is a good idea to periodically review the
company’s social media ethics and compliance initiative to ensure that the company is
effectively managing in the changing environment.

Summary

As many companies are now experiencing, social media’s use in the workplace poses numerous
risks because it crosses so many different ethics and compliance topics and because its
applications and use are rapidly and constantly changing. But as with all business topics, a
company can successfully manage its own and its employees’ personal use of it by employing a
common framework applied to most other ethics and compliance topics, albeit with some
modifications specific to social media. The sooner that a company gets its arms around use of
social media the better it will fare as the fast rate of change in social media going forward is
expected; a delinquent company will have further to catch up the later it responds to the
challenge.

Notes

Social media was used in preparation of this article.

1
“What the Hell is Social Media? – in 2 Minutes,” compiled and edited by Peter Kerwood,
Merlin Entertainments Group., created by Kama Glober & Tim Fogg, ApartmenTwo
Creative/4reel Films.
2
“Social Media,” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ([Link]).

40
3
Including, among others, Cisco Systems, Dell, Entergy, ESPN, Fedex, Ford, Gartner, HP, IBM,
Intel and Microsoft.

Related content:

1. When One Tweet Can Equal a Million Emails: Tips for Developing a Corporate Social
Media Policy
2. Customer Lists by Another Name: Social Media and Trade Secrets
3. Social Media Risk Management Must be a Team Effort
4. Social Media Policies That Keep You Out of Trouble
5. Seven Components of an Effective Social Media Risk Compliance Program

41
Language skills

Active voice vs passive voice

 Readers prefer active voice sentences, and we should try to use the active voice in most
of our business writing to communicate our message most effectively. Active voice
clearly identifies the action and who is performing that action. Unfortunately, much of
government writing is in the passive voice, giving documents a wordy, bureaucratic tone.
Over time, writing in the passive voice simply becomes a habit, one we should all work
to change.

Example 1:

1. Cut Passive: New requirements (subject) were introduced (action) to strengthen the
banking system.

2. Active: The Banks Act of 1985 (subject) introduced (action) new requirements (object)
to strengthen the banking system.

Example 2:

1. Passive: Mr. Doe (subject) was told (action) by the bank official that he would need to
provide additional information. (16 words)

2. Active: The bank official (subject) told (action) Mr. Doe (object) he would need to
provide additional information. (13 words)

Stylistic features (Refer to article 2)

 Relating to the particular way an artist, writer, musician etc makes or performs
something, especially the technical features or methods they use:
 In writing slogans / advertisements

42
Actvity 2.0 – Prepare an informational brochure on a product or service which includes the
important information needed to promote the product or service. Decide what the slogan will
be by referring to the stylistic features given.

Activity 2.1 – Write a paragraph on the importance of applying ethics of media usage in the
workplace context.

Actvity 2.3 – Find examples of sentences of active and passive voice in a newspaper article or
magazines

43
ARTICLE 2
Stylistic Features of the Advertising Slogan

By DING Xiaosong
English>Chinese translator

dingxiaosong@[Link]

A slogan is a form of verbal logo. In a print ad, it usually appears just beneath or beside the
brand name or logo. A slogan sums up what one stand for, one’s specialty, the benefit, and one’s
marketing position, and one’s commitment. It is especially useful to reinforce one’s identity. A
slogan can prove to be more powerful than a logo. People can remember and recite your slogan
while they are unlikely to doodle your logo. It is more important for your slogan to clearly state
what you are about than to be clever, but if you can accomplish both, all the better. Slogans have
two basic purposes: to provide continuity to a series of ads in a campaign and to reduce an
advertising message strategy to a brief, repeatable, and memorable positioning.

The slogan should be used everywhere. Think of it as being attached to one’s name like a
shadow; put it on business cards, printed ads, personal brochures, signs, letters, in the yellow
pages -everywhere one can put it.

The advertising slogan is always short and epigrammatic in nature. It helps to make the ad
more impressive and memorable. (XUE Hangrong,2003:206)

So let’s take a look at the stylistic features of these fabulous slogans to see how it can achieve
its aim.

1. At the graphetic level

1.1 Consistent use of initial capitalization.

To achieve an emphatic effect, the ad slogan is just like a headline which uses initial
capitalization to attract more attention or to stress every word it says to impress the reader.

For example,

Heinz: Beanz Meanz Heinz.

Toyota: I Love What You Do For Me.

44
1.2 Sometimes full use of capitalization.

Sometimes for the same reason as above, the ad slogan needs to emphasize every letter it uses
or to make the ad slogan look trim and tidy.

For example,

NewsWeek: THE WORLD’S NEWSMAGAZINE.

Oracle: SOFTWARE POWERS THE INTERNET.

2. At the phonological level

2.1 Use of rhymes.

2.1.1 Rhymes with brand name

One of the best techniques for bringing in the brand name is to make the slogan rhyme with
it. An ad slogan is better if it reflects the brand’s personality. By this kind of rhyming, the brand
name is highlighted. The ad slogan is thus highly purposed. It can differentiate a slogan from
others by the brand name and the special rhyming which is the identity of the slogan.

Haig Scotch: Don't be vague. Ask for Haig.

Quavers: The flavour of a Quaver is never known to waver.

2.1.2 Rhymes - brand name mention

A fall-back position is to use a rhyme and mention the brand name without it actually
rhyming. It is not so effective, perhaps, because the brand name is not highlighted. The slogan is
likely to lose its identity, because similar products can use the same ad slogan with a simple
change of the product name.

Viakal: It's the Viakal fizz that does the bizz!

Jaguar : Grace, space, pace.

2.2 Use of alliteration.

Alliteration can help the slogans achieve the strong beating rhythm needed to make it an
repeatable sentence. By so doing, the sentences are more slogan-styled. They can be easily
remembered by the audience. Alliteration can also achieve an emphatic effect of the meaning.

Allied Irish Bank: Britain's best business bank.

45
 Greyhound: Greyhound going great.

Fila: Functional... Fashionable... Formidable...

3. At the lexical level

3.1 Common uses of second person addressee “you”, “we”,”us”.

The use of second person addressee “you” tends to shorten the distance between the product or
the producer and consumers, as if the producer or the ad is speaking to you face to face, making
sincere promises, honest recommendations. In so doing, the ad slogans stand a better chance to
move the receiver or customers to action, because the receiver feels that he is being thought of
and taken care of and he is the center point of the producers.

For example,

HYUNDAI: Always there for you.

Nestle Milo: Bring out the champion in you.

The use of first person addresser “we” and “us” is the most direct way to tell the receiver what
the sponsor of an ad slogan stands for, his idea, his view, and his credit. It’s a little bit like a self-
introduction to the potential customers to let them know you, recognize you, believe you and
trust you.

For example,

Avis Rent A Car: We try harder.

Fed ex: We live to deliver.

3.2 Use of unqualified comparison.

Admen have to abide by the code of commercial practice and stick to the rules of advertising.
They should not advertise their product at the expense of others. So they resort to unqualified
comparison to avoid defaming other products. (XUE Hangrong,2003:189) They can not say:
“Brand X is better than brand Y.” Otherwise, unpleasant lawsuits will inevitably occur. They can
say:

For example,

Coleman footgear: Better choice, better joys.

46
3.3 Use of “every” “always”, etc.

These words are often used in ads to indicate the universal application of the product or to
include as many potential customers as possible or to achieve the emphasis of the product’s
utility or the company’s unswerving commitment.

For example,

Always Coca-Cola.

Mitsubishi: Technically, everything is possible.

3.4 Use of “no”, “none”, etc.

Negatives tend to be used very sparingly because the purpose of all ad slogans is to strengthen
the positive side. But when negatives do occur, they are usually placed in an emphatic position to
highlight the special the positive side.

For example,

Mercedes Benz: The pursuit for perfection has no finish line.

M&Ms melt in your mouth, not in your hand.

3.5 Use of coined words.

Coined words are both new and memorable. Coined words are kind of smart words have a
special meaning in the specified context. They can raise the interests of the ad slogan receivers,
make them ponder upon the meaning and marvel at the smart idea of the admen. By so doing,
they recognized the brand.

Louis Vuitton: Epileather.

Burton Menswear: Everywear.

Gordon's & Tonic: Innervigoration.

47
4. At the syntactic level.

4.1 Use of short simple sentences.

The slogan must be short and simple; it can not afford to be complicated and clumsy. Short
simple sentences are easy to remember, while one main aim of an ad slogan is to be memorable
and recited. So short and simple sentences serve advertising slogans right.

For example,

Sumsung Digitall-Everyone is invited.

GE: We bring good things to life.

4.2 Use of everyday sentences.

Every day sentences tend to be overly used in day life, but it can be very forceful when used in
an ad slogan. These sentences travel very fast, because anyone can remember it without any
effort. It can just hang upon people’s lips. It’s something popularized without much publicity.

For example,

Nike: Just do it

Nestle: It’s the taste!

4.3 Use of phrases.

Slogans are a kind of special writing form. They can almost do without subjects. Phrases may
be better than if not as good as sentences. All kind of phrases can be put into use: noun phrase,
verb phrase, preposition phrase, adjective phrase, etc. They are so concise and to the point that
they are beyond our power to do any addition or subtraction.

For example,

Apple computer: think different

Malaysia Airlines: Beyond expectation.

Maxwell House: Good to the last drop.

48
4.4 Use of questions.

In ad headlines questions are often used to attract attention by mentioning the matter that
concerns the customers most. They help to arouse the curiosity of the customers and entice them
to read on to find the solution to the problem. Many slogans (also called themeline or tagline)
begin as successful headlines. (Arens, William F. & Bovee, Courtland L. 1994: p.289) So it is
not surprising that the slogan can use questions too for the same purpose.

For example,

Ford: Have you driven a Ford lately?

Volkswagen Polo: R u Polo?

4.5 Use of imperative sentences.

In an ad, the slogan is the last few words said. Although it’s just a few words, the admen don’t
let it go at that. They use every opportunity to exhort the potential customers to act, to buy and to
consume. The slogan is their last battle field to get people moved. It is not surprising that they
would use imperative sentences to make a slogan while this kind of sentence is the most direct
way to achieve the ideal effect.

For example,

Express card: Don’t leave home without it.

United Airlines: Life is a journey, travel it well.

4.6 Use of tense.

Almost all the ad slogans use simple present tense to satisfy the customer’s desire to know the
present state of the product he wants to buy. But there is another aspect of the simple present: its
implication of universality and timelessness.

For example,

DeBeers: A diamond is forever.

Rossini: Time always follows me

49
4.7 Creative use of idioms or proverbs

Idioms and proverbs are familiar to most potential customers in a society and have no difficulty
to be popularized. The creative use of the idioms and proverbs can give them new meaning while
making them memorable and campainable.

For example,

Financial Times: No FT, no comment.

IBM: I think, therefore IBM.

5. At the semantic level.

5.1 Semantic ambiguity

Ad slogans have to conform to the code of commercial practice. Semantic ambiguity is needed
to avoid any possible legal liability.

For example,

Philips: let’s make things better.

5.2 Use of puns

5.2.1 A really good pun can work miracles. However note the lack of brand identity in these
otherwise excellent examples. Almost any competing brand could use these lines. Although they
are good, they have no specific identity of their own.

Moss Security: Alarmed? You should be.

Pioneer: Everything you hear is true.

Range Rover: It's how the smooth take the rough.

5.2.2 In these lines, the brand name appears, but as the solution or promise rather than part of the
pun. These slogans with brand name in it can help the name be remembered while offer a two
layered meaning to the slogan. The second layer of meaning can interest and impress the people
with its smartness and its novelty.

50
 Kenco Really Rich Coffee: Get Rich quick.

Finish Detergent: Brilliant cleaning starts with Finish.

5.2.3 Here the brand goes to work, as inextricably part of the pun.

Citibank: Because the Citi never sleeps.

Quavers Snacks: Do me a Quaver.

All the above-mentioned stylistic features of ad slogans are necessary to make them neat,
simple, original, strategic, memorable and campaignable. The slogans are also a kind of poetic
language, which we should pay attention to.

After a study of 103 ad slogans of large to medium sized companies in recent years, I did a
little summarizing. The reason why I choose large to medium sized companies is that good ad
slogans always come form them and they can represent the trend in ad slogans.

Number of words in a Number of slogans counted

slogan
1 1
2 7
3 25
4 33
5 12
6 14
7 3
8 5
9 2
13 1

From this chart we can see that three-worded slogan and four-worded slogan are the most
favored in the creation of a slogan with 25 and 33 slogans for each type, and five or six worded
slogans are also widely used. Two worded and eight worded slogans still occupy a share. But the
number of other length slogans decreased dramatically. The longest ad slogan in study has 13
words which is a rare case, because it is too lengthy to be a slogan. And one worded slogan can
not express fully the rich and multi-layered meaning that a slogan wants to convey. The eight
worded slogans are preferred than the seven worded ones is because the former generally uses a
parallel or contrasted structure, so for each small sentence of the structure the length is just four
words which is the most preferred length. The average length of an ad slogan is 4.447 words. It
is the trend for the slogan to be short, about 2 to 6 words long. This is just my general analysis of
the results.

51
 It is useful to conduct a more detailed study of the slogans; because more and more Chinese
companies are going abroad to do their business and they need a good English slogan to establish
their image in the world business arena. This study will also help the development of the Chinese
ad slogans in China. Good ad slogans are forever.

Bibliography:

[1] XUE Hangrong. Introduction to English Styles[M].Xi’an:Xi’an Jiaotong University

Press,2003

[2] WU Zhiming,HU Zhiwei. Selection of English Advertisement

Language[M].Beijing:Beijing University Press,1999.

[3] YANG Rongqi,CHEN Yuhong. Appreciation of English Advertisement Style[M].

Wuhan:Huazhong Science and Technical University Press,1995.

[4] Angela,[Link] language of Advertising[M]. London and New York: Routledge,1998.

[5] Arens,W.& [Link]ée. Contemporary Advertisement[M]. Massachusetts:Irwin

Incorporation,1994.

[Link]

52
WEEK 3 – IMPACT OF CULTURE

In the age of globalization the workplace is becoming increasingly cross-culturally integrated

making understanding and expertise in cross-cultural communication more crucial for
executives, business leaders, workplace managers, and standard employees. In order to get a
deeper understanding of and acquire skills in intercultural encounters at the workplace, those
engaged in it must gain practical knowledge of the factors that impact cross-cultural
communication.

The Cultural Identity Factor

Culture is the values, attitudes, and ways of doing things a person learns during the socialization
process in the particular place where they were brought up as a child. The cultural identity
factor impacts cross-cultural communication because the norms and practices a person
acquires and practices in their country and local community will be different from and clash
with the norms and practices of co-workers brought up in a different countries or societies.

The Racial Identity Factor

The racial identity factor refers to how one's conscious membership in a particular race affects
how they interact with folks in the workplace who come from different cultures. Like ethnicity
mentioned below, racial identity is more of a factor in the United States for Asian Americans,
African Americans, and Latin Americans than for European Americans.

The Ethnic Identity Factor

The ethnic identity factor highlights the role ethnicity plays in how two co-workers from
different cultures interact with one another. In the United States, white European Americans
are less likely to take their ethnicity into account when communicating, but members of other
ethnic groups such as African Americans, Latin Americans, and Asian Americans are more likely
to consider their ethnic backgrounds in the communication process.

The Gender Role Identity Factor

This means that communication between members of different cultures is affected by how
different societies view the roles of men and women.

53
The Individual Identity Factor

This means that how a person communicates with others from other cultures depends on their
own unique personality traits and how they esteem themselves.

The Social Class Identity Factor

The social identity factor refers to the level of society that person was born into or references
when determining who they want to be and how they will act accordingly.

The Age Identity Factor

The age identity factor refers to how members of different age groups interact with one
another. In old terms this might be thought of in terms of the generation gap. More hierarchical
cultures like China, Thailand, and Cambodia pay great deference and respect to their elders and
take their elders' opinions into account when making life changing decisions. Cultures like the
United States are less mindful of their elders and less likely to take their advice into account
when making important decisions. Such attitudes towards age cause the age identity factor to
impact intercultural communication at the workplace.

The Roles Identity Factor

The roles identity factor refers to the different roles a person plays in his or her life including
their roles as a husband or wife, father, mother or child, employer or employee and so forth.
How two members of a workforce from two different cultures view these various roles
influences how they will interact with their fellow colleague or counterpart.

HUMAN RELATIONSHIP

Relationships between employees and management are of substantial value in any workplace.
Human relations is the process of training employees, addressing their needs, fostering a
workplace culture and resolving conflicts between different employees or between employees
and management. Understanding some of the ways that human relations can impact the costs,
competitiveness and long-term economic sustainability of a business helps to underscore their
importance. Human relations in the workplace are a major part of what makes a business work.
Employees must frequently work together on projects, communicate ideas and provide
motivation to get things done. Without a stable and inviting workplace culture, difficult
challenges can arise both in the logistics of managing employees and in the bottom line.

54
Businesses with engaging workplaces and a well-trained workforce are more likely to retain and
attract qualified employees, foster loyalty with customers and more quickly adapt to meet the
needs of a changing marketplace.

WORKPLACE RELATIONSHIP

The quality of workplace relations is critical to employee retention. Employee retention may
seem trivial -- especially in a workplace that is used to a high turnover -- but managers must
remember that turnover is financially very costly. Every new employee requires a substantial
investment of time and energy in their recruitment and training. In addition, severing ties with
old employees can sometimes be challenging, especially if the circumstances are not
particularly amicable. Making sure quality employees remain interested and engaged in the
business requires patience, compassion and flexibility, but can actually make the business more
financially sound.
Workplace relationships provide a source of employee motivation, which is important to
maintaining productivity. Employees who are interested in their work and in the well-being of
other employees tend to be more productive than those who are not. This productivity pays
obvious financial dividends to the company, as it can get more done in less time with fewer
costs. Building relationships, by both recognizing an employee's value to the company and a
concern for their needs, often goes a long way.
The modern business environment often rewards businesses that are able to quickly develop
products that meet changing consumer needs. In some industries -- such as technology, for
example -- employees' ability to come up with effective new ideas is often the difference
between the entire company's success and failure.
According to Sallyport Magazine, research shows that creativity is based to large degree in
social interaction. Employees' creativity is often dependent on their ability to communicate
with other employees and share ideas. Without quality workplace relationships, employees are
less likely to be able to develop and share the solutions that a business needs to survive.

The way a person communicates depends on the situation.

o E.g: - at the office – people treat coworkers with respect
o - social setting – people treat their friends differently
Forms of communication in the workplace have affected working relationship
Electronic communication is a new form of interacting with coworkers and friends.
o E.g:- telephone, typewriter, fax machine, television, computer, email, etc.

55
GENDER

Expectations about attributes and behaviours appropriate to women or men and about the
relations between women and men are shaped by culture. Gender functions as an organizing
principle for society because of the cultural meanings given to being male or female - e.g
women’s work or men’s work. In Asia, gender roles have evolved as a result of both economic
and political factors. The communist party in China, for example, put out the idea that "women
hold up half the sky" as a maxim for absolute gender equality. This was a sharp change from
past gender role definitions, where women were encouraged to be housebound, domestically-
talented and decorative creatures. The effects of this evolution of gender roles has been seen
across the region, where women are fully engaged in the economic process and strong female
personalities thrive alongside a culture that endorses strong male personalities as well.
In North America and Europe, the main representatives of "Western" culture, the official line is
that men and women are equal. However, it is clear that gender roles have evolved in a way
that undercuts this official line. Women continue to earn 77 cents for each dollar of comparable
male salaries in America, while in Europe an obsession with political correctness and equality
through mandates and regulation undercuts women's efforts to achieve based on merits
throughout the Eurozone. Add in a uniquely Western opposition to the household help for
career women that is widely accepted in Asia and South America, and one finds a gender role
for women that includes highly traditional household responsibilities doubled over with the
expectation of career success that is still somehow best only when subservient to a male
leader. That Western women come across as angrier and frustrated than their global
counterparts should not really be a surprise.
In South America, gender roles have evolved through a blend of native Incan and invading
Spanish influences with a strong family focus. Women's status as items of beauty continues to
be a major part of women's roles in society, but women are welcomed in all industries as
contributors. Men's "macho" ideal is a more nuanced gender role than is commonly expressed
in the media, with many super-macho's proving to be sensitive family men who are considerate
caregivers without any hesitation about being perceived as unmacho just because they are
holding a baby in public.
Though chauvinism is a real factor toward women as abstract beings, the strong personalities of
South American women make it clear that as individuals, they do not accept gender roles as
second class citizens. Gender roles have evolved in different cultures in different ways around
the world, but they can be tied back to core values of their societies. In no part of the world are
gender roles fixed in place, and the continuing ways that gender roles evolve will be highly
interesting to men and women alike.

56
LEADERSHIP

Definitions and perceptions of leadership vary considerably from culture to culture. In the global
business world, organizations and executives face a growing need to understand the subtleties
and nuances of leadership as it is exercised in different cultures. What is seen as a strength in
one culture may be a considerable impediment in another culture. Business is global, but each
business organization has a culture shaped by the business it is in and the people who run the
business. Executives are themselves products of the unique cultures in which they have learned
and conducted business. To see how cultures might come into play, we can easily imagine a
situation in which a British executive who was trained at an American business school is asked
to run the Argentine manufacturing facility of a Japanese firm.

• What leadership attributes should this executive work to develop: Japanese? Argentine?
American? British?

• This executive needs to understand the culture within which he works and how his
employees perceive leadership.

GLOBE has found that “one size does not fit all”.

• An executive needs to develop bespoke leadership attributes, tailored to the unique

culture within which he or she works

• Leaders are expected to have vision, but how this is displayed differs from culture to
culture.

In China, the influence of Confucian values make people wary of leaders who talk without
engaging in specific action. Indian managers, on the other hand, care less about visionaries,
preferring bold assertive styles of leadership. Communication skills are also important to the
leader, but again, how these skills are perceived differs among and within cultures. What
constitutes a good communicator is likely to vary greatly across cultures. American managers
are more likely to provide directions to subordinates on a face-to-face basis while Japanese
managers are likely to use written memos. In the U.S. subordinates are usually provided
negative feedback directly from their supervisors, while in Japan such feedback is usually
channeled through a peer of the subordinates. These differences reflect the U.S. individualistic
norm of “brute honesty” and the Japanese collectivistic norm of “face-saving”.

57
CONCLUSION

Everyone has different filters.

When you write to or speak with someone from another culture, you encode your message the
assumptions of your own culture. (vice versa)
People need to recognize four types of cultural differences:
Contextual, ethical, social, and nonverbal.

Activity 3.0 – Watch the movie “Outsourced”- answer questions relating to the topics learnt.

Activity 3.1 – Write a paragraph on the factors that make an impact to workplace.

58
WEEK 4 – NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

EYE CONTACT

BODY POSITION

ENCOURAGING SIGNS

DIFFERENT CULTURES

DO’S AND DON’TS

Non Verbal Communication Modes

1. What is Non-Verbal Communication?

 Non-verbal communication is used to describe any method of transferring
information without words.
 Broadly divided into relatively universal forms and culturally dependent form.
 Based on societal cues or completely unconscious.
 Basically it is sending and receiving messages in variety of ways without the use of
verbal codes.

2. Aspects of Non-verbal Communication

 Non-verbal is an attractive area of study.
 There are many ways in which people communication in face-to-face situations.
 It concerns as a means of reinforcing or replacing the spoken word.
 In many instances. Involuntary is a response.

2.1 There are 5 aspects in non-verbal communication.

 Kinesics - body language
 Para language – the pitch, the volume and intonation of your voice when
speaking
 Proximity - touching behaviour
 Artefacts - things that convey a meaning without using words
 Environment factors - think of how you’d say “Hello”

59
 3. Why is Non-Verbal Communication important
 What do you do, says more than the words you use.
 Non-verbal communication accounts for the majority of what is heard and
understood by a listener.
 Non-verbal communication has the ability to persuade, confuse and empower
the people directly around you.
 When your verbal communication and non-verbal communication agree, the
message you are communicating will be better understood and digested.

3.1 Strengthens or Weakens Verbal Communication

One of the most crucial aspects of non-verbal communication is its ability to strengthen verbal
communication.

3.2 Provides Cues

Non-verbal communication provides cues to other people to help guide or instruct him. For
example, if a police officer is in the middle of an intersection and he faces his hand at your car,
you know this means to stop. The non-verbal cue to stop could save your life and the lives of
the other passengers on the road. Other cues in American society could be clapping hands,
winking with the eye or a shrug of the shoulders.

3.3 Clarifies
Non-verbal communication clarifies the verbal message. This can be seen in a presentation. The
speaker is verbally communicating and uses non-verbal visual aids to help the listeners
understand more effectively. A non-verbal aid in this situation can be a graph, chart or slide
show. Incorporating non-verbal communication in an interpersonal or group conversation will
provide greater clarity and comprehension.

3.4 Creates Culture

Whether a culture is created in a family or a corporation, it is the non-verbal communication
that is responsible for it. In every relationship and group there are certain norms and
expectations that are not verbally communicated. Most of the time these rules of engagement
are created through non-verbal expressions whether it is touch, time or gestures. Non-verbal
communication can make a culture hostile, comforting or awkward.

3.5 Adds Depth

Non-verbal communication adds depth to verbal communication. This is seen in the expression
of emotions. Emotions are a form of non-verbal communication that provides depth and
greater meaning for an individual’s soul. For example, a person can give a speech with no

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emotion and lose the crowd or they can say the same speech with emotion behind it and
captivate the audience.

4. Uses of Non-Verbal Communication

4.1 Modifying speech

Non-verbal communication has a significant effect on what is communicated. Modification

include:

 Positioning of body relative to other people and things

 Micro-movement of muscles
 Skin colour and texture
 Texture of voice tone
 Sweating

Speech modifiers are particularly significant when taken combination with speech and when
used at key points in speech.

4.2 Replacing speech

Communication can be done without speaking. For example:

 Pointing with feet, legs, hands, head or whole body

 Gestures with fingers, hands and arms

Replacement for speech can be direct one-for-one gestures with clear meaning or may be less
obvious or conscious movement that signal requests, attitudes and intent.

4.3 Controlling conversation

Conversation is a process of turn-taking in talking. Non-verbal signals are used a great deal in
requesting, offering and managing control of who is speaking. This includes:

 Butting into speech to take control.

 Speaking louder or faster to retain control.

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 4.4 Conveying personality and status

Non-verbal communication extends beyond bodily actions to anything that sends messages.
This includes much about whom you are, and in particularly where you fit into the social
hierarchy. For example:

 Dress, including style, tidiness, coordination.

 Personal adornments from jewellery to watches and bandages.

4.5 Expressing emotion

Emotions are particularly expressed through non-verbal communication, where the voice and
body can tell a lot more about how you feel than your words. In particular, if you feel unable to
express emotions verbally, your words and body language can easily conflict, sending messages
that may be interpreted as stress or deceit.

5. Effective Non-Verbal Communication

 Become more aware of how other people are reacting or feeling
 A correct interpretation of NVC signals may allow the interpreter to act
positively.
 Learn to understand themselves better as well as learning to exert some
greater consciousness about their manner of speech.
 Closer relation towards people
 Can reduce the communication breakdown.

Gestures

A gesture is a form of non-verbal communication in which visible bodily actions. To support

gesture, human position and movement must be tracked and interpreted in order to recognize
semantically meaningful gestures. Gestures include movement:

 Hands
 Arms
 Head
 Fingers
 Legs
 Feet

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Gestures differ from physical non-verbal communication that does not communicate specific
messages. Gestures allow individuals to communicate a variety of feelings and thoughts
Gestures can be defined in different kinds:

 Gesticulation
 Language-like gestures
 Pantomimes
 Emblems
 Sign languages

Commonly Used Gestures

1. Head
 Nodding sideways to urge someone along
 Nodding up and down
 Shaking sideways
 Inclined briefly
 Cradled in one or both hands

2. Arms and hands

 Widely outstretched
 Jammed into trouser pocket
 Firmly folded across the chest
 Holding back of the head with fingers laced
 Hands pressed together in ‘praying’ position
 Flat of hand patting desk-top
 Hand brushing something away in the air

3. Fingers
 Drumming on table-top
 Stroking mouth and chin
 Stabbing the air with forefinger
 Clenched into a fist
 Manipulated in an arm-wave

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 4. Legs and feet
 Leg and foot making kicking motion
 Foot or toes tapping the ground
 Moving legs up and down while seated

Types of Gestures

1. Negative gestures – nervous, tense, disinterested, dishonest

 Adjusting your clothes
 Biting your nails
 Fidgeting(keep moving your hands, body or feet)
 Touching your face
 Toying with something in your hands
2. Illustrative gestures – to emphasis your talking
 Illustrate level with your hands
3. Silent gestures – quick, easy and efficient form of business communication
 Waving hands – hello/goodbye(depends on the situation)
 Nod your head – yes/ok
 Shake sideways – no
4. Formal gestures – greetings
 Bow/curtsey
 Handshake/hand-kissing

Do’s and Don’ts gesture in workplace

Do’s

Wave hand, nod head

 A person might use a wave their hand rather than saying “hello”, or nod his or her
agreement, which means “yes” or “okay”.
Hand gesture

 When giving a presentation, a person might use hand gestures to emphasize a point.

Sit upright, smile, raised eyebrows

 Those who sit upright, smile, and have raised eyebrows, are seen as interested and
happy.

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Don’ts

Sitting or leaning back is a body movement

 This gesture may convey disinterest in a speaker’s words or disagreement with the
speaker.

Crossed arms

 This gesture often connote a defensive posture, which can indicate that a person is
unhappy with the speaker, feels threatened by the speaker, or does not want to listen
to the speaker.

Adaptors, such as fidgeting or playing with objects

 This gesture may indicate that you are nervous around the speaker or disinterested in
the speaker’s message.

Different Cultures

Waving a hand

 In Japan waving a hand, palm outward, in front of your face conveys, I do not
understand or I do not deserve this.
 In United States, waving a hand means to say “Hello” or to greet someone.
 In Malaysia, waving a hand means to say “Goodbye” or to say “Hello”.

Thumbs up

 The thumbs up sign in America and most of Europe means that something is good,
or that you approved.
 In Asian or Islamic countries this sign is considered rude.

ACTIVITY 4.0

– Find out and present other cultures’ do’s and don’ts of non-verbal communication in the
workplace context.

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Non-Verbal Communication

Non-verbal communication, also known as body language plays an important role to ensue
successful communication. It is also one of the ways to communicate with others without using
any words. It normally involves your eyes, face and hands to make sure that the message you
want to convey to the audience is delivered successfully.

There are mainly five different aspects of non-verbal communication that are involved
when you communicate. They are as follows:

1. Posture
Posture normally shows how confident you are especially when you are in front of a group
of people. Therefore, it is very important that you appear professional when you are talking
and maintain eye contact to ensure that everybody is paying attention.
Tips to maintaining your body posture:
 You should relax. Hold your upper body open with relaxed shoulders and your hands at your
side or on your lap if you are sitting.
 Do not slouch or slump in your chair when you are sitting.
 Avoid unnecessary posture such as folding your arms, putting your hands on your hip,
slouching, leaning on a table, etc.
 Always face your listener when talking.

2. Facial expression
Your facial expressions convey a thousand meanings. It mirrors your attitudes and how you
feel. Your face can different emotions whilst you communicate. For example, when you are
telling good news, you should put on a happy face. When you are surprised, you would
normally raise your eyebrows and widen your eyes. It is totally inappropriate to smile while
describing the loss of a staff member. Therefore, your facial expression should be expressed
appropriately.
Tips to using facial expressions:
 Your facial expression should be relaxed, natural and friendly.
 Smile sincerely to ensure that your listeners react the same way.
 Avoid unnecessary facial expressions such as blinking continuously, biting your lips,
frowning, tightening your jaws, etc.
 Avoid speaking without any change in your facial expression as if you do not care.
 Avoid reacting with your face, eyes or sticking your tongue out when you accidently make a
mistake.

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3. Gestures
Gestures involve the use of upper body parts such as your arms, hands and shoulders to
illustrate what you want to say. Gestures are very important as they are used to emphasize
the point you are making, to visualise a particular size or shape, and to reinforce what you
are saying.
Tips using gestures:
 Your gesture should be natural, spontaneous and purposeful.
 Avoid holding pens, markers, paper or anything that will restrict your gestures.
 Do not put your hand in your pockets or behind your back as it displays nervousness.
 Avoid distracting gestures such as brushing your hair frequently, cracking your knuckles,
playing with keys, touching your nose, etc.

4. Eye contact
Eye contact is very important when you talk to others. You need to make eye contact with
your listener to ensure that they pay attention and participate. Listeners may lose focus if
you do not look at them. Avoiding eye contact may be a sign that you are unprepared,
nervous, etc.
Tips to maintaining eye contact:
 Do not focus on only one or two people but at everyone involved in the room.
 Do not look at any person for too long unless you are talking to them. It should be from
one individual to another in approximately five seconds.
 Do not look at the floor or ceiling while gathering your thoughts.
 Avoid looking at your notes, as it will distract you from listeners.

5. Touching
Touching involves physical contact with your listener. Normally it is considered appropriate
to have a handshake. However, inappropriate touching can be considered as sexual
harassment. Therefore, avoid inappropriate or offensive touching in your workplace.
Tips of maintaining positive/appropriate touching:
 Keep your hands to yourself. Never try to reach out and grab someone for any reason.
 Make sure you really know your co-worker before engaging in any physical contact.
 Be sensitive to others’ sensitivity towards touching.
 Do not cover your mouth when you sneeze and cough and then shake someone’s hand.
 Touching could be hostile. Therefore, poking someone in the chest or grabbing
someone’s hand while making an angry point can lead to dismissal if your action is seen as
physically threatening.

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Listening Cues

Listening is very important skill in the workplace. We often use listening more frequently than
writing and speaking. Therefore, it is very crucial for you to listen in order to hear what others
are saying. There are many ways to ensure effective listening.

1. Maintain eye contact

Making eye contact with the speaker is to ensure that you are paying attention to what is
being said.
2. Nod your head
Nodding your head indicates that you are taking in/agreeing with the information being
conveyed by the speaker.
3. Repeat what is said to you
Always remember to repeat when the speaker tells you some important information. This is
to show them that you are listening and also ensure that you remember what was said
earlier.
4. Write it down
It is important for you to always write down the information especially when attending
interviews, meetings, or on sales call. This is to ensure that you do not forget and will
remember everything.
5. Do not interrupt
Do not interrupt when the speaker is talking. Save your questions or comments until the
speaker finishes talking.
6. Concentrate
Pay attention to the speaker. Concentrate on what the speaker is trying to convey. If you
find it hard to concentrate, try to repeat what the speaker is saying in your head.
7. Ask questions or paraphrase
You might miss some points addressed by the speaker and the easiest way to catch up is to
ask. Wait until the speaker has finished talking, then seek for clarification.

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 Idioms

Occasionally in the workplace, we may want to use some informal language to encourage a
more friendly relationship with our colleagues. It is, however, not appropriate to memorise
words in an idioms dictionary and use an idiom each time you say something in the office.
Many of those idioms may not be commonly used at all. However, it is important to understand
them if other people use them.

Here are some useful examples of idioms that people may use in the workplace:

Above and beyond the call If a person does something which is above and beyond the call of
of duty duty, they show a greater degree of courage or effort than is usually
required or expected in their job.
Brain drain The departure of highly qualified people (scientists, engineers, etc.)
for other countries, where they have better opportunities and usually
better pay, is called the brain drain.
Duty bound If you are duty bound to do something, you are required to do it as
part of your obligations.
Earn while you learn This expression refers to the possibility of earning a salary while in
training.
Golden handshake A golden handshake is a generous sum of money given to a person
when they leave a company or retire (sometimes given to encourage
early retirement).
Learn the ropes If you learn the ropes, you learn how to do a particular job correctly.
Another string to your If you have another string to your bow, you have another skill or
bow possible course of action if everything else fails.
Walking papers If you are given your walking papers, your contract or relationship has
ended.
Glass ceiling This term refers to a discriminatory barrier perceived by women and
minorities that prevent them from rising to positions of power or
responsibility.
Cream of the crop The expression refers to the best people or things in a particular
group.

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Exercise

Fill in the blanks with appropriate idioms.

1. I told Anna to cancel Monday’s meeting as I had another meeting, but I

______________________ because the day after I saw here, the meeting was rescheduled.
a. gained brownie points
b. pulled the plug
c. went down to the wire
d. jumped the gun

2. The proposal is due today! You’re really working ___________________, aren’t you?
a. bite the bullet
b. down to the wire
c. jump the gun
d. yes man

3. I think Alan is not going to make it into work today. Looks like I’ll have to
____________________ and do the presentation for him.
a. be the yes man
b. jump the gun
c. pull the plug
d. bite the bullet

4. Tommy scored _____________________ with his partner when he offered when he

offered to stay late and finish the proposal.
a. compared apples to ranges
b. brownie points
c. down to the wire
d. pulling the plug

5. The company does not have enough budget for the project, so the CEO is
________________________.
a. comparing apples to oranges
b. pulling the plug
c. biting the bullet
d. the yes man

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 6. Mark really ______________________ when he accused Laura of stealing his ideas! It
turns out that Laura has already proposed that advertisement.
a. bit the bullet
b. pulled the plug
c. jumped the gun
d. became the yes man

7. Our proposal is due at 2:00 p.m. today. I was not feeling well all week, so now I have to
work _____________________.
a. to be a yes man
b. down to the wire
c. by biting the bullet
d. compare apples to oranges

8. Adam will never tell his boss how he really feels about this program. He’s only
_______________________.
a. biting the bullet
b. going down to the wire
c. jumping the gun
d. a yes man

Exercise

Give the meaning for the following work-related idioms.

1. GET THE BALL IT IS ABOUT TIME WE GET THE BALL ROLLING ON THE RAILWAY PROJECT.
ROLLING MEANING:_______________________________________________
2. SEE EYE TO EYE Mr. Raymond and Mr. Halim don’t see eye to eye on the issue of
restructuring the company’s terms and conditions.
Meaning:_______________________________________________
3. THE BOTTOM The bottom line is we will be behind other production companies if we do not
LINE increase our sells this year.
Meaning:_______________________________________________
4. OUT OF THE The news of that company closing down came out of the blue. Thought it was
BLUE doing well.
Meaning:_______________________________________________
5. DOWN-TO- I like Annie. She’s down-to-earth and her advice is usually very helpful.
EARTH Meaning:_______________________________________________

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WEEK 6 & 7 – ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION

Communication in the workplace is important because management needs to explain corporate

objectives, policies and strategies to employees.

The flow of communication is either vertical or horizontal.

1. Vertical communication
 Also referred to as downward and upward communication.

 Between superiors and subordinates.

 Occurs through formal or informal channels

2. Horizontal communication

 Also known as lateral communication.

 Refers to communication between colleagues at the same level of the organizational

structure.

 Occurs through formal or informal channel.

Formal and informal communication

Formal communication channels refer to channels that are officially recognized by the
organization.
Informal communication channels are ways of transmitting information within an organization
that bypass formal channels.

1. Formal downward communication

Conveys information and orders from upper level management such as managing director,
general manager and manager. In the flow of information from the superior to subordinate,
messages include job instructions, rationale for job, organizational procedures, and practices.
The management can also use this system to instill positive organizational culture and inform
the staff of decisions made on issues highlighted through feedback from the staff. Email,
posters, bulletin boards, newsletters, letters, memos, pamphlets, annual reports, and public
address systems are the most common channels used.

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 2. Formal upward communication

The messages are from the subordinate to the superior. Allows employees to inform their
superiors of what they are doing, the status of their projects, and unresolved work problems.
Channels their opinions on issues related to their jobs or co-workers to the management.
Allows superiors to determine whether subordinates have understood the information sent
downward or gauge feedback from the staff on important issues. Channels used are suggestion
systems, questionnaires, grievance procedures, and special meetings.

3. Formal horizontal communication

Sometimes called lateral communication. Involves communication between staff with equal
power, like between officers of similar ranking in the same department or between people from
different departments. The main purpose is to coordinate tasks, solve problems, resolve
conflicts, share information and build rapport.

Informal communication

The grapevine.
Reaches into every level of the organization and can transmit information quickly, although
sometimes not as accurately. Based on friendships, or shared personal or career interests.
People who share the same office space or frequently attend meetings are also likely to
exchange information. Informal communication networks within organizations serve to confirm
messages, expand information, support, or contradict messages in formal communication.

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ORGANIZATION STRUCTURES

Definition: The typically hierarchical arrangement of lines of authority, communications, rights

and duties of an organization. Organizational structure determines how the roles, power and
responsibilities are assigned, controlled, and coordinated, and how information flows between
the different levels of management. A structure depends on the organization's objectives and
strategy. In a centralized structure, the top layer of management has most of the decision
making power and has tight control over departments and divisions. In a decentralized
structure, the decision making power is distributed and the departments and divisions may
have different degrees of independence.

A company such as Proctor & Gamble that sells multiple products may organize their structure
so that groups are divided according to each product and depending on geographical area as
well. An organizational chart illustrates the organizational structure.

Read more: [Link]

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Organizational Structure
REVIEWED BY WILL KENTON
Updated Mar 28, 2018

What is an Organizational Structure

An organizational structure is a system that outlines how certain activities are directed in order
to achieve the goals of an organization. These activities can include rules, roles
and responsibilities. The organizational structure also determines how information flows from
level to level within the company. For example, in a centralized structure, decisions flow from
the top down, while in a decentralized structure, the decisions are made at various levels.

BREAKING DOWN Organizational Structure

Organizational structure defines a specific hierarchy within an organization, and businesses of
all shapes and sizes use it heavily. A successful organizational structure defines each employee's
job and how it fits within the overall system. This structuring provides a company with a visual
representation of how it is shaped and how it can best move forward in achieving its goals.
Organizational structures are normally illustrated in some sort of chart or diagram.

Why Have an Organizational Structure?

Not having a formal structure in place may prove difficult for certain organizations. For
instance, employees may have difficulty knowing to whom they should report. That can lead to
uncertainty as to who is responsible for what in the organization. Having a structure in place
can help improve efficiency and provide clarity for everyone at every level. That also means
that each and every department can be more productive, as they are likely to be more focused
on energy and time.

Centralized vs. Decentralized Organizational Structures

At its highest level, an organizational structure is either centralized or decentralized.
Traditionally, organizations have been structured with centralized leadership and a defined
chain of command. The military, for example, is an organization famous for its highly
centralized structure, with a long and specific hierarchy of superiors and subordinates.
However, there has been a rise in decentralized organizations, as is the case with many
technology startups. This allows the companies to remain fast, agile and adaptable, with almost
every employee receiving a high level of personal agency.

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Common Types of Organizational Structures
Four types of common organizational structures are implemented in the real world. The first,
and most common, is a functional structure. This is also referred to as a bureaucratic
organizational structure and breaks up a company based on the specialization of its workforce.
Most small-to-medium sized businesses implement a functional structure. Dividing the firm into
departments consisting of marketing, sales and operations is the act of using a bureaucratic
organizational structure.

The second type is common among large companies with many business units. Called the
divisional or multidivisional structure, a company that uses this method structures its
leadership team based on the products, projects or subsidiaries they operate. A good example
of this structure is Johnson & Johnson. With thousands of products and lines of business, the
company structures itself so each business unit operates as its own company with its own
president.

Flatarchy, a newer structure, is the third type and is used among many startups. As the name
alludes, it flattens the hierarchy and chain of command and gives its employees a lot of
autonomy. Companies that use this type of structure have a high speed of implementation.

The fourth and final organizational structure is a matrix structure. It is also the most confusing
and the least used. This structure matrixes employees across different superiors, divisions or
departments. An employee working for a matrixed company, for example, may have duties in
both sales and customer service.

[Link]

76
Posted February 15, 2018 by Daniel Karell/ Business
4 Types of Organizational Structures

What does it take for companies and organizations to be successful?

There are many answers to that question. Some would say it’s having an effective mission;
others would say it’s selling a product or service that’s in high demand.

Ultimately, it’s a company’s organizational structure that helps determine success.

An organizational structure is defined as “a system used to define a hierarchy within an

organization. It identifies each job, its function and where it reports to within the organization.”
A structure is then developed to establish how the organization operates to execute its goals.

There are many types of organizational structures. There’s the more traditional functional
structure, the divisional structure, the matrix structure and the flatarchy structure. Each
organizational structure comes with different advantages and disadvantages and may only work
for companies or organizations in certain situations or at certain points in their life cycles.

77
“Poor organizational design and structure results in a bewildering morass of contradictions:
confusion within roles, a lack of coordination among functions, failure to share ideas, and slow
decision making bring managers unnecessary complexity, stress and conflict,” wrote Gill
Corkindale in the Harvard Business Review. “Often those at the top of an organization are
oblivious to these problems or, worse, pass them off as challenges to overcome or
opportunities to develop.”

Ultimately, it’s important to get a group’s organizational structure correct in order for its aims
to be successful.

Types of Organizational Structures

Functional
If you’ve had a job, you likely worked in a functional organizational structure.

The functional structure is based on an organization being divided up into smaller groups with
specific tasks or roles. For example, a company could have a group working in information
technology, another in marketing and another in finance.

Each department has a manager or director who answers to an executive a level up in the
hierarchy who may oversee multiple departments. One such example is a director of marketing
who supervises the marketing department and answers to a vice president who is in charge of
the marketing, finance and IT divisions.

An advantage of this structure is employees are grouped by skill set and function, allowing
them to focus their collective energies on executing their roles as a department.

One of the challenges this structure presents is a lack of inter-departmental communication,

with most issues and discussions taking place at the managerial level among individual
departments. For example, one department working with another on a project may have
different expectations or details for its specific job, which could lead to issues down the road.

In addition, with groups paired by job function, there’s the possibility employees can develop
“tunnel vision” — seeing the company solely through the lens of the employee’s job function.

78
Divisional
Larger companies that operate across several horizontal objectives sometimes use a divisional
organizational structure.

This structure allows for much more autonomy among groups within the organization. One
example of this is a company like General Electric. GE has many different divisions including
aviation, transportation, currents, digital and renewable energy, among others.

Under this structure, each division essentially operates as its own company, controlling its own
resources and how much money it spends on certain projects or aspects of the division.

79
Additionally, within this structure, divisions could also be created geographically, with a
company having divisions in North America, Europe, East Asia, etc.

This type of structure offers greater flexibility to a large company with many divisions, allowing
each one to operate as its own company with one or two people reporting to the parent
company’s chief executive officer or upper management staff. Instead of having all programs
approved at the very top levels, those questions can be answered at the divisional level.

A downside to this type of organizational structure is that by focusing on divisions, employees

working in the same function in different divisions may be unable to communicate well
between divisions. This structure also raises issues with accounting practices and may have tax
implications.

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Matrix
A hybrid organizational structure, the matrix structure is a blend of the functional
organizational structure and the projectized organizational structure.

In the matrix structure, employees may report to two or more bosses depending on the
situation or project. For example, under normal functional circumstances, an engineer at a large
engineering firm could work for one boss, but a new project may arise where that engineer’s
expertise is needed. For the duration of that project, the employee would also report to that
project’s manager, as well as his or her boss for all other daily tasks.

The matrix structure is challenging because it can be tough reporting to multiple bosses and
knowing what to communicate to them. That’s why it’s very important for the employees to
know their roles, responsibilities and work priorities.

Advantages of this structure is that employees can share their knowledge across the different
functional divisions, allowing for better communication and understanding of each function’s

81
role. And by working across functions, employees can broaden their skills and knowledge,
leading to professional growth within the company.

On the other hand, reporting to multiple managers may add confusion and conflict between
managers over what should be reported. And if priorities are not clearly defined, employees,
too, may get confused about their roles.

Flatarchy
While the previous three types of organizational structures may work for some organizations,
another hybrid organizational structure may be better for startups or small companies.

Blending a functional structure and a flat structure results in a flatarchy organizational

structure, which allows for more decision making among the levels of an organization and,
overall, flattens out the vertical appearance of a hierarchy.

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The best example of this structure within a company is if the organization has an internal
incubator or innovation program. Within this system, the company can operate in an existing
structure, but employees at any level are encouraged to suggest ideas and run with them,
potentially creating new flat teams. Lockheed Martin, according to Forbes, was famous for its
skunkworks project, which helped develop the design of a spy plane.

Google, Adobe, LinkedIn and many other companies have internal incubators where employees
are encouraged to be creative and innovative in order to promote the company’s overall
growth.

A benefit of this system is it allows for more innovation company-wide, as well as eliminating
red tape that could stall innovation in a functional structure. As for the negatives, the structure
could be confusing and inconvenient if everyone involved doesn’t agree on how the structure
should be organized.

For visual representation, please see the diagram in this Forbes article.

See What Works Best for Your Organization

Every organization is different and no organizational structure is perfect, but one of the above
types of organizational structure may be best for your company. Learn more about how the
right structure can lead to future success with Point Park University’s online B.A. in
Organizational Leadership. In small classes designed for working students, you’ll learn about the
fundamentals of modern management, as well as critical management skills, effective
communication, project management and much more.

Point Park’s fully online degree program allows you to get an education while maintaining your
busy life. And you’ll learn from knowledgeable faculty who have your success in mind.

[Link]

83
 What is Organizational Structure?

Organizational structure helps a company assign a hierarchy that defines roles, responsibility,
and supervision. It’s the plan that outlines who reports to whom and who is responsible for
what. It’s usually recorded and shared as an organizational chart that includes job titles and the
reporting structure.

Structure Types

Organizational structures typically use one of two approaches:

 A centralized structure gives most of the authority and decision-making power to the team at
the top.
 A decentralized structure distributes authority and decision-making power at lower levels,
which might include departments, groups, or business units.
A company can be organized in a number of ways. It might be built around divisions, functions,
geography, or with a matrix approach:

 A divisional structure is organized around divisions or business units that are self-contained
entities with their own functional departments such as human resources, marketing, and so
on.
 A functional structure is based on job functions often labeled as departments – finance,
purchasing, etc.
 A geographical structure is often used when a company has multiple locations. Each location
operates independently.
 With a matrix structure, the company is organized around teams assembled for specific
tasks. Team members usually report to more than one person – the team leader, and the
supervisor for the team member’s functional area.
The organizational structure of a small business is most likely functional – one based on job
duties. While small businesses are often casual with their hierarchy, some type of
organizational structure is required so that employees know who is supervising their work and
can help with problem-solving and other issues. That structure also helps them understand
growth potential in their jobs. In addition, an expanding business can minimize growing pains
when it has an organizational structure or hierarchy in place to build on during growth periods.

[Link]

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Why Have a Structure?

All businesses have to organise what they do.

A clear structure makes it easier to see which part of the business does what
There are many ways to structure a business.
Some Key Terms
• Flat or tall structure
• Span of control
• Chain of command
• Hierarchy
• Delegation
• Empowerment

Ways to Structure a Business

 By function: arranging the business according to what each section
or department does
 By product or activity: organising according to the different products made
 By area: geographical or regional structure
 By customer: where different customer groups have different needs
 By process: where products have to go through stages as they are made
 What are the advantages/disadvantages of different types of business structure?

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TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS

Product-oriented organizations
Produce goods to be purchased by customers
As the products will be analyzed by the customers before they purchase them, the customers’
satisfaction should be the main priority.
The quality of the products will determine whether the customers remain loyal to the products.

Exercise

Below are some example of household products, list the companies that produce these
products.

 1. beverages ?
 2. furniture ?
 3. health equipment ?
 4. electrical equipment ?

Product description / specifications

 Size
 Model
 The Price
 The Function
 The Ingredients or materials
 The Benefits
 The Availability in the market
 The Manufacturer
 The Target customers
 The cost

Activity 6.0 – ask students to present a product (be creative)

86
Service oriented organizations

Deal with process oriented outcomes.

They are concerned with clients’ satisfaction in using the rendered services.
Provision of the best services available to clients.
As the services are considered as an ongoing process, customers’ feedback will determine the
effectiveness of the service.

Features of the service

 The strength of the service

 The service performance
 The benefits of having the service
 The manufacturer
 The target customers
 The cost

Exercise

Below are some examples of several categories of services. From the list, provide a brief
description of those services. Find out the organizational structure of these companies:
 Celcom
 Astro
 Tenaga Nasional Berhad
 Mandarin Hotel
 Syabas
 Kesas Expressways
 Rapid KL

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LEADERSHIP STYLES

A leadership style is a leader's method of providing direction, implementing plans, and

motivating people. Various authors have proposed identifying many different leadership
styles as exhibited by leaders in the political, business or other fields.

 Autocratic (Authoritarian)
 Bureaucratic
 Democratic
 Coercive
 Transactional
 Transformational
 Laissez-Faire

Lewin's Leadership Styles

Psychologist Kurt Lewin developed his framework in the 1930s, and it provided the foundation
of many of the approaches that followed afterwards. He argued that there are three major
styles of leadership:

1. Autocratic leaders make decisions without consulting their team members, even if their
input would be useful. This can be appropriate when you need to make decisions quickly,
when there's no need for team input, and when team agreement isn't necessary for a
successful outcome. However, this style can be demoralizing, and it can lead to high levels
of absenteeism and staff turnover.
2. Democratic leaders make the final decisions, but they include team members in the
decision-making process. They encourage creativity, and people are often highly engaged in
projects and decisions. As a result, team members tend to have high job satisfaction and
high productivity. This is not always an effective style to use, though, when you need to
make a quick decision.
3. Laissez-faire leaders give their team members a lot of freedom in how they do their work,
and how they set their deadlines. They provide support with resources and advice if
needed, but otherwise they don't get involved. This autonomy can lead to high job
satisfaction, but it can be damaging if team members don't manage their time well, or if
they don't have the knowledge, skills, or self motivation to do their work effectively.
(Laissez-faire leadership can also occur when managers don't have control over their work
and their people.)
Lewin's framework is popular and useful, because it encourages managers to be less autocratic
than they might instinctively be.

88
Article from [Link]

Activity 6.1 – Ask students to find out more information on the leadership styles and do a
presentation
Or do an online quiz on leadership (DOPE)

LANGUAGE SKILLS

 Hedging vs direct speech

 Talking to superiors / colleagues / subordinates
 Levels of formalities

Activity 6.2 – Ask students to do a role play and apply the language skills mentioned in this
chapter (Hedging vs direct speech, Talking to superiors / colleagues / subordinates, Levels of
formalities)

Or write a paragraph on the importance of using hedging

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Language: Reported Speech
Reported speech is used to report or write what had been said earlier without using the same
words. Normally, minutes are written using reported speech in past tense because we are
reading what were documented in the meeting. However, in some cases the use of present
tense and future tense is still possible as long as the person in charge of writing the minutes is
clear with the language and the message that is being conveyed. It is therefore advisable to use
past tense to avoid tension.
Reporting Statements
The following is a sample of how language is changed from direct speech (used at the meeting)
to reported speech (recorded in the minutes).
Direct Speech Indirect Speech
Adam said, “He has all the documents.” (Simple Adam stated that he had all the documents.
Present) (Simple Past)
Mei Ling said, “Anna is preparing the memo Mei Ling reported that Anna was preparing the
today.” (Present Continuous) memo that day. (Past Continuous)
Rama said, “Shane has taken the files from the Rama informed the members that Shane had
store room.” (Present Perfect) taken the files from the storm. (Past Perfect)
Ahmad said, “I talked to the manager last Ahmad reported that he had talked to the
Friday.” (Simple Past) manager last Friday. (Past Perfect)
Rebecca said, “The event manager was waiting Rebecca informed that the event manager had
for the budget report for the annual dinner” been waiting for the budget report for the annual
(Past Continuous) dinner. (Past Perfect Continuous)
Aliff said, “I’m going to send the invitation by Aliff stated that he was going to send the
next week. (Future - *BE = going to) invitation by next week. (*BE + going to)
*BE – present form *BE –past form
Adrian said, “I can ask bob to join us.” (Modal – Adrian mentioned that he could ask Bob to join to
Present) join them. (Modal – Past)

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 Reporting Questions
1. Wh-questions
These are the questions that begins with “Wh” such as:

How Who

Whos WH-
e Questions
Where

Whom Why When

Direct Speech The secretary asked, “When is the grand opening ceremony scheduled for?
Reported Speech The secretary wanted to know when the grand opening ceremony was
scheduled for.
Direct Speech The supervisors asked, “Why did Jessica take the proposal?”
Reported Speech The supervisor wants to know why Jessica had taken the proposal.

2. Yes/No questions
These are the questions that begin with modals, BE verbs, DO verbs and HAVE verbs.
Yes/No Questions
Modals Present: can, will, shall, may
Past: could, would, should, might
Example:
I can do it,
He said he could do it

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 HAVE Present: has, have
Past: had
Example:
Have you booked the meeting room?
Maria was wondering if I had
booked the meeting room.
BE Present: am, is, are
Past: was, were
Example:
I am happy,
He said that he was happy.
DO Present: does, do
Past: did
Example:
What do you do?,
He asked me what I did.

This type of question can be reported by changing “ask” to “wanted to know” + if/whether +
clause. The clause contains the questions, in normal order with the necessary tense change.
The language used from direct speech to reported speech is also similar to how wh-questions
are changed. Look at the following example:
Direct Speech The secretary asked, “When is the grand opening ceremony scheduled for?
Reported Speech The secretary wanted to know if the grand opening ceremony had started.
Direct Speech The supervisor asked, “Did Jessica take the report?”
Reported Speech The manager wanted to know whether Jessica had taken the report.

Exercise a
Change the following statements to reported speech.
1. Brenda said, “I know who gave the speech.”

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

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 2. Sairah said, “We will rewrite the report. However, we will need two weeks
to do it.”

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

3. Adam said, “They booked the conference room yesterday. However, they want to cancel it
today.”

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

4. Ms. Wendy said, “I don’t think it is a good idea to have the annual meeting in May since it is
during the semester break and many of our staff will be on leave.”

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

5. [Link] said, “They have already checked the labelling on the files and cabinets.”

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

6. The treasurer said, “We do not have a budget for the keynote speaker and it will be costly if
we are thinking of an international scholar. I suggest that we get sponsorship to cover the cost.”

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

7. Philip said, “I did not give the files to Sara. It was Amy who gave them to her.”

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

93
8. [Link] said, “Adrian can supervise the events on Saturday.”

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Exercise b

After reviewing the company’s sport shoes sales, the manager of Sports Trend discovered the
profit has decreased by 25% compared to the previous year.
Look at the questions he asked his sales team and report them in the correct way.

1. Why has the total sales dropped?

The manager asked them why the total sales had dropped.

2. How can we improve sales next year?

______________________________________________________________________________

3. What can we do to improve the quality of our shoes?

_______________________________________________________________

4. Where can we cut cost?

_______________________________________________________________

5. Which supplier can provide us with cheaper materials?

_______________________________________________________________

6. Who will be responsible for the new designs?

________________________________________________________________

7. When will we launch the new designs?

________________________________________________________________

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 8. Who can we suggest as brand ambassador?

________________________________________________________________

Exercise c

You are calling you sister who is currently attending a conference overseas to seek for advice.
Rewrite the questions using reported speech.

1. How is your conference?

I asked her how her conference was.

2. When will you present your paper?

_____________________________________________________________________________

3. Which hotel are you staying in?

_____________________________________________________________________________

4. How long will you be there?

_____________________________________________________________________________

5. Can I ask for your advice?

_____________________________________________________________________________

6. Do you think I should resign my job?

_____________________________________________________________________________

7. Will it be too late for me to start all over again?

_____________________________________________________________________________

8. Should I get another job first before I resign?

______________________________________________________________________________

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WEEK 8 & 9 – PROBLEM SOLVING

CRITICAL THINKING VS CREATIVE THINKING

Critical Thinking (IQ)

“Me Critical” = Analyzes facts. Makes comparisons.

Evaluates arguments. Draws conclusions.
• Advanced vocabulary
• Good memory
• Learns quickly and easily
• Large fund of information
• Generalizes skillfully
• Comprehends new ideas readily
• Receives similarities, differences, relationships
• Makes judgments and decisions

Definition
• Critical thinking is the process of evaluating propositions or hypotheses and making

judgments about them on the basis of well-supported evidence.

• Three Elements to Developing Critical Thinking Skills

a. A Curious and Open Mind

“Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one who asked why.” - Bernard Baruch

b. For every challenge undertaken, whether a win or a loss, a success or a failure;

invaluable experience is gained.

“Life was meant to be lived. Curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason
turn his back on life.” - Eleanor Roosevelt

c. Thinking through Issues

First, facts and data are gathered. Then, assumptions and risks are considered. Finally, an
informed decision is made and appropriate action is taken to achieve a goal. This systematically
process is known as a stream of logic. The more critical the challenge, the more thinking is
required.
"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." - Sir Edmund Hillary

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Creative Thinking (CQ)

“Me Creative” = generative thinking

• Questions: Curious about many topics
• Has many ideas
• Offers unique and unusual ideas
• Adds details; elaborates
• Transforms or combines ideas
• Sees implications or consequences easily
• Risk-taker; speculates
• Feels free to disagree
• Finds subtle humour, paradox, or discrepancies
“possibilities and alternatives thinking”

LANGUAGE SKILLS

 Suggestions
 Giving options
 Agreeing and disagreeing

Activity 8.0 Ask students to do a role play. Incorporate the language skills mentioned above
according to given situations or scenarios.

97
 Problem Solving
Introduction
Decision-making is the process through which managers identify and overcome problems.
Good decision-making is important in any organisation. As a means of reducing uncertainty in
business,many companies try to improve the efficiency of the decision-making process
through problem-solving procedures. Managers begin by recognising the problem and
concluding with an assessment of the results of the actions taken to solve the problem.
Good decision-making is an important part of efficient management. Decisions made at any
level of an organisation will help solve problems and in doing to help keep the organisation on
its path to achieve its objectives. Decision-making could involve formulating procedures to
avoid such problems in the future. It could also involve the need to respond to specific
situations which unexpectedly occur.
When all the necessary information is available, the making a decision should not be difficult.
However, many decisions involve future outcome and information about future events are
almost always uncertain. Therefore, decision-making will always involve a certain degree of
risk.
Decision-making may involve sitting together as a group and thrashing out a particular
problem. Such groups are sometimes referred to as Quality Control Circles. Decision-making
could also take the more formal form of a written proposal.

CHECKLIST

1. Look at the following statements and decide if they relate to handling enquiries (E),
requests (R), complaints (C), problems (P), recommendations (RC).
a. Could you please send me some brochures on the services
available? ( )

b. I wish to inform the Sales Manager that the Sales Executives are insufficient and unable to
provide us with the information we need. ( )

c. The absenteeism rate is increasing at an alarming rate. ( )

d. Since we are not happy with the product, and it is within guarantee period, when can we
return it? ( )

98
e. A pay increase will help satisfy the workers. ( )

f. We are very unhappy with the slow and inefficient services and will go elsewhere if this
continues. ( )

g. It is the committee’s recommendation that a bigger cafeteria with subsidised rates be built for
employees. ( )

h. Is there a special package for a group of 10 traveling together?

( )

i. The receptionist and the clerical staff are very unfriendly to the public. ( )

j. It is necessary to discuss the problems as a team and resolve the problems together. ( )
2. Look at the following stages of decision-making. Sequence the statements according to what
you believe is a logical flow in decision-making.
a. Factors that are causing the problem are analysed. __________
b. The most promising is selected based on a consensus. __________
c. A problem is identified as affecting the performance of the organisation. __________
d. The chosen alternative is implemented and carefully monitored. __________
e. A variety of possible solutions are formulated. _________

3. Which of the decision-making skills below would you rate the most important when solving a
problem? Use the scale below to rate the following decision-making behaviours. Place the
appropriate number (1-3) in the blank following the statement.

1 2 3

Very Important Important Not Important

a. Estimate the possible outcome of each alternative.
________
b. Support choices with facts. ________
c. Research as much as possible, gathering a varied ________
Set of data to help the performance at work.
d. Identify problem areas needing action. ________

99
e. List many possible ways before reaching a solution. ________
f. Seek others’ opinions before making a decision. ________
g. List both the negative and the positive aspects of ________
the decision.
h. Read a decision, based on my judgement, experience________
and available data.
i. Choose the simplest and least expensive method of _________ implementing my decisions.
j. Select resources and responsible personnel and establish_____ deadline as part of the
implementation strategy.

4. You have just learnt that one of your employees has a serious problem. Encik Ahmad, the Chief
Clerk in your department has a son with a hole in the heart. This four-year-old child needs urgent
surgery. The medical expenses will come up to RM 150 000. Encik Ahmad does not have the
money. As the manager of this department, what steps can you take to assist Encik Ahmad?
Sequence the steps below:

a. Call for a meeting of your department to inform everyone

about the situation and ask for suggestions. __________
b. Contact and inform the press to publish Encik Ahmad’s story in order to appeal for public
donations. __________
c. Put up posters on the office notice board for those from other departments who may wish to
make a contribution. __________
d. Ask Encik Ahmad for permission to carry out activities to help him in his plight. __________
e. Hand over the collection to Encik Ahmad. __________

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PROBLEM SOLVING TECHNIQUES

The IDEAL method

 I dentify the problem.

 D efine the problem.
 E xplore alternative approaches.
 A ct on the best strategies.
 L ook back to evaluate the effects.
An effective decision-making process

Points to Remember
Problem Solving
An affective decision-making process basically icludes the seven steps shown in Figure 8.1
below.

Identify Analyze
Problem Information

Identify Suggest & Make a

objectives Analyze Decision
Alternatives

Choose Evaluate
implementation Implementation
Strategies

101
Figure 8.1

The ability to diagnose and identify a problem is the first step in the decision-making process.
This ability to identify the problem is closely related to the data and facts available to the
managers, i.e., information from within and outside the organisation. An assessment of the
problems will be only as accurate as the information on which it is based.

Next, is to identify the objectives or the results that the organisation wants to attain. Only then
can the decision-making team develop various ways to solve the problem and achieve the
objectives. This step of the process often requires input from other people, such as colleagues,
supervisors and subordinates. Each alternative or solution suggested will be analysed, listing its
advantages and disadvantages. The final choice is based on feedback, careful judgement and
attainment of objectives.

Finally, effective implementation strategies have to be thought out, taking into consideration:

a. Those who will be affected by the decision,

b. Time constraints/deadlines and
c. The availability of resources such as manpower, finances and technology

These strategies implemented will then be monitored and evaluated over a period of time. If
the problem is still unresolved, then the process must be repeated.

102
WEEK 10, 11 & 12 – NEGOTIATION SKILLS

• Negotiation permeates the interactions of almost everyone in groups and organizations.

• In today’s loosely structured organizations, in which members work with colleagues

over whom they have no direct authority and with whom they may not even share a
common boss, negotiation skills become critical.

THE KEY STEPS AND STAGES

NEGOTIATION – KEY STEPS

1. IDENTIFY YOUR OBJECTIVES – make a list and rank them, decide which ones you are willing to
give up. Distinguish between wants and needs.
2. PREPARE YOURSELF – assemble data to support your case, develop logical arguments that
support your case, develop logical arguments that it.
3. ASSESS THE OTHER SIDE – evaluate their position, do any applicable research that might
counter their position, identify their objectives, and analyse their strengths and weaknesses.
4. CHOOSE A STRATEGY – assess the nature of the conflict.
5. CREATE THE RIGHT ATMOSPHERE – choose a location and time agreeable to both parties.

5 STAGES OF NEGOTIATION

1. Preparation and Planning

Before the start of negations one must be aware of conflict, the history leading to
the negotiation the people involved and their perception of the conflict
expectations from the negotiations etc.

2. Definition of Ground Rules

Once the planning and strategy is developed, one has to begin defining the ground rules
and procedures with the other party over the negotiation itself that will do the
negotiation. Where will it take place?

What time constrains, if any will apply? To what issues will negotiations be limited? Will
there be a specific procedure to follow in an impasse is reached? During this phase the
parties will also exchange their initial proposals or demands.

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3. Clarification and Justification
• When initial positions have been exchanged both the parties will explain amplify,
clarify, bolster and justify their original demands. This need not be confrontational.
• Rather it is an opportunity for educating and informing each other on the issues
why they are important and how each arrived at their initial demands.
• This is the point where one party might want to provide the other party with any
documentation that helps support its position.

4. Bargaining and Problem Solving

• The essence of the negotiation process is the actual give and take in trying to hash out
an agreement, a proper bargain. It is here where concessions will undoubtedly need to
be made by both parties.

5. Closure and Implementation

• The final step in the negotiation process is formalization the agreement that has
been worked out and developing and procedures that are necessary for
implementation and monitoring.
• For major negotiations – this will require hammering out the specifics in a formal
contract.

Negotiation Process has five stages. In all steps of negotiation process the involved parties
bargain at a systematic way to decide how to allocate scarce resources and maintain each
other’s interest.

DISTRIBUTIVE BARGAINING STRATEGY (WIN-LOSE)

Distributive bargaining is defined as negotiations that seeks to divide up a fixed amount of
resources, a win lose situation. Its most identifying feature is that it operates under zero sum
conditions i.e. each party bargains aggressively and treats the other as an opponent who must
be defeated. The core of distributive bargaining is that each party has a target point and
resistance point. Target point is what the parties would like to achieve most. Each parties target
point is most of the time are entirely or extremely opposite. Resistance point is the minimum
result which would be accepted by the parties. The difference between these two points is the
each one’s aspiration range. As long as there is some overlap between the aspiration ranges,
there exist a settlement range in which each one’s aspiration can be meet. When engaged in
distributive bargaining one’s tactics are focus on trying to get one’s opponent to agree to one’s
specific target point or to get as close to it as possible. Examples of such tactics are persuading
to his/her target point and the advisability of accepting a settlement near yours arguing that
your target is fair, which your opponent’s is not and attempting to get you opponent to feel
emotionally generous toward you and thus accept an outcome close to your target point.

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INTEGRATIVE BARGAINING STRATEGY (WIN-WIN)
Negotiation that seeks one or more settlements than create win-win situation is called
Integrative Bargaining Strategy. In terms of intra-organizational behavior all things being equal
integrative bargaining is preferable to distributive bargaining. Integrative bargaining builds
long-term relationships and facilitates working together in the future. It bonds negotiators and
allows each to leave the bargaining table feeling that he/she has achieved a victory. Distributive
bargaining however, leaves one party a loser. It tends to build animosities and deeper divisions
when people have to work together on an ongoing process.

4 Roles Played by Third Party in Negotiation

Mediator is a neutral third party, whose job is to facilitate a negotiated solution by reasoning
and persuasion, suggesting alternatives to the involved parties. Mediators are common in labor-
management conflicts and in civil court disputes.

Arbitrator is a third party who has the authority for dictating an agreement between the
parties. Arbitration in a negotiation can be requested by the parties or can be compulsorily
enforced on the parties by court or contract. The big advantage of arbitration over mediation is
that it always results in a settlement. Whether or not there is a negative side depends on how
“heavy handed” the arbitrator appears. If one party is left feeling overwhelmingly defeated,
that party is certain to be dissatisfied and unlikely to cordially accept the arbitrator’s decision.
For that reason, the conflict may re-materialize at a later time. The authority of the arbitrator
varies according to the rules set by the negotiators or the court law.

Conciliator is a trusted third party whose job is to establish an informal communication link
between the negotiator and the opponent. Conciliation is used widely in international, labor,
family and community disputes. In practice, conciliators usually act as more than mere
communication conduits.
They also engage in fact finding, interpreting messages and persuading disputants to reach an
agreement. Comparing its effectiveness to mediation has proven difficult because the two
overlap a great deal.

Consultant is a skilled and impartial third party who attempts to facilitate problem solving
through communication and analysis. Consultant is most likely to have much knowledge
of conflict management. The consultant’s role is not only to settle the issues but also to
improve relations between the conflicting parties so that they can reach a settlement

105
themselves. Instead of putting forward specific solutions, the consultant tries to encourage the
parties to learn, understand and work with each other. And so, this approach has a longer term
focus by building a new and positive perceptions and attitudes between the conflicting parties.

COMMON NEGOTIATION SCENARIOS and styles

STYLES OF NEGOTIATING

• COLLABORATION – identifying the concerns and interests of both parties and

finding solution that satisfy these concerns.
• COMPROMISE – when two parties find a mutually acceptable solution that
partially satisfies the interests of each, without straining their working relationship.
• COMPETITION – to win without regard for the impact on the other party.
• ACCOMODATING – to accommodate to an issue that is important to the opponent
which has no particular negative consequences for you.

Exercise – Find out information about the styles of negotiating and write a paragraph with
examples

NEGOTIATION SCENARIO

SITUATION:
A star athlete is about to sign with a pro team and is asking for a $15.5 million signing bonus.
The team, even though they want this outstanding player to sign with them, is only prepared to
pay him $5.5 million.

QUESTIONS:
1. What is the style of negotiation used in this situation? (collaboration, compromise,
competition or accommodating) Explain the style.
2. What are the key steps of negotiation used in this situation . Elaborate.
3. Which communication style is used in the negotiation? Assertive or aggressive. Explain.
4. What would be the solution? Win-win, win-lose, lose-lose.

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 ASSERTIVENESS VS AGGRESSIVENESS COMMUNICATION

ASSERTIVE COMMUNICATION

• A style in which individuals clearly state their opinions and feelings, and firmly
advocate their rights and needs without violating the rights of others.
• How to project assertiveness in one’s personality
• - General: attentive listening, assured manner, communicating, caring, strong
• - Voice: firm, warm, well-modulated, relaxed
• - Eyes: open, frank, direct, eye-contact without staring
• - Stance: well-balanced, straight-on, erect, relaxed
• -Hands: relaxed motions

AGGRESSIVE COMMUNICATION

• A style in which individuals express their feelings and opinions and advocate for
their needs in a way that violates the rights of others.
• Aggressive personality
• - General: exaggerated show of strength, sarcastic style, air of superiority
• -Voice: tense, loud, cold, demanding, superior, authoritarian
• -Eyes: expressionless, narrowed, cold, staring, not really seeing you
• Stance: hands on hips, feet apart, stiff and rigid
• -Hands: clenched, abrupt gestures, finger pointing, fist pounding

Exercise: Which style of negotiating requires which communication style?

Tips on HANDLING CONFLICTS

How to Handle Conflict in the Workplace

1. Talk with the other person. ...

2. Focus on behavior and events, not on personalities. ...
3. Listen carefully. ...
4. Identify points of agreement and disagreement. ...
5. Prioritize the areas of conflict. ...
6. Develop a plan to work on each conflict. ...
7. Follow through on your plan. ...
8. Build on your success.

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LANGUAGE SKILLS

 Politeness and strategies

 Modals
 Face saving (refer to article below)

‘Face-Saving’ In Cross-Cultural Communication

Communication is influenced by cultural moorings which have to be understood in multicultural
workplaces.

For the Westerner, communication is all about information exchange, which has to be clear and
unambiguous.

A few weeks ago, Global Adjustments was invited to a training discussion with Ralph (name
changed), who is the head of a large Swedish company in Chennai. At the end of our interactive
session, I asked him about a point contact person who would help me coordinate the project.
Ralph turned to Vijay, the HR manager who had been present throughout, and identified him as
the key person. I proceeded to explain our procedures, and requested a series of documents in
order to move forward. I then politely asked: “Vijay, when can I expect a mail from you?”

After brief hesitation, he replied that I would get everything by the end of the day. At this point,
Ralph immediately looked at him and said: “No, it’s not going to happen. Vijay, you know you
have a lot of work right now, and you will not be able to send all of this by this evening.” Ralph
then turned to me and indicated that the most realistic timeframe would be within two weeks.

A few days later, we facilitated a cross-cultural training programme in Delhi for a German
company. As a way of tackling the bull by its horns, I put the following question to the entire
group consisting of Germans and Indians: “Can you please tell me some of the difficulties and
issues you encounter while working together?”

Almost instantly I heard, “Deadlines are a problem… it is difficult to know whether something
can or cannot be done… information and status reports are often lacking… we don’t hear NO,
etc…” As I looked around, I realised that every single comment was coming from the Germans.
The Indian participants, on the other hand, were silent. I pushed for a pause, looked at the
Indian colleagues, and asked them directly if THEY had anything to say about the German way
of working. Despite my efforts, there was no significant response.

What is face-saving?
Face-saving has a great influence on the Indian communication style. It is all about avoiding
embarrassment not only to oneself but also to others, especially if they are seniors, elders, or
people of a different nationality. In India, an individual can feel a loss of face if he or she finds
himself or herself in the following situations:

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  Admitting that something is not possible
 Admitting a mistake
 Saying that they do not know something, when in fact they should
 Saying that they do not understand something
 Admitting that they are not going to make a deadline
 Asking for help or additional time
 Similarly, an individual may refrain from the following if he or she believes that it will
cause loss of face to somebody else:
 Openly disagreeing with someone, especially if he or she is a senior.
 Making an overtly negative comment about what someone else has said.
 Giving negative feedback.

Why do we save face?

In the first story, Vijay feels the need to save his own face. With his boss sitting next to him, he
is afraid that by giving a “delayed” deadline (though realistic), he will be perceived as slow and
incompetent. His response is meant to please everyone, rather than being functionally accurate.
Ralph, on the other hand, is looking for an answer that is more “honest”. By honesty he means
an answer that is professionally correct and true to the best of one’s knowledge at a given time.
He strongly believes that such realistic information is critical for efficiency, clarity in
expectations, as well as time and project management. As far as Vijay is concerned, however,
the cultural priority is face-saving.

In the second story, the Indian participants do not want to embarrass their German colleagues
by overtly listing out their issues in an open forum. They are, in effect, maintaining harmony
and do not want the Germans to lose face through any open criticisms of THEIRS. Ironically, just
three days before our meeting, the same group had participated in a weeklong team-building
programme at a resort.

As far as the Germans were concerned, MY direct question to the group implied the
expectation of a direct response. Their feedback was not meant to embarrass or to be a
personal attack. Instead, they viewed it as “objectively” true from a professional point of view.
In the West, communication is mostly about information exchange, which has to be clear and
unambiguous.

They believe that such an approach leads to greater efficiency, especially if problems are to be
detected and remedial action has to be taken.

The purpose of communication

For Indians (and for many Asian countries), however, the key purpose of communication is
often to preserve harmony and avoid offence.

Because a collectivist mentality still drives the social fabric of Indian life, the strengthening of
relationships between members remains of critical importance. This does not mean that we are
unable to communicate unpleasant messages. In general, especially in the presence of

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hierarchy or foreigners, we do so non-verbally by implying, hinting, or suggesting rather than
being explicit.

Bridging differences
As the session with the Germans came to an end, the concept of face-saving and its impact on
communication was an enlightening experience for them. They understood that the secret was
to be more attentive to non-verbal cues and to be clearly sensitive to the weight of face-saving.

As for the Indians, being direct and saying NO remains a challenge because face-saving is not
merely a value but a real and powerful emotion.

However, with practice and greater global exposure, Indians will undoubtedly adapt as the
need for efficient communication rises.

By Ranjini Manian on India , Intercultural Balance and Gender Balance

Retrieved from [Link]

8/8/2018

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NEGOTIATION

- An act of negotiating.
- Negotiate (with, for) is to talk with another person or group in order to try to come to
an agreement or settle an agreement.
- (with) to produce an agreement or settle (a piece of business) in this way.
- Negotiating involves a number of language functions such as making proposals, inviting
concessions and asking for clarification.

THE LANGUAGE OF NEGOTIATION

1. ASKING FOR CONCESSION

Would you be prepared to offer…

Would you be willing to offer…

Would you be ready to offer…

Could you offer…

We were wondering if you could offer…

2. MAKING A CONCESSION

We would be willing to give you…

We could offer you…

3. REFUSING TO MAKE A CONCESSION

I am afraid that it is not possible…

Unfortunately, we always…

I am afraid that is not acceptable (to us)…

We regret we can’t accept your offer…

4. TRADING CONCESSIONS POSITIVELY

On condition that you offered..., we could…

As long as you offered…, we would be willing…

Provided you agreed to…, we would be prepared to accept…

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5. TRADING CONCESSIONS NEGATIVELY
Unless…, I don’t think we could…

Unless…, we wouldn’t be prepared to…

6. SEEKING ACCEPTANCE/COMPROMISE/AN OFFER

Would that be acceptable?

Would that be satisfactory?

Is that a suitable compromise?

7. ACCEPTING A COMPROMISE, AN OFFER

We see no objection to that…

That seems reasonable…

We could agree on that…

Making proposals: I suggest that we…

Expressing opinions: I really feel that…

Disagreeing: I am sorry I did not catch what you said.

Offering advice: If I were you…

Asking for further information: Could you tell me something more about…

Agreeing: I think we could go along with that.

Misunderstandings: Could you explain that again…?

Asking for opinion: Could we have your position?

Giving opinions: The way we see it is…

Setting up the procedure: Perhaps we should decide on a procedure first.

Opening the negotiation: Our main problem is this…

Clarifying positions: We can’t give a clear answer right now.

Settling: The last thing we have to discuss is…

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 Supplementary questions: Can you agree on that?

Seeking a concession: We would expect something in return.

Generating options: Shall we consider some alternatives/options?

Agreeing strongly: I completely agree…

Agreeing neutrally: I think you are right.

Agreeing partially: Although I agree with most of what you have said, I find it difficult to
agree with your point about…

Disagreeing strongly: I totally disagree with you.

Softening strong disagreeing: With respect,…

Disagreeing neutrally: I feel I must disagree.

Softening neutral disagreement: I respect your opinion, of course, however…

Disagreeing tactfully: I have some sympathy with your position, but…

POLITENESS IN NEGOTIATION

Polite – having or showing good manners, sensitivity to other people’s feelings and correct
social behavior; opposite to rude, impolite.

Preparation – the aim is to create atmosphere in which possibilities can be explored and
alternatives generated so that mutual benefit emerges and win-win situation is created.
Language should be polite/tentative.

 That would be unacceptable

 That would not meet our requirements
 We would need further re assurance

SEEKING INFORMATION AND HANDLING QUESTIONS

Practitioners and researchers agree that asking questions to obtain information is an essential
part of the information exchange phase of any negotiation or discussion. Indeed, research has
shown that seeking information makes up more than 20% of the skilled negotiator’s behavior.

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What is more, when negotiation is nearing breakdown, questioning is the strategy most
frequently used to rescue it:

 Would you mind saying something about…?

 Could you be more specific?
 Would you care to develop that idea a little?
Answering questions:

1. Playing for time

You’ve raised/mentioned a very important matter/point/aspect/factor…

2. Avoiding the question-saying nothing

 I am afraid I can’t answer that question at the moment
 I would like to come back to that point later

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ARTICLES ON HEDGES AND FORMALITIES
Hedges from English Grammar Today

We use hedges to soften what we say or write. Hedges are an important part of polite conversation.
They make what we say less direct. The most common forms of hedging involve tense and aspect, modal
expressions including modal verbs and adverbs, vague language such as sort of and kind of, and some
verbs

 Tense and aspect

I wondered if I could have a word with you? (less direct and more polite than Could I have a word with
you?)

 Modal expressions
The answer could be that the trees have some sort of disease. (less direct than The answer is that …)

Maybe we should have a word with him about it? (less direct than We should or we must have a word
with him about it.)

This is possibly the best performance in the Olympics.

 Vague language
It’s sort of difficult to say. (less direct than It’s difficult to say)

Could you just post this letter for me?

 Verbs (feel)
Some verbs (such as feel, suppose, reckon) can be used to hedge personal statements, that is, to make
personal statements less direct:

We feel he should let them decide whether to buy the flat. (less direct than He should let them decide
…)

I reckon that’s the best answer to the problem. (less direct than That’s the best answer to the problem.)

Hedges in academic writing

We use certain types of hedging in writing, especially in academic writing, so that statements don’t
seem to rely simply on personal opinion.

We often use structures with it in the passive such as “it is argued that” and “it has been agreed that”:

It has been generally agreed that these new video phone technologies will transform everyday life. (a
more cautious and less personal statement than I agree that …)

[Link]

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How Did That Register? Five Levels of Formality in Language

Posted by Jennifer Young on May 1, 2012

We’ve all experienced the occasional verbal slip-up, whether we’re nervous or the words just don’t
come out right. In casual speech between friends, a faux pas is usually laughed off and moved on from
as quickly as it appeared. However, in business meetings and professional speeches, they’re a little
harder to overlook. A major source of faux pas encountered in interpretation work is the tricky element
of language known as register. It’s the difference between walking up to a colleague and saying, “What’s
up?” instead of “How are you doing?”

Spoken language takes on different levels of formality depending on the social situation and the
relationships between those involved. Register is the form that language takes in different
circumstances, and “code switching” is the ability to go from one register to another guided by context.
Register is an essential social skill that provides flexibility and demonstrates competence in speech and
appropriate social norms.

Even for experienced interpreters, register is difficult to master, as it relies not only on the language
itself, but also on social customs, culture, and even personal preferences. As a relationship progresses
between individuals, the register they use may evolve to be more informal. Unlike words and
grammatical structures, register follows its own set of rules, and it’s hard to hit the mark on it exactly. In
most cases, close enough is usually sufficient.

There are two basic forms of register: informal and formal. Contexts where one might use the informal
register are with friends, family, and meeting people at casual venues, like a bar. The formal register is
reserved for professional settings, like classrooms, the workplace, and interviews. Place isn’t the only
determinant of register: Factors like how long the people have known each other, their previous
relationship, if any, and their purpose in speaking to each other affect how formal or informal the
speech will be. Speaking with parents and teachers would require less formal speech than at a company
networking event, but more formal speech than a peer group. Linguists have actually determined that
there are five different levels of formality in every language (see the examples for English, shown below).

Register Definition Explanation

Frozen Language that never changes Wedding vows, Miranda rights
Formal Standard English Speeches, school lessons
Consultative Less formal standard English News casting, employee to employer
Casual Language between friends Loose sentence structure, vernacular speech
Intimate Language between lovers or Pet names, inside jokes
other close family and friends

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With the first language learned, register eventually becomes intuitive, while formality in a second
language requires more thought. Most children start developing a strong understanding of register and
code switching at around the age of 5 through exposure to a variety of social situations. However, lower
income and education levels are associated with a poor grasp of nuanced speech. Research in the
Journal of Children and Poverty shows that children living at or below the poverty level usually only
master the casual register. Students in this income bracket were observed using the same register with
their peers on the way to school as they do in the classroom with teachers. Such behavior can result in
miscommunication, ultimately leading to negative social consequences like disciplinary action.

Interpreters can be more effective by looking at the background of the individuals speaking and
receiving their interpretations. Take, for example, a farm worker explaining a work accident to a doctor,
speaking in a register inappropriate for exchanges between professionals and clients. To make the
transaction go more smoothly, the interpreter could code-switch for the farm worker. If it were two
farm workers speaking to each other for the joy of conversation, an interpretation of register wouldn’t
be necessary. Register touches on the personal experience of using language, and its use (or misuse) can
determine the outcome of a social interaction.

[Link]
language/

Activity 10.0 Find out and present a role play on negotiation using the language skills given. Use
appropriate language expressions in different context and situation

- Politeness and strategies

- Modals
- Face saving

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WEEK 14 – GROUP MEETINGS AT WORKPLACE

MEETING AGENDA

ROLES

LANGUAGE SKILLS

 Useful expressions in meetings

 Presentations and handling Q & A session

Meetings in Professional Settings

Many a time, young executives find it awkward to participate in group discussions and meetings,
perhaps due to lack of exposure to communicating or discussing with senior and experienced
personnel at their workplace. Participating in group discussions and meetings is very important
if you care and believe in sharing your thoughts and analysing others to arrive at a decision or
solve a problem. Group discussions and meetings can be formal or informal in nature,
depending on the reasons why the meeting is called for. For example, a team project managed
by friends or personnel who are familiar with one another may involve informal meetings or
communication. On the other hand, a meeting attended by high-ranking personnel to address
work policies may be more formal in nature. Generally, meetings are where people come
together to solve problems, negotiate and make decisions.

Successful group discussions and meetings demand optimal cohesiveness from each member
of a group or the attendees of a meeting. Seven factors of optimal cohesiveness in group
discussions and meetings are discussed bellow.

Shared Compatible Goals

Each group member or attendee must have similar goals in relation to a topic being discussed in
a meeting. For example, everyone in a group understands the importance of arriving at a
decision or solving a problem at hand.

Progression Towards Goals

Each group member needs to contribute ideas or opinions that will bring the discussion or
meeting closer to arriving at a decision or solving a problem. For example, everyone pays
attention to what is being addressed and tries to give constructive feedback that will lead
towards a decision or solution to a problem.

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Shared Norms and Values

Common understanding of shared practices and values among group members will reduce the
tendency of misunderstandings and uneasiness. For example, each group member should
respect each other’s differences in opinion on a topic being discussed, and should not impose
on others to agree with him or her on particular issue.

Minimal Feelings of Threat Among Members

Sometimes, it is inevitable and only natural for us to envy our group member’s achievements
and success. This may also lead to rivalry among group members in achieving group’s goals.
Although such rivalry may be perceived by some as healthy, these feelings of threat and
insecurity among members in a group must be kept to a minimum.

Interdependence Among Members

A team usually comprises of different people of different expertise. One may have difficulties in
achieving a group’s goal if he or she works alone. Thus, each group member needs to rely on
one another’s expertise to achieve common goals. For example, a group member who is good
at numbers could assist another member who has been assigned to prepare profit performance
reports for a discussion or meeting.

Competition from Outside the Group

A ‘threat’, such as competition or rivalry from outside of the group, may strengthen solidarity
among group members. This in turn can create a sense of comradeship among group members.
For example, if someone from a rival company tries to probe for information about your
group’s proposal, which is to be presented to a potential customer, united members from your
group would definitely ensure that details are not released to the rival.

Shared Group Experiences

Everything that you and your group members have gone, are going and will go through in the
span of time you work together as a team will be treasured and become the group’s bond. This
bond creates a sense of belonging and nurtures mutual understanding of the significance of
achieving the group’s goals.

A group that observes these seven factors may be better able at sustaining optimal
cohesiveness as a group, especially during group discussions or meetings. This will ease the
group’s journey towards achieving their goals.

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Types of Meetings

As mentioned, communication is an important aspect of any organisation. One will not be able
to escape from communicating with others. In other words, personnel meet and discuss for
many reasons. For example, they engage in many types of meetings to accomplish an agenda or
project. The major types of meetings are information-sharing meetings, problem solving or
decision-making meetings, ritual activities and virtual meetings.

Information-sharing Meetings

Many organisations conduct a weekly staff meeting to share news or the latest development
with regard to, for example, internal issued or market trends. It is also customary for staff of
production companies, who operate with shifts, to have meetings at the start of every shift to
brief staff on current statuses in the production line.

Problem-solving or Decision-making Meetings

In some situations, staff may get together to discuss a decision or solution to a problem. What
approach is best to rectify a leaking valve? What course of action is needed to minimise
production costs? When is the most appropriate turnaround time? These questions require
staff to convene and discuss the matter. Such meetings necessitate an agreed conclusion after
the discussion or meeting, although this may be challenging task at times.

Ritual Activities

Some staff treat a meeting as a social gathering to foster a sense of togetherness in the
organisation. So, instead of rushing home on a Friday evening, some staff may take the
initiative to gather for dinner to a café or pub. This is an informal gathering meant for
entertainment and to catch up on the latest developments of work or other general matters in
relation to work with colleagues. Such meetings are very much practised by Western societies.

Virtual Meetings

Recent technology has enabled virtual discussions or meetings to be conducted, which are not
restricted to a specific venue or does not require physical attendance by staff. For example, a
staff could be halfway across the globe, yet still be able to participate in discussions or meetings
via teleconferences. Video conferencing is another similar mode of communication. Besides
that, the internet has also enables people to have online meetings, anytime and anywhere.
Free instant messaging is another convenient medium for virtual communication.

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Planning Meetings

A meeting is a common platform used by most people who work in group to disseminate
information or discussion a solution or problem that relates to a task they are working on. It is
vital for a meeting to be a fruitful one, whereby an agenda scheduled prior to the meeting. Thus,
careful planning has to take place in order to achieve this aim. The steps to be considered in
planning a meeting are described below.

Decide Whether Meetings are Appropriate

A meeting can be suggested by a chairperson or any member of a group who sees a need to
discuss an issue or a problem. In most cases, the chairperson will decide whether group
members need to convene for a brainstorming session in relation to the issue or problem.

Choose the Right Attendees

A chairperson decides who needs to attend a meeting, depending on nature of an issue. If the
chairperson feels that everyone should get first-hand information or contribute towards solving
a problem, then all group members would be summoned for the meeting. In some cases, only
the presence of certain members is required because an issue may be a minor one involving
specific tasks.

Schedule Enough Time for Tasks at Hand

Once a chairperson has identified an issue or problem to be discussed, he or she will be able to
estimate how much time is needed to deliberate on the issue or problem. An agenda would
help the chairperson to estimate the amount of time required for each specified tasks.

Propose Convenient Time and Venue for Attendees

It is important to schedule a meeting at a time most convenient for all group members to
ensure maximum attendance. The chosen venue for the meeting should also be accessible for
the group members, especially if the meeting is to be held outside the organisation’s premises.

Arrange Necessary Room and Facilities

The suitability of a room and its facilities for a meeting depends on the purpose and agenda of
the meeting. For example, if a group member requires an LCD projector for a presentation or a
drawing board for discussion purposes, the facility needs to be made available prior to the
meeting.

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Circulate Memorandum of Meeting Agenda

A memorandum or a memo of the meeting agenda is usually circulated to all group members as
early as possible. This gives them the opportunity to prepare for the meeting. For example, the
group members may want to seek relevant information or ponder on their responses to an
issue which will be addressed.

Conducting Meetings

A properly organised meeting is one that is conducted constructively, where attendees

participate by contributing quality ideas. Skilfully ‘orchestrating’ the flow of the meeting,
especially by the chairperson, will produced the desired results.

Some guidelines to be considered when conducting a meeting are discussed below.

A. Beginning Meetings

At the start of a meeting, you could look into these guidelines.

Identify Goals of Meetings

A chairperson has to highlight the goals of a meeting and ensure that all attendees are fully
aware of them. This is to start of the meeting on a good note and maintain a constructive
session.

Provide necessary Background Information

Understanding the nature of an issue or a problem through background information is very

important to ensure that everyone has the same picture about the matter as it being discussed.
This can prevent misunderstandings and helps the attendees to function better during the
discussion.

Preview Meetings

It is good to inform attendees about the agenda of a meeting. Outlining how the meeting will
progress helps them to anticipate relevant information or responses that may contribute to a
constructive session.

Identify Time Constraints

Time management in a meeting is vital to ascertain that the agenda is covered. Allocating a
specific amount of time for each item on the agenda will help to prevent attendees from
disgressing. A chairperson can remind the attendees periodically about time constraints to
ensure that they do not lose focus during the discussion.

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 B. Carrying Out Meetings

During the course of a meeting, you could consider these guidelines.

Encourage Balanced Participation

A chairperson should invite all attendees to participate and encourage them to contribute ideas.
Questions can be used to draw quiet members into the discussion.

Ensure Good Control of Meetings

A chairperson has to facilitate the meeting by ensuring comments are relevant and focused on
the agenda at all times. At times, the topic of discussion may digress so the chairperson is
encouraged to monitor discussions closely. He or she can suggest moving on when an agenda
item has been dealt with adequately.

Maintain Positive Tones

A chairperson and the attendees of a meeting should always remain composed if a discussion
gets heated. It is very much encouraged for a chairperson to use questions or paraphrase in
order to deal with hostile remarks neutrally. Rephrasing such as comments is another way of
helping the meeting along and fostering a constructive session.

Solve Problems Creatively

Define problems clearly, so that everyone is clear during the meeting. Analyse the cause and
effect of the problem. This may highlight the connection between both matters and enhance
understanding of the problem. Present or develop clear criteria to resolve the problem. It
would be good to brainstorm and evaluate possible solutions before deciding on the most
practical and effective approach. Then, develop methods to implement the solution.

C. Closing Meetings

Towards the end of the meeting, you could take the following steps.

Keep to Pre-agreed Length of Time

Ensure that meeting is conducted within the allocated time. Avoid prolonged discussions if
matters are clearly difficult to be resolved in the said meeting.

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End Early if All Agenda Items have been Discussed

Sometimes, matters are resolved easily without much deliberation. In such a situation, a
chairperson can end the meeting early, since all the items on the agenda have been discussed.

Summarise Meetings’ Results, Preview Future Actions

A chairperson or the secretary should summarise the decisions made during a meeting as a
reminder to the attendees and, to some extent, to ensure that everyone leaves with the right
understanding of the meeting’s outcomes. The chairperson should also preview relevant future
actions to be tken by the group.

Acknowledge Attendees’ Contributions

It is customary for a chairperson to acknowledge the contributions of all attendees. Thank them
to show appreciation for their time, participation and support in coming together to achieve
mutual goals.

Set a Date for Future Meetings

It is good if a chairperson and the attendees could agree on a date for the next meeting or
meetings.

One important aspect of a meeting is the communication among group members throughout
the session. Many a time, exchanges between group members are not clearly understood or
even misunderstood. This may happen when the exchange are not facilitated properly. For
example, turn-taking, requesting for clarification and expressing disagreement appropriately.

Problem-Solving Communication

Setbacks are common in any project. Issues may arise in the course of a project, which need the
immediate attention of group members. Such situations call for the group members’
commitment to look into the problems and identify a solution. A universal approach to handling
a problem is suggested below.

Define Problems

Every group member has to understand what the problem is. This is to ensure that everyone
can contribute constructively in terms of providing ideas and information to resolve the
problem at hand.

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Characters in Meetings

Naturally, group members consist of many characters. Thus, exchanges during a meeting can
pose a challenge. Characters in a meeting can be categorised into three functional roles, i.e the
task function, relational function and dysfunctional roles. Those in task function roles play an
important part in accomplishing tasks at hand, while those in relational function roles facilitate
discussions and help to keep communication running smoothly. Those in dysfunctional roles, on
the other hand, are individuals who hinder any constructive discussion in group meetings and
cause difficulties in achieving decisions.

Participants’ Roles

Table 7.1 shows a summary of the different roles that you may find in a group discussion or
meeting.

Table7.1 Roles group members play during meetings

Social/Relational functions
Participants encourager (motivates group members to be involved, lets them know
they are valued)
Harmoniser (mediates interpersonal conflicts among group members)
Tension reliever (helps relieve anxiety and pressures within group)
Evaluator of emotional climate (paraphrases observed social and emotional climate,
‘We’re all uneasy about the new manager.’)
Praise giver (gives compliments and acclaims to group members)
Empathic listener (listens without evaluation of group members’ concerns)

Task functions
Information giver (offers facts and relevant evidence)
Information seeker (asks others for relevant information)
Opinion giver (states opinion and believes)
Opinion seeker (asks others for opinions and beliefs)
Starter (initiates task-related behaviour, ’let’s get moving.’)
Direction giver (gives directions on doing a task)
Summariser (reviews, identifies themes in ‘what’s been said’)
Diagnoser (assesses group behaviour, ‘We spend a lot of time…’
Enegiser (invigorates, enthuses group for a task)
Gatekeeper (regulates who speaks, ‘Bill hasn’t had a turn. /John, before you speak
again, could we hear from Mary?’)
Reality tester (check group ideas against reality of time, rules, constraints, ‘Could we
plan a carnival in three weeks?’)

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Dysfunctional roles

Blocker (prevents progress by constantly raising objections)

Attacker (aggressively questions others’ motives or competence)

Recognition seeker (repeatedly brags, inappropriately calls attention to self and own
accomplishments)

Joker (clown, jokes excessively, distracts group)

Withdrawer (refuses to participate, take a stand or respond to others)

Documentation of Meetings

A meeting takes place when there is a need for it. Group members can be notified of a meeting
through a memorandum (memo) issued by a secretary as directed by chairperson. In most
practises, an agenda will accompany the memo to inform the attendees about the itinerary of
the meeting. After the meeting, the secretary will issue the minutes of the meeting as a future
reference for all group members. The following are descriptions of three relevant documents.

Memorandum (Memo)

A memo is a form used to send important messages within organisation, such as to members of
your department, employees in another unit, section or department, management personnel
or a different branch in another city. It is usually short and to the point. Every memo should
contain the following elements.

Heading

The word ‘Memo’ or ‘Memorandum’ is usually printed in capitals at the centre of the top of the
memo.

Date

A date is important to signify when the memo was sent out (not when it was written). Amend
the date and content before sending out before sending out a memo, if there is a change in the
information.

Addressee

An addressee is who a memo is directed to. Courtesy titles such as ‘Mr’ or ‘Dr’ are usually not
necessary in the West, but may be to Malaysian practice. If a memo is meant for a larger

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audience, who do not fit into any category, the word ‘Distribution’ followed by an asterisk may
be used (‘Distribution*’) to represent the addressees in the addressee line. List the names of
the addressees in the body of the memo.

Sender

As a sender, you are not required to include any courtesy titles, unless otherwise practised. You
may include your position title and department, if the addressee does not know you. For
example, ‘Encik Ali Hamdan, Sales Manager’. It is customary to write your initials (instead of a
signature) next to your name to verify the issuance of the memo by you (the sender).

Subject

The ‘Subject’ line helps the addressee to immediately identify the nature of the memo and file
the memo accordingly. It is advisable to keep the subject simple and brief.

Agenda

An agenda usually accompanies a memo that is sent to addressees who will be attending a
meeting. It is a list of topics to be deliberated in the meeting. It gives an addressee a sense of
direction and purpose, besides helping the addressee to prepare for the meeting, e.g. by
searching for relevant information based on what is indicated in the agenda, if necessary.

You should consider these three questions before preparing and agenda:

1. What do we need to do in the meeting to achieve our objectives?

2. What conversations will be important for the attendees?
3. What information will we need to begin the meeting?
A complete agenda should include the following components.

Time, Duration and Venue

This information is vital to avoid problems. Failing to state an exact time for a meeting to start
makes the risk of a delay occurring inevitable. Indicate the length of time needed for the
meeting, as this helps the attendees to allocate their time. Provide the exact venue well to help
the attendees to locate the venue on time.

Participants

The number of attendees may vary, depending on the purpose of the meeting. In order to
ensure full participation and contribution by attendees during a problem-solving meeting, a
smaller number of attendees is desirable. A meeting with the purpose of imparting information
can have a larger number of attendees. Typical attendees are a chairperson, secretary,

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treasurer and specific personnel, such as unit heads, executives, division supervisors, etc. A list
of names is needed to let everyone know who will be attending the meeting. If a name is
overlooked, for instance, others who received the agenda can notify the relevant individual.

Background information

In some situations, an attendee will need some background information, perhaps to remind
him or her about details that have been forgotten. This also applies to any relevant information
that an attendee needs prior to a meeting.

Items and Goals

A clear list of items to be discussed will ensure a meaningful meeting for those attending. Goals
will therefore be understood and participation will be at its optimum.

Minutes of a Meeting

The minutes of a meeting is an official record of the proceedings during a meeting. It is usually
prepared by a secretary for all group members’ future reference. It is considered a legal
document that can be used as evidence of what transpired in a meeting. It can also be referred
to in any court proceedings, if required. This explains why this document is treated officially –
the minutes of a previous meeting has to be moved, seconded and endorsed by a chairperson,
usually before a new meeting begins.

The minutes of a meeting is prepared based on the outline of an agenda, and should
include:

 Name of organisation
 Date, time and venue
 A list of members present
 A list of members absent (apologies)
 Agenda
 Minutes of a previous meeting

The following is the flow of a typical formal meeting.

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Welcome Address by Chairperson

A chairperson welcomes all attendees and thanks them for being present. He or she may
address the purpose of the meeting at this point or wait till the meeting progress to ‘Special
business’. The time allocated for the meeting can also be addressed, besides encouraging
participation from the attendees.

Reading of Previous Meeting Minutes

The secretary reads the minutes of a previous meeting, while others listen and check their
contents. Customarily, everyone will read the minutes (some dothis before the meeting to
check on the accuracy and validity of the contents). At this point, attendees may raise any
concerns regarding the accuracy of the contents and the secretary will make the amendments.

Approval/Confirmation of Previous Meeting Minutes

Once everyone has agreed on the accuracy of the contents based on what transpired in a
previous meeting, the chairperson will ask a volunteer to propose that the minutes be accepted.
This is followed by another attendee to second the motion. The proposer and the person who
seconds the motion have to be present at the said meeting.

Matters Arising from Previous Minutes

The chairperson goes through the items discussed in the last meeting and shares further
updates with the attendees. Attendees can also share further developments on issues
discussed in the last meeting, if relevant.

Committee/Unit Reports

In some organisations or project teams, there are separate committees or units in charge of
different areas of responsibilities. The meeting may require these committees or units to
update the attendees of their progress and development e.g. in relation to a given task, at this
point.

Special Business

Special business refers to the main agenda of the meeting, which the chairperson wants to
address or respond to in view of any concerns raised by group members, which needs the
attention of all attendees. In some cases, this may be the main reason for calling a meeting. The
chairperson may inform the attendees about how much time is allocated for this to be
deliberated.

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Any Other Business

Next, the meeting moves on deliberate on other matters that attendees would like to raise for
the attention of group members. These matters may not necessarily have any direct connection
with present issues stated in the agenda of the current meeting.

Wrap up (Date, Time and Place of Next Meeting)

It is very vital for the chairperson to summarise everything that has been deliberated in the
meeting, such as decisions, assignments, agreements, focal individuals, etc. At the end of the
wrap up, he or she should highlight the date, time and place for the next meeting.

Close and Adjourn

It is only appropriate and polite for the chairperson to once again thank all attendees for their
participation, contribution and time. Optionally, the chairperson may end the meeting with a
positive comment in relation to a task or project at hand.

Exercises

1. Discuss the elements that promote optimal cohesiveness in a group discussion or

meeting.
2. How can ‘useful phrases’ lead to a constructive meeting session? Elaborate.
3. Describe how a competent chairperson runs a meeting.
4. Identify two dysfunctional roles and provide examples on how they can ruin a meeting?
5. The minutes of a meeting can be a very important document. Explain and give an
example.
6. a) Get into a group of 4-5 people. Role-play a meeting to discuss a class trip to the KLCC.
Appoint a chairperson, who will prepare an agenda for the meeting. Select task function
roles and dysfunctional roles for the rest of the group members. You may take turns to
play the different roles.
b) Identify a real problem in relation to your everyday life on campus. Get into a group
of 3-4 people and discuss ways to solve this problem using problem-solving
communication. Take turns to deliberate on each other’s problem and observe your
experience.
7. Study the useful phrases provided. In addition to these suggested phrases in their
respective categories, think of other ways of expressing yourself.

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 MEETINGS
Meeting is defined as an act or purposes of having more than two people assembled for a
common purpose. Meetings can be categorised as either formal or informal. The difference
between the two is one is recorded (formal) and a memo to inform all the members to attend
the meeting. Informal meetings, on the other hand, are on ad hoc basis and called when
necessary.

The following are the advantages of conducting a meeting:

a. Face-to-face interaction
b. Information can be circulated effectively
c. Keeping on track
d. Immediate feedback
e. Different ideas can be addressed
f. Decisions can be made instantly
Types of Meeting

A meeting is a gathering in an organisation with two or more people to exchange ideas or to

make decisions for a specific purpose. Meetings are very common in the workplace and can be
either be face-to-face or using other medium to enable us to meet when we are from different
parts of the world.

Face to face Meeting

Type of Meeting The Purpose
General Meeting A meeting of all the stockholders of a company or the
members of an organisation.
It is to comply with legal requirements, such as audited
accounts, election of directors, etc.
It may also discuss o compensation of officers,
confirmation and issues that might be raised the
stakeholders.
Information Meeting The meeting is primarily to inform. Allows you to meet
professionals, gather career information and other
related matters in your organisation.
Decision-making Meeting This is required if the decision is not clear-cut and the
decision maker wants suggestions or advice from others
affected by it.
Problem-solving Meeting It is held when a specific problem emerges. Its purpose
is to solve immediate and long range problems.
Project Team Meeting It is formed for different types of reasons, In a large

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 company, there may be different projects carried out at
the same time. Therefore, Project Team Meeting is
necessary to allocate different projects to different
team.
Working Committee Meeting Meeting involving a group of people for the purpose of
managing specific issue or event.
Departmental Meeting A one-off meeting or periodic meeting by all
departmental staff. The purpose is to address
departmental issues such as reviewing performance,
reporting on the outcome of certain action taken and
addressing any other matters related to the
department.
Stand-up Meeting A short meeting (less than 10 minutes) to make an
announcement, set expectations, etc.

Different Types of Meeting

Non Face-to-face Meeting

Types of meeting The purpose
Video-conference Meeting Similar to in-person meeting but using different media
such as Skype, Viber, Yahoo Messenger, etc.
The purpose is to enable face-to-face communication
between two or more people in different locations.
Teleconferencing The purpose is to get some input on issues or matters
that are urgent from stakeholders situated in a
different continent.

Meeting Terminologies

There are jargons and some words that you may use frequently in meetings.

1. Quorum The minimum number of people who are require to start a meeting

2. Convene To come or assemble together for a meeting or activity

3. Motion A formal proposal to bring in a meeting

4. Proposer/propose Someone who puts forward a motion/to put forward for consideration

5. Seconder/second Someone who supports attempts, affirms moves and so on

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6. Oppose/oppose Someone who disagree/to be resistant to new ideas

7. Amend/amendment To make minor changes or to improve

8. Vote A formal indication of a choice among members in a meeting

9. Ballot To vote secretly on an issue

10. Resolution A course of action determined or decided by the organisation in a meeting

11. Adjourn To break off or to suspend the meeting

12. Agenda A schedule of items drawn up for discussion at a meeting

13. Apologies Excuses given in advance for not attending the meeting

14. Ad hoc From Latin, meaning ‘for the purpose of’

15. Proxy Literally ‘on behalf of another person’

Strategies for Effective Meetings

1. Plan
You must know the purpose of the meeting if you are chairing the meeting. Write down the
purpose and objective of the meeting clearly before completing your agenda. It is helpful to
have this prepared because you can set it aside and revisit it before you actually send the
invitation. By reviewing the information, you can determine whether the information is still
necessary and relevant. Agenda should be prepared along with the invitation along with the
invitation. This is in order to accomplish the meeting objective. A standard meeting format is
always useful as an organisation holds a weekly meeting.

2. Participants
Invite only those who are involved or assigned, who can contribute, carry out action plans or
make decisions.

3. Notifications and Preparation

Meeting leaders and facilitators should ensure that participants are informed about any
advance preparation required of them or anything they need to bring to the meeting, e.g.,
reports, records, etc.

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4. Time
Be punctual and always respect others’ time commitments. End your meeting a few minutes
early, if possible.

5. Standardised
Each organisation normally has standardised meeting practices or ground rules for meetings
and their expectations. It is always good to assign someone or a secretary to be responsible
for taking accurate notes and reviewing minutes with the meeting leader before sending
them to meeting participants.

6. Agreement
As soon as consensus is reached on a subject, assign an action item to the person(s) who will
be responsible and accountable for it, and be sure to set a deadline for the action item.
Afterwards, obtain agreement from participants showing that they understand and accept
what is required of them.

7. Follow up
Leaders should follow up with participants after the meeting minutes are sent in order to
clear any misunderstandings that may have occurred during the meeting. An effective leader
should be able to recognise issues or problems beforehand, and try to improve the situation,
e.g., disagreement among participants, task completion interruption, lack of collaboration, etc.
If they fail to sort these, delays the result, costing money and affecting delivery and quality.

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 Meeting Procedures
BEFORE During After
Secretary prepares and sends all Chairperson starts the meeting. The secretary prepares the
the documents before the 1. State the purpose minutes.
meeting: 2. Explain the agenda 1. Meeting minutes are prepared
1. Meeting notice 3. Establish ground rules 2. Meeting minutes distributed
2. Agenda 4. Apologies for absence to members
3. Minutes of last meeting 5. Minutes of last meeting
4. Other relevant documents 6. Minutes accepted
7. Matter arising
8. Main agenda
-agree or disagree
-state opinion
-ask for clarification
-suggest – state preferences
-make decisions
9. Any other business
10. Date of the next meeting
11. The chairperson ends the
meeting

Meeting Documents

In conducting a meeting, it is crucial to have all the following documents:

1. Meeting notice
2. Meeting agenda
3. Meeting minutes

When dealing with formal meetings, there are specific procedures to be followed:

1. Prepare Notice of Meeting. This is to let everyone involved know that you are requesting a
meeting for a particular reason, and give them the date, time and venue for this.
2. The agenda is needed before the meeting starts to inform invitees on what is to be
discussed and the order that these items will be addressed. The agenda is sometimes given at
the same time as the Notice of Meeting or before the meeting.
3. It is important that all points raised are noted so that a summary of the full meeting is
recorded. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare the minutes to report what was discussed,
especially what was agreed, and any action points – a note of something that has to be
carried out, by whom, and usually with a deadline.
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Notice

The meeting notice is a document used to circulate information about the upcoming meeting.
The meeting notice contains the following:

1. Names – people who are required to attend

2. Date
3. Day
4. Time
5. Venue
6. Purpose of the meeting

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Sample meeting notice 1
The MAZE Construction and Corrector Sdn. Bhd.
Maze
Jalan Lintas Square,
3 February 20xx
88300 Kota Kinabalu,

Tel No: (6088) 7653421 Fax: (6088) 7653422

Alvin Tung - Chairperson

Alicia Wong - Treasurer

Brendan Khan - Structural Engineer

Deric Chia - Environmental Engineer

Hafizi Omar - Geotechnical Engineer

Andrew Ahmad - Power Engineer

NOTICE OF SECOND CONSTRUCTION OF MAGLEV RAILWAY MEETING

Please be informed that the Second Construction of Maglev Railway meeting will be held to
discuss the Maglev Railway project. The details of the meeting are as follows:

Date: 17 February 20XX, Monday

Time: 10:00 a.m.

Venue: Meeting Room 1

Enclosed are copies of the agenda and the minutes of the last meeting for your reference and
action.

Attendance is compulsory. Please be punctual.

Thank you.

Prepared by

ARAIS

Amanda Rais

Secretary

137
Encs: Agenda

Minutes of last meeting

c.c. Mr. Alex Teo, Advisor

138
Sample meeting notice 2

MK Bakery Sdn. Bhd.

MK
No. 1, Alamesra Business Park,

88400 Kota Kinabalu,

Sabah

Tel No: (6088) 422221 Fax: (6088) 421017

Email: info@[Link]

To: Alex Wong, Director

Sandra Wong, Finance Executive

Adam Tam, Marketing Executives

Suhaila Ahmad, Operation Manager

From: Amanda Ralley, Secretary

Date: 6 January 20XX

Subject: Notice of the Product Planning Committee Meeting

Please be informed that the product planning committee will be held on Monday, 20 January
20XX, at 11:00 a.m. in Board Meeting Room.

Enclosed are copies of the agenda and the minutes of the last meeting for your reference and
action.

Aralley

Encs: Agenda
Minutes of last meeting
c.c. Mr. Marion Larson, Advisor

139
Agenda
The agenda outlines what will be covered in the meeting. Those attending the meeting should
be able to contribute to the agenda before it is completed and sent out. The meeting
Chairperson and/or Secretary will usually prepare the Agenda. An agenda should include the
following:
1. Welcome and opening speech
This is a short opening speech by the chairperson to thank and welcome everyone for
attending the meeting.

2. Apologies
This is a list of members who are absent from the meeting. They will normally provide reasons
for being absent.
3. Minutes of the last meeting
Minutes of the last meeting will be given to all members to be endorsed and approved by the
chairperson. This is to ensure that everything is correct. (Not applicable to first meeting.)

4. Matters arising from the minutes

This is to allow members to discuss or report any outstanding issues related to the previous
meeting. (Not applicable if this is the first meeting.)

5. Main Agenda
The main agenda includes items that will be discussed during the meeting. It is normally
arranged according to their importance or whether it is urgent or not.

6. Any other business(AOB)

This item allows members to raise any issue that is not covered in the main agenda.

7. Date for next meeting

This item is for notification of the next meeting such as date, time and venue.

8. Minutes of meeting

140
 Sample meeting agenda 1

MAZE The MAZE Construction and Corrector Sdn. Bhd.

Jalan Lintas Square,

Date when the
4 February 20XX 88300 Kota Kinabalu,
agenda is
Tel No: (6088) 7653421 Fax: (6088) 7653422 prepared

The second construction of Maglev railway meeting will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, 17 Details of the
February 20XX in Meeting Room 1 to discuss the project. The agenda for the meeting will be as meeting
follows:

AGENDA List of items to

1. Apologies be discussed at
2. Minutes of previous meeting the meeting
3. Matters arising
Main agenda
4. Problems and challenges
(problems and
5. Approval and sponsorship
challenges,
6. Any other business
approval and
7. Date of the next meeting
sponsorship

Prepared by
ARAIS
Amanda Rais
Secretary

c.c. Mr. Alex Teo, Advisor

Circulated
copies

141
Sample meeting agenda 2

MK Bakery Sdn. Bhd.

MK
7 January 20XX No. 1, Alamesra Business Park,

88400 Kota Kinabalu,

Sabah

Tel No: (6088) 422221 Fax: (6088) 421017

Email: info@[Link]

Alex Wong - Director

Sandra Wong - Finance Executive
Adam Tam - Marketing Executive
Suhaila Ahmad - Operations Manager

NOTICE OF THE PRODUCT PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING

Please be informed that the product planning committee meeting will be held to discuss the
planning for pastries production and services. The details of the meeting are as follows:
Date & Day: 20 January 20XX, Thursday
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Venue: Board Meeting Room

The agenda for the meeting will be as follows:

AGENDA
1. Apologies for absence
2. Minutes of last meeting
3. Matters arising
4. Product quality
5. Product improvement
6. Services
7. Any other business
8. Date of next meeting

142
Enclosed is a copy of the minutes of last meeting for your reference and action.
Attendance is compulsory. Please be punctual.
Thank you.
Prepared by
Aralley
Amanda Ralley

Exercise
Prepare a meeting notice which includes agenda using the following notes.
Details of a meeting Second Annual Meeting of Academic
Committee – 15 March 20XX – Tuesday –
2:30 p.m. – Board Meeting Room – to
discuss on the programmes offered for
Semester 1 Session 20XX/20XX
Send to: Dean, Deputy Dean of Academic, Deputy
Dean of Research and Development, and
Co-ordinators
Notice issued by Secretary
Agenda 1. Apologies
2. Minutes of last meeting
3. Matters arising
4. Course timetable
Other details to include Enclosed minutes of last meeting – c.c.
Director

143
Minutes of Meeting
The meeting minutes are documents that recorded the entire items discussed at a meeting. The
secretary normally records minutes, which indicate who are present and absent for the meeting
topics raised, decisions made and any matters requiring action by the members. The language
used must be clear and precise. Generally, meeting minutes should include the summary of the
most important points in a meeting. In some cases, verbatim minute taking may be required.

144
 Sample of minutes of meeting 1

The MAZE Construction and Corrector Sdn. Bhd.

MAZE
Jalan Lintas Square,

88300 Kota Kinabalu,

Tel No: (6088) 7653421 Fax: (6088) 7653422

MINUTES OF THE SECOND CONSTRUCTION OF MAGLEV RAILWAY MEETING HELD ON Main heading
MONDAY, 17 FEBRUARY 20XX AT 10:00 AM IN MEETING ROOM 1
Present: Alvin Tung - Chairperson
Alicia Wong - Treasurer Names of the
Brendan Khan - Structural Engineer members who
Deric Chia - Environmental Engineer were present
Hafizi Omar - Geotechnical Engineer

Apology: Andrew Ahmad - Power Engineer

1.0 Apologies for Absence The headings

Apology was accepted from Andrew Ahmad who was on medical leave. should be the
2.0 Minutes of Last Meeting same as those
The chairperson asked the members to correct an error in item 5 where the figure of that appeared
RM2000 should read RM2500. After the amendment, the minutes were approved and in the agenda
signed as true record. and should also
3.0 Matters Arising be listed
Further to item 6, the treasurer informed that the Ministry of Finance had approved the according to
budget for the project. sequence
4.0 Problems and Challenges
The committee members raised their concerns on the problems and challenges in Action by
pursuing the project.
a. Geotechnical problems where the railway construction is mostly surrounded with
forests and mountains. Brendan Khan suggested that explosion is needed to build
a hole in the mountain.
b. The construction of the track must be built in a straight line pathway. Deric Chia
recommended that tunnels must be built to resolve this problem.
c. Destruction occurs during the construction progress, such as deforestation and
other pollutions as well. Hafizi Omar suggested that in order to protect the
environment, they should build a bridge above the forest.

145
5.0 Approval and Sponsorship
The budget for this project had been approved by the Ministry of Finance.
6.0 AOB
There were no other business.
7.0 Date of the Next Meeting
It was finalized and agreed that the next meeting would be held in Meeting Room 1 on
Monday, 10 March 20XX at 2:00 p.m.

The meeting adjourned at 4:00 p.m. The time the

meeting
adjourned

Prepared by Approved by

ARais Alvin Tung Secretary and

Chairperson’s
Amanda Rais Alvin Tung signature, name
Secretary Chairperson and designation

27February20XX
Circulated
c.c. Mr. Alex Teo, Advisor
copies

146
 Sample of minutes of meeting 2

MK MK Bakery Sdn. Bhd.

No. 1, Alamesra Business Park,

88400 Kota Kinabalu,

Sabah

Tel No: (6088) 422221 Fax: (6088) 421017

Email: info@[Link]

MINUTES OF THE PRODUCT PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON MONDAY, 20

JANUARY 20XX AT 11:00AM IN BOARD MEETING ROOM

Present: Alex Wong -Director

Sandra Wong -Finance Executive
Adam Tam - Marketing Executive
Suhaila Ahmad -Operations Manager

1. Apologies for Absence

Action by
No apologies were received

2. Minutes of Last Meeting

As there were no connection or amendments, the minutes of the last
meeting were approved and endorsed by the chairperson as true record.

3. Matters Arising
There were no matters arising.

4. Product Quality
The chairperson requested Sandra to give details on how best to ensure that
all of their pastry products are of the highest quality. Sandra informed the
chairperson and the rest of the committee members that the finance
department had done extensive research and product development studies. SW
It was recommended that the company invests in the patisserie W2000
machine from Germany because of its proven reliability, cost efficiency, and
high quality.

5. Product Improvement

147

SA
 1. Suhaila informed that her operations department has checked the
specifications of the machine and found that the machine is very
flexible and could be customised to cater for various product ranges.
By using this new machine, they could improve and introduce high
quality products to meet the market demand.
2.
6. Services
1. Adam informed that his marketing department had conducted
market studies at some of their competitors’ outlet and found that in
order to offer the best service to their customers they have to AT
emulate the best practices as employed by their competitors. These
practices could be further improve to suit the company’s products
and business concepts.
2. The chairperson inquired if the standard operation producers (SOP)
had been finalised and Adam informed that it had already been done.
3. Adam added that all of their staff had been trained by their in-house
training manager to provide the highest quality service and standard
to their customers. These staffs were also employed based on their
educational background and experience in the relevant industry.

7. AOB
There were no other business.

The meeting adjourned at 2:00 p.m.

Prepared by Approved by

Aralley Alex Wong

Amanda Ralley Alex Wong

Secretary Director

6 February 2014

c.c. Mr. Alex Teo, Advisor

148
 Exercise a

Give four reasons why meeting minutes must be prepared.

1. _________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

2. _________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

3. _________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

4. _________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Exercise b

You are the CEO of the company that is well known and has been established for almost 15
years. Lately, you find that the company is facing financial problems. Call for a meeting with the
Finance Department to solve the problem. Role-play your meeting.

The roles you need to perform are as follows:

 Chairperson
 Secretary
 Participants

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 Meeting Arrangements

Chairperson

This is the person responsible for facilitating the smooth running of meetings. He or she
should

a. Provide the procedure and ensure the meeting starts on time.

b. Greet members and provide appropriate opening and introductions
c. State the ground rules
d. Announce and calls for apologies
e. Give advice on such details e.g. time and length of meeting breaks
f. Stick to the agenda and time frame
g. Provide time before the meeting begins to add any other items to the agenda.
h. Assist with discussions and try not to introduce own opinions unless it is needed
i. Clarify “Actions”: ensure that it is clear what is to be done by whom and when
j. Thank everyone for attending the meeting, offer appropriate closing words

Participants

[Link] sure you turn up on time

[Link] prepared to contribute your ideas
[Link] careful attention especially to the agenda
[Link] involved in the discussion
[Link] courteous and do not interrupt others when they are talking

Checklist for Conducting Meeting

Conducting effective meetings is an art and science. It is challenging and requires team effort.
However, there are still some basic things that we can do to help avoid meeting effectiveness.

Before the meeting

Explain what are you planning to achieve
Decide if a meeting is the best way to achieve the objective
Will it be face-to-face or virtual?
Who is involved in the meeting?
How long is the meeting?
Provide and send clear objectives, agenda and logistics
Distribute supporting material before the meeting
Send a note

150
During the meeting
Designate clear roles (facilitator, time keeper, note taker, etc)
Repeat objectives and agenda
Ask if any other items need to be added in the agenda
Explain how interaction will be handled (especially for virtual meetings)
Involve the participants
Raise question, contract suggestions, stay flexible, but do not hesitate to facilitate
Stay strategic
Review key decisions
Confirm action items
Schedule potential follow-ups

After the meeting

Send meeting notes and action items
Review evaluation forms/feedback
Identify lessons learned and future improvements

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Sample of meeting script

Situation
Eco-Waste Sdn. Bhd. is a company that recycles waste to make new products. The company has
received a lot of bad publicity lately with environmental groups saying that the company
produces harmful pollutants. To counter this, the company plans to correct the public’s
perception by demonstrating that it is a socially responsible, caring environmentally friendly
organisation.

Meeting members:
Chairperson :Mr. Alvin Foo
Public Relation Officer :Ms. Shannon Russel
Operation Manager :Mr. Azlan Ahmad
Marketing Co-ordinator :Ms. Geetha Kumaran

Mr. Alvin: Good morning and welcome everyone. Thank you for coming today and
sorry for the short notice. Mr. Aaron won’t be able to join us today as he
has another meeting to attend. Let’s start with our last meeting’s
minutes. Does everyone have a copy?
Everyone: Yes.
Mr. Alvin: Good. Are there any amendments to be made? Then I’ll approved and sign
it as an accurate record (Mr. Alvin signs on the minute). Before we discuss
the main agenda, are there any matters arising?
Shannon: The television advertisement for our new cleaning product, Shine has just
been approved by the CEO. It will be aired starting this Saturday.
Mr. Alvin: Wow, that’s great news. Thank you to all for your hard work in preparing
the advertisement. So let’s move on to the main agenda today. First and
foremost, we need to discuss what we can do to project a positive image
of the company to the public. As you all know, the company has received a
lot of bad publicity lately and we are here to discuss some of the possible
ideas to help correct these negative perceptions.
Azlan: I think an open day would be a great idea. We need to show the
community that we do take strict measures to prevent pollution.
Shanon: Would people actually want to come and look at a waste at a recycling
plant, Azlan? I mean, it’s not exactly wonderland, is it?
Geetha: Do we really want the general public to come? It might affect our
productivity.
Mr. Alvin: I think Mr. Azlan has point. Getting people to come and look at what we
are actually doing here will give them a clearer picture of our company’s
activities. They will then be able to judge for themselves whether we are
producing harmful pollutions.

152
Azlan: Yes, that is what I have in mind.
Geetha: Excuse me, Azlan. May I know your rationale for suggesting the open day?
Azlan: That’s a good question. I believe we can correct the negative perceptions
by getting the public to see us in action. We can have a presentation or
talk by our CEO on the importance of processing waste correctly.
Therefore, this will create awareness among the public that waste can be
processed safely into beneficial household products such as cleaning
detergent.
Shannon: Can I suggest something? Instead of inviting the public where it will crowd
the area, why don’t we just invite representative, please raise your hands?
Hmm…looks like a majority of you agrees to invite just the
representatives. So, who shall lead the project?
Mr. Alvin: Well, that’s another option. Shall we call for a vote? Those who are in
favour of inviting just the representatives, please raise your hands?
Hmm…looks like a majority of you agrees to invite just the
representatives. So, who shall lead the project?
Geetha: May I suggest Azlan?
Shannon: I second that.
Mr. Alvin: Azlan, what do you think?
Azlan: I’ll be honoured to take up the responsibility. I do hope all of you will
cooperate and give full support to the project.
Mr. Alvin: Thank you, Azlan. Do call a meeting to form your team. What about the
others? Do you have any other suggestions?
Geetha: What do you think if we publicise on our company’s website the standard
procedures we use to treat and recycle waste? By doing this, we can
highlight that the procedures are approved by the Ministry of Neutral
Resources and Environment.
Mr. Alvin: Good idea, Geetha. We can do this immediately. Shannon can you please
work with your team to upload that information as soon as possible?
Shannon: No problem, Mr. Alvin.
Mr. Alvin: I think we can bring this discussion to a close. Before w end this meeting,
do you have any other business? Let’s go round the table. Azlan?
Shannon? Geetha?
Geetha: Yes, Mr. Alvin. I’ve just received information that the CEO will be visiting
us early next month. Therefore, we can discuss the suggestion for the
open day with him.
Mr. Alvin: Great. Let’s make sure we prepare the proposal well in advance for his
approval. Anything else? No? Good. Shall we meet in two weeks’ time? I
suggest Wednesday 12 November at 9:30 a.m. in the Meeting Room. Do
you agree?
Everyone: Yes.
Mr. Alvin: I’m afraid that’s all the time we have for today. Thank you for coming. See
you next time in the next meeting.

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 Exercise c
Fill in the common expressions that are normally used when chairing and participating in a
meeting. Examples are already for you to start with.

1. OPENING A MEETING  GOOD MORNING EVERYONE

 ___________________________________________________
 ___________________________________________________
 ___________________________________________________
2. REPORTING APOLOGIES  I’ve received apologies from Ms. Ann who is not feeling well today.
FOR ABSENCE (IF ANY)  ___________________________________________________
 ___________________________________________________
 ___________________________________________________

3. STARTING THE PURPOSE  The reason we are here today is to discuss

 ___________________________________________________
 ___________________________________________________
 ___________________________________________________
4. ACCEPTING THE  Let’s go over the minutes of the last meeting. If there are no amendments
MINUTES OF LAST needed, let’s continue with the next item on the agenda.
MEETING  ___________________________________________________
 ___________________________________________________
 ___________________________________________________
5. DEALING WITH MATTERS  Before we carry on to the next item on the agenda, does anyone have any
ARISING matters to bring up?
 ___________________________________________________
 ___________________________________________________
 ___________________________________________________
6. STARTING WITH THE  Let’s start with the first item which is…
AGENDA  ___________________________________________________
 ___________________________________________________
 ___________________________________________________
7. MOVING ON TO THE  The next item on the agenda is…
NEXT AGENDA  ___________________________________________________
 ___________________________________________________
 ___________________________________________________
8. INVITING MEMBERS TO  Would anyone like to comment on this?
SPEAK  ___________________________________________________
 ___________________________________________________
 ___________________________________________________
9. GETTING OTHERS TO  What do you think, Ms. Julie?
PARTICIPATE  ____________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________

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  ____________________________________________________
10. CALLING FOR A VOTE  Those who agree please raise your hands.
 ____________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________
11. CLOSING AN AGENDA  If there is no other matter, we can close the meeting.
ITEM  ____________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________
12. DEALING WITH ANY  Does anyone have any other business?
OTHER BUSINESS  ____________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________
13. CLOSING THE MEETING  The meeting is adjourned at 12:30 p.m.
 ____________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________

155
Seating Arrangements

The layout or arrangements of the chairs and table are also important in order to provide
conducive arrangements and to ensure the comfort of all members for the entire period of
meeting. First, you need to know the purpose of the meeting. Then, you should also consider
the number of people attending the meeting.

However, the most common layouts are classroom style, conference style, theatre style,
classroom style, U-shape, and T-shape. The following are examples of the common outlets:

Conference Style

U-Shape

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Theatre Style

Classroom Style

T-Shape

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Meetings
Introduction

Meetings are part of everyday business life. There are different kinds of meetings, such as AGM
(Annual General Meeting), EGM (Extraordinary General Meeting), committee meetings, weekly
Board meetings, and other meetings for specific purposes. Consequently, you may have to
attend or even conduct meetings on a regular basis.

Meetings can be broadly categorized as either formal or informal. A formal meeting has a
secretary who records all the discussion in the meeting. In informal meetings, the discussion is
usually not recorded (and no minutes are kept). A formal meeting also requires an invitation – a
memo to inform all concerned to attend the meeting. An informal, on the other hand, is usually
on an ad hoc basis, called only when the need arises.

Vocabulary

Minutes. The minutes of a meeting are the official written record of what is discussed
and decided during the meeting.

This chapter focuses on how to conduct formal meetings effectively. This is an important skill to
master a company or organization, because how well you conduct meetings will contribute to
how positively you will be regarded by your colleagues (and your superiors).

Activity 1: Before you continue to read, think of what preparations need to be made before a
meeting. List as many as possible. Discuss your ideas with your partner.

Before The Meeting

These are several preparations to make before a meeting is conducted. Most of these
preparations are the responsibility of the secretary or the personal assistant to the chairperson.
The chairperson may also be involved.

1. Ensure that everyone who needs to attend the meeting has received an invitation, or
“Notice of Meeting”. The notice can be sent by e-mail or by office memo.
2. Ensure that the room or venue is available and has been booked. (It reflects badly on
you if you have to look for a venue just before your meeting).
3. Check that any documents needed for the meeting, such as relevant files, minutes of
previous meetings and letters, have been prepared and are ready.

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 4. Distribute the minutes of the last meeting.
Note: Distribution of minutes. Minutes should be distributed one or two days before the
meeting is held so that participants can read them in advance.

5. Assist the chairperson to prepare an agenda for the meeting. An agenda contains the
following items.

ITEM EXPLANATION

 Date, time and venue of the meeting

 Apologies for absence Anyone who has been invited to the

meeting but is unable to attend should
inform the secretary in advance.

 Minutes of previous meeting Participants should read these before

attending the meeting to make sure that
they are a true record of what happened
and do not contain any mistakes (minutes
are a legal document). The minutes must
be “confirmed” before they become official
company documents.

 Matters arising from the previous In this section, participants can check
meeting whether decisions are made at the last
meeting have been acted upon.

 Main agenda: Items for discussion(listed) This is a list of topics that will be discussed
at the meeting. It is the main business of
the meeting.

 Other matters In this section, participants can raise items

or issues that are not related to those on
the meeting.

 Date, time and venue of next meeting

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 6. The agenda can be incorporated into the notice of meeting, as shown in Example 1.

Example 1:
Sample
Notice of To : All staff members of the Finance Department
meeting, From : Mr. Thiagaraju R., General Manager
Date : 21 May 2006
with an
Subject : Finance Department Staff Meeting
Agenda.
Notice is hereby given that there will be a staff meeting. Details are set out
below:

Date : 5 June 2006

Time : 3.00 p.m.
Venue : Meeting Room A, 3rd floor

2. The agenda for the meeting is as follows:

1. Apologies.
2. Minutes of the previous meeting.
3. Matters arising.
4. Progress report of Putrajaya Project.
5. Monthly reports from units.
6. Half-yearly financial report.
7. Other matters
8. Next meeting.

Thank you,

TR

Activity 2: The head of the Human Resources Department wants to call for a meeting with her
staff. As her secretary, write a notice meeting in memo format to send all the staff. The meeting
is scheduled for 4 August 2007, at 11.00 a.m. in Room PA 401. Include an agenda for the
meeting.

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During The Meeting

During the meeting, the main function of the secretary is to take notes of what happens at the
meeting. This includes:

 The names of all those present

 The time the meeting began and ended
 All motions carried
 Names of proposers and seconders of motions
 All decisions for further action
 Names of people who are responsible for carrying out the actions.

The chairperson is responsible for most of what occurs during the meeting. It is his or her
responsibility to ensure that the meeting runs smoothly, that all items on the agenda are
discussed, that participants contribute to discussions, that no single person monopolizes
discussions, that no time is wasted, and that the meeting does not take an unnecessarily long
time.

Preliminaries

Greet the Participants

When everyone has assembled and the meeting is about to start, the first thing that the
chairperson should do is to greet and welcome the participants to the meeting:

 “Good afternoon everyone, and welcome. I’m glad you all could make it.”

If there is someone senior in the organization attending the meeting, it is customary to greet
that person first, before greeting the rest of the participants.

For example, assume you are the president of the Interact Club and you are chairing a meeting
to discuss the Canteen Day project. The principal of your college, [Link], is present at the
meeting. You could greet the participants like this.

 “Good evening [Link] and fellow members.”

 Good evening, everyone. Before we begin, I’d like to welcome our principal, [Link].”

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 You use fellow to describe a person who is in the same situation as you, or whom you
Vocabulary
have something in common with, but whom you do not know well. Your colleagues are
the people you work with, in the same office or department. It is not necessary to say
“fellow colleagues”, “fellow friends” or “fellow classmates”, because you know these
people quite well. You might call someone a “fellow worker”, a “fellow student” or a
“fellow kedahan”.

Here are some other expressions that you can use to open a meeting:

 Thanks for coming, everyone. We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s begin the meeting shall we?
 Good morning. It’s good to see you all here. Shall we begin?
 Good morning, ladies and gentleman. Thank you for your attendance I would like to call the
meeting to order. (Formal)

Note Sometimes there may be visitors or observers at a meeting. The chairperson should also
mention their presence and welcome them. However, observers do not participate in a
meeting; that is, they cannot contribute their opinions or comments about any issues discussed
in the meeting.

Ask for Apologies

After greeting the participants, the chairperson may ask if there are any apologies for absence,
or may give the names of those who notified the chairperson or the secretary before the
meeting that they will be unable to attend.

Confirm the Minutes

The chairperson then invites the participants to read through the minutes of the previous
(which have been distributed to them prior to the meeting). When everyone has finished, the
chairperson asks someone from the group to propose the minutes to be confirmed. The
chairperson could ask:

 “Can I have someone to propose that the minutes be confirmed?”

In a more formal situation, the chairperson could ask

 “May I have someone to propose/move that the minutes be confirmed?”

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In a meeting where everyone knows everyone else’s name, simply saying “yes”, “I will” or
raising one’s hand is sufficient. However, in a large meeting, it is advisable that the proposer
should introduce him/herself.

 ”I _______ (state your name ), propose/move that the minutes be confirmed.”

After that, a second person is needed to “second” the proposal/motion. The chairperson could
just ask “Any seconder?” or “May I have someone to second the proposal?”

The response to the question is similar to that for proposing the minutes be confirmed; that is
by one of the following:

 raising one’s hand

 saying “I second it”
 saying “ I, ________ (state your name) second the motion that the minutes be confirmed.”

Control the Discussion

Encourage Participation

It is the chairperson’s responsibility to ensure that everyone has a chance to participate. During
the meeting, the chairperson should encourage the participants to express their opinions by
using expressions such as:

 What is your opinion about/on that?

 What do you think of that idea?
 Should we…?
 Why do you think we should…?
 Can we have some more comments/suggestions?

If you are a participant, you can give your opinion using any of the following expressions:

I think… I think it is better for the project to be

postponed because we have not received
any funds from our sponsors.

I don’t think it is a good idea because we

are losing money every minute.

It seems to me… It seems to me that the website is drawing

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 a lot of attention.

In my opinion… In my opinion, shutting the website will

create a lot of dissatisfaction among our
customers.

The way I see it/As I see it… The way I see it, the websites are popular
with the younger generation.

I believe we should maintain the website.

I believe…

Personally, I am for the current form of

I personally…
advertising than for the traditional ways.

Perhaps/Maybe we could consider… Perhaps/Maybe we could consider the

different ways of advertising that may be
profitable for us.

Why don’t we consider… Why don’t we consider this way of

advertising on buses?

Sometimes it may be helpful to encourage some other members to add to what has already
been said. As the chairperson, you could ask the following questions to encourage members to
contribute more ideas.

 Does anyone else have anything to add?

 Is there anything else to add?
 Would anyone like to add to that?
 Does anyone have any other ideas?
 Does anyone have something to add?

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Prevent a Monopoly
If there is a participant who tends to monopolize the discussion, the chairperson should
tactfully end his or her talk to let others have a chance to speak. Some phrases that can be used
are as follows:

 Well thank you. But we have to move on to the next item on the agenda.
 I am sorry to interrupt you, but we need to move on to the next item of our discussion.
 Thank you for your thoughts on that. Now let’s turn to the next item.
 Thank you. Your points is well noted. Can we move on to the next item, now?
 Thank you for your ideas. Now, let’s turn to the next item.

Other Situations

It is the chairperson’s responsibility to control the flow of the meeting. Make sure the
discussion keeps on track. Do not allow participants to go astray or to spend on unnecessarily
long time on any topic. (This is important to ensure the meeting ends on time and does not and
does not drag without any productive discussion).

Now we shall look at some situations that may occur during a meeting. For example, it may be
necessary to interrupt someone or ask someone to clarify something he or she has said.

Interrupting

Usually if we want to say something, we wait for a person to finish speaking, as it is considered
impolite to interrupt while he or she is still talking. However, when you feel that it is necessary
to interrupt, some possible phrases that you can use include:

 May I interrupt for a moment?

 Sorry to interrupt, but I wonder…
 I don’t want to interrupt, but…
 If I may just interrupt you for a moment, I would like to (give my opinion about/touch on that
matter/explain why/ add something)

Clarifying

When you do not understand what someone has said, you should ask that person to clarify or
explain. Here are some phrases you can use to ask a person to clarify something:

165
  I’m sorry I didn’t quite follow what you said. Could you explain that, please?
 I am afraid I am not quite sure what you mean.
 Are you saying that…?
 Do you mean, that…?
 I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. Could you repeat what you just said?

Activity 3 [Link] are the chairperson of a meeting. What would you say to start the meeting?
[Link] are chairing a meeting. You receive an emergency telephone call in the middle
of the meeting. What should you say to excuse yourself?
[Link] do not understand what was said by another participant in a meeting. What should
you say to seek clarification from that participant.
[Link] the chairperson of a meeting, what should you say when you find that the
participant are discussing other things, which are not the agenda?
[Link] want to give an opinion about something. What phrase can you use to express your
opinion.

Agreeing and Disagreeing

During the course of a meeting, participants may agree or disagree with comments or
suggestions related to issues that are being discussed.

To agree, you can use the following phrases:

 I completely/totally/entirely agree (with you).

 I’m in total agreement.
 I agree.
 I think you are right.
 That’s very true.
To state your disagreement, here are some phrases you can use:

 Although I agree with most of what you said, I disagree with your point about…
 You have a good point here, but perhaps we should also consider…

Note Expressing disagreement is a very sensitive matter. The impact of disagreeing is softened by
using expressions such as “I’m sorry…”, ”I’m afraid…”, or by acknowledging the speaker’s point,
before disagreeing with it.

166
  I’m afraid I have to disagree with you…
 I feel I must disagree with you on that point.
 I’m sorry, but I cannot agree with you.
 I can see your point of view but…
 I see your point, but have you considered…

Activity 4 Following is part of a conversation among members of a residents’ committee who are
discussing some security problems at their apartment building. Fill in the blanks with
appropriate sentences.

Rahmat: Good morning everyone. Thank you for coming. As you know, this meeting is to
discuss the security situation at our apartment. I’m sure you’re all aware that
there have been a number of robberies. The latest victim was Uncle Lim.
Fortunately, he was not injured. I need your suggestions on what the
management should do.

Maimunah: ____________________ (1) the most important thing is to put more lights at the
basement car park.

Rahmat: Thank you but as you know, we do not have enough funds for that. I…

Rajan: ____________________ (2) but why aren’t there enough funds?

Rahmat: Well, unfortunately, not every tenant in this building has been paying the
maintenance fee.

Jennifer: ____________________ (3) that we talk to the tenants concerned?

(offers a suggestion)

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 Persuading

When you persuade someone, you try to make them accept your ideas.

Following are some suggested phrases that can be used to persuade:

 Wouldn’t you agree that…?

 Seen from another angle, one could say…
 If we were to…, then we could…
 In view of all the facts that we have discussed, would you not agree that…?
 After considering the choices, wouldn’t you…?
 I think we can agree that the best way to proceed would be to…

Recommending/Suggesting/Proposing

During a meeting, participants may recommend, suggest or propose an idea or a plan. Some
phrases that can be used are as follows:

 I (strongly) suggest/recommend that…

 I propose that…
 I would like to propose that…
 I wonder if I might suggest that…
 I’d like to suggest that…

Motions: In formal meetings, proposals are called “motions”. When a decision has been
Vocabulary
reached, one person will say: “I move that…” Another must second the motion. The motion
is then discussed. If there is some disagreement the chairperson will hold a vote on the
motion. The vote may be by voice, by a show of hands or even by a ballot. If the majority of
participants agree with the motion, the motion is carried. If not, the motion is dropped or
amended.

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 With your partner, role-play the following situations:

Activity 5 1. The residents’ committee wants to impose a ban on rearing cats at your apartment block.
You disagree that rearing cats in apartments is a nuisance. Give your reasons.
[Link] manager suggests that the staff should be given fewer holidays in a year, since they
are highly paid. Tactfully disagree with him.
[Link] manager suggests that in return for a five-day work week, employees should work
longer working ours. Disagree with him.
[Link] colleague suggests that each worker in the office should contribute RM10 for the
annual office party. Disagree with your colleague and give a reason.
[Link] colleague suggests a well-known Indian restaurant to hold the annual office dinner.
Agree with him and give him a reason.
[Link] colleague is not convinced that having a five-day work week will actually improve
productivity. Persuade him to believe otherwise.
7. Your manager wants to buy a particular brand of a mobile phone. You strongly believe that
another brand is better value. Persuade your manager to change his mind.

Working in groups of 4 to 6 members, discuss one of the following proposals:

Activity 6
 “The company should switch from a 5 ½ - day work week to a 5-day work week.”
 “The company should introduce staggered working ours.”
 “All employees should contribute to a compulsory saving scheme.”

Break into two sub-groups. Have one sub-group to agree the motion, another sub-group to
oppose it. Appoint one secretary for the group. The secretary should note down the
phrases used by the group members to agree and/or disagree. At the end of the discussion
(about 20 minutes), the secretary reads out the phrases used by each sub-group. Compare
the number of phrases used by each group.

Close the meeting

At the end of the meeting, the chairperson may review the main decisions once again. He or
she may also go around the table, asking each participant if he or she has anything to add.

To close the meeting, the chairperson can say:

 I think we’ve covered everything. Thank you all for your contributions. We’ll meet again in
two weeks time, same time, same place.

169
 Well, that seems to be everything. I think we’ve had a very productive meeting. Thanks,
everyone. The next meeting will be on Monday, 16 February. You’ll be informed of the details
later.
 Since there is no further business, I declare the meeting closed. Thank you, everyone. The
next meeting is scheduled for Monday, 16 February. The secretary will confirm the time and
venue.

After The Meeting

After the meeting, the secretary should do the following:

 Complete writing out the minutes. Ensure that all important details are included. Once they
are completed, show the minutes to the Chairperson who will then sign them. The
Chairperson’s signature is placed at the end of the minutes.
 Make photocopies of the minutes and distribute them to all the participants of the meeting,
including absentees.
 Assist the manager or the chairperson in ensuring that all the issues that have been accused
in the meeting are followed up or carried out by the respective people. The secretary may
need to send e-mails or call up the individuals concerned to ensure that they have fulfilled or
followed up on the tasks assigned to them.

The Minutes of a Meeting

The minutes of a meeting are taken by the secretary. If there is no permanent secretary, the
position can be rotated among the participants of the meeting. A secretary will be appointed at
the beginning of each meeting. The secretary takes notes during the meeting and prepares the
full minutes later. The minutes should be completed as soon as possible after the meeting and
distributed to the participants before the next meeting is held.

In this section, we will look at how the minutes should be presented.

Title

The minutes should have a title. Usually the title includes the date, time and venue of the
meeting, as shown as the following example:

Minutes of the Meeting of the Finance Department held on Tuesday, 13 th December 2005, at
3.00 p.m. in Room 424, Company House.

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 Attendance

Next, the names of those present (and those absent) should be recorded:

Present : Mrs. Violet Koh (Chairperson)

Miss Lee Ting Ting (Secretary)

Cik Haslinda Ahmad Financial Officer

Mr. Karu Maniam Financial Officer

Mr. Thomas Watson Junior Staff

Absent with apologies : Ms. Linda Mak

Absent : Mr. Tan Chin Seng

Note ‘Absent with apologies’ means that prior to the meeting, Ms. Linda had already informed
the secretary that she would not be attending the meeting. Sometimes there may be some
members (in the example above Mr. Tan) who did not attend the meeting without giving
any prior reason. These members’ names are listed as ‘Absent’.

The Body of the Minutes

Generally, the minutes of the meeting are written in reported speech using the past tense, as
they are record of what happened and what issues were discussed at a meeting.

Note When writing up the minutes, the secretary should record the issues that were discussed at
the meeting as comprehensively as possible. However, unimportant details can be left out.

The following example shows part of discussion held in a meeting. The Head of the Human
Resources Department, Mr. Murali, is chairing a meeting with his staff members to discuss ways
to strengthen relationships among members of staff.

171
Mr. Murali: So what activities do you think that the
Department could conduct to encourage
bonding among the staff members?

Rozitah: It would be good to hold games every

fortnight or so.

Mariam: Yes, I agree to that. Do you remember last

year’s company seminar game in Pangkor?

Anita and Shahrul were at odds with one

another. After three days of team games,
they were best of friends. I heard that they
are going out together now, right?

Mr. Murali: Hmmm…I don’t know. But anyway, what

other activities can we think of?

Based on the above conversation, which parts do you think should be put into the minutes? Do
you think what happened between Anita and Shahrul in Pangkor should be put into the
minutes? How about the speaker’s assumption that Anita and Shahrul are dating each other-
should this be put into the minutes?

Clearly, although many statements are made during a meeting, only relevant issues and points
are recorded in the minutes.

Following is an example of the minutes based on the situation given in the example above. The
part of the minutes that is relevant to the excerpt given above is shown in italics.

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Example 2:

Minutes of a meeting

Minutes of the Meeting of the Human Resource Department held on Monday, 6 February 2006,
at 2.30 p.m. in Room L1-2, Wisma Maju.

Present : Mr. Murali Kumaresan (Head Department)- Chairperson

Cik Rozitah Ramli (Secretary)

Cik Mariam Ahmad

Mr. Kok So Cheng

Absent: Ms. Violet Sho - - on medical leave

(with apologies)

Action by
1. Mr. Murali welcomed the participants to the meeting and thanked them
for their presence. He also took note of Ms. Violet absence as she was on
medical leave for two days.

Confirmation of Minutes

2. The minutes of the previous meeting held on 26 January 2006

were confirmed. Cik Mariam (proposer); Mr. Kok (seconder).

Main Agenda

3. Mr. Murali asked for suggestions on ways to improve staff

relationships with one another.
3.1 Cik Rozitah suggested holding games every fortnight. Cik Rozitah
3.2 Mr. Kok suggested holding a camp every six months.
The cost of the camp would be minimal if it were to be held
somewhere within the state.
3.3 Cik Mariam suggested a newsletter to inform all the staff
members about developments in the company.
4. The three suggestions will be proposed to all the staff, and
each member of the staff will vote to determine the best suggestion.
The suggestions will be posted on the notice board and all staff All HDR Staff

173
members can mark their choice on the reply sheet that will be posted
together with the suggestions.

Other Matters
5. Mr. Murali reminded the staff to switch of all lights in the office
during lunch time.

The meeting adjourned at 4. 05 p.m.

Activity 7

Go through the minutes of a meeting set out below. Identify and correct any mistakes (tense,
verb form, etc;)

Minutes of the Meeting of the Finance Department held at Monday, 6 February 2019, in 3.30
p.m. in Room L4-2.

Present: Puan Faridah Manaf (Head of Finance Dept).

Ms. Tay Lay Koon (Secretary)

Ms. Loy Chee Fun

Mr. Vincent Thirasingam

Cik Maimunah Ali

En. Abdul Satar Rahman

Mr. Thillai Sundaram

Absent: Mr. Fong Ai Man

1. Puan Faridah greeted and welcome all the participants to the

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 meeting.
Action by
Confirmation of Minutes

2. The minutes of the previous meeting held on the 31 January

2006 were proposed to be confirmed by Ms. Loy and seconded
by Cik Maimunah.

Matter Arising

3. The meeting with the ministry of Industry officials on the

proposed Industrial Centre in Putrajaya had been postponed
indefinitely.

Main Agenda

4. Puan Faridah reminds all present that the accounts for the fiscal year
2018/19 would be closed on 31 March. Since there would be a lot of work, all All staff
members
leave applications would be on hold for two months until all the accounts had
been completed. Only emergency leave would be grants.

Other Matters

5. Ms. Loy asked if extra funds had been allocate for stationary. Pn. Faridah
replied that a new requisition had been submitted to the GM for approving.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourn at 4.00 p.m.

Activity 8 Students work in groups of 10 to 12 to hold a mock meeting. One student plays the role of
chairperson; another acts as secretary. The others act as participants at the meeting. The
group begins by preparing an agenda. They then take their places as participants in the
meeting, with the chairperson in control. The secretary takes notes.

Participants can adopt roles such as a waffling speaker, a dominating speaker, someone
who is nervous and quiet, someone who is not paying attention, someone who is
aggressive, rude or angry, and so on.

The meeting should last for 30-45 minutes. At the end, the group reflects on how the
meeting was run – what went smoothly and what could be improved.

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APPENDIX

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GUIDELINES FOR WRITING A CASE STUDY REPORT
Preparing the case

Before you begin writing, follow these guidelines to help you prepare and understand the case study.

1. Read and examine the issue thoroughly

Take notes, highlight relevant facts, underline key problems.
2. Focus your analysis
- Identify the problem(s)
- Why do they exist?
- How do they impact the organization?
- Who is responsible for them?
3. Uncover possible solutions
Review course readings, discussions, outside research, your experience
4. Select the best solutions
Consider strong supporting evidence, pros and cons: is this solution realistic?

Drafting the case

Once you have gathered the necessary information, a draft of your report should include these sections:

1. Introduction (5)
- Identify the key problems and issues in the company.
- Formulate and include a thesis statement, summarizing the outcome of your report in 1-2
sentences.
2. Background(5)
- Set the scene: background information, relevant facts, and the most important issues.
- Demonstrate that you have researched the problems in the company.
3. Proposed solution(5)
- Provide a specific and realistic solution
- Explain why this solution was chosen
- Support this solution with solid evidence
- Concepts from class (text readings, discussions, lectures)
- Outside research
- Personal experience (anecdotes)
4. Recommendations(5)
- Determine and discuss specific strategies for accomplishing the proposed solution.
- If applicable, recommend further action to resolve some of the issues
- What should be done and who should do it?

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ASSESSMENT 1: ROLEPLAY 15%
TASK (PRESENTATION):

Students will be given a workplace issue as listed below and have to prepare a dialogue and
present the role-play within the time given.

Preparation time : 3 minutes

Presentation of role-play : 7 minutes

OR

Students can videotape their roleplay (5-7 minutes) and submit the video in Week 2.

The workplace issues can be grouped into several categories such as:

1. Human Issues – staff pinching, shortage of manpower, brain drain, complacency,

domineering bosses, sexual harassment, absenteeism, discipline, insubordination,
tardiness, sabotaging, information pilferage (leaking confidential information),
moonlighting during office hours, petty thefts, staff welfare, staff benefits/perks,
remuneration.

2. Physical or Infrastructure Issues – abuse of facilities, occupational safety, risk

management, physical development planning (e.g. lack of facilities and equipment,
substandard software) , intellectual copyright, amenities for staff with physical
disabilities, office space.

TASK (WRITTEN REPORT):

Students are required to write a two (2) pages report about the role-play that was done before
and include what they have learnt from the workplace issue discussed during the role-play. The
report must be submitted within 24 hours after the role-play presentation.

The report must consist of

1. Introduction -definition and explanation of the workplace issue (with citation)
2. Content of the role-play
3. Solution (based on the role-play)
4. Conclusion (Recommendation/Suggestion/Improvisation relate to current issue)
5. Bibliography

Note: This assessment will be conducted in Week 2. Delay in submitting the

assignment will cause in marks’ deduction.

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ASSESSMENT 2: CASE SCENARIO & PRESENTATION (25%)

TASK (REPORT AND PRESENTATION)

Identify a workplace issue in a company in Malaysia. Answer the following

questions:

1. Provide a brief detail of the company’s background. (name, organizational structure,

vision and mission)
2. Identify a workplace issue in the company. Explain the issue (what, where, who, why
and how)
3. How did the company solve the issue? Explain (conflict/problem solving/ negotiation
procedure and stages)
4. Provide evidence (newspaper cuttings, videos, other sources, etc – with citation)
5. Present the report.

Assignment guidelines:

 This is a group assignment (3-4 members)

 Submission of assignment – (WEEK 5)
 Presentation of assignment – (WEEK 5)
 Refer to the sample in the module on Case Scenario Report Guidelines
 The assignment should be word-processed.
 1.5-spacing with font 11 Tahoma/Times New Roman/Arial.
 Pages may be bound.

Note: Delay in submitting the assignment will cause marks deduction.

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ASSESSMENT 3: MOCK MEETING (20%)

Arrange a company monthly management meeting, discussing a special business that has been
highlighted in the agenda. In preparing the agenda, you may choose one of the following
suggested matters to be discussed in the meeting.

Suggested Agenda (Special Business):

 Organizing a fund raising programme to help single mothers who are having financial
obstacle OR
 Holding the company annual dinner OR
 Discussing a new company policy involving rewarding staff who are showing outstanding
[Link]
 Any other pertaining issues or problems

The meeting must be conducted according to the procedures as such:

Agenda
1. Chairman’s address
2. Apologies for absence
3. Confirming minutes of the last meeting
4. Matters arising(optional)
5. Special business (must choose one from the suggested agenda above)
6. Close

Assessment requirements:

 5-7 members in each group.

 Demonstrating appropriate language functions.
 Maintaining a formal setting.
 Active participation by each member. (3-5 min presentation per member)
 Addressing the role of the members of the meeting.
 Demonstrating making motion, amendment and voting.
 Following the duration of each role play – 20 – 30 minutes
 Documentation (Notice and Agenda of meeting, Minutes of Previous Meeting,
Script)
 Meeting should be recorded in the format of a CD or in a thumb drive OR be presented
live.
 Submission of documents and softcopy of the recording – date to be advised

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