PCT Edx Notes

Effective Business Communication
Professor N. Bringi Dev

Barriers to Communication
Why is communication ineffective?
By now, you are aware of the process of communication. While the model appears to be simple
enough in theory, in practise it is found that communication need not be so. Many times, we find that
what we say, write or otherwise communicate results in behaviour that we did not expect. Many
times, having said something, we feel ‘that did not come out sounding the way it should have. In some
cases, our communication is misinterpreted, sometime with drastic and negative results.
In electronic data communication, the coding and decoding protocols, conventions and processes are
very cleared defined and know to all (as in international standards and conventions), thereby ensuring
high-fidelity exchange of information. Sometimes, there are other factors that cause electronic data
communication to be sub-par; in such cases, we once again have very clearly defined processes and
protocols to clean up the message or to re-transmit it until it is perfect. Unfortunately, human beings
are not super-efficient or standardised cybernetic entities!
The reasons why human communication becomes complex and sometimes incorrect are:
a) The encoding process was incorrect, in that the sender did not compose the message correctly
with respect to the receiver, or did not provide enough information to the receiver on how to
decode the message.
b) The decoding process was incorrect, in that the receiver did not or could not decode the
message using the same basis as the sender used, or
c) There were other factor in the use of language, technology or medium that caused alteration
to the message.
There are two sets of causative factors that impede the exchange of information in an effective
manner. One set of such factors is referred to as ‘Noise’, and the other Barriers to Communication.
Noise
Noise refers to those elements which interfere with the process of transmitting and receiving
messages transmitted by the Sender. Some examples of noise are:
a) Physical noise: external sounds in the environment in which the transaction is happening.
Crowded cafes, public places, social gatherings and such like generate a multitudes of sounds
that could interfere with the process by being distracting as well as confusing.
b) Physiological factors, such as deafness, lack of or low vision or other disabilities on the part of
the receiver that cause loss or distortion of information
This document has been prepared by Professor N Bringi Dev, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore and is made available for use only with the
course ‘Effective Business Communication’ delivered in the online course format by IIM Bangalore. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means— electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise— 1
without the permission of the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (mooc.support@iimb.ac.in)
Barriers are those factors which cause changes (distortion and misinterpretation) in the interpretation
of the message by the receiver. Some of the barriers are:
a) Psychological and Attitudinal issues: A number of these issues could come into play, such as
selective listening based on the emotional state of the receiver, the relationship between the
participants in the transaction (for example: what can I learn from subordinates and less
experience people), any predisposition the receiver might have, such as bias, prejudice, gender
bias or even prior experience in dealing with the sender (for example: the last time the client
lied to me, and will do so this time too). These factors act as filters that change the way
information is decoded, resulting in improper exchange.
b) Lack of Interest or Motivation: In order for the receiver to be motivated and open to receiving
the message in its totality, it is necessary for the sender to overcome any initial resistance that
the sender may offer. The sender, upon the initiation of communication will evaluate the
situation and ask oneself if he or she should invest her time and effort in this dialogue. The
basic question asked by the receiver is ‘What’s in it for me?”. Only if there is some value
perceived by the recipient will she open up and become completely receptive to the sender.
It is therefore necessary for the sender to explain her purpose and what is the benefit or other
value that the receiver will get by participating in this exchange.
c) Language-related: differences in structure, grammar and use of vocabulary between the
sender and the receiver. Accent and pronunciation (for example: desert vs. dessert) could
result in ambiguity. The rate of speech, pausing, silence and intonation could give rise to
different interpretation by the recipient.
c) Cultural: People from different cultures and geographies can and will interpret message based
on their frame of reference, causing aberration in the decoding process. Stereotyping on the
basis of culture or nationality is an example of a barrier in this context (for example: people
who studied in (Indian and British) public schools are elitist). Some words and their usage have
varied connotations in different parts of the world; the use of these words could lead to widely
divergent reactions on people.
d) Knowledge-related: During the synthesis and composition of a message, the sender will have
made assumptions relating to the knowledge and skills of the receiver. If these assumptions
are incorrect, the receiver will not be able to comprehend the message.
For example, advertising professional are required to make choices of not merely the language to
use in an advertisement, but also the level of proficiency that the reader has in that language. This
is a double-edged sword; if they assume the reader has a high level of proficiency, the advertising
copy may be too high-flown for the bulk of the readers; on the other hand pitching it too low
would result in reader feeling that, based on the level of language used, that he or she was not
the intended audience for the product or service being advertised.
Biographies
Biographies
A biography is different from a résumé or CV, in terms of the purpose or intent it is created for, as
well as the way it is written and presented.
For starters, a CV is a document that is created to provide information to the reader to evaluate (for
themselves) the suitability of the candidate for a specific purpose. Consequently, a résumé contains
detailed information that is presented in a tabular or highly structured form. Résumés are
structured and presented in three major ways; chronological, functional or as a hybrid or
combination of chronological and functional formats. There is a need to make sure the CV is
complete, concrete and correct, as it is a document that serves as a baseline in a formal setting.
A Biography on the other hand, is meant to be a less formal document, the main purpose of which is
to provide a short summary of the person being described. The purpose of a Biography is usually to
form a vivid and concise snapshot that gives rise to a positive image of the person and is in that
sense a persuasive document.
Biographies are used in many contexts, including to introduce a speaker, to profile a person on a
web site, (in LinkedIn for instance), on the jacket of a book or even as a preface to a résumé. As such,
it is written in a running form, need not be as formal or concrete as would a résumé. The author has
the leeway and flexibility to take creative liberty with the contents of such a piece of writing. This
makes it possible to serve as an attention-getter, and to motivate the audience in favour of the
candidate.
Against this backdrop the most popular structure of a Biography is one that has four distinct
sections, each section usually one separate paragraph. Check this sample biography of Mr Vivek
Agarwal pasted below:
Biographies
You will observe that the write-up has four paragraphs, each one of them focused on one specific
sub-theme or idea cluster, as in the visual that follows:
The four sub-themes are highlighted in the visual below:
Biographies
Please note that a biography must always be prefaced with a Title, which states the name of the
person being profiled, thereby allowing for easy and unambiguous identification.
As you may have observed, the first paragraph describes the current standing or status of the
person. This is essential to ensure that the reader (or audience, if read out) is very clear about who
the person being described is.
The second paragraph goes back in time and provides more depth of his professional history. Please
be discerning and selective while drafting this section; too much detail is to be avoided. In this case,
we have cited just his last role, and listed the organisations he worked with prior to END-TV.
The third paragraph covers education and significant professional achievements – again, be selective
here – pick a couple of relevant (to the audience) and significant achievements.
And finally, it is always good to share some personal information about the person being described,
and this is what goes into Paragraph 4.
Now that the structure and content of a typical biography has been defined, we shall examine
aspects relating to the writing of a Biography.
A typical Biography is meant to be short and interesting, as such it is 250 to 300 words long.
Biographies are always written in the Third Person. The content need not be exhaustive and can be
non-specific in style. Introducing a semi-formal and even personal tonality is acceptable.
A biography is a ‘living document’ and needs to be reviewed and updated at regular intervals of time
to ensure it is up-to-date. Depending on the audience and the occasion, you might need to make
changes to the write-up to make it interesting and relevant to the target audience.
Remember that an effective biography will showcase you or the person you are profiling – use the
inputs in this note as a guideline but be sure to infuse it with a dose of your personal magic!
Effective Communication
Effectiveness of Communication
Having learnt about the process of communication and the factors that facilitate and inhibit the flow
of the process, one needs to consider how to measure and gauge the effectiveness of a piece of
communication.
It should be noted that the term used is ‘effective’ and not ‘good’ or ‘bad’. This is because the terms
good or bad are subjective. In addition, all people are communicators, and to that end there is no
question of whether they can communicate or not. Ultimately, we have to consider the success that
they achieve in attaining their goals, and this is the basis of measuring the effectiveness of
communication.
This is more so in the domains or organisation and business; as we saw in Chapter 1: Business
Communication & Leadership, communication is the bedrock of all organisational activity. We also
observed that communication is a key determinant of organisational success.
In business, communication is always carried out for a purpose, more so than it would be in other
domains. The communication efforts of organisations and individuals in them are aligned with the
goals and tasks of the organisation and its stakeholders. To this effect, the measurement of the
effectiveness is also measured in respect to the objectives or purpose of communication. In the
simplest terms, communication is measured based on the extent to which the desired outcome or
purpose or objective is achieved.
The implicit assumptions in the preceding paragraph are that:
a. The purpose, objective or desired results from the communication are clearly defined, and that
performance metrics are laid out before the communication happens. All business
communication is meant to be purposeful, and as such the sender must be very clear about
what the possible outcomes of the message are likely to be. He or she should be able to
articulate these outcomes, and in writing if required. It is also necessary that the sender defines
the measures or criteria against which the response is to be measured. These measures are to
be set and fixed before the communication.
For example, consider a situation where Shiv, an employee in a software company in Mumbai, is
meeting with Anjali, his Team Lead to ask for a month’s leave to travel to the US to visit his
brother. The outcome of his meeting (the communication effort) is very clear – he is seeking to
secure written approval of his leave. Given this objective, he is willing to negotiate the exact
dates, and maybe even settle for a minimum of two weeks off.
b. The message is so structured as to create the need for a response. While synthesising and
composing the message, the sender has to ensure that the need for feedback, and the ways in
which this is to be conveyed are built into the message. This ensures that the receiver is aware
of the fact that feedback is required, and also how he or she is expected to convey their
response to the sender.
Continuing to follow the case of Shiv, he is also required to ask for approval – he cannot assume
that this automatically happen. Also, he should not only convince Anjali as to why he has earned
his leave, he has to get his leave application form signed off. In the best case, she might sign
it during the course of the meeting. If this does not happen, he needs to plan to leave the form
with her and offer to come back in a day or two to collect it. He could also ask Anjali if he might
remind her of this matter the next day.
c. That there exists one or more method to measure and evaluate the outcomes. In Shiv’s case, the
desired result is achieved when the signed leave form is in his hand. If it happens within the time
frame set (one or two days), that is excellent. If it is delayed by a few days, that is satisfactory.
Any delay beyond a week is not acceptable.
Another example of the measurement of effectiveness is the one implemented by Dell
(See: Measuring Advertising Effectiveness: Dell India). From the case it is apparent that all the
parameters were in place – the objective or desired result is very clear, the measures to judge
the effectiveness were pre-defined, the call-to-action was explicit, a channel for response
provided, and a mechanism existed to measure results on an on-going basis provided.
In conclusion, while gauging effectiveness, the sender has to be discerning and differentiate
between mere acquiesce and actual action. Merely agreeing to what the sender has communicated
is not enough; the ultimate outcome is when the desired action happens. Often times we accept a
verbal response in the hope that the action will follow; this is not always the case.
Case: Measuring Advertising Effectiveness: Dell India

When Dell first set up its India operation in the 20071, it rolled out its then-current manufacture-to-
order and direct-sales models in the country. It marketed its products through the release of
advertisements in daily newspapers in cities and towns across India. The objective of the advertising
was to get the reader interested enough to pick up the phone and call Dell.
In order to facilitate the process of calling Dell, the advertisement included a single telephone
number which was prominently displayed, along with an exhortation to call Dell. The design of the
advertisement was done to ensure that the reader did not miss the call-in number. Advertisements
placed in different newspapers carried different numbers. Once the reader called in and a lead, or
enquiry, generated, Dell’s phone sales agents would follow the lead through and work to close the
order and effect delivery.
Figure 4.15: Dell Direct Advertisement
Since Dell had only one channel for lead generation, it became imperative they be able to measure
and track the effectiveness of their advertising to ensure that an adequate number of leads be
generated from an advertisement to justify the cost of placing it in that publication. This was in
sharp contrast to the ‘spray-and-pray’ model that most other vendors of similar categories of goods
used whilst advertising – without a tracking mechanism, there was no way of linking leads to
advertising.
Since each insertion of the advertisement in a newspaper in a city carried a unique number, it was
possible for Dell to measure exactly how many calls came from which advertisement from which
newspaper. Internally Dell had set targets for each insertion, and if a newspaper did not yield the
minimum required number of calls, then the media mix would be revised for the next round of
advertisements.
Roles of the Sender & Receiver
In order to ensure that communication is effective, both sender and receiver need to understand
their roles and responsibilities in making the transaction a success. In this section we shall review
some of the steps that need to be taken on both sides.
Sender’s Role:
As the initiator of the message and the party that has an objective to achieve, it is ultimately the
responsibility of the sender in planning, executing and facilitating the entire process to maximise
effectives (and in the process, achieve the desired response). The task of ensuring effectiveness
cannot be abrogated to the receiver. It is likely that you heard a line like this before- ‘I gave him the
information by email– if he did get it, or even worse, if did not understand it, it is hardly my
responsibility.’
Some other essential tasks to be carried out by the sender are:
1. Think about determine the characteristics and motivations of the sender and frame the message
appropriately.
2. Select the type of message and medium to ensure that it is appropriate to the needs and
capabilities of the receiver.
3. Compose the content deploying the ‘You’ factor – keeping in mind what the receiver’s point of
view is and expectations are.
4. To make every attempt to overcome the initial resistance offered by the receiver though an
enumeration of the benefits or value she will accrue from being a participant in the exchange.
5. Explicitly design and make available a channel for feedback.
6. Anticipate and take steps to ensure that noise and barriers to communication are minimised.
Receiver’s Role:
Being an indispensable and essential part of the process of communication, the receiver also needs
to take certain actions to ensure that the process is executed to his advantage. Some of the
receiver’s responsibilities are:
1. To be attentive to the speaker, and give the communication exchange his or her complete
attention. The recipient should ensure that distractions are minimised and that she is able to
focus all her senses on the transaction.
2. The receiver needs to approach the communication with an open mind, so that she might
benefit from it. This requires the receiver to set aside her predispositions and give the sender a
fair hearing before coming to a judgemental position.
3. To manage the communication as it reaches her and make all efforts to receive, analyse,
understand and retain as much of the message as possible.
4. In case the of noise, ambiguity of content or other doubts that the receiver might encounter, to
seek clarity by asking for a re-transmit, explanation, more information, an example or analogy.
5. To provide adequate feedback to the sender to motivate and guide the exchange of information.
Meeting Minutes
Minutes of the Meeting
Technical Coordination Committee: ABC Garments

Date: July 31, 2001
Location: Main Conference Room, Plant 1
Classification: ABC Confidential, Need to Know
Type of Meeting: Routine, Monthly
Members Present:
1. Mr. A Saxena, GM, Manufacturing in the Chair
2. Ms Julie Long, Design Manager
3. Mr. P Kumar, Technical Manager
4. Ms. Asha Pandya, Production Planning Manager
Members Absent:
1. Ms. Sunehra Joseph, Purchase Manager – On Leave
2. Mr. Mohanan Kutty, Finance Manager – Traveling on Duty
Circulation:
1. All Present
2. All Absent
3. ABC Management Committee
1. Meeting commenced at 10:03 a.m.

2. Chair called the meeting to order
3. Minutes of the last Meeting (copy enclosed) was unanimously accepted, without changes
4. Ms. Long presented the new Fall Designs. Accepted as OK. Action: PPC to load for Week 34
5. Mr. Kumar noted that for this loading, new templates were to be designed and manufactured.
This was approved. Action: Technical team to provide time schedule
6. Purchase of Fabric to be done by Week 33. Action: Purchase and Finance to imitate process
Meeting Minutes
7. Next Meeting:
a. Date: August 29, 2001
b. Time: 10:00 a.m.
c. Venue: Plant 2 Cafeteria
8. Meeting closed at 11:15 a.m.
Minuted by: Asha Pandya, Secretary to the Committee
Meeting Minutes
PQR Consultants Private Limited

Minutes of Telephonic Discussion
===============================================================
Date: Monday, March 01, 2012
Timings: 10:00 – 10:45 a.m. IST
Participants: Client: Mr. Ram Singh, Raj Food Supply, Jaipur
PQR: Ashok Kumar
Circulation: Core Team
Classification: Restricted
===============================================================
1. Background:
Mr. Ram Singh and his son Mr. Hari Singh manage a 24-year old food supply business in Jaipur,
Rajasthan. They have also set up a logistics business (centered around Delhi) that handles mostly
industrial goods. At the present time, Mr. Hari Singh focuses on the food business and Mr. Ram
Singh on the logistics business.
2. Status & problem definition:
The Singhs are looking to modernize and expand both businesses. Whilst doing so, Mr. Ram Singh is
looking to rationalize and synergize the businesses:
1. Expand the food supply business
2. Focus the logistics business with a limited focus on Cold Chain supply, Food & Pharma (he
currently feels that he has too diverse a client set)
3. Scope of Services requested
Mr. Ram Singh is looking for managerial assistance and has stated that he has the technical aspects
in control. He needs help in:
1. How to go about synchronising the two business to achieve synergy, streamline financing
and raising funds for the expansion
a. Inputs on how to go about building a work force, especially for the logistics business
that is widespread and difficult to manage directly on a day-to-day basis
b. Inputs on how to grow the business and the data systems that he will need to invest
in to manage the business
Meeting Minutes
4. Expectation from the Consultant

1. No technical input
2. Wants non-theoretical input that is tailor-made for his situation and specific to the business
he is in
3. Is clear that execution support is not required
4. Needs to understand how we will deliver the service
5. Action:
1. Send a fresh proposal (Mr. Ram Singh says he has received a mail-based proposal from
someone in PQR some months ago)
2. Proposal should state deliverables on a time-based schedule, and payment should also be
like-wise on achievement of milestones agreed to.
3. He mentioned that we had quoted INR 10 L as fees last time around, with 50% payable up-
front (this needs to be authenticated by checking the earlier communication with him)
a. Our proposal should outline the delivery model as well as provide information on
the profiles of the mentors that are likely to be assigned to his project.
b. He expects to a proposal in the next week to ten days
===== End ====
Minuted by: Ashok Kumar
The Mehrabian Model and its (Mis) Interpretation
The Mehrabian Model and its (Mis) Interpretation
Studies on the topic of interpretation of meaning by the receiver by Albert Mehrabian, an American-
Armenian professor of psychology and scholar showed that three components were involved in face-
to-face communication on a discussion or attitudes and liking, namely the actual words used, the tonal
or paralingual components and the non-verbal factors that she or he receives. His studies showed that
the non-verbal and paralingual components played a significantly greater role in communicating the
emotional and attitudinal position of the speaker in this situation.
The Mehrabian model suggests that the relative contributions of the verbal, tonal and non-verbal
components to the impact the communication makes on the receiver in terms of liking the speaker
and his/her attitude is in the ratio of 3:38:55. These finding are not indicative of the contribution of
the three components to a piece of communication per se, as has been misinterpreted by many
people.
One of the observations that Mehrabian makes is that in order for the exchange of emotions and
attitude (such as honesty, sincerity, trust and such like), the receiver will seek to establish congruence
between the three factors – not only should a person say the words, the word should sound
appropriate, and both of these need to be reinforced by the way the sender acts and behaves while
speaking. The greater the congruence (sometimes also referred to as consistency), the more likely that
the receiver will accept the message and the person sending it.
This study, however, is important because the perception of the receiver is a composite of the three
verbal, tonal and non-verbal components of the message. Any error in interpretation of the meta-
communication components could result in a high probability that the meaning is lost. In non-face to
face conversations, though the participants cannot see each other, and therefore gauge non-verbal
cues, the paralingual factors would still contribute to their exchange of meaning.
Meta Communication
Meta Communication
The term Meta communication was coined by Gregory Bateson, an England-born researcher and
teacher in the fields of linguistics, semiotics, the social sciences and anthropology, among others. The
term ‘Meta’ means ‘beyond’, and often has a usage that is self-referring – it could therefore could also
mean ‘about’. The word is generally used as a prefix to another word. For example, the term
‘metaphysics’ refers to science beyond what is physical.
Similarly, the term Meta communication refers to ‘communication about communication’, and is
descriptive of the underlying components of communication that are also transmitted with the verbal
components. Such secondary components could include tone of voice, volume, intonation, pitch, and
so forth, which are sometimes referred to under the umbrella term of paralanguage. Factors such
as gestures, facial expression, eye contact, and other non-verbal components also effect the receiver’s
perception of the totality on the meaning being conveyed. In some cases, cultural differences could
further make the decoding process more complex.
Effective communicators are able to discern the nuance of communication by identifying the
underlying ‘coding’ that provides the receiver more indication of the actual meaning or emotion that
is being expressed by the sender.
For example, when a person says ‘Yes’ in response to a question, the actual meaning or intent of the
communication, as received, decoded and understood by the recipient, will be more or greater than
(or ‘Meta (sic)) than the mere sound and verbal connotation of the word. It is possible to utter the
word ‘Yes’ with a range of paralingual variations. The ‘Yes could therefore be a loud and cheerful
sounding utterance, or it could be a lower-pitched, short, curt ‘Yes’ that has negative overtones.
Alternately, it could be a long-drawn out ‘Yeeess’, conveying a somewhat positive, but not completely
positive. In many cases where the receiver did not decode the Meta communication correctly, she or
he could actually conclude that the ‘Yes’ meant a positive response, when it actually was a ‘No’.
In some cultures, it is considered impolite to disagree with the other party, in such situations, the
receiver will respond with a ‘Yes’, even if she or he does not agree with the statement made by the
first party. This could happen if the first party is in a position of superior status, or is a guest or has
some other special position with respect to the receiver. Instead of saying ‘No’ the receiver could well
say ‘Yes, but…’ and then proceed to provide a polite reason or other argument to indicate that the
statement of the first party is not acceptable or feasible or correct.
This indicates that the exchange of total meaning is dependent on a number of factors, spoke as well
as unspoken, and also that ultimately the manner in which the receiver interprets all the signals
determines how much of the meaning is transferred and the fidelity thereof.
Meta Communication
Paralanguage or Vocalics
There is much more in a message than the words that make it. Paralanguage is the collective term
given to the secondary non-verbal information that is embedded in what is being said, which in turn
provide the receiver with a wealth of emotion and meaning. As we also know, there is much scope for
misinterpreting the subtle messages that we get along with the verbiage if we are familiar with the
codes intrinsic to the sender.
Components of paralanguage include accent, emphasis, speed, volume, intonation and cadence. The
way the sentence is constructed could also create confusion, especially when spoken by people who
are using a non-native language. This is account of differences in syntax between the native language
and the one being used now.
As an example, the meaning of a sentence could be communicated differently based on which word
or syllable is pronounced more emphatically. Consider the sentence
He said we have to learn business communication in Term One-
• If the emphasis is on ‘he’, it implies that it was not my comment, but someone else’s, and
therefore I have nothing to do with this comment.
• If the emphasis is on the word ‘we’, it signals incredulity that such a task is required of us, and that
we are above such things.
• The term ‘have to’ when emphasised, suggests that the learning of business communication is not
optional. It could also indicate that this is not a desirable rule.
• Emphasis on the word ‘learn’ implies that it is not possible to merely attend class and get away
with it, something we might have been looking forward to.
• ‘Business Communication’ when emphasised could mean ‘and not Economics’, implying that
economics is in some way superior to business communication
• Emphasis on ‘in term one’ highlights the time aspect and could indicate urgency or possibly the
fact that one has better things to do in term one.
‘I was simple enough to think that the British people were all the same, all speaking the same
sort of language, the language which I learnt at English school in India. I was surprised I
couldn’t understand the English nurse and was even more surprised because she did not
understand English – my English!’
This comment, attributed to an Indian man (Ahmed and Watt, 19861), is a good example of the effect
of accent and delivery on our ability to understand what the other persons is saying.
Volume and speed are indicators of excitement – when we are excited, we tend to speak faster. When
we wish to emphasise something, we slow down. A similar same tendency is seen when it comes to
volume.
Meta Communication
Silence is also a component of paralanguage. Saying nothing conveys a number of messages – for
example, that I might not know what to say or that I know what to say but that I do not wish to say it.
Silence, when used well can be an effective way to indicate a negative response, and without saying
it in as many words. Silence, when congruent with the appropriate body posture or facial expression
could indicate a neutral approach to the topic. Another often seen effect of keeping quiet is to cause
the other person or persons to talk.
Non-verbal communication
Imagine a situation where someone has just walked into your office. Even before your visitor says
anything, you have already formed a first impression of that person. One that could have been either
positive, negative or neutral. And sometimes, this first impression is very hard to get rid of. On what
basis did you make a judgement of the characteristics of your visitor? Purely on the basis of what you
saw.
This behaviour illustrates the influence that non-verbal communication has on us. Charles Darwin2 was
a pioneer in studying and writing about non-verbal communication. According to him, the use of facial
expression is an external manifestation of a person’s internal state. As such, facial expression, as also
other forms of non-verbal communication contribute much value to the process of communication.
Body Language or Kinesics
Kinesis, meaning 'movement’, is the descriptor associated with a variety of non-verbal communication
that relates to our bodies and the way we use them as part of our messaging.
There are three classifications of body language:
a. Intentional: where we deliberately use our bodies to pass on a message. Hand signals used by
cyclists, or the act of raining our hands in greeting are examples of intentional bodily
communication.
b. Intentional but hidden body language: where the communicator deliberately carries out an
action or gesture but tries to hide it or make it as unobtrusive as possible. Trying to convey a
deliberate hand gesture (for instance, to stop speaking) to a specific person in a public place or a
meeting could be an example of this behaviour.
c. Unintentional: non-verbal communication yields the most coded information, as it is a true
reflection of the intent and emotions of the sender.
Meta Communication
Some of the components of non-verbal communication are discussed here :

1. Gestures:
Gestures refer to what we do with our hands and heads. Receivers who watch the sender’s hands
carefully, as the hands are very good indicators of the emotional state of the speaker. In
Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the antagonist, Lady Macbeth expresses her guilt over the murder of
Macduff, the king of Scotland by continuously wringing her hands in a washing motion.
Many speakers also wring their hands unconsciously when they speak, indicating their internal stress
and anxiety.
The use of gestures varies across cultures – one very common example of this is the way and Indian
shakes his head to indicate ‘Yes’ or positive acknowledgement. While most westerners indicate a
‘Yes’ by a clear up-and-down movement of their heads, and a ‘No. by a clear horizontal oscillation,
many Indians indicate a ‘Yes by means of a figure-of-eight movement of his or her head. As a result,
people who are not familiar with this gesture are confused as to what the person means.
Similarly, people from different cultures interpret the use of hands differently. Take for instance the
use of the fingers to make what is generally known as the ‘OK’ sign. In the United States, as in many
other parts of the world, the gesture actually means ‘okay’, ‘good’ or ‘fine’. However, in Russia,
Brazil and Germany, and some other countries, the OK sign is considered to be a very offensive
gesture. It means ‘money’ in Japan, and is commonly used to signify the quantity ‘zero’ in France.
Sign language, sometimes also referred to as ‘signing’ is a form of manual communication that
involves the use of hand, arm and other bodily gestures to communicate with people who are
hearing impaired.
2. Posture & Stance

The posture assumed by a person is indicate of his or her reaction to the communication situation.
For example, in a meeting, if the participant is sitting up erect and close to his table, it is indicative of
his or her interest in what the speaker is saying. If the listener is leaning back and has his or her chair
tilted back, it could well be that there is lower interest in what is being said.
In a presentation or speech, the position of the speaker vis-à-vis the audience plays a big role in the
projection of her personality. Posture in this case also determines the level of eye contact and
audience coverage that the speaker can achieve. Some speakers tend to move a lot, and this could be
distracting to the audience in addition to conveying a sense of restlessness and maybe anxiety.
A rigid stance with very little movement or gesture is also indicative of nervousness. Shuffling of the
feet, shifting on one’s weight from one foot to the other and similar ‘dancing’ movements are also
external manifestation of internal stress.
Meta Communication
3. Facial Expression and Eye Contact

“The face is a picture of the mind with the eyes as its interpreter.”
― Cicero
The face is one of the primary sources of feedback and additional information with regard to content
that is either being sent or received. The eye as well as the mouth are typically used in conjunction
to determine the level of emotion that is being experience. One common example is that of smiling;
a genuine smile involves not just the mouth, but also the eyes.
While one’s mouth may be wide open in a smile, the genuineness of the facial expression is gauged
by determining whether the person’s eye are also ‘smiling’.
While it is possible to affect some types of voluntary facial expression for short periods of time, it is
not possible to control the eyes, and is thus a very good vehicle of unconscious communication.
Negotiators and poker players are examples of people attempting to controls one’s facia; expression
in specific situations. Racial differences in expression have also been observed, as much as the fact
that people from different cultures could interpret facial expressions in different ways.
Similarly, eye contact is an important component of non-verbal communication. In face-to-face
interaction, the presence of steady and warm eye contact conveys honestly, sincerity and positive
emotion. Eye contact serves to catch and hold the attention of the receiver. Through this contact,
the sender also gets feedback on how the recipient is reacting to what is being shared. For instance,
a blank expression in the eyes could indicate a lack of understanding.
However, it must be kept in mind that eye contact practices vary from culture to culture; which in
some societies or situations eye contact is consider a necessary part of the communication process
(such as in most of the Western world), in others eye contact is not considered desirable. In Japan
and some parts of Africa, children are taught to not engage in eye contact. In India, it is sometimes
considered inappropriate to look a superior or an elder in the eye while addressing them.
4. Proximity & Space (Proxemics)

When we interact in communication situations, the distance between the participants is a significant
component of non-verbal communication exchange. When we say something important or emotional
we tend to come closer to our audience. This is attributed, in animal and primitive terms as a form of
territoriality. Humans tend to demarcate personal space from social space; these boundaries are
‘guarded’, and incursions are viewed differently by people of difference cultures.
Meta Communication
Figure 4.14: Demarcations of Personal Space34
Incursion into one’s personal space is sometimes construed as a form of aggression. In some cases,
this could be seen as a sign of intimacy. While some cultural groups are comfortable with proximity,
others attach a negative connotation to it. Proxemics and Haptics (discussed in the section that
follows) are related factors in non-verbal communication.
Meta Communication
5. Haptics
Derived from the Greek, the term haptics refers to touching as a form of non-verbal communication.
Shaking hands, and giving a ‘High-Five’ are examples of haptics in a social setting.
As in the case of Proxemics, haptic behaviour suggests varying degrees of intimacy. Managers need
to especially sensitive to touching while communicating. Especially so when communicating with
subordinates and those of the opposite sex as also with people from different cultural backgrounds.
In India, it is commonly accepted that people touch; in fact clasping of hands while shaking them is
considered acceptable, and indeed a more sincere behaviour.
This is not the case with people from cultures where touching is very intimate and therefore not
acceptable in business as well as many social contexts. In some countries ‘air-kissing’ as a form of
greeting is considered alright – this sometimes causes discomfiture among people from Oriental
cultures. In the business context however, air-kissing is not considered appropriate.
6. Chronemics (Time)
When asked a question, the time taken by the person to respond is a factor that determines how the
initiator interprets the response. A long pause before responding could be indicate that the
respondent does not know the answer, or that he or she is trying to come up with an answer that
could well be untrue.
The adage ‘no news is good news’ is not necessarily true – most often, people tend to associate a
long pause (and its accompanying silence) as a negative response. A delayed response, even if the
words are positive, conveys hesitation, doubt or lack of total conviction on the part of the
respondent.
Another aspect in this context is the way in which people perceive time and manage it. Some people
view time as very important and value it more; others have a more elastic view on time and act
accordingly.
One common example of this is seen in the way many Indians react to a question of when a delivery
will be made or when a piece of work will be complete. It is not uncommon to get a response ‘before
Friday’. This kind of statement could cause confusion in the minds of the listener; did the speaker
mean ‘anytime between now and Friday’? Or ‘before the end of day on Friday’?
Overview of Communication
The need to communicate is a very basic human social phenomenon. It is estimated that we spend a
significant portion of our lives engaged in one form of communication or the other. It is also possibly
the bedrock on which all businesses operate. As such, we are a race that communicates extensively,
and that this activity is indeed indispensable in modern society.
An example of the proliferation of the need for communication is the fact that over 6.92 Billion cell
phones are owned by the world’s population of approximately 7.01 people – a penetration rate of
around 95%. If we were to add to this figure the number of wired, IP and satellite phones installed, it
translates to a ratio of more than one phone for every person on the planet. There are more than
three billion internet users worldwide, and this number is growing significantly every day.
The English word ‘Communication’ devolves from the Latin verb communicatio (which in turn which
derives from the Latin communicare - ‘to make common or to share’), means sharing or imparting.
The Latin term implies a mutual exchange using a medium, such as language. The English term
communication came into use in the late Middle English period (15th century A. D.) and originated
from the old French term communicacion.
In modern times, much theoretical as well as empirical research has been carried out in the area
of communication, both as a social phenomenon as well as in terms of communication theory,
cybernetics and process modelling.
Defining Communication
Depending on the context, one comes across many different possible definitions of the term
communication. What is common across all definitions however, is that communication:
a. Involves the exchange data and information to establish a transfer of the meaning intended by
the initiator
b. That such exchange involves the use of a medium or one or more media to exchange these
messages.
c. Always seeks to achieve some purpose or objective, either stated or otherwise. This purpose
could be exclusively that of the Sender or even of all the stakeholders in the transaction.
It must be noted that communication involves the ‘exchange’ of data and information, and not
merely the transmission of these. Thus, communication is a two-way process as opposed to some
forms of broadcast, which, in the absence of response or feedback, are limited to a one-way data
flow.
Also crucial to the definition is the fact that communication goes beyond the mere exchange of data
or information. What is intended is the exchange of ‘meaning’ – or totality of message, including
Meta communication, non-verbal signals and even emotion.
Implicit in this argument is the fact that there is a need to plan for and facilitate mechanisms for
feedback; for instance, most FM radio stations today have set up a call-in facility that allow listeners
to provide their comments, reactions and suggestions to programmes and content on a real-time
basis.
In the business context, the need for emphasis on the purpose or objective of communication is a
prime consideration. While social or other contexts could place a lower emphasis on this aspect, all
mercantile communication is carried out for a specific purpose.
Writing a Business Letter

Business Letters are still very much in vogue today; while their transmittal using regular post is on the
decline, it is common, especially when there is a statutory need for the issuance of such a piece of
communication. The more common practice is to attach the letter (typically in Adobe PDF or similar file
format) to an email message.
While planning and writing a business letter, it is good to keep these fundamental attributes of business
writing in mind:
1. Keep it concise and focused; make it accurate and to the point
2. Your message must focus on the audience and the purpose for which it is being written
3. Work on the assumption that your reader has limited time – as such your letter must be short,
and get to the point quickly
4. Decide upon the style and level of formality based on your understanding of the audience – the
typical style adopted in business letters is not too formal, and at the same time, not to
conversational.
The Structure and Components of a Business Letter

A business letter is characterised by its structure as well as its components; these constructs make it
clearly identifiable by the reader; It is therefore crucial that any letter you write incorporates these
architectural elements. Annexure 1 provides a visual representation of a letter illustrating the major
structural elements that a letter needs to have.
<< Note to the reader: You may wish to download a copy of this document to easily refer to the Annexure
>>
There are three major structural parts of a business letter are:
1. The Prefatory Components, which include the Masthead (comprising of the company logo and
contact information), the Date Line, the To Address Block, the Salutation and Subject and Reference
Lines.
a. The Date Line: The most popular format adopted for this mandatory component of any
letter is as follows:
January 08, 2018
While other date formats may be used, this is the most popular variant.
b. The To Address Block: While it is referred to as the ‘To Address Block’, writing in the ‘To’ is
no longer in vogue. This will become necessary only when you use plain paper (rather than a
printed Letterhead), and need to incorporate the address of the Sender. If this was
necessary, the letter would have two address blocks, the first being that of the Sender,
followed by that of the Recipient or Addressee, and labelled appropriately. An example of
this is shown below:
January 01, 2018

From
Rita Kumar
12, Margosa Road
Richmond Town
Boston MA 23456
To
M/s XYZ and Company
Chartered Accountants & Notary Public
34, Tamarind Towers
Mahatma Gandhi Road
Bengaluru 560 025
c. The Salutation Line: comes next. Be sure to use a formal and proper form of address. Here
are some generally accepted practices in this regard:
‘Mr’ or ‘Ms.’ Is the best way to address a person based on their gender. Avoid using ‘Miss’ or
‘Mrs.’ As ‘Ms. Is neutral to marital status, and in any case, we do not differentiate when it
comes to men. Use the last name of the person; for example, ‘Dear Ms. Jones’ for Rita
Jones, or ‘Dear Mr Singhal’ rather than ‘Dear Mr. Ramesh’, which refers to his first name.
Take the time and trouble to find out the last name (and the correct spelling of it) and use
that. The use of one’s full name is OK if you are not sure about his or her gender (e.g. ‘Dear
Alex Jones’), but not the best thing to do.
For a medical professional or an academic with a PhD., use ‘Dr.’ as the title, followed by his
or her last name. For instance, ‘Dear Dr. Jones’ is correct. Sometimes, and especially to
differentiate a medical dicot from an academic, you could add the person’s qualification to
the salutation – for example, in the address block you could write ‘Micheal Jones, PhD.’, or
‘Jane Smith M.D.’, and follow this through with a ‘Dear Dr. Jones’. Members of an academic
faculty may also be addressed as ‘Professor’, both in the Address Block as well as in the
Salutation.
When your letter is not addressed to a specific person, and the Address Block is in the name
of a company, firm or organisation, you would typically use a ‘Dear Madam or Sir’.
For example, if …
M/s XYX & Company
32, Jacaranda Lane
Cairo 34567
…was the address block, then the Salutation would be ‘Dear Madam or Sir’. Of course, you
could also write ‘Dear Sir or Madam’!
In some cases, you may write certificate-types of letters that are addressed ‘To Whomsoever
it May Concern’; in these cases, you could omit the Salutation , or if you chose to do so, write
‘Dear Sir or Madam’.
In some cases, you may know the name, designation and title of the person who is to receive
your letter, but protocol requires that it be addressed to a company or a specific position
within it. In these cases, you could use an ‘Attention Line’. Here is an example of this usage:
To
M/s XYZ Limited etc.
Attention: Mr. Ramesh Kumar , General Manager, Purchase
The Attention Line typically precedes the Salutation Line, but I have noticed that in some
companies this follows the Salutation Line.
The Subject Line is important, as it summarises the content or topic that the letter addresses,
and as such must be crated to truly reflect the contents of your letter. As a general rule, keep
your subject line as short, simple and as clear as possible.
Another element found in many letters is the Reference Line, which provides detailed
information about Sometimes, authors do not use the Reference Line, but include it as part
of the Opening. For example, an Opening could read as follows:
This has reference to your Purchase Order No. 1234 dated January 01, 2018. We Thank you
for your business, and confirm our acceptance of this order.
2. The Message itself, which in itself has three sub-divisions, namely the Opening, Body and the Close.
These are to be planned and drafted using the guidelines provided in Module 2 of this course.
While drafting the letter, take into consideration the length of the entire letter; it is a good practice
to limit this to one page; if one page is not feasible, then a maximum of two pages is what is
recommended. If there is detailed or lengthy information that needs to be provided to the reader as
part of the communication.
3. The Trailing Components, which mandatorily include a Sign-off Line (such as Yours Sincerely), the
Signature (Name) Line and the Sender Designation Line. Optional components, which are deployed as
necessary are the Copy or CC Line (a list of those who will receive a copy of the letter), a BCC, or Blind
Copy Line (these names are not visible to the Addressee) and a list of enclosures or attachments (the
Enclosed line).
The Sign-off line needs attention; in formal letters, the most common sign-off is ‘Yours Sincerely’ ;
‘With Regards’ is also in common use, but could be construed as more casual. Avoid using phrases
such as ‘Cheers’, ‘Best’ or such like.
Sometimes, a letter might include a Post-Script (or P.S.) – nowadays, this component of a letter is
used more as a persuasive or informative line to draw the attention of the reader to a specific part of
the letter or a special offer, or to remind them to carry out an action, or to complete an action before
a specified deadline.
Writing Your Letter: Tone and Style

Make your letter clear and concise; provide information in a direct and simple manner.
Remember to not be overly aggressive or abrupt; remember that ‘courtesy’ is on characteristic of written
business communication. Using a neutral tone-of-voice, or even a recommendatory tone is the usual
practice.
Write in the active voice; the use of the Passive Voice is not only archaic, but also conveys an officious
and negative tonality on the part of the author.
Letter Formats
While composing a business letter, we usually choose from one of three formats; Block (or Full Block),
Modified Block or Semi-block. You can view samples of these formats by clicking on these links:
1. The Block/ Full Block format has all elements of the letter left-justified or aligned with the left
margin. This is by far the smartest and simplest format and is most widely used nowadays. Two-line
spacing between margins is standard. No Commas are needed at the end of each line in the Address
Block; sometimes, the Colon after the salutation (‘Dear Mr. Smith:’) is also omitted.
A more detailed description of the components of a letter discussed in this article; features a letter in
the Block/Full Block format.
You can view a sample of a letter in this format at: https://bit.ly/2pvtGqi
2. Modified Block format letters are somewhat different; click on the link at the end of this paragraph
to view a sample letter. From this you will observe that the date, the sign off line and the signature
line are indented with respect to the Left Margin and begin at the mid-point of the line.
Click to view a letter in Modified Block format: https://bit.ly/2zspcrS
3. Semi-block: This format is the least formal of the three commonly used letter layouts. In the Sem-
block layout, almost all elements are left-justified; with the exception of the start of a new
paragraph, which is indented, usually to the extent of five spaces in. Click on the link below to view a
sample of a Semi-block layout: https://bit.ly/2xDqYoP
Having chosen a format, be sure to implement it completely and consistently. It is a good practice to
insert a digital signature (if this is permitted) and to save the file in the Adobe PDF format prior to
transmittal. Remember, however, to carefully review and edit your work prior to saving it as a PDF.
In summary, the writing of business letters requires attention to its components and formatting in
addition to the content per se. Apply these learnings in the next letter you write!
Annexure 1: Letter Components
Prefatory Components
Opening
Body Message Components
Close
Trailing Components
Email
The Subject Bar
‘Invest’ in the Subject line!
Subject should be concise and should convey the context of the email
effectively
Review the Subject line in long mail trails and change them
The Subject line is not the message!
Content – Opening Courtesies
A Salutation is a must in formal mail
In some organizations, addressing by name is preferred. In such cases,
“Dear Mr. Chauhan” or “Dear Vijay” can be used, depending on your
relationship
Address all the people whose names are in the “To” bar.
◦ For example, “Dear Vijay, Rama and Shilpa”.
◦ If there are a large number of people, courtesies like “Dear All” or “Hello
Everyone” can be used ??
Content – Body
Brevity is the key to good email writing!
◦ Get to the main subject matter directly – avoid too much preamble
◦ One window/frame if possible
◦ Use attachments and links for larger messages
First mention matter meant for all recipients. e.g.–

◦ We need to find out how our competitors are doing.
Rama, Shilpa – work together to find about competitor X.
Content – Main Message
Check and re-check whatever you have written. Do a
spell/grammar check. Use built-in tools and again
manually! (all errors are not detected)
Avoid using slang, acronyms and short forms that may not
be obvious to all in the mailing list
Unless you are very close to the recipients, avoid casual
tonality
Content - Close
Advisable to have separate signatures for different purposes
◦ E.g. : Internal usage, External usage and Informal
Concluding Sign-off : Formal
◦ “With Thanks and Regards”, “With Regards”, “Yours sincerely”,
etc.
◦ Avoid phrases like “Cheers”, “Have fun” in formal business mail
Signature
◦ Include your name, organization name/logo, contact number(s),
website,…
◦ and confidentiality disclaimer
Avoid using “pearls of wisdom” and “motivational quotes” in
business emails
Some Common Mistakes
Sending incomplete emails
“Replying to all” instead of “Reply”
Formatting errors – specially if part of the mail has been copy/pasted
Spelling & grammatical errors
Using politically incorrect language or expressions
Using unfamiliar acronyms and emoticons
Email:
Do’s and Don’ts
Do’s
Structure the email carefully
Spell/grammar check on outlook
Review & edit your content
Go to the outbox and send the email after checking everything is
perfect
Do’s
Write in the active voice
Keep language gender neutral
Use bullet points instead of long, winding paragraphs
Use templates for frequently used responses
Be frugal while adding addresses
Do’s
Use the Meeting Scheduler function
Pick up the phone or walk down the hall for a conversation whenever an
email chain has gotten long or complicated or emotional
Don’ts
Activate automatic send/receive, especially if you handle
important messages
“Reply All” unless essential
WRITE IN CAPS or use “!”
◦ Conveys impatience and arrogance on part of the sender
Use smileys/emoticons (J, L) in official emails

Don’ts
Request delivery and read receipts for every message you send
Overuse “Urgent” or “High Priority”, just to get a prompt reply to your
question
◦ Respect the recipient’s workload
Send or forward emails containing libellous, defamatory, offensive,

racist or obscene remarks
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Effective Business Communication

Professor N. Bringi Dev

The four sub-themes are highlighted in the visual below:

Case: Measuring Advertising Effectiveness: Dell India

Figure 4.15: Dell Direct Advertisement

Minutes of the Meeting

Technical Coordination Committee: ABC Garments

1. Meeting commenced at 10:03 a.m.

PQR Consultants Private Limited

4. Expectation from the Consultant

The Mehrabian Model and its (Mis) Interpretation

Some of the components of non-verbal communication are discussed here :

2. Posture & Stance

3. Facial Expression and Eye Contact

4. Proximity & Space (Proxemics)

Figure 4.14: Demarcations of Personal Space34

Writing a Business Letter

The Structure and Components of a Business Letter

January 01, 2018

Writing Your Letter: Tone and Style

Annexure 1: Letter Components

Body Message Components

First mention matter meant for all recipients. e.g.–

Use smileys/emoticons (J, L) in official emails

Send or forward emails containing libellous, defamatory, offensive,

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