Business writing & speaking

Mistakes are made in text and in speech.  Making these mistakes and errors can hurt a business or one's self.  Fixing these simple mistakes will take you a long way.  Some mistakes that employees commonly make are listed below.

Mistakes employees make in business writing and speaking

• too long and not concise (make everything to the point)
• typos/ misspelling words
• grammar errors (proofread your work)
• bad punctuation
• run on sentence/ paragraphs (don't drag on sentences)
• writing as if "texting" (don't use slang)
• unprofessional (write professionally, not like you're talking to a friend)
• facts are not correct (check your sources to make sure they are accurate)
• not knowing the audience (know who you are speaking or writing too)
• ideas aren't clear (make main points really clear and easy to understand)
• not proofreading (check your writing several times to check for any errors)

I feel that writing errors are more damaging than speech errors.  When writing someone has time to reread your work and ask someone else to proofread it before sending it.  While speaking sometimes people make errors because they don't have time to think about the correct way to say things.  Employers are willing to give more sympathy to their employees speaking than writing an important message. 

Correcting these errors is crucial.  Not fixing them will affect a business in a negative way.  If an employee has to email another company on a regular basis and continues to make the same mistakes, the company will eventually just delete the email.  This could affect business' sales and a business' goodwill like their reputation and company name.  Making these mistakes can harm you personally because this could set you back from getting another job or keeping your current one.  Plan what your going to say, write it out, then revise your work for errors.


Craig, T. (2008, August 19). How to write with impact. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA183348691&v=2.1&u=lom_adriancollg&it=r&p=ITOF&sw=w

Korkki, P. (2007, August 26). Young workers: U Nd 2 improve ur writing skills. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/business/yourmoney/26count.html?_r=0

Nonverbal Communication for India

Nonverbal Communication In India Compared to the U.S

Communicating nonverbally is the most effective way to communicate to others.  The only problem is that nonverbal communications differ from country to country.  Going to another country and not being informed about the right things to do and the wrong things is very important.  As an "outsider" you don't want to seem ignorant or rude to others.  For example shaking someone's hand when you meet them is normal in the United States, but if you were to travel to India it is unacceptable to shake hands.  They tend to greet each other with the Namaste, which is a bow to each other.  Knowing some nonverbal communications can help to interact better with others.  Here are some of the nonverbal communications for India compared to the U.S. Ignorance of these nonverbal communications can cause communication problems.  It is important to know other countries cultures because you wouldn't want to offend them in any way.  You could think your saying hi to someone in India but they might think you want the to go away.  Not knowing nonverbal acts will affect your interpersonal communication with someone in a negative way.

A Namaste greeting 

1.     Greetings - Placing both hands together in front of you in a praying gesture while slightly bowing is a nonverbal way of saying hello. This is referred to as a "Namaste"

                 - In the U.S. people generally greet one another with a handshake                           

2.     Public Affection - Displaying affection in public is  considered not proper. This applies even to friendly hugs. 

- In the U.S. public affection is regular as long as not extreme

3.     Shoes - It is disrespectful to walk into someone's home while still wearing your shoes. You must take your shoes off and leave them outside before proceeding into a home.

- In the U.S. people normally walk into a home and then remove their shoes at the door           

Indian man waving

4.     Folding of Hands - Folding one's hands is perceived as an arrogant  gesture.

                 - In the U.S. folding hands is considered a polite gesture

5.     Waving - Waving ones hand at another person is a signal for "Go Away".

                 - In the U.S. waving at an individual means "Hello"

6.     Receiving - The left hand is considered "dirty" in India and you should never receive anything with your left hand only. It is acceptable to use both hands when necessary.

                 - In the U.S. people do not

7.     Nodding - Shaking one's head in an up and down motion is a nonverbal indication of "no".

- In the U.S shaking the head up and down is an indication of “yes”

This man seems angry by his nonverbal act

8.     Finger to Temple - Putting a finger on one's temple is an indicator that the person is angry.

            

                       - In the U.S. this can mean that a 

      person is thinking or confused

Ignorance of these nonverbal communications can cause communication problems. It is important to know other countries cultures because you wouldn't want to offend them in
anyway. You could think your saying hi to someone in India but they might think you want
the to go away. Not knowing nonverbal acts will affect your interpersonal communication
with someone in a negative way.

Gall, Timothy L. (1998). Worldmark encyclopedia of cultures and daily life. 

http://fits.depauw.edu/mkfinney/culturaleresumes/india/NONVERBALFINAL.htm

Rise of Social Networks make Teamwork EASIER

As the title says the rise of social networks does make teamwork easier.  A study has shown that companies who use networking to advertise and communicate did better financially than those companies who didn't.  Corporations should take any opportunity they get to use technology to their advantage.  It will increase awareness, productivity, and the ultimate goal, PROFIT.  An instructor at Georgia State University said "Businesses now have the tools to take trust to a whole new level."  Almost anything can be done over the Internet, marketing, selling, and advertising.

Different developing uses of technology and social media are changing the way employees and colleagues work together.  Talking to anyone at anytime of the day is now possible.  Whether it is over cell phones, skyping, conference calls, or just emails.  Meeting in person is now a part of the past.  Companies have to change the way they operate based on new technology.  Their goals are to make profit, so if they can find a cheaper way to communicate and marketing they will.  Emerging businesses not just to other states but worldwide can make a drastic difference.  People in other countries can market your product their, advertise it, and sell it while the corporation is miles and miles away.  Technology changes day by day so having a team and being able to work together will create new ideas faster.  "We came to a very early realization that the discussions that go on the Web touch every part of the business."  This statement said by the director of social media at Dell is true in so many ways.  A statement on the Internet can harm or help a company tremendously.  Having someone dissatisfied and write a complaint about your company can put a bad reputation in the marketing world for you.  Now on the other hand having a professional athlete or somebody famous market your product will cause consumers to think good things about it.  

Connections are said to increase speed of access to knowledge by 77%

New and improved technologies can reduce travel cost by 44% 

These techniques and ideas will help a company:

1. Save money

2. Keep you up to date

3. Make PROFIT

I believe this article was very useful to talk about how technology is impacting communication but it also shows how a company uses teams to operate efficiently.  As we talked about in class technology is changing by the second.  Before we know it all the ideas about glass screens will be reality.  Teamwork is key in almost any situation because more minds are better than one.  It gives you countless advantages as in more and better ideas to help the company.  All teams go through stages like storming (figuring out who is best for what position), norming (coming up with the ideas to help the company), and actually performing (putting the ideas to work).  These stages of team development happen everyday but most of the time they come natural so people don't notice it.  

Strengths of this article are that it talks about everything we've been going over in class all together.  How companies use teams and how technology impacts the way people communicate is all in one article.  The article had some statistics that show exactly how much technology is changing the way we communicate in a positive way.  Weaknesses of this article are, that the table shown is very hard to comprehend; it could be displayed in an easier way.  Josh Hyatt the author only talks about advantages, which is a good thing but sometimes it's better for readers to know the disadvantages as well so we can weigh out the options.  

I took out of this article that teamwork is the key.  With teamwork anything can be accomplished.  One person may be a good marketer while another person may be really informed about engineering.  Having everyone come together as one creates more ideas and better opportunities for tomorrow.  I would surely recommend this article to others. It is informative, very well written, and easy to understand for anyone.  

Hyatt, Josh. (July-Aug 2012). "Putting social networks to work: companies are finding real economic value in cooperation and social 
media." CFO, The Magazine for Senior Financial Executives, 58+. General OneFile. Web. 

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