You need to know how to conduct a business conversation. It should be concise and informative. During a business conversation, issues such as further cooperation, employment, and a wide variety of transactions are generally considered.
Features
First of all, a business conversation is an oral contact between a pair of people who intend to enter into, strengthen or end a business relationship. Secondly, it involves verbal communication between interlocutors who have the authority to resolve work issues, business problems. Thirdly, through conversation, the result is achieved most quickly.
Business conversation is a type of verbal communication, and unlike other methods of communication, such as meeting, business correspondence, telephone calls, has several advantages:
- A business conversation allows you to focus on the interlocutor or a group of people participating in it, which means that she is personally oriented.
- Direct communication takes place in a comfortable environment for both parties, this leads to a faster search for solutions to problems.
- Also, the non-stressful atmosphere creates more favorable conditions for establishing strong personal relationships, which in the process of work leads to easier communication between the parties.
- A good opportunity for a more flexible approach to the subject of consideration.
- Reducing the time spent, because the interlocutor responds to statements immediately, this contributes to the speedy achievement of goals.
- It is much easier to convince the person you are right and the justification for the position in demand, which will lead to the adoption of a better offer for you.
- The level of competence of the leader is steadily growing due to the consideration of comments and assessments made on the other hand.
Stages of a business conversation must be carefully observed. It will be easier to negotiate.
Functions
The tasks that are carried out by conducting a conversation are very diverse.
A business conversation comprises a number of functions that are most important for negotiations. These include:
- workers in the same field can instantly discuss pressing issues and find a solution to them;
- being in the same room, the partners conduct a joint search for solutions, and various ideas for moving towards the goal are also considered;
- a high probability of concluding business deals that are profitable
- coordination of ongoing business events takes place, which leads to quality control of the tasks performed;
- it is easy to maintain business contacts at an appropriate level during a conversation rather than during correspondence;
- employees are stimulated by motivational ideas to actively participate in business.
The concept of conversation in the business world is quite strict. To conduct negotiations, it is necessary to contact the interlocutor politely, official ethics should be present, and speak always briefly and in essence.
Kinds
Business interviews can be conducted in three different situations: hiring a new employee, dismissal or conversation, which is instructive in connection with disciplinary violations.
When hiring
A job interview takes place in the Question-Answer format, which is more like conducting an interview. The main thing is to get reliable information about the incoming employee in order to identify his professional qualities.
The main tasks of the conversation when hiring:
- find out the reason a person is looking for work;
- determine his competence in the necessary work field;
- to reveal its strengths and weaknesses, the main character traits, perhaps, especially the temperament;
- learn about the achievements that an employee has achieved in the past;
- ask what salary he expects;
- determine what instructions he expects from his superiors;
- determine which superiors are good and effective for him.
Upon dismissal
The conversation during the dismissal of an employee from work is divided into two types: dismissal at will and under duress (in connection with the reduction of staff and the like).
When conducting the first type of conversation, you must:
- Identify the true reason for the dismissal of the employee.
- Determine what he was motivated by, what caused such a decision (perhaps dissatisfaction with the production process or inattention on the part of the manager, resentment towards colleagues).
- Find out what did not suit him at work and vice versa. The third phase is the most informative.
It is a well-known fact that employees who leave their workplace for personal reasons, as a rule, are not afraid to tell the true facts. On the part of the manager, this can help him in the future to improve the production process and eliminate the loss of valuable workers.
The need for such a conversation lies in the main task of the bosses - to take care of correcting mistakes in managerial activities, and to monitor this at every level of production.
A conversation with an employee who has to be fired is called “farewell conversation” in special foreign literature. It proceeds differently:
- A conversation is never scheduled before weekends or holidays, because it can ruin the mood and affect not only the employee himself, but also his family and loved ones.
- The conversation is not held at the employee’s workplace, as well as in the premises where a large number of people work, this carries a great emotional burden on the subordinate, which may entail certain consequences.
- The conversation lasts for 20 minutes, because the employee who heard the unfavorable news is not emotionally tuned in to listen to what he is being told and to think about various facts that the manager is trying to convey, enter the position.
- The superiors must be accurate in their presentation and correct, otherwise the employee may have doubts about the validity of the words spoken, which will lead to disputes and appeals of decisions. Especially emotional people can cry right on the spot.
In foreign practice, there is a special “rehabilitation program” for the dismissed. In practice, the authorities look for vacant seats in another enterprise so that the employee, desperate in his own strength, does not give up. There is also an opinion that this program is useful for maintaining the level of authority of the dismissed in the eyes of colleagues and household.
Disciplinary conversation
In turn, disciplinary conversations occur in case of violation of any rules. They require a critical assessment of the work of the employee by the authorities. Therefore, such a conversation requires:
- The manager is obliged to obtain all the necessary information about the employee and his position in order to avoid erroneous situations. The employee profile should be as accurate and comprehensive as possible.
- Information should be received alternately, because a properly constructed conversation leads to a better understanding of the problem on the part of the subordinate.
- There is a single rule: you can not criticize the identity of the offender, attention is paid only to the incorrectly completed task. This definition should always apply.
Varieties of business conversation are quite extensive. You can apply any technique that you like best. Communicative skills need to be given special attention.
rules
A key tool is the ability to ask questions. You should always adhere to the basic set of rules for effective speech communication:
- It is necessary to correctly and clearly establish contact with the interlocutor provided to you in order to achieve a good result, and to reduce the time for unnecessary communication.
- It is necessary to take into account what kind of work he performs, determine his job powers, ask the question of the boundaries of the work sphere in order to know what the employee is responsible for.
- Life experience and work experience, as well as his interests outside the work sphere, his thinking process must always be taken into account. Each person is individual, which means that everyone needs their own approach. The clichéd phrases method is not suitable here; you always need to think.
- One should respect the worker, not pay attention to his possible speech defects or external defects.
- The main purpose of a business conversation is the process of communicating information, it must be organized clearly according to plan, not be afraid to put forward your ideas, refute the interlocutor’s arguments, select the correct argument, accurately formulate your statements, and do not pour water. Keep in mind: a decision always follows a discussion.
- If you strive to better understand the nature of the problem, you can avoid lengthy and unnecessary “around and around” conversations, this will help you to influence a person or group of people involved in the business conversation more strongly.
- The correct presentation and formulation of the problem will lead you to assessments that can stimulate the interlocutor to express their attitude to the problem, or motivate him to find solutions, liberate him, and make him put forward an idea. The classification should be clear.
- The correct organization of the dialogue hi you to a better understanding of your opponent, will help to avoid deadlocks or situations that can anger, annoy, annoy. It will help to protect the best atmosphere of the conversation and leave a good impression after.
The team should always have an atmosphere of goodwill. Harsh statements are not allowed for the participants in the conversation.
How to prepare?
It is clear that the rules for preparing for a conversation can vary, and none of them can be called faultless. It all depends on the situation. However, it will be useful to point out the following training options:
- To begin with, this includes the preparation of an interview plan;
- then the collection and processing of the material obtained in order to increase competence in the leading issue;
- You always have the right to edit the available information, and business conversations have been invented for this.
Choosing the right venue for a conversation can definitely affect the outcome of the interview. There are several approaches that vary depending on the situation. A person who is not an employee of your company may be invited for an interview outside the office building.
Another example: a meeting in the office of the interviewer, who is usually called a special room. It must be equipped with everything necessary. The environment surrounding you and your interlocutor should be as comfortable as possible, the main factor is peace.
Disconnect all phones. Warn colleagues, secretary about the upcoming meeting, because strangers, extra phone calls are simply annoying, it can interfere with the achievement of the tasks, just interfering with the process.
But it should be understood that the "intimacy" of the situation will be unnecessary, do not forget about the work process. Edit the lighting correctly, choose a bright room with a minimalist design, so nothing will distract attention.
The subtleties of conducting
There are several “default” rules that can imperceptibly, but significantly affect the result of a business conversation. Applied techniques often lead to a positive result. It is necessary to apply the basic models of behavior of partners during a conversation. The structural principles of business communication will also help you move up the career ladder.
It is not necessary to meet with employees in the workplace. The meeting place can be designated as a restaurant, and a cafe, and a club and even a house. The goal to be pursued is comfort. It is comfort that helps to achieve a better result. But you can’t get too carried away if the situation looks more like an “intimate” one, this can lead to the opposite result.
The time at which you decided to conduct a business conversation is a very important point. Just thinking about this item, you should arrange a meeting. It will help you and play "on hand" if you want to switch the initiative to your side, of course, and the situation itself in this way will be easier to control.
Once you have decided on the place and time, you need to set certain goals for yourself that you are going to or want to achieve, then develop a strategy that you will follow for this, and then formulate the structure of the conversation. It is also important to consider the location of the participants. The main technology - you should look at the interlocutor directly and at the same level.
Etiquette must be present during meetings. This is one of the main rules.
Tips & Tricks
Facts that contribute to the success of a business conversation. First of all, this should include professionalism, after all, it is precisely competence in the chosen field and a clear vision of the problem that will help you forgive and cope with tasks faster and achieve the necessary goal.
- Constant focus on the result will be your advantage, only a direct desire for the goal leads to its achievement, nothing will change if you continue to lie on the couch.
- The rhythm, you need to clearly outline the tasks and goals in order to follow the plan clearly.
- Saturation of reasoning will give the impression that you are the most interested person, and you will get the “pies”.
- But we should not forget about the scope of the transfer of information, although a little humor will still be appropriate.
- You should not be scared if the conversation does not immediately go smoothly, often the reason for the failure lies not only in you, but also in the mood of your interlocutor.
- The way you present information is very important. Always pick the right words. The arguments must be valid. Good mood. Confidence is felt in the voice.
- Disputes and unnecessary tension in the conversation should be avoided. To begin with, calmly evaluate the situation, try to direct the conversation in the right direction with the help of clarifying questions. You should not show self-doubt or helplessness in the name of the goal - to convince or convince the interlocutor.
- Unrestrained categorical judgments will ruin the essence of the conversation, you should not forget about this. People often cannot agree, because "how many people - so many opinions." Seek a compromise, it has always been the best way to solve outstanding issues and problems.
- If you have to answer the raised objections, first try to gain time and let the person you talk to answer your own questions, and possibly refute them.
- for this, an indirect rejection of the problem, listening to a few objections is suitable, in order to catch the point, it is necessary to continue talking in a calm tone, and the wording should be softened if the answer does not wait;
- personal prejudices and evaluations will not help you;
- one should not rush into a conclusion, because there is a difference between fact and opinion;
- in cases where the interlocutor is trying to “annoy” you with a vivid conceit and trying to argue, you should take the position of “waiting” and wait until he himself reaches a dead end;
- do not forget: the decision should always follow the discussion, otherwise, the interlocutor may criticize you, or agree with everything that does not lead to a good result.
A properly structured conversation structure is your faithful assistant. To do this, you need to prepare for the conversation in advance, establish the place and time of the meeting, prepare the right contact with the interlocutor, correctly formulate the statement of the problem, choose the right argument or refutation of the interlocutor’s arguments, analyze alternative solutions, choose the best solution, fix the agreement, correctly say goodbye.
At the end of the conversation, you should analyze your communication tactics, as well as the result of the conversation.
The hiring of employees requires certain efforts, knowledge and experience from the manager. On the intricacies of conducting a business conversation at an interview, see below.