Complicated job

There are kinds of techniques which help to concentrate on pieces of work we don't know how to attack.

•One of them is to divide the task into subtasks. Such a division considerably facilitates the choice of the first step, the most difficult one.

•The second method is to begin with the end. For exam­ple, if the affair is to be completed with submission of a report to the manager you may begin with trying to write this report. A dozen of questions will arise immediately: to whom this re­port should be addressed, whose agreement on it is to be ob­tained, whose interests shall it involve, what possible reactions of different departments might be, what its format must be, what possible solutions of the problems can be offered.

Put down all these questions, arrange them into groups — and a rough plan of action is ready.

•The third variant is a "10 minutes' method". You pledge to spare 10 minutes two or three times a day to that compli­cated job of yours. It stands to reason that during such a short snatch of time you won't be able to do more than just "pinch a bite" off the lump before you: to order the necessary papers in the archive, the information service or some other department, charge your assistants to prepare answers to certain questions, de­cide whom to consult, who you can turn to for help, to work with everyone in turn, etc. (In other cases the plan may be different but the idea, to all appearances is clear.)

Very often we wait for inspiration. But, as is well-known, "perspiration is 90 % of inspiration".

Uncertain situation

Making a decision is often delayed because of incomplete­ness of the information available at the moment and fear that the decision may turn out to be wrong.

"A list of fears" may be a great support here. Eventually this list shows that most of the fears were groundless. On the one hand, that makes you more resolute, on the other hand, it reveals real dangers.

Снaртer 2. Business communication

2.1. Business conversation, talks

Importance of business communication

Communication accounts for 70 % of businessmen's time. Con­sequently, the efficiency with which this communication-is con­structed predetermines much: effectiveness of talks, degree of mu­tual understanding between partners, customers and colleagues, sat­isfaction of the employees with their job, moral and psychological climate in the work collective, relationships with other organizations and state bodies — these and many other things depend on the skills of business talks.

Skills of communication are based on using psychological factors and clever organization of the communication process itself. To make it brief, we focus our attention upon the organization of communica­tion with psychological factors of communication and its specificity constantly involved.

TERMS

Despite all varieties of forms of business communication its major element is conversation (talk) between two or more people. There­fore, for the sake of uniformity, let us call any verbal contact whose initiator pursues certain purposes, a business conversation, business talk (or briefly — conversation, talk).

Naturally, conversation effectiveness and activity of its partici­pants can be assessed in accordance with the extent to which its aims have been achieved in the process of the talk.

KINDS OF BUSINESS CONVERSATIONS (TALKS)

Every working person takes part in the following talks:

•getting employed;

• receiving assignment;

• account on the work performed;

• criticism for the slips;

• getting discharged.

Besides, businessmen have occasion:

•to carry on negotiations;

•to take part in conferences.

Each kind of talk has its own peculiarities. Ws will describe them later and now we are going to consider the common fea­tures typical of talks of all kinds.

REPEATED CONVERSATIONS

Experience shows that in case the talk is "lost" (i.e. its ini­tiator has not reached his aim) to carry on a repeated talk on the same subject with the same person (especially with a high­er authority), even though you adduce new arguments, is an arduous task, sometimes, practically hopeless. The interlocu­tor has already formed a certain opinion and usually considers it pointless to waste time on the question that has already been settled. As a rule, no person will easily change his opinion. It is easier to do that way. In its essence, this is a kind of protec­tion of your nervous system from overloading.

There are two conclusions to follow:

1. It is necessary to get ready for a conversation. This in­creases the chances of a favourable outcome.

2. Talks which are aimed at changing your interlocutor's opinion require particularly careful preparation.

TYPICAL MISTAKES

Analysis of a great number of unexpectedly lost talks has shown that in each case a certain mistake was made either in devising the situation or in the tactics of the talk.

Those mistakes appeared to be rather typical and often replicate themselves. Special rules are worked out and fol­lowing them the participant keeps from falling into either of those errors. In doing so, he provides the best chances to achieve success in the talk. We will not take up the reader's time by enumerating a great many typical mistakes since they are clear from the following explanation of the men­tioned rules.

ABOUT THE RULES

The rules we are going to formulate are simple and natural. They deal with the preparatory stage and the process of talk itself.

Simplicity of the rules makes it easy to use them. This is one of their advantages, but a disadvantage at the same time, since at the stage of their studying one may grow distrustful of their effectiveness. Because we may have been aware of each of these rules to a certain extent and even used them in a certain situations. It is not surprising because they are taken from life experience, clearly formulated and systematized. It is the sys­tematized use of these rules that provides their maximum ef­fectiveness.

GAIN/LOSS

The more important to you is the result of talk the larger set of rules (from the suggested list) is to be used. Gradually, the whole of this set will become to you so customary that you will optimally construct any (even insignificant) conversation without making much effort.

However, certain efforts are required at first. True, these ef­forts are incomparable with the gains that await you.

HOW TO LEARN THE RULES

To understand deeper the proposed rules we advise you im­agine that a rather serious talk awaits you and its results are of great importance to you.

For instance, you have a problem (at the moment) and its solution by your boss decides whether you keep this job or have to look for another one. So, imagine that you prepare for this most serious talk by reading the said rules.

Or you are greatly worried by the request of dismissal filed by one of your most needed employees. You have to talk him out of it. Think how it can best be done and look for the an­swer in the rules.

Again you may be faced by an unpleasant confrontation and think about a difficult talk that is before you.

In a word—use any uncommon situation whose settlement is very important to you at the moment and the outcome of the conversation is very uncertain.

THESE RULES ARE APPLICABLE EVERYWHERE

The rules are based on communication laws. But these rules do not depend on where and what is being settled: industrial problems or matrimonial affairs.

Experience shows that the rules are equally effective both in business communication and every day talk.

That is why if you don't expect any important talk in your office, but there are some family affairs that call for discussion you can keep them in mind in further reading.

For instance (though we do not wish you that, but life is often contrary to our wishes) a necessity to have it out with your wife (husband) has become imminent with you: in case you fail to change the situation, there will be no other remedy for it, short of divorce (nor is that idea to you likely).

Or: you need to influence your son (daughter) that he (she) should think of his (her) behaviour (attitude).

In short, there are lots of cases in which these rules can be expected to work (and we go over to them at last).