3 3 Business conversation

Strategic programs and tactical business interaction plans contain up to 70% of the provisions, the implementation of which is impossible without business meetings, conversations, including discussion of problems and information sharing.

A business conversation is an exchange of views on specific issues between two interlocutors related to common interests, a common direction of activity, etc. In addition, business conversation is understood to be verbal communication between interlocutors who have the necessary powers from their organizations to establish business relations, develop constructive approaches to solving problems, etc.

A business conversation brings partners (interlocutors) to the idea of ​​the need to agree on any positions, interpersonal conversation involves discussing a specific subject with a specific purpose. Achieving the goal of a business conversation is always associated with the development of a joint program of action on a particular direction of activity.

The value of a business conversation can not be overemphasized. It is in the process of a serious business conversation that you can convince your communication partner of the validity of the position adopted, to achieve mutual understanding.

When preparing for a business conversation, the psychological attitude becomes the desire to win over the interlocutor, to convince him to accept specific proposals, terms of the deal, position, etc.

A communicative setting in such a situation would be the organization and actualization of all verbal and non-verbal elements of the future meeting (documents, questions to the partner, place and time of the meeting, illustrative materials, etc.).

Role setting. Each of the parties in the process of preparing and organizing a meeting can act both as a contact initiator and as a listener, addressee of information. The difference between these roles lies in the ability to dictate their conditions to a greater or lesser extent, to insist not on the form and content of upcoming business contacts.

The functions of a business conversation include:

• mutual communication of workers from the same business environment;
• joint search, promotion and operational development of working ideas and plans;
• control and coordination of already started business events;
• maintaining business contacts;
• stimulation of business activity (promotion, recovery, error analysis, etc.).

Practice verified the main stages of business conversations, which include:

• preparation for the meeting;
• establishing verbal and non-verbal contacts, overcoming psychological barriers at the very beginning of a business conversation;
• presentation of information about the subject of the conversation, the argumentation of the proposed provisions;
• joint decision making;
• the end of the conversation.

During the preparation for the upcoming conversation, each of the participants, first of all, decides on its feasibility, and then thinks about the place, time, conditions of communication. At the same time, the whole course of the upcoming conversation is planned: the provisions submitted for discussion are carefully analyzed, objective and subjective factors affecting the attitude of the participants to the upcoming meeting are weighed, the necessary materials are prepared. Each of the participants of the meeting seeks to envisage all the moments that have the interlocutors to a positive perception of information, position, project, program.

Organizational issues related to the preparation for a business meeting should be carefully considered. Its success largely depends on it.

Where will the conversation take place?

In his office, the initiator of the meeting will feel more confident, since he is “at home”. In the office of the communication partner, it is easier to resolve issues on which the “guest” has a better position, more compelling arguments.

In a neutral territory, none of the parties will have advantages, but one should not forget that business meetings in clubs, bars and cafes that are so fashionable today have a number of negative characteristics. Strangers, noise, the need to address the question of "who to pay", taste preferences of one of the parties, etc. In such places, it is not the first meeting that will be justified, but one that will emphasize already established business contacts, trust in the relations of partners, and readiness to make a final decision.

What time to hold a meeting?

All authors of business communication manuals agree on the unreasonableness of setting up business meetings on Monday morning, Friday afternoon and the end of the working day on any day of the week.

If possible, you should not tie a business meeting (especially the first) to the lunch time. An exception may be a meeting during which emergency information that is interesting for both parties will be discussed. It is very important, in any case, to think over all aspects of the preparation of the meeting, so that at the last moment there is no need to change the terms of the agreement on it.

What materials need to be prepared for a business conversation?

You should not overload the interlocutor's attention with redundant information in documents, diagrams, illustrations, but you should have with you those materials that will be relevant to justify your own position, assess the position of the interlocutor, the feasibility of further contacts.

Each of the participants in the conversation should clearly define for themselves the purpose of the meeting, consider the appropriateness of attracting other participants, pick up explanations, evidence, and factual arguments necessary for making a decision. Preparing for a conversation with a stranger to you, it is good to find out about him even the most general “personal” information in order to anticipate his reaction to certain words and actions.

The main stage of the meeting, that is, the actual conversation, is associated with the implementation of communicative speech skills of interlocutors when discussing the subject of the conversation. Here, it would be appropriate to use all those speech patterns that were described in the chapter “TCN for establishing (maintaining) business contacts”.

The psychological setting of the initiator of the conversation at this stage is the establishment of an atmosphere of trust, subject to an understanding of the position of the interlocutor and his right to his own opinion.

Communicative setting - introducing into the conversation the same "standards": concepts, judgments, definitions, positions, etc., as well as clarifying discrepancies in understanding the purpose of the conversation and its subject.

After establishing contact between interlocutors, their roles are specified . It depends on who they are by professional and social affiliation and who they become in a conversation situation ("boss - subordinate", "colleague - colleague", "seller - buyer", "employee of the company - client", "company representative - possible partner ", etc.). Depending on the role, one of the participants becomes the initiator, the more active side of the conversation.

It is known that the very first spoken phrases often decide the course of a conversation. No wonder so many talk about the "effect of the first impression," which is very difficult to correct in further communication.

What can contribute to the normal flow of conversation?

From the first moments of the conversation, you should try to eliminate any signs of disrespect, neglect of the interlocutor, no matter what impression you have about him did not develop in advance. You should not force him to take a defensive position in conversation, as this will only lead to irritation and abandonment of the goal of the conversation.

In order for the conversation to be more productive, at the very beginning, after establishing contact, it is worthwhile to specify the topic and purpose of the conversation, the sequence of the questions under consideration. The more clearly and clearly all the details of the conversation are formulated, the easier it is to completely or partially change the positions of the parties in favor of a more advantageous decision, to soften contradictions, even to criticize, without offending by giving unsubstantiated arguments. Every businessman, every business person makes efforts to ensure that he has a reputation as an honest and decent person, so each of the partners should emphasize with their behavior what he considers as an interlocutor. In most cases, a person wants to support in the eyes of others the positive reputation created by him. Justifying her, he can more easily agree with the weighty arguments of the participants in the discussion of the problem.

The most important moment of the main stage of the meeting is the adoption of a joint decision, bringing all private judgments to a common denominator. This becomes possible provided that each of the participants of the conversation demonstrates not only the skills of speaking and persuasion, but listening and understanding. Often in business conversations the position of the listener is considered more profitable. Listening carefully to the arguments of the interlocutors and watching them, you can get more useful, relevant information, get to know the interlocutors better, get deeper into the essence of their position. Placing your position in a form that is more consonant with speech characteristics with that of a partner, you can inspire the latter with confidence in the superiority of his own position.

The ability to “listen and hear” has for some time acquired a dollar value in the business world. At the end of the 60s, the “hearing” course in the aspect of formal business communication was included in the program of training specialists and businessmen from the USA, Japan, and the FRG. There were even specially compiled guidelines, which were required to strictly adhere to individual enterprises. Mistakes that can be eliminated by learning to listen carefully to the interlocutor are determined by the manner of many people “to hear only themselves” or to observe the interlocutor's behavior more than delve into the meaning of his words.

At the decision-making stage, the psychological setting of the participants in communication is the suggestion to the interlocutor of the thought about the priority of their own position, their own arguments, which should form the basis of a joint decision.

Communicative installation - the embodiment of the subject content of the position in a specific content-semantic form.

At this stage, the roles of interlocutors are specified, acquiring the form of a “proponent - opponent”. You need to make some efforts to ensure that your position in the conversation was more convincing. What can be done for this?

1. Try to draw positive attention to your personality with a benevolent mood, adherence to the subtleties of business etiquette, competent speech, respect for the opinions of your opponent.
2. To draw attention to their arguments, building a speech according to the scheme: "thesis - proof - conclusion - evaluation".
3. Use as familiar to the other person as possible concepts and terms, image systems. Watch your speech, not forgetting about emotionality, accessibility, normativity.
4. Consider how to submit a message: a gradual move towards the main idea or a “shock dive” into the problem.
5. Do not gloat if your information has broken all the arguments of opponents.
6. Use diagrams, graphics and visual materials.
7. To introduce elements of “detente” into a serious, intense conversation, since it is known that even the most conscientious listeners pay attention to the speaker’s words after 15 to 20 minutes of continuous monologue.

It is unlikely that a business conversation involves an endless exchange of jokes and anecdotes, but a sense of humor can help the participants to communicate if the conversation is “deadlocked”. It is believed that a sense of humor is not "laughter without a cause," but "the ability to arbitrarily, given the situation, come in good spirits."

The last stage of the business meeting - its completion. Successfully end a conversation - it means to achieve predetermined goals. At this stage, the situation of interaction and mutual understanding is built on the parameters already known.

Psychological setting is the embodiment of the motives of interaction in a specific solution to the problem, stimulating the partner to perform the intended actions.

Communicative setting - the achievement of the main goal, the prediction of further contacts with the interlocutor, his company, drawing up clear conclusions and suggestions, the expression of satisfaction with the conversation.

In order to prevent unnecessary waste of time and energy in the final stage of the conversation, it is necessary to remember some conclusions of the practitioners of the negotiation process.

1. The main conclusions and ideas are formulated clearly, clearly, unequivocally.
2. Conclusions are presented in a simple, easily perceptible form of logical statements, full of meaning and meaning.
3. In the generalizing conclusion, one generalizing thought prevails, set out in the form of several provisions, maximally compressed in form.

The speech means of formalizing a business conversation correlate with each of the stages of the meeting and the corresponding communicative acts.

Perhaps the above speech constructs used in a business conversation will seem well-known to the sophisticated masters of the word and therefore redundant. However, the longstanding practice of communicating with students, students of seminars, participants in trainings, businessmen, politicians and employees of various institutions convinces us that the position, rank, and education received do not always agree with the communicative and speech competence of the required level.

In order to supplement what has been said, let us turn to the advice of theorists and practitioners of formal business communication. Below we provide a generalized list of those provisions that can help or harm the establishment of necessary business contacts.

Let us dwell once more on the need for each of the participants in a business conversation to carefully listen to the interlocutor. There are many tips for acquiring effective listening (listening) skills.

We list the most important.

• Listening to the interlocutors, it is important to focus not on the form of presentation, but on facts, arguments, suggestions. American businessmen recommend in the process of discussing the problem to follow the rule: “Listen with attention, listen - do not talk, listen to what a person can say, cannot say, does not want to say.”
• Do not "push" on the interlocutor with your voice, manners, remember that the key to a successful conversation is elementary politeness, involving attention to the words of each of the interlocutors.
• Logically plan the hearing process: memorize the main thoughts, try to mentally predict the course of the conversation, and then compare your assumptions with the actual situation.
• Listen actively. Ask again, ask clarifying questions, repeat the individual provisions expressed by the interlocutor.

К сожалению, эффективно слушать порою мешают многочисленные помехи:

• физические (шум, усталость, чьи-то действия),
• умственные (безразличное отношение к предмету разговора, сложность излагаемого материала, озабоченность личными проблемами и т.д.),
• недостаточно развитая коммуникативная компетентность (неумение организовать свои мысли, неумение организовать ситуацию с учетом ролей собеседников, нескрываемая антипатия к собеседнику);
• отсутствие навыков красноречия и т.д.

Часто можно слышать, что деловое общение – это «игра по правилам». Хорошее знание правил помогает «выиграть партию».

Подводя итоги сказанному, можно констатировать, что повышению эффективности проведения деловой беседы способствует выполнение определенных правил.

1. Если проявлять доброжелательное отношение к собеседнику, можно рассчитывать на такое же отношение к себе с его стороны.
2. Если слушать собеседника внимательно, можно больше узнать о его планах.
3. Если соблюдать хладнокровие, можно избежать многих проблем.
4. Чтобы дать возможность собеседнику «сохранить свое лицо», нужно обеспечить ему наиболее легкое, удобное восприятие идей и предложений.
5. Чтобы оставить о себе хорошее впечатление и рассчитывать на продолжение контактов, нужно придерживаться делового этикета, порадоваться в заключение достигнутым соглашением, сделать несколько ненавязчивых комплиментов собеседнику.

LITERATURE

Васильева А.Н. Основы культуры речи. - М.,1990

Введенская Л.А., Павлова Л.Г. Деловая риторика: Учебное пособие для вузов. – Ростов н/Д, 2002

Головин Б.Н. Основы культуры речи: Учеб. для вузов. – М., 1988

Колтунова М.В. Язык и деловое общение: Нормы, риторика, этикет: Учеб. пособие для вузов. – М., 2000

Мицич П. Как проводить деловые беседы. – М., 2001

Панфилова А.П. Деловая коммуникация в профессиональной деятельности. Учебное пособие.- М., 2001

Русский язык и культура речи: Учебник/Под ред. prof. В.И.Максимова.– М., 2000 - 2006