Business communications model functions and implementation conditions. Abstract: Business communications concept and types

Business communications- this is something without which it is impossible to imagine the functioning and existence of all types of organizations. The future as an enterprise, as an economic entity, but also for the individuals working in this enterprise, and, in a broader sense, the well-being of the whole country as a whole, depends on the degree of efficiency of communication links. Without well-functioning communications, no organization will be able to fully carry out its activities.

Business communications - essence, types and specifics

Business communications, specifics

Business communications are an interaction process aimed at organizing and optimizing various kinds activities: industrial, scientific, pedagogical, etc.

It is necessary to clearly separate business communications and its other varieties. Business communications arise between subjects jointly participating in a certain activity. Mutual understanding, coordination of actions, and effectiveness of intentions arising from such subjects depend on the level of development of communications.

Thus, we can conclude that the more people involved in a particular activity, the more important role management, communication in terms of the effectiveness of this activity.

Excellent business communications abilities are synonymous with professionalism in a management culture. This is the most important moment in the activity of the entire enterprise - the personal professionalism of employees in all areas, the level of communications is, in turn, one of the most important components.

Business communications are, first of all, the interaction of employees, expressed in any form, without which joint activities are impossible - the first condition for the existence of an organization.

It is customary to refer to the goals of business communications: ensuring the effective exchange of information between subjects and objects of management, improving personal relationships, regulating and optimizing information flows.

Business communications can be divided into the following subgroups:

Communication based on oral communication;

Communication based on written communication (including electronic).

In addition, communication can be divided into formal and informal. If formal communication is determined by norms, rules, job descriptions of a certain, then informal, which is not followed general rules a certain organization takes place in accordance with the already established system of personal relationships, that is, this is the everyday communication of employees within the framework of the organization's activities.

Formal communication can be divided into vertical, when information is consistently transferred from one level to another, and horizontal, if information moves within a single hierarchical level of the organization (for example, department, management). Vertical communications are further divided into ascending ones, when information is transmitted from lower levels on the higher, and descending, respectively, the reverse of the ascending.

There are many different ways to subdivide business communications and not always various groups do not intersect, everything is too interconnected. Communication, for example, is divided into verbal and non-verbal (facial expressions, gestures, spatial pattern, etc.). At the same time, verbal and non-verbal communication do not necessarily exclude each other, since the interlocutors receive information and form their assessment of what they have received using both methods, not limited to only one, which once again emphasizes how the degree of interconnectedness of the processes accompanying communication, their inseparability, complementarity, as well as their versatility, complexity, and hence the importance of improving skills in this area, and the importance is paramount, which is confirmed by the fact that the main tasks of business communications are productive cooperation, improving partnerships, and these are the primary tasks of the enterprise.

Business communications are characterized by the following features:

Mandatory contact of the parties without taking into account the likes and dislikes of the subjects;

objectivity;

Compliance with subordination and business etiquette;

Interdependence of subjects of business communication;

Formal restrictions, i.e. compliance with legal social norms, regulations;

The main way of organizing communicative activity in the interaction of two subjects is a dialogue, this method is the most common, but business communications still take place in three forms:

Monologue;

Polylogue (multilateral communication).

Excellent command of business communication skills is exactly the most important moment that allows you to effectively interact with business partners, focusing on reaching a compromise and mutually beneficial and convenient cooperation, which reduces the risks of adverse consequences of negotiations, meetings and meetings.

Forms of business communication

Most production issues require collective discussion and decision, the relationship of employees, their ability to jointly make a single decision that takes into account many facets of the problem and positions different sides are extremely important. The most common forms of business communications are business conversations, meetings, meetings, negotiations, conferences, business meetings.

The choice of the appropriate form is made on the basis of the following criteria:

Purpose of the event;

The contingent of participants;

Regulations;

Communicative means of realization of intentions;

Spatial environment;

Expected Result.

business conversation

Business conversation is the most common method. The purpose of this form of communication is to exchange information on a specific issue raised. There are at least two participants, the regulations will depend on the degree of importance of the subject and on the capabilities of the participants.

To achieve the expected result, it is necessary that all elements of the conversation are justified and motivated, and the spatial environment is organized in such a way that confidentiality is maintained and there is no interference with communication (noise, etc.).

Efficiency will depend on the competence, behavior of the speech culture, the ability to formulate, defend one's own and accept someone else's point of view, empathy, participants.

Business meeting

Business negotiations are a form of business communication that involves a discussion in order to reach a common solution between the negotiators.

Main Functions business negotiations are:

Start innovation processes, the beginning of joint activities;

Implementation of general control over joint actions;

Exchange of information between all parties;

Communication between employees of the organization;

Development of ideas, plans and ways to implement them.

Most often, business negotiations are planned in advance. When preparing for business negotiations, the subject, the range of problems that need to be resolved, the main ideas that need to be implemented are initially determined. In the process of conducting business negotiations, the whole range of various pre-prepared documents, as well as materials, schedules, presentations, is used. It is necessary to think over the entire course of negotiations from beginning to end: to work out questions and problems that need to be addressed to the other side; determine an acceptable outcome of the negotiations; develop regulations; determine and prepare a place for negotiations; approve the tactics and strategy of behavior. You can't interrupt; negatively comment on his words; draw a clear line between yourself and your colleague; abruptly change the pace of negotiations; ignore the mental state of colleagues in the process of communication.

The right moves in conducting business negotiations contribute to an increase in the level of labor productivity up to 30%. Many foreign companies have special negotiators who perfectly master the art of communication.

Business negotiations include the following stages:

Start of business negotiations;

Exchange of information by the parties;

Argumentation of the positions of the parties;

Attempts to refute the arguments of the opponent by the parties;

Collective adoption of common final decisions.

An extremely important part of business negotiations is actually their beginning. The objectives of this stage of business negotiations are the formation of contact between the parties; creating the right atmosphere; focusing on the subject of negotiations; initiative transition (not always).

For business negotiations to be successful, the following factors must be present:

Professional knowledge of negotiators;

Clarity of the goals and objectives of the parties;

visibility of documents and materials;

Single rhythm of negotiation;

Repetition and emphasis on the most significant theses;

Detailed description of the course of conclusions;

Exchange of information strictly within the specified limits;

Tongue of humor.

business meetings

A business meeting is a common form of business communication in terms of discussing production problems and issues requiring acceptance. common solution. The parties in this case are the host (head of the department / department / directorate / company) and the participants of the meeting.

stand out Various types meetings, for example:

1) Planning meetings;

2) Meetings related to working conditions;

3) Meetings related to issues of internal organization;

4) Meetings related to the control over the activities of the organization;

5) Other meetings.

The purpose of the business meeting is to form an image of the required final result.

The topic of a business meeting is the subject of discussion itself, of course, the topic should be clearly expressed.

When holding business meetings, a kind of “program”, an agenda, is almost always formed, which is a document containing:

the topic of the meeting,

Purpose of the meeting

Main questions,

Meeting start and end time

Venue of the meeting

Order and names of speakers, etc.

The optimal number of participants in an intra-organizational business meeting should not be more than seven, and business meetings should be held weekly, on a certain day, in the afternoon, avoiding or greatly reducing the degree of stress on the participants of such meetings. In addition, during a business meeting, it is extremely important that the participants see each other without interference, which contributes to the perception of both information and each other by the parties. What is important, of course, is the compatibility of the meeting participants, their personal likes and dislikes.

public speech

Public speech, being extremely important element business communication, must be well-constructed, thoughtful, beautiful, eloquent, logical, demonstrative, convincing, must be literate from a literary point of view, that is, contain an introduction, a general part and a conclusion, unquestioningly requires the scrupulous preparation of the future speaker.

The goals of public speaking are usually the following points:

to interest the public;

Give facts and arguments;

To identify the possibilities of listeners, to identify possible motives;

Attract attention.

In the light of these points, from the point of view of interest and attention to speech, it is extremely undesirable to speak to the public “on a piece of paper”, because this way of presenting information very quickly tires the audience and reduces their interest in your speech, prevents them from perceiving information.

Non-verbal aspect of business communication

Exploring various features and nuances in non-verbal communication, a well-known American specialist in this field, A. Mirabian, in scientific work entitled "Nonverbal Communication" states the idea and concludes that business communication for the most part is carried out using only three types of a kind of signals, and these signals, in turn, are divided into verbal, visual and vocal.

These signals are not in equal proportions with each other and conditionally their shares can be divided as follows:

55% of perception is how the interlocutor looks (visual cues);

38% of perception is how the communicator speaks (voice signals);

7% of perception is what the communicator says (verbal cues).

Thus, the participants in the conversation receive certain signals from the opposite side, evaluate them positively or negatively, then draw a conclusion and form a perception about the person as a whole, like or dislike, trustworthy or not, and personal perception is often crucial in business matters. .

Whole system non-verbal communication, if conditionally divided, includes the following five subsystems:

1. Personal space;

2. Look;

3. Optical-kinetic subsystem, consisting of:

The appearance of the interlocutor,

mimics,

Pantomime;

4. Paralinguistic subsystem, consisting of:

His range

keys,

Timbre.

5. Extralinguistic, consisting of:

speech rate,

Laughter, etc.

Thus, the correct tuning of signals with the help of these subsystems and their use plays a positive role in communication, and the denial of the perception of one person by another as one of the most important factors in business relations leads to failures, respectively. correct use various tricks and means of communication is extremely important.

Smile

According to the results of research conducted by Yale University, USA, in the field of communications, the primary factor in determining how positive, attractive and, most importantly for business communication, how convincing you look in the eyes of your interlocutor is your smile.

The joy of dealing with people in a business relationship, if you will, also implies the joy of communicating with you. At the same time, pretense does not play a role, these are elements of the art of communication, they do not cause irritation or rejection, but, a smile, this simplest technique, still plays a major role in success both in career and personal terms.

"The ancient Chinese were people who were wise life experience. They had a proverb: "A man without a smile on his face should not open a store." Your smile says, “I like you. I'm happy to see you".

A smile around the world is the #1 communication signal. This is a sign of approval positive influence on your interlocutor, on the whole process of business communication.

Smiling brings your message to life, makes people accept your words, gives confidence to your voice, and lifts your spirits and those around you. She says that you think about your client and do everything possible to make it easy and pleasant for him to communicate with you.

But in certain situations, a smile is simply inappropriate. In order for a smile to be a truly effective means of business communication, it must necessarily satisfy two conditions: be sincere and appropriate.

“What about a fake smile? Don't worry - she won't deceive anyone, anyone will understand that she is artificial. It's about a real heart-warming smile. A smile that comes from within and is valued so highly in business.”

If you do not smile when you meet people, they unconsciously get the feeling that you are an unhappy, harsh or indifferent person. An indifferent face is one of the most negative indicators of business communication, it indicates your lack of interest. An indifferent expression appears when you hardly listen to the interlocutor.

visual contact

Visual contact can be distinguished as a separate specific skill. The best option is to maintain eye contact, but at the same time periodically allow yourself to be distracted and look at other objects without dwelling on them for a long time. That is, visual contact is not broken if you look away from time to time. But if you look away too often, the client may perceive this as a dislike for him, as well as evidence of your discomfort caused by the level of intimacy in your relationship or personal problems associated with intimacy.

There is a difference between an open direct gaze and its extreme, a fixed gaze. Staring gives the impression of active participation in contact, but in fact it often indicates a “dead contact”. Visual contact is also a means of mutual regulation of the negotiation process. We all know from everyday communication experience that eye contact is easily maintained when discussing a pleasant topic, but interlocutors usually avoid it when it comes to confusing or unpleasant issues. If the speaker alternately looks into the eyes, then looks away, this usually means that he has not finished speaking yet. At the end of the utterance, the speaker, as a rule, directly looks into the eyes of the interlocutor, as if inviting him to join the conversation.

Some people find it difficult to make direct eye contact and therefore avoid it, some are afraid of expressing some idea or emotion and discussion certain topics and avert their eyes as soon as there is a possibility of something like this. If the counselor has trouble making eye contact, avoiding eye contact, looking from object to object, or not taking his eyes off the client, this causes confusion and tension on the client.

Visual contact is the process of interaction between two personalities. The length and frequency of eye contact can tell a lot about the other person. As a result, maintaining eye contact greatly contributes to the successful completion of business negotiations, etc.

Business card

A business card is an essential attribute of modern business communication. The main purpose of business cards is to introduce business and officials to each other at the first meeting. The exchange of business cards is part of the greeting ritual in the world of business communications.

Business cards are also used to maintain contacts: congratulations on holidays, other events, expressions of gratitude, accompanying gifts, expressions of condolences.

Business cards are a mandatory attribute of company employees who, by the nature of their work, are in contact with customers or representatives of other companies. A business card not only provides an opportunity to interact with people in a business environment, but also serves as a symbol of status.

A business card should be used to convey the main, most important information about a business man or a business woman: name, company name, postal and e-mail address, phone and fax numbers, website address on the Internet.

Making a business card allows you to immediately understand who its owner is. People of creative professions design them in an original way, while simplicity and modesty are accepted in the highest echelons of power and business.

Intercultural communications dictate their attitude to business cards in different countries. So, for example, in Japan, China, Hong Kong, Korea, a business card replaces any identity document.

business etiquette in foreign countries provides for the translation of the text of the business card into the state language of the country or into English.

A business card always saves business communication from nameless contacts. However, you should not give your personal data to the first person you meet.

“The biggest mistake people make is getting business card- take a quick look at it and put it in your pocket. This is evidence of a dismissive attitude towards a person and his position in business. You should definitely read it, and, after thanking the person, put the business card in your pocket or purse.

Conclusion

Business communications are an important component of the success of any enterprise, regardless of whether it is a small business or a large corporation. Business communications are something without which it is impossible to imagine the functioning and existence of all types of organizations. The future as an enterprise, as an economic entity, but also for the individuals working in this enterprise, and, in a broader sense, the well-being of the whole country as a whole, depends on the degree of efficiency of communication links. Without well-functioning communications, no organization will be able to fully carry out its activities.

The importance of communication in modern society cannot be underestimated. The problems of teaching management strategies and business communication technologies are extremely relevant and intractable problems of management.

Possession of business communication techniques carries the potential not only for the development of the professionalism of an individual, but also for the success of the entire organization.

Western management has long recognized the enormous role of communications in the production process. real economic and social conditions set the task for Russian companies to increase the overall level of competence, especially in terms of business communication.

It is absolutely impossible and unacceptable to underestimate the importance of business communications. It is important to develop such skills among employees, this is painstaking, time-consuming, but at the same time one of the primary tasks of any company.

Sources

Dale Carnegie. How to develop self-confidence and influence people by speaking in public, Moscow: 2013.

Konetskaya V.P. Sociology of communication. Textbook.- M.: International University of Business and Management, 1997

Panfilova A.P. Business communications in professional activity; St. Petersburg, 2004.

Lavrinenko V.N. Psychology and ethics of business communication. - M.: Unity, 2009.

A. Shokhov. Business communications http://www.klubok.net/article213.html

I. Ermakova. Business communications: interaction with partners around the world

Dale Carnegie. How to win friends and influence people, M.; 2013.

Irina Ermakova. Business communications: interaction with partners around the world

http://professionalimage.ru/2010/06

Business communication is a process of interaction between business partners, which is aimed at organizing and choosing one or another type of subject activity: production, scientific, service, etc.

In business communication, the subject of communication is a joint activity (common cause), and a communication partner always acts as a person significant to another. Productive cooperation, convergence of goals and positions, improvement of partnerships, which are the main tasks of business communication.

Collaborative activities include a number of required elements: single purpose; commonality of motives that encourages individuals to work together; interconnectedness of participants; the presence of a single space and time for the implementation of individual actions; division of a single process of activity into separate functions and their distribution among the participants; coordination of individual actions, the need to manage them.

Unlike personality-oriented communication, the subject of which is the nature of the relationship between its participants, the purpose of business interaction lies outside the communication process. This interaction of people is subject to the solution of a specific problem facing the organization, which imposes certain limits on people's behavior. The specifics of business interaction are determined by the following key characteristics of the organizational structure:

  • * Mandatory contacts of participants in communication, regardless of their likes and dislikes, formal restrictions.
  • * Compliance with legal, social norms, adherence to regulations (for example: actions on instructions, protocol, compliance with internal regulations, following the traditions of the organization).
  • * Compliance with the formal - role principles of interaction, taking into account official roles, rights and functional duties, while adhering to subordination and business etiquette. Business communication is largely formalized, detached, "cold". This is due to a rather strict regulation of the goals and motives of communication, ways of making contacts between employees. Each employee in the organization is assigned a certain standard of behavior in the form of a stable structure of formal rights and obligations.
  • * Business interaction is carried out in a specific environment, where relationships of subordination, dependence, inequality are fixed between departments and employees in accordance with the hierarchy of the organization. As a result, there is a problem of the effectiveness of feedback, the transfer of complete and accurate information on the levels of the hierarchical pyramid. According to some reports, only 20 - 25% of the information coming from the top management reaches the direct executors and is correctly understood by them. This is due, on the one hand, to the distortion of information, on the other hand, the unwillingness of managers to inform employees in detail about the state of affairs at the enterprise as a whole (subordinates must follow specific instructions without asking unnecessary questions). At the same time, people make assumptions about the available information. To take into account these features of service and business communication, it is necessary to record in writing orders, decisions, orders and recognize feedback. the most important means improving the efficiency of business interaction.
  • * The interdependence of all participants in business communication both in achieving the final result and in the implementation of personal intentions. Motivation - necessary condition effective business communication. In business communication, a person simultaneously acts as a specific person and as a representative of an organization, i.e. bearer of certain professional role functions. If personal needs are not satisfied in the process of activity or own ideas and the style of human behavior do not coincide with group norms, a conflict may arise (intrapersonal, interpersonal), interest in work may decrease.

Compatibility and coherence of the members of the team (the integrity of the collective subject) as a condition for joint activities. In the course of joint activity, specific mechanisms for regulating the dynamics of individual cognitive processes are formed, joint strategies for solving problems, a common style of activity for the group, there is an exchange of individual qualities, the ability, desire and ability to correlate their goals and actions with the goals and actions of other people develop. All this contributes to the expansion of the information space, makes it possible to see more aspects of the problem being solved and ways to solve it. The result of such interaction is a kind of unification of ideas among the participants in the activity.

The question of the similarities and differences between the two widely used concepts of "communication" and "communication" is far from being idle. In English, "communication" has several meanings. They are based on different values communicate verb. In accordance with the first meaning of the verb (inform, transmit): 1) transmission, communication (of thoughts, information, news); 2) distribution, transfer; 3) communication, connection; communication. In accordance with the second (to communicate, keep in touch, communicate):  message, news. There is also a translation: 1) connection, message, communication; 2) means of communication; 3) communication, connection.

Human communication - a complex multifaceted process of establishing and developing contacts between people, generated by the needs of joint activities and including the exchange of information, the development of a unified interaction strategy, the perception and understanding of another person (Brief psychological dictionary. M., 1985).

Communication involves at least three different processes:

Exchange of information, its clarification, enrichment;

Exchange of actions, building a common strategy for interaction;

Perception and understanding of the partner, his psychological characteristics and behavior patterns.

In the process of such an exchange, the subjective world of one person is revealed to another. Communication involves the establishment of mutual understanding between its participants. People participating in communication have a mutual influence on the intentions, thoughts, feelings of each other, the line of behavior.

Communication - a specific form of interaction between people in their labor and cognitive activities, meaning communication, the transfer of information from person to person.

No less common is another meaning of this term - "a path, communication (connection) of one place with another."

Communication is a narrower concept than communication. Communication is the transfer of information. The communicative side is one of the sides of communication. But, in addition to the communicative one, there is also a perceptual side in communication, which means people's perception of each other. This means that communication is not just the transfer of information, but also a process during which the interlocutors adapt to each other, mutual influence, mutual experience.

Under business communications is understood as the interaction that ensures the success of any common cause, creating conditions for the cooperation of people to achieve certain goals.

Business communications occur between work colleagues, managers and subordinates, partners, competitors.

The result of business communications is the mutual influence of their participants on each other.

In business communications, the following are distinguished: content, goals, means, functions, forms, sides, types, barriers.

  1. Communication process

In a formalized form, the communication process is the interaction of two parties: the sender and the recipient of information.

Figure 1. Communication frame

Sender formulates a message in the mind, encodes it using certain symbols (sounds, signs, gestures, etc.) and transmits it through the appropriate channels (wires, air, paper).

If the level of the recipient is different, then the text of the message must be adjusted for adequate perception.

Recipient receives a message, decodes, interprets, and sends a response.

The perception of a message depends on the relationship of the recipient to the sender. Studies have shown that the same information is perceived differently if it was received from:

boss or colleague

friend or foe

Stranger or close person.

This feature of perception can be used by involving an intermediary in the transmission of the message.

The effectiveness of communications depends on the attitude of both parties to the content of the message.

Studies have shown that positive information is easier to formulate into a message, faster and more fully perceived by the recipient.

When transmitting negative information, the sender may be too short or, on the contrary, too verbose, and the recipient may experience psychological barriers to perception.

Communication in the general sense is the exchange of information between people or their groups. There are interpersonal, social (functional-role), business communications. The subject of our conversation will be the last view.

What it is?

Business communication is interaction in the sphere of official relations, the purpose of which is to solve specific problems, achieve certain results, optimize any activity. At the same time, each participant has his own status - boss, subordinate, colleagues, partners.

If communication occurs between people who are on different steps career ladder(leader and performer), then there is a vertical relationship, that is, subordinate relations. If the interaction is conducted on the principles of equal cooperation, then these are horizontal relations.

It is business communications that a person daily carries out at work, at the university, in schools, official institutions. This is the name of communication between teachers and students, bosses and subordinates, colleagues, partners and competitors.

It depends on how familiar the interlocutor is with the rules, forms and methods of such communications, whether he will be able to achieve his goal. Partners must speak the same language (both literally and figuratively), understand each other, and have a common social experience.

Terms of business communication

For business communication to be effective, a number of conditions must be met:

  1. Communication should have a clear goal, in the achievement of which all persons involved in the process are interested. For example, establishing relationships, concluding an agreement, coordinating an event, developing conditions for cooperation, etc.
  2. Participants should contact each other regardless of likes and dislikes.
  3. Observance of business etiquette, subordination, job roles, formal restrictions is mandatory.

Formal restrictions are understood as various regulations, routines and protocols, as well as the banal need to control the strength of one's own emotions and respect the interlocutor.

Also, the leader or other most interested participant must ensure that business communication is manageable. Participants must be motivated to find a solution, otherwise they will be just passive observers of the meeting who do not offer any ideas.

Forms of business communication

The two main forms of communication are contact (direct) communication and indirect (mediated).

In the first case, the interlocutors communicate face to face and have the opportunity to evaluate each other's non-verbal behavior, so the effectiveness of such contact is higher. In the second case, the interaction takes place using any means of communication - telephone, letters, etc.

More specifically, the most common forms of business communication are:

  1. Meeting.
  2. Presentation.
  3. Business conversation.
  4. Negotiation.
  5. Telephone conversations.
  6. Exchange of official business documents (application, contract, power of attorney, memo).
  7. Consultation.
  8. Interview.
  9. Public speaking, conferences.

In turn, using individual forms business communication, participants can take a confrontational or partnership approach. The first option is a confrontation: each side intends to win. The partnership approach involves finding a solution that will be acceptable to all participants.


Stages

Despite the fact that the types of business communications are different, they are almost always characterized by several stages:

  1. Training. This is the setting of tasks, goals, the collection and analysis of information, the definition of a behavior strategy. After all, a business meeting or negotiations are not organized in order to chat “about nothing” and find out how things are in personal life at the interlocutors.
  2. Planning. The meeting can be held spontaneously, but it is still believed that a professional should have a clear plan: what he will say, how to argue, what exactly he wants to receive from the other side.
  3. Discussion - discussion of ideas, proposals, finding common points interest, making a joint decision.

This scheme is most relevant for negotiations. Other types of communications may not include all stages. "Cold" phone call or issuing instructions, for example, may not involve any discussion.

Business communication styles

Allocate not only types of business communications, but also styles. When we are talking about professional interaction, the most commonly used are the following:

  1. Official business. In turn, it has administrative, clerical, legislative and diplomatic sub-styles. A business conversation is characterized by speech clichés and certain communicative forms.
  2. Scientific. Used in the preparation of reports, presentations at seminars and lectures.
  3. Publicistic. This includes any public speaking, including through the media.
  4. Conversational household. Informal relationships also take place in the professional environment, and in some companies they are even encouraged. Colleagues do not always communicate exclusively through memos. However, it is necessary to understand where such a style is appropriate and where it is not.

Features of business communication

Why does business communication require preliminary preparation for communication in advance? First, people do not just spend personal and work time to official meetings, and no one wants to wait until the initiator collects his thoughts. Secondly, the other side is not always interested in any kind of interaction or is set up for cooperation, but sees it in a completely different way.

As you know, there is no second chance for a first impression. It is necessary to be able to establish contact so that all participants get the mood for discussion. If the other side did not initially plan to work together, then you should at least interest the interlocutor and arrange a meeting with him at a more convenient time.

At the international level, there are peculiarities of business communication, because different cultural characteristics can greatly interfere with the course of negotiations. For example, Americans are accustomed to arriving at meetings on time and after a short greeting, get down to business. Arabs are also punctual, but they start a business conversation from afar, first discussing nature-weather-food. The Italian does not see anything terrible in being late for a meeting and also does not immediately start a business discussion. And the Japanese will avoid a direct look during a conversation.

Thus, we learned what business communication is, what are its features, what forms, types and styles are characteristic of it.

The question of the similarities and differences between the two widely used concepts of "communication" and "communication" is far from being idle. In English, "communication" has several meanings. They are based on different meanings of the verb communicate. In accordance with the first meaning of the verb (inform, transmit): 1) transmission, communication (of thoughts, information, news); 2) distribution, transfer; 3) communication, connection; communication. In accordance with the second (to communicate, keep in touch, communicate):  message, news. There is also a translation: 1) connection, message, communication; 2) means of communication; 3) communication, connection.
Human communication - a complex multifaceted process of establishing and developing contacts between people, generated by the needs of joint activities and including the exchange of information, the development of a unified interaction strategy, the perception and understanding of another person (Brief psychological dictionary. M., 1985).

Communication involves at least three different processes:

Exchange of information, its clarification, enrichment;

Exchange of actions, building a common strategy for interaction;

Perception and understanding of the partner, his psychological characteristics and behavioral characteristics.

In the process of such an exchange, the subjective world of one person is revealed to another. Communication involves the establishment of mutual understanding between its participants. People participating in communication have a mutual influence on the intentions, thoughts, feelings of each other, the line of behavior.

Communication - a specific form of interaction between people in their labor and cognitive activities, meaning communication, the transfer of information from person to person.

No less common is another meaning of this term - "a path, communication (connection) of one place with another."

Communication is a narrower concept than communication. Communication is the transfer of information. The communicative side is one of the sides of communication. But, in addition to the communicative one, there is also a perceptual side in communication, which means people's perception of each other. This means that communication is not just the transfer of information, but also a process during which the interlocutors adapt to each other, mutual influence, mutual experience.

Under business communications is understood as the interaction that ensures the success of any common cause, creating conditions for the cooperation of people to achieve certain goals.

Business communications occur between work colleagues, managers and subordinates, partners, competitors.

The result of business communications is the mutual influence of their participants on each other.

In business communications, the following are distinguished: content, goals, means, functions, forms, sides, types, barriers.


  1. Communication process

In a formalized form, the communication process is the interaction of two parties: the sender and the recipient of information.

Figure 1. Communication frame
Sender formulates a message in the mind, encodes it using certain symbols (sounds, signs, gestures, etc.) and transmits it through the appropriate channels (wires, air, paper).

If the level of the recipient is different, then the text of the message must be adjusted for adequate perception.

Recipient receives a message, decodes, interprets, and sends a response.

The perception of a message depends on the relationship of the recipient to the sender. Studies have shown that the same information is perceived differently if it was received from:

boss or colleague

friend or foe

Stranger or close person.

This feature of perception can be used by involving an intermediary in the transmission of the message.
The effectiveness of communications depends on the attitude of both parties to the content of the message.

Studies have shown that positive information is easier to formulate into a message, faster and more fully perceived by the recipient.

When transmitting negative information, the sender may be too short or, on the contrary, too verbose, and the recipient may experience psychological barriers to perception.


  1. Goals of business communications

According to the goals, human communication is divided into biological and social.

Biological - communication necessary to maintain the vital activity of the body. They are aimed at satisfying physiological needs.

Social - is aimed at establishing and developing interpersonal contacts. A special case of social communication is business communications in the process of any joint productive activity of people.

Goals of business communications- this is what people come into communication for. Accordingly, the most obvious goals are:

Exchange of information between subjects and objects of management;

Creation of information channels for the exchange of information between employees and groups to coordinate their actions;

Regulation and optimization of information flows to improve the efficiency of management;

Establishing interpersonal relationships in the process of work.


  1. Content of business communications

Human communication is multifaceted. It can be:

Material, i.e. exchange of products or objects of activity;

Cognitive, i.e. knowledge Exchange;

Active, i.e. exchange of actions, skills, skills.

Cognitive and active communication occurs, for example, in the learning process.

Conditioning, i.e. exchange of mental or physiological states (a smile to cheer you up, to make you angry with a grimace);

Motivational, i.e. exchange of motives, goals, needs, attitudes (come on, come on!).

Business communications are used to organize and optimize a particular type of activity (professional, industrial, scientific, commercial, political, etc.). And since communication is a subject-targeted activity, the content of each communication form (lectures, reports, discussions , conversations) depends on the communicative intention and the expected result. So, if the purpose of communication is to clarify something, then the content and form of information presentation will be instructive (instructing), narrating (consultation) or reasoning (commentary). If it is necessary to refute someone's arguments, then evidence, critical remarks will be used.

In addition, the content of business communication can be influenced by the characteristics of the current situation and the personal qualities of the partner. For example, to convey information, you wanted to use the deduction method (from general to particular), but in the course of communication you were convinced that for this business partner the method of induction is more appropriate (from particular cases, examples to generalizations and conclusions).


  1. Business communications tools

Business communications are ways of encoding, transmitting and decoding (decoding) information.

Coding is a way of transferring information from one person to another. Coding occurs with the help of symbols and signs (letters, schemes, sounds, gestures).

The transmission of encoded information occurs through channels. Ether, wires, paper can act as channels.


  1. Functions of business communications

FUNCTION [from lat. functio - performance] - duty, range of activities; appointment, role.

Thus, we will talk about purpose of business communications .

The following main functions business communications:

Instrumental, i.e. as a means of control, to induce necessary actions;

Integrative, i.e. as a means of bringing people together, business partners;

Self-presentation, i.e. as a means of self-expression, demonstration of personal goals, interests;

Translational, i.e. as a means of transmitting information (orders, instructions, instructions, reports, assessments);

- social control, i.e. as a means of regulating the behavior and activities of employees;

Socializations, i.e. as a means of developing the skills of a culture of business communication in a team;

Expressive, i.e. as a means of expressing emotional experiences.


  1. Types of interpersonal communications

The main types of interpersonal communications are imperative, manipulation and dialogue.

Imperative - this is an authoritarian directive form of influence on a communication partner in order to control his behavior and internal settings, coercion to certain actions and decisions. The partner acts in a passive role. The means of influence are an order, an instruction, a prescription, a demand.

Manipulation - influence on a partner in order to achieve hidden intentions. The partner's role is also passive. The difference from the imperative is that the partner is not informed about the true goals of communication. The means of influence are transactions (add-ons “from above” (parent), “from below” (child), “next to” (adult)).

Both imperative and manipulation are varieties of monologue communication. A person considers a partner as an object of his influence, acts on the basis of his own goals and interests, ignoring the goals and interests of another person.

Dialog - two-way communication. Conditions of dialogue communication;


  1. communication on the principle of "here and now", i.e. taking into account feelings, motives and physical condition presently;

  2. perception of a partner as an equal, having the right to his own opinion;

  3. personification of communication, i.e. speaking on your own behalf, presenting your goals, feelings and desires.
For interactive communication, the ability to ask questions is important.

  1. Forms of business communications

Human communication is diverse in its forms.

This is how they differ:

Direct and indirect communication.

Direct - direct contacts with the help of verbal (speech) and non-verbal means. Indirect - through an intermediary.

Direct and indirect.

Direct - through human organs (vocal cords, hands, head). Indirect - through technical means(TV, radio, telephone), in writing.

Interpersonal and mass.

Interpersonal - in groups or pairs. This implies knowledge individual features partners, understanding, experience of joint activities. Bulk - multiple direct contacts strangers or through the media.

For business communications, direct interpersonal communication is most characteristic.
Communication can take place orally or in writing.

Written communications carried out with the help of orders, reports, certificates, letters, etc. Their formal part is represented by organizational document flow.

Oral communications occur through face-to-face contact or over the telephone.
Oral communications

In the process of oral communications, the communicative behavior of employees is manifested.
Types of communicative behavior:


  1. Competition
One of the participants in communications consciously or unconsciously tries to solve his problems by infringing or completely ignoring the interests of another participant.

  1. Confrontation
One of the participants in all communications possible ways tries to oppose the other in an attempt to solve his problems

  1. Corporation(forced cooperation)
The participants in communications, realizing the impossibility of achieving their goal alone, agree on the coordination of actions.

  1. Cooperation(voluntary cooperation)
When communication participants try to understand each other's interests and find better ways interaction and cooperation to achieve the goals of both parties.

  1. Contact
The purpose of interaction is communication for the sake of communication, to maintain ties.

Effective communicative behavior is not possible without communication skills. These include:

listening skills;

Speech skills;

Non-verbal communication skills.
Listening skills

Hearing can be:

Passive

Active.

At passive listening: a person listens, but does not delve into what he hears. Therefore, his perception may be inadequate, and reactions unexpected.

Active hearing has the following features:


  1. everything that the interlocutor says is listened to completely. Moreover, attention is drawn not only to the content of words, but also to feelings and emotions.

  2. a reaction to feelings and emotions is manifested so that the interlocutor sees that he is being listened to and understood.

  3. attention is drawn to all the signals that the interlocutor uses (gestures, glances).
Active listening can be developed through the process of learning behavior.

When organizing communications, it is necessary to take into account the possibility of barriers to active listening.

Physical discomfort (fatigue, headache, stuffiness);

Interruption and extraneous sounds;

Busy with other thoughts;

pre-prepared responses;

Talking about yourself (translating the conversation to your problems);

Personalization (transferring a conversation from general problems to personalities);

biased attitude towards the interlocutor;

Selective listening (a person hears only what he wants to hear).
Speech skills

Speech skills mean the ability to express your thoughts. The ability to express your thoughts means:


  1. the ability to interest the interlocutor.

  2. the ability to express your thoughts.

  3. ability to argue.
A typical mistake in communication is self-orientation, which does not allow you to bring your thoughts to the interlocutor.

Self-orientation is manifested in the following:

A person does not organize his thought before expressing it.

The person expresses himself inaccurately, ambiguously.

The person speaks too long, so that by the end of the phrase the interlocutor no longer remembers what happened at the beginning.

The person speaks without paying attention to the reaction of the interlocutor.

A conversation without focusing on the interlocutor takes the form of a monologue. With such communication, up to 50% of information is lost.

A more effective form of oral communication is dialogue. At the heart of the dialogue is the ability to ask questions. The very fact of the question already demonstrates interest and desire to communicate.

The possibility of dialogue communication is expanded if the following are used: types of questions:

- open, i.e. implying detailed answers (closed questions are usually answered with “yes” or “no”).

- mirrored, i.e. containing repetition in the interrogative form of part of the statement of the interlocutor. Thus, you can make him pay attention to what was said, notice and correct mistakes, explain, clarify.

- relay, i.e. anticipatory statements of the interlocutor, directing the conversation in the right direction.

Communications by telephone are especially specific. Main phone communication rules:

Picking up the phone on a call, you need to introduce yourself, name the organization or department.

Before dialing a number, you need to think over your speech, formulate questions, and prepare the necessary information.

You can not ask several questions in a row, you need to pause to hear the answers.

It must be remembered that a telephone conversation exacerbates the shortcomings of speech, so you need to speak clearly and not too quickly.

The task of the leader is to teach his subordinates how to properly communicate on the phone.
Nonverbal Communication Skills

They imply the ability to use gestures, looks, postures, spaces, time, appearance to transfer information.

Non-verbal cues can support or refute spoken words, depending on what the speaker wants to say and how the listener interprets it.

Non-verbal messages are perceived, interpreted and stored in memory almost unconsciously. Sometimes also unconsciously a person uses non-verbal means(sometimes to the detriment of oneself).

A person who understands sign language can better understand the true feelings of the interlocutor, can deliberately mislead, manipulate.

Effective means of non-verbal communication can be:

Space

Appearance.

At use of space to convey information are of particular importance:


  1. the place where communication takes place;

  2. position of communication participants.

At use of time to transmit information are of particular importance:


  1. punctuality;

  2. the speed of reaction to the message received from the interlocutor.

At using appearance as a means of non-verbal communication it must be remembered that the appearance of a person speaks not only of his attitude towards himself, but also to the interlocutor, and to the subject of communication.
Communication skills are needed in such managerial situations as:

Setting goals and objectives for subordinates;

Negotiation;

Conflict resolution.

generally accepted forms of oral business communications are business meetings and conversations, meetings, meetings, negotiations, conferences.

There are more modern innovative forms :

- presentation- this is the official presentation of something newly created (enterprise, project, product);

- « round table» - this is a meeting within a larger event, used as a free conferenceheterogeneous participants to directly discuss certain problems. This form of communication is characterized by the following features:

1) the purpose of the discussion is to summarize ideas and opinions regarding the problem under discussion;

2) all participants of the round table act as proponents (they must express their opinion on the issue under discussion, and not on the opinions of other participants);

3) all participants in the discussion are equal; no one has the right to dictate their will and decisions.

In the process of round tables, original solutions and ideas are born quite rarely. Moreover, often the round table plays more of an information and propaganda role, and does not serve as a tool for developing specific decisions.

- press conference- event for media, held in cases where there is news of public interest, and an organization or individual famous person, directly related to this news, wish to give their comments on this news, which would be interesting and important for the public;
Press conference technology

Usually, during a press conference, its participants answer journalists' questions directly or indirectly related to the topic of the press conference.


  1. Approximately one week before the expected press conference, it is necessary to notify those media whose presence is required at the press conference, depending on its topic. This is usually done by sending press releases (official press releases) via e-mail or fax.

  2. After the distribution of press releases, you must verify receipt by calling.

  3. On the eve, the number of those who accepted the invitation, those who will attend the press conference, is rechecked.

  4. The presence of "recognizable characters" is important. Therefore, you need to establish contact with them in advance and invite them to interest them.
In order to interest as many important (and necessary) people as possible, it is necessary to put at the head of the discussion a topic that is common and relevant to all invitees (so that the name of the company or organization does not appear in the title). Representatives of various social strata should be invited.

The optimal time for holding a press conference is from 11.00 to 16.00.

The duration of a press conference is usually from 30 minutes to 3 hours, depending on the topic and the number of journalists.

Leader functions:


  1. Announce the beginning and end of the event;

  2. accept the question;

  3. answer an unwanted question, i.e. leave unanswered, referring to a deviation from an undesirable topic;

  4. choose a candidate for the next question;
- briefing– a brief press conference on one issue; from the press conference is distinguished by the absence of a presentation part, that is, almost immediately answers to questions from journalists. In addition, the briefing is closed, only pre-determined media representatives are invited to it. At the briefing, information "not for everyone" is voiced, and there is a discussion and even the development of joint decisions.

- Exhibitionit is a show, a public demonstration of achievements in one or more areas of activity.

- fairrecurring yearlysale of goods. Fairs are often held as part of various exhibition events. Unlike a regular exhibition, visitors to the fair have the opportunity to immediately buy the exhibits they like.


  1. Business conversation as a form of business communications

business conversation - This is a conversation between two interlocutors. This is a specially organized substantive conversation that serves to solve managerial problems.

Unlike business negotiations, which are much more structured and, as a rule, are conducted between representatives of different organizations (or divisions of the same organization), a business conversation more often takes place between representatives of the same organization. It is more informal and personal oriented.

Goals of a business conversation:


  1. have a certain influence on the interlocutor, encourage action, create new business relationships;

  2. understand the essence of the problem;

  3. develop a decision based on the expression and analysis of the opinions of employees.
The conversation takes the form of a dialogue. Therefore, it is necessary to formulate questions, assessments, reasoning in such a way that they directly or indirectly encourage the interlocutor to express his personal attitude to the subject under discussion.

The questioner controls the course of the conversation, therefore, to direct its flow in the right direction, it is appropriate to use open-ended and relay questions.
Types of business conversations:


  1. Job interview (screening interview).
The goals of the conversation are to determine:

a) whether the candidate will cope with this work and whether he will be able to do it better than others;

b) whether the personal qualities of the candidate meet the conditions organizational culture and whether he can successfully interact with other workers.

The result of the conversation is a decision on the suitability of the candidate for this job.

2. Conversation upon dismissal (exit interview).

The goals depend on the reasons for the dismissal of the employee.

a) if a person leaves own will, you can find out the true reasons for the dismissal in order to get an idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe problems in the organization. If the cause was a labor conflict, it is important to try to mitigate the situation in order to prevent the release of negative information beyond the boundaries of the organization. Results - additional information about the conditions of the organization and maintaining a positive image of the organization in the labor market.

b) if the employee is dismissed at the initiative of the employer, it is possible to explain the reasons for such a decision, if necessary, provide psychological or consulting support also in order to maintain the reputation of the organization as an employer in the labor market. The result of the conversation is the maintenance of a positive image of the organization.

3. Problematic and disciplinary conversations.

Conducted in case of failures in the work of an employee, on the facts of violations of discipline. For this conversation to be constructive character(and not just "split"), it is recommended to observe the following rules:

Pre-collect all the necessary information about the employee and his work;

Observe the following sequence of messages:

1) positive information about the work of the employee;

2) criticism;

3) learning how to correct the situation, with the expression of confidence in the abilities and motivation of the employee.

Make comments as specific as possible;

Criticize the performance of the job, not the person.

To make a decision based on the results of the conversation, it is necessary to understand the reason for the violations committed by the employee. The solution may also be to impose disciplinary action, and providing assistance (for example, appointing a mentor).
Structural organization of a business conversation

Conducting a conversation involves a series of mandatory milestones: preparatory stage; the beginning of the conversation; discussion of the problem; decision-making; end of conversation.

Preparatory stage. In the period of preparation for the upcoming conversation, it is necessary to think over the issues of its expediency, the conditions and time of its holding, and prepare the necessary materials and documents.

For example, when choosing a venue for a conversation, it is useful to consider the following recommendations specialists: in your office you will feel more confident if the initiative of the conversation comes from you. In the office of your interlocutor, it will be easier for you to resolve issues on which you take an objectively more advantageous position. If it is necessary to develop a joint decision, a program of joint actions, it makes sense to arrange a meeting "on neutral territory", where neither side will have advantages.

Start of a conversation. The tasks that are solved at the beginning of the conversation are primarily related to establishing contact with the interlocutor, creating an atmosphere of mutual understanding, awakening interest in the conversation. It is from the first phrases of each participant in the meeting that their further attitude to the subject of the conversation and their interlocutor as a person depends.

We list a number of methods, the use of which is effective at the beginning of a conversation:

Tension Relief Method: the use of personal appeal, compliments, jokes to establish closer contact with the interlocutor.

"hook" method: the use of any event, comparison, personal impression, anecdote or unusual question that allows you to figuratively represent the essence of the problem, the discussion of which should be devoted to the conversation.

Imagination Stimulation Method: posing at the beginning of the conversation many questions on a number of issues that should be considered during the conversation.

Method of "direct approach": Jump straight to the point without any discussion - a brief statement of the reasons for which the interview is scheduled, and a quick transition to a specific issue.

Main partconversations is aimed at collecting and evaluating information on the problem under discussion; identifying the motives and goals of the interlocutor; transmission of scheduled information. The successful implementation of this phase is facilitated by the possession of the technique of posing questions, methods of active listening and perception of information and facts.

Obstacles to create a frank, constructive-critical atmosphere of a business conversation can be:

Tactless interruption in mid-sentence;

Unjustified decision of the interlocutor of the opportunity to express his opinion;

Imposing the opinion of the speaker;

Ignoring or ridiculing the interlocutor's arguments;

A rude reaction to the expression of opposing points of view by partners;

Falsification of facts;

Unfounded suspicions, allegations, shouting for criticism;

Final part of the conversation serves as a kind of general assessment. Successfully completing a conversation means achieving predetermined goals. The objectives of this stage are: summarizing the achievement of the goal; stimulating the interlocutor to perform the intended activity; maintaining, if necessary, further contact with the interlocutor.

It is important to separate the end of the conversation from its other phases; for this, expressions like: "Let's sum up" or "We have come to the end of our conversation" are used.


  1. business meeting

business meeting - a form of organized, purposeful interaction associated with decision-making by a group of stakeholders

Meetings take up a significant portion of a manager's work time. At the same time, the higher the position of a person in the organization, the more often he has to take part in meetings. Meanwhile, most people have an acute dislike for this type of professional activity. It is caused by the extremely low efficiency of most meetings and meetings, which is explained by ignorance of the simplest principles for preparing and holding meetings.

business meeting - is a decision-making activity group interested persons. Accordingly, the organization of the meeting is influenced by such features of group behavior as the distribution of statuses and roles in the group, relations between group members, group pressure, etc.
Hold meetings expedient, when needed:

Bring information to several employees at the same time;

make a collective decision;

Reach agreement with the decision by involving employees in its discussion;

Use meetings for the professional growth of employees.

Accordingly, hold meetings inappropriate when:

Information may be disseminated in writing or orally by telephone;

The decision has already been made;

There is no time for collegial discussion of the decision.
Meeting Success Conditions:


  1. The leader must develop his own opinion about solving the problem and think over the tactics of the meeting in advance.

  2. Those invited should be notified in advance of the agenda of the meeting in order to think about the problem in advance and come to the meeting with their proposals. Among those invited should be:
- those who prepared the information (specialists, experts);

Those affected by the problem;

Those who are expected to carry out the decision.

3. The meeting should be well organized so that disputes and conflicts do not arise, since it is possible that everyone present will defend their point of view.

4. It is necessary to listen to the opinion of all those present, and from the bottom up in the service hierarchy.

5. The result of the meeting must be a decision approved by the majority of participants (a compromise must be found).
Meetings happen different types: to exchange information, to formulate problems, to solve problems, to make decisions.


Figure 1. Meeting organization process
Types of business meetings

Business meetings are classified according to the following criteria:

1. By belonging to the sphere of public life: business administrative, scientific or scientific and technical (seminars, symposiums, conferences, congresses), meetings and meetings of political, trade union and other public organizations, joint meetings;

2. By the scale of attracting participants: international, republican, branch, regional, regional, city, district, internal (on the scale of one organization or its divisions);

3. By venue: local, visiting;

4. According to the frequency of holding: regular, permanent (collected periodically, but without stable regularity);

5. By the number of participants: in a narrow composition (up to 5 people), in an expanded composition (up to 20 people), representative (more than 20 people).

6. According to the purposes of conducting: instructive, operational (dispatching), problematic.

Goals of briefings - broadcast necessary information and orders from top to bottom in the control scheme for their speedy implementation. The decisions taken by the head of the enterprise or organization are brought to the attention of the meeting participants, tasks are distributed with appropriate briefing, unclear issues are clarified, the timing and methods of fulfilling orders are determined.

Goals of operational (dispatch) meetings- Obtaining information about the current state of affairs. Unlike briefing meetings, information flows from the bottom up through the control scheme. Participants of such a meeting report on the progress of work in the field. Operational meetings are held regularly, always at the same time, the list of participants is permanent, there is no special agenda, they are devoted to urgent tasks of the current and next 2-3 days.

Goals of problem meetings finding the best solutions to a particular problem in the shortest possible time.
In management practice, the meeting is usually led by the leader. This circumstance often reduces their effectiveness, since the leader has to play three roles at the same time: he is both the center of power and the organizer of the discussion process, and is responsible for the results of the meeting. Analysis of the role of the leader at the meeting led to the development of a method facilitation.

Facilitation means using a third, neutral party, with an open mind about the issue under discussion, to carry out a process that will increase the likelihood of reaching a mutually acceptable agreement.

Facilitator- a specialist in organizing the process of interaction between the participants of the meeting.

A facilitator can be helpful in particular

When holding meetings aimed at resolving contentious issues or conflicts;

When holding meetings aimed at establishing partnership relations;

When holding intra-organizational and multilateral meetings, when a situation in which one of the participants has great power than others, and there is a risk of them suppressing the opinions of other participants.


  1. Negotiation

Negotiation communication between the parties to achieve their goals, in which each of the parties has equal opportunities to control the situation and make decisions.

Negotiation functions:


  1. search for a joint solution to the problem;

  2. information function

  3. communicative function

  4. regulatory function

  5. propaganda function

  6. solution of own domestic and foreign policy tasks
In general, it should be noted that any negotiations are multifunctional and involve the simultaneous implementation of several functions. But at the same time, the function of finding a joint solution should remain a priority.

Types of negotiations:

There are two main types of negotiations - positional and principled:

- positional, whose strategy is focused on the dispute about specific points (positions) in resolving the conflict issue. For example, a dispute about specific clauses of the contract, a dispute about the price in the process of buying and selling. This strategy is often called positional trading;

- fundamental(or negotiations on the merits) involve the maximum consideration of the interests of the parties and the joint development of a general agreement on this basis.

The two types of negotiations described above can also take place as:

- soft negotiations when the parties are ready to make endless concessions to each other in order to reach an agreement and maintain good relations, which, in the end, leads to the adoption of a decision that is ineffective for both parties;

- tough negotiations , i.e. insisting at any cost on one's usually extreme position, for the most part disregarding the interests of the other party.

Regarding other classifications of negotiations, they may differ in the number and level of participants, in the range of issues discussed, in decision-making mechanisms, duration, regularity, degree of formality and mandatory execution of decisions made.

Negotiation stages:


  1. Preparation for negotiations;

  2. negotiation process;

  3. Completion of negotiations and analysis of their results.

Preparatory stage includes information and organizational training.

Information preparation includes:


    1. analysis of problems, diagnosis of the situation;

    2. formation general approach to the negotiations, their goals, objectives, positions;

    3. forecast of the development of the situation, identification of possible solutions;

    4. preparation of proposals and their argumentation, preparation of necessary documents.

Organizational training includes:


  1. determination of the composition of the delegation and its leader.
Common Mistake for the Russian participants in the negotiations - too large a quantitative composition of the delegations;

2) establishing a working relationship with a prospective partner: demonstrating interest in participating in negotiations, request (if necessary) additional information(for example, technical documentation).

3) coordination with the partner of the organizational moments of the upcoming negotiations (the level of negotiations (who is the head of the delegation: the head of the enterprise, his deputy, etc.?), the place of the negotiations, the quantitative composition of the delegation (how many people will take part in the negotiations?).

4) making proposals on the agenda (what issues and in what order do you intend to discuss).

It is also important to pay attention to tactical training, which is focused on the choice of methods and ways of negotiating, the distribution of roles between team members, on debugging workers, business relations with a partner.
negotiation process
Seating: the head of the delegation sits in the center, opposite him - the head of the partner delegation; to the right of the head - the second person in the delegation, to the left - an interpreter (if necessary).
direct conversation

The first stage is the clarification of the interests, positions, goals, etc. of the participants in the negotiations. (Attention: no matter how well the preparation is carried out, there are always a number of unexplained points).

The second stage is the discussion of positions; the main thing at this stage is the argumentation of the proposed solutions.

The third stage is the coordination of positions. It is expedient to first agree on the general contours of the agreement (work out a general formula), then discuss the details. This tactic saves time. On the final stage the parties proceed to edit the text.

Calm tone, even if the partner is irritated or aggressive, it is necessary to carefully listen to the interlocutor to the end, without interrupting;

Tea and coffee are served 5–7 minutes after the start;

After an hour of conversation, tea, coffee is offered again;

At the end of the negotiations (signing of a protocol of intent, contract, agreement), a protocol event is arranged (for example, a reception).

Analysis of the results of negotiations.

In particular, it is necessary to analyze:


  1. what actions contributed to the success (failure) of the negotiations;

  2. what difficulties arose, how these difficulties were overcome;

  3. what was not taken into account when preparing for the negotiations, why;

  4. what surprises arose during the negotiations;

  5. what was the behavior of the partner in the negotiations;

  6. what principles of negotiation can and should be used in other negotiations.
Suitable after negotiation prepare a report on their conduct, in which to analyze the results and progress of the negotiations.

In the event of a possible failure to fulfill the agreements, it is necessary to inform the partner in advance, offering compensation options (if they are not specified in the contract).
Negotiation Tactics

Tacticsnegotiations- a set of specific actions (including speech) that are performed in a certain order and at a certain time to achieve the intermediate goals of the negotiations.

For example, the following tactics may be used:


  1. Gradual increase in the complexity of the issues to be resolved, when first partners are asked to solve less important, less problematic issues, to which it is quite easy to get a positive answer. This creates a favorable psychological climate, shows that the problem can be solved. This is followed by a search for a "common solution zone" and " general formula decisions." To get an agreement from a partner on less important issues, you can “decompose” the problem into components and seek agreement on each element. A positive solution to a number of easy issues helps to convince the partner that more complex problems can be solved.

  2. "Bundling"proposals when unattractive proposals are linked to a number of attractive ones and offered to a partner interested in the rapid implementation of the latter. This tactic speeds up the deal and gives priority to the initiator of the proposal package.

  3. Tactics of Gradual Concessions; this tactic does not necessarily weaken the partner's position. Rather, agreeing to make a concession is seen as a desire to avoid embarrassment for both parties.

Negotiation Methods:

1. Variational Method can be implemented at the preparatory stage of the negotiations. It consists in distributing the expected result into:

The ideal solution to the problem;

The optimal solution and what aspects in solving the problem can be neglected;

Forced decision and its terms;

A partner's offer that must be rejected.

All these options are thought out in advance, as are the strategy options for each of them.


  1. Integration method it is advisable to use it if the partner does not deviate from his narrow interests, conducts positional bargaining.
When using this method, the main thing is to convince the partner of the need to take into account social relationships, because they promise mutual benefits. The method of integration, as well as the method of balancing, require a high level of linguistic competence from the communicants, the free use of tactics and techniques of persuasive speech, while observing orthological and ethical norms.

  1. Balancing Method I focuses the attention of negotiators on a close analysis of the partner's system of counterarguments. This method is used in two cases. On the preparatory stage when it is impossible to simulate the course of negotiations without analyzing the positions of the partners, and during negotiations, when the partner is “playing for time”, does not want to take risks or is not competent enough.
The phase of the negotiations, which requires recourse to the balancing method, can be a turning point, a decisive one. The principle of its application is a clear emotional and informational reaction to the partner's counterarguments using figures, facts, calculation results, etc.

  1. Compromise Method manifested in the willingness of partners to take into account each other's interests and make concessions. This involves abandoning the original requirements and formulating new ones.
The complexity of the compromise method, on the one hand, lies in the fact that the proposed compromise solution may exceed the powers and competence of the participant and cause the so-called conditional agreement. On the other hand, the complexity of the method is psychologically conditioned: moving towards resolving the issue on the basis of concessions requires enormous patience from representatives of firms with divergent interests in overcoming the inertia of persistence.