Entrepreneurial Behavior Module
Entrepreneurial Behavior Module
MODULE FOR
ECC1: ENTREPRENEURIAL
BEHAVIOR
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Table of Contents
. ............................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Course Overview ..................................................................................................................................... 4
Lesson 1: The Nature of Organization as a Social System ................................................................ 5
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 5
Learning Objectives: ............................................................................................................................... 5
Course Materials ..................................................................................................................................... 6
Organizational Behavior (OB) ................................................................................................................ 6
Characteristics of Entrepreneurial Behavior .......................................................................................... 7
Approaches to the study of Entrepreneurial Behavior: .......................................................................... 7
Models of Entrepreneurial Behavior: ..................................................................................................... 8
Role and Importance of Entrepreneurial Behavior .............................................................................. 10
Activities/Assessments: ....................................................................................................................... 10
Lesson 2: Individual Behavior .............................................................................................................. 11
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 11
Learning Objectives: .............................................................................................................................. 11
Course Materials ................................................................................................................................... 11
Motivation Theories ............................................................................................................................. 12
Maslow9s Hierarchy of Needs ....................................................................................................................... 13
Two-Factor Theory .............................................................................................................................. 14
Activities/Assessments: ....................................................................................................................... 15
Lesson 3: The Interpersonal Skills...................................................................................................... 16
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 16
Learning Objectives: .............................................................................................................................. 16
Course Materials ................................................................................................................................... 16
Developing Your Interpersonal Skills .................................................................................................. 18
Activities/Assessments: ....................................................................................................................... 22
Lesson 4: Communication Skills......................................................................................................... 23
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 23
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Course Overview:
There are different definitions of 8the entrepreneur9 and the concept of 8entrepreneurship9. Researchers
and writers often seem to pick the definition that best fits the area they are discussing. We have explicitly
linked entrepreneurship to the capability for exploiting successfully innovative ideas in a commercially
competitive market. Leaving to one side the fact that individuals working in the public and non-profit
sectors can be very enterprising, in historic and policy making terms entrepreneurship refers to business
behavior related to innovation and growth. For our purposes, entrepreneurs may be broadly defined as
people who manage a business with the intention of expanding that business by applying some form of
innovation and with the leadership and managerial capacity for achieving their goals, generally in the
face of strong competition from other firms, large and small. The overall aim of this course, therefore,
is to provide you with opportunities to consider and reflect on the personal aspects involved in
transforming an innovative idea into an entrepreneurial product.
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Introduction:
Human Behavior is generally concerned with the thoughts, feelings, emotions and actions of the people
working in a business and/or enterprise. It is said that the success of any enterprise primarily depends
upon the efficiency and the effectiveness of the entrepreneur and the effectiveness of entrepreneurs
depends primarily upon its human skills and how well he understands the needs and desires of the
people working in the enterprise. This means that Entrepreneurial Behavior is directly concerned with
the understanding, prediction and control of human behavior in enterprises and/or businesses.
Throughout this module, you9ll find the information needed to enhance your knowledge to how best to
establish a reputation as an entrepreneur in today’s fast-paced and highly competitive business
environment.
Please watch the link provided for a short introduction as it demonstrates the basic concept of the
course subject. [Link]
Learning Objectives:
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Course Materials:
is defined as the systematic study and application of knowledge about how individuals and groups act
within the organizations where they work. As you will see throughout this book, definitions are important.
They are important because they tell us what something is as well as what it is not. For example, we
will not be addressing childhood development in this course4that concept is often covered in
psychology4but we might draw on research about twins raised apart to understand whether job
attitudes are affected by genetics.
Those who study organizational behavior4which now includes you4are interested in several
outcomes such as work attitudes (e.g., job satisfaction and organizational commitment) as well as job
performance (e.g., customer service and counterproductive work behaviors). A distinction is made in
OB regarding which level of the organization is being studied at any given time. There are three key
levels of analysis2 in OB. They are examining the individual, the group, and the organization. For
example, if I want to understand my boss9s personality, I would be examining the individual level of
analysis. If we want to know about how my manager9s personality affects my team, I am examining
things at the team level. But, if I want to understand how my organization9s culture affects my boss9s
behavior, I would be interested in the organizational level of analysis.
OB matters at three critical levels. It matters because it is all about things you care about. OB can help
you become a more engaged organizational member. Getting along with others, getting a great job,
lowering your stress level, making more effective decisions, and working effectively within a
team…these are all great things, and OB addresses them. The following were the top five personal
qualities/skills: 1. Communication skills (verbal and written) 2. Honesty/integrity 3. Interpersonal skills
(relates well to others) 4. Motivation/initiative 5. Strong work ethic
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1. Autocratic model: The basis of this model is the power of the boss. Maxweber defined power
as, <the probability that one actor, within a social relationship, will be in a position to carry out
his own will despite resistance. = The essential feature of this model are as follows:
• Enterprise with an autocratic environment is authority oriented.
• Under autocratic model, the employee9s orientation is obedience to the boss, they need not
be respectful to him.
• The autocratic model has been successful in some situations where the workers are actually
lazy and have a tendency to shirk work.
• The leadership in an autocratic model is negative
2. The custodial model: This model overcomes the shortcomings of the Autocratic model. The
insecurity and frustration felt by the workers under the autocratic model sometimes led to
aggression frustration. There was a need to develop a model which will improve the employer-
employee relations. Some of these important features of this model are as explained below:
• The success of the custodial model depends upon the economic resources because this
model emphasis the economic reward & benefits.
• The employees depend upon unit rather than their boss.
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• Under this model, the employees are satisfied & happy and they are not strongly motivated.
• The main benefit of this model is to bring security & satisfaction to the employees.
3. The supportive model: The supportive model has originated from the 8Principals of supportive
relationships9. The main features of this model are as follows:
• The supportive model depends on leadership instead of power or money.
• The leader assumes that the workers will take responsibility, make their contribution and
improve themselves, if given a chance.
• It should be the duty of the entrepreneur to support the employees9 job performance.
• This model takes care of the psychological needs of the employees in addition to their
subsistence and security needs.
4. The collegial model: The dictionary meaning of collegial is a body of persons having a common
purpose. The main features of this model are as follows:
• This model creates a favourable climate in the unit as the workers feel that they are the
partner in the enterprise.
• This model inculcates the team spirit in an unit.
• In this model, the workers have job satisfaction, job involvement, job commitment.
5. Other models:
a. Normative models: The normative models seek to find out that what should be done to
produce optimum result.
b. Empirical models: The empirical models describe the activities that the employees actually
perform.
c. Ecological models: Models which deal with the changes which take place in the environment
& which understand the complexities of environment are ecological models.
d. Non- Ecological models: Non- ecological models assume stability in the environment & that
everything will remain the same.
e. Ideographic models: The models that are developed to deal with specific cases or unique
situations are called ideographic models.
f. Nomothetic models: These models deal with general situations. These are concerned with
theory building on the macro level basis.
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i. Understanding human behavior: Entrepreneurial behavior plays an important role to develop full
knowledge about the behavior of employees.
ii. Predicting human behavior: Entrepreneurial behavior also help in predicting the future employee
behavior. This would allow them to take preventive actions.
iii. Control and direct behavior: Entrepreneurial behavior assists entrepreneur to direct and control
the human behavior to build successful enterprise.
iv. Entrepreneurial effectiveness: It helps in better use of raw material and other resources to
improve the quality of work in the enterprises.
v. Motivation: Entrepreneurial behavior helps the entrepreneurs to identify the needs and
requirement of the employees.
vi. Better human relations: Entrepreneurial behavior also help in maintaining cordial human
relations in the enterprise. It assists in find out causes of industrial conflict
Activities/Assessments:
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Introduction:
Our behavior at work often depends on how we feel about being there. Therefore, making sense of how
people behave depends on understanding their work attitudes. An attitude refers to our opinions,
beliefs, and feelings about aspects of our environment. We have attitudes toward the food we eat,
people we interact with, courses we take, and various other things. At work, two particular job attitudes
have the greatest potential to influence how we behave. These are job satisfaction and organizational
commitment.
Learning Objectives:
Course Materials:
Job Attitudes, Behaviors, and Ethics People prefer to work in companies that have an ethical
environment. Studies show that when an organization has a moral climate that values doing the right
thing, people tend to be happier at work, more committed to their companies, and less likely to want to
leave. In other words, in addition to increasing the frequency of ethical behaviors, the presence of an
ethical climate will attach people to a company. An ethical climate is related to performing citizenship
behaviors in which employees help each other and their supervisors, and perform many behaviors that
are not part of their job descriptions. Leung, A. S. M. (2008). Matching ethical work climate to in-role
and extra-role behaviors in a collectivist work-setting. Journal of Business Ethics, 79, 43355; Mulki, J.
P., Jaramillo, F., & Locander, W. B. (2006). Effects of ethical climate and supervisory trust on
salesperson9s job attitudes and intentions to quit. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales
Management, 26, 19326;
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Valentine, S., Greller, M. M., & Richtermeyer, S. B. (2006). Employee job response as a function of
ethical context and perceived organization support. Journal of Business Research, 59, 5823588. If
people are happy at work and committed to the company, do they behave more ethically? This
connection is not as clear. In fact, loving your job and being committed to the company may prevent
you from realizing that the company is doing anything wrong. One study showed that, when people
were highly committed to their company, they were less likely to recognize organizational wrongdoing
and less likely to report the problem to people within the organization.
Work attitudes are our feelings toward our company and job. Job satisfaction and organizational
commitment are related to many outcomes of interest, such as absenteeism, performance, and
turnover. Therefore, companies track feelings toward work and try to create more positive attitudes.
The main behaviors that contribute to organizational effectiveness are job performance, citizenship
behaviors, absenteeism, and turnover. These behaviors are affected by a complex blend of personality
and situational factors.
Motivation Theories
What inspires employees to provide excellent service, market a company9s products effectively, or
achieve the goals set for them? Answering this question is of utmost importance if we are to understand
and manage the work behavior of our peers, subordinates, and even supervisors. Put a different way,
if someone is not performing well, what could be the reason? Job performance is viewed as a function
of three factors and is expressed with the equation below. Mitchell, T. R. (1982). Motivation: New
directions for theory, research, and practice. Academy of Management Review, 7, 80388; Porter, L. W.,
& Lawler, E. E. (1968). Managerial attitudes and performance. Homewood, IL: Dorsey Press. According
to this equation, motivation, ability, and environment are the major influences over employee
performance.
Motivation is one of the forces that lead to performance. Motivation is defined as the desire to achieve
a goal or a certain performance level, leading to goal-directed behavior. When we refer to someone as
being motivated, we mean that the person is trying hard to accomplish a certain task. Motivation is
clearly important if someone is to perform well; however, it is not sufficient. Ability24or having the skills
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and knowledge required to perform the job4is also important and is sometimes the key determinant of
effectiveness. Finally, environmental3 factors such as having the resources, information, and support
one needs to perform well are critical to determine performance. At different times, one of these three
factors may be the key to high performance. For example, for an employee sweeping the floor,
motivation may be the most important factor that determines performance. In contrast, even the most
motivated individual would not be able to successfully design a house without the necessary talent
involved in building quality homes. Being motivated is not the same as being a high performer and is
not the sole reason why people perform well, but it is nevertheless a key influence over our performance
level.
Abraham Maslow is among the most prominent psychologists of the twentieth century. His hierarchy of
needs is an image familiar to most business students and managers. The theory is based on a simple
premise: Human beings have needs that are hierarchically ranked. Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of
human motivation. Psychological Review, 50, 3703396; Maslow, A. H. (1954). Motivation and
personality. New York: Harper. There are some needs that are basic to all human beings, and in their
absence nothing else matters. As we satisfy these basic needs, we start looking to satisfy higher order
needs. In other words, once a lower level need is satisfied, it no longer serves as a motivator.
The most basic of Maslow9s needs are physiological needs4 . Physiological needs refer to the need for
food, water, and other biological needs. These needs are basic because when they are lacking, the
search for them may overpower all other urges. Imagine being very hungry. At that point, all your
behavior may be directed at finding food. Once you eat, though, the search for food ceases and the
promise of food no longer serves as a motivator. Once physiological needs are satisfied, people tend
to become concerned about safety needs. Are they free from the threat of danger, pain, or an
uncertain future? On the next level up, social needs6 refer to the need to bond with other human beings,
be loved, and form lasting attachments with others. In fact, attachments, or lack of them, are associated
with our health and well-being. Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire
for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117,
4973529. The satisfaction of social needs makes esteem needs7 more salient. Esteem need refers to
the desire to be respected by one9s peers, feel important, and be appreciated. Finally, at the highest
level of the
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hierarchy, the need for self-actualization8 refers to <becoming all you are capable of becoming. This
need manifests itself by the desire to acquire new skills, take on new challenges, and behave in a way
that will lead to the attainment of one9s life goals.
Two-Factor Theory
Frederick Herzberg approached the question of motivation in a different way. By asking individuals what
satisfies them on the job and what dissatisfies them, Herzberg came to the conclusion that aspects of
the work environment that satisfy employees are very different from aspects that dissatisfy
[Link], F., Mausner, B., & Snyderman, B. (1959). The motivation to work. New York: John
Wiley; Herzberg, F. (1965). The motivation to work among Finnish supervisors. Personnel Psychology,
18, 3933402. Herzberg labeled factors causing dissatisfaction of workers as <hygiene= factors because
these factors were part of the context in which the job was performed, as opposed to the job itself.
Hygiene factors12 included company policies, supervision, working conditions, salary, safety, and
security on the job. To illustrate, imagine that you are working in an unpleasant work environment. Your
office is too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. You are being harassed and mistreated. You
would certainly be miserable in such a work environment. However, if these problems were solved (your
office temperature is just right and you are not harassed at all), would you be motivated? Most likely,
you would take the situation for granted. In fact, many factors in our work environment are things that
we miss when they are absent but take for granted if they are present.
These are just some of the Motivation Theories to consider in taking the entrepreneurial process. We
can find more in [Link]
[Link]
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Activities/Assessments:
You are a department manager in an advertising agency. The employees of the department have
recently completed an attitude survey. Three employees in your department reported that they were
harassed by senior people in the department and they are experiencing a hostile work environment.
You do not know who these people are, but you feel that you need to do something. The surveys were
filled out confidentially, and employees were assured that their identities would not be revealed to
management. You feel that you can identify who they are because the person in HR who administered
the survey is a friend of yours and that person can tell you the demographics of the employees, which
would help you identify them.
1. Should you ask for the identity-revealing information? What are the advantages and disadvantages
of finding out the identity of these people?
2. How would you handle a situation like this now and in the future?
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Introduction:
Interpersonal skills are the skills we use every day when we communicate and interact with other
people, both individually and in groups. They include a wide range of skills, but particularly
communication skills such as listening and effective speaking. They also include the ability to control
and manage your emotions. People with strong interpersonal skills tend to be able to work well with
other people, including in teams or groups, formally and informally. They communicate effectively with
others, whether family, friends, colleagues, customers or clients. They also have better relationships at
home and at work.
This module provides an overview of interpersonal skills and how they are developed and used. It
explains where these skills are important, including particular jobs that may require very good
interpersonal skills. Finally, it discusses how you can start to develop your interpersonal skills further.
Learning Objectives:
Course Materials:
Interpersonal Skills 3 also referred to as people skills or soft skills 3 have to do with the way we interact
with other people. Soft skills, therefore, are used both at and away from our place of business, whereas
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hard skills or occupational skills have to do with our ability to perform certain types of activities and
tasks at work.
These interpersonal skills are behavioral in essence and include the following competencies:
1. Communication skills
2. Ability to create rapport with others
3. Effective conflict resolution
4. Negotiation skills
5. Personal stress management
6. Persuasion skills
7. Team Building skills
8. Strategic thinking
9. Creative Problem solving
The way individuals present these personal traits in their behavior is closely related to their level of
<Emotional Intelligence,= a broader concept, which includes other aspects of personal behavior such as
friendliness and optimism. Today, society come to realize that workplace performance can benefit from
maximizing the potentials of different personality types within a team and that certain behavior can help
move a company toward its goals. In more developed societies, we have come to realize that our soft
skills serve to enhance our interactions with our friends, family, and clients and to help us improve our
work performance and career prospects.
Given that humans are social beings, the manner in which we interrelate with others and our ability to
establish positive relationships have an enormous impact on our success in the different areas of our
lives. This is especially important when a person is running a business and dealing with customers,
suppliers, employees, investors, and others on a regular basis.
How well we handle ourselves in these relationships and the way we are perceived by others could
very well translate into events like landing a big client, successfully negotiating favorable financing terms
and conditions with a lending institution, solving conflicts between employees, building effective teams,
leaving a good impression with the media, and more. Take note that qualities such as appearing
confident, being charismatic, remaining calm in tense situations, being able to clearly express your
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thoughts and expectations, and being a creative problem solver are personal traits that are very
appealing to others, helping you become a leader in their eyes.
People with improved interpersonal skills tend toward a positive attitude, making them more solution-
oriented. Everyone enjoys doing business with those who can get the job done and get along with
others at the same time. It is worth your while, then, to work on improving the soft skills of everyone
within your organization, especially those who interact face-to-face with your clients and business
partners, so that your company can reap the benefits.
Good interpersonal skills are the foundation for good working and social relationships, and also for
developing many other areas of skill. It is therefore worth spending time developing good interpersonal
skills. We've all been developing our interpersonal skills since childhood, usually subconsciously.
Interpersonal skills often become so natural that we take them for granted, never thinking about how
we communicate with other people. If you have developed good habits, this is fine. However, it is of
course also possible to develop bad habits, and then fail to understand why your communications or
relationships are suffering.
Improving and developing your interpersonal skills is best done in steps, starting with the most basic,
but vital:
verbal and non-verbal communication. Using techniques like questioning and reflection demonstrates
that you are both listening and interested.
When you are talking, be aware of the words you use. Could you be misunderstood or confuse the
issue? Practise clarity and learn to seek feedback or clarification to ensure your message has been
understood. By using questions effectively, you can both check others9 understanding, and also learn
more from them. You may think that selecting your words is the most important part of getting a
message across, but non-verbal communication actually plays a much bigger part than many of us are
aware. Some experts suggest that around three-quarters of the 8message9 is communicated by non-
verbal signals such as body language, tone of voice, and the speed at which you speak.
These non-verbal signals reinforce or contradict the message of our words, and are much harder to
fake than words. They are therefore a much more reliable signal. Learning to read body language is a
vital part of communication.
There are also circumstances in which communication is more difficult: for example, when you have to
have an unpleasant conversation with someone, perhaps about their standard of work. These
conversations may be either planned or unplanned. There tend to be two issues that make
conversations more difficult: emotion, and change.
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• Various emotions can get in the way of communicating, including anger and aggression, or
stress. Few of us are able to communicate effectively when we are struggling to manage our
emotions, and sometimes the best thing that can be done is to postpone the conversation until
everyone is calmer.
• Difficult conversations are often about the need for change. Many of us find change hard to
manage, especially if it is associated with an implied criticism of existing ways of working.
4. Look inwards
Interpersonal skills may be about how you relate to others, but they start with you. Many will be improved
dramatically if you work on your personal skills. For example, people are much more likely to be drawn
to you if you can maintain a positive attitude. A positive attitude also translates into improved self-
confidence.
You are also less likely to be able to communicate effectively if you are very stressed about something.
It is therefore important to learn to recognise, manage and reduce stress in yourself and others. Being
able to remain assertive, without becoming either passive or aggressive, is also key to effective
communication.
Perhaps the most important overarching personal skill is developing emotional intelligence. Emotional
intelligence is the ability to understand your own and others9 emotions, and their effect on behaviour
and attitudes. It is therefore perhaps best considered as both personal and interpersonal in its nature,
but there is no doubt that improving your emotional intelligence will help in all areas of interpersonal
skills. Daniel Goleman, the author of a number of books on emotional intelligence, identified five key
areas, three of which are personal, and two interpersonal.
• The personal skills, or 8how we manage ourselves9, are self-awareness, self-regulation, and
motivation. In other words, the first steps towards understanding and managing the emotions of
others is to be able to understand and manage our own emotions, including understanding what
motivates us.
• The social skills, or 8how we handle relationships with others9, are empathy and social skills.
These mean understanding and feeling for others, and then being able to interact effectively
with them.
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Improving your emotional intelligence therefore improves your understanding that other people have
different points of view. It helps you to try to see things from their perspective. In doing so, you may
learn something whilst gaining the respect and trust of others.
Effective negotiations4that is, where you are seeking a win3win outcome, rather than win3lose4
will pave the way to mutual respect, trust and lasting interpersonal relations. Only by looking for a
solution that works for both parties, rather than seeking to win at all costs, can you establish a good
relationship that will enable you to work together over and over again. Being able to persuade and
influence others4again, for mutual benefit4is also a key building block towards strong interpersonal
relations.
• Resolving and mediating in conflict scenarios can be a real test of interpersonal skills.
Sometimes negotiation and persuasion are not enough to avoid conflict. When this happens, you need
strong conflict resolution and potentially even mediation skills. Conflict can arise from poorly-handled
interpersonal communications, and may be addressed simply by listening carefully to both sides, and
demonstrating that you have done so. Finding a win3win situation is similarly important here, because
it shows that you respect both sides. These skills may be thought of as advanced communication skills.
• Finally, problem-solving and decision-making are usually better when they involve more than
one person. Problem-solving and decision-making are key life skills. While both can be done alone,
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they are often better for the involvement of more people. This means that they also frequently involve
interpersonal elements, and there is no doubt that better interpersonal skills will help with both.
Activities/Assessments:
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Introduction:
Communication, at its simplest, is the act of transferring information from one place to another. It may
be vocally (using voice), written (using printed or digital media such as books, magazines, websites or
emails), visually (using logos, maps, charts or graphs) or non-verbally (using body language, gestures
and the tone and pitch of voice). In practice, it is often a combination of several of these.
Communication skills may take a lifetime to master4if indeed anyone can ever claim to have mastered
them. There are, however, many things that you can do fairly easily to improve your communication
skills and ensure that you are able to transmit and receive information effectively.
This module provides an introduction to communication skills. This will cover the essential area to
enable you to navigate them effectively.
Learning Objectives:
Course Materials:
As entrepreneurs, we use our communication skills all the time during our normal business activities.
Communication is much more than the simple acts of speaking and listening. Effective communication
skills allow business leaders to correctly assess situations, saving time and money. Through such
interactions, it9s possible to create a positive company image, attracting more and better relationships,
which in turn make business operations better, smoother and more profitable. When you are a business
owner, the ability to communicate effectively will enable you to significantly reduce the risk of
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misunderstanding another party9s request or intention, or overlooking information that may be crucial
for making better business decisions.
Listening is not hearing; listening occurs when we do our best to attempt to understand what a speaker
means to say. Of the three types of listening, only Active Listening guarantees that we are 100 percent
involved in a speaker9s message. Through Active Listening, we become active participants, asking
questions to ensure that we completely understand the message and firmly establishing ourselves as
an active component in the conversation. We communicate 80 percent of any given message through
body language. Mastering how we send and receive these physical messages is an essential
component of establishing strong business relationships. It is important to keep an open mind when
reading others9 postures and gestures, as many of these can have multiple meanings. Our own body
language sets the tone for business discussions and lays the groundwork for others9 first impressions
of us.
Types of listening
• Passive Listening: When we are passive listeners, we are not really focusing on the speaker. We
may be checking our emails, calendars, or phones while the other person is speaking. We may pretend
to listen while we think about things on our current to-do list, or we can choose to ignore most of what
is being said and selectively hear key phrases that we assume summarize the speaker9s message.
• Attentive Listening: When we are listening attentively, our level of involvement is higher. We offer
our full attention to the speaker, focusing on the facts they are giving us as well as the feelings they are
expressing as they speak. In this manner, we improve our understanding of the situation. Our posture
and demeanor demonstrate that our focus rests upon the speaker.
• Active Listening: This occurs when our level of concentration and involvement is at 100 percent.
Not only are we paying full attention to what is being said and demonstrating our interest, but we are
also asking questions and committing to gathering the necessary information in order to ensure that we
completely understand what the other person is saying. This is called Active Listening because it implies
that we are taking personal Action to understand the message and to add to the conversation.
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The correct attitude required for active listening can be summarized with the following acronym:
Look: Direct your body towards the speaker so you can look at him directly. Maintain eye contact but
keep your gaze natural.
Inquire: Ask questions in order to gather all the information necessary to gain a good understanding of
the point the other person is trying to make.
Summarize: Confirm that what you heard is indeed what was just said by summarizing it in your own
words. This is important because clearing up any confusion in a timely matter will prevent further
misunderstanding.
Turn off distractions: Turn off your mobile phone or TV, look away from your computer, and make an
effort to eliminate anything that can distract you from the conversation.
Encourage: Let the speaker know you are interested in hearing more by giving him encouraging
gestures, such as nodding, and making verbal acknowledgments.
Neutralize your feelings: When you are listening, avoid becoming biased and judgmental. The goal is
to gather information about the other person9s point of view in a thorough manner. If you let yourself
become wrapped up in your personal beliefs so much that you cannot focus on what is being said, you
may miss out on key information. You can express your personal opinion when it is your time to do so,
but while you are listening, make an effort to keep your feelings neutral so you can focus your full
attention on the speaker9s message.
Body Language
If what you are saying is contradicted by your body language, people tend to gravitate toward the
message displayed through body language. Inspire confidence and drive business meetings toward a
positive outcome with strong, open, and friendly body language.
It9s important to understand how we use body language to communicate and to be aware of the impact
our emotions have on our communications. Understanding how body language affects communication
allows us to ensure our messages are understood as we intended.
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Learning to read body language can be extremely helpful, too, as it provides clues to the speaker9s
state of mind. Non-verbal signals are usually given without conscious effort, and can serve as helpful
clues during interviews, speeches, discussions, and sometimes just general conversations.
Each gesture or posture makes its own suggestion of what it is being communicated. For example,
clenched fists often communicate negativity. A smile is usually interpreted in a positive manner.
However, some examples of body language can be interpreted in more ways than one:
• Crossed arms may suggest closed, defensive, or aggressive behavior. On the contrary, crossed
arms may merely be a comfortable position 3 perhaps they indicate that the offending party is
uncomfortably cold.
• If someone is playing with the rings on her fingers, she could be nervous, impatient, or simply
oblivious of her own body9s movements.
• Restlessly shuffling feet could indicate anything from impatience to pain caused by
uncomfortable shoes.
When we are faced with ambiguous body language, the message we receive may not be what was
intended. In the presence of such postures and movements, it9s best to keep an open mind. In other
words, treat body language as one more clue in the communication process.
The opposite is also true: we need to be aware of what our body language might be communicating to
others. Clasping our hands may be comfortable, but if a potential business partner interprets that as
nervousness, it may affect the relationship. We might think that a smile is hiding our disappointment,
but is there a way that people can tell what is really going on despite our best cover-up efforts?
You cannot entirely fake body language. Its impact may be minimized with awareness and self-control,
but certain feelings tend to show through.
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At fifty-five, Jack had been working in the same position at his company for the ten years. His job was
demanding and he was tired. During the past two years, several younger employees were hired. Their
work ethic was very different from his. It was difficult for him to maintain his composure when their work
failed to meet his expectations. Each time they made a mistake, he became angry. Although he never
raised his voice, they could perceive his anger because the emotion would still come through in his
body language 3 in his stance, the clenching of his hands, and the look in his eyes. He decided to take
a communications class to improve his understanding of body language and learn techniques to control
it. What he discovered was that his anger would be evident to the people around him no matter how
hard he tried to manage his body language. He knew he had to learn about more constructive ways to
deal with his frustrations because, as much as he tried, his true colors would show through.
In short, people can see what you are not saying. Nevertheless, there are ways to manage your body
language so that it contributes to your communications in a more positive manner.
3. First Impressions
Something as simple as a handshake can create a lasting impression. A firm handshake will deliver the
message that you are confident and strong. A weak handshake may leave the impression that you lack
confidence or conviction. To help establish a good impression, delivering the right body language is
essential. Eye contact, deliberate arm and hand gestures, slow and clear manner of speech, and a
moderate to low tone will inspire confidence and leave others feeling good about meeting you for the
first time.
Body language often sets the tone of a conversation or discussion 3 an essential aspect of effective
communication. Speakers will often make a conscious effort to use body language as an efficient way
to control the conversation and promote positive communication. Good posture suggests a sense of
confidence, while excessive hand and arm gestures give off an air of excitement or urgency. Direct eye
contact lets the listener know the speaker is speaking directly to him. It also conveys honesty and
interest, but, again, remember that there is a difference between maintaining eye contact and staring.
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When writing up a speech, most people pay close attention to word choice. It is equally important to
consider what your body language will communicate 3 and what gestures to avoid.
a. Control the Emotions Behind It- One way to transform your body language into an effective
communication tool is to understand and manage the emotions behind the message you wish to
deliver. If you begin to feel angry, take a deep breath and a moment to collect yourself. Remember
that if you give in to your anger, you are likely to say and do things you9ll regret later. If happiness
and enthusiasm are what you want to communicate through body language, find where those
emotions occur naturally and they will show through.
b. Open Stance-A hip-width stance is the most welcoming. Feet too close together may demonstrate
a closed nature or discomfort in standing. When the feet are too wide, the stance may suggest
aggressiveness. Hip-width stance communicates balance and grounding.
c. Arms by the Side- Arm usage can make or break a conversation. Too many gestures may decrease
credibility or cause discomfort in your audience. Closed arms can communicate a closed,
aggressive nature or suggest you are not open to the opinions of others. Placing the arms by the
side of the body demonstrates a relaxed, open nature. You may need to practice this until it feels
natural.
d. Open Hands- Emotions are often expressed with hands. Highly active, fidgeting hands may
suggest nervousness. Clenched hands or tense fists portray anger. A pair of clasped hands could
reveal one9s insecurity. Open hands communicate openness, confidence, and relaxation.
e. Good Posture- Standing straight communicates confidence more than anything else. Good posture
requires thrown-back shoulders and an open chest. Arms should naturally fall at one9s sides. Our
view of the world is much different with a straightened spine and a head held high.
f. Shoulders Back-Shoulder position communicates quite a bit of information. Slumped shoulders
may hint at insecurity or exhaustion. Shoulders that are straight and held back communicate
confidence and openness.
g. Lean Forward- Leaning toward your audience and into a conversation (but not too close!) will
communicate trust, openness, and a desire to connect with others. They will feel that they are being
heard and understood and therefore valued. This posture will create rapport, laying the groundwork
for a relationship based on trust.
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h. Relaxed Face- The face reveals much about a person9s emotions. The mouth, cheeks, nose, eyes,
and forehead all send messages to the person standing in front of us. Keeping the entire face as
relaxed as possible allows people to perceive us as open and welcoming. When the forehead is
wrinkled, eyes are narrowed, teeth are clenched, or nostrils are flared, an audience will be more
likely to perceive aggression or negativity.
i. Smile- There is no better way to convey a positive attitude than with a smile. However, for many, a
perpetual smile doesn9t come naturally. In this case, awareness and practice must be implemented
regularly in order to remind yourself to relax your face and give a friendly smile. Smiles provide the
most impact when they are authentic and use the entire face, crinkling the eyes and raising the
cheeks.
j. Soft Eyes- As the famous saying goes, the eyes are the mirror to the soul. Conveying soft eyes
can be tricky, but try to be aware of how much emotion and information your eyes express. Both
the positioning of the facial muscles around the eyes (squinting, narrowing, widening), as well as
the overall quality of the look given by the eyes themselves (shining, dull, unfocused), provide
strong messages. Underlying emotions are most strongly conveyed through the eyes.
Electronic communications 3 via email, texting, and social media 3 are the gold standard in business,
but it9s important to understand when each mode is appropriate. Being able to master your
communication skills will make you feel great. Imagine the pleasure of success when you are able to
give a presentation confidently, negotiate deals to your satisfaction, marvel at how seamlessly and
effectively your teams work together, and watch as your business consistently achieves its well-planned
and communicated goals.
Communication skills encompass far more than simple verbal and non-verbal communication, even in
a wide range of circumstances.
Presentation Skills
Many of us only use presentation skills infrequently. However, there will probably be times in your life
when you need to present information to a group of people, either in a formal or informal setting.
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Presentations are far more than simply standing up in front of a screen and talking your way through a
set of slides. They also include the ability to get your point across in meetings, both small and large,
and even pitching your business idea to a potential investor.
Writing Skills
Communication skills are not limited to direct interaction with other people and the spoken word. The
ability to write clearly and effectively is also key to communication. This set of skills should not be limited
to journalists or professional authors. Poor written communication can be frustrating for the reader and
potentially damaging for the author 3 would you buy a product from a website peppered with spelling
mistakes, or full of incomplete or unclear sentences?
Personal Skills
Personal Skills are the skills that we use to maintain a healthy body and mind. But they can also
enhance communication. For example, Improving Your Self-Esteem and Building Your Confidence can
help you to feel more positive about yourself and your abilities - including your ability to communicate.
And feeling positive is the first step to acting more positively, and therefore effectively. By having a
deeper understanding of yourself and a more relaxed and positive outlook on life you are more likely to
be charismatic, a trait that can further aid the communication process. Our page What is Charisma?
explains this in more detail.
Activities/Assessments:
We may already have a good idea of areas that we need to develop. However, it is worth seeking
feedback from other people, because it is easy to develop 8blind spots9 about ourselves.
You might also find it useful to do our Interpersonal Communication Skills Self-Assessment. Answer
each statement honestly, thinking about your likely behavior.
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Always or Never or
Often Sometimes Rarely
Nearly Always Hardly Ever
Always or Never or
I try to have the last word on a subject.
Nearly Always Often Sometimes Rarely Hardly Ever
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Always or Never or
Often Sometimes Rarely
Nearly Always Hardly Ever
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Introduction:
The fear of public speaking, perhaps one of the most common fears, is nothing to be ashamed of. It9s
important to overcome this fear, however, since public speaking is necessary in many areas of our life.
Whether you9re acting as a salesperson, pitching to investors, or giving a pep talk to your employees,
public speaking may be mandatory for your business goals. Fortunately, if you experience anxiety about
public speaking, you9re not alone and there are many ways you can overcome your anxiety.
Learning Objectives:
Course Materials:
When it comes to public speaking, preparation is the main key to success. Know your subject matter
so well that speaking about it comes naturally. Public speaking anxieties are exceedingly common. To
beat them, avoid focusing on the negatives and practice positive self talk and visualization. Keep in
mind that your audience isn9t likely to pick up on your butterflies.
Be Prepared
Do you know what most highly successful speakers have in common? They practice and prepare their
presentations as if every time were the first. You have to admit, it is a terrible feeling to stand unprepared
before an audience that expects an excellent speech. Being prepared is really about knowing the
subject of your presentation so well that speaking about it comes naturally; there is no need for
memorization because you know what you are talking about.
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In fact, memorizing your presentation word-for-word could actually hurt you. If you are distracted or
interrupted, you may lose your train of thought, disrupting your speech. This may cause you to panic
and to have an even more difficult time trying to remember what you were going to say next. Your
audience may come to the conclusion that you lack authority on the subject matter and you will lose
credibility.
To avoid this situation, really aim to understand the points you want to explain. That way the cues you
see on your presentation slides or note cards will only serve to guide your presentation by reminding
you to follow your predetermined structure. It9s also worth mentioning that if you plan on using any props
(projectors, laser pointers, survey tools, etc), it is useful to test them out before your presentation so
you don9t run into any nasty surprises.
Stay Positive
Individuals with public speaking anxieties will often allow their insecurities to take over. Rather than
making a habit of putting yourself down, practice positive self-talk. You may find that this practice greatly
reduces your anxiety.
Positive visualization is another tool that may help you get over your public speaking anxieties. Sitting
down in a quiet place, closing your eyes and visualizing yourself giving a fantastic speech or
presentation where everything goes perfectly may prove very beneficial. Try to be very detailed in your
imagination in order to really feel the success of your presentation. Do this every day for a few minutes
when you wake up and before going to bed in the days leading up to your scheduled speech.
Tell a Story
Everyone loves a good story. People have been telling stories long before one was ever written down.
A story captivates like few other communication tools.
You can tell stories in your business dealings, too. Doing so can be helpful when you have a difficult
concept that you want people to fully understand or you want to sell an idea. After all, public speaking
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is largely about selling ideas, and the best way to connect with people is through their emotions.
Storytelling can create that connection.
Don’t be Self-Conscious
If you9re like most people who suffer from public speaking anxiety, you probably worry that your
discomfort is visible to others. While this is a common concern, it9s important to keep in mind that in
most cases your fear is not visible to people in the audience. Even if you have the typical hand-shaking,
knee-trembling, butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling, chances are your audience can9t tell at all.
Constantly focusing on whether or not your audience is noticing your anxiety will only make you more
nervous. If you do slip up in an obvious manner, just smile, make a quick humorous comment, and
move on. When you deliver the rest of the presentation flawlessly, your audience won9t even remember
what went wrong, and if they do, they9ll also remember how gracefully you handled yourself.
In reality, public speaking anxieties are very common. As a result, there are a variety of public speaking
courses and classes that can help you with your public speaking anxiety. In addition to being able to
offer you more tips on how to reduce your public speaking anxiety, a good public speaking course will
offer feedback and a safe place to practice your public speaking skills.
As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. Not only that, but when you take a public speaking course,
you9ll have the opportunity to meet other individuals with similar public speaking anxieties. Such a
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setting can provide not only an outlet for your fears, but also a fantastic form of emotional support. Even
if your public speaking fears feel impossible to overcome, it9s important to remember that, as with so
many other activities, effective public speaking is a skill that can be developed with the proper training,
techniques, practice and attitude.
Storytelling is a powerful communication tool; it helps you connect to others through shared emotions
and experiences. This connection helps an audience to put trust in you. There9s no shame in
experiencing public speaking anxiety, and there9s even less shame in seeking professional help to
remedy the issue. A course or class in the field can do wonders to help improve confidence and enhance
speaking skills.
Activities/Assessments:
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MIDTERM Examination
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Introduction:
Persuasion is one of the key communication techniques used in businesses around the world. It9s often
employed to motivate others to come to an agreement or accomplish goals. Regardless of how big or
small the issue, effective persuasion comes down to three things: knowing what you are talking about,
knowing your audience, and being aware of subtle persuasion techniques.
Learning Objectives:
Course Materials:
For effective persuasion, know your subject matter, know your audience, and be aware of subtle
persuasion tactics. Knowing all sides of a topic will help you achieve your desired ends. Having a good
understanding of the audience helps a speaker understand how best to approach them. Subtle tactics
provide an extra push for persuasion. Established persuasive techniques 3 such as playing upon others9
established beliefs or inviting silence 3 have been proven to enhance any persuasive argument. These
may be subtle, but they9re powerful.
There are many steps involved in business negotiation, but focus on these key items when working
toward a win-win solution:
k. Understand that the ultimate win-win may not be what you thought it was. In that situation, be
prepared with alternatives.
l. Be willing to walk away; when a win-win can9t be reached, walking away is often the best solution.
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m. Ask the right questions; understand what the other party wants from both a material and an emotional
perspective.
n. Finally, follow up, measure, and evaluate: the negotiation does not end with a handshake 3 that is
often just the beginning.
Sometimes people think that in order to persuade someone to do something, they need to make an
attractive offer. Attractiveness helps, but what helps more is to make understandable and relatable
statements. If a person can understand the complete nature of a product, system, or decision and how
it relates to them, they are more likely to be persuaded.
The best way to learn more about your counterpart is to ask questions. If possible, ask about your
subjects9 likes and dislikes. Find out where they are from and a bit about their family life. Ask about their
careers and favorite hobbies. Ask them about their goals and future ambitions. Get to know them well.
participants were asked to sign a petition. It was observed that 55 percent of those who had not been
touched signed the petition. However, when participants were touched once on the upper arm, the
number of petitioners went up to 81 percent.
4. Invite Silence
Silence can create an uncomfortable moment during a discussion. Often when one person stops
speaking, another will rush to fill the silence. Such an attempt to fill the silence might give you all the
information you need to drive your point home.
Methods of persuasion are used daily in business. Sometimes a request is small, sometimes big.
Regardless of the request, it9s important to understand and employ key techniques to persuade
effectively and encourage others to make your ideas their own.
Frustrated, she closed her eyes and wondered if it were even possible to get anywhere near the $3,000
mark. When she opened her eyes fifteen seconds later, the headlights of a yellow Hummer approached
the store9s parking lot. They were back. Throughout the week, this couple had visited her store on
numerous occasions, looking for a new bed. The wife was in extreme pain and desperate for a better
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night9s sleep. Kristen knew that the best bed for this couple would cost them over $4,000. If she sold
the bed that night, she could achieve her sales goal. The couple owned a used car dealership 200 miles
west of her store, but Kristen knew that selling the bed would require tough negotiation. She wanted
the sale, however, and she was up for the challenge. Two hours later, the couple left the store. The bed
had been ordered. Kristen had made the sale.
A win-win indicates that each party gets what they need, not necessarily what they want, and Kristen
knew she had to go into each negotiation with options. Options provide breathing room and create
flexibility during negotiation. Often, having more than one solution to a negotiation creates a relaxing
atmosphere, allowing negotiators to relax as a decision is reached. It9s an excellent idea to have
between one and three alternatives prepared in addition to the ideal outcome. Researching those
alternatives before the negotiation will only create a stronger argument and greater credibility.
Kristen9s alternatives were to sell a less expensive bed, sell wedges and pillows that would provide
similar support with an existing mattress, or not sell them anything at all. Why would not selling anything
at all potentially create a win-win solution?
Kristen also knew that she was negotiating with a used car salesman 3 someone who negotiates for a
living. If this business relationship continued past this meeting, it could require a lot of energy.
The last time she had made a sale to a fellow salesperson, he9d kept her busy for months with
complaints about his purchase. If she lost the sale, she might lose money, but she would retain peace
of mind. Kristen realized it might be best to walk away altogether.
It9s said that when someone expresses the desire to buy a car or house, he is actually in need of comfort
and security. An employee might ask for a raise, but what she might really want is acknowledgement.
These are the emotional needs behind the material ones. If we can find out the deeper desire behind
what a potential client is asking, we will be better able to achieve our ideal outcome. In Kristen9s
situation, the couple decided to go home and <sleep on it= before making a final decision. Kristen knew
it was time to ask not just the right question, but the most important one: <After all of the time we9ve
spent together, what could possibly change between right now and tomorrow morning?= The husband
and wife turned around and said, <Sold!= Kristen made her sale; the couple got their bed. After two
hours of negotiation that went long past closing time, Kristen managed to create a win-win situation.
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Once a negotiation is complete, it9s important to create a process to measure and evaluate the results.
This way, both parties can evaluate how well each agreement was handled. When will a raise be given?
How long will it take to determine financing? Should a follow-up meeting take place to determine overall
satisfaction? Is further negotiation required? Can the outcome be measured by time or by dollars? For
Kristen9s customers, it was two weeks before the bed was delivered. After those two weeks, there was
an adjustment period, during which the couple questioned their purchase. Kristen stayed in touch with
them over the next month to monitor whether or not the bed fulfilled their wants and needs. The
customers kept their bed.
Activities/Assessments:
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Introduction:
Assertiveness is a skill regularly referred to in social and communication skills training. Being assertive
means being able to stand up for your own or other people9s rights in a calm and positive way, without
being either aggressive, or passively accepting 8wrong9. Assertive individuals are able to get their point
across without upsetting others, or becoming upset themselves. Although everyone acts in passive and
aggressive ways from time to time, such ways of responding often result from a lack of self-confidence
and are, therefore, inappropriate ways of interacting with others.
This lesson examines the rights and responsibilities of assertive behavior and aims to show how
assertiveness can benefit you.
Learning Objectives:
Course Materials:
There are many ways to communicate in business, some better than others. By using passive
techniques, we show that we come from a place of receptivity and agreement. Aggressive techniques
demonstrate that we come from a place of dominance and demand. The preferred way to do business
3 one that has the strongest positive impact on getting our needs met 3 is through assertive techniques.
Assertive techniques get the point across in a professional manner that is both easily received and
understood.
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Assertive communication tactics are those that best serve business dialogue. By communicating
assertively, business leaders are able to be both well-received and understood. Timing, word choice,
body language and levels of clarity all must be tweaked to ensure assertiveness. Effective
communication is not only about what to say; it9s important to know when to say it 3 or when not to.
Tactful timing strategies serve to enhance one9s credibility.
Assertiveness depends on word choice: assertive sentences are short and to the point. Rather than
making an aggressive attack, assertive language revolves around the self. For best results, firmly state
your position and begin with an I-statement before going on to involve others: <I believe this memo
should be rewritten before it9s sent to all departments. What do you think?=
Again, we communication 80 percent of our meaning through body language, whether we mean to or
not. Therefore, we must practice assertive body language 3 relaxed arms, open palms, smooth facial
expressions, attentive eyes, a hip-width stance 3 in order to ensure our message is the one we intend.
Without clarity, much of our intended message may be lost. Communication is impossible without it.
Speaking in such a manner as to allow our message to be understood the first time ensures we save
time and money by reducing redundancy and workload.
Assertiveness is being forthright, positive, insistence on the recognition of one's rights. Assertiveness
means standing up for your personal rights - expressing thoughts, feelings and beliefs in direct, honest
and appropriate ways.
Being Passive
Responding in a passive or non-assertive way tends to mean compliance with the wishes of others and
can undermine individual rights and self-confidence.
Many people adopt a passive response because they have a strong need to be liked by others. Such
people do not regard themselves as equals because they place greater weight on the rights, wishes
and feelings of others. Being passive results in failure to communicate thoughts or feelings and results
in people doing things they really do not want to do in the hope that they might please others. This also
means that they allow others to take responsibility, to lead and make decisions for them. When you
respond passively, you present yourself in a less positive light or put yourself down in some way. If you
constantly belittle yourself in this way, you will come to feel inferior to others. While the underlying
causes of passive behaviour are often poor self-confidence and self-esteem, in itself it can further
reduce feelings of self-worth, creating a vicious circle.
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Being Aggressive
By being aggressive towards someone else, their rights and self-esteem are undermined.
Aggressive behaviour fails to consider the views or feelings of other individuals. Those behaving
aggressively will rarely show praise or appreciation of others and an aggressive response tends to put
others down. Aggressive responses encourage the other person to respond in a non-assertive way,
either aggressively or passively.
There is a wide range of aggressive behaviours, including rushing someone unnecessarily, telling rather
than asking, ignoring someone, or not considering another's feelings. Good interpersonal skills mean
you need to be aware of the different ways of communicating and the different response each approach
might provoke. The use of either passive or aggressive behaviour in interpersonal relationships can
have undesirable consequences for those you are communicating with and it may well hinder positive
moves forward.
It can be a frightening or distressing experience to be spoken to aggressively and the receiver can be
left wondering what instigated such behaviour or what he or she has done to deserve the aggression.
If thoughts and feelings are not stated clearly, this can lead to individuals manipulating others into
meeting their wishes and desires. Manipulation can be seen as a covert form of aggression whilst
humour can also be used aggressively.
You may find that you respond differently 4 whether passively, assertively or aggressively 4 when
you are communicating in different situations. It is important to remember that any interaction is always
a two-way process and therefore your reactions may differ, depending upon your relationship with the
other person in the communication. You may for example find it easier to be assertive to your partner
than to your boss or vice versa. However, whether it is easy or not, an assertive response is always
going to be better for you and for your relationship with the other person.
Activities/Assessments:
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Students must find a short (300-500 word) transcript of a typical interaction between a customer and
an agent. Invite one of the learners to read out the transcript with you, with you reading the customer9s
side. With a highlighters and ask them to highlight four words spoken by the agent in their transcript.
They should highlight longer words rather than common words like 8you9, 8and9, or 8it9.
Their challenge is now to read through the transcript again, without using any of the words that they
have highlighted. They will have to find new ways to get the same message across by rephrasing the
conversation. Do this once in front of the class, and then pair the agents off to do it together.
This task gets trainees thinking on their feet, and strengthens the adaptability of their vocabulary.
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Introduction:
Sometimes negotiation and persuasion are not enough to avoid conflict. When this happens, you need
strong conflict resolution and potentially even mediation skills. Conflict can arise from poorly-handled
interpersonal communications, and may be addressed simply by listening carefully to both sides, and
demonstrating that you have done so. Finding a win3win situation is similarly important here, because
it shows that you respect both sides.
Interpersonal conflict is a fact of life and can arise in almost any sphere, from organisations through to
personal relationships. Learning to resolve it effectively, in a way that does not increase your stress
levels, is therefore important for everyone. Those with good conflict resolution skills generally help
organisations and groups to work more effectively.
Learning Objectives:
Course Materials:
Peace in the workplace begins with us. Rather than reacting defensively to an unpleasant office
environment, we should avoid taking any negativity personally and work toward an ideal situation
instead. Resolution can be achieved through assertive communication, making an effort to understand
others, and establishing healthy boundaries.
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important to both create boundaries concerning what we will and won9t tolerate and to communicate
those boundaries with others. If those boundaries are crossed, we must be willing to protect them in a
constructive manner 3 through assertive communication.
When a conflict arises, we should seek to understand our role in it as well as that of others. By
understanding our own role in a conflict, we can better work toward a resolution. By seeking to
understand the conflict from the perspective of others, we can better reach a compromise.
Interpersonal conflict is broadly defined as a conflict between two or more people. Chambers English
Dictionary defines conflict as <a violent collision: a struggle or contest: a battle: a mental struggle=.
Interpersonal conflict may therefore start with a simple disagreement. To become 8conflict9, however,
those involved must escalate it beyond that disagreement to something considerably more.
In a work situation, interpersonal conflict is generally defined as what happens when one person or
group of people prevents, or attempts to prevent, another person or group from achieving their goals.
The first step to conflict resolution is to decide what strategy you are going to use to address it. However
before you can do that, you need to identify the root source of the conflict, and therefore its type.
1. Personal or relational conflicts are usually about identity or self-image, or important aspects of
a relationship such as loyalty, breach of confidence, perceived betrayal or lack of respect.
2. Instrumental conflicts are about goals, structures, procedures and means: something fairly
tangible and structural within the organisation or for an individual.
3. Conflicts of interest concern the ways in which the means of achieving goals are distributed,
such as time, money, space and staff. They may also be about factors related to these, such as
relative importance, or knowledge and expertise. An example would be a couple disagreeing
over whether to spend a bonus on a holiday or to repair the roof.
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Resolving Conflict
It is important to emphasise that dealing with conflict early is usually easier, because positions are not
so entrenched, others are less likely to have started to take sides, and the negative emotions are not
so extreme. The best way to address a conflict in its early stages is through negotiation between the
participants.
Later on, those in conflict are likely to need the support of mediation, or even arbitration or a court
judgement, so it is much better to resolve things early. There are five main strategies for dealing with
conflicts, all of which can be considered in terms of who wins and who loses.
2. Collaboration
This is the ideal outcome: a win/win situation. However, it requires input of time from those involved to
work through the difficulties, and find a way to solve the problem that is agreeable to all. This may be
hard work, especially if the positions have already become entrenched, but it is also likely to be the best
possible starting point early in a conflict situation.
3. Compromise or Negotiation
This is likely to result in a better result than win/lose, but it9s not quite win/win. You could call it a no-
score draw. Both parties give up something in favour of an agreed mid-point solution. This effectively
results in a solution that pleases nobody very much, but hopefully will not offend or upset anyone too
much. It takes less time than collaboration, but is likely to result in less commitment to the outcome
because it is nobody9s preferred option.
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4. Denial or Avoidance
This is where everyone pretends there is no problem. This strategy is used surprisingly often and can
be quite effective. It is particularly helpful if those in conflict need time to 8cool down9 before any
discussion, or if the conflict is unimportant and will simply resolve itself given time.
However, it cannot be used if the conflict won9t just die down. Under these circumstances, using this
strategy will create a lose/lose situation: there will still be bad feeling, but no clearing the air through
discussion. It results, in Transactional Analysis terms, in 8I9m not OK, you9re not OK9. This can result in
serious stress for those involved.
It is also helpful to think about how you communicate about the situation. When you want to talk about
the effect of the conflict or the other person9s behavior, it is most effective to use 8I9 statements. In other
words, you should explain the effect of particular behaviors or actions on you.
You also need to practice active listening to ensure that you fully understand the position of those
involved in the conflict. This is true whether you are an active participant or a potential mediator. Check
out our page on Active Listening for more information.
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It is also helpful to understand and recognize emotion in both yourself and others. Emotions are never
good or bad, but simply appropriate or inappropriate. A useful skill in managing conflict is to be able to
help others recognize when particular emotions are inappropriate, and when it is likely to be fine to
express them. For more, look at our pages on Managing Emotions and Understanding Others. You
might also find it helpful to read our pages on Emotional Intelligence.
One particular part of emotional intelligence which is likely to be particularly useful is empathy. This is
the skill of being able to put yourself in other people9s shoes, and supporting those involved to do the
same.
Finally, in handling conflict both as a direct participant and as a potential mediator, it is important to
know your limitations. If you reach a point where you don9t feel confident that your intervention is going
to help, then it9s OK to step back and ask for help. Sometimes you might need to involve someone else,
such as a trained mediator, and that9s fine. It is much better to ask for help than to step in and make
matters worse.
Activities/Assessments:
Individual activities:
One of the hardest things for a new agent to learn is how to get past an objection. Particularly in service
roles, helping a customer without totally giving in to them is one of the most important lessons.
A popular approach is the WOQ technique: Welcome, Overcome, Question. It teaches the agent to
engage with the objection, counter it, and take control of the situation. A WOQ response to an objection
around pricing would look something like this:
Gather real objections you9ve encountered for the group to practise with.
Empathy is vitally important to how contact centres run. The ability to support a customer9s emotional
needs can be even more important than finding them a quick solution. It9s tough to teach, though, and
agents can understandably have trouble empathising with the large numbers of people they interact
with. What9s more, empathy is most important in situations where it is hard to achieve 3 with difficult
customers.
Come up with some scenarios where a customer is being rude or uncooperative. Write them out like
this: <Mrs A has called to complain about her direct debit. She is very impatient because .=
The student9s job is to imagine a reason for Mrs A9s impatience, such as <She is very impatient because
she recently lost her job.=
The aim of this lesson is not to help agents guess the causes of stress in customers9 personal lives.
Instead, it helps agents to remember that all customers have stress factors to deal with, and that they
still need to be treated even-handedly.
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Introduction:
Leadership is the art or process of influencing people so that they will strive willingly and enthusiastically
toward the achievement of group goals. It is the relationship in which one person influences others to
work on related tasks. It is a managerial activity that maximizes productivity, stimulates creative problem
solving and promotes morale and satisfaction. It is the art and process of getting people do or not do
certain activities. It is the central function of managing any organization.
Learning Objectives:
Course Materials:
Leadership is the ability to consistently deliver extraordinary results by making decisions about values
and resources. It is also the capacity for setting strategy 3 allocating scarce resources in a differentiated
manner that leads to sustainable results.
Types of Leadership
1. Transactional Leadership
Managers using the transactional leadership style receive certain tasks to perform and provide
rewards or punishments to team members based on performance results. Managers and team
members set predetermined goals together, and employees agree to follow the direction and
leadership of the manager to accomplish those goals. The manager possesses power to review
results and train or correct employees when team members fail to meet goals. Employees receive
rewards, such as bonuses, when they accomplish goals.
2. Transformational Leadership
The transformational leadership style depends on high levels of communication from management
to meet goals. Leaders motivate employees and enhance productivity and efficiency through
communication and high visibility. This style of leadership requires the involvement of management
to meet goals. Leaders focus on the big picture within an organization and delegate smaller tasks
to the team to accomplish goals.
3. Transcending Leadership
A variant of transforming relationship, is a dynamic leadership in the sense that leaders throw
themselves into a relationship with followers who will feel <elevated= by it and often become more
active themselves, thereby creating new cadres of leaders. Transcending leadership is leadership
engaged.
4. Reform Leadership
One that seeks change through gradual means. A reformer is <an insistent exclusivist particularist.
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5. Revolutionary Leadership
One who seeks complete, pervasive, profound and radical transformation of the entire social,
economic or political system.
6. Visionary Leadership- Moves people toward shared dreams.
7. Coaching Leadership- Connects what a person wants with the organizational goals.
8. Affiliative Leadership- Creates harmony by connecting people to each other.
9. Democratic Leadership- Values people9s output and get commitment through participation.
10. Pacesetting Leadership- Meets challenging and exciting goals
11. Commanding Leadership- Soothes fear by giving clear directions in an emergency.
Our character and personality are molded through the attitudes and behavior of the people who raise
us, whether they9re our parents or other relatives. Their behaviors determine in large part what will
subsequently become our most important beliefs and principles.
First we learn to appreciate things that fulfill our basic needs, but we value especially those people that
provide them to us. Their behavior towards us becomes the main reference of what is valuable. Values
are often confused with habits, and many parents hope that school will form the values that were not
instilled at home. This is not possible, because school does not fulfill the basic needs of life… that is
the responsibility of those who raise us.
We can speak of universal values, because ever since human beings have lived in community, they
have had to establish principles to guide their behavior towards others. In this sense, honesty,
responsibility, truth, solidarity, cooperation, tolerance, respect and peace, among others, are
considered universal values.
Kinds of Values
1. Personal Values
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These are considered essential principles on which we build our life and guide us to relate with other
people. They are usually a blend of family values and social-cultural values, together with our own
individual ones, according to our experiences.
2. Family Values
These are valued in a family are considered either good or bad. These derive from the fundamental
beliefs of the parents, who use them to educate their children. They are the basic principles and
guidelines of our initial behavior in society, and are conveyed through our behaviors in the family, from
the simplest to the most complex.
3. Social-Cultural Values
These are the prevailing values of our society, which change with time, and either coincide or not with
our family or personal values. They constitute a complex mix of different values, and at times they
contradict one another, or pose a dilemma.
4. Material Values
These values allow us to survive, and are related to our basic needs as human beings, such as food
and clothing and protection from the environment. They are fundamental needs, part of the complex
web that is created between personal, family and social-cultural values. If exaggerated, material values
can be in contradiction with spiritual values.
5. Spiritual Values
They refer to the importance we give to non-material aspects in our lives. They are part of our human
needs and allow us to feel fulfilled. They add meaning and foundation to our life, as do religious beliefs.
6. Moral Values
The attitudes and behaviors that a society considers essential for coexistence, order, and general well-
being.
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Introduction:
As much as individual and team level factors influence work attitudes and behaviors, the organization9s
structure can be an even more powerful influence over employee actions. Organizational structure1
refers to how the work of individuals and teams within an organization is coordinated. In order to achieve
organizational goals and objectives, individual work needs to be coordinated and managed. Structure
is a valuable tool in achieving coordination, as it specifies reporting relationships (who reports to whom),
delineates formal communication channels, and describes how separate actions of individuals are
linked together.
Learning Objectives:
Course Materials:
Organizational change
is the movement of an organization from one state of affairs to another. Organizational change can take
many forms. It may involve a change in a company9s structure, strategy, policies, procedures,
technology, or culture. The change may be planned years in advance or may be forced upon an
organization because of a shift in the environment. Organizational change can be radical and alter the
way an organization operates, or it may be incremental and slowly change the way things are done. In
any case, regardless of the type, change involves letting go of the old ways in which work is done and
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adjusting to the new ways. Therefore, fundamentally, it is a process that involves effective people
management.
Organizational change is often a response to changes in the environment. Organizations may realize
that as the workforce gets older the types of benefits they prefer may change. Work arrangements such
as flexible work hours and job sharing may become more popular as employees remain in the workforce
even after retirement. As the workforce rapidly ages, it also becomes possible that employees who are
unhappy with their current work situation will choose to retire, resulting in a sudden loss of valuable
knowledge and expertise on the part of organizations. Therefore, organizations will have to devise
strategies to retain these employees and plan for their retirement. Finally, a critical issue is finding ways
of dealing with age-related stereotypes, which act as barriers in the retention of these employees.
Globalization is another threat and opportunity for organizations, depending on their ability to adapt to
it. Organizations are finding that it is often cheaper to produce goods and deliver services in some
countries compared to others. This led many companies to utilize manufacturing facilities overseas,
with China as a popular destination. For a while, knowledge work was thought to be safe from
outsourcing, but now we are also seeing many service operations moved to places with cheaper wages.
For example, many companies have outsourced software development to India, with Indian companies
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such as Wipro Ltd. and Infosys Technologies Ltd. emerging as global giants. Given these changes,
understanding how to manage a global workforce is a necessity. Many companies realize that
outsourcing forces them to operate in an institutional environment that is radically different from what
they are used to at home. Dealing with employee stress resulting from jobs being moved overseas,
retraining the workforce, and learning to compete with a global workforce on a global scale are changes
companies are trying to come to grips with.
Changes in the market conditions may also create changes as companies struggle to adjust. For
example, as of this writing, the airline industry in the United States is undergoing serious changes.
Demand for air travel was affected after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Also, the widespread use
of the Internet to book plane travels made it possible to compare airline prices much more efficiently
and easily, encouraging airlines to compete primarily based on cost. This strategy seems to have
backfired when coupled with the dramatic increases in the cost of fuel. As a result, airlines are cutting
back on amenities that were taken for granted for decades, such as the price of a ticket including meals,
beverages, and checking luggage. Some airlines, such as Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines
Inc., have merged to deal with this climate, and talks involving other mergers in this industry continue.
It is natural for once small start-up companies to grow if they are successful. An example of this growth
is the evolution of the Widmer Brothers Brewing Company, which started as two brothers brewing beer
in their garage to become the 11th largest brewery in the United States. This growth happened over
time as the popularity of their key product4Hefeweizen4grew in popularity; the company had to
expand to meet demand, growing from the 2 founders to 400 employees in 2008 after Widmer Brothers
merged with Redhook Ale Brewery to become Craft Brewers Alliance Inc. The newly formed company
has five main departments, including Operations, Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Retail, who report to
the CEO. Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc. continues to have a minority stake in both beer companies.
So, while 50% of all new small businesses fail in their first year
How do you plan, organize, and execute change effectively? One of the most useful frameworks in this
area is Kurt Lewin9s three-stage model of planned change. Lewin K. (1951). Field theory in social
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science. New York: Harper & Row. The assumption is that change will encounter resistance. Therefore,
executing change without prior preparation is likely to lead to failure. Instead, organizations should start
with unfreezing22, or making sure that organizational members are ready for and receptive to change.
This is followed by change23, or executing the planned changes. Finally, refreezing24 involves ensuring
that change becomes permanent and the new habits, rules, or procedures become the norm. John
Kotter, a Harvard University professor, wrote a book in 1996 titled Leading Change in which he
discussed eight steps to changing an organization. Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading change.
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Ensuring that top management communicates with employees about the upcoming changes also has
symbolic value. Armenakis, A. A., Harris, S. G., & Mossholder, K. W. (1993). Creating readiness for
organizational change. Human Relations, 46, 6813703. In any organization, many changes are done
on a daily basis, with some taking root and some disappearing after a short while. When top
management and the company CEO discuss the importance of the changes in meetings, employees
are provided with a reason to trust that this change is a strategic initiative. For example, while changing
the employee performance appraisal system, the CEO of Kimberly-Clark Corporation made sure to
mention the new system in all meetings with employees, indicating that the change was supported by
the CEO.
Harvard Business School professor John P. Kotter proposed that companies should follow eight stages
when instituting change. Here is a summary of his suggested steps. 1. Create a sense of urgency when
introducing the change effort. 2. Build a coalition. 3. Create a vision for change and make change a part
of the vision. 4. Communicate a plan for change 5. Eliminate obstacles to change 6. Create small wins
7. Build on change 8. Make change a part of culture.
Refreezing
After the change is implemented, the long-term success of a change effort depends on whether change
becomes part of the company9s culture. In other words, the revised ways of thinking, behaving, and
performing should become routine. For this reason, there are a number of things management can do.
Publicize Success
In order to make change permanent, the organization may benefit from sharing the results of the change
effort with employees. What was gained from the implemented changes? How much money did the
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company save? How much did the company9s reputation improve? What was the reduction in accidents
after new procedures were put in place? Sharing concrete results with employees increases their
confidence that the implemented change was a right decision.
Organizations can function within a number of different structures, each possessing distinct advantages
and disadvantages. Although any structure that is not properly managed will be plagued with issues,
some organizational models are better equipped for particular environments and tasks. A change in the
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environment often requires change within the organization operating within that environment. Change
in almost any aspect of a company9s operations can be met with resistance, and different cultures can
have different reactions to both the change and the means to promote the change. In order to better
facilitate necessary changes, several steps can be taken that have been proven to lower the anxiety of
employees and ease the transformation process. Often, the simple act of including employees in the
change process can drastically reduce opposition to new methods. In some organizations this level of
inclusion is not possible, and instead organizations can recruit a small number of opinion leaders to
promote the benefits of coming changes. Some types of change, such as mergers, often come with job
losses. In these situations, it is important to remain fair and ethical while laying off employees. Once
change has occurred, it is vital to take any steps necessary to reinforce the new system. Employees
can often require continued support well after an organizational change.
Activities/Assessments:
I. Imagine that you are a manager at a consumer products company. Your company is in
negotiations for a merger. If and when the two companies merge, it seems probable that some
jobs will be lost, but you have no idea how many or who will be gone. You have five subordinates.
One is in the process of buying a house while undertaking a large debt. The second just received
a relatively lucrative job offer and asked for your opinion as his mentor. You feel that knowing
about the possibility of this merger is important to them in making these life choices. At the same
time, you fear that once you let them know, everyone in the company will find out and the
negotiations are not complete yet. You may end up losing some of your best employees, and the
merger may not even happen. What do you do? Do you have an ethical obligation to share this
piece of news with your employees? How would you handle a situation such as this?
II. Planning for a Change in Organizational Structure Imagine that your company is switching to a
matrix structure. Before, you were working in a functional structure. Now, every employee is going
to report to a team leader as well as a department manager.
• Draw a hypothetical organizational chart for the previous and new structures.
• Create a list of things that need to be done before the change occurs.
• Create a list of things that need to be done after the change occurs.
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• What are the sources of resistance you foresee for a change such as this? What is your plan of
action to overcome this potential resistance?
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FINAL EXAMINATION
A. Identification. Write your answers on the blank provided before each number.
11.
12.
B. Enumerate the three (3) types of Entrepreneurial Mind.
13.
14.
15.
C. Name the three (3) types of Listening.
16.
17.
18.
D. What is the difference between:
19. Listening
20. Hearing
E. What is the difference between:
21. Persuasion
22. Negotiation
F. How will you manage conflict?
23.
24.
25.
G. Give the Seven (7) Barriers of Communication.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
H. Give atleast three (3) ways how to use Body Language effectively.
33.
34.
35.
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• Quizzes/Assessments
• Projects/Activities
References:
Originally Compiled by: MARY ANNE C. AURE, MBA- POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE
PHILIPPINES COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Maura McAdam and James Cunningham. Entrepreneurial Behavior. Individual, Contextual and
Microfoundational Perspectives. 2019
Wang, Y., and J. Warn. 2018. Chinese immigrant entrepreneurship: Embeddedness and the
interaction of resources with the wider social and economic and context. International Small Business
Journal 36 (2)
[Link]/entrepreneurial behavior
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