In a business setting, you’ll likely take part in various types of communication situations while working with your colleagues and superiors. Show
Some of these communication situations may be formal, structured, and planned in advance. Others may be informal, less structured, and spontaneous. Some may be a combination of these factors. In this guide, we’ll talk about the types of communication situations you may find yourself in while operating in a business environment — from various types of conversations, meetings, feedback, and public speeches, to various types of job interviews, negotiations, and conflicts. We’ll also illustrate each situation with a suitable example and offer some actionable tips on how to act in each type of situation. ConversationsAccording to the definition in the Cambridge dictionary, conversations involve communication between two or more individuals, during which “thoughts, feelings, and ideas are expressed, questions are asked and answered, or news and information is exchanged”. Conversations may include and combine various types of communication:
Conversations may be planned or unplanned, and they may happen between colleagues, or between employees and their superiors. Here’s what each listed type of conversation is about: Planned conversationsPlanned conversations are discussions in which the subject matter being discussed had been given previous thought. Such conversations may occur between two individuals, in which case we refer to them as 1-on-1 conversations. Or, they may occur between more than two individuals, in which case they may be referred to as group discussions. In cases when the conversation is expected to be a more difficult one, you may want to take some precautions to help you feel more prepared and more in control:
If the conversation is planned in advance by all parties, with a clear agenda, date, time, and place, it is usually referred to as a “meeting”. 🔸 Example: An enterprise sales specialist wants to show her boss how much she works and how much she has contributed to the company’s goals, so she writes him an email about the work she has accomplished in the previous period. In response, she gets a commandment for her dedication and hard work. An email detailing employee accomplishments to the boss — image source: Clockify.meHow to have better planned conversationsFor a planned conversation to go well, you need to come prepared. Luckily, as these types of conversations are pre-arranged, you have time to get ready. Here are some tips for better planned conversations:
Unplanned conversationsUnplanned conversations are conversations that happen on the spur of the moment. Such conversations may also occur between two individuals (in which case we may refer to them as 1-on-1 conversations), or between more than two individuals (in which case we may refer to them as group discussions). They may start as informal and grow into formal conversations, but they may also start more formally, and lead to more informal topics later. In cases when the unplanned conversation is a difficult one, it is usually triggered by strong emotions and may leave the communicators with strong emotions. 🔸 Example: A website designer goes to the kitchen to have lunch, where she finds her colleague, a front-end software developer, already having her lunch. As they eat their lunch, the two colleagues talk about what they did over the weekend, but the conversation quickly turns to a semi-formal discussion about the design solutions for the website landing pages of their newest client. Tips to have better unplanned conversationsUnplanned conversations can catch us off-guard, but they don’t have to be difficult to handle. Here are some tips to help you have better unplanned conversations at work:
Conversations between colleaguesConversations with colleagues involve conversations between two or more employees who are on the same hierarchy level in the organization’s structure. The subject and context of the conversation may be formal or informal, depending on the situation. 🔸 Example: A front-end software developer sends a direct message to a back-end software developer sitting next to her, via a team communication app: “Do you have a minute?”. She wants to ask him about a specific piece of code. Although the back-end software developer in question has his headphones on and is seemingly fully-focused on a task at hand, he takes off the said headphones and engages in a quick conversation with the front-end software developer. This is a case when a written conversation leads to a face-to-face verbal conversation. Tips to have better conversations with colleaguesHaving conversations with co-workers can be tricky for newcomers, but if you remain friendly and honest with them, you’re likely to be met with the same cordiality. Here are some general tips for better conversations with colleagues:
Conversations between employees and superiorsConversations between employees and their superiors, such as managers, are conversations between two or more professionals who are NOT in the same hierarchy level in the organization’s structure. The subject of the conversation may also be formal or informal, depending on the situation — however, considering that the two individuals do not belong to the same hierarchy level, the subject and context of the conversation are more likely to be formal. 🔸 Example: The chair of the department of pediatrics sends a message in a public channel of a chat app to a group of pediatricians: “Can you come to my office for a moment?”. He wants to discuss the health of a recently admitted patient. The pediatricians arrive shortly, and they engage in a quick discussion. This is another case when a written conversation leads to a face-to-face verbal conversation. Tips to have better conversations with superiorsMany people struggle to talk to their higher-ups, especially when they need to bring up a sensitive topic, such as a raise. So here are some tips to help you have a better conversation with a superior:
Tips to have better conversations with employeesBeing on the other side of the employee/superior conversation can be equally nerve-wracking. Here are some tips to help you out:
Feedback
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, feedback is “the transmission of evaluative or corrective information about an action, event, or process to the original or controlling source”. In terms of structure, feedback may be:
In terms of constructiveness, feedback may be:
Feedback may occur:
Sources of feedback in a business setting may include:
The dominant types of communication used for feedback are:
According to Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen, the authors of “Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well”, there are three distinct types of feedback in the workplace: evaluation, appreciation, and coaching feedback. Here’s what each is about: Evaluation feedbackThe purpose of evaluation feedback is to help the person receiving it understand how they have performed in a task, to better understand what is expected of them at work. Evaluation feedback may involve:
For evaluation feedback to be successful, it should involve:
🔸 Example: A sales manager writes an evaluation feedback review in a Google doc, detailing praise and improvement tips for an enterprise sales specialist, in terms of her innovation and creativity, collaboration and teamwork, customer service, problem-solving, and communication skills in general. He sends her the link to the Google doc via a direct message in a chat app. A link to evaluation feedback — Pumble chat appTips for giving better evaluation feedbackResearch indicates that an overwhelming majority of employees love receiving both positive and negative feedback — as many as 82%. Here are some tips on how to provide better evaluation feedback:
Appreciation feedbackThe purpose of appreciation feedback is to show appreciation or thank an employee for their performance and contributions. Such feedback is a great tactic to build trust and encourage the employee receiving the feedback to keep up the good work, as their efforts will likely be recognized and appreciated in the future as well. 🔸 Example: At a daily stand-up meeting with the product team, the team leader praises a product designer for his recent redesign of a product, in terms of innovation, design, and practicality. He also links the successful redesign with the recent growth of sales for the said product. Tips for giving better appreciation feedbackTo make appreciative feedback successful, it’s best that you:
Coaching feedbackThe purpose of coaching feedback is to provide the person receiving the feedback with regular and annual reviews that will inspire them to strive for further growth and improvement. Such feedback may have elements of both evaluation and appreciation feedback. 🔸 Example: A customer support director providing the members of his team with coaching feedback on a bi-monthly basis. He organizes 1-to-1 meetings for this purpose and provides feedback to each individual customer support specialist in person. Tips for giving better coaching feedbackProviding coaching feedback is all about consistency and constantly finding opportunities for improvement. Here are some tips on how to make coaching feedback successful:
Meetings
According to the definition, meetings are a more formal gathering of two or more people that have the purpose of discussing a particular topic, sharing particular information, or reaching an agreement. Meetings may occur face-to-face or be conducted via telephone or video conferencing. The types of communication that prevail in meetings are:
In contrast, written communication is rarer. But, it may come into play if the regular meeting cannot take place — for example, the person who usually helms daily stand-up meetings is currently unavailable, so she asks the expected attendees to write what they are working on today in a thread in a team communication app. A thread detailing a written stand-up meeting — Pumble chat app We recognize kickoff, status update, decision-making, problem-solving, innovation, team building, and onboarding meetings. Here’s what each of the listed types of meetings is about: Kickoff meetingsA kickoff meeting is the first meeting between the team working on a project, and the client who commissioned the project. Such meetings usually include:
🔸 Example: A team consisting of one front-end software developer, one back-end software developer, and one designer, having their first meeting with a client who has hired their company to build a travel website. Tips for an effective kickoff meetingA kickoff meeting is the single most important meeting you’ll have with a client, which will set the tone for further collaboration on the project. Here’s how to make it successful:
Status update meetingsStatus update meetings involve regular meetings between members of the team, for the purpose of sharing updates on individual progress, challenges, and plans for future work. Such status update meetings are usually scheduled regularly, such as every day at a particular time, or every week, at a particular day and time. 🔸 Example: A string of daily stand-up meetings, every day at 10 a.m., that includes the members of the development team tasked with developing and maintaining a fashion app. Tips for a successful status update meetingAs status update meetings are a regular occurrence, they need to be highly efficient and effective. Here’s how to make the most of your status update meetings:
Decision-making meetingsDecision-making meetings involve dedicated gatherings of smaller or larger groups of people, for the purpose of making important decisions. Such meetings may involve:
🔸 Example: An HR team holding a meeting, to decide on the best candidate for a customer support specialist to whom they want to make a job offer, based on results in interviews. Tips for a successful decision-making meetingDecision-making meetings empower every team member to contribute toward finding the best way of reaching the common goal. Here’s how to make it effective:
Problem-solving meetingsProblem-solving meetings involve dedicated gatherings of smaller or larger groups of people, for the purpose of addressing a previously identified problem or creating strategies and plans for the future. Such meetings usually require that the attendees:
🔸 Example: A development team attending a spur-of-the-moment video meeting about the solutions for an unexpected feature-related bug in their newest app update. Tips for an effective problem-solving meetingThese meetings have a highly specific objective, i.e., solve the problem, which doesn’t allow for much leeway. Here’s how to host a successful problem-solving meeting:
Do a follow-up in writing — In the example with the software development team above, someone would use the notes to draft a written version of the final decision and pin it in the team chat app for everyone to refer to as needed. Innovation meetingsInnovation meetings involve the process of brainstorming with your team, for the purpose of sharing ideas and finding innovative solutions by thinking outside of the box. The participants of such a meeting may use various techniques to find as many suitable ideas as they can, before making a shortlist of the best available options they can consider further. These techniques may include:
🔸 Example: A marketing team attending a meeting to brainstorm a suitable name for the company’s new time converter app. Tips for better innovation meetingsInnovation meetings are a great time for the team to let its creative juices flow. Here’s how to get the most out of them:
Finish with action items — If possible, nudge the participants to take accountability for their ideas by committing to taking specific steps toward the execution of the idea. Team-building meetingsTeam-building meetings involve gatherings dedicated to strengthening professional relationships between the members of a team and the corporate culture overall. The focus of such meetings may revolve around planning and realizing team-building outings, events, or fun office activities. 🔸 Example: A meeting focused on the realization of a string of quick, but fun time management games and activities, such as “How long is a minute?”, “Race to the Ace of Spades”, and the “Big Picture puzzle challenge”. Tips for great team-building meetingsTeam building meetings are a great way to strengthen the team. Here are some tips to make them successful:
Onboarding meetingsOnboarding meetings usually involve a series of events that help the new hire understand:
Such meetings may include 1-on-1 meetings with HR specialists, direct superiors, and work buddies, but also introductory meetings with key colleagues, and subsequent check-in meetings with the HR specialist and work buddy. 🔸 Example: On the first day for a new customer support specialist, the HR specialist in charge of him shows him around the office. She then takes him to her office where he fills out an onboarding form, she explains the key company policies, and they fill out his company profiles with his basic information together. Then, the HR specialist introduces the customer support specialist to his direct superior and work buddy, who explain the team’s workflows and expectations. The customer support specialist then has an introductory meeting or online chat with the rest of the customer support team, and the group of software developers he is expected to cooperate with in the future. Throughout the first few weeks, the HR specialist and the work buddy get in touch with the customer support specialist via informal meetings, just to make sure he is doing well. Tips for successful onboarding meetingsOnboarding meetings are vital for the successful integration of new hires and can prevent employee turnover. Here’s what you can do to make them better:
Public speeches
According to the Merriam-Webster definition, public speaking is “the art of effective oral communication with an audience”. Just like meetings, public speaking also includes a larger group of people, but, these groups of people have more distinct roles. So, although meetings imply that the attendees will be equally active participants, in public speaking, we distinguish between the speaker, who has a more active role, and the audience, who has a more passive role. The public speaker may rely on all 5 types of communication to convey a message. For example, a presentation usually involves verbal talk, followed by nonverbal cues, and maybe even a PowerPoint or Prezi presentation with visuals and bullet points that highlight important phrases and key facts on the slides. Of course, all this would be in vain without a receptive audience who is actively listening and interpreting what the speaker is trying to convey. Instances of public speaking may lead to a QA situation, where the audience asks additional questions about the topic presented, and the speaker replies. In an office setting, public speaking may involve lectures, presentations, speeches, and workshops — their purpose may be to inform, persuade, acute, or entertain the audience. Here’s what each type of public speech is about: Speaking to informSpeaking to inform involves a speaker who is presenting facts, statistics, or general information on a topic. The success of a speech whose purpose is to inform will always depend on how much the audience was able to process and understand the information presented. This information may include upcoming company changes, or announcements of new products, or status updates on a larger scale — the person in charge of the event may use slides, paper handouts, videos, and other supplementary materials to share the information. 🔸 Example: An all-hands event, during which the company’s CEO shares the announcements of new products the company will start working on in the following months. How to successfully speak to informInforming your employees about anything is a bit more complex than simply relaying information. Here’s how to better communicate your information:
Speaking to persuadeSpeaking to persuade involves a speaker who is trying to convince or persuade the audience about a certain idea or product. The success of a speech whose purpose is to persuade will depend on whether the speaker was able to change the opinions of the audience in favor of the presented arguments and opinions. 🔸 Example: A product manager speaking in front of the product’s marketing, sales, and development teams, about why a particular feature of the product should be radically updated. How to successfully speak to persuadeThe art of persuasion goes way beyond having convincing arguments. Here’s how to be more persuasive in your speech:
Speaking to actuateSpeaking to actuate involves a speaker who is trying to convince the audience to act on something. Whereas speaking to persuade may rely more on facts and figures, speakers who have the intent to get the audience to act will try to get the audience emotionally invested in a cause or the goals they are promoting. 🔸 Example: The CEO of a hospital system holding a motivational speech to the staff in the event of an upcoming large surge of patients, to encourage them to work together and help the said patients as best as they can. How to successfully speak to actuateSpeaking to actuate is, in a way, the highest level of persuasive speech where you need to get the audience involved. Here are some tips to move the audience to action:
Speaking to entertainSpeaking to entertain involves a speaker who is trying to entertain the audience during a particular event. Such speeches are often humorous or emotional and may involve a personal touch on the part of the speaker. 🔸 Example: The dean of a college conducting a humorous, but heartfelt speech during the retirement party of an esteemed professor, in front of the professor’s colleagues and the rest of the college’s staff. How to successfully speak to entertainThere are many techniques you can use to make entertaining speeches, but they also depend on the occasion. Here are some generally good ideas on how to speak to entertain:
Negotiations
According to the definition, negotiation is a process that involves two or more people who have different needs and different goals — they need to discuss an issue to find a solution acceptable for all parties involved in the negotiation. As is the case with most other business situations that require communication, negotiations may manifest as all 5 types of communication. The negotiation process in business usually involves the following five stages:
In general, negotiations in a business setting fall under employee-to-employee negotiations, employee-to-employer negotiations, and employee-to-third party negotiations. But, we also recognize distributive, integrative, team, multiparty, one-shot, and repeated negotiations, which may involve employees, employers, and even third parties. Here’s what each type of negotiation is about: Employee-to-employee negotiationsEmployee-to-employee negotiations involve discussions between employees, such as colleagues working together on a team project, who are looking to reach a mutually beneficial agreement. 🔸 Example: A team of insurance agents in a financial service company discussing who should take on which account and client. All of the insurance agents make agreements about the accounts they’ll take over quickly, but two insurance agents in the team are keen on taking on a particular account and are negotiating further about who should be the one to take the account on in the end. Tips for better employee-to-employee negotiationsReaching an agreement in employee-to-employee negotiations can be a rocky road and lead to a conflict if not executed carefully. Here are some tips to help you out in these kinds of situations:
Employee-to-employer negotiationsEmployee-to-employer negotiations involve discussions between employees and their employers, such as an employee and the CEO of their company, who are looking to reach a mutually beneficial agreement. 🔸 Example: The representative of a marketing company is negotiating with a freelance design consultant about the price for his recurring consulting services. Tips for better negotiations with your employerNegotiations with your employer can be scary as you need to be extra careful not to say anything that could make you fall out of their favor. Here’s how to do it with tact:
Tips for better negotiations with your employeesNo matter what you’re trying to negotiate with an employee, even if your decision is the final one, you should respect the employee’s point of view. Here’s how to negotiate anything with an employee:
Employee-to-third party negotiationsEmployee-to-third party negotiations involve discussions between the representatives of a company and third parties, such as an employee and a potential client, for the purpose of reaching a mutually beneficial agreement. 🔸 Example: An operations manager negotiating a services agreement with a vendor booked to provide catering for the company’s Christmas party. Tips for better employee-to-third party negotiationsInternal negotiations are easier than those with external parties because everyone is aware of how things work within the organization and what they can expect, which can’t be said for external parties. Here’s how to navigate negotiations with third parties:
Distributive negotiationsDistributive negotiations involve discussions between two parties about a single issue, such as the price of a service or product. 🔸 Example: A sales specialist discussing the possibility of extending the free use of product services for a client company, beyond the usual 1-month free trial. Tips for better distributive negotiationsAccording to one Harvard Law School blog post on distributive negotiation, here are some useful terms and strategies for achieving a great deal in this type of negotiation:
Integrative negotiationsIntegrative negotiations involve discussions between two parties about several issues. If the parties involved are interested in winning different arguments about different issues, a compromise that brings both parties what they want is possible, even likely. 🔸 Example: A financial expert who’s just been given a job offer for a financial planning position negotiating with the HR manager of a bank, about her salary, benefits, and start date. The negotiations conclude with the financial expert getting more benefits than originally offered, to compensate for a slightly lower salary than she originally asked for, and with both parties easily agreeing on the start date. Tips for better integrative negotiationsIntegrative negotiations are not as win-or-lose as the distributive kind, so in a way, they are easier to handle. Here’s how to handle these kinds of negotiations successfully:
Team negotiationsTeam negotiations involve discussions among groups of people, who together forge two or more teams. Such teams usually consist of professionals who have different knowledge, experience, talents, and skills that are relevant to helping the team get what they want during the negotiations. The process of negotiation between teams usually includes the following elements:
🔸 Example: The legal representatives of two marketing companies that focus on products discussing the terms of a possible merger between the two companies. Tips for better team negotiationsTeam negotiations can get somewhat convoluted since everyone on all participating teams needs to get on the same page. Here are some tips to help you prepare for team negotiations:
Multiparty negotiationMultiparty negotiation involves discussions between three or more parties — the parties involved in multiparty negotiations may be part of a team or have their own, separate agendas. Multiparty negotiations have the potential of becoming too complex to manage with ease, but, the multitude of parties involved and issues discussed helps create more value out of the said discussion. 🔸 Example: A team of six having a brainstorming session that churns out three distinct opinions about the possible name for a new product. The brainstorming session quickly turns into a negotiation among 3 subteams of two, each of which supports and has valid arguments for one of the proposed names. The subteam whose name is chosen will gain recognition in the company, especially if the product turns out to be a success. In the end, great value is achieved, as one name is chosen for the product, and the remaining two are placed on the back burner, for consideration during future brainstorming sessions for the names of products. Tips for better multiparty negotiationsMultiparty negotiations are even more complex than team negotiations since it can be difficult to reach an agreement that would benefit all. Here are some tips on how to better navigate them:
One-shot negotiationsOne-shot negotiations involve discussions between parties that meet for negotiations once and are not expected to negotiate together in the future. Such negotiations may involve several meetings but are not expected to repeat in any way after an agreement has been reached. 🔸 Example: The operations manager of a company looking for a new office space for the company’s ever-expanding number of employees. Once the price for a suitable space has been successfully negotiated, and the space purchased, the person who sold the space is not expected to further engage with the company representatives. Tips for better one-shot negotiationsThis type of negotiation is the riskiest since it’s a one-and-done affair where the involved parties aren’t hoping for a lasting relationship. Here’s how to conduct one-shot negotiations:
Repeated negotiationsRepeated negotiations involve discussions between parties that are expected to meet and negotiate on a repeat basis. Such parties are more likely to work harder on creating mutual trust and a pleasant, more cooperative atmosphere while negotiating, as they expect to communicate again in the future. 🔸 Example: A company that mass-produces a plethora of new products every quarter, which requires the marketing team to gather frequently, brainstorm ideas, and negotiate about the best options for the new products’ names. Tips for better repeated negotiationsIn repeated negotiations, both parties are much more likely to play it fair as the opposite may result in the termination of the partnership or another type of arrangement between them. Here are some tips for successful repeated negotiations:
Conflicts
According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, a conflict is a ”competitive or opposing action of incompatibles”. It is usually the result of opposing ideas, interests, personalities, communication styles, backgrounds, and other differences among teammates. Conflicts also may involve all 5 types of communication, to a varying degree — but, verbal conflicts are among the most common types, as conflicts tend to occur face-to-face. Moreover, a lack of active listening and understanding is often a reason conflicts arise. According to a study commissioned by the CPP Inc., a typical employee in the US alone spends 2.1 hours per week involved in various types of conflicts. A report titled “Workplace Conflict and How Businesses Can Harness It to Thrive” further demonstrates how prevalent conflict is, considering that as many as:
Conflicts at the workplace usually come from interdependence in work, but may also be based on differences in work styles, leadership styles, professional or even personal backgrounds, and personalities. Here’s what each type of conflict in a business setting is about: Interdependence conflictsInterdependence conflicts occur when a person needs to rely on a teammate for cooperation or input, to be able to continue or finish work — and the said teammate’s work and help are not up to par in terms of timeliness and quality. 🔸 Example: A sales manager who is late with the monthly sales figures, which brings him into a verbal conflict with the company’s accountant, as this problem repeats on a monthly basis, and significantly slows down the accountant’s work progress. How to resolve an interdependence conflictIt’s difficult to do your job when a co-worker you depend on is not doing their part, which is why you need to find a way to resolve the conflict with them as soon as possible using these tips:
Conflicts due to differences in work stylesConflicts that arise due to differences in work styles occur when people working together have different preferences about how they like to work and have disagreements about these work styles. 🔸 Example: One half of a sales team is task-oriented and prefers to get everything done quickly. The other half of the sales team is people-oriented and prefers to discuss problems and solutions with everyone, at length. This leads to occasional conflicts that require further communication to be solved. How to resolve a conflict due to differences in work stylesRelying on different work styles to get things done doesn’t have to be a stumbling block in your communication. Here’s how to resolve a conflict arising from differences in work styles:
Conflicts due to differences in backgroundConflicts that arise due to differences in people’s background are tied to differences in work and life experiences, knowledge, education, age, gender, culture, ethnicity, or even political preferences. Such differences in people’s backgrounds breed conflict only when people take unnecessary notice of them and make assumptions on people’s opinions, skills, and talent based on them. 🔸 Example: A senior marketing manager immediately dismisses the idea of a junior member of the marketing department at a brainstorming meeting, due to her young age and assumed inexperience, which leads to a light argument between several meeting attendees. How to resolve a conflict due to differences in backgroundConflicts that arise due to differences in co-workers’ backgrounds can often be discriminatory and thus, result in some serious (even legal) consequences. To resolve this kind of conflict, try the following:
Conflicts due to differences in leadership stylesConflicts that arise due to differences in leadership styles occur when employees have to follow the instructions of several different leaders who have different styles, which may lead to confusion and frustration. 🔸 Example: The customer support director has a more laid-back Laissez-Faire (“let do”) leadership style with the customer support team, while the CTO who frequently communicates with the members of the support team has a more controlling, Autocratic leadership style. As a result, the members of the support team come into conflict over whether they are asking for too much additional guidance and direction (from the point of view of the customer support director). Or, whether they are not following additional guidance and direction enough (from the point of view of the CTO). How to resolve a conflict due to differences in leadership stylesAs higher-ups who need to make sure their teams function at the optimum level, you need to get on the same page on how to lead them, regardless of your differences in leadership styles. Here’s how to deal with conflicts arising from these differences:
Conflicts due to personality differencesConflicts that arise due to personality differences occur due to different dispositions among teammates, in terms of how they behave, how they think and react, what they like or dislike. 🔸 Example: A senior manager in a bank has an argument with a bank clerk who is often arriving late to the office. From the point of view of the senior manager, the bank clerk is “lazy” and “irresponsible”. From the point of view of the bank clerk, the senior manager is constantly calling him out because he dislikes him. How to resolve a conflict due to personality differencesAs we’re all different, personality clashes are bound to occur from time to time. However, learning how to communicate properly can help you resolve these conflicts with ease. Here are some tips to resolve personality-based conflicts:
Job interviews
According to the definition, a job interview is a conversation between an applicant for a job position and a representative of the employer (usually, the member(s) of the HR team). It is conducted to assess whether the said applicant is a suitable choice for the job position. These interviews can be structured or unstructured, depending on the people who helm them. Written communication is what usually starts the interviewing process — The HR specialist contacts the job candidates whose resumes seem suitable, via email. Such an email may include the details of an interview assignment and/or the suggested time and date for an interview meeting in-person. Once again, verbal communication is the dominant type throughout the later stages of the interview process — however, the HR specialist may learn a lot more about the candidates by analyzing their facial expressions, body posture, and gestures as they answer questions. Depending on the job position in question and whether it is tied to creatives, the interview assignments throughout the process may include visual elements, such as designs in need of redesigning. Both the applicants and the company representatives also need to actively listen to each other. The job applicants need to do so to fully understand the questions and then answer them to the best of their abilities. The company representatives need to do so to comprehend and analyze the answers and draw conclusions on the suitability of the applicants. When it comes to the types of job interviews, we recognize phone, face-to-face, candidate group, breakfast or lunch, web conferencing, behavioral, and stress job interviews. Here, we’ll also talk about exit interviews, which are a special form of interviews conducted by the HR specialist. Here’s what each type of job interview is about: Phone job interviewsPhone job interviews are another common first step in the interview process. They occur in case this first step is not conducted via email, and serve as a means to screen the candidate for suitability, before going deeper in the interview process. The HR specialist calls up the applicant and performs a quick inquiry about skills, experience, and other qualifications relevant to the position. The representative may also ask further questions, to determine whether the applicant in question is a good fit for the company culture in the first place. During the phone interview, the HR specialist and the applicant may agree on the date, time, and place for a more detailed, in-person meeting. 🔸 Example: An HR specialist having a quick phone interview with an applicant whose resume and cover letter stand out and highlight him as a suitable candidate for the vacant product manager job position. Tips for phone job interviewsWhat’s specific about phone job interviews is that you and the interviewer can’t see each other, so nonverbal communication is out of the picture, and you need to rely on your voice almost exclusively. Here’s how to be great in a phone interview:
Face-to-face job interviewsFace-to-face job interviews are the most common types of job interviews, and they usually take place after the phone interview. During these interviews, the HR specialist asks the applicant more detailed questions about skills, experience, education, but also some questions that help the HR specialist determine what kind of person the applicant is, and whether they are a suitable fit for the company’s culture. The applicants who were able to communicate their relevant skills and expertise better may expect several rounds of face-to-face interviews, before being given a job offer. At some point of the interview process, or during the entire length of it, the HR specialist may be joined by the future direct superior of the person who will fill the job position. In companies that employ developers and similar technical professionals, it’s also custom to have a tech interview that involves challenges and assignments the applicant can expect as part of work duties if hired. 🔸 Example: A candidate for the position of an English literature professor having a round of face-to-face interviews with an HR specialist and the school’s vice dean. Tips for face-to-face job interviewsAll the rules of phone etiquette apply to in-person interviews as well, so speak clearly in a professional manner and listen actively. Here are some additional tips for face-to-face interviews:
Candidate group job interviewsCandidate group job interviews are job interviews that set two or more job applicants who are applying for the same position against each other, while the HR specialist and the rest of the interview team ask them relevant questions. Such interviews are meant to test the applicants’ professionalism, leadership skills, and ability to communicate with and function in a group. 🔸 Example: The final round for the sales specialist position that includes a joint interview with two different candidates. Only one candidate will get the job, but the sales specialist in question will need to work in a sales team, so their ability to communicate with others is a vital prerequisite. Tips for candidate group job interviewsA group interview is as much a test of your communication abilities as it’s an inquiry into your skills and experience. The key to acing this type of job interview is listening and adapting. Here are some tips on how to stand out in a group interview:
Breakfast or lunch job interviewsBreakfast or lunch job interviews occur when the hiring manager or HR specialist wants to see how the job applicant behaves in a more informal setting. 🔸 Example: A hiring manager interviewing a job applicant for an assistant editor position at a newspaper over lunch. Tips for breakfast or lunch interviewsMealtime interviews are a more casual affair than any other kind of job interview. However, they are usually longer, and you need to think about more than just your answers to the typical interview questions. Here’s how to ace them:
Web conferencing job interviewsWeb conferencing job interviews (also known as “teleconferencing” interviews) involve a job interview that is handled via video chat. This usually happens either because it would be more complicated for the job applicant to travel to the headquarters of the company (e.g. because the headquarters are across the country), or because web conferencing job interviews are standard practice in the said company. 🔸 Example: A candidate for a product management position is currently living abroad, so the job interview with the hiring manager is conducted via a video chat app. Tips for web conferencing job interviewsVideo job interviews can be similar to face-to-face ones, but you need to make sure you can handle the technology that mediates your meeting. Here are some tips to leave a good impression in a web conferencing interview:
Behavioral job interviewsBehavioral job interviews may occur anytime during the other types of interviews — instead of focusing on the job applicant’s answers, the person conducting the job interview is more focused on behavior patterns that emerge from the said answers. 🔸 Example: An HR specialist asks the job applicant about the time when she had to handle an unexpected problem at her previous jobs. The HR specialist then analyzes how the job applicant handled the situation, based on her own words. Tips for behavioral job interviewsBehavioral interviews are all about examples and real-life situations, so careful preparation is crucial for candidate success. Here are some tips on how to best prepare for this type of interview:
Stress job interviewsStress job interviews are performed to test how the job applicant acts in stressful, unexpected, or high-pressure situations. The interviewer may achieve this effect by asking questions in quick succession and encouraging the interviewee to think fast. 🔸 Example: An HR manager in healthcare asking the applicant for a surgeon position a series of questions related to possible surgery situations in quick succession, to see whether the applicant would be a good fit for the often stressful emergency surgeries in real life. Tips for stress job interviewsStress job interviews can be intimidating, but if you come prepared and are confident in your abilities, it can be a fun challenge. Here are some tips on how to handle a stress interview:
Exit interviewsWhereas the purpose of a job interview is to find a new hire, the purpose of an exit interview is to say goodbye to an employee who is leaving the company. Such interviews are usually conducted by a member of the HR team, to better understand why the employee is leaving, and what conclusions the company can draw from this — i.e. what can be improved, changed, or should remain intact in the workings of a company. 🔸 Example: A bank manager conducting an exit interview with an insurance agent who has decided to leave the said bank after 5 years of work. Tips for exit interviewsYou may think that an exit interview is irrelevant since you’re leaving anyway, but that’s far from the truth. You don’t want to burn your bridges. Here are some tips on how to handle an exit interview:
ConclusionThe business environment is riddled with different types of communication situations. On a daily basis, an average professional may:
The listed situations all have a particular purpose and outcome and require communication with other people. Understanding what may be expected of you during these communication situations is vital for proper teamwork and progress in work. References:
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