Chapter 10: Interpersonal Workplace Communication

Until this point, we have focused mostly on crafting writing skills pertaining to the workplace. Despite all the sophistication of our skills with the written language and writing technologies, they are all extensions of a natural technology that we can’t do without. Just as a wheel improves upon what our feet do and a hammer upon our fists without replacing them, our writing technologies don’t replace our voice. Indeed, they make the uses to which we put our voices all the more important. When you look at the job application process, for instance, the written component (résumé and cover letter) will get you in the door, but it’s the in-person, face-to-face conversation you have for the oral component (the interview) that will ultimately get you the job.

In a world gone mad for technology, we still value the human element of our face-to-face interactions most. Though online shopping has stolen some of the retail market shares from brick-and-mortar stores, the vast majority of business interactions require in-person contact—not just at the customer-to-business front end but especially in the back end of internal office operations. The advantages of in-person workplace collaboration will protect those face-to-face interactions for a long time to come, as well as require that everyone in the workforce have high-level communication skills. This chapter focuses on the aspect of the needed soft skills for effective communication and how to prepare for a job interview.

Access the video below relating to verbal communication in the workplace:

• 10.1: Verbal Communication and Conversation
• 10.2: Ethics and Professionalism
• 10.3: Effectively Answering Interviews Questions
• 10.4: Examples and References

10.1: Verbal Communication and Conversation

Your professional success depends on having advanced people (a.k.a. “soft”) skills because most jobs require you to talk to people. Key among these is a skill in speaking and conversing with others in person. Retail sales, for instance, requires the ability to listen carefully to what a customer says they want and “read” their nonverbal cues to determine what exactly to say and how to say it in order to close the deal with a purchase. Though we’re not born with them, everyone has the capacity to learn, develop, practice, and apply verbal and nonverbal skills to benefit audiences, their company as a whole, and themselves.

Throughout your life, you have had many conversations, yet you may have never thought about the process of cultivating a conversation. Starting a conversation may seem easy for some, while others are not comfortable in that element. Starting a conversation is further hindered by emerging technology, which has played a huge part in how our daily conversations have changed. Therefore, it’s worth breaking down how an effective communicator approaches the art of conversation. A skilled professional knows when to speak, when to go silent and listen, as well as when to stop speaking before the audience stops listening. Additionally, understanding the conversation process will provide a foundation for approaching communication relating to job interviews.

Verbal Communication and Conversation Topics

• 10.1.1: Using Your Voice as Your Most Essential Communication Tool
• 10.1.2: Exploring the Five Parts of a Conversation
• 10.1.3: Conversation in the Digital Age
• 10.1.4: Using the Telephone and Voicemail Effectively

10.1.1: Using Your Voice as Your Most Essential Communication Tool

Verbal communication is the process of using words to convey a message. Not all messages can be relayed in a written form, so a verbal conversation has to take place. Your message, regardless of the form, includes a sender, a receiver, and a message. Your communication is deemed successful if the message of the speaker has been heard and understood.

Did you know that the tone of your voice can play a part in how a message is received? Imagine that you and a group of your friends have been summoned to the school auditorium for a general assembly. The gathering is large, with multiple conversations going on at once at various levels. In order to gain the attention of the crowd, the speaker has to raise the tone of their voice. Inflecting various tones in one’s voice can direct how a serious conversation will be conveyed. Give this some thought the next time you have a conversation with friends, family, etc.

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10.1.2: Exploring the Five Parts of Conversation

Conversation is one of the main ways we interact in the business environment, and yet it’s highly susceptible to miscommunication and misunderstandings. Our everyday familiarity with conversations often makes us blind to the subtle changes that take place during the course of a conversation. Examining it will help you to consider its components, predict the next turn, anticipate an opening or closing, and make you a better conversationalist. Steven Beebe, Susan Beebe, and Mark Redmond (2002) break the conversation down into five stages that we will adapt here for our discussion.

Initiation: This occurs at the beginning of the conversation and requires your interaction with others. Ice breakers and engaging in “small talk” can start a conversation, drawing people out of their comfort zones and into a casual situation. Conversation starters such as “How are you?” “Cool jacket. Where did you purchase it?” and “Have you watched the new Batman movie yet?” are great to draw people out.

Preview: A preview of a conversation, either verbally or nonverbally, indicates the topic. Think of an email that contains only one to two words in the subject area. This preview alerts the receiver about the intended subject matter of the conversation and prompts a response.

Business: During this part of the conversation, we are now getting to the intention of the conversation. It would be helpful to have three points of focus in mind so that the topic is covered completely. This will also ensure that the receiver has been given all of the information necessary to make an informed decision and/or response.

Feedback: Feedback gives the speaker an opportunity to clarify, restate, or further discuss the major points of focus. The main mission of this part of the conversation is to ensure that the receiver understands the information being given.

Closing: During the final stage of the conversation, the speaker should thank the listener or receiver for allowing them the time to speak. It is also at this time that the speaker can give contact information in the event that further information is needed. Most importantly, the speaker should not return to the main three points of the topic or introduce a new topic. These events would not be well received by the listener.

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10.1.3: Conversation in the Digital Age

When you enter the workforce, you will have to communicate with people of various age groups. Each group of people has a different communication style and preference, and knowing how to communicate effectively with that group of people will take time. Do you prefer to use texting apart from an actual telephone call to communicate with others? If you answered yes, you may have a difficult time in the workplace. You will have to consider the fact that not everyone grew up with a smartphone or cell phone, which introduce various ways of communicating, such as texting. Some individuals may feel that the only way to truly communicate and understand the message is through a tried-and-true method such as a telephone call.

Many young adults prefer the ease of using a smartphone and other social media applications because it is comfortable and quick to manipulate. However, the perceived addiction to using these mediums can be detrimental to developing meaningful verbal conversations. Individuals must then begin the process of cultivating conversations that can prove to be terrifying to some and bring anxiety to someone who is otherwise uncomfortable with face-to-face encounters.

Below, you will find a list of points that Celeste Headlee covers in her video on how to have a better conversation:

1. Don’t multitask—Focus on the conversation.
2. Don’t pontificate—Be prepared to learn from others.
3. Use open-ended questions—Give room for them to express themselves
4. Go with the flow—Keep comments and questions relevant to the moment.
5. Say when you don’t know.
6. Don’t equate your experience to theirs.
7. Don’t repeat yourself.
8. Leave out tiny details.
9. Listen to understand.
10. Be brief.

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10.1.4: Using the Telephone and Voicemail Effectively

The simplest form of an audio-only conversation is a telephone call. A phone call is advantageous whenever you need a consistent pace of conversation with someone to sort out details in a timely manner but are too distant from them physically to do it in person. Some make the mistake of choosing written channels like email or text, drawing out the communication process over hours or days to discuss matters that would take mere seconds or minutes by phone. As long as you don’t need details permanently recorded in writing, the phone is a feasible channel to discuss details for any busy professional. Though you’ve probably talked on the phone countless times throughout your life, you may not yet have had the chance to do so professionally, where the expectations for competence are much higher than in social or family contexts—so much so that some executives hire professional voice coaches to help them increase their effectiveness in phone communication. The importance of audio communication in business and industry has increased with the availability of conference calls, voice over internet protocol (VoIP), voice-activated electronic menus, and voice-to-text dictation software such as that in the Gboard (Google keyboard) app for smartphones. We’ll examine how to improve your style of conversation in an age where many prefer to text rather than call.

1. Speak slowly and clearly articulate your words. By following this method, you are ensuring that your words are being understood without having to be repeated.

2. Use colorful terms. You want to describe what you are saying so that the listener has a visual connection to the message.

3. Be specific. Ensure that your information has been received. If necessary, repeat the information, particularly when relaying addresses and/or phone numbers.

4. Keep your conversations private. Consider others and the information being exchanged by taking or making calls in a private location. Taking or making professional calls in a restaurant, grocery store, or elevator would not be an ideal situation.

5. Silence cell phones and other devices when you are meeting with others, during class, or within other social settings.

When you phone someone but are sent to voicemail because they don’t pick up, switching to monologue mode means that you can only get as far as the preview stage of the conversation structure outlined above. You’d still open by saying hello, your full name, and your company. The limit on how much recording time you have (30 seconds? 60?—you may not know) and the absence of feedback from the listener, however, means that you can really only say what the call is about in concise, clear terms. A long, rambling voicemail message may be cut off and you may not even know it, and it also increases the possibility for misunderstandings without being present to clarify based on your listener’s responses. Anything that needs discussion must be saved for the actual conversation, especially anything of a sensitive nature. Recording confidential information is potentially dangerous to you and others.

Add your contact information, even if you think the person already knows your phone number, and say it twice slowly so that the listener has additional time to get a pen and paper if they’re still looking for them the first time you say it. Imagining you were writing down your phone number as you recite it will help you deliver it at a listener-friendly speed (Business Communication for Success, 2015, 15.2). Precise pronunciation is crucial because “60” and “16” or “90” and “19” may sound the same in a strong accent.

Be prepared to receive voicemail by recording a professional-sounding call-back message that begins after about 4–5 rings. Top professionals record a new one every morning when they begin work and include the date in it. They can thus state what their availability is throughout the day and assure the listener how quickly to expect a callback. When you receive a voicemail, return the call as soon as possible. The 24-hour rule of email doesn’t apply to voicemail because the person who called you chose this channel deliberately expecting to discuss something with you “live” in a timely manner. With so many channels available, using the phone implies a sense of urgency.

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As we are developing various communication plans to utilize while working in the world of business, we must also explore the importance of maintaining professional behavior. Having a pleasant demeanor and developing a trusting manner are desirable in any employee. These traits can also help you to collaborate more easily with others, maintain employment, and provide other opportunities.

Professionalism and Ethical Behavior Topics

• 10.2.1: Professionalism on the Job
• 10.2.2: Proper Business Etiquette
• 10.2.3: Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

10.2.1: Professionalism on the Job

The type of behavior that you exhibit within the workplace should reflect your overall work demeanor. Your body language and tone can affect how future interactions will take place, as well as how your coworkers, employers, customers, and clients will view you in the workplace. By following these areas, you can cultivate and maintain professionalism consistently.

Civility is defined as a polite act or expression. The general rule here is to treat everyone respectfully. Adopting this trait will create a positive experience for all who interact with you.

Social intelligence involves following clues when interacting with others in terms of actively listening to others around you. You should be able to read nonverbal clues in the following situations:

• How and when to initiate conversation
• When it’s your turn to speak and when to listen in order to keep a conversation going
• What to say and what not to say
• How to say what you mean in a manner that will be understood by your audience
• When and how to use humor effectively and when not to
• How and when to end the conversation gracefully

In some instances, individuals may appear awkward in conversations. This is due to not developing the necessary conversational skills needed to enhance their social intelligence. Having a conversation with someone who lacks social intelligence is usually a one-sided situation, which may result in an abrupt end to the conversation. These skills can be developed by practicing good conversational skills and applying them daily.

Like social intelligence, emotional intelligence also involves being able to interpret the emotions of others in social settings and knowing how to handle those situations. Some instances will require you to remain neutral or to develop a “poker face” in order to mask your feelings, especially in professional situations. You will have an opportunity to gauge how others are really feeling without outwardly showing emotion. Such nonverbal clues as eye movements, facial expressions, body posture, and hand gestures would serve as warning signs and allow one to diffuse a situation before it becomes worse.

Social graces equal possessing good manners such as being polite to others, knowing the proper etiquette for dining, as well as dressing appropriately in certain situations. The simple application of saying thank-you and please can speak volumes to your character and professionalism.

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10.2.2: Proper Business Etiquette

Etiquette is a code of behavior that extends to many aspects of how we present ourselves in social situations. Thus far, we have covered specific written applications (e.g., using a well-mannered, courteous style of writing, such as saying please when asking someone to do something). In this section, we will focus on dining etiquette and dress.

Throughout your work experience, you may be invited out to lunch or dinner with your supervisor. During this time, your superior will assess how you handle yourself and if you are applying good manners. Your lunch or dinner may serve as a “test” to see if you possess the necessary professional traits of the company and if they can entrust you with hosting future clients. Kent State University provides a dining etiquette guide (Career Exploration and Development, 2022) that gives a thorough explanation of expectations.

It is imperative to inquire about the type of workplace attire required before beginning your employment. Many organizations require a particular style of clothing or uniforms, while others accept casual clothing. Your dress will dictate how others view you professionally and how clients will see you as a representative of the company. Most importantly, you do not want to be out of compliance by not dressing appropriately.

In addition to dressing appropriately, there may be other forms of personal expression or certain accessories that may not be allowed such as:

Tattoos: Depending on the company policy, you may be asked to wear long-sleeved shirts in order to cover these or asked to remove them.

Piercings: Although earrings are a popular item among women, the stretched earlobe, nasal piercings, etc. may not be acceptable to some employers.

Dyed hair: Dyed hair is a personal expression, but depending on the industry, it may not be acceptable for some companies. Some companies may actually find this freedom of expression a distraction.

The best rule is to check with the company beforehand. If some of the above situations are temporary, the company may be able to work with you. However, it is also best to keep a professional, toned-down appearance. Please access the video regarding how to dress for success:

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10.2.3: Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

The U.S. Department of Labor defines sexual harassment as “a type of harassment on the basis of sex prohibited by Executive Order 11246.” This can include unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, offensive remarks about a person’s sex, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. At the end of 2020, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 11,497 charges of alleged sexual harassment were filed.* Harassment of any kind is not prohibited and in order to prevent it, all employees should develop a respectful tone in regard to others. Please review the following infographic concerning workplace sexual harassment: 2021 Guide to Workplace Sexual Harassment.

Would you recognize signs of sexual harassment if it happened to you or if you witnessed it happening to someone else? As listed within the State of Louisiana’s Sexual Harassment Policy, the following actions are considered inappropriate and may meet the definition of sexual harassment or contribute to a hostile work environment within Louisiana law (may include but are not limited to the following items):

• Sexual pranks or repeated sexual teasing, jokes, gestures, or innuendo
• Lewd comments about an individual’s body
• Touching or grabbing of a sexual nature
• Talking about one’s sexual activity in front of others
• Inappropriate unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, such as cornering, repeatedly standing too close to or brushing up against another’s body, or leaning into or over a person
• Giving gifts or leaving objects that are sexually suggestive
• Posting, making, or displaying pornographic, sexually demeaning, or sexually explicit material in the workplace
• Pressure for unnecessary personal interaction
• Off-duty, unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that affects the work environment
• Making sexual statements in person, in writing, or electronically, such as through email, instant messaging, text messaging, blogs, web pages, social media, etc.

Companies should make it a priority to ensure that employees have a workplace free of harassment. All employees should be provided with sexual harassment policies within a company handbook. A mandated sexual harassment prevention training annually, at a minimum, would also familiarize employees with the consequences of harassment and set a no-tolerance culture within the company.

*It should be noted that this does not include charges filed with state or local Fair Employment Practices Agencies.

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In Chapter 9, we began the job application process by searching for jobs, creating résumés, and crafting cover letters. In this process, these would serve as your first means of communicating with potential employers, using written communication. The next step in this process involves the job interview, which will showcase your verbal communication skills. Job interviews can vary in nature. Some interviews may take an informal approach, such as simply sitting with a potential employer in a casual setting and answering questions. Other interviews may be more formal, with potential candidates arriving at a predetermined location and being questioned by one individual or a panel regarding an open position. In either instance, the main point of an interview remains confirming that the candidate is the right fit for the job.

Advice regarding how to handle a job interview is varied, and there isn’t one particular style that would fit all scenarios. However, a job candidate can use some general rules and prepare for this verbal event. You should be mindful of the location where your interview will take place. Although traditional interviews occur in person, many companies are now preferring virtual interviews. Within the next few sections, we will discuss how to prepare for a successful interview.

Job Interview Topics

• 10.3.1: Prepping for the Interview
• 10.3.2: The Dress Rehearsal
• 10.3.3: Effectively Answering Interview Questions
• 10.3.4: Post-interview Follow-up Messages

10.3.1: Prepping for the Interview

Finally! You’ve received a call from your desired potential employer, granting you an interview. However, don’t begin your celebration just yet. Now is the time to truly deepen your knowledge about the company and polish your verbal skills so that you can ace the interview. Your desired end result: landing the job! Here are a few things that can help you prepare:

Research the company more thoroughly: One of the questions you may be asked during an interview is “Tell us what you know about our company.” Potential employers are testing you! They want to know if you actually took an interest in finding out the company’s background, their products or services, their ties to the community, etc. This means that you should do a little more than just visit the website and access a few tabs. Check into the company’s mission or vision statement and see if it aligns with your thoughts and values. Look into their policies and procedures (if available). Search for their quarterly or annual reports. If you are able to give information about their company, the interviewer(s) will note that you have a vested interest.

Research your position more thoroughly: A great resource for this would be someone who is holding a similar position with the company or someone with knowledge of the position working within the company. You may be able to glean additional information such as working conditions, morale, etc. Another resource for this position involves completing a search of the position on a broader scale. For example, you can access one of the following websites for further information regarding careers, company profiles, and/or employment-related resources. Here are just a few:

Career Explorer—SOWELA Technical Community College

Delgado Career Services

Northwestern State Career Center

SLCC Career Success

ULM Career Center

Louisiana Workforce Commission: LAWorks Homepage

Indeed: Job Search

Anticipate questions and prepare talking points: Start with the most-asked question: “Tell me about yourself.” Begin building and practicing answering basic questions regarding the position. If you are interviewing for a position as a data entry clerk, it would be good to know how many words per minute you can type, which software programs you are familiar with, and how to operate a 10-key instrument, as well as explain their processes. This is also a good time to begin practicing your tone and limiting hand gestures so that you will present a calm and refined demeanor when interviewing.

Rehearse with mock job interviews: Of course, preparing a set of notes is not helpful if you lack the time to study and rehearse your responses in a mock job interview situation, so manage your time effectively and schedule mock job interviews throughout the week prior to your actual interview. The more comfortable and familiar you are with the interview dynamic of someone asking you questions and you respond, the more confident and articulate you will be during the real interview. Enlist a family member, friend, counselor, or career coach from your institution to ask questions you anticipated, as well as some of you that you haven’t. Help from a friend or acquaintance who is an employer themselves would be especially helpful because they can draw on personal experience to advise you on what works and what doesn’t from their managerial perspective. Their honest feedback will be invaluable as long as you accept and implement their constructive criticism. You may also get a sense yourself of what works and what doesn’t, but having someone else to talk to about it and work it out will do wonders for your interview preparation.

Arrive early: It is a good idea to arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled interview. This buffer allows time for you to use the restroom and freshen up. You allow yourself time to try a few deep-breathing exercises in an effort to calm yourself and appear less nervous. Also, during this time, you may be asked to complete an employment application, and depending on its length, it may take some time.

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10.3.2: The Dress Rehearsal

Your dress attire serves as a form of verbal communication and gives your potential employer insight into how you view the seriousness of the position. For interviews, you would be better served wearing attire suited for that particular industry. Please review the following video regarding appropriate interview dress attire:

Last-minute items before the big interview:

• Make sure your jewelry is at a minimum. Nothing should distract the interviewer.
• Hats should not be worn at any time during an interview.
• Cell phones should be put on silent or turned off completely!

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10.3.3: Effectively Answering Interview Questions

As previously mentioned, one of the most commonly asked questions in an interview is “Tell me about yourself.” This is not the time to give personal information. The interviewer wants to know about you—your skills, your educational background, and your certifications. Although this information is provided on your résumé, the interviewer wants to see how well you verbally communicate.

If you are unsure of an answer, you can take a breather, stating, “Let me think about that question” or something similar. Your answers shouldn’t take longer than 3–4 minutes, unless the interviewer has requested an elaboration. Giving concise answers that contain relevant information will show your interviewer that you have prepared adequately for the interview.

There are, however, certain questions that are deemed illegal questions. These questions can be used to discriminate against you within the hiring phase. Such questions are as follows:

• Age
• National origin, ethnicity, or religion
• Disabilities
• Health conditions
• Marital or family status
• Sexual orientation

Please access the video regarding top interview tips:

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10.3.4: Post-interview Follow-up Messages

The day after a job interview, write a follow-up email thanking the employer for their time and interest. Though you may consider this an optional cherry on top of a successful job interview, it’s really more of an expected formality in the modern job interview process. When the hiring committee meets to discuss the five or six candidates who were interviewed, those who neglected to send a thank-you note will look uncaring or neglectful compared to those who demonstrated thoughtful and considerate gratitude by writing a note. The message’s length shouldn’t be minimal but must be well written and error-free.

Once this message goes out, move on. As good as you might feel about how you did, you won’t have any idea what they decide until you hear back from them. Sometimes the best candidate doesn’t get the job after all, so don’t torture yourself by checking your phone and email every five minutes for the good or bad news. Instead, focus on your next applications. When your job is to get a job, it should be a full-time occupation that you don’t rest from until you accept a job offer.

If you get a follow-up message saying that another candidate is better suited to what the selection committee was looking for, feeling dejected and getting upset are natural reactions to the bad news. What’s really important at this point is that you do two things:

1. Don’t respond angrily by demanding a reason why you were rejected or what the winning candidate had over you. The employer will simply be protecting itself from legal action when they say that they can’t go into detail about their decision, especially because all of the people on the committee will likely have signed confidentiality agreements to not discuss their decisions with anyone outside of the committee. Instead, accept defeat gracefully. Who knows—they may have been impressed enough that when they follow through on plans to hire again in six months, they’ll have you in mind.
2. Learn from the experience. The more interviews you do, the more you figure out what works and what doesn’t based on reading the reactions around the room and how you feel afterward. Reflect on where you could have improved and keep a set of notes on what you would do better next time. In the meantime, keep applying to other positions, building your professional network, and even adding skill sets and educational experience that would better position you for the jobs you want.

If you decide on the basis of the interview to withdraw from the competition before the company even sends you their decision, the courteous thing to do would be to immediately send a polite message explaining that you would no longer like to be considered for the position. Courtesy in this case is especially important if your reason is that you accepted a job offer from a more attractive company. You don’t have to say that that’s the reason, but you want to keep the door open to the company you’re rejecting in case it doesn’t work out with the company you’re going with after all. You may not get a second chance with the company you’re rejecting, but you definitely won’t if you burn that bridge with a snarky email, and you never know who they might talk to (a future potential employer?) about any untoward behavior.

If all goes well and you get a job offer or if you’re informed that you’re the leading candidate either by phone or by email, of course you should express your excitement and gratitude for them selecting you. From there, you may have several formalities to follow through on, such as submitting the names and contact information of references and filling out other paperwork, all of which you must do promptly and perfectly lest your success be still dependent on your degree of compliance through the confirmation process.

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10.4: Examples and References

10.4.1: Interview Tips

U. S. Department of Labor—Interview Tips;

10.4.2: Sample Interview Questions

50+ Most Common Interview Questions and Answers

10.4.3: Videos of Good and Bad Interviews

Job Interview…Good Example:

Job Interview…Poor Example: