English Unlimited HAK/HUM 3, Schulbuch mit Audio-CD und CD-ROM (mit Handelskorrespondenz)

150 Business communication 9g22pf Goals make and receive business calls write memos, emails and business letters make and reply to enquiries take notes during a telephone call write and confirm orders write flyers, leaflets and brochures give presentations and write handouts Oral or written communication? b What forms of business communication do you know? When would you use them? Read the information on business communication to check your ideas. ere are various ways of communicating in the workplace since di erent situations require di erent means: if you need some internal information quickly, you would not write a fully edged (1) business letter or even a (2) memo but might just walk into your colleague’s oce or pick up the phone. You can distinguish between formal and informal, internal and external, oral and written communication, depending on the situation, the people involved and the means used. Oral communication refers to business people talking to each other. In the workplace, there is face-to-face communication, either in meetings, at social functions or via (3) video conference . If this communication is (4) informal – around the water fountain or in the oce canteen – it is sometimes referred to as ‘oce gossip’. Michael Morris from the Columbia Business School claims that ‘oce gossip’ can lead to important information sharing, counselling and mentoring at the same time. People who work from home o†en feel that they miss out on it and are disadvantaged when it comes to promotions. is might be one reason why teleworking has never become as popular as expected. Even more important than face-to-face oral communication, both within the company and with external business partners, is (5) telephoning via landline or mobile phone. Written communication only used to consist of business letters. ese were the most important form of business communication, but very slow compared to a phone call. However, the invention of the (6) fax machine speeded up written communication and made it possible to transmit pictures and drawings too. Nowadays, business letters and faxes have been largely replaced by (7) email s. Emails are quick, cheap, easy to write, provide a written record and – thanks to scanners – are a vehicle for communicating both texts and visuals. Depending on the recipient, they can be more or less formal and are used for internal or external communication. 1 a Match the pictures with the highlighted types of communication: A B C D Think about the different types of communication. How can you decide which form of communication is best in a particular situation? 2 3 a E F G Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv