Lecture on the discipline Business Communication “Business Conversations.” (2 hours).

Business communication is a rather strictly regulated, narrow communication aimed at achieving certain goals. His character is associated with solving work issues. There are a variety of forms of business communication, depending on the situation. This includes conversation, negotiations, official correspondence, and even the issuance of orders.

It is necessary to distinguish forms of business communication from types of interpersonal communication. In some situations they can be quite closely intertwined. But it should be remembered that interpersonal communication does not imply obvious material benefits.

Types of modern business communication

Business communication, its types and forms, is a multifaceted process that implies many varieties. One of its specific features is regulation, i.e. adherence to certain rules and norms. They can be either officially documented or unwritten requirements.

Among the wide variety of types of business communication, the following should be highlighted:

1. Oral species. Conversation, conversation, negotiations, meeting, speech in front of colleagues, advertising message, press conference, telephone conversation.
2. Written types. Business correspondence between partners and competitors, orders and instructions from management, memos from subordinates, contracts, acts.

Any type of business communication is important for successful business development. Every specialist in an organization employed in positions related to external and internal communication must know and master the types of communication.

Basic forms of business communication

The ability to choose the right form of communication is one of the most important components of business success. The situational business form of communication presupposes the flexibility of all participants and the ability to switch to other communication options. In addition, when choosing a communication option, it is necessary to take into account the personal and psychological characteristics of the interlocutors. This will allow you to achieve greater success in negotiations and conversations.

Among others, it is worth highlighting the following most common and modern forms of business communication:

1. Conversation is one of the most common forms of business communication. This includes a discussion of the peculiarities of the work of a boss with a subordinate, and free communication on work topics of colleagues of equal status, and a mentoring speech addressed to new employees. A business conversation can take place both in a strictly regulated and in a relatively informal environment.
2. A business meeting is a group form of communication. It involves at least two people. Clear regulation is assumed, often accompanied by keeping minutes, signing documents, and making certain decisions.
3. Public speaking as a form of business communication is most often used at various public events. May be of an informational, advertising or scientific-applied nature. Regulated in time and limited by the topic of the event.
4. Negotiations are a form of business communication aimed at communicating with competitors or partners of an enterprise in order to obtain any benefits or prevent financial losses. Sentences can take place in person, or through correspondence or telephone calls.
5. Business correspondence includes all forms of written business communication, including email.

In addition, common forms of business communication are press conferences, disputes, confrontations, making a deal, communicating through an interpreter, video broadcasting related to business, and much more.

Questions from interlocutors and their psychological essence

Information does not come to us on its own; to obtain it, we need to ask questions. You should not be afraid of questions from your interlocutors, as they allow you to activate the participants in the conversation and direct the process of transmitting information in the necessary direction. Questions provide the interlocutor with the opportunity to express himself and show what he knows. We must not forget that most people are reluctant to answer direct questions for many reasons. That is why you should first interest your interlocutor.

There are five main groups of questions.

1. Closed questions. These are questions that expect a yes or no answer. They help create a tense atmosphere in the conversation, so such questions must be used with a strictly defined purpose. When asking such questions, the interlocutor gets the impression that he is being interrogated. Therefore, closed questions should not be asked when we need to obtain information, but only in cases where we want to quickly obtain consent or confirmation of a previously reached agreement. ;
2. Open questions. These are questions that cannot be answered “yes” or “no”; they require some kind of explanation. These are the so-called questions “what?”, “who?”, “how?”, “how much?”, “why?”. In what cases are such questions asked? When we need additional information or when we want to find out the motives and position of our interlocutors. The basis for such questions is the positive or neutral position of the interlocutor towards us. In this situation, we may lose the initiative, as well as the sequence of development of the topic, since the conversation may turn towards the interests and problems of the interlocutor. The danger is also that you can completely lose control over the course of the conversation.
3. Rhetorical questions. These questions are not answered directly, as their purpose is to raise new questions and point to unresolved problems.

What is the purpose of asking such questions? By asking a rhetorical question, the speaker hopes to “turn on” the interlocutor’s thinking and direct him in the right direction.

An excellent example of the role of rhetorical questions was given by the outstanding Russian lawyer F.N. Ilevako. Once he defended an old beggar woman who was accused of stealing a French bun. She was of noble birth and was therefore subject to the jurisdiction of the jury.' The prosecutor who spoke before Plevako delivered an hour-long indictment, the meaning of which boiled down to the fact that although the crime that the old woman committed was minor, she must be convicted to the fullest extent of the law, since the law is the law and any, even minor, violation of it undermines it foundations, the foundations of autocracy, and, ultimately, causes irreparable harm to the Russian Empire. The prosecutor's speech was emotional and made a great impression on the audience.

The lawyer’s speech consisted of several phrases and the main semantic load lay precisely on the rhetorical question. He said the following: “Dear gentlemen of the jury! It’s not for me to remind you of how many trials our state has faced and how many of them Russia emerged victorious. Neither the Tatar-Mongol invasion nor the invasions of the Turks, Swedes, and French could undermine the foundations of the Russian Empire. Do you think the Russian Empire can bear the loss of one French bun?” The defendant was acquitted.

1. Crucial questions. They keep the conversation in a strictly established direction or raise a whole new set of problems. Such questions are asked in cases where we have already received enough information on one problem and want to “switch” to another. The danger in these situations is the imbalance between us and our interlocutors.
2. Questions to think about. They force the interlocutor to reflect, carefully consider and comment on what has been said. The purpose of these questions is to create an atmosphere of mutual understanding.

Business conversation as a form of business communication

Business conversation, like other forms of individual business communication, is the least regulated. It plays an important role both in business and in the political sphere. Any specialist in an organization must have basic business conversation skills.

A business conversation is, first of all, an exchange of opinions; it can lead to further developments, for example, the conclusion of an agreement. Since this is a form of verbal communication, it is very important to be fluent in the rules of your native language and to express yourself culturally and with dignity. In addition, it is important to monitor facial expressions and gestures, as well as tone of voice.

Bibliography

1. Borozdina G.V. Psychology of business communication: Textbook –

M.: INFRA-M, 2000 – 224 p.

1. Verderber R., Verderber K. Psychology of communication - St. Petersburg: PRIME - EUROZNAK, 2005 - 320 p.
2. Opalev A.V. The ability to deal with people... Etiquette of a business person - M.: Culture and Sports, UNITY, 1996 - 318 p.
3. Psychology. Textbook for economic universities / Ed. V.N. Druzhinina - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2000 - 672 p.
4. Social psychology: Textbook for universities / Ed. Prof. A.M. Stolyarenko – M.: UNITY-DANA, 2001 – 543 p.

Features of the group form of business communication

While a conversation most often occurs between two opponents, most business communication is a group form of communication.

Among them are:

• meetings;
• meetings;
• negotiation;
• meetings;
• conferences;
• press conferences, etc.

The main difference between the group form of communication is the presence of a large number of participants, which significantly complicates the entire communication process. This difficulty can be overcome by following the basic rules of business verbal etiquette. Do not interrupt the interlocutor, give the floor in order of turn, express your opinion clearly, reasoned and to the point.

Parrying remarks from your interlocutors

Your interlocutor's comments mean that he is actively listening to you, watching your speech, carefully checking your argument, and thinking everything through. They believe that an interlocutor without comments is a person without his own opinion. That is why the interlocutor’s comments and arguments should not be considered as obstacles during the conversation. They make the conversation easier because they give us the opportunity to understand what else needs to be convinced of the interlocutor and what he generally thinks about the essence of the matter.

The following types of comments exist:

• unspoken remarks;
• ironic remarks;
• comments for the purpose of obtaining information;
• comments to prove yourself;
• subjective comments;
• objective comments;
• remarks for the purpose of resistance.

Let's take a closer look at them. We will be interested in what are the reasons for such comments, how to treat them and how to respond to them.

Unspoken remarks. These are comments that the interlocutor does not have time, does not want or does not dare to express, so we ourselves must identify and neutralize them.

Prejudice. They are among the reasons that cause unpleasant remarks, especially in cases where the interlocutor's point of view is completely wrong. His position is based on emotional grounds, and all logical arguments are useless here. We see that the interlocutor uses aggressive argumentation, puts forward special demands and sees only the negative sides of the conversation.

The reason for such comments is most likely a wrong approach on your part, antipathy towards you, unpleasant impressions. In such a situation, you need to find out the motives and point of view of the interlocutor, and approach mutual understanding.

Ironic (sarcastic) remarks. Such remarks are a consequence of the interlocutor’s bad mood, and sometimes his desire to test your restraint and patience. You will notice that the comments are not closely related to the flow of the conversation and are defiant and even offensive.

What to do in such a situation? You should check whether the remark is made seriously or is in the nature of a challenge. In any case, you cannot follow your interlocutor’s lead. Your reaction can either be witty or you should not react to such remarks.

Comments for information purposes. Such comments are evidence of the interest of your interlocutor and the existing shortcomings in the transfer of information.

Most likely the reason is that your argument is not clear. The interlocutor wants to receive additional information or he has overheard some details. You must give a calm and confident answer.

Comments to prove yourself. These remarks can be explained by the desire of the interlocutor to express his own opinion. He wants to show that he has not succumbed to your influence and that in this matter he is as impartial as possible.

These types of comments may be caused by too much argumentation on your part and perhaps by your opinionated tone. What to do in such a situation? It is necessary that your interlocutor finds confirmation of his ideas and opinions.

Subjective comments. Such remarks are typical for a certain category of people. The typical formulation of such interlocutors is: “All this is wonderful, but it doesn’t suit me” [1, p.64].

What is the reason for such comments? Your information is unconvincing; you pay insufficient attention to the personality of your interlocutor. He does not trust your information and therefore does not value the facts provided. What to do in such a situation? You should put yourself in the shoes of your interlocutor and take into account his problems.

Objective comments. These are comments that the interlocutor makes in order to dispel his doubts. These remarks are sincere, without any subterfuge. The interlocutor wants to receive an answer in order to develop his own opinion.

The reason for such comments is that your interlocutor has a different solution to the problem and does not agree with yours. How to behave in such a situation? You should not openly contradict your interlocutor, but bring to his attention that you take his views into account, and then explain to him what advantage your solution to the problem provides.

Remarks for the purpose of resistance. These remarks tend to occur at the beginning of a conversation, so they are not and cannot be specific.

The reason for them most often is that your interlocutor not become familiar with your arguments, and the topic of the conversation is not clearly defined. What to do in such a situation? The topic of the conversation should be clearly defined, and if resistance increases, then you need to reconsider the tactics, and, as a last resort, change the topic of the conversation.

We have reviewed the most commonly used comments. Two important tactical questions naturally arise:

What is the best way to express your comments?

When to respond to comments made?

Let's start with how to make comments to your interlocutor.

Localization. The tone of the response should be calm and friendly, even if the remarks are sarcastic or ironic. An irritable tone will significantly complicate the task of persuading your interlocutor. An unconventional approach, goodwill, clear and convincing intonations are especially important when neutralizing complex comments and objections.

A clear and rude objection. You should never object openly and rudely, even if the interlocutor behaves incorrectly. If you contradict, you will only lead the conversation to a dead end. The following expressions should not be used: “In this case, you are completely wrong!”; “This has no basis!” etc. [1, p.65].

Respect. The position and opinion of the interlocutor should be treated with respect, even if they are wrong and unacceptable to you. Nothing makes a conversation more difficult than a dismissive and arrogant attitude towards the interlocutor.

Admitting that you are right. If you notice that your interlocutor’s comments and objections are only a desire to emphasize your prestige, then tactfully admit that your interlocutor is right more often. For example: “This is an interesting approach to the problem that I honestly missed. Of course, after making a decision, we will take it into account!” After the tacit consent of the interlocutor, the conversation should continue as planned.

Restraint in personal assessments. Personal assessments should be avoided, for example: “If I were in your place...”, etc. First of all, this applies to those cases when such an assessment is not required or when the interlocutor does not consider you to be his adviser or a recognized specialist.

Laconic answer. The more concisely, in a business-like manner, you respond to comments, the more convincing it will be. Lengthy answers always convey uncertainty. The more verbose the answer, the greater the danger of being misunderstood by your interlocutor.

Controlling reactions. When neutralizing your interlocutor's comments, it is very useful to check his reaction. The easiest way to do this is with intermediate questions. Calmly ask the other person if he is satisfied with the answer.

Avoiding superiority. If you successfully parry every remark of your interlocutor, he will soon get the impression that he is sitting in front of a seasoned professional with whom there is no chance of fighting. That is why you should not parry every remark of your interlocutor; you need to show that you are not alien to human weaknesses. You should especially avoid immediately responding to every remark, because by doing this you indirectly underestimate the interlocutor: what he thought about for many days, you solve in a few seconds.

Let's consider another tactful question: when should you respond to comments made?

The following options can be offered:

• before the remark is made;
• immediately after the remark has been made;
• later;
• never.

Let's consider these options in more detail.

• Before the remark is made. If you know that the interlocutor will sooner or later make a remark, then it is recommended to pay attention to it yourself and respond to it in advance, without waiting for the interlocutor’s reaction. In this case, you will have the following advantages:
• absence of contradictions with the interlocutor and thereby reducing

the degree of risk of quarreling in a conversation;

• the ability to choose the wording of your opponent’s comments and thereby reduce their semantic load;
• the ability to choose the most appropriate moment to answer and thereby provide yourself with time to think about it;
• strengthening trust between you and your interlocutor (since he will see that you are not going to fool him, but, on the contrary, clearly state all the arguments for and against).

Immediately after the remark was made. This is the most appropriate answer and should be used in all normal

situations.

Later. If there is no desire to directly contradict the interlocutor, then it is better to postpone the response to his remark until a more convenient moment from a tactical and psychological point of view. It often happens that due to a delay, the need to respond to a remark may disappear altogether: the answer will arise on its own after a certain time.

Never. Hostile remarks, as well as remarks that constitute a significant hindrance, should be completely ignored if possible. Rejecting the interlocutor's comments and objections is always fraught with various kinds of conflicts, so in these cases maximum tact and delicacy is needed. There are rules of good manners that are applied when challenging objections and help solve emerging problems with the least psychological cost.

Let's look at these rules.

The interlocutor is not always right, but often it is beneficial for us to admit that he is right, especially in small things.

Remarks and objections are natural phenomena in any conversation, so you should not feel like an accused person who must defend himself.

At the moment of making a comment, the interlocutor rarely remains calm. Waiting for your reaction, he becomes very sensitive to any sign of your distrust or inattention. In such situations, you must be in complete control of your behavior.

Remarks that are caused by an inferiority complex experienced by your interlocutor require special attention and great caution, since in cases of insulting him as a person, things can lead to a scandal.

You can put your interlocutor in a good mood by making some concessions, but you need to determine the boundaries of the concessions before you decide to make them.

Any disagreement with comments should be fully explained, as correct rebuttal of a comment can increase your chances of success.

When your interlocutor reacts emotionally, you should know that you can hardly have a business-like conversation with an excited and agitated person.

The other person should always feel that you take their comments seriously and will consider them carefully before you give a final answer.

You should help the interlocutor express his comments and objections, try to find out the reasons for his unspoken displeasure or excitement.

Form of business communication using communication tools

In addition to personal communication, modern technologies offer many options for alternative forms of communication. They allow you to establish business contacts without a personal meeting, conduct initial negotiations and even conclude deals.

The most common forms of communication are:

• telephone conversations;
• correspondence by mail;
• correspondence by email;
• Skype negotiations.

These forms of communication have their own characteristics. First of all, this is the ability to document a message, which is a great advantage in the event of conflict situations and intractable disputes. In addition, they are distinguished by maximum efficiency and accessibility.

When entering into this form of communication, you must adhere to all the rules of business etiquette. Do not prolong the conversation, observe the rules of politeness, and express thoughts correctly.

Rules for business communication with the help of a translator

When communicating with foreign partners, it would be wisest to use the services of a translator. However, this method of communication with the help of an intermediary has its own nuances, compliance with which is the key to successful negotiations:

• speak slowly and in short sentences;
• remove hints, inaccurate expressions, national jokes from speech;
• It is advisable to communicate with the translator in advance and provide him with general information about the essence of the upcoming conversation.

Business communication is the basis of modern successful business. Choose the right form and follow the basic requirements.