Oral communication:

The Workplace Needs and Uses of

Business Graduate Employees

Presenter: Clement Lo 9922615

Instructor: Dr. Pi-Ying Teresa Hsu

Date: December 22, 2010

Crosling, G., & Ward, I. (2002). Oral communication: The Workplace Needs and Uses of Business Graduate Employees. English for Specific Purpose, 21, 41-54.

Citation

2

Contents

Introduction

Literature Review

Methodology

Findings

Conclusions

Reflection3

Introduction

3

2

1Oral communication skills development are included in current university course design.

Lack of understanding on the nature of

workplace oral communication.

Make suggestions for more

appropriate course design and

adequate preparations.

4

Purposes of the study

To provide the forms used with respect

to objects and occasions

To confirm the frequency and

significance of oral communication

To discuss and make suggestions for

students and university course design.

2

3

4

To investigate the needs and uses of

oral communication at workplace

Research Question

What forms of oral

communication skills do BA

graduates need for meeting

workplace requirements?

What’s the problem?

Introduction

Methodology

Findings

Conclusions

Reflection

2Literature ReviewLiterature Review

Contents

Literature Review

Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs (DETYA) reports that

oral communication is the 3rd most vital skillemployers look for in new graduates.

(ACNeilson, 1998)

Importance of Oral Communication

Literature Review

Employers (New Jersey) claims that oral communication skill is vital, but is an area which graduates lack preparing for.

(Van Horn, 1995)

Importance of Oral Communication

Literature Review

A demonstration on powerful role of language.

It is more than exchange of words; in the

process, social reality is “created, maintained

and modified”.

(Halliday, 1978)

What is workplace oral communication?

Literature Review

Oral communication and social interaction are

the means for acquiring new skills for solving

problems and achieving goals.

(Mellinger, 1992)

Oral communication is a mean.

Literature Review

How do we succeed in communication?

Literature Review

Its success varies with different situations

and different participants.

(Bizzell, 1989)

Oral communication is

context-dependent

Literature Review

The relative status and position of the parties.

1. status of the parties – age, gender, cultures etc.

2. familiarity – how well do u know the other party?

3. emotions, viewpoints and/or attitudes to the topic

Purpose: establish and maintain social relations

; and avoid miscommunication(Halliday, 1978)

Interpersonal component

in communication

Literature Review

Oral Communication

Meeting

Topic/goal -directed

Superior/client

Deductive

Oral communication is context-dependent

Instructive

Relationship building

Co-operative

Team work

Inductive

Colleagues

Literature Review

Deductive

Context-dependent

Inductive

Literature Review

Communication in Meeting

Structural

Model

Team work :

tension among

peer groups

Generic-function

Model

21

Hierarchy :

tension between

chair and group

Instructive Co-operative

Literature Review

C.E.O.

ManagerManager

staff staff staff

Hierarchy Diagram

- Taking orders from superior

Literature Review

Communication in team work

- Collaborating to achieve common goal

Literature Review

= well-functioning team

Informal communication

builds TRUST

Contents

Introduction

Literature Review

Methodology

Findings

Conclusions

Reflection

Methodology

Survey

Participants

Instrument

Sampling

Companies (23)

Company types

Analytical tool

23 Companies with BA graduates

from Monash University, Australia.

Questionnaires: 5 point Likert Scale

Relevant Sampling

16 large companies

5 medium companies

2 small companies

8 chartered accounting companies

3 banking / insurance

5 manufacturing industry

7 others: service, retail, government

SPSS

Contents

Introduction

Literature Review

Methodology

Findings

Conclusions

Reflection

Findings

4.1 Frequency of oral communication

How often do oral communication skills used by graduate

employees in your company??Q

38%46% Finding:

84% employers & employees

84%

Findings

4.2 Importance of oral communication

How important are oral communication skills for :

1. recruitment 2. job success 3. promotionQ

Finding:

95% - Promotion

95% - Job success

87% - recruitment

Findings

4.3 Frequency of oral communication: home apartment

Who do you communicate most often in your home department?

Staff of : 1. less status 2. same status 3. supervisor Q

Finding:

95% - Same status

87% - supervisor

New graduates are less unlikely to have less status staff.

Findings

4.4 Forms of oral communication

What forms of oral communication are used at workplace?Q

2 Following instruction

4 Networking

6 Persuading colleagues

7 forms are identified:1 Informal work-related discussion

3 Informal social conversation

5 Instructing, explaining demonstrating

7 Giving feedback

Findings

4.5 Communicating with similar status staff: same dept.

What forms of oral communication do you have with

same status staff within the same department?

Q

Finding:1. 83% - Informal work-related discussion

2. 66% - Following instruction

3. 54% - Informal social conversation

4. 47% - Networking

5. 41% - Instructing, explaining and demonstrating

6. 37% - Persuading colleagues

7. 25% - Giving feedback

informal

Findings

Finding:1. 66% - Following instruction and responding

2. 65% - Informal work-related discussions

3. 62% - Building relations

4. 49% - Informal conversation

5. 41% - Promoting own strength and weakness

6. 41% - presenting new ideas and strategies

7. 30% - Negotiating and bargaining

8. 28% - Chairing and leading discussions

4.6 Communicating with superior

What forms of oral communication do you have with

superior?

Q

formal

Findings

Finding:79% - participating in discussion

87% - oral presentation

31% - persuading

20% - chairing and leading discussion

4.7 Meetings: frequency of forms used

What forms of oral communication do often use in meetings? Q

Informal&

formal

Findings

4.8 Team Work: frequency of forms used

What forms of oral communication do you in team work? Q

Finding:70% - Building relations

66% - Informal conversation

37% - Negotiating

33% - Leading / persuading

28% - conflict resolution

informal

Contents

Introduction

Literature Review

Methodology

Findings

Conclusions

Reflection

Conclusions

1. Oral communication is essential for a

successful professional career.

2. Oral communication should be a top priority in

university business education

Conclusions

4. Graduates are required to think critically and apraise

situations to adpot appropriate oral communication

styles.

3. Formal communication alone is inadequate

prepareation for the workplace since informal oral

communication is require more often.

Contents

Introduction

Literature Review

Methodology

Findings

Conclusions

Reflection

Reflections

1. Lack of detailed description in research

methodology.

2. Exact number of participants is unclear, and

return rate on the questionnaires is low

Reflections

3. Detailed contents and forms of the

questionnaire are unclear; and no reliability

nor validity tests were adopted to test the data.

4. No statistical measuring methods were

mentioned as a valid or proven tool.

The End

Thank you very much for listening.

The End

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