Communication Skills for Built Environment
What is Relevant to You
Module Weightage (%)
Module I – Writing for Academic purpose 20 %
Writing a précis. Writing a blog. Writing for various other internet sources. Persuasive
messages: Writing a sales letter. Writing claims and adjustment letters. Writing positive
and negative messages.
Module II: Interpersonal skills 20%
Introduction to Negotiation, Goals and objectives of negotiation, developing your own
negotiation styles. Learning the negotiation process, types of negotiation. Developing right
attitude towards negotiation: practicing business negotiations in different situations,
Giving and receiving feedback.
Module III- Technology in communication 30%
Networking professionally: using social media for networking: LinkedIn, Facebook,
Career & Job web sites, Crafting messages for the electronic media. Internet, intranet,
fax, videoconferencing. Facing virtual interviews.
Module IV – Public Relations 30%
What is public relations; Definition, History, Tactics in PR: financial public relations,
consumer/lifestyle public relations, crisis communication, internal communications.
Audience targeting, messaging, social media marketing, other techniques. Maintaining
goodwill of an organization’s various publics: customers, employees, investors and
suppliers. Boosting business through public relations.
Interpersonal Skills
Negotiation
► Negotiation is a dialogue between two or more people or parties intended
to reach a beneficial outcome over one or more issues where a conflict
exists with respect to at least one of these issues. This beneficial outcome
can be for all of the parties involved, or just for one or some of them.
Wikipedia
► People negotiate daily, often without considering it a negotiation.
Negotiation occurs in organizations, including businesses, non-profits, and
within and between governments as well as in sales and legal proceedings,
and in personal situations such as marriage, divorce, parenting, etc.
Conflict
A process that begins when party perceives that another party has
negatively affected, or is about to be negatively affected, something that
the first party cares about.
Transitions in Conflict Thought
Traditional View – Avoid Conflict.
Human Relation View – Conflict is natural & inevitable
outcome in any group
Interactionist View – Conflict is absolutely necessary for group
to perform effectively.
Types of Conflict
There are 3 types of conflict:
Task: relates to the content and goals of the work – Low to moderate level.
Relationship: focus on interpersonal relationships - High level.
Process: relates to how the work gets done – Low level.
Stage 1: Potential Opposition/ Incompatibility
The first step is the presence of conditions that create opportunity for
conflict to arise.
Causes or sources of Conflict:
Communication : When too little or too much communication takes place.
Structure: It is used to include variables like nature of work, size,
ambiguity.
Personal variable: Includes personality, emotion, values. Eg: Some
people you don’t like without any valid reason.
Stage 2 : Cognition and Personalization
If one or more of previous points raise up , we reach this stage
Keep in mind 2 important things
The point when the parties decide what the conflict is about
The emotions play a major role in shaping perception
Stage 3 : Intentions
Stage 4: Behavior
It includes the statement actions , and reactions made by the conflicting
parties
According to many conflict management techniques
Problem solving
Subordinate goals “ shared goals”
Avoidance
Stage 5 : Outcomes
According to behavior , the outcomes may be :
Functional if the conflict improves the group’s performance
Dysfunctional if it hinders performance
Diversity can usually improve group performance and decision making
Approaches to Negotiation
There are two general approaches to negotiation :
Distributive Bargaining
The most identifying feature is that it operates under zero-sum conditions,
that is any gain I make is at your expense and vice versa.
The essence of distributive bargaining is negotiating over who gets what
share of a fixed pie. It could be one-time negotiation. One party remains in
benefits. Objective is to get as much as larger size of pie.
Integrative Bargaining
Operates under the assumption that one or more settlements can create a
win-win solution . Both parties must be engaged for it to work.
The Negotiation Process
What to negotiate on how to
go about it
Policies
Decide on the type of
bargaining
5 Steps of the Negotiation Process
1. Preparation and Planning:
Make sure that your goal stays paramount in your discussions
Put your goals in writing and develop a range of outcomes to keep
your attention focused.
Assess what you think are the other party’s goals.
Once you have gathered your information, use it to develop a
strategy.
2. Definition of Ground Rules:
During this phase , the parties will exchange their initial proposals or
demands.
At this phase you are ready to begin defining with the other party the
ground rules and procedures of the negotiation itself
3. Clarification and Justification:
At this phase both you and the other party will explain, amplify, clarify
and justify your original demands.
4. Bargaining and Problem Solving:
This is where both parties will undoubtedly need to make concessions.
5. Closure and Implementation:
The final step in the negotiation process is formalizing the agreement
that has been worked out and developing any procedures necessary for
implementation and monitoring.
Negotiation Styles
There are Individual differences in negotiation effectiveness
Three factors influence how effectively individuals negotiate:
personality, mood & emotions, and gender.
Personality Traits in Negotiation
Negotiators who are agreeable or extraverted aren’t very successful in
distributive bargaining as they are outgoing and friendly , they tend to
share more information than they should .
So the best distributive bargainer appears to be a disagreeable introvert,
someone more interested in his or her own outcomes than in pleasing
the other party and having a pleasant social exchange .
Moods and Emotions in Negotiation
Emotions play an important part in the negotiation process. Negative
emotions can cause intense and even irrational behavior, and can cause
conflicts to escalate and negotiations to break down.
On the other hand, positive emotions often facilitate reaching an
agreement and help to maximize joint gains.
Gender Differences in Negotiations
Men have been found to negotiate better outcomes than women,
although the difference is relatively small.
Qualities of a good negotiator:
► Patience and ability to listen
► Self-confidence
► Lack of inhibition
► Attention to details
► Clarity in the thought process
► Persistence
► Ability to draw quick attention from people
References
1. Contemporary Business Communication, By Scot Ober , Fifth Edition
2. Business Communication – Chapter 11, Conversations and Negotiations,
“Connecting at Work”, Hory Sankar Mukherjee by Oxford Education
3. Effective Business Communication , 2nd Edition, Asha Kaul
Negotiation – the to Effective
Outcomes!
