Essentials of Business Communication 11th Edition Ebook PDF

Essentials of Business Communication
11th Edition, (Ebook PDF)

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Contents
Unit 1 Business Communication
kined/Shutterstock.com
in the Digital Age
1 Succeeding in the Social and Mobile
Workplace 2
1-1 Mastering the Tools for Success in the Summary of Learning Outcomes 23
Twenty-First-Century Workplace 2 Chapter Review 25
1-2 Developing Listening Skills 10 Critical Thinking 26
1-3 Learning Nonverbal Communication Activities and Cases 26
Skills 12 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 1 31
1-4 Recognizing How Culture Influences Editing Challenge 1 32
Communication 15 Communication Workshop 33
1-5 Becoming Interculturally Proficient 20
Unit 2 T he Writing Process in
SFIO CRACHO/Shutterstock.com
the Information Age
2 Planning Business Messages 36
2-1 Examining the Communication Process 36 Critical Thinking 53

2-2 Following the 3-x-3 Writing Process 38 Writing Improvement Exercises 54
2-3 Analyzing the Purpose and Anticipating Radical Rewrites 57
the Audience 41 Activities 58
2-4 Adapting to the Audience With Expert Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 2 59
Writing Techniques 44 Editing Challenge 2 60
2-5 Improving the Tone and Clarity Communication Workshop 61
of a Message 47
Summary of Learning Outcomes 51

Chapter Review 52
3 Organizing and Drafting Business Messages 62
3-1 Drafting Workplace Messages 62 3-3 Drafting With Powerful Sentences 67

3-2 Organizing Information to Show 3-4 Mastering Four Skillful Writing
Relationships 65 Techniques 70
vi Contents
Copyright 2019 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
3-5 Drafting Well-Organized, Effective Writing Improvement Exercises 78
Paragraphs 74 Radical Rewrites 83
Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 3 84
Summary of Learning Outcomes 76 Editing Challenge 3 85
Chapter Review 77 Communication Workshop 86
Critical Thinking 78
4 Revising Business Messages 87
4-1 Stopping to Revise: Applying Phase 3 Summary of Learning Outcomes 102

of the Writing Process 87 Chapter Review 103
4-2 Enhancing Message Clarity 92 Critical Thinking 103
4-3 Using Document Design to Improve Writing Improvement Exercises 104
Readability 95 Radical Rewrites 109
4-4 Catching Errors With Careful Proofreading 98 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 4 110
4-5 Evaluating the Effectiveness of Your Editing Challenge 4 111
Message 101 Communication Workshop 112
Unit 3 Workplace Communication
Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com
5 Short Workplace Messages and Digital Media 114
5-1 Writing Digital Age E-Mail Messages Critical Thinking 137

and Memos 114 Writing Improvement Exercises 138
5-2 Workplace Messaging and Texting 120 Radical Rewrites 140
5-3 Making Podcasts and Wikis Work for Activities and Cases 141
Business 124 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 5 147
5-4 Blogging for Business 127 Editing Challenge 5 148
5-5 Social Networking for Business 131 Communication Workshop 149

Chapter Review 136
6 Positive and Neutral Messages 150
6-1 Routine Messages: E-Mails, Memos, Critical Thinking 172

and Letters 150 Writing Improvement Exercises 173
6-2 Typical Request, Response, and Instruction Activities and Cases 177
Messages 153 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 6 183
6-3 Direct Claims and Complaints 159 Editing Challenge 6 184
6-4 Adjustment Messages 163 Communication Workshop 185
6-5 Goodwill Messages 166

Chapter Review 171
Contents vii
7 Negative Messages 186
7-1 Communicating Negative News Critical Thinking 208

Effectively 186 Writing Improvement Exercises 208
7-2 Analyzing Negative News Strategies 187 Radical Rewrites 210
7-3 Composing Effective Negative Activities and Cases 211
Messages 191 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 7 216
7-4 Refusing Typical Requests and Claims 197 Editing Challenge 7 217
7-5 Managing Bad News Within Communication Workshop 218
Organizations 201

Chapter Review 207
8 Persuasive Messages 219
8-1 Understanding Persuasion in a Social Summary of Learning Outcomes 237

and Mobile Age 219 Chapter Review 238
8-2 Planning and Writing Persuasive Critical Thinking 239
Requests 221 Writing Improvement Exercises 239
8-3 Writing Effective Persuasive Claims Radical Rewrites 240
and Complaints 222 Activities and Cases 243
8-4 Crafting Persuasive Messages in Digital Age Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 8 248
Organizations 224 Editing Challenge 8 249
8-5 Creating Effective Sales Messages in Print Communication Workshop 250
and Online 228
Unit 4 Business Reports and

GaudiLab/Shutterstock.com
Proposals—Best Practices
9 Informal Reports 252
9-1 Preparing Reports in the Digital Age 252 Critical Thinking 278
9-2 Report Formats and Heading Levels 256 Activities and Cases 278
9-3 Identifying the Problem, Defining Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 9 281
the Purpose, and Collecting Data 259 Editing Challenge 9 283
9-4 Preparing Short Informational Reports 262 Communication Workshop 284
9-5 Preparing Short Analytical Reports 268

Chapter Review 277
viii Contents
10 Proposals and Formal Reports 285
10-1 Preparing Business Proposals 285 Summary of Learning Outcomes 312

10-2 Preparing Formal Business Reports 291 Chapter Review 313
10-3 Collecting Information Through Primary and Critical Thinking 314
Secondary Research 294 Activities and Cases 315
10-4 Documenting Information 300 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 10 320
10-5 Incorporating Meaningful Visual Aids Editing Challenge 10 321
and Graphics 303 Communication Workshop 322
10-6 Understanding Formal Report
Components 308
Unit 5 Professionalism, Teamwork,
LuckyImages/Shutterstock.com
Meetings, and Speaking
Skills
11 Professionalism at Work: Business Etiquette, Ethics,

Teamwork, and Meetings 326
11-1 Developing Professionalism and Business Summary of Learning Outcomes 350
Etiquette Skills at the Office and Online 326 Chapter Review 351
11-2 Communicating Face-to-Face on the Job 330 Critical Thinking 353
11-3 Following Professional Telephone and Voice Activities and Cases 353
Mail Etiquette 335 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 11 358
11-4 Adding Value to Professional Teams 338 Editing Challenge 11 360
11-5 Planning and Participating in Face-to-Face Communication Workshop 361
and Virtual Meetings 343
12 Business Presentations 362
12-1 Creating Effective Business Summary of Learning Outcomes 384

Presentations 362 Chapter Review 385
12-2 Organizing Content to Connect Critical Thinking 386
With Audiences 365 Activities and Cases 386
12-3 Understanding Contemporary Visual Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 12 392
Aids 371 Editing Challenge 12 394
12-4 Preparing Engaging Multimedia Communication Workshop 395
Presentations 374
12-5 Polishing Your Delivery and Following
Up 380
Contents ix
Unit 6 Employment
Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com

Communication
13 The Job Search, Résumés, and Cover
Messages 398
13-1 Job Searching in the Digital Age 398 Summary of Learning Outcomes 433
13-2 Developing a Job-Search Strategy Focused on Chapter Review 435
the Open Job Market 402 Critical Thinking 436
13-3 Unlocking the Hidden Job Market Radical Rewrites 436
With Networking 404 Activities and Cases 438
13-4 Customizing Your Résumé 409 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 13 441
13-5 Using Digital Tools to Enhance Your Job Editing Challenge 13 442
Search 421 Communication Workshop 443
13-6 Cover Messages—Do They Still Matter? 425
14 Interviewing and Following Up 444
14-1 Interviewing Effectively in Today’s Critical Thinking 471

Competitive Job Market 444 Radical Rewrites 472
14-2 Before the Interview 448 Activities and Cases 473
14-3 During the Interview 452 Grammar/Mechanics Checkup 14 479
14-4 After the Interview 462 Editing Challenge 14 480
14-5 Preparing Additional Employment Communication Workshop 481
Documents 465

Chapter Review 470
Appendixes
Appendix A Document Format Guide A-1
Appendix B Documentation Formats B-1
Appendix C Correction Symbols and Proofreading Marks C-1
Appendix D Grammar/Mechanics Handbook D-1
End Matter
Notes N-1
Index I-1
x Contents
Are You Job-Ready?
Employers today often complain that many new graduates are simply not job-ready.
As a matter of fact, writing, communication, and other so-called soft skills consistently
rank high on recruiters’ wish lists. Most students realize this and chose this class to
develop these necessary workplace skills as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Essentials of Business Communication is the tool to make this happen.
This time-honored, tried-and-true text will guide you in developing the job-readiness
you need for the twenty-first century. Essentials highlights best practices and strate-
gies backed by leading-edge research to help you develop professionalism, expert writ-
ing techniques, workplace digital savvy, and the latest job-search and résumé-building
skills.
Yes, you must be literate in all current communication technologies. The good
news is that Essentials effectively addresses best practices for social media as well
as for mobile technology. You will learn how to build credibility online as well as
offline, and understand that writing is central to business success, regardless of the
communication channel. It is a foundational skill. Employers want good writers and
communicators. This is why Essentials continues to provide grammar exercises and
documents for editing and grammar practice that our competitors have abandoned.
You need a diversity of skills beyond tech savvy alone—now more than ever!
Guided by traditional rigor, Essentials of Business Communication addresses
both contemporary student needs as well as those of instructors.
Perfecting Professionalism “I picked this text with its excellent resources for our new Business
The Eleventh Edition emphasizes positive work- Communication class that was added as a core class in the College of
place behavior and clearly demonstrates the Business. All instructors who teach that class use this text. This is the only
course in the university that emphasizes professionalism.”
importance of professionalism. Today’s busi-
Dr. Mary Kiker, Auburn University, Montgomery
nesses desire workers who exhibit strong com-
munication skills and project positive attitudes.
Employers seek team members who can effec-
tively work together to deliver positive results that
ultimately boost profits and bolster the company’s image. Graduates who possess
these highly desirable soft skills excel in today’s challenging job market. In this edi-
tion you will discover how to perfect those traits most valued in today’s competitive,
mobile, and social workplace.
Unprofessional Professional
Uptalk, a singsong speech pattern, making
sentences sound like questions; like used as
Speech Recognizing that your credibility can be
seriously damaged by sounding uneducated,
a filler; go for said; slang; poor grammar and
profanity.
habits crude, or adolescent.
Sloppy messages with incomplete sentences, Messages with subjects, verbs, and punctuation,
misspelled words, exclamation points, IM slang, free from IM abbreviations; messages that are
and mindless chatter. E-mail addresses such as
partyanimal@gmail.com, snugglykitty@icloud.
E-mail concise and spelled correctly even when brief.
E-mail addresses that include a name or a
com, or hotmama@outlook.com. positive, businesslike expression.
Suggestive Twitter handles and user names

that point to an immature, unhealthy lifestyle. Internet, Real name Twitter handles and user names that
don’t sound cute or like chatroom nicknames.
Posts that reveal political, religious, and other
personal leanings. social media Posts in good taste, fit for public consumption.
Voice mail
An outgoing message with strident background An outgoing message that states your name or
music, weird sounds, or a joke message. phone number and provides instructions for
leaving a message.
Soap operas, thunderous music, or a TV football

game playing noisily in the background when you Telephone A quiet background when you answer the
telephone, especially if you are expecting a
answer the phone.
presence prospective employer’s call.
Using electronics during business meetings for

unrelated purposes or during conversations with Cell phones, Turning off phone and message notification,
both audible and vibrate, during meetings;
tablets
fellow employees; raising your voice (cell yell); using your smart devices only for meeting-
forcing others to overhear your calls. related purposes.
Texting
Sending and receiving text messages during Sending appropriate business text messages
meetings, allowing texting to interrupt face-to- only when necessary (perhaps when a
face conversations, or texting when driving. cell phone call would disturb others).
Are You Job-Ready? xi
Developing Expert Writing Techniques for a
Digital Workplace
Abundant before-and-after documents with descriptive callouts create
a clear road map to perfecting the writing process. These documents
failures (we are no longer using and many mix-ups in the past), Brian revised his
demonstrate how to apply expert writing messagetechniques, as wellhow
to explain constructively asreporting
high- should be handled.
light the critical significance of the revision
Whenprocess.
writing messages that deliver instructions, be careful of tone. Today’s
managers and team leaders seek employee participation and cooperation. These goals
can’t be achieved, though, if the writer sounds like a dictator. Avoid making accusa-
tions and fixing blame. Rather, explain changes, give reasons, and suggest benefits to
the reader. Assume that employees want to contribute to the success of the organiza-
tion and to their own achievement. Notice in the Figure 6.4 revision that Brian tells
readers that they will save time and reduce mix-ups if they follow the new method.
Applying Strategic Writing Plans

6.3 Direct Claims and Complaints
Original business message writing plans, initially
LEaRning
OUtCOME 3
In business, thingscreated
can and doby go author
wrong—promised shipments are late, warrantied Prepare messages that make
Mary Ellen Guffey and expanded in this goods edition, provide
fail, and service efficient
is disappointing. When consumers must lodge a complaint or direct claims and voice
complaints, including online
when they need to identify or correct a wrong, the message is called a claim. Because
step-by-step instructions that enable you to overcome
straightforward claims fear and
are those startyou expect the receiver to agree readily,
to which
posts.
writing quickly and confidently. The Eleventh

use a directEdition
approach, now
as shownoffers ten writing plan.
in the following
sets of writing plans that cover a
variety of business situations. This Direct Claims
signature feature of Essentials is
OPEning: Describe clearly the desired action.
especially important for novice BODy: Explain the claim, tell why it is justified, and provide details
writers who lack business experi- describing the desired action.
ence and composition training. CLOSing: End pleasantly with a goodwill statement, and include an end date
and action request, if appropriate.
Increasingly, consumers resort to telephone calls, they e-mail their claims, or—as
we have seen—they vent their peeves in online posts. Large companies can afford to
Emphasizing Grammar and Writing Fundamentals
employ social media specialists who monitor and respond to comments. However,
small and midsized businesses often have few options other than Google Alerts and
Throughout thelimited
their own text,forays
proven learning
into social features help you review and rebuild vital
networking.
basic grammar This is skills.
why in anIn ageevery
of digital communication,
chapter claims written as letters of Checkups system-
Grammar/Mechanics
complaint still play an important role even as they are being replaced by telephone
calls, e-mails, and social media posts. atically
Depending on review the fundamentals
the circumstances, letters more and are keyed
convincingly establish a record of what happened. Some business communicators
“I really love Essentials of Business Communication
opt for
for my students.
letters they canI’m
to an authoritative and streamlined
either attach to e-mail messages or fax. Regardless of the
Grammar/
always alarmed at how poor their grammar andchannel, skills are, andclaims use aMechanics
writingstraightforward direct approach. Handbook.
Claims that requireEditing
a per- Challenge and
suasive
skillsresponse are presented in Chapter 8.
this is one of the few books that addresses those effectively.” Radical Rewrite exercises also provide innu-
Shawnna Patterson, Chemeketa Community College, Salem Oregon
6-3a Stating a Clear Claim in merable opportunities for you to sharpen your
the Opening
When you, as a consumer, have a legitimate grammar, claim, you can punctuation,
expect a positive response spelling, capitalization,
from a company. Smart businesses want to hear from their customers. They know
that retaining a customer is far less costly andthan writing
recruiting askills new customer. by editing typical business
Open your claim with a compliment, documents.
a point of agreement, a statement of the
problem, a brief review of action you have taken to resolve the problem, or a clear
statement of the action you want. You
grammar/mechanics might
Checkup 4 expect a replacement, a refund, a new
order, credit to your account, correction of a billing error, free repairs, or cancella-
tion of an order. Whenand
Adjectives theAdverbs
remedy is obvious, state it immediately (Please correct an
erroneous double charge
Review Sections of 1.17
1.16 and $59 toGrammar/Mechanics
of the my credit card forThen
Handbook. Laplink migration
select the correct software.
form to complete each of the
following statements. Record the appropriate G/M section and letter to illustrate the principle involved. When you finish,
I accidentallycompare
clicked the Submit
your responses with those button twice).
provided at the bottom of the page. If your answers differ, study carefully the principles
shown in parentheses.
Chapter 6: Positive and Neutral Messages 159
b (1.17e)
ExamplE Surprisingly, most of the (a) twenty year old, (b) twenty-year-old equipment is
still working.
b (1.17e) 1. The newly opened restaurant offered many (a) tried and true, (b) tried-and-true menu items.
b (1.17c) 2. Although purchased twenty years ago, the equipment still looked (a) brightly, (b) bright.
a (1.17e) 3. The committee sought a (a) cost-effective, (b) cost effective solution to the continuing problem.
b (1.17d) 4. How is the Shazam app able to process a song so (a) quick, (b) quickly?
86494_ch06_hr_150-185.indd 159 9/5/17 7:51 PM
a (1.16) 5. Of the two plans, which is (a) more, (b) most comprehensive?
a (1.17e) 6. Employees may submit only (a) work-related, (b) work related expenses to be reimbursed.
b (1.17g) 7. Amy and Marusia said that they’re planning to open (a) there, (b) their own business next year.
b (1.17e) 8. Haven’t you ever made a (a) spur of the moment, (b) spur-of-the-moment decision?
a (1.17e) 9. Not all decisions that are made on the (a) spur of the moment, (b) spur-of-the-moment turn out
badly.
a (1.17e) 10. The committee offered a (a) well-thought-out, (b) well thought out plan to revamp online
registration.
b (1.17e) 11. You must complete a (a) change of address, (b) change-of-address form when you move.
a (1.16) 12. Employment figures may get (a) worse, (b) worst before they get better.
b (1.17b) 13. I could be more efficient if my printer were (a) more nearer, (b) nearer my computer.
a (1.17c) 14. Naturally, our team members felt (a) bad, (b) badly when our project was canceled.
b (1.17d) 15. The truck’s engine is certainly running (a) smooth, (b) smoothly after its tune-up.
13. b (1.17b) 14. a (1.17c) 15. b (1.17d)

1. b (1.17e) 2. b (1.17c) 3. a (1.17e) 4. b (1.17d) 5. a (1.16) 6. a (1.17e) 7. b (1.17g) 8. b (1.17e) 9. a (1.17e) 10. a (1.17e) 11. b (1.17e) 12. a (1.16)
xii Are You Job-Ready?
Learning Workplace Best Practices
Most students arrive in the classroom with some work Getting Started Replying Observing Etiquette Closing Effectively
experience and technology skills, but many are not aware of • Don’t write in another • Scan all e-mails, especially • Obtain approval before • End with due dates, next
channel—such as IM, those from the same forwarding. steps to be taken, or a
what businesses expect of them when they use digital tools. social media, or a phone
call—might work better.
person. Answer within 24
hours or say when you will.
• Soften the tone by including
a friendly opening and
friendly remark.
• Add your full contact
The Eleventh Edition provides comprehensive guidance in

• Send only content you • Change the subject line if closing. information including social
would want to be the topic changes. Check • Resist humor and sarcasm. media addresses.
published. the threaded messages Absent facial expression • Edit your text for readability.
the professional use of e-mail, texting, instant messaging, • Write compelling subject
lines, possibly with
names and dates:
below yours.
• Practice down-editing;
include only the parts from
and tone of voice, humor
can be misunderstood.
• Avoid writing in all caps,
Proofread for typos or
unwanted auto-corrections.
• Double-check before hitting
blogging, and social media. You will master best practices Jake: Can You Present at
January 10 Staff Meeting?
the incoming e-mail
to which you are
which is like SHOUTING. Send.
responding.
that clearly demonstrate how to avoid damaging your • Start with the main idea.
• Use headings and lists.
career or hurting your employers’ reputation with careless

online behavior.
Developing Digital Skills

Regardless of the communication channel, writing proficiency is a
must in a workplace dominated by mobile technology and social
media. Technology and writing skills go hand in hand in today’s
professional environment of success. For this reason, Essentials
provides how-to instructions and best practices for today’s digital
workplace while also emphasizing good writing and professional-
ism. This focus is rooted in the belief that today’s communicators
and their skills are on display 24/7. Credibility takes significant
time to build but is easy to lose in an instant.
Writing a Captivating Blog Using Digital Media Like a Pro:

Dos and Don’ts
Applying the Five Journalistic Ws to Blogs
Big Idea First DON’TS

Avoid questionable Know workplace policies
Who? What? When? Why? How? content, personal
documents,
DOs and use media only for
work-related purposes
and file sharing
Key Facts
Explanations Don’t spread rumors, gossip, and negative Learn your company’s rules. Some companies require workers
• defamatory comments. Because all digital information to sign that they have read and understand Internet and digital
Evidence Fact check.
is subject to discovery in court, avoid unprofessional media use policies. Being informed is your best protection.
• Earn your readers’ trust.
Examples content and conduct, including complaints about your
• Credit your sources. Avoid sending personal e-mail, instant messages, or texts
Background employer, customers, and employees.
• Apply the inverted pyramid. from work. Even if your company allows personal use during
Details • Edit, edit, edit. Don’t download and share cartoons, video clips, lunch or after hours, keep it to a minimum. Better yet, wait to
• Proof, proof, proof. photos, and art. Businesses are liable for any recorded use your own electronic devices away from work.
digital content regardless of the medium used.
Separate work and personal data. Keep information that
Don’t open unfamiliar attachments. Attachments could embarrass you or expose you to legal liability on your
with executable files or video files may carry viruses, personal storage devices, on hard drives, or in the cloud, never
spyware, or other malware (malicious programs). on your oﬃce computer.
Don’t download free software and utilities to Be careful when blogging, tweeting, or posting on social
company machines. Employees can unwittingly networking sites. Unhappy about not receiving a tip, a Beverly
introduce viruses, phishing schemes, and other Hills waiter lost his job for tweeting disparaging remarks about
cyber bugs. an actress. Forgetting that his boss was his Facebook friend, a
British employee was fired after posting, “OMG, I HATE MY
Don’t store your music and photos on a company JOB!” and calling his supervisor names.
machine (or server) and don’t watch streaming
videos. Capturing precious company bandwidth for Keep sensitive information private. Use privacy settings, but
personal use is a sure way to be shown the door. don’t trust the “private” areas on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and
other social networks.
Don’t share files, and avoid file-sharing services.
Clarify whether you may use Google Docs and other Avoid pornography, sexually explicit jokes, or inappropriate
services that oﬀer optional file sharing. Stay away from screen savers. Anything that might poison the work
distributors or pirated files such as LimeWare. environment is a harassment risk and, therefore, prohibited.
Are You Job-Ready? xiii
Establish your credibility. Consider the reach and permanence of posts. Writing Online Reviews and Complaints
• Zero in on your objective and make your comment • Know that your review may be posted indefinitely,
as concise as possible.
• Focus only on the facts and be able to support
even if you change your mind and modify a post later.
• Be open; even anonymous comments can be tracked
Social media posts have a way of ending up in the wrong
them. down. Privacy policies do not protect writers from
subpoenas. hands, making vicious complainers seem irrational. In this
edition you learn to write well-considered private social
Check posting rules. Accept offers to help.
media messages as well as professional responses that
• Understand what’s allowed by reading the terms • Reply if a business offers to help or discuss the
and conditions on the site. problem; update your original post as necessary. increase the credibility and reputation of employers.
• Keep your complaint clean, polite, and to the point.
Provide balanced reviews. Refuse payment for favorable critiques.

• To be fair, offset criticism with positives to show • Never accept payment to change your opinion or
that you are a legitimate consumer. your account of the facts.
• Suggest improvements even in glowing reviews; • Comply with requests for a review if you are a
all-out gushing is suspicious and not helpful. satisfied customer.
Finding a Job in Today’s “I was blown away by the exceptional personal service from the author.
Challenging Job Market All of the Guffey supplementary materials are unbelievably helpful. This
is one author who works hard to make me look good in my classes.”
One of the most important chapters in the book, Staci Groeschell, South Puget Sound Community College, Olympia,
Washington
Chapter 13 updates you on the latest trends,
technologies, and practices affecting today’s job
search, résumés, and cover letters. Thorough revi-
sions will prepare you for a labor market that is
more competitive, more social, more mobile, and
more dependent on technology than ever before. Mobile technologies are on the rise.
You will learn how to network, employ current Candidates use apps to apply for jobs, and recruiters use mobile devices
technologies, build your own brand, and prepare to post jobs, contact candidates, and forward résumés to colleagues.
Networking— it’s whom you know.

an effective LinkedIn profile. Many annotated Recruiters say their best job candidates come from referrals. Now, more
résumé models will guide you in creating and than ever, you need to be proactive in making professional connections.
sending customized résumés that appeal to both Communication and interpersonal skills are in high demand.
applicant tracking systems and human readers.

Sales and marketing careers are booming, and these careers demand
writing, speaking, and team skills.
Social media presence is a must.

Essentials of Business Communication, 11E helps Those who haven’t developed a social media presence may be left in
ensure that you will have the finely honed writing the dust.
It’s all digital.

and communication skills and contemporary Today candidates e-mail their résumés, post them to Internet job
digital understanding for exceptional job success. boards, or publish them on their own Web pages.
Résumés must please scanners and skimmers.
Overwhelmed with candidates, recruiters hurriedly skim résumés

preselected by scanning devices.
Conducting a Successful Job Search

Develop a Create a
Analyze Know the
Job-Search Customized
Yourself Hiring Process
Strategy Résumé
▪ Identify your interests ▪ Search the open job market. ▪ Choose a résumé style. ▪ Submit a résumé,
and goals. ▪ Pursue the hidden job market. ▪ Organize your info concisely. application, or e-portfolio.
▪ Assess your qualifications. ▪ Cultivate your online presence. ▪ Tailor your résumé to each ▪ Undergo screening and
▪ Explore career ▪ Build your personal brand. position. hiring interviews.
opportunities. ▪ Network, network, network! ▪ Optimize for digital ▪ Accept an offer or reevaluate
technology. your progress.
xiv Are You Job-Ready?
Developing Your Own Brand Using LinkedIn to Land a Job
Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com;

4 Ways for Grads to Stand Out
BRA
ND
Branding You
MY
BR A
Y
John Smith Design/Shutterstock.com

ND
M
BR A
Y
ND
M
Create your
Courtesy of Linkedln
own tagline.
Briefly describe what Build a powerful
distinguishes you, such online presence.
as Talented at the Internet; Distribute a Prepare a strong LinkedIn
Working harder, smarter; business card. profile dictating what comes
Super student, super worker;
Love everything digital;
Include your name, tagline, and Prepare an up when people Google
Ready for a challenge;
an easy-to-remember e-mail elevator speech. your name. Consider adding
address. If you feel comfortable, Facebook and Twitter profile
Enthusiasm plus fresh skills. In 60 seconds, you need to be able pages. Be sure all sites promote
include a professional headshot
to describe who you are and what your brand positively.
photo. Distribute it at all
problems your skills can solve. Tweak
opportunities.
your speech for your audience, and
practice until it feels natural.
Making a Career E-Portfolio
How to make
Why create a and publish it?
career e-portfolio? ▪ Use a portfolio or blog template.
▪ Design your own website.
▪ Demonstrate your technology skills.
▪ Host at a university or private site.
▪ Support and extend your résumé.
▪ Publish its URL in your résumé
▪ Present yourself in a lively format.
▪ Make data instantly accessible.
What goes in it? and elsewhere.
▪ Target a specific job. ▪ Relevant course work

▪ Updated résumé, cover message
▪ Real work examples
▪ Recommendations
▪ Images, links, or whatever
showcases your skills
Why Are Instructors Such Great Fans of Essentials

of Business Communication?
In Their Words. . .
“As an experienced instructor teaching business communication for the
first time, I want to praise the layout and clear instructions provided for
Essentials of Business Communication. Getting to know a textbook
usually takes a lot of time, but I read the Instructor’s Manual, and it
helped me prepare quickly for my class and get me up to speed—without
having to spend valuable time learning how to present the material.
The ‘how-to’ instructions for Essentials of Business Communication gave
me a comfort level that would otherwise have taken several semesters.”
Danielle Shaker, Naugatuck Valley Community College and Post
University, Waterbury, CT
“One year I decided to try a business communication textbook from “I am astounded at the resources for the instructor. Last quarter, I had to
another publisher, but I immediately returned to the Guffey text this create the examples and documents for revision and business scenarios
year. The quality of the content and support resources for Essentials of for document creation. Thanks for allowing me to spend time on
Business Communication just can’t be matched.” planning and instruction rather than on creating quizzes, tests,
Laurie Johnson, Manhattan Area Technical College, Manhattan, worksheets, and PowerPoint presentations.”
Kansas Beverly Miller, Miller-Motte Technical College, Lynchburg, VA
Are You Job-Ready? xv
Appreciation for Support
No successful textbook reaches a No. 1 position without a great deal of help. We are exceedingly grateful to the
reviewers and other experts who contributed their pedagogic and academic expertise in shaping the many edi-
tions of Essentials of Business Communication.
We extend sincere thanks to outstanding professionals at Cengage Learning, including Erin Joyner, senior vice
president, Higher Education; Michael Schenk, vice president, Product Management; Heather Mooney, product
manager, Business Communication; John Rich, content development manager; Eric Wagner, marketing manager;
Bethany Bourgeois, senior art director; and Kim Kusnerak, senior content project manager. We are also grateful
to Crystal Bullen, DPS Associates, who ensured premier quality and excellent accuracy throughout the publishing
process. Our very special thanks go to Bethany Sexton, content developer, for her meticulous planning, project
management, and always-helpful assistance.
For their expertise in creating superior instructor and student support materials, our thanks go to Jane Flesher,
Chippewa Valley Technical College; Carol Hart, Columbus State Community College; Nicole Adams, University
of Dayton; Janet Mizrahi, University of California, Santa Barbara; Kathleen Bent, Cape Cod Community College;
Susan Schanne, Eastern Michigan University; and Thanakorn Kooptaporn, California State University, Fullerton.
Heartfelt Thanks to Recent Reviewers

We are especially grateful to the following instructors who offered significant relevant suggestions from their
hands-on classroom experience in teaching from Essentials of Business Communication:
Penny A. Braboy Westelle Florez Judy A. Reiman
Thomas More College Harris-Stowe State University Columbia College
Susan M. Campbell Laurie J. Johnson Daniel Schlittner

Arkansas Tech University Manhattan Area Technical College Phoenix Community College
Alma Cervantes Diana Macdonald Amy Weaver

Skyline College Uintah Basin Applied Technology College Potomac State College
Debbie Cook Patti McMann

Utah State University Klamath Community College
Sincere Appreciation to Previous Reviewers

We continue to celebrate and remember the following reviewers who over the years have contributed their exper-
tise in helping create a remarkably successful textbook:
Faridah Awang Karen Bounds Therese Butler
Eastern Kentucky University Boise State University Long Beach City College
Joyce M. Barnes Daniel Brown Derrick Cameron

Texas A & M University, Corpus Christi University of South Florida Vance-Granville Community College
Patricia Beagle Cheryl S. Byrne Brennan Carr

Bryant & Stratton Business Institute Washtenaw Community College Long Beach City College
Nancy C. Bell Jean Bush-Bacelis Steven V. Cates

Wayne Community College Eastern Michigan University Averett University
Ray D. Bernardi Mary Y. Bowers Irene Z. Church

Morehead State University Northern Arizona University Muskegon Community College
xvi Appreciation for Support
Lise H. Diez-Arguelles Susan E. Hall Karen Kendrick
Florida State University University of West Georgia Nashville State Community College
Dee Anne Dill April Halliday Lydia Keuser

Dekalb Technical Institute Georgia Piedmont Technical College San Jose City College
Dawn Dittman Tracey M. Harrison Linda Kissler

Dakota State University Mississippi College Westmoreland County Community College
Elizabeth Donnelly-Johnson Debra Hawhee Deborah Kitchin

Muskegon Community College University of Illinois City College of San Francisco
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Heald College Xavier University Francis Marion University
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Cuesta College Westmoreland County Community College Grossmont College
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Appreciation for Support xvii
Kenneth R. Mayer Susan Peterson Nicholas Spina
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University of Texas at Dallas Abraham Baldwin College Weatherford College
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Los Medanos College Vatterott College Eastfield College
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Ashland University University of Akron SYRIT College
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University of North Alabama
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Northern Oklahoma College
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Long Beach City College Southwest Wisconsin Technical College
Rich Rudolph
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Grand Rapids Junior College Elan College
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Southwest Wisconsin Technical College Lima Technical College
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Nan Nelson Olympic College Gerard Weykamp
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College Rose Ann Scala
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Lisa Nieman Central Texas College
Indiana Wesleyan University Joseph Schaffner
SUNY College of Technology, Alfred Leopold Wilkins
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University of Alaska, Anchorage James Calvert Scott
Utah State University Anna Williams
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Western Kentucky University Laurie Shapero
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Blake Business School Donald Williams
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Chippewa Valley Technical College Cinda Skelton
Central Texas College Janice Willis
Carol Pemberton College of San Mateo
Normandale Community College Estelle Slootmaker
Aquinas College Almeda Wilmarth
Carl Perrin State University of New York, Delhi
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Casco Bay College
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Clara Smith
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North Seattle Community College
xviii Appreciation for Support
About the Authors
Dr. Mary Ellen Guffey Dr. Dana Loewy
A dedicated professional, Dana Loewy taught
Mary Ellen Guffey has business communica-
taught business com- tion at California State
munication and busi- University, Fullerton for
ness English topics for nineteen years. Previ-
over thirty-five years. ously, she also worked as
She received a bachelor’s a composition instructor
degree, summa cum at various Los Angeles
Dana Loewy
laude, from Bowling area community colleges,
MaryEllen
Green State University; a thus reaching a solid

master’s degree from the quarter century of com-
University of Illinois, and bined experience teaching writing. Dr. Loewy has
a doctorate in business and economic education from also lectured abroad, for example, at Fachhochschule
the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She Nürtingen, Germany. Having earned a PhD from the
has taught at the University of Illinois, Santa Monica University of Southern California in English with a
College, and Los Angeles Pierce College. focus on translation, she is a well-published free-
Now recognized as the world’s leading business lance translator, interpreter, and textbook author.
communication textbook author, Dr. Guffey cor- Dr. Loewy has collaborated with Dr. Guffey on
responds with instructors around the globe who are recent editions of Business Communication: Pro-
using her books. She is the founding author of the cess & Product as well as on Essentials of Business
award-winning Business Communication: Process Communication.
and Product, the leading business communication text- Fluent in several languages, among them German
book in this country. She also wrote Business English, and Czech, her two native languages, Dr. Loewy has
which serves more students than any other book in its authored critical articles in many areas of interest—
field; Essentials of College English; and Essentials of literary criticism, translation, business communica-
Business Communication, the leading text/workbook tion, and business ethics. Active in the Association for
in its market. Dr. Guffey is active professionally, serv- Business Communication, Dr. Loewy is now focus-
ing on the review boards of the Business and Profes- ing on her consulting practice. Most recently she has
sional Communication Quarterly and the Journal of advised a German bank and a California-based non-
Business Communication, publications of the Associa- profit organization on communication strategy and
tion for Business Communication. She participates in effective writing techniques. Dana is also a business
national meetings, sponsors business communication etiquette consultant certified by The Protocol School
awards, and is committed to promoting excellence in of Washington.
business communication pedagogy and the develop-
ment of student writing skills.
About the Authors xix
1
Business
Communication
in the Digital Age
Chapter 1
Succeeding in the
Social and Mobile
Workplace
kined/Shutterstock.com
Pla2na/Shutterstock.com
Succeeding in the Social
and Mobile Workplace
Chapter
1
INSTRUCTOR: Visit the
Instructor Companion
Website for lecture notes,
solutions, discussion guides,
and other resources.
Learning Outcomes
After studying this chapter,
you should be able to do
the following:
1 Describe how strong

communication skills will
improve your career out-
look, strengthen your credi-
bility, and help you succeed
in today’s competitive digi-
tal age marketplace.
2 Confront barriers to
effective listening, and start
building your listening skills.
3 Explain the features of
Robert Churchill/Getty Images

nonverbal communication,
and recognize the impor-
tance of improving your non-
verbal communication skills.
4 Name five common

dimensions of culture, and
understand how culture influ-
ences communication and
the use of social media and 1-1 Mastering the Tools for Success in the
communication technology.
Twenty-First-Century Workplace
5 Discuss strategies that
help communicators over- What kind of workplace will you enter when you graduate, and which skills will you
come negative cultural need to be successful in it? Expect a fast-paced, competitive, and highly connected
attitudes and prevent digital environment. Communication technology provides unmatched mobility and
miscommunication in
today’s diverse, mobile,
connects individuals anytime and anywhere in the world. Today’s communicators
social-media-driven interact using multiple mobile electronic devices and access information stored
workplace. in remote locations, in the cloud. This mobility and instant access explain why
2 Chapter 1: Succeeding in the Social
Chapter
and Mobile
XX: Lorem
Workplace
Ipsum
increasing numbers of workers must be available practically around the clock and
must respond quickly. Your communication skills will always be on display and will
determine your credibility.
Learning
Outcome
Describe how strong
1
This first chapter presents an overview of communication in business today. It communication skills will
addresses the contemporary workplace, listening skills, nonverbal communication, improve your career outlook,
strengthen your credibility,
the cultural dimensions of communication, and intercultural job skills. The remain-
and help you succeed in
der of the book is devoted to developing specific writing and speaking skills. today’s competitive digital
age marketplace.
1-1a Strong Communication Skills: Your Key to Success
Effective writing skills can be a stepping-stone to great job opportunities; poorly
developed writing skills, on the other hand, will derail a career. When competition is
fierce, superior communication skills will give you an edge over other job applicants.
In survey after survey, recruiters place communication high on their wish lists.1 In
one recent study, employers ranked writing and oral communication among the
five top attributes in job seekers, after teamwork and problem-solving skills.2 Your
ability to communicate is a powerful “career sifter.”3 Strong communication skills
will make you marketable even in a challenging economic climate.
Perhaps you are already working or will soon apply for your first job. How do your
skills measure up? The good news is that you can learn effective communication. This
textbook and this course can immediately improve your communication skills. Because
the skills you are learning will make a huge difference in your ability to find a job and “Communicating
to be promoted, this will be one of the most important courses you will ever take. clearly and effectively
has NEVER been more
1-1b The Digital Revolution: Why Communication Skills important than it is
Matter More Than Ever today. Whether it’s fair
or not, life-changing
Since information technology, mobile devices, and social media have transformed critical judgments
the workplace, people in today’s workforce communicate more, not less. Thanks to about you are being
technology, messages travel instantly to distant locations, reaching potentially huge made based solely on
audiences. Work team members can collaborate across vast distances. Moreover, your writing ability.”4
social media are playing an increasingly prominent role in business. In such a hyper-
Victor Urbach,
connected world, writing matters more than ever. Digital media require “much more management consultant
than the traditional literacy of yesterday,” and workers’ skills are always on display.5
As a result, employers seek employees with a broader range of skills and higher
levels of knowledge in their field than in the past; hiring standards are increas-
ing.6 Educators are discussing “essential fluencies”—twenty-first-century skills that Note: Small superscript
include analytical thinking, teamwork, and multimedia-savvy communication.7 Pew numbers in the text announce
Research found that 90 percent of the Americans polled consider communication the information sources. Full
No. 1 skill for a successful life.8 Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson concurs, citations are near the end
of the book. This edition
calling communication “the most important skill any leader can possess.”9 Further-
uses a modified American
more, jobs relying heavily on people skills such as communication are less likely to Psychological Association
be killed by automation and will offer the most opportunities in the future.10 (APA) reference format.
Skills Gap. Unfortunately, a great number of workers can’t deliver. More than half
of the respondents in an employer survey criticized applicants for their lack of com-
munication, interpersonal, and writing skills. Staffing company Adecco reported
that 44 percent of its respondents cited a similar skills gap.11 Recruiters agree that
regardless of the workplace media used, “the ability to communicate an idea, with
force and clarity” and with a unique voice is sorely needed.12 In a PayScale study,
44 percent of bosses felt new graduates lacked writing skills as well as critical-
thinking and problem-solving skills (60 percent).13
Communication and Employability. Not surprisingly, many job listings require
excellent oral and written communication skills. An analysis of 2.3 million LinkedIn
profiles revealed that oral and written communication skills were by a large margin
the top skill set sought, followed by organization, teamwork, and punctuality.14 In
Chapter 1: Succeeding in the Social and Mobile Workplace 3
addition, as you will learn in later chapters, recruiters will closely examine your
online persona to learn about your communication skills and professionalism. Natu-
rally, they will not hire candidates who write poorly or post inappropriate content.15
Your reputation and personal credibility are vital assets you must guard.
Techies Write Too. Even in technical fields such as accounting and information
technology, you will need strong communication skills. A researcher suggests that
“The days of being able to plug away in isolation on a quantitative problem and
be paid well for it are increasingly over.”16 In an economy relying on innovation,
generating ideas isn’t enough; they must be communicated clearly, often in writing.17
A recruiter in the high-tech industry explains, “Communication is KEY. You can
have all the financial tools, but if you can’t communicate your point clearly, none
of it will matter.”18 A poll of nearly 600 employers showed that they are looking
for “communicators with a capital C,” people who offer superb speaking, writing,
listening, presentation, persuasion, and negotiation skills.19
Writing Is in Your Future. Regardless of career choice, you will probably be send-
ing many digital messages, such as the e-mail shown in Figure 1.1. Because electronic
mail and other digital media have become important channels of communication
Figure 1.1 Businesslike, Professional E-Mail Message
Send Options... HTML
To: Customer Service Improvement Team Uses precise sub-

ject line to convey
From: Samuel D. Hidalgo <sam.hidalgo@tekmagik–services.com> key information
Subject: Social Media Strategy Meeting: Wednesday, February 7 quickly
Starts with casual To:
greeting to express
From:
friendliness Hi, Team,
Date:
Subject:
As recommended at our last meeting, I have scheduled an e-marketing and social Announces most
media specialist to speak to us about improving our social media responses. Social important idea first
media consultant Alexis Johnston, founder of Apexx Marketing Solutions, has agreed with minimal back-
to discuss ways to turn our social media presence into a competitive advantage. ground information
Mark your calendars for the following:
Sets off meeting Social Media Strategy Meeting

information for easy Wednesday, February 7, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
recognition and Conference Room
retrieval
In previous meetings our team acknowledged that customers are increasingly turning
to our website, blogs, and Facebook pages to locate information, seek support, and
connect with us. However, we are experiencing problems in responding quickly
and effectively. Ms. Johnston promises to address these concerns. She will also tell
us whether we need to establish a presence in additional social media networks.
Ms. Johnston will help us decide whether we should hire an in-house social media
manager or pay for an external service. To make this meeting most productive, she Provides details
asks that each team member submit at least three questions or problem areas for about meeting with
discussion. transition to action
Bullets action requests
requests and places Action Requests:
them near message
end where readers • Please send three discussion questions to Alan (alan.wong@tekmagik-services Closes by telling
expect to find them .com) by February 2 at 5 p.m. so that he can relay them to Ms. Johnston. where to find addi-
tional information;
• Because we will be ordering box lunches for this meeting, please make your also expresses
Because this doc- selection on the intranet before February 2. appreciation
ument shows an
internal e-mail, a full If you have any questions, drop by my office or send a note. Thanks for your continued
signature block is efforts to improve our customer service!
not necessary. Co-
workers tend to be Sam
connected on the
same e-mail system Samuel D. Hidalgo
and can easily find Director, Customer Service
one another. E-mails
to external audiences
require a signature
block with full
contact information.
4 Chapter 1: Succeeding in the Social and Mobile Workplace
in today’s workplace, all digital business messages must be clear, concise, and pro-
fessional. Notice that the message in Figure 1.1 is more businesslike and more pro-
fessional than the quick text or e-mail you might send socially. Learning to write
professional digital messages will be an important part of this course.
1-1c What Employers Want: Professionalism

Your future employer will expect you to show professionalism and possess what
are often referred to as soft skills in addition to your technical knowledge. Soft
skills are essential career attributes that include the ability to communicate clearly,
get along with coworkers, solve problems, and take initiative.20 A PayScale study
found that employers considered writing proficiency an indispensable hard skill.21
In a Wall Street Journal survey of nearly 900 executives, 92 percent said that soft “In a survey conducted
skills are equally important or more important than technical skills. As a tech sector by PwC, CEOs cited
recruiter put it, “Communications, teamwork, and interpersonal skills are critical— ‘curiosity’ and ‘open-
mindedness’ as traits
everything we do involves working with other people.”22
that are becoming
Not every job seeker is aware of the employer’s expectations. Some new-hires
increasingly critical.
have no idea that excessive absenteeism or tardiness is grounds for termination. Oth-
Today’s star employees
ers are surprised to learn that they are expected to devote their full attention to their
need the full package:
duties when on the job. One frustrated Washington, D.C., restaurateur advertised for
hard or technical skills
workers with “common sense.” She said “I can teach somebody how to cook soup.
backed up with soft skills
But it’s hard to teach someone normal manners, or what you consider work ethic.”23
and emotional intel-
Projecting and maintaining a professional image can make a real difference in ligence. It isn’t enough
helping you obtain the job of your dreams. Once you get that job, you are more likely to say you’re good with
to be taken seriously and promoted if you look and sound professional. Don’t send people, a resume catch-
the wrong message and risk losing your credibility with unwitting and unprofes- phrase that’s become
sional behavior. Figure 1.2 reviews areas you will want to check to be sure you are empty jargon.”24
projecting professionalism. You will learn more about soft skills and professionalism
Dennis Yang, chief executive
in Chapter 11. The Communication Workshop at the end of this chapter will help officer of Udemy
you explore your future career and the need for soft skills.
1-1d How Your Education May Determine Your Income

As college tuition rises steeply and student debt mounts, you may wonder whether
going to college is worthwhile. Yet the effort and money you invest in earning your
college degree will most likely pay off. College graduates earn more, suffer less
unemployment, and can choose from a wider variety of career options than workers
without a college education. Moreover, college graduates have access to the highest-
paying and fastest-growing careers, many of which require a degree.25 As Figure 1.3
shows, graduates with bachelor’s degrees earn nearly three times as much as high
school dropouts and are almost four times less likely to be unemployed.26
Writing is one aspect of education that is particularly well rewarded. One corpo-
rate president explained that many people climbing the corporate ladder are good.
When he faced a hard choice between candidates, he used writing ability as the
deciding factor. He said that sometimes writing is the only skill that separates a
candidate from the competition. A survey of employers confirms that soft skills
such as communication ability can tip the scales in favor of one job applicant over
another.27 Your ticket to winning in a competitive job market and launching a suc-
cessful career is good communication skills.
1-1e Confronting the Challenges of the Information

Age Workplace
The workplace is changing profoundly and rapidly. As a businessperson and as a
business communicator, you will be affected by many trends, including communica-
tion technologies such as social media, expectations of around-the-clock availability,
and team projects. Other trends include flattened management hierarchies, global
Figure 1.2 Projecting Professionalism When You Communicate
Unprofessional Professional
Uptalk, a singsong speech pattern, making
sentences sound like questions; like used as
Speech Recognizing that your credibility can be
seriously damaged by sounding uneducated,
a filler; go for said; slang; poor grammar and
profanity.
habits crude, or adolescent.
Sloppy messages with incomplete sentences, Messages with subjects, verbs, and punctuation,
misspelled words, exclamation points, IM slang, free from IM abbreviations; messages that are
and mindless chatter. E-mail addresses such as
partyanimal@gmail.com, snugglykitty@icloud.
E-mail concise and spelled correctly even when brief.
E-mail addresses that include a name or a
com, or hotmama@outlook.com. positive, businesslike expression.
Suggestive Twitter handles and user names

that point to an immature, unhealthy lifestyle. Internet, Real name Twitter handles and user names that
don’t sound cute or like chatroom nicknames.
Posts that reveal political, religious, and other
personal leanings. social media Posts in good taste, fit for public consumption.
Voice mail
An outgoing message with strident background An outgoing message that states your name or
music, weird sounds, or a joke message. phone number and provides instructions for
leaving a message.
Soap operas, thunderous music, or a TV football

game playing noisily in the background when you Telephone A quiet background when you answer the
telephone, especially if you are expecting a
answer the phone.
presence prospective employer’s call.
Using electronics during business meetings for

unrelated purposes or during conversations with Cell phones, Turning off phone and message notification,
both audible and vibrate, during meetings;
tablets
fellow employees; raising your voice (cell yell); using your smart devices only for meeting-
forcing others to overhear your calls. related purposes.
Texting
Sending and receiving text messages during Sending appropriate business text messages
meetings, allowing texting to interrupt face-to- only when necessary (perhaps when a
face conversations, or texting when driving. cell phone call would disturb others).
competition, and a renewed emphasis on ethics. The following overview reveals

how communication skills are closely tied to your success in a constantly evolving
networked workplace.
▪▪ Social media and changing communication technologies. New communica-
tion technology is dramatically affecting the way workers interact. In our
always-connected world, businesses exchange information by e-mail, instant
messaging, text messaging, voice mail, powerful laptop computers, netbooks,
and smartphones as well as other mobile devices. Satellite communications,
wireless networking, teleconferencing, and videoconferencing help workers
conduct meetings with associates around the world. Social media sites such as
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube as well as blogs, wikis, forums,
and peer-to-peer tools help businesspeople collect information, serve customers,
Figure 1.3 The Education Bonus: Higher Income, Lower Unemployment
Education Median Weekly Earnings Unemployment Rate
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Bureau of Labor

Statistics. (2016, February 5). Employment Projections:
Earnings and unemployment rates by educational
High school dropout $ 493 8.0%
High school diploma 678 5.4%
attainment. Current population survey.

Some college, no degree 738 5.0%
Associate’s degree 798 3.8%
Bachelor’s degree or higher 1,458 2.1%

(average)
and sell products and services. Figure 1.4 illustrates many technologies you will
encounter in today’s workplace.
▪▪ Anytime, anywhere availability and nonterritorial offices. High-speed and wire-
less Internet access has freed millions of workers from nine-to-five jobs in brick-
and-mortar offices. Flexible working arrangements allow them to work at home
or on the road. Meet the work shifter, a telecommuter or teleworker who largely
remains outside the territorial office. The anytime, anywhere office the work
shifter needs requires only a smart mobile device and a wireless connection.28 If
the self-employed are factored in, teleworkers now represent almost 30 percent of
the U.S. working adult population.29 To save on office real estate, some industries
provide “nonterritorial” workspaces, or “hot desks.” The first to arrive gets the
best desk and the corner window.30 At the same time, 24/7 availability has blurred
the line between work and leisure, so that some workers are always on duty.
▪▪ Self-directed work groups and virtual teams. Teamwork has become a reality
in business. Many companies have created cross-functional teams to empower
employees and boost their involvement in decision making. You can expect to
collaborate with a team in gathering information, finding and sharing solu-
tions, implementing decisions, and managing conflict. You may even become
part of a virtual team whose members are in remote locations. Increasingly,
organizations are also forming ad hoc teams to solve particular problems. Such
project-based teams disband once they have accomplished their objectives.31
Moreover, parts of our future economy may rely on “free agents” who will be
hired on a project basis in what has been dubbed the gig economy, a far cry
from today’s full-time and relatively steady jobs.
▪▪ Flattened management hierarchies. To better compete and to reduce
expenses, businesses have for years been trimming layers of management.
This means that as a frontline employee, you will have fewer managers. You
will be making decisions and communicating them to customers, to fellow
employees, and to executives.
▪▪ Heightened global competition. Because many American companies continue
to move beyond domestic markets, you may be interacting with people from
many cultures. To be a successful business communicator, you will need to
learn about other cultures. You will also need to develop intercultural skills
including sensitivity, flexibility, patience, and tolerance.
▪▪ Renewed emphasis on ethics. Ethics is once again a hot topic in business. The
Great Recession of 2007–2009 was caused largely, some say, by greed and ethi-
cal lapses. With the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the U.S. government
Figure 1.4 Communication and Collaborative Technologies
Communication
alphaspirit/Shutterstock.com
Technologies
Cloud Computing: © vinzstudio/Shutterstock.com; Telephony: VoIP: © Magics/ZUMA Press/Newscom; Voice Recognition: © iStockphoto.com/ichaka Voice Conferencing: © Aspireimages Royalty-Free/Inmagine; Open Offices: © Inmagine
Communication Technologies at Work
Cloud Computing, Web 2.0, and Beyond Becoming familiar with modern communication
Increasingly, applications and data are stored in remote locations technology can help you succeed on the job. Today’s
online, in the cloud. This ability to store and access data on remote
servers is called cloud computing. Cloud computing means that busi- digital workplace is shaped by mobile devices, mobile
nesses and individuals no longer need to maintain costly hardware apps, social media networks, superfast broadband
and software in-house; instead, they can centralize data on their
own remote servers or pay for digital storage space and software and wireless access, and other technologies that
applications offered by providers online. Photo- and video-sharing allow workers to share information, work from
sites such as Instagram, Flickr, and YouTube keep users’ media in the
cloud. Similarly, Dropbox, a popular file-synchronization service, remote locations, and be more productive in or away
and online backup provider Carbonite allow customers to edit and from the office. With today’s tools you can exchange
sync files online independent of the device used to access them.
Websites and Web applications have shifted from one-way, read-only ideas, solve problems,
communication to multidirectional, social, read-write communica- develop products, fore-
tion. This profound change, dubbed Web 2.0, has allowed workers to
participate, collaborate, and network in unprecedented ways. More cast performance, and
changes on the horizon include the Internet of things, the storing and complete team projects
making sense of big data, artificial intelligence, and self-driving cars.
Continuous automation will make many current jobs obsolete. any time of the day or
night anywhere in the
Telephony: VoIP world.
Paul Bradbury/Getty Images
iStock.com/ichaka
Savvy businesses are Denys Prykhodov/Shutterstock.com
switching from traditional
phone service to voice over Speech
Internet protocol (VoIP). This Recognition
technology allows callers to
communicate using a broad- Computers equipped with
band Internet connection, speech-recognition software
thus eliminating long-distance and local telephone charges. Higher-end enable users to dictate up
VoIP systems now support unified voice mail, e-mail, click-to-call capabili- to 160 words a minute with
ties, and softphones (Web applications or mobile apps, such as Google accurate transcription. Speech
Voice, for calling and messaging). Free or low-cost Internet telephony recognition is particularly Wearable
sites, such as the popular Skype and FaceTime, are also increasingly used helpful to disabled workers
and to professionals with
Devices
by businesses, although their sound and image quality is often uneven.
heavy dictation loads, such The most recent trend in
Open Offices as physicians and attorneys. mobile computing is wear-
Users can create documents, able devices. Fitbit, Google
The widespread use of laptop enter data, compose and send Glass, Apple Watch, and
Exactostock / SuperStock
computers, tablets, and other smart e-mails, browse the Web, similar accessories do more
devices, wireless technology, and and control their notebooks, than track fitness activities.
VoIP have led to more fluid, flex- laptops, and desktops—all They are powerful mobile
ible, and open workspaces. Smaller by voice. Smart devices can devices in their own right that
computers and flat-screen monitors also execute tasks with voice can sync with other smart
enable designers to save space with command apps—for example, electronics.
boomerang-shaped workstations and to dial a call, find a route, or
cockpit-style work surfaces rather than space-hogging corner work areas. transcribe voice mail.
Smaller breakout areas for impromptu meetings are taking over some
cubicle space, and digital databases are replacing file cabinets. Mobile
technology allows workers to be fully connected and productive on the go.
Smart Mobile Mobile Apps
Scanrail1/Shutterstock.com
Devices and Digital Mobile apps are the software
that enables smartphones to
Convergence run and accomplish amazing
Lightweight, ever-smaller devices feats. Despite their natural size
limitations, mobile apps rival
maxsattana/Getty Images
provide phone, e-mail, Web browsing,
and calendar options anywhere there is the capabilities of full-fledged
a cellular or Wi-Fi network. Tablets and software applications on laptops,
Smart Mobile: © iStockphoto.com/hocus-focus; Presence Technology: © Javier Larrea/age fotostock/Getty Images; Web Conferencing: © Andreas Pollok/The Image Bank/Getty Images; Videoconferencing: ©iStockphoto
smartphones such as Android devices on desktops, and in the cloud.

and the iPhone and iPad allow workers
to tap into corporate databases and Electronic
intranets from remote locations. Users Presentations and
Monty Rakusen/Getty Images

can check customers’ files, complete orders, collect payment, and
send out receipts without returning to the office. The need for Data Visualization
separate electronic gadgets is waning as digital smart devices are Business presentations in
becoming multifunctional and highly capable. With streaming PowerPoint, Prezi, or Keynote
video on the Web, connectivity between TVs and computers, and
.com/Blend_Images; Electronic Presentations: © Echo/Cultura/Getty Images; Social Media: iStockphoto.com/temizyurek; Collaboration with Blogs: © Stigur Karlsson/E+/Getty Images
can be projected from a laptop

networked mobile devices, technology is converging, consolidating or tablet, or posted online.
into increasingly powerful devices. Many smart devices today are Sophisticated presentations
fully capable of replacing digital point-and-shoot still photography may include animation, sound
and video cameras. Mobile smart devices are also competing with effects, digital photos, video clips, or hyperlinks to Internet sites. In some
TVs and computers for primacy. industries, PowerPoint and other electronic slides (decks) are replacing
or supplementing traditional hard-copy reports. Data visualization tools
such as SAS can help businesses make sense of increasing amounts of
Videoconferencing complex data.
Videoconferencing allows
participants to meet in special
conference rooms equipped
Social Media
Source: Polycom, Inc.
with cameras and television Broadly speaking, the term social media describes technology
screens. Individuals or groups
see each other and interact in
Web Conferencing that enables participants to connect and share in social networks
online. For example, tech-savvy companies and individuals use
real time, although they may be With services such as Twitter to issue up-to-date news, link to their blogs and websites,
far apart. Faster computers, rapid GoToMeeting, WebEx, and and announce events and promotions. Microblogging services,
Internet connections, and better Microsoft Live Meeting, all such as Twitter and Tumblr, also allow businesses to track what is
cameras now enable 2 to 200 you need is a computer or a being said about them and their products. Similarly, businesses
participants to sit at their own smart device and an Internet use social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and others to
computers or mobile devices and connection to hold a meeting interact with customers and build
share applications, spreadsheets, (webinar) with customers their brands. Companies may also
presentations, and photos. or colleagues in real time. prospect for talent using social media
The technology extends from Although the functions are networks. Efforts to launch corporate
OmniArt/Shutterstock.com
the popular Internet applica- constantly evolving, Web social networks have seen mixed
tions Skype and FaceTime to conferencing currently incorpo- results. So far workers have been slow
sophisticated videoconferencing rates screen sharing, chats, slide in embracing SharePoint, Jive, Yammer,
software that delivers HD-quality presentations, text messaging, Telligent, and similar enterprise-
audio, video, and content sharing. and application sharing. grade collaboration platforms, social
networks, and community forums.
Collaboration With Blogs, Podcasts,

and Wikis
Businesses use blogs to keep customers and employees informed
and to receive feedback. Company news can be posted, updated,
and categorized for easy cross-referencing. An audio or video file
Hero Images/Getty Images
streamed online or downloaded to a digital music player is called
a podcast. A wiki is an Internet or intranet site that allows multiple
users to collaboratively create and edit digital files as well as media.
Information can get lost in e-mails, but wikis provide an easy way
to communicate and keep track of what has been said. Wikis for Westend61/Getty Images
business include Confluence, eXo Platform, Socialtext, and Jive.
now requires greater accountability. As a result, businesses are eager to regain
public trust by building ethical corporate cultures. Many have written ethical
mission statements, installed hotlines, and appointed compliance officers to
ensure strict adherence to their high standards and the law.
These trends mean that your communication skills will constantly be on display,
and that missteps won’t be easily erased or forgotten. Writers of clear and concise
messages contribute to efficient operations and can expect to be rewarded.
Learning
Outcome 2 1-2 Developing Listening Skills
Confront barriers to effective TV and radio host Larry King said, “I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say
listening, and start building this day will teach me anything. So if I’m going to learn, I must do it by listening.”32
your listening skills. In an age that thrives on information and communication technology, listening is
an important skill. However, by all accounts most of us are not very good listeners.
Do you ever pretend to be listening when you are not? Do you know how to look
attentive in class when your mind wanders far away? How about tuning out people
when their ideas are boring or complex? Do you find it hard to focus on ideas when
a speaker’s clothing or mannerisms are unusual?
You probably answered yes to one or more of these questions because many of
us have poor listening habits. In fact, some researchers suggest that we listen at only
25 to 50 percent efficiency. Such poor listening habits are costly in business and
affect professional relationships. Messages must be rewritten, shipments reshipped,
appointments rescheduled, contracts renegotiated, and directions restated. Listen-
ing skills are important for career success, organization effectiveness, and worker
satisfaction. Numerous studies and experts report that good listeners make good
“Did you know? managers and are sought after by recruiters.34
• I t is estimated To develop better listening skills, we must first recognize barriers that prevent
that more than effective listening. Then we need to focus on techniques for improving listening skills.
50 percent of our
work time is spent 1-2a Overcoming Barriers to Effective Listening
listening.
As you have seen, bad habits and distractions can interfere with effective listening.
• I mmediately fol- Have any of the following barriers and distractions prevented you from hearing
lowing a 10-minute what has been said?
presentation, aver- ▪▪ Physical barriers. You cannot listen if you cannot hear what is being said.
age people retain Physical impediments include hearing disabilities, poor acoustics, and noisy
about half of what surroundings. It is also difficult to listen if you are ill, tired, or uncomfortable.
they hear and only
one quarter after ▪▪ Psychological barriers. Everyone brings to the communication process a unique
48 hours. set of cultural, ethical, and personal values. Each of us has an idea of what is
right and what is important. If other ideas run counter to our preconceived
• S ixty percent of all thoughts, we tend to tune out speakers and thus fail to receive their messages.
management prob-
▪▪ Language problems. Unfamiliar words can destroy the communication pro-
lems are related to
cess because they lack meaning for the receiver. In addition, emotion-laden, or
listening.
charged, words can adversely affect listening. If the mention of words such as
• W
e misinterpret, bankruptcy or real estate meltdown has an intense emotional impact, a listener
misunderstand, or may be unable to focus on the words that follow.
change 70 to 90 ▪▪ Nonverbal distractions. Many of us find it hard to listen if a speaker is different
percent of what we from what we view as normal. Unusual clothing or speech mannerisms, body
hear.”33
twitches, or a radical hairstyle can cause enough distraction to prevent us from
Valarie Washington, CEO, hearing what the speaker has to say.
Think 6 Results
▪▪ Thought speed. Because we can process thoughts at least three times faster than
speakers can say them, we can become bored and allow our minds to wander.
▪▪ Faking attention. Most of us have learned to look as if we are listening even
when we are not. Such behavior was perhaps necessary as part of our socializa-
tion. Faked attention, however, seriously threatens effective listening because it
encourages the mind to engage in flights of unchecked fancy. Those who fake
attention often find it hard to concentrate even when they want to.
▪▪ Grandstanding. Would you rather talk or listen? Naturally, most of us would
rather talk. Because our own experiences and thoughts are most important to
us, we often want to grab the limelight in conversations. We may fail to listen
carefully when we are just waiting politely for the next pause so that we can
have our turn to speak.
“Listening is hard
work. Unlike hear-
1-2b Building Solid Listening Skills ing, it demands total
You can reverse the harmful effects of poor habits by making a conscious effort to concentration. It is
become an active listener. This means becoming involved. You can’t sit back and an active search for
hear whatever a lazy mind happens to receive. The following keys will help you meaning, while hear-
become an active and effective listener: ing is passive.”35
▪▪ Stop talking. The first step to becoming a good listener is to stop talking. Let Alfonso Bucero, consultant
others explain their views. Learn to concentrate on what the speaker is saying, and author
not on what your next comment will be.
▪▪ Control your surroundings. Whenever possible, remove competing sounds. Close
windows or doors, turn off TVs and smartphones, and move away from loud
people, noisy appliances, or engines. Choose a quiet time and place for listening.
▪▪ Establish a receptive mind-set. Expect to learn something by listening. Strive
for a positive and receptive frame of mind. If the message is complex, think of it
as mental gymnastics. It is hard work but good exercise to stretch and expand
the limits of your mind.
▪▪ Keep an open mind. We all sift through and filter information based on our
own biases and values. For improved listening, discipline yourself to listen
objectively. Be fair to the speaker. Hear what is really being said, not what you
want to hear.
▪▪ Listen for main points. Heighten your concentration and satisfaction by look-
ing for the speaker’s central themes. Congratulate yourself when you find them!
▪▪ Capitalize on lag time. Make use of the quickness of your mind by reviewing
the speaker’s points. Anticipate what is coming next. Evaluate evidence the
speaker has presented. Don’t allow yourself to daydream. Try to guess what the
speaker’s next point will be.
▪▪ Listen between the lines. Focus both on what is spoken and what is unspoken.
Listen for feelings as well as for facts.
▪▪ Judge ideas, not appearances. Concentrate on the content of the message,
not on its delivery. Avoid being distracted by the speaker’s looks, voice, or
mannerisms.
▪▪ Hold your fire. Force yourself to listen to the speaker’s entire argument or
message before responding. Such restraint may enable you to understand the
speaker’s reasons and logic before you jump to false conclusions.
▪▪ Take selective notes. In some situations thoughtful notetaking may be neces-
sary to record important facts that must be recalled later. Select only the most
important points so that the notetaking process does not interfere with your
concentration on the speaker’s total message.
▪▪ Provide feedback. Let the speaker know that you are listening. Nod your head and
maintain eye contact. Ask relevant questions at appropriate times. Getting involved
improves the communication process for both the speaker and the listener.
Learning
Outcome 3 1-3 Learning Nonverbal Communication Skills
Explain the features of non- Psychologist and philosopher Paul Watzlawick claimed that we cannot not commu-
verbal communication, and nicate.36 In other words, it’s impossible to not communicate. This means that every
recognize the importance behavior is sending a message even if we don’t use words. The eyes, face, and body
of improving your nonverbal convey meaning without a single syllable being spoken.
communication skills.
What Is Nonverbal Communication? Nonverbal communication includes all

unwritten and unspoken messages, whether intended or not. These silent signals
have a strong effect on receivers. However, understanding them is not simple. Does
a downward glance indicate modesty? Fatigue? Does a constant stare reflect cold-
ness? Dullness? Aggression? Do crossed arms mean defensiveness, withdrawal, or
just that the person is shivering?
What If Words and Nonverbal Cues Clash? Messages are even harder to decipher
when the verbal and nonverbal cues do not agree. What will you think if Scott says
he is not angry, but he slams the door when he leaves? What if Alicia assures the
hostess that the meal is excellent, but she eats very little? The nonverbal messages
in these situations speak louder than the words. In fact, researchers believe that the
bulk of any message we receive is nonverbal.
Successful communicators recognize the power of nonverbal messages. Cues
broadcast by body language might be helpful in understanding the feelings and atti-
tudes of senders. Be careful, however, before attaching specific meanings to gestures
or actions because behavior and its interpretations strongly depend on context and
on one’s cultural background, as you will see.
1-3a Your Body Sends Silent Messages

Think about how effective nonverbal behavior could benefit your career. Workplace-
relevant nonverbal cues include eye contact, facial expression, body movements,
time, space, territory, and appearance. These nonverbal cues affect how a message
is interpreted, or decoded, by the receiver.
Eye Contact. The eyes have been called the windows to the soul. Even if they don’t
reveal the soul, the eyes are often the best predictor of a speaker’s true feelings. Most
of us cannot look another person straight in the eyes and lie. As a result, in North
American culture, we tend to believe people who look directly at us. Sustained eye
contact suggests trust and admiration; brief eye contact signals fear or stress. Good
eye contact enables the message sender to see whether a receiver is paying attention,
showing respect, responding favorably, or feeling distress. From the receiver’s view-
point, good eye contact, in North American culture, reveals the speaker’s sincerity,
confidence, and truthfulness.
Facial Expression. The expression on a person’s face can be almost as revealing of
emotion as the eyes. Experts estimate that the human face can display over 250,000
expressions.37 To hide their feelings, some people can control these expressions and
maintain so-called poker faces. In North America, however, most of us display our
emotions openly. Raising or lowering the eyebrows, squinting the eyes, swallow-
ing nervously, clenching the jaw, smiling broadly—these voluntary and involuntary
facial expressions can add to or entirely replace verbal messages.
Posture and Gestures. An individual’s posture can convey anything from high
status and self-confidence to shyness and submissiveness. Leaning toward a speaker
suggests attentiveness and interest; pulling away or shrinking back denotes fear,
distrust, anxiety, or disgust. Similarly, gestures can communicate entire thoughts
via simple movements. However, the meanings of some of these movements differ in
other cultures. Unless you know local customs, they can get you into trouble. In the
United States and Canada, for example, forming the thumb and forefinger in a circle
means everything is OK. But in parts of South America, the OK sign is obscene.
In the workplace you can make a good impression by controlling your posture
and gestures. When speaking, make sure your upper body is aligned with the person
to whom you’re talking. Erect posture sends a message of confidence, competence,
diligence, and strength. Women are advised to avoid tilting their heads to the side
when making an important point to avoid seeming unsure and thus diminishing the
impact of the message.38
1-3b Time, Space, and Territory Send Silent Messages

In addition to nonverbal messages transmitted by your body, three external elements
convey information in the communication process: time, space, and territory.
Time. How we structure and use time tells observers about our personalities and
attitudes. For example, when Warren Buffett, industrialist, investor, and philanthro-
pist, gives a visitor a prolonged interview, he signals his respect for, interest in, and
approval of the visitor or the topic to be discussed. On the other hand, when David
Ing twice arrives late for a meeting, it could mean that the meeting has low priority
to David, that he is a self-centered person, or that he has little self-discipline. These
are assumptions that typical Americans might make.
Space. How we order the space around us tells something about ourselves and
our objectives. Whether the space is a bedroom, a dorm room, or an office, people
reveal themselves in the design and grouping of their furniture. Generally, the more
formal the arrangement, the more formal and closed the communication style. An
executive who seats visitors in a row of chairs across from his desk sends a mes-
sage of aloofness and a desire for separation. A team leader who arranges chairs
informally in a circle rather than in straight rows conveys her desire for a more open
exchange of ideas.
Territory. Each of us has a certain area that we feel is our own territory, whether
it is a specific spot or just the space around us. Your father may have a favorite
chair in which he is most comfortable, a cook might not tolerate intruders in the
kitchen, and veteran employees may feel that certain work areas and tools belong
to them. We all maintain zones of privacy in which we feel comfortable. Figure 1.5
categorizes the four zones of social interaction among Americans, as formulated by
anthropologist Edward T. Hall.39 Notice that North Americans are a bit standoffish;
only intimate friends and family may stand closer than about 1.5 feet. If someone
Figure 1.5 Four Space Zones for Social Interaction

iStock.com/monkeybusinessimages
© Kablonk Royalty-Free/Inmagine
iStock.com/Dean Mitchell
iStock.com/lewkmiller
Intimate Zone Personal Zone Social Zone Public Zone

(1 to 11/2 feet) (11/2 to 4 feet) (4 to 12 feet) (12 or more feet)
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DANCE ON STILTS AT THE GIRLS’ UNYAGO, NIUCHI
Newala, too, suffers from the distance of its water-supply—at least

the Newala of to-day does; there was once another Newala in a lovely
valley at the foot of the plateau. I visited it and found scarcely a trace
of houses, only a Christian cemetery, with the graves of several
missionaries and their converts, remaining as a monument of its
former glories. But the surroundings are wonderfully beautiful. A
thick grove of splendid mango-trees closes in the weather-worn
crosses and headstones; behind them, combining the useful and the
agreeable, is a whole plantation of lemon-trees covered with ripe
fruit; not the small African kind, but a much larger and also juicier
imported variety, which drops into the hands of the passing traveller,
without calling for any exertion on his part. Old Newala is now under
the jurisdiction of the native pastor, Daudi, at Chingulungulu, who,
as I am on very friendly terms with him, allows me, as a matter of
course, the use of this lemon-grove during my stay at Newala.
FEET MUTILATED BY THE RAVAGES OF THE “JIGGER”
(Sarcopsylla penetrans)
The water-supply of New Newala is in the bottom of the valley,

some 1,600 feet lower down. The way is not only long and fatiguing,
but the water, when we get it, is thoroughly bad. We are suffering not
only from this, but from the fact that the arrangements at Newala are
nothing short of luxurious. We have a separate kitchen—a hut built
against the boma palisade on the right of the baraza, the interior of
which is not visible from our usual position. Our two cooks were not
long in finding this out, and they consequently do—or rather neglect
to do—what they please. In any case they do not seem to be very
particular about the boiling of our drinking-water—at least I can
attribute to no other cause certain attacks of a dysenteric nature,
from which both Knudsen and I have suffered for some time. If a
man like Omari has to be left unwatched for a moment, he is capable
of anything. Besides this complaint, we are inconvenienced by the
state of our nails, which have become as hard as glass, and crack on
the slightest provocation, and I have the additional infliction of
pimples all over me. As if all this were not enough, we have also, for
the last week been waging war against the jigger, who has found his
Eldorado in the hot sand of the Makonde plateau. Our men are seen
all day long—whenever their chronic colds and the dysentery likewise
raging among them permit—occupied in removing this scourge of
Africa from their feet and trying to prevent the disastrous
consequences of its presence. It is quite common to see natives of
this place with one or two toes missing; many have lost all their toes,
or even the whole front part of the foot, so that a well-formed leg
ends in a shapeless stump. These ravages are caused by the female of
Sarcopsylla penetrans, which bores its way under the skin and there
develops an egg-sac the size of a pea. In all books on the subject, it is
stated that one’s attention is called to the presence of this parasite by
an intolerable itching. This agrees very well with my experience, so
far as the softer parts of the sole, the spaces between and under the
toes, and the side of the foot are concerned, but if the creature
penetrates through the harder parts of the heel or ball of the foot, it
may escape even the most careful search till it has reached maturity.
Then there is no time to be lost, if the horrible ulceration, of which
we see cases by the dozen every day, is to be prevented. It is much
easier, by the way, to discover the insect on the white skin of a
European than on that of a native, on which the dark speck scarcely
shows. The four or five jiggers which, in spite of the fact that I
constantly wore high laced boots, chose my feet to settle in, were
taken out for me by the all-accomplished Knudsen, after which I
thought it advisable to wash out the cavities with corrosive
sublimate. The natives have a different sort of disinfectant—they fill
the hole with scraped roots. In a tiny Makua village on the slope of
the plateau south of Newala, we saw an old woman who had filled all
the spaces under her toe-nails with powdered roots by way of
prophylactic treatment. What will be the result, if any, who can say?
The rest of the many trifling ills which trouble our existence are
really more comic than serious. In the absence of anything else to
smoke, Knudsen and I at last opened a box of cigars procured from
the Indian store-keeper at Lindi, and tried them, with the most
distressing results. Whether they contain opium or some other
narcotic, neither of us can say, but after the tenth puff we were both
“off,” three-quarters stupefied and unspeakably wretched. Slowly we
recovered—and what happened next? Half-an-hour later we were
once more smoking these poisonous concoctions—so insatiable is the
craving for tobacco in the tropics.
Even my present attacks of fever scarcely deserve to be taken
seriously. I have had no less than three here at Newala, all of which
have run their course in an incredibly short time. In the early
afternoon, I am busy with my old natives, asking questions and
making notes. The strong midday coffee has stimulated my spirits to
an extraordinary degree, the brain is active and vigorous, and work
progresses rapidly, while a pleasant warmth pervades the whole
body. Suddenly this gives place to a violent chill, forcing me to put on
my overcoat, though it is only half-past three and the afternoon sun
is at its hottest. Now the brain no longer works with such acuteness
and logical precision; more especially does it fail me in trying to
establish the syntax of the difficult Makua language on which I have
ventured, as if I had not enough to do without it. Under the
circumstances it seems advisable to take my temperature, and I do
so, to save trouble, without leaving my seat, and while going on with
my work. On examination, I find it to be 101·48°. My tutors are
abruptly dismissed and my bed set up in the baraza; a few minutes
later I am in it and treating myself internally with hot water and
lemon-juice.
Three hours later, the thermometer marks nearly 104°, and I make
them carry me back into the tent, bed and all, as I am now perspiring
heavily, and exposure to the cold wind just beginning to blow might
mean a fatal chill. I lie still for a little while, and then find, to my
great relief, that the temperature is not rising, but rather falling. This
is about 7.30 p.m. At 8 p.m. I find, to my unbounded astonishment,
that it has fallen below 98·6°, and I feel perfectly well. I read for an
hour or two, and could very well enjoy a smoke, if I had the
wherewithal—Indian cigars being out of the question.
Having no medical training, I am at a loss to account for this state
of things. It is impossible that these transitory attacks of high fever
should be malarial; it seems more probable that they are due to a
kind of sunstroke. On consulting my note-book, I become more and
more inclined to think this is the case, for these attacks regularly
follow extreme fatigue and long exposure to strong sunshine. They at
least have the advantage of being only short interruptions to my
work, as on the following morning I am always quite fresh and fit.
My treasure of a cook is suffering from an enormous hydrocele which
makes it difficult for him to get up, and Moritz is obliged to keep in
the dark on account of his inflamed eyes. Knudsen’s cook, a raw boy
from somewhere in the bush, knows still less of cooking than Omari;
consequently Nils Knudsen himself has been promoted to the vacant
post. Finding that we had come to the end of our supplies, he began
by sending to Chingulungulu for the four sucking-pigs which we had
bought from Matola and temporarily left in his charge; and when
they came up, neatly packed in a large crate, he callously slaughtered
the biggest of them. The first joint we were thoughtless enough to
entrust for roasting to Knudsen’s mshenzi cook, and it was
consequently uneatable; but we made the rest of the animal into a
jelly which we ate with great relish after weeks of underfeeding,
consuming incredible helpings of it at both midday and evening
meals. The only drawback is a certain want of variety in the tinned
vegetables. Dr. Jäger, to whom the Geographical Commission
entrusted the provisioning of the expeditions—mine as well as his
own—because he had more time on his hands than the rest of us,
seems to have laid in a huge stock of Teltow turnips,[46] an article of
food which is all very well for occasional use, but which quickly palls
when set before one every day; and we seem to have no other tins
left. There is no help for it—we must put up with the turnips; but I
am certain that, once I am home again, I shall not touch them for ten
years to come.
Amid all these minor evils, which, after all, go to make up the
genuine flavour of Africa, there is at least one cheering touch:
Knudsen has, with the dexterity of a skilled mechanic, repaired my 9
× 12 cm. camera, at least so far that I can use it with a little care.
How, in the absence of finger-nails, he was able to accomplish such a
ticklish piece of work, having no tool but a clumsy screw-driver for
taking to pieces and putting together again the complicated
mechanism of the instantaneous shutter, is still a mystery to me; but
he did it successfully. The loss of his finger-nails shows him in a light
contrasting curiously enough with the intelligence evinced by the
above operation; though, after all, it is scarcely surprising after his
ten years’ residence in the bush. One day, at Lindi, he had occasion
to wash a dog, which must have been in need of very thorough
cleansing, for the bottle handed to our friend for the purpose had an
extremely strong smell. Having performed his task in the most
conscientious manner, he perceived with some surprise that the dog
did not appear much the better for it, and was further surprised by
finding his own nails ulcerating away in the course of the next few
days. “How was I to know that carbolic acid has to be diluted?” he
mutters indignantly, from time to time, with a troubled gaze at his
mutilated finger-tips.
Since we came to Newala we have been making excursions in all
directions through the surrounding country, in accordance with old
habit, and also because the akida Sefu did not get together the tribal
elders from whom I wanted information so speedily as he had
promised. There is, however, no harm done, as, even if seen only
from the outside, the country and people are interesting enough.
The Makonde plateau is like a large rectangular table rounded off
at the corners. Measured from the Indian Ocean to Newala, it is
about seventy-five miles long, and between the Rovuma and the
Lukuledi it averages fifty miles in breadth, so that its superficial area
is about two-thirds of that of the kingdom of Saxony. The surface,
however, is not level, but uniformly inclined from its south-western
edge to the ocean. From the upper edge, on which Newala lies, the
eye ranges for many miles east and north-east, without encountering
any obstacle, over the Makonde bush. It is a green sea, from which
here and there thick clouds of smoke rise, to show that it, too, is
inhabited by men who carry on their tillage like so many other
primitive peoples, by cutting down and burning the bush, and
manuring with the ashes. Even in the radiant light of a tropical day
such a fire is a grand sight.
Much less effective is the impression produced just now by the
great western plain as seen from the edge of the plateau. As often as
time permits, I stroll along this edge, sometimes in one direction,
sometimes in another, in the hope of finding the air clear enough to
let me enjoy the view; but I have always been disappointed.
Wherever one looks, clouds of smoke rise from the burning bush,
and the air is full of smoke and vapour. It is a pity, for under more
favourable circumstances the panorama of the whole country up to
the distant Majeje hills must be truly magnificent. It is of little use
taking photographs now, and an outline sketch gives a very poor idea
of the scenery. In one of these excursions I went out of my way to
make a personal attempt on the Makonde bush. The present edge of
the plateau is the result of a far-reaching process of destruction
through erosion and denudation. The Makonde strata are
everywhere cut into by ravines, which, though short, are hundreds of
yards in depth. In consequence of the loose stratification of these
beds, not only are the walls of these ravines nearly vertical, but their
upper end is closed by an equally steep escarpment, so that the
western edge of the Makonde plateau is hemmed in by a series of
deep, basin-like valleys. In order to get from one side of such a ravine
to the other, I cut my way through the bush with a dozen of my men.
It was a very open part, with more grass than scrub, but even so the
short stretch of less than two hundred yards was very hard work; at
the end of it the men’s calicoes were in rags and they themselves
bleeding from hundreds of scratches, while even our strong khaki
suits had not escaped scatheless.
NATIVE PATH THROUGH THE MAKONDE BUSH, NEAR

MAHUTA
I see increasing reason to believe that the view formed some time
back as to the origin of the Makonde bush is the correct one. I have
no doubt that it is not a natural product, but the result of human
occupation. Those parts of the high country where man—as a very
slight amount of practice enables the eye to perceive at once—has not
yet penetrated with axe and hoe, are still occupied by a splendid
timber forest quite able to sustain a comparison with our mixed
forests in Germany. But wherever man has once built his hut or tilled
his field, this horrible bush springs up. Every phase of this process
may be seen in the course of a couple of hours’ walk along the main
road. From the bush to right or left, one hears the sound of the axe—
not from one spot only, but from several directions at once. A few
steps further on, we can see what is taking place. The brush has been
cut down and piled up in heaps to the height of a yard or more,
between which the trunks of the large trees stand up like the last
pillars of a magnificent ruined building. These, too, present a
melancholy spectacle: the destructive Makonde have ringed them—
cut a broad strip of bark all round to ensure their dying off—and also
piled up pyramids of brush round them. Father and son, mother and
son-in-law, are chopping away perseveringly in the background—too
busy, almost, to look round at the white stranger, who usually excites
so much interest. If you pass by the same place a week later, the piles
of brushwood have disappeared and a thick layer of ashes has taken
the place of the green forest. The large trees stretch their
smouldering trunks and branches in dumb accusation to heaven—if
they have not already fallen and been more or less reduced to ashes,
perhaps only showing as a white stripe on the dark ground.
This work of destruction is carried out by the Makonde alike on the
virgin forest and on the bush which has sprung up on sites already
cultivated and deserted. In the second case they are saved the trouble
of burning the large trees, these being entirely absent in the
secondary bush.
After burning this piece of forest ground and loosening it with the
hoe, the native sows his corn and plants his vegetables. All over the
country, he goes in for bed-culture, which requires, and, in fact,
receives, the most careful attention. Weeds are nowhere tolerated in
the south of German East Africa. The crops may fail on the plains,
where droughts are frequent, but never on the plateau with its
abundant rains and heavy dews. Its fortunate inhabitants even have
the satisfaction of seeing the proud Wayao and Wamakua working
for them as labourers, driven by hunger to serve where they were
accustomed to rule.
But the light, sandy soil is soon exhausted, and would yield no
harvest the second year if cultivated twice running. This fact has
been familiar to the native for ages; consequently he provides in
time, and, while his crop is growing, prepares the next plot with axe
and firebrand. Next year he plants this with his various crops and
lets the first piece lie fallow. For a short time it remains waste and
desolate; then nature steps in to repair the destruction wrought by
man; a thousand new growths spring out of the exhausted soil, and
even the old stumps put forth fresh shoots. Next year the new growth
is up to one’s knees, and in a few years more it is that terrible,
impenetrable bush, which maintains its position till the black
occupier of the land has made the round of all the available sites and
come back to his starting point.
The Makonde are, body and soul, so to speak, one with this bush.
According to my Yao informants, indeed, their name means nothing
else but “bush people.” Their own tradition says that they have been
settled up here for a very long time, but to my surprise they laid great
stress on an original immigration. Their old homes were in the
south-east, near Mikindani and the mouth of the Rovuma, whence
their peaceful forefathers were driven by the continual raids of the
Sakalavas from Madagascar and the warlike Shirazis[47] of the coast,
to take refuge on the almost inaccessible plateau. I have studied
African ethnology for twenty years, but the fact that changes of
population in this apparently quiet and peaceable corner of the earth
could have been occasioned by outside enterprises taking place on
the high seas, was completely new to me. It is, no doubt, however,
correct.
The charming tribal legend of the Makonde—besides informing us
of other interesting matters—explains why they have to live in the
thickest of the bush and a long way from the edge of the plateau,
instead of making their permanent homes beside the purling brooks
and springs of the low country.
“The place where the tribe originated is Mahuta, on the southern
side of the plateau towards the Rovuma, where of old time there was
nothing but thick bush. Out of this bush came a man who never
washed himself or shaved his head, and who ate and drank but little.
He went out and made a human figure from the wood of a tree
growing in the open country, which he took home to his abode in the
bush and there set it upright. In the night this image came to life and
was a woman. The man and woman went down together to the
Rovuma to wash themselves. Here the woman gave birth to a still-
born child. They left that place and passed over the high land into the
valley of the Mbemkuru, where the woman had another child, which
was also born dead. Then they returned to the high bush country of
Mahuta, where the third child was born, which lived and grew up. In
course of time, the couple had many more children, and called
themselves Wamatanda. These were the ancestral stock of the
Makonde, also called Wamakonde,[48] i.e., aborigines. Their
forefather, the man from the bush, gave his children the command to
bury their dead upright, in memory of the mother of their race who
was cut out of wood and awoke to life when standing upright. He also
warned them against settling in the valleys and near large streams,
for sickness and death dwelt there. They were to make it a rule to
have their huts at least an hour’s walk from the nearest watering-
place; then their children would thrive and escape illness.”
The explanation of the name Makonde given by my informants is
somewhat different from that contained in the above legend, which I
extract from a little book (small, but packed with information), by
Pater Adams, entitled Lindi und sein Hinterland. Otherwise, my
results agree exactly with the statements of the legend. Washing?
Hapana—there is no such thing. Why should they do so? As it is, the
supply of water scarcely suffices for cooking and drinking; other
people do not wash, so why should the Makonde distinguish himself
by such needless eccentricity? As for shaving the head, the short,
woolly crop scarcely needs it,[49] so the second ancestral precept is
likewise easy enough to follow. Beyond this, however, there is
nothing ridiculous in the ancestor’s advice. I have obtained from
various local artists a fairly large number of figures carved in wood,
ranging from fifteen to twenty-three inches in height, and
representing women belonging to the great group of the Mavia,
Makonde, and Matambwe tribes. The carving is remarkably well
done and renders the female type with great accuracy, especially the
keloid ornamentation, to be described later on. As to the object and
meaning of their works the sculptors either could or (more probably)
would tell me nothing, and I was forced to content myself with the
scanty information vouchsafed by one man, who said that the figures
were merely intended to represent the nembo—the artificial
deformations of pelele, ear-discs, and keloids. The legend recorded
by Pater Adams places these figures in a new light. They must surely
be more than mere dolls; and we may even venture to assume that
they are—though the majority of present-day Makonde are probably
unaware of the fact—representations of the tribal ancestress.
The references in the legend to the descent from Mahuta to the
Rovuma, and to a journey across the highlands into the Mbekuru
valley, undoubtedly indicate the previous history of the tribe, the
travels of the ancestral pair typifying the migrations of their
descendants. The descent to the neighbouring Rovuma valley, with
its extraordinary fertility and great abundance of game, is intelligible
at a glance—but the crossing of the Lukuledi depression, the ascent
to the Rondo Plateau and the descent to the Mbemkuru, also lie
within the bounds of probability, for all these districts have exactly
the same character as the extreme south. Now, however, comes a
point of especial interest for our bacteriological age. The primitive
Makonde did not enjoy their lives in the marshy river-valleys.
Disease raged among them, and many died. It was only after they
had returned to their original home near Mahuta, that the health
conditions of these people improved. We are very apt to think of the
African as a stupid person whose ignorance of nature is only equalled
by his fear of it, and who looks on all mishaps as caused by evil
spirits and malignant natural powers. It is much more correct to
assume in this case that the people very early learnt to distinguish
districts infested with malaria from those where it is absent.
This knowledge is crystallized in the
ancestral warning against settling in the
valleys and near the great waters, the
dwelling-places of disease and death. At the
same time, for security against the hostile
Mavia south of the Rovuma, it was enacted
that every settlement must be not less than a
certain distance from the southern edge of the
plateau. Such in fact is their mode of life at the
present day. It is not such a bad one, and
certainly they are both safer and more
comfortable than the Makua, the recent
intruders from the south, who have made USUAL METHOD OF
good their footing on the western edge of the CLOSING HUT-DOOR
plateau, extending over a fairly wide belt of
country. Neither Makua nor Makonde show in their dwellings
anything of the size and comeliness of the Yao houses in the plain,
especially at Masasi, Chingulungulu and Zuza’s. Jumbe Chauro, a
Makonde hamlet not far from Newala, on the road to Mahuta, is the
most important settlement of the tribe I have yet seen, and has fairly
spacious huts. But how slovenly is their construction compared with
the palatial residences of the elephant-hunters living in the plain.
The roofs are still more untidy than in the general run of huts during
the dry season, the walls show here and there the scanty beginnings
or the lamentable remains of the mud plastering, and the interior is a
veritable dog-kennel; dirt, dust and disorder everywhere. A few huts
only show any attempt at division into rooms, and this consists
merely of very roughly-made bamboo partitions. In one point alone
have I noticed any indication of progress—in the method of fastening
the door. Houses all over the south are secured in a simple but
ingenious manner. The door consists of a set of stout pieces of wood
or bamboo, tied with bark-string to two cross-pieces, and moving in
two grooves round one of the door-posts, so as to open inwards. If
the owner wishes to leave home, he takes two logs as thick as a man’s
upper arm and about a yard long. One of these is placed obliquely
against the middle of the door from the inside, so as to form an angle
of from 60° to 75° with the ground. He then places the second piece
horizontally across the first, pressing it downward with all his might.
It is kept in place by two strong posts planted in the ground a few
inches inside the door. This fastening is absolutely safe, but of course
cannot be applied to both doors at once, otherwise how could the
owner leave or enter his house? I have not yet succeeded in finding
out how the back door is fastened.
MAKONDE LOCK AND KEY AT JUMBE CHAURO

This is the general way of closing a house. The Makonde at Jumbe
Chauro, however, have a much more complicated, solid and original
one. Here, too, the door is as already described, except that there is
only one post on the inside, standing by itself about six inches from
one side of the doorway. Opposite this post is a hole in the wall just
large enough to admit a man’s arm. The door is closed inside by a
large wooden bolt passing through a hole in this post and pressing
with its free end against the door. The other end has three holes into
which fit three pegs running in vertical grooves inside the post. The
door is opened with a wooden key about a foot long, somewhat
curved and sloped off at the butt; the other end has three pegs
corresponding to the holes, in the bolt, so that, when it is thrust
through the hole in the wall and inserted into the rectangular
opening in the post, the pegs can be lifted and the bolt drawn out.[50]
MODE OF INSERTING THE KEY
With no small pride first one householder and then a second

showed me on the spot the action of this greatest invention of the
Makonde Highlands. To both with an admiring exclamation of
“Vizuri sana!” (“Very fine!”). I expressed the wish to take back these
marvels with me to Ulaya, to show the Wazungu what clever fellows
the Makonde are. Scarcely five minutes after my return to camp at
Newala, the two men came up sweating under the weight of two
heavy logs which they laid down at my feet, handing over at the same
time the keys of the fallen fortress. Arguing, logically enough, that if
the key was wanted, the lock would be wanted with it, they had taken
their axes and chopped down the posts—as it never occurred to them
to dig them out of the ground and so bring them intact. Thus I have
two badly damaged specimens, and the owners, instead of praise,
come in for a blowing-up.
The Makua huts in the environs of Newala are especially
miserable; their more than slovenly construction reminds one of the
temporary erections of the Makua at Hatia’s, though the people here
have not been concerned in a war. It must therefore be due to
congenital idleness, or else to the absence of a powerful chief. Even
the baraza at Mlipa’s, a short hour’s walk south-east of Newala,
shares in this general neglect. While public buildings in this country
are usually looked after more or less carefully, this is in evident
danger of being blown over by the first strong easterly gale. The only
attractive object in this whole district is the grave of the late chief
Mlipa. I visited it in the morning, while the sun was still trying with
partial success to break through the rolling mists, and the circular
grove of tall euphorbias, which, with a broken pot, is all that marks
the old king’s resting-place, impressed one with a touch of pathos.
Even my very materially-minded carriers seemed to feel something
of the sort, for instead of their usual ribald songs, they chanted
solemnly, as we marched on through the dense green of the Makonde
bush:—
“We shall arrive with the great master; we stand in a row and have
no fear about getting our food and our money from the Serkali (the
Government). We are not afraid; we are going along with the great
master, the lion; we are going down to the coast and back.”
With regard to the characteristic features of the various tribes here
on the western edge of the plateau, I can arrive at no other
conclusion than the one already come to in the plain, viz., that it is
impossible for anyone but a trained anthropologist to assign any
given individual at once to his proper tribe. In fact, I think that even
an anthropological specialist, after the most careful examination,
might find it a difficult task to decide. The whole congeries of peoples
collected in the region bounded on the west by the great Central
African rift, Tanganyika and Nyasa, and on the east by the Indian
Ocean, are closely related to each other—some of their languages are
only distinguished from one another as dialects of the same speech,
and no doubt all the tribes present the same shape of skull and
structure of skeleton. Thus, surely, there can be no very striking
differences in outward appearance.
Even did such exist, I should have no time
to concern myself with them, for day after day,
I have to see or hear, as the case may be—in
any case to grasp and record—an
extraordinary number of ethnographic
phenomena. I am almost disposed to think it
fortunate that some departments of inquiry, at
least, are barred by external circumstances.
Chief among these is the subject of iron-
working. We are apt to think of Africa as a
country where iron ore is everywhere, so to
speak, to be picked up by the roadside, and
where it would be quite surprising if the
inhabitants had not learnt to smelt the
material ready to their hand. In fact, the
knowledge of this art ranges all over the
continent, from the Kabyles in the north to the
Kafirs in the south. Here between the Rovuma
and the Lukuledi the conditions are not so
favourable. According to the statements of the
Makonde, neither ironstone nor any other
form of iron ore is known to them. They have
not therefore advanced to the art of smelting
the metal, but have hitherto bought all their
THE ANCESTRESS OF
THE MAKONDE
iron implements from neighbouring tribes.
Even in the plain the inhabitants are not much
better off. Only one man now living is said to
understand the art of smelting iron. This old fundi lives close to
Huwe, that isolated, steep-sided block of granite which rises out of
the green solitude between Masasi and Chingulungulu, and whose
jagged and splintered top meets the traveller’s eye everywhere. While
still at Masasi I wished to see this man at work, but was told that,
frightened by the rising, he had retired across the Rovuma, though
he would soon return. All subsequent inquiries as to whether the
fundi had come back met with the genuine African answer, “Bado”
(“Not yet”).
BRAZIER
Some consolation was afforded me by a brassfounder, whom I

came across in the bush near Akundonde’s. This man is the favourite
of women, and therefore no doubt of the gods; he welds the glittering
brass rods purchased at the coast into those massive, heavy rings
which, on the wrists and ankles of the local fair ones, continually give
me fresh food for admiration. Like every decent master-craftsman he
had all his tools with him, consisting of a pair of bellows, three
crucibles and a hammer—nothing more, apparently. He was quite
willing to show his skill, and in a twinkling had fixed his bellows on
the ground. They are simply two goat-skins, taken off whole, the four
legs being closed by knots, while the upper opening, intended to
admit the air, is kept stretched by two pieces of wood. At the lower
end of the skin a smaller opening is left into which a wooden tube is
stuck. The fundi has quickly borrowed a heap of wood-embers from
the nearest hut; he then fixes the free ends of the two tubes into an
earthen pipe, and clamps them to the ground by means of a bent
piece of wood. Now he fills one of his small clay crucibles, the dross
on which shows that they have been long in use, with the yellow
material, places it in the midst of the embers, which, at present are
only faintly glimmering, and begins his work. In quick alternation
the smith’s two hands move up and down with the open ends of the
bellows; as he raises his hand he holds the slit wide open, so as to let
the air enter the skin bag unhindered. In pressing it down he closes
the bag, and the air puffs through the bamboo tube and clay pipe into
the fire, which quickly burns up. The smith, however, does not keep
on with this work, but beckons to another man, who relieves him at
the bellows, while he takes some more tools out of a large skin pouch
carried on his back. I look on in wonder as, with a smooth round
stick about the thickness of a finger, he bores a few vertical holes into
the clean sand of the soil. This should not be difficult, yet the man
seems to be taking great pains over it. Then he fastens down to the
ground, with a couple of wooden clamps, a neat little trough made by
splitting a joint of bamboo in half, so that the ends are closed by the
two knots. At last the yellow metal has attained the right consistency,
and the fundi lifts the crucible from the fire by means of two sticks
split at the end to serve as tongs. A short swift turn to the left—a
tilting of the crucible—and the molten brass, hissing and giving forth
clouds of smoke, flows first into the bamboo mould and then into the
holes in the ground.
The technique of this backwoods craftsman may not be very far
advanced, but it cannot be denied that he knows how to obtain an
adequate result by the simplest means. The ladies of highest rank in
this country—that is to say, those who can afford it, wear two kinds
of these massive brass rings, one cylindrical, the other semicircular
in section. The latter are cast in the most ingenious way in the
bamboo mould, the former in the circular hole in the sand. It is quite
a simple matter for the fundi to fit these bars to the limbs of his fair
customers; with a few light strokes of his hammer he bends the
pliable brass round arm or ankle without further inconvenience to
the wearer.
SHAPING THE POT
SMOOTHING WITH MAIZE-COB
CUTTING THE EDGE

FINISHING THE BOTTOM
LAST SMOOTHING BEFORE

BURNING
FIRING THE BRUSH-PILE

LIGHTING THE FARTHER SIDE OF
THE PILE
TURNING THE RED-HOT VESSEL
NYASA WOMAN MAKING POTS AT MASASI

Pottery is an art which must always and everywhere excite the
interest of the student, just because it is so intimately connected with
the development of human culture, and because its relics are one of
the principal factors in the reconstruction of our own condition in
prehistoric times. I shall always remember with pleasure the two or
three afternoons at Masasi when Salim Matola’s mother, a slightly-
built, graceful, pleasant-looking woman, explained to me with
touching patience, by means of concrete illustrations, the ceramic art
of her people. The only implements for this primitive process were a
lump of clay in her left hand, and in the right a calabash containing
the following valuables: the fragment of a maize-cob stripped of all
its grains, a smooth, oval pebble, about the size of a pigeon’s egg, a
few chips of gourd-shell, a bamboo splinter about the length of one’s
hand, a small shell, and a bunch of some herb resembling spinach.
Nothing more. The woman scraped with the
shell a round, shallow hole in the soft, fine
sand of the soil, and, when an active young
girl had filled the calabash with water for her,
she began to knead the clay. As if by magic it
gradually assumed the shape of a rough but
already well-shaped vessel, which only wanted
a little touching up with the instruments
before mentioned. I looked out with the
MAKUA WOMAN closest attention for any indication of the use
MAKING A POT. of the potter’s wheel, in however rudimentary
SHOWS THE a form, but no—hapana (there is none). The
BEGINNINGS OF THE embryo pot stood firmly in its little
POTTER’S WHEEL
depression, and the woman walked round it in
a stooping posture, whether she was removing
small stones or similar foreign bodies with the maize-cob, smoothing
the inner or outer surface with the splinter of bamboo, or later, after
letting it dry for a day, pricking in the ornamentation with a pointed
bit of gourd-shell, or working out the bottom, or cutting the edge
with a sharp bamboo knife, or giving the last touches to the finished
vessel. This occupation of the women is infinitely toilsome, but it is
without doubt an accurate reproduction of the process in use among
our ancestors of the Neolithic and Bronze ages.
There is no doubt that the invention of pottery, an item in human
progress whose importance cannot be over-estimated, is due to
women. Rough, coarse and unfeeling, the men of the horde range
over the countryside. When the united cunning of the hunters has
succeeded in killing the game; not one of them thinks of carrying
home the spoil. A bright fire, kindled by a vigorous wielding of the
drill, is crackling beside them; the animal has been cleaned and cut
up secundum artem, and, after a slight singeing, will soon disappear
under their sharp teeth; no one all this time giving a single thought
to wife or child.
To what shifts, on the other hand, the primitive wife, and still more
the primitive mother, was put! Not even prehistoric stomachs could
endure an unvarying diet of raw food. Something or other suggested
the beneficial effect of hot water on the majority of approved but
indigestible dishes. Perhaps a neighbour had tried holding the hard
roots or tubers over the fire in a calabash filled with water—or maybe
an ostrich-egg-shell, or a hastily improvised vessel of bark. They
became much softer and more palatable than they had previously
been; but, unfortunately, the vessel could not stand the fire and got
charred on the outside. That can be remedied, thought our
ancestress, and plastered a layer of wet clay round a similar vessel.
This is an improvement; the cooking utensil remains uninjured, but
the heat of the fire has shrunk it, so that it is loose in its shell. The
next step is to detach it, so, with a firm grip and a jerk, shell and
kernel are separated, and pottery is invented. Perhaps, however, the
discovery which led to an intelligent use of the burnt-clay shell, was
made in a slightly different way. Ostrich-eggs and calabashes are not
to be found in every part of the world, but everywhere mankind has
arrived at the art of making baskets out of pliant materials, such as
bark, bast, strips of palm-leaf, supple twigs, etc. Our inventor has no
water-tight vessel provided by nature. “Never mind, let us line the
basket with clay.” This answers the purpose, but alas! the basket gets
burnt over the blazing fire, the woman watches the process of
cooking with increasing uneasiness, fearing a leak, but no leak
appears. The food, done to a turn, is eaten with peculiar relish; and
the cooking-vessel is examined, half in curiosity, half in satisfaction
at the result. The plastic clay is now hard as stone, and at the same
time looks exceedingly well, for the neat plaiting of the burnt basket
is traced all over it in a pretty pattern. Thus, simultaneously with
pottery, its ornamentation was invented.
Primitive woman has another claim to respect. It was the man,
roving abroad, who invented the art of producing fire at will, but the
woman, unable to imitate him in this, has been a Vestal from the
earliest times. Nothing gives so much trouble as the keeping alight of
the smouldering brand, and, above all, when all the men are absent
from the camp. Heavy rain-clouds gather, already the first large
drops are falling, the first gusts of the storm rage over the plain. The
little flame, a greater anxiety to the woman than her own children,
flickers unsteadily in the blast. What is to be done? A sudden thought
occurs to her, and in an instant she has constructed a primitive hut
out of strips of bark, to protect the flame against rain and wind.
This, or something very like it, was the way in which the principle
of the house was discovered; and even the most hardened misogynist
cannot fairly refuse a woman the credit of it. The protection of the
hearth-fire from the weather is the germ from which the human
dwelling was evolved. Men had little, if any share, in this forward
step, and that only at a late stage. Even at the present day, the
plastering of the housewall with clay and the manufacture of pottery
are exclusively the women’s business. These are two very significant
survivals. Our European kitchen-garden, too, is originally a woman’s
invention, and the hoe, the primitive instrument of agriculture, is,
characteristically enough, still used in this department. But the
noblest achievement which we owe to the other sex is unquestionably
the art of cookery. Roasting alone—the oldest process—is one for
which men took the hint (a very obvious one) from nature. It must
have been suggested by the scorched carcase of some animal
overtaken by the destructive forest-fires. But boiling—the process of
improving organic substances by the help of water heated to boiling-
point—is a much later discovery. It is so recent that it has not even
yet penetrated to all parts of the world. The Polynesians understand
how to steam food, that is, to cook it, neatly wrapped in leaves, in a
hole in the earth between hot stones, the air being excluded, and
(sometimes) a few drops of water sprinkled on the stones; but they
do not understand boiling.
To come back from this digression, we find that the slender Nyasa
woman has, after once more carefully examining the finished pot,
put it aside in the shade to dry. On the following day she sends me
word by her son, Salim Matola, who is always on hand, that she is
going to do the burning, and, on coming out of my house, I find her
already hard at work. She has spread on the ground a layer of very
dry sticks, about as thick as one’s thumb, has laid the pot (now of a
yellowish-grey colour) on them, and is piling brushwood round it.
My faithful Pesa mbili, the mnyampara, who has been standing by,
most obligingly, with a lighted stick, now hands it to her. Both of
them, blowing steadily, light the pile on the lee side, and, when the
flame begins to catch, on the weather side also. Soon the whole is in a
blaze, but the dry fuel is quickly consumed and the fire dies down, so
that we see the red-hot vessel rising from the ashes. The woman
turns it continually with a long stick, sometimes one way and
sometimes another, so that it may be evenly heated all over. In
twenty minutes she rolls it out of the ash-heap, takes up the bundle
of spinach, which has been lying for two days in a jar of water, and
sprinkles the red-hot clay with it. The places where the drops fall are
marked by black spots on the uniform reddish-brown surface. With a
sigh of relief, and with visible satisfaction, the woman rises to an
erect position; she is standing just in a line between me and the fire,
from which a cloud of smoke is just rising: I press the ball of my
camera, the shutter clicks—the apotheosis is achieved! Like a
priestess, representative of her inventive sex, the graceful woman
stands: at her feet the hearth-fire she has given us beside her the
invention she has devised for us, in the background the home she has
built for us.
At Newala, also, I have had the manufacture of pottery carried on
in my presence. Technically the process is better than that already
described, for here we find the beginnings of the potter’s wheel,
which does not seem to exist in the plains; at least I have seen
nothing of the sort. The artist, a frightfully stupid Makua woman, did
not make a depression in the ground to receive the pot she was about
to shape, but used instead a large potsherd. Otherwise, she went to
work in much the same way as Salim’s mother, except that she saved
herself the trouble of walking round and round her work by squatting
at her ease and letting the pot and potsherd rotate round her; this is
surely the first step towards a machine. But it does not follow that
the pot was improved by the process. It is true that it was beautifully
rounded and presented a very creditable appearance when finished,
but the numerous large and small vessels which I have seen, and, in
part, collected, in the “less advanced” districts, are no less so. We
moderns imagine that instruments of precision are necessary to
produce excellent results. Go to the prehistoric collections of our
museums and look at the pots, urns and bowls of our ancestors in the
dim ages of the past, and you will at once perceive your error.
MAKING LONGITUDINAL CUT IN
BARK
DRAWING THE BARK OFF THE LOG
REMOVING THE OUTER BARK

BEATING THE BARK
WORKING THE BARK-CLOTH AFTER BEATING, TO MAKE IT

SOFT
MANUFACTURE OF BARK-CLOTH AT NEWALA

To-day, nearly the whole population of German East Africa is
clothed in imported calico. This was not always the case; even now in
some parts of the north dressed skins are still the prevailing wear,
and in the north-western districts—east and north of Lake
Tanganyika—lies a zone where bark-cloth has not yet been
superseded. Probably not many generations have passed since such
bark fabrics and kilts of skins were the only clothing even in the
south. Even to-day, large quantities of this bright-red or drab
material are still to be found; but if we wish to see it, we must look in
the granaries and on the drying stages inside the native huts, where
it serves less ambitious uses as wrappings for those seeds and fruits
which require to be packed with special care. The salt produced at
Masasi, too, is packed for transport to a distance in large sheets of
bark-cloth. Wherever I found it in any degree possible, I studied the
process of making this cloth. The native requisitioned for the
purpose arrived, carrying a log between two and three yards long and
as thick as his thigh, and nothing else except a curiously-shaped
mallet and the usual long, sharp and pointed knife which all men and
boys wear in a belt at their backs without a sheath—horribile dictu!
[51]
Silently he squats down before me, and with two rapid cuts has
drawn a couple of circles round the log some two yards apart, and
slits the bark lengthwise between them with the point of his knife.
With evident care, he then scrapes off the outer rind all round the
log, so that in a quarter of an hour the inner red layer of the bark
shows up brightly-coloured between the two untouched ends. With
some trouble and much caution, he now loosens the bark at one end,
and opens the cylinder. He then stands up, takes hold of the free
edge with both hands, and turning it inside out, slowly but steadily
pulls it off in one piece. Now comes the troublesome work of
scraping all superfluous particles of outer bark from the outside of
the long, narrow piece of material, while the inner side is carefully
scrutinised for defective spots. At last it is ready for beating. Having
signalled to a friend, who immediately places a bowl of water beside
him, the artificer damps his sheet of bark all over, seizes his mallet,
lays one end of the stuff on the smoothest spot of the log, and
hammers away slowly but continuously. “Very simple!” I think to
myself. “Why, I could do that, too!”—but I am forced to change my
opinions a little later on; for the beating is quite an art, if the fabric is
not to be beaten to pieces. To prevent the breaking of the fibres, the
stuff is several times folded across, so as to interpose several
thicknesses between the mallet and the block. At last the required
state is reached, and the fundi seizes the sheet, still folded, by both
ends, and wrings it out, or calls an assistant to take one end while he
holds the other. The cloth produced in this way is not nearly so fine
and uniform in texture as the famous Uganda bark-cloth, but it is
quite soft, and, above all, cheap.
Now, too, I examine the mallet. My craftsman has been using the
simpler but better form of this implement, a conical block of some
hard wood, its base—the striking surface—being scored across and
across with more or less deeply-cut grooves, and the handle stuck
into a hole in the middle. The other and earlier form of mallet is
shaped in the same way, but the head is fastened by an ingenious
network of bark strips into the split bamboo serving as a handle. The
observation so often made, that ancient customs persist longest in
connection with religious ceremonies and in the life of children, here
finds confirmation. As we shall soon see, bark-cloth is still worn
during the unyago,[52] having been prepared with special solemn
ceremonies; and many a mother, if she has no other garment handy,
will still put her little one into a kilt of bark-cloth, which, after all,
looks better, besides being more in keeping with its African
surroundings, than the ridiculous bit of print from Ulaya.
MAKUA WOMEN

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Essentials of Business Communication

11th Edition, (Ebook PDF)

Unit 1 Business ­Communication

Unit 2 T he Writing Process in

2-1 Examining the Communication Process 36 Critical Thinking 53

Summary of Learning Outcomes 51

3 Organizing and Drafting Business Messages 62

3-1 Drafting Workplace Messages 62 3-3 Drafting With Powerful Sentences 67

4 Revising Business Messages 87

4-1 Stopping to Revise: Applying Phase 3 Summary of Learning Outcomes 102

Unit 3 Workplace Communication

5-1 Writing Digital Age E-Mail Messages Critical Thinking 137

Summary of Learning Outcomes 134

6 Positive and Neutral Messages 150

6-1 Routine Messages: E-Mails, Memos, Critical Thinking 172

Summary of Learning Outcomes 170

7-1 Communicating Negative News Critical Thinking 208

Summary of Learning Outcomes 206

8 Persuasive Messages 219

8-1 Understanding Persuasion in a Social Summary of Learning Outcomes 237

Unit 4 Business Reports and

Summary of Learning Outcomes 276

10-1 Preparing Business Proposals 285 Summary of Learning Outcomes 312

Unit 5 Professionalism, Teamwork,

11 Professionalism at Work: Business Etiquette, Ethics,

12 Business Presentations 362

12-1 Creating Effective Business Summary of Learning Outcomes 384

Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com

14 Interviewing and Following Up 444

14-1 Interviewing Effectively in Today’s Critical Thinking 471

Summary of Learning Outcomes 468

Suggestive Twitter handles and user names

Soap operas, thunderous music, or a TV football

Using electronics during business meetings for

Are You Job-Ready? xi

Applying Strategic Writing Plans

writing quickly and confidently. The Eleventh

13. b (1.17b) 14. a (1.17c) 15. b (1.17d)

xii Are You Job-Ready?

The Eleventh Edition provides comprehensive guidance in

career or hurting your employers’ reputation with careless

Developing Digital Skills

Writing a Captivating Blog Using Digital Media Like a Pro:

Big Idea First DON’TS

Are You Job-Ready? xiii

Provide balanced reviews. Refuse payment for favorable critiques.

Networking— it’s whom you know.

applicant tracking systems and human readers.

Social media presence is a must.

It’s all digital.

Résumés must please scanners and skimmers.

Overwhelmed with candidates, recruiters hurriedly skim résumés

Conducting a Successful Job Search

xiv Are You Job-Ready?

Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com;

John Smith Design/Shutterstock.com

Making a Career E-Portfolio

▪ Target a specific job. ▪ Relevant course work

Why Are Instructors Such Great Fans of Essentials

Are You Job-Ready? xv

Heartfelt Thanks to Recent Reviewers

Susan M. Campbell Laurie J. Johnson Daniel Schlittner

Unit 1 Business Communication

Unit 2 T he Writing Process in

4-1 Stopping to Revise: Applying Phase 3 Summary of Learning Outcomes 102

5-1 Writing Digital Age E-Mail Messages Critical Thinking 137

Unit 4 Business Reports and

Unit 5 Professionalism, Teamwork,