Business Communication

Course Code- BUS 133

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CHAPTER: 3

Adaptation and the Selection of Words

3 Learning Outcomes:

 What is adaptation?
 The Basic needs for adaptation
 Suggestions For Selecting Words
 Techniques which are helpful in choosing the right
words
 Adaptation
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Adaptation means fitting the message to the specific reader.

All Readers do not have the same ability to understand a message.

 As they do not-

- all have the same vocabulary

- the same knowledge of the subject

- the same mentality.

So we should try to adapt with them first.

 The Basic Need for Adaptation
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To communicate clearly –

 We first should know the person with whom we wish to

communicate.

 We should form our message to fit that person’s mind.

 Making the message easy to understand is simply a good

manner. So we should use it.

 We form a mental picture of what he or she likes.

6 The Basic Need for Adaptation (cont..)

We should imagine what the reader knows about the subject

Then we have to think about his or her educational level and how he
or she thinks.

We will sometimes need to communicate with people, whose

educational level is lower than ours. If we don’t consider this, our
communication may be failure.
7 Suggestions For Selecting Words

A major part of adaptation is selecting the right words.

Simplicity in choosing words must be maintained for three (3)
reasons:

 Many people tend to write at a difficult level, which makes

communication difficult.

The writer usually knows the subject better than the reader

The results of research support simplicity.

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Techniques for Choosing the Right Words

1. Use Familiar Words

2. Use Short Words
3. Use Technical Words
4. Use Concrete Language
5. Select Words for Precise Meaning
6. Use Neutral Words
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1. Use Familiar Words

 Use the language that most of us use in everyday conversation.

 We should avoid more difficult words that do not communicate
so precisely or quickly.
For example:
Instead of using the more unfamiliar word endeavor, we can use try.
Instead of using terminate, we can use end.
 2. Use Short Words
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Short words generally communicate better than long words.

Examples:

Long Words Short Words

They accessed to the proposition to They agreed to quit the
terminate the business. business.
During the preceding year the Last year the company
company operated at a financial lost money.
deficit.
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3. Use Technical Words:

All fields have technical words. These words are useful when
we communicate with people in our field. But do not
communicate with outsiders.

Examples: X – theory & Y – theory may not be discussed with the

labor of the garments industry.
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4. Use Concrete Language:

Good business communication is marked by word that form

sharp and clear meanings in the mind.

Example:
 All the students are presents- 100% present.
st
 Salam’s position is top among all the students- Salam is the 1
boy.
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5. Select Words for Precise Meaning:

We should study language and learn the shades of difference

in the meanings of similar words. We should learn the
specific meanings of other words.

Example:

- Money, funds, cash, finances

- Boy, youth, young man, lad

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6. Use Neutral Words:
Avoid using masculine pronouns (he, him, his) for both gender.

Examples:

 Man made- Human origin

 Man power- Workers

 Chairman- Chairperson

 Fire man- Fire fighter

ANY QUESTION?
THANK YOU