UNIT 3

TRANSACTIONAL COMMUNICATION:
Communication Strategies
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION

 Organizational communication is defined as the channels and forms of communication

that occur within organizations, such as corporations, non-profits, and governmental
bodies.

 Organizational communication is a broad field that encompasses all forms of

communication that allow organizations such as companies, government
agencies, and non-profits to function, grow, connectwith stakeholders, and
contribute to society.

Types of Organizational Communication

1. Internal communications- such as employee training modules, messaging around
an organization’s mission.

2. Interpersonal communications between management and employees.

3. Professional communication such as emails.

4. External-facing communications such as public relations announcements, press

releases, marketing materials, and branding.

Interpersonal Skills and Success

 What does it take to succeed in your career? Talent, good ideas, a good
education, technical expertise, skills, hard work, motivation, initiative— all of these
are important.

 In addition, because all jobs require you to get things done with other people—
coworkers, customers, managers, people in other companies—

 In addition, because all jobs require you to get things done with other people—
coworkers, customers, managers, people in other companies— career success
also depends on your ability to build positive relationships,
affirm others’ dignity,and contribute to a positive organizational climate.

 The ability to work well with others is just as important for newcomers as it is
for managers. A survey of chief executive officers and human
resource managers from leading organizations rated the ability to work
cooperatively with others as a most desirable quality in college
graduates.
Communication Traits of Unpleasant Coworkers
 The Busybody

• Butts into conversation

• Butts into others’ business
• Expresses opinion on matters that
don’t concern them

 Unprofessional Behavior

• Is rude
• Gossips and bad-mouths others to a
third part
• Criticizes others
• Yells or screams

 Controlling/Bossy

• Tries to control, boss others around

• Gives orders without having the
proper authority
• Is condescending/talks down to
others
• Wants their own way

 Unprofessional Focus of Attention

• Talks about personal problems at work

• Brings personal problems to work
• Talks about non-work-related issues

 Self-promoting

• Competitive, wants to be number

one
• Tries to promote themselves
• Is self-centered
• Tries to make themselves look good

 You can improve your interpersonal skills and have a higher chance for success by
building positive relationships, one where your co-workers have positive
 dispositions and emotions towards you; affirming dignity, your ability to gain a sense
of self-respect and self-esteem from your job and to be treated respectfully by
others; and enhancing organizational climate, which is the underlying nature of
relationships in work groups.

GUIDELINES FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE

 In 2014, a couple of professors from University of Education, Winneba Ghana

published an article in the Global Journal of Commerce and Management
Perspective about guidelines on improving communication effectiveness in the
workplace.

 They divided these into two categories: based on the sender’s responsibility and
based on the receiver’s responsibilities.

 According to them, effective communication, being a two-way process,

requires effort and skill by both the sender and the
receiver.
 Administrators will, at times, assume each of these roles in the communication
process.

SENDER’S RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Clarify the idea before communicating
The more systematically administrators analyze the problem or idea to be communicated, the
clearer it
becomes.

 This is the first step toward effective communication. Many communications fail
because of inadequate planning. Good planning must consider the goals, attitudes,
and needs of those who will receive the communication and those who will be
affected by it.

 2. Examine the true purpose of each communication

Before administrators communicate, they must ask themselves what they really want to
accomplish with their message (obtain information, initiate action, or change another person's
attitude?)

 Administrators need to identify their most important goal and then adapt their
language, tone, and total approach to serve that specific objective.

 3. Consider the total physical and human setting.

  Administrators must be sensitive to the total setting in which they communicate: the
circumstances under which an announcement or decision is made; the physical setting,
whether the communication is made in private or otherwise.

 They must also consider the social climate that pervades work relationships within the
department and sets the tone of its communications; custom and practice, the degree to
which the communication conforms to, or departs from, the expectations of the
audience.

 4. Consult with others, when appropriate, in planning communications.

Frequently, it is desirable or necessary to seek the participation of others in planning a
communication or in developing the facts on which to base the communication.

 Such consultation often lends additional insight and objectivity to the message.

 Moreover, those who have helped plan the communication will give it their active
support.

 5. Be mindful, while communicating, of the overtones as well as the basic content of the
message.

 Tone of voice, expression, and apparent receptiveness to the responses of others all
have tremendous impact on those the administrator wishes to reach.

 Frequently overlooked, these subtleties of communication often affect a listener's

reaction to a message even more than its basic content.

 6. Take the opportunity, when it arises, to convey something of help or value to the
receiver.
 Consideration of the other person's interests and needs, trying to look at things from the
other person's point of view frequently points up opportunities to convey something of
immediate benefit or long-range value to the other person.

 Staff members are most responsive to administrators whose messages take staff
interests into account.

 7. Follow up on their communication

 Administrator can ask questions, encourage the receiver to express his/her reactions,
follow-up contacts, and subsequently review performance.

 An administrator needs to make certain that every important communication has

feedback so that complete understanding and appropriate action result.

 8. Communicate for tomorrow as well as today.

 Communications must be planned with the past in mind if they are to maintain
consistency in the receiver’s view. It must also be consistent with long- range interests
and goals.

 For example, it is not easy to communicate frankly on such matters as poor performance
or the shortcomings of a loyal staff member, but postponing disagreeable
communications makes these matters more difficult in the long run and is actually unfair
to staff and the organization.

 9. Be sure that actions support communications.

 The most persuasive kind of communication is not what administrators say, but what
they do.

 10. Seek, not only to be understood, but to understand and be a good listener\

 Listening is one of the most important, most difficult, and most neglected skills in
communication.

 It demands that the administrator concentrate not only on the explicit meanings another
person is expressing, but also on the implicit meanings, unspoken words, and
undertones that may be far more significant.

 Thus, an administrator must learn to listen with the inner ear if he/she is to know the
inner person.

10 GUIDELINES FOR GOOD LISTENING

 1. Stop talking. You cannot listen if you are talking.

 2. Put the talker at ease. Help a person feel free to talk. This is often called a permissive
environment.

 3. Show a talker that you want to listen. Look and act interested. Listen to understand
rather than to oppose. Listening requires two ears, one for meaning and one for feeling.

 4. Remove distractions. Stay focused and pay attention.

 5. Empathize with talkers. Try to help yourself see the other person's point of view.

 6. Be patient. Allow plenty of time. Do not interrupt a talker. Do not start for the door or
walk away.
 7. Hold your temper. An angry person takes the wrong meaning from words.

 8. Go easy on argument and criticism. These put people on the defensive, and they may
clam up or become angry. Do not argue: Even if you win, you lose.
 9. Ask questions. This encourages a talker and shows that you are listening. It helps to
develop points further.

 10. Stop talking. This is first and last, because all other guides depend on it. You cannot
do an effective listening job while you are talking.

 Nature gave people two ears but only one tongue, which is a gentle hint that they should
listen more than they talk. Administrators who do not listen have less information for
making sound decisions.
UNIT 3

QUALITATIVE OBSERVATIONS

 Qualitative observation deals with data that can be observed with our senses: sight,
smell, touch, taste, and hearing. They do not involve measurements or numbers.
For instance, colors, shapes, and textures of objects are all
qualitative observations.

 Observations are best when we are highly unfamiliar with a people or location
and researchers hope to gain insights about how people or
environment act, respond, interact, behave or otherwise engage.

Types of Observations

1. Informal Observations-Are conducted when you have little or no

concept about what toexpect and you are simply going to observe people in
order to learn about their behaviors.

 You enter these environments with completely open mind, hoping to

gain some insight about the people in the environment.

 Informal observations are good for obtaining initial insights that can
be later followed up with other types of research.

2. Formal Observations-Are structured, repeatable observations where researchers

are looking for specific cues to codify and report.

 Formal observations often have checklists that researchers are following and they
may be timed—meaning, researchers may be looking for what happens at
different intervals.

 Formal observations are good for repeated studies of behavior that can be
duplicated for future researchers.

Steps in Conducting Observations

 Step One: Identify Your Objective

 Determine what you want to observe and why. Are you looking to see how
students respond to a new environment? How customers interact with employees?

 Step Two: Establish a Recording Method

Decide how you will take note or record your observations. Is it through an audio
or video recording? Or you will just take down notes?

 Step Three: Develop Questions and Techniques

Write questions that wish to be answered if you have specific queries or if you’re
going completely open minded.

 Step Four: Observe and Take Notes

Visit the space you are hoping to get information from. Be as unobtrusive (less
obvious) as possible, taking notes, photos, audio or video only where it allowed, if you
were permitted, and if it makes sense with the objective of your observation.

 Step Five: Analyze Behaviors and Inferences

Separate the difference between what you observed (which are factual
behaviors) and why what you observed happened. Typically, you will need to interview
people in the environment you are observing, either during or after the observation
UNIT 4

TRANSACTIONAL COMMUNICATION
Making Successful Transactions

 Communication is at the heart of human interaction, and it can make or break a

business. Being able to communicate effectively with customers can lead to increases
sales, repeat business and referrals.

 On the other hand, not being able can quickly lead to decreased sales, frustrated
customers and negative word of mouth.

Negotiation Approaches

 Win-Lose or Lose-Win situation is also called as a zero-sum game.

 A good example of a zero-sum situation would be a chess game. In chess, there is one
winner and one loser. It assumes that only one side can reach its goals and any victory
by that party will be matched by the other’s loss.

 For example, your company and another might compete for the same customers, and
you might compete with another candidate for the same once-in-a- lifetime job.

 Win-win Approach is getting what the negotiator wanted after a negotiation does not
mean that he won, and the other participant lost. There is a possibility of a win-win
situation where both parties win which is the ideal outcome for almost all negotiations.

 In a Lose-lose Approach, some people cannot stand the reality of losing a negotiation. In
lose-lose situations neither party achieves their needs nor wants. Stark (2003) gives a
common example of a lose-lose negotiation which is a labor strike in which a
management and labor unions cannot come to a satisfactory agreement.

 Win-win Approach is getting what the negotiator wanted after a negotiation does not
mean that he won, and the other participant lost. There is a possibility of a win-win
situation where both parties win which is the ideal outcome for almost all negotiations.

 No Outcome
 The fourth possible result of a negotiation is a ‘no outcome’ which means that neither
party wins nor loses. In this situation negotiators cannot come to terms that is suitable
for both parties (win-win) and the best thing is just walk away and try to find another
person with whom to agree.
Types of Negotiation
 Every negotiation situation is different depending on the people involved. Their skills,
attitudes and styles matter a lot. The context or background to the negotiation, time
factor and the issue under discussion also influence the character of a negotiation.

Two types of Negotiation

Competitive negotiation

1. Rough and tough

2. Going to conquest
3. Dig in
4. Threaten
5. Go for what you will settle for
6. Argue for own position
7. Push hard
8. Increase argument
9. Distrust
10. Hard
11. Make demands as a condition of
maintaining the relationship

Cooperative Negotiation

1. Soft and sweet

2. Going for agreement
3. Suggest deals
4. Offer
5. Go for what they will settle for
6. Argue for agreement
7. Back down
8. Avoid argument
9. Trust
10. Soft
 11. Concede in the interests of
12. maintaining the relationship

HOW TO TRANSACT/NEGOTIATE SUCCESSFULLY

1. Prepare and Plan-

Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something
about it now.

 Negotiation is a process we undertake in everyday activities to manage our

relationships, especially with our clients.

 Not being prepared makes a person feel unprofessional and often proves costly.

2. Adopt a Win-Win Approach

The ideal outcome for a negotiation and transaction is almost always a win-win situation
in which everybody goes away
satisfied.

3. Practice Communication Competence-

It is true that communication can lead to a complex problem or a brilliant solution.

To achieve effective communication, a negotiator should ask both open and closed ended
questions to make sure
that the message is received.

4. Ask lots of questions; listen with your eyes and ears.

By asking open questions instead of closed

ones, a negotiator will get more precise information.
Remember that talking all the time and not letting the counterpart to say anything is likely to be
fatal.

 Maintain personal integrity and build solid relationships-

Relationships matter and it is important to understand the reason why they are so important to
the business. Good business relationships offer more value in the long term. It is hard if not
impossible to build solid relationship in competitive transactional situations.

5. Be patient-
  Being in a good mood before entering the negotiation table enables the negotiator to
have more confidence and is likely to be patient during the transaction. You should
invest a lot of time, energy, personal and spiritual commitment, and other resources to
ensure the best possible outcome is achieved.

6. Be culturally literate and adapt to the strategies where you are doing the transaction-

 The biggest barriers to effective negotiation are lack of trust, cultural and gender
differences, communication problems and power differentials during dialogue.
It is useful for business negotiators never to assume anything as well as avoid
stereotyping.

TRANSACTIONS IN THE NEW NORMAL:

THE CASE OF TELEMARKETING COMPANY

 As countries all over the world embrace social distancing, many businesses have had to
adapt to find new ways of running as close to business as usual– or changing up
services altogether.

 As an example, let’s look at the new practices of The Telemarketing Company. They
have put together some key considerations for business during these challenging times.

 Clear, consistent messaging-

With more people than ever turning to online channels as a news source, and
brands within all industries currently publishing their response to the coronavirus
situation, it’s essential that the message you are communicating right now is clear and
consistent across every channel utilized.

 Keep communicating-

Whilst you’re not expected to be an authority on the global situation, you should
prioritize communication as a key business goal in order to maintain the trust and
relationships you’ve built over time. It’s important to remain present throughout this
period, whether it’s business as usual on your end or not.

 Adapt to provide alternative services-

With so many people adjusting to social distancing or isolation, going the extra
mile for your customers is the difference between them returning when the
outlook is brighter or your brand presence fading into the noise.