COMMUNICATION IN BUSINESS

1. Identify different channels of communications used by VIACK. Which according

to you is the most effective channel and why?
VIACK is a Corporation founded in 1999. It is a Corporation which provides online
collaborative software solutions for companies and governments professionals. It offers a
number of advantages to the clients such as less administrative and travel expenses and
improved productivity. There are two different type of communication channels used by
VIACK which include the collaboration tool which is an electronic channel of
communication and the other means or channel of communication is the face to face
communication.
 Collaboration tool (electronic channel)
The online collaboration tool allow people to collaborate so that they can accomplish
a common goal or objective. The collaboration tool used by VIACK enables the
employees to communicate with fourteen people on the screen with audio and instant
messaging feature at a given time.
 Face to face communication
Face to face channel of communication involves use of words and even the non-
verbal communication which involves gestures, posture and body language.
Communicating face-to-face means sending a message before you even say a word.
When you are communicating face to face with people they will not only hear what
you are saying, but they will also understand the meaning and emotions behind your
tone and body language.
Which channel is more effective and why?
In my opinion face to face channel of communication is more effective to use within
the organization because it allows efficiency in sharing of information from the
speaker to the listener. It helps to build trust and transparency between the parties
which are communicating. Face to face communication also helps a company to boost
productivity. On the other hand in phone-based conversations or even in
videoconferencing meetings are cut short to reduce the communication costs. The
collaboration tool used by VIACK only allows fourteen people to communicate at a
time which is drawback of this tool. It means it will be ineffective for large number of
audience. Slow speed internet and frequent disconnection is also a hindrance when
 communication using the online collaboration tool. Therefore in my opinion the face
to face channel of communication is an effective means of communication because
message can be clearly understood without any ambiguity. Face to face
communication strategies also make sure that the employees feel appreciated and
supported. It also encourages employees to express their opinions and views in front
of the management.

2. Which are the communication barriers you see in the above case? How to
overcome them?
As the VIACK is providing online collaboration tool for people to communicate.
Following are the barriers of communication in online collaboration tool:
 Online collaboration tools require high speed internet. However many people do not
have this facility and frequent disconnection of internet can make it difficult to
understand the message which is being conveyed by the sender.
 Lack motivation is another barrier when using electric means of communication.
Receivers are unable to pay attention to what the sender is communicating.
 Due to lack of training, sometimes the people do not even know how to use the online
collaborative tools. When they don’t even know how to use the application they
cannot understand and make sense of the communication.
 The collaborative tool also offers only fourteen people to communicate at a time
which means it cannot facilitate a large number of people.
 When people are communicating online the background noise can also be the barrier
or hindrance in understanding the message.
 In online communication many people cannot speak at the same time because if they
do, no one will be able to understand what the other is saying. This can be time
consuming because everybody will have to wait for their turn.

How to overcome the barriers?

 Better and high speed internet.
 Make the communication interesting and ask for feedback from receiver so that they
will listen carefully and pay attention.
 Proper training should be provided to those who don’t know how to use the
application.
 The capacity should be increased from fourteen people to more. So that a larger
number of people can be facilitated.
 Background noise can be eliminated by sitting in a quiet place when using the
application.
 Everyone should talk in a concise and comprehensive way to lessen the time
consumption.
There are both pros and cons of electronic channel of communication. But in the
current scenario of a pandemic the pros outweigh the cons of this channel of
communication.