A significant part of the time in the schedule of the heads of organizations, as well as employees whose activity is to regulate the work of personnel, is spent on business conversations. It can be meetings, conferences, approvals and other communication formats regarding production issues. Since the quality of such negotiations directly affects the efficiency and success of the company, it is necessary to comply with certain rules and regulations that determine the culture of business communication and etiquette. The ability to adequately and correctly conduct a conversation is a key factor contributing to personal success in entrepreneurial activity. However, despite the obvious elementary rules of conduct in society, the sphere of business relations nevertheless assumes its own communication features, the knowledge of which significantly increases the value of both a modest clerk and a large manager.
The concept of culture and ethics in business communication.
The business world is quite strict in definitions and by its nature excludes any inaccuracies and vague wording. Nevertheless, the norms of communicative interaction are that side of business where ethical principles prevail. In general terms, these aspects are reflected in the culture of business communication, the concept of which can be defined as a set of norms of moral conduct. On the basis of the developed principles of behavior adequate from the point of view of culture, the style of relationships between people in work processes is regulated.
In business culture, it is important to distinguish between two categories of norms - value and mental. The first group represents a set of traditions and defines the ethical component in business environment. The valuable aspects of cultural regulation in business communication can also act as stereotypes, familiar behavior or relevant stylistic forms of corporate behavior. In contrast to the value layer, which lays the foundation for cultural business communication, the base of mental factors is more effective for use. Such principles of regulation of communication standards are developed as a response to a request to improve the quality of the business process.
That is, if traditional or customary norms become ineffective or completely inhibit the development of the organization, the mental foundations of a culture of business communication are introduced that allow more efficient coping with production situations. In modern countries, where the level of economic development is above average, the principles of business culture are based on ethical soundness, orientation on creative freedom, interaction and independence.
Culture in business communication can also be imagined as an element of the general moral development of a specialist who knows how to communicate productively and without conflict with colleagues and partners, as well as create a favorable and friendly atmosphere.
Among entrepreneurs, etiquette and a culture of business communication are closely intertwined. The concept of ethics often sounds in the context of the definition of culture in a particular area. As a way of a certain systematization, ethical standards help in regulating business relationships. Ethics in the business world is a set of moral rules by which the nature of the behavior of managers and employees in production activities is determined.
Although a significant proportion of the ethical rules adopted by the business world can be classified as generally accepted, there are special cases of norms that have already been developed specifically as a means of regulating working relations. By and large, etiquette and a culture of business communication are based on mutual respect for economic and reputation interests between partners and colleagues. Moreover, the ethical laws of business require respect and respect for the interests of competitors. This means that a company should not use tricks that go beyond competitive market competition.
Cultural communication skills
The problems of the formation and development of business communication skills, providing for a sufficient level of culture and etiquette, are associated with the organization of knowledge development processes in this area. In addition, the professional tasks of employees are becoming more complicated, which necessitates non-standard approaches to the style of negotiating, speaking, etc. For the most part, organizations are not able to ensure the formation of the right business relationships and successful team work. In turn, employees sometimes only at a basic level have an idea of speech etiquette.
Of great importance is the behavioral experience that is gained through special methods. In modern companies, the formation of a culture of business communication occurs in the process of developing practical skills among members of their team. To do this, managers are working in the following areas:
- Organization of business communication games.
- Conducting trainings that provide for democratic behavior.
- Trainings on conflict management with modeling not only professional patterns of behavior, but also interpersonal.
- Individual, subgroup and collective development of practical skills that will allow you to work together as a team.
The use of training tools makes it possible to establish the process of forming a culture through the practical development of behavioral skills in different situations. At the same time, not only a culture of business communication is developed from a professional side, but also personal development with self-knowledge takes place. From the point of view of the benefits for the organization, this means a higher commitment of the employee, focus on results and interest in the success of the company.
Rhetorical principles and culture of behavior
Considering the means of communication in the business sphere, it is impossible not to touch upon the aspect of the effectiveness of the communicative impact on the listener. Nevertheless, the success of a specialist in business is largely determined by his ability to clearly, objectively and clearly convey his position. For this, many use rhetorical techniques of business communication and the rules of a culture of behavior in a single complex. The effectiveness of negotiations using such means of communication, coupled with the observance of etiquette and good manners, is more likely to create a positive image for both the employee and the entire company. Rhetoric provides for several psychological and didactic principles of influence that are used during speeches, interviews, conferences and presentations - this is associativity, accessibility, intensity and expressiveness.
The means of associativity are designed to arouse empathy among students and encourage them to think, starting from a rational and emotional memory. The achievement of such an effect is ensured thanks to such techniques as imagery, analogies, references to precedents, etc. Accessibility is an especially important principle, due to which the speaker can be understood by colleagues and partners with different cultural and educational backgrounds. Accessibility can be improved by communicating little-known and original information in combination with diverse information.Means that increase expressiveness should be used by those who have a highly developed culture of business communication and communicative experience, otherwise you can get the opposite effect of undesirable theatricality. Expressiveness helps a person emotionally and at the same time sincerely express their attitude to the topic. Intensity in business communication is, as a rule, the ability at a certain pace to present information as fully and easily as possible, taking into account the preparedness of the audience for its perception.
The psychological component in business communication
Psychology in the culture of business conversation allows you to determine patterns in the mental state of the interlocutors and, in accordance with its characteristics, be able to create a favorable climate for negotiations. A person with psychological knowledge can defend himself from the partner’s incorrect behavior, use methods of defusing negative emotions, refute the arguments of opponents in a mild form, and calmly listen to criticism. The psychological culture of business communication is of particular importance in resolving conflict situations, since they often manifest features of different psychological types.
Among the techniques and methods of psychological behavioral culture in the process of business conversation, the following can be distinguished:
- Formation of a good opinion about yourself (or company).
- Creating a psychologically favorable environment.
- Listening to the interlocutor and understanding of his motives.
- Determination of the partner’s internal state (by manner and voice).
- Neutralization of comments during the conversation.
- Ways to protect against incorrect behavior.
- The technique of conducting a conflict-free conversation.
- The technique of complacency.
Speech culture
First of all, the culture of conducting business conversations implies the ability to correctly use the literary language and choose the appropriate rhetorical techniques, depending on the situation. Speech culture includes communicative aspects, normative and ethical.
The normative factor assumes the correctness of speech in compliance with the rules of the literary language. The concept of a language norm is a key factor that determines the speech culture of business communication in negotiation processes. The communicative aspect is a skill that allows you to use language tools in the course of communication. The ethical component, in turn, is associated with the ability to use the rules of speech behavior depending on the situation. These rules may change, because among partners and colleagues there may be people with different moral and ethical attitudes.
Of particular importance for the success of negotiations is the communicative culture in business communication, due to the rules of speech etiquette as a system of signs that people exchange in the process of negotiations. Verbal verbal etiquette provides a behavioral culture and can make up both a general complex of communication stereotypes and a narrow niche in the framework of requests, greetings, attention-grabbing, etc.
Culture in a telephone conversation
Telephone conversation refers to forms of conversation within a rigid framework, which often leads to errors in business etiquette. On the other hand, a limited format has its advantages, one of which is the ability to model typical situations and ways to overcome them. For example, the rules of the culture of business communication in a telephone conversation can be reflected in several common examples of behavior:
- You can’t call the partner’s home number without prior approval.
- The optimal time frame for a possible call can be determined as follows: from 8 am to 11 pm.
- If there is no answer to the call, do not immediately hang up.
- If the connection is interrupted, then the initiator of the call must resume it.
- You should not speak loudly if the interlocutor did not ask about it because of poor hearing.
- The conversation should be brief and to the point.
- It is necessary to answer calls as far as possible without delays, otherwise the interlocutor will think that the conversation is not of interest to the partner.
- It is undesirable to leave the phone during the conversation, but if there is a need for this, you should warn the interlocutor in advance.
Also, do not forget that the generally accepted principles of a culture of business communication imply a positive and at the same time meaningful greeting and completion of the conversation with a possible summary in brief.
Non-verbal culture in business communication
It happens that words, as such, in business negotiations do not correspond to the true attitude of the authors to the topic. Also, experienced partners may suspect the insincerity of the interlocutor, which affects decision making. Non-verbal communication, that is, body languages and gestures, allows to exclude this probability and reveal hidden motives. For example, by facial expressions you can determine the internal state of the interlocutor, his possible thoughts and messages. In this regard, the culture of business communication in the organization may include non-verbal means of communication, which make it possible to establish confidential contact with a partner.
The ability to understand sign language also allows one to foresee the possible reaction of the interlocutor even before he verbally expresses his attitude to the received information. Accordingly, even in the process of delivering it, in parallel with the dumb language, you can adjust the position in a certain direction.
It is generally accepted that non-verbal communication is available to every person, regardless of their cultural level and education. In fact, this is not so. Different people have different stock of sign gestures, and the higher the culture of communication of a business person, the richer and the opportunity for wordless communication. In negotiations, a non-verbal language will allow you to express a skepticism about the proposal, emphasize the dominant aspects, hide dissatisfaction with criticism and much more, which will have no less strong effect on the interlocutor than a direct statement in words.
Conflict resolution
Conflict situations in the business sphere are not uncommon, and their consequences can be quite serious. In this regard, various means are used and ways to resolve them. Today, there are 5 basic concepts that determine behavior in conflict situations:
- Ignoring the actions of the other side.
- Adaptation to the conditions of partners.
- Search for a new format for cooperation.
- Search for a compromise.
- Competitive fight.
The choice of style of behavior in a particular situation is determined by the specific interests of the parties to the conflict. The style of competition is often chosen by people who have sufficient authority, will, broad powers and at the same time are not very interested in partnership with the opposite side. Such tactics can be used if the outcome of the conflict does not have a big impact on the interests of the organization. But it is important to remember that the ethics and culture of business communication nevertheless envisage compliance with certain laws of competition. That is, even with the obvious advantage of a large company over a small company, the leader will win, who will seek a compromise resolution of the conflict, acting in the interests of the partner. Even if you have to give up your interests, in the future, reputation dividends will be able to cover lost profits at this moment.
Standards of conduct for the leader
Formation Practice business style interaction within organizations has allowed to develop the most effective standards of behavior for managers and subordinates. So, for managers, the following examples of a reference management style can be given:
- Work on team building, the participants of which have moral and ethical communication skills.
- The introduction of employees to the tasks of the company, which will allow them to feel more comfortable both morally and psychologically. This usually happens in the process of identifying an employee with a team.
- All comments should be made to employees in full accordance with the rules that prescribe the ethics and culture of business communication within organizations.
- If conflicts arise, the manager must find out all the reasons. If the problem arose due to dishonesty or incorrect behavior of a certain employee, the task of the boss will be to help the subordinate change his style of behavior.
- Do not give recommendations to subordinates in matters that go beyond professional responsibilities.
Standards of conduct for the subordinate
Adequate and correct attitude to the leader is also the key to successful and effective professional activity employee. In this case, the culture of business communication is also based on the moral requirements that the leader makes to subordinates.
Principles of employee behavior relative to the head:
- Facilitate and assist leadership in creating a welcoming moral climate within the organization.
- You should not try to impose your opinion on your boss - all comments and suggestions should be expressed very tactfully and politely.
- If any significant event is planned for the team, sad or joyful, the leader should be informed about this.
- A categorical tone in a conversation with the leader is excluded. Moreover, a communicative culture in business communication requires that superiors avoid a tough style of conversation even with subordinates.
- The desire to please, as well as excessive flattery do not contribute to improving relations with superiors and staff. Such an employee is perceived as a sneak and a person not worthy of respect.
There are many controversial and controversial situations where it is not easy to choose a specific style of relationship. For example, there may be difficulties in communication between colleagues from different departments who occupy excellent status in the organization. In such situations, it is worth being guided by a simple ethical principle, which requires a person to relate to others the way he wants to be treated.
