The Business: Skills Part 1

7/31/2019 The Business: Skills Part 1

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The Business


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Preface

ii

He is quick, thinking in clear images;

I am slow, thinking in broken images.

-Robert Graves, In Broken Images

This book is intended as a companion to the eLearning series The

Business from FPEC Education & Media. It includes some of the classroom

material that has been used and developed in producing The Business. The

material is all original and written for use chiefly with students at the

University of Bors and course participants at the Volvo Group. It is not

some great work of depth or meaning, but rather an organic and living

process that will need constant revision and updating. I suggest in browsing

its pages that you, the reader, use it as a platform for your own thoughts and

models, rather than accepting it wholesale as a tailormade business

language solution.

In short, the world and that of commerce is changing. Rather faster than we

can ever perceive. Tiny changes are taking place now that will build a world

we barely recognize sooner than we can possibly anticipate. It is in this spirit

of constant adaption and re-evaluation that this tome is offered. I hope it

provides some growth, stimulation, and - dare I say it - fun.


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Chapter 1

Communica-

tion

You can have the best ideas in the world, but if youcant communicate them then theyll never be

heard. The exponential rise of communication skills

goes on unchecked. As we plunge headlong into an

age permeated by ubiquitous social media, there is

an ever greater need to be on message. Were pro-

ductizing ourselves even in our private lives...


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Communication Skills

Communication skills are traditionally bunched together in a ho-

mogenous mass, meaning you are either good at communication

or not. However, we all know this not to be the case. Communica-

tion is context bound and we all flourish in differing environments.

Being good at languages does not always mean being good at ex-

pressing yourself. Moreover, being good at lots of languages can

lead to a lack of confidence in knowing how to truly express your-

self. Much research points to it being difficult for us to exceed our

language skills in our mother tongue. On the other hand, spe-

cific knowledge in a particular field can often do that.

Demystifying communication skills can only be a good thing.

We all have our strengths and weaknesses. I truly believe there

are communication skills we can learn. For example, an under-

standing of game theory and the possible strategies open to your-

self and others can definitely improve your ability to negotiate. It

is an art and most certainly not an innate ability. Often the bounda-

ries between skills and qualities are blurred. Listening is most defi-

nitely a skill but we also think of ourselves as either being or not

being a good listener. Confusion can ensue.

The distinction we fail to draw is that many people have a natural

aptitude for certain skills, leaving the categories overlapping in

our minds. Needless to say, all our communication skills are vital

in the hotchpotch of modern business. In many regards, communi-

cation skills are becoming even more important. As social media

establish themselves in the workplace there is a need to managebusiness socializing, internal relationships, and external relation-

ships at ever increasingly sophisticated levels. Our position in the

workplace and its interconnection with our daily lives means

greater emphasis on communicating well.

Speaking to a management consultant engaged in mediat-ing project management courses for transnational companies, I

was struck by one of the card games they played to illustrate the

need for adept communication skills in a project (the transna-

tionals favored form of internal structure). In the game, nine four-

of-a-kind cards were dealt out to nine contestants arranged in a

typically hierarchical pattern of A (project leader), with then B & C

(project coordinators) and under them two sets of three project

members. Communication is only allowed up and down the hierar-

chy and mediated by the game leader. Only the project leader (A)

receives instructions that the goal of the game is for everybody tocollect four-of-a-kind.


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The objective is, of course, to effec-

tively communicate the goal of the

game down the chain of command

as quickly as possible so everybody

knows what and why they are doing

it. But so often personal agendasand frustration get in the way. In this

game reporting information, explain-

ing and clarifying, writing and ex-

pressing ideas are key. We often

think of base communication skills as

being ways of dealing with other peo-

ple. But I, however, believe that they

are most effective in dealing with our-

selves. In order to be able to see

whats going in front of us clearly, we

need to be able to take ourselves out

of the equation first. Hence the impor-

tance of passive communication

skills such as admitting fault or re-

sponsibility and accepting feedbackand constructive criticism. Without

being able to man up (please ex-

cuse the potentially sexist parlance

of our times - however, I note that women man up too) and with-

out being able to accept the criticism we may or may not rightly

deserve then what chance is there of anyone else doing so?

Many people claim that writing is a dying

art and that it is a useless skill soon to be

defunct. What utter tosh! Writing has sim-

ply become more nuanced and therefore

more complex than ever imagined before.

Writing is omnipresent and ubiquitous.From live chat to sms to email to copy to

script to directive to infomercial to vision to

cover letter to terms and conditions to con-

tract, writing permeates everything. Writing

rules. What we see today is an even

greater need to command the written word

because its power is tenfold. There has

been a constructive discussion put forward

by some that email must make way for vari-

ous forms of social media in the workplace

and this is most likely both inevitable and

true. Very rarely do I email my friends in-

deed. But writing is by no means doomed.

Instead it is ever more varied: email writing,

report writing, copywriting, blogging,speechwriting, scriptwriting, creative writ-

ing, process description, technical writing,

letter writing, sms writing, chat, tweet writ-

ing... the list is endless.


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Some skills are clearly linked to specific business situations. Ne-

gotiating might help you when agreeing contractual terms - it

feels like a block of skills, rather like selling. There are many parts

to selling including building relationships and engendering trust

(which here appear in other categories). Presenting is an obvious

skill that may be learnt in spite of lack of natural aptitude. It is atechnique that can be applied to many contexts. In dealing with

the public, meeting and greeting is invaluable - dealing with first

contact sets the tone for a relationship and can be a make-or-

break moment. Meetings demand various skills of facilitating dis-

cussion and mediating between parties; having good meeting

skills is important.

All of the above (and beyond) can then be seen through theprism of culture. Communication may mean one thing to you, but

something very different to another. A Japanese colleague and

friend of mine recently explained how using the explanation of

something being difficult is just a polite way of saying no. He re-

cited a case where this was completely misunderstood by west-

ern counterparts, them thinking they then had to push harder to

force a result. But in fact they were being told that there wouldnt

be one!

Languages (see separate section)

Speaking

Writing

Reading

Listening

Expressing ideas

Reading body language

Reading people

Facilitating discussion

Reporting information

NegotiatingBargaining

Giving feedback & constructive criticism

Accepting feedback & constructive criticism

Influencing others

Persuading others

Presenting

Selling

Meeting & Greeting

Explaining & Clarifying

Interpreting/Translating

Admitting fault/responsibility

Apologizing


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Chapter 2

Information

Information is power. How you process informationand what you do with it defines your career. This

reading section delves into the InfoSkills from the

eLearning and discusses some of the categories

and ideas.


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Information Skills

We live in an information age where increasingly large amounts of

data are being processed at increasing speeds. Data has gone

live! In previous ages people might have been traditional knowl-

edge banks - pillars of cor-porations that stored up

vast swathes of informa-

tion to pass it along to the

next generation. But

within our lifetime that

situation has completely

changed and along with it

the demands placed on

our information handling

skills.

Data needs to be or-ganized and analyzed in

order to get results. This

means that a start-to-

finish methodology is of

vital importance. The tools

at our command now are impressive. The average mobile phone

far outshines the supercomputers of yesteryear. The question is

what are we going to do with it. We still need to use rigorous meth-

ods and to scrutinize what we are doing and why we are doing it.

Historically the scientific methods of inductive and deductive rea-

soning have triumphed in how we approach and make sense of

the world around us. Data must be first and foremost collected in

order to make an informed decision. But just as important is to un-

derstand the gathering process

and to sift and screen data forskewed results or bias. There is

always a selection process in-

volved and here it pays to be

thorough.

Then there is analysis ofinformation in order to see pat-

terns, trends, tendencies andrisks. This may help us in identi-

fying and preventing potential

problems or issues. It may help

us to see and muster resources

we did not know we had - hu-

man, financial, whatever. It

seems that information really is

power.

But in spite of all the powerful tools of data analysis, there is still

the need for divergent thinking. The ability to reconfigure the data

and the world in a way previously unheralded and unseen. In


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problem-solving we need to dare to think out of the box as the

saying goes. It does well to remember that the truths of only dec-

ades ago are ridiculed today. We should accept that some of the

things we hold to be unquestionably true today will be proved ri-

diculous within our own lifetimes. This fact should give us cour-

age to brainstorm our way in toa brave new world where many

of the old media - the institu-

tions that have traditionally me-

diated knowledge and informa-

tion - are fast being cut out of

the loop. News is now tweeted

before its reported by a foreign

correspondent. Personal com-

puters have already mutated

into constant companions that

help us make decisions.

So skills in handling andprocessing data are crucial in

making your mark in the informa-

tion age. Combined with IT

tools and now an arch-array of

personalized media, the professional with the right information

skills will be able to make the right decision in real time. Lets just

hope she asked the right question in the first place!

Gathering Information

Identifying problems

Defining needs

Identifying resources

O r g a n i z i n g d a t a /

Systematizing

Analyzing data

Forecasting/predicting

Problem-solving

Developing strategies

Brainstorming

Lateral thinking

Formulating questions

Decision-making

Examining results

Reviewing progress


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Chapter 3

Organization

Organizational skills get similar treatment here.SMART goals are discussed and theres a look at

some of the key abilities that keep any business

engine room ticking over. This reading supplements

the eLearning.


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Organizational Skills

Having waxed lyrical about communication and its exponential

rise, and having flown the flag of the information age and its abso-

lute dominance of todays

external reality, its the turnof more traditional, core

business values that have

made organisations tick for

decades and will do for

plenty to come. Administra-

tion is the heart of business

operations, whatever the

cool and hip of Google and

Facebook are telling you.

Those trailblazers may get

the headlines, but billions of

businesses elsewhere are

getting along nicely, thank

you very much, with good,

old-fashioned workplace management.

Yes, organizational skills are still the engine room of any en-terprise. Whether task or time oriented, theres no getting away

from simple truths. Everything in a business needs to be counted

and coordinated and every organization, department or project

has to have someone at its heart to keep track of its basic needs.

From simple filing and archiving of paperwork to counting and or-

dering stock, business is a question of ins and outs. Without this

kind of housekeeping and micro-management every business

would fail.

Its a case of ground-ing. Procedure has to

be followed. Every busi-

ness has a process

and somebody has to

get to grips with the

nitty-gritty. What is pro-

tocol? What is correct

praxis? They say thatthe devils in the detail,

and the bottom line is

that if youre not doing

this then someone else

is doing it for you.

Tasks assignments

and projects have to be coordinated. Resources allocated. This is

not something for the glory boys who bathe in the limelight, but

the day-to-day thankless task of making things happen.

Beyond housekeeping theres the question of time manage-ment. Timelines must be set and deadlines implemented. Pro-

gress has to be reviewed and appropriate measures taken when

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necessary. You may not win any popularity contests for being the

driving force behind your organization. But safe to say that with-

out organizational skills it would be nothing but a sinking ship.

One classic rule in setting goals isthe acrostic SMART. This sets out five

golden rules to follow in making sure

you maximize your potential output.

Goals should be specific, measurable,

attainable, relevant and time-bound.

Specific means that you can an-swer yes or no as to whether the goal

has been achieved. We can all be

wishy-washy at times. The aim here is

to provide clear parameters so we know

if and, therefore, when the goal is met.

Specificity, according to Paul J. Meyer,

is obtained by answering the five W

questions: what? why? who? where?

which?

Measurable means providing targets that are quantifiable. Ican make a qualitative request, but the result will always be sub-

jective. Concrete criteria answer the questions: how much? how

many? how do I know weve got there?

Relevance is the fourth SMART parameter. This involveschoosing the correct input in order to get the right output. The

right goal gives the right result! Is this the right time/place/team to

do this? Is this worthwhile?

Time-bound rounds off the SMART goalsmedley. The when weve all been waiting for.

Can we do this is in 6 days/weeks/months?

Smart is undoubtedly a part of many of our

general skills list: setting goals, planning, pri-

oritizing and setting timelines.

These deceptively sophisticated skills arethe nuts and bolts of any successful business

professional. Any CV worth its salt should be

without them. And plenty of them!

Setting goals

Planning

Handling details

Coordinating tasks

Contingency planning

Following correct procedure

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Taking inventories

Number-crunching

Data processing

Filing & Archiving

Allocating resources

Setting timelines

Reviewing progress

Multitasking

Implementing policies

Enforcing policies

Prioritizing

Meeting deadlines

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Chapter 4

Languages

A brief look at languages and how to deal with themin your CV. Languages equal opportunities and are

somewhat of a base requirement in todays

globalized job market. Bundle your languages.

Specify your ability. Big up your world languages.


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Describing Languages

This section attempts to help classify your spoken ability in lan-

guages. It is a standard part of any CV. It is as well to package

your language skills wisely. Give clear markers of the level you

have performed at. Think also of bundling languages into mar-

kets, e.g. in the Scandinavian market Swedish, Danish and Norwe-

gian are closely related and normally read and understood by all.

The Balkan region has another cluster of closely related lan-

guages based around a readily identifiable market. Arabic is a di-

glossia where Classical Arabic may be read and understood by

all, but each country has its national Arabic. Russian is a Slavic

language that was a lingua franca for East Europe for many years.

Packaging language skills and giving them space shows diversityand cultural acumen.

Here are some basic ways of describing language ability inconcrete terms. Fluent is the loosest term and should be treated

with care. I would describe my English as fluent, for instance.

Similarly, native language can mean spoken only in todays

Europe. It can denote a language spoken at home, but not learnt

at school. Some people find this hard to express - mostly be-

cause itis tricky. In sociolinguistics L1 and L2 can be used. This

avoids issues of political correctness. If you speak 2 languages

equally well, i.e. have been brought up (and schooled) in two lan-

guages, then both can be L1s. However, a true bilingual upbring-

ing is actually hard to come by.

This may well draw in issues of nationality. I like to seeclearly defined descriptions linked to experience or education.

Some of them are presented here. You can specify living and

L1 English Mother tongue

L2 SwedishUniversity degree,

lived & worked for 12

years.

L3 Hebrew

University degree,

lived & worked for 3

years.

Some Examples

Fluent spoken & written

Native language or language one (L1)

Worked & lived in ... x years.

Studied in English-speaking country.

University-level English

BSc Engineering (in English)


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working in a country, for example. If you have done a degree in

English, either as subject or, even better, as its tuition language,

then this is an excellent marker for ability. Similarly, experience in

a certain position in either an English-speaking country or transna-

tional company gives excellent indicators of skill levels.

World Languages

Top ten in terms of population:

These are the heavy-hitters in terms of population. Speaking or

understanding one of them means you are toting heavy guns.

This can be played off against prestige and power languages, Eng-

lish being primary among them. Certain languages do carry more

than their weight due to various factors. The top ten in terms of

population are transnational lending them increased significance.

Next ten:

10-20

German

Japanese

Farsi

Urdu

Punjabi

Wu Chinese

Vietnamese

Javanese

Tamil

Korean

Bundling Languages

Many European languages are really minority languages in global

terms. However, in spite of the notable exceptions in these lists, it

Big 10

Mandarin

English

Spanish

Hindi

Russian

Arabic

Portuguese

Bengali

French

Malay


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does not make them irrelevant. They represent considerable mar-

kets and opportunity. Wu Chinese, for example, is really a group-

ing of dialects. In the same sense, Norwegian, Danish and Swed-

ish could be bundled to represent a region or market. Most under-

stand each other, and can read the other languages with ease.

I was sat on a train next a man from the Former Yugoslavia. Ispeak, read and write Bosnian, Bunjevac, Croatian, Montenegrin

and Serbian, he said. Bosh! The Serbo-Croatian bundle of South

Slavic languages spoken by 30 million people. In addition he un-

derstood Slovene completing the western section of the South

Slavic group. One might argue that these languages are almost

like dialects of each other. But it shows an ability to change codes

and a definite inbuilt cultural sensitivity.

Communication is undoubtedly number one on the skillsetlist. We have entered an information and communication age. Our

ability to communicate through the various media that surround

us is our most prized skill or ability. In a globalized marketplace

the ability to communicate in several languages is a base require-

ment. However, having excellent communication skills in our

mother tongue is just as important.

Lets see more space given to languages in a standard CV. Ittells your story and your ability to change and adapt. It tells me

about your home, your schooling, education and experience. It de-

fines you as a person.


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Chapter 5

Vocabulary

Builder

These are the first three skillset lists that the

eLearning is based on. They give the main skill

category and either a) synonyms, or b) sub-skills.

They are a chance to build and consolidate your

vocabulary, and particularly useful in completing

tasks in Getting It Down!


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Communication

expressing ideas putting things into words,choosing the right words,using the right phrase or turn of words,getting your message across

presenting being a good speaker,

getting and holding an audience'sattention, speaking clearly,including your audience

selling making a pitch, knowing the market,marketing, reading your customer andwhat they want, spotting the need,having the sales banter

negotiating bargaining, striking a deal, looking afteryour interests, finding a compromisethat benefits both parties, brokering adeal

explaining clarifying, making clear and easilyunderstandable, simplifying, breakingdown, spelling it out

facilitating discussion allowing others to speak, bringingpeople into discussion, includingothers, moving discussion along,listening attentively

writing reports writing documents and reports, draftinginformation, using clear wording, using

technical terms, using formal language

giving feedback accepting feedback, beingconstructively critical, dealing withcriticism, respecting others

Communication

apologizing saying youre sorry, verbalizing anapology, expressing regret, askingforgiveness

influencing persuading others, motivating others,inducing action, stimulating,

manipulating, mobilizing

admitting being wrong taking blame, taking responsibility,demonstrating accountability,conceding or accepting defeat or failure

interpreting making sense of data, translating,making understandable

reporting information giving an account, documentingactions, detailing activities, recording,updating, apprising, informing

meeting and greeting saying hello, welcoming, receivingguest or visitors, making people feelwelcome, acknowledging andaddressing customers or clients

reading people reading or interpreting body language,studying behaviour, working peopleout, judging character, identifyingprivate agendas

These are the ComSkills as presented in the eLearning, complete

with all their various forms. Make good use of these phrases and

synonyms and youll be on message in business terms.


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Information

gathering information fact-finding, doing research,researching, collecting data, makinginquiries, doing the groundwork,probing, doing your homework

identifying problems determining difficulties and issues,recognizing concerns and obstacles,distinguishing and pinpointing possiblesetbacks, singling out potential threats,diagnosing

defining needs specifying requirements, delineating,ascertaining demands, detailingwishes, prescribing, determining,outlining

identifying resources determining and detailing assets,recognizing and distinguishingcapabilities, pinpointing strengths,reserves or capital

organizing data Systematizing, standardizing, compilingan collating statistics, data orinformation, tabulating or correlatingfacts or figures, codifying

analyzing data breaking down information, checkingfacts, examining data, going throughstuff in detail, scrutinizing stats, goingover and evaluating

forecasting predicting trends, anticipating thefuture, conjecturing, figuring things out,guessing whats going to happen, aprognosis

Information

problem-solving diagnosing, examining anddetermining, using logic, answeringquestions, investigating issues, rationalquestioning, reasoning

developing strategies coming up with plans, formulating a

plan of action, long-term thinking,playing the long game, planning thefuture, setting up schemes and projects

brainstorming producing ideas, unedited thinking,knocking heads together,conceptualizing, racking your brains,being creative

lateral thinking associating ideas, illogical thinking,playing idea association, intuitivereasoning, out-of-the-box thinking,coming up with unpredictable solutions

formulating questions putting into words, asking the rightquestion, careful phrasing, consideredwording, getting the right question getsthe right answer

decision-making taking executive decisions, having thefinal word, accepting ultimateresponsibility, thinking with clarity

evaluating results assessing a dataset, determiningvalue, making an assessment,appraising, reviewing performance,

judging significance


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Organization

setting goals establishing objectives, fixing targets,agreeing on whats to be done, settingup realistic and obtainable aims

tactical planning thinking out, scheduling andimplementing short-term actions,

activities or plans, making sure theyare time-restricted, drawing up ordrafting an action plan

coordinating tasks making sure everybodys doing whatthey should be doing; supervising staff,projects and consultants in their duties;overseeing various staff or externals intheir work assignments

following procedure ensuring best practice, making sureregulations and rules are adhered to,safeguarding correct protocol at a firmor business

taking inventories documenting resources, stock-taking,listing stocks and supplies, cataloguing,registering, itemizing and recordingstuff, mapping

number-crunching calculating, doing math, doingnumerical calculations, using acalculator, using a spreadsheet,handling data, dealing with stats

data processing processing information, using aspreadsheet, data entry, organizing

statistics and extracting usefulinformation

filing & archiving keeping things in order, housekeeping,doing paperwork, keeping up withpaperwork, ordering, documenting,keeping documentation up to date

Organization

allocating resources deploying, budgeting, setting aside,earmarking, allotting, assigningfinancial, human or physical resources

setting timelines timetabling, scheduling, establishingdeadlines, putting in place a timeframe,

limiting activities, agreeing time limits

multitasking doing various different tasks at once,balancing jobs and assignments,having many balls in the air,successfully juggling multiple tasks

implementing policies putting in place guidelines anddirectives, anchoring and initiatingchange in an organization

prioritizing organizing tasks in terms of priority,being able to rejig activities afterimportance and efficiency, knowing

whats important

meeting deadlines keeping to agreed time limits, doingthings in time, delivering as agreed

time-keeping managing your time efficiently, keepingtrack of time, being punctual and time-efficient

The Business: Skills Part 1

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