Effective Business Communicalion

28
O h j e c t i v e s o fc o m m u n i c a t i o n :
writing
or speak eaking, trying to persuado
ice or educate or any ot
Chapter
are convince
we
Whether explain,
communication
entertain,
inform, the particular we ate
generalobjectives:
behind
always havefour
objective
engaged in,
we
The Nature of Communication To bereceived
(heard or read)
. T o b e understood
What is communication? K To be accepted
. or attitude)
. T o get action
(change of behaviour
We spend most of our time communicating -
speaking, one of these, we have failed.to
listening, reading and writing. All day, every day we are When we fail to achieve any
when communication tails, business s
communicating, whether it is talking to people on the communicate. And,
telephone or in person, taking dictation and transcribing ,fsa affected.
business correspondence, liaising with colleagues and other
Benefits of successful communication:
staff, writing letters,"mëmos, preparing reports. The benefits to boosting your
importance of developing good communicating skills cannot Recognise that there are
communication skills. "What are they?- you may ask. Let us
be over-emphasised.L have a look at the following remarks:
One of the common definitions of communication is ".. Hamim: "I didn't know you wanted me to interview the
Communication in business is the process by which internal applicants as well as the external ones!"
information is transferred between one individual or group
and another, both within or outside the organisation. The Riad: "Sorry, I didn't realise that you needed the datà
for last night's client
communication can take place verbally or non-verbally and meeting."
may be transmitted through a variety of communication
methods such as reports, presentations, letters..meetings." Raju: "I would have arranged the seating in the
(Woods, 20o1) conference room, but nobody told me that it neeaeu
be changed"
Communication may be defîned as giving, receiving or Babu: "Interesting presentation, But what was
e
exchanging information, opinions or ideas by point of it?
writing, speech or visual means, so that the material
You
communicated is completely understood by everyone may have
heard remarks
concerned. We have to make sure that
get the message
examples of communication like these, but these
a
we
right o u r ideas and information are completely understood.) failures!
 Efectve Business Commi
30
stañ mishandled
The Nature of Commnicatiom
29 A
member of our
job
applicants;
intermer
Let 1S examine each of
involving
internal
ourstaff
did not have ssential data ea
essential
tliose conmnenls A member ofclient meeting,
determine wlhiat might have prompted tlhen. more closcly lo
for a thecns
on time
siaf did not arrange
Hamim has mishandled some candicdates for a job A member of
our
last minute
we have to move ove the erence
tables
did not know whOm lie was to interview.
because he room. At the
failure.
Comunicalion and chairs not understand the poin
of our staff did
A member
talk that I gave
Riad is apologizing for failing to provide essential information
on time for a meeting. Comnunication failure. that al
may be, imagine these
iorible as the consequences
one or two days! The ulimzte result woniabe
Raju is justifying why he did not do what he was supposed to happened within
do. Communication failure. like:
Loss oftime
Babu is bewildered by wliat he was heard. Communication Loss of respect
failure. Loss ofbusiness
Loss of money
While each issue is different, there is a common thread: cach
Loss of conf+dence
remark is an illustration of communication failure.
Loss ofcredibility
because: Loss of relationships
We can guess that they are being said
Loss of staff
should have been said; Loss of trust
Something was not said that
that should not have bcen Loss of a client
Something was assumed
assumed; made
unclear that should have been Any or all of these could have serious for our
Something was
consequences
business. The seeds of those miscommunication
clear. failures were
SOwn in the preceding, day, hour or minutes.
communication has failed for Hamim, Riad, should have been' tansmitted clearly to Hamim, Messages that
As a consequence, for the people Riad, Kaju
Communication has also failed and
Babu were not. As
Raju and Babu. shared essential
supposed
a
result, they did not do what they wer
that they have effectivcly to do. \When
who believed
information with them. organisations are affected.communication fails, manages ad
Implications offailed communication: When communication succeeds:
above-mentioned persons are working Now we assume
Pretending that all the interviewed al that
under me and I am
in that organisation.
the Manager
What
that you need
communication has succeeded: Hamim
appropriate
happens in each case? for the clientcandidates,
on time;
Riad supplied
su the da
Raju pre-arraug
g e dt h e
 Efec Business Communicatio
The Nature of Communication 32
31 Internal communication
Telephone
clhairs and tables; Babu recognised the point of your talk. Messages
What are the benents that accrue to Intercom
you or your organisation
becauseot successhul communication? Face to face discussion
People feel good Meeting
People do their jobs well Oral
Presentation
People work together
People feel motivated Memo
People understand Report
People save time Staff newsletter
People feel empowered Emai/Fax
People assume responsibility Minutes
People share information Written Notice
People respect, trust and like you Form/Questionnaire
People listen Graphs/Charts
You can see how poor communication leads to negative
positive ones. Externalcommunication
outcomes and effective commnunication leads to
Telephone
The ability to communicate well is an important aspect ofyour
that is frequently Meeting
management style and skills, and one Conversation
overlooked.By recognising the importance boosting
of your Oral Conference/Seminar
communicationskills- Presentation
convince
You motivate, explain and
that of others
You save time your own and
-
teamwork
You encourage a sense of
You reinforce your professionalism
Letter
You develop and maintain relationship
Leaflet/Brochure
Customer newsletter
You are credible.and trusted Advertisement
You are liked Invitation
You empower people
heard
Written Email
You are listened and Fax
Methods of communication
Report
Notice
communication, both
Press release
written
The main methods of oral and
internal and external, are
shown below: Forms/Questionnaire
Visuals
 Effective Business Communication
The Nature of Comnunication
LackDisadvantages
g4
33
The various methods of
V A d v a n t a g e s
of confidentialitv
into three communication can also be divided L a n g u a g e1 Sp o l i s h e d
No instant feedback is
verbal
principal groups oral, written and non- checked
before
communication. Each method has its merits and Facts
can
be possible
demerits. sending
Creates g o o di m p r e s s i o n
Oral communication:
telephoning, audiotape, Conversations,
recorded meetings,
messages,
instructions, interviews, speeches and so forth. verbal Non-verbalcommunication:
AWritten communication: Advantag
VAdvantages VDisadvantages
an Body language can distor
instructions, reports, fax, telex, Letters, memos, notices, lists,
e-mails, and so on. When sender
and receiver can
the messages conveyed
seeeach other bodylanguage
Non-verbal communication: Body language (eye-contact, supports the messages
conveyed in verbal
gesture, posture, expression, nod etc.) visual aids
(pictures,
diagrams, graphs, tables, signs, films, videos, and so forth). Communication
|Body and sign language can Signs can be misunderstood
Now, have a quick look at the advantages and disadvantages communicate ideas when other
various methods of communication. of
forms of communication are
R9ral communication: not possible
Visual aids can present
Advantages Disadvantages complex information simply
Person to person Lack of timeto think and effectively
Instant feedback Norecord kept Signs are particularly powerful
Allows audience participation Can lead to disputes when they are standardised
Speedy Possible inaccuracy of
Personal touch possible message Factors for choosing the means of communication
Messages can be restricted to Can be over heard
its intended audience more How to choose the best
easily, maintaining variousáctors, such as: means of communication depends ou
Confidentiality._ Cost: We
have to
Written communication: communication consider the cost of the
in terms of
Advantages Disadvantages_
Confidentiality: Telephone
or email
results
could
expected.
be overheard
Provides written proof Takes time to produce may necdmay
an
not be
app
appropriate, and an internal memo
Safcty envelope.
justifiedand
|Can send.complex ideas Expensive to produce
or a security:
Can de sent even if the receiver | Transmissiom is sometimes
special Would a
courier service be
iS not immediately available Slow post service be used? sei
 Effective Business Communication
The Nature of
Commmunication 36
35 Questions: Broad
Influence: To
convey certain by communication?
congratulatory
letterhead conveys
a
invitation be suitableimpression, would a What do
understand
efits
we
We benefits we
may nave forWhy d
image of the multi-colourcd
or
Urgency: We have good
a 1. communicate?
company? people in business? ,
to choose the communication
give the desired result method that successful fail? What are the
would
perhaps higher costs will bewithin
communication
the time available, does
justified for 2. Why communication lure?
failur
are What
Distance: We have to understand implications of the
a
urgency. communication?
for the distance successful
communicating keeping in mind the time factor results of a of communi
required What arethetheadvantages methods
and the cost involved.
Time of the day: For 3. Explain
common
and disadvant of verbal ation?
countries, the time of the communicating
day is very importantoverseas
and non-verbal communication.
in mind. to keep
Resources: We have to consider the
staff available (for sender and equipment and
Written record: It carries more recipient).
of a transaction. authority and proof
Documentations are always an
authentic record for business.
Questions: Quiz
1. How can you define communication?
2. What are the common
objectives of communication?
3. What are the ways business people communicate
within the organisation? orally
4. What are the common ways to communicate in
to your colleagues? written
5. What are the non-verbal?.
Questions: Short
1. What are the benefits of successful communication?
2. What are the three different methods of
communication? Give examples.
3. What are the advantages of oral communication?
4. How cost and urgency are factors for
of communication? choosing means