About the book

Communication is the process of sharing meaning and understanding. We are often sharing, but are not always understood, nor do we always understand what others mean. Communication is both a skill and an art. You communicate everyday without thinking much about the process — it is a primary skill you have been practicing since birth!

There are many ways to learn effective communication skills; the school of experience, or “hard knocks,” is one of them. But in the business environment, a “knock” (or lesson learned) may come at the expense of your credibility through an ineffective presentation to a client, or a crucial conversation with your boss. The classroom, with information and resources such as a textbook, knowledgeable instructor, and supportive peers, provides a safe environment for you to practice in. During practice, you get to expand your horizons a bit and try out new ideas and skills before you have to use them to make a sale, work with customers from another culture, or form a new partnership. Discussing concepts such as cultural diversity, teamwork, conflict resolution and ethics will help you reflect on your own background, experiences, and ways of managing communication — and hopefully assess your own perceptions and any possible biases. The net result of this course should be your growth as an individual. Ultimately, your ability to communicate will improve, opening doors in your career and going a long way to strengthening all of your interpersonal relationships.

This textbook is a compilation of the work of a multitude of individuals – least of all me. There have been many authors who have contributed from a variety or sources, as well as talented instructional designers, editors, graphic designers, copyright officers, quality assurance managers, and project leads. In the background there are also those who have created ancillary resources such as PowerPoints and Test Banks, and educational institutions that have forked over the funds necessary to finance these projects. On top of all of these people, the text has also been informed by hundreds of students who have attended many different schools. I am especially grateful for all of the above who are attached to Fanshawe College – their support has been unwavering! It is said that “many hands make light work” – my hope is that this work will help make the lives of many students a little lighter as they go forth armed with the tools to manage communication challenges and create stronger more rewarding relationships in their personal and professional lives.  🙂

Design

This open textbook is designed in 15 chapters featuring a spectrum of current and relevant Canadian business communication topics.

Throughout the book you will be introduced to three business professionals in three different disciplines as follows:

Abe is an international graduate student from Ethiopia that recently completed her Canadian MBA program. She is in her first post-MBA role working as a Personal Finance Advisor at a major bank.

Naiomi is an Indigenous senior-level marketing professional working at a small firm in Toronto.

Dhavit is a mid-career Canadian human resources specialist working at an Ontario university.

Each of these professionals encounters communications successes and challenges in their everyday work, and their stories will be featured as reflection guidance through the textbook.

In addition, each chapter will provide learning outcomes, a list of chapter topics (Chapter Preview), “Check your Knowledge” quizzes, a chapter glossary, and additional resources.

Feedback

Please share your adoption, and any feedback you have about the book with us at oer@fanshawec.ca