Paper: 07, Business Communication

Module: 36, Communication and Technology

Prof. S P Bansal
Principal Investigator Vice Chancellor
Maharaja Agrasen University, Baddi

Prof YoginderVerma
Co-Principal Investigator Pro–Vice Chancellor
Central University of Himachal Pradesh. Kangra. H.P.

Prof. IpshitaBansal
Paper Coordinator Department of Management Studies
BPSMV, KhanpurKalan, Sonipat

Dr. Mani Shreshtha

Content Writer Haryana School of Business
GJ University of Science & Technology, Hisar

Items Description of Module

Subject Name Management
Paper Name Business Communication
Module Title Communication and Technology
Module Id Module No. - 36
Pre- Requisites Basic awareness about internet and social media
Objectives To get familiar with usage of technology enabled tools in communication
Keywords Email, Blog, Podcast, Social Networks
 QUADRANT-I

1. Module 36: Communication and Technology

2. Learning Outcomes
3. Introduction
4. Word Processing Software
5. Email
6. Telephone
7. Fax
8. Teleconferencing
9. Text Messaging
10. Blog
11. Podcast
12. Social Media
13. Summary

1. Module 36: Communication and Technology

2. Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this module, students will be able to
 familiarise themselves with the role of technology in communication
 use various technology enabled tools to communicate effectively

3. Introduction:
Every organization faces few common challenges. These challenges are timely collection of data,
converting data into information, and timely dissemination of information. The information such
disseminated must reach the right person at the right time and place. The effectiveness of such
communication is assessed with a feedback. Employees of the organization are responsible to
perform all such functions to keep the communication flowing and effective. For that, technology
plays an important role of keeping the communication meaningful and fast. It also enhances the
ability of human beings to communicate effectively. Technological tools are being used at various
stages of communication. Beginning from the communication planning stage till the feedback
stage, technological tools are used. Proper usage of technological tools can improve the efficiency
of an office remarkably. Some of these tools are phone, teleconferencing, text messaging, video,
email, fax etc. Over a period of time, the way we communicate either at individual level or
organizational level has changed. With the advent of technology enabled tools the communication
is becoming faster and specific. For example, integration of internet with mobile technology has
opened the doors to newer and better communication methods. In communication we have
advanced from one-to-one communication and now many people are communicating with each
other at the same time. But we have to be careful as just like any other technology related issue; if
these tools are not used appropriately it can create confusion and loss of important information.
Every technology enabled communication tool has certain advantages and disadvantages. There is
no perfect tool that serves all communication related requirements. So, judicious mix of these
tools is required to enhance effectiveness in communication.
4. Word Processing Software:
The usage of computer is imperative for the efficiency of any modern office. With the help of a
computer a person can perform various actions with least fatigue and wastage of time. The most
popular software that comes handy for any employee is word processing software. It enables
creation, editing, saving of documents in electronic form. These documents can further be
transmitted to the required destination by using other technological tools. Word processing
software empowers you to edit and refine your written communication as many times as you
wish. Word processing software comprises various sub packages like Microsoft Office. In
Microsoft Office further holds many mini programs such as Word, Excel, Power Pont, Access,
OneNote, Outlook etc. Each of these programs is having a specific function to perform.

Through Word one can create and edit professional looking documents like letters, papers,
brochures and reports. It equips the user with very important tools like

 Insertion of text, deletion, copy, and paste of text from same or different files.
 Adjust overall structure of a page.
 Align the paragraphs.
 Sort information in alphabetical order.
 Save the information at the desired location in an electronic form.
 Increase or decrease the size of text.
 Checks the spellings, sentence formations, and grammar.
 Provides alternate words and their opposites through thesaurus.
 Search and replace the information.
 Creates tables to present data in a manageable form.
 Facility of hiding and un-hiding text as per the requirement.
 Facility of inserting footnotes, generating contents, and building index.
 Change in text font style, colour, and appearance.
 Possibility of inserting pictures and images.
 Mail-merge the information.
 Providing references to the sources.
 Adjust margins, orientation, size, columns, indent, spacing etc.

On the other hand, Excel empowers you to play with numbers and performing statistical
functions. It helps you to perform calculations, analyse information, and visualise data in
spreadsheets. Through an Excel, you can create various types of charts and graphs to provide
huge information in an alternative and clear way. It provides you a facility to apply various
mathematical formulae and use complex mathematical operations on a given data.
 Outlook helps you in sending and receiving mails through internet using organizational network.
It enables you to manage your schedule, contacts and tasks while side by side recording your
activities. Basically it performs the task of an organizer.

The usage of Power Point is enormous for corporate sector. A Power Point used for creating
presentations, it is a popular way of showing information during meetings and conferences. For
creating databases and tracking information Access is used. OneNote is being used for gather,
organise, find and share your notes and information.

5. Email:
Email enables you to send information instantly to individuals as well as groups located anywhere
in the world. This characteristic of email resulted into usage of this tool of communication by
majority of organizations worldwide. Apart from professional communication, email also enjoys a
vast popularity among users for personal communication. It is also considered as an effective way
to get connected with your relatives and friends. There are few reasons that make email popular:

 instant transmission of message

 vast information can be sent at a time
 information can be sent to many receivers at a time
 provision for delivery confirmation
 instant delivery creates an opportunity for faster feedback
 saves time and money
Although it offers many advantages, still it suffers from few drawbacks. Major problem in using
an email is privacy issues. This mode is note suitable to send confidential information. Junk
emails and spam mails also reduces the reliability of this tool of communication.

6. Telephone:
Telephone is device through in which we can speak into and hear the sound. This sound is
generally of conversation between communicator and the listener. A telephone is used to
communicate within as well as outside the organization. It keeps the various stakeholders
connected to each other on one to one basis during the office hours. With the advent of mobile
phones and smart phones the connectivity has increased from approximately 8 hours to 24 hours.
Now the communication can happen 24X7. Now you can access your existing and potential
customers any time for information and promotion of your products. Advantage of telephone is
that you might get full attention of the person on the other end of the phone. Overall telephone is
an intra and inter communication tool. On the other hand telephone is considered as intrusion of
privacy by many. Unsolicited phone calls and untimely calls have started irritating the receivers.
If used carefully, a phone could be a handy tool that might increase your business and helps in
maintaining good professional relations. Few do’s and don’ts regarding usage of phone as a mode
of communication are as follows:

 Gather all the relevant information before calling.

 Maintain a steady speed for communicating over phone.
 Be polite while conversing over phone.
 Always wish the other person while making a call, introduce yourself and ask about his
or her availability for further communication.
 Don’t provide too much information over phone.
 Be a good listener.
 Always sound eager for the conversation while communicating over phone.
 Keep your surroundings free from any kind of distraction for a focused conversation.
  Do not call a number which is protected under Do Not Call clause. You might get
penalized for this action.
Another technological advancement related to phone is voicemail facility. The sender of
information need not to type the message, instead he speaks into a phone. Through this facility a
message can be sent to a larger group without actually calling them. The message is
communicated and it reaches the subscribers mailbox and can be accessed at a later stage.

7. Fax:
Fax is also known as facsimile. Through a fax machine, copies of documents can be transferred
by using a telephone connection. A facsimile scans the document and converts into a digital
image that is sent by telephone line. It acts just like photocopier but the copy is delivered at
another destination. It is a faster way of communicating a written message. The receiver gets a
copy of the original document. Few do’s and don’ts regarding usage of fax as a mode of
communication are as follows:

 Do not use this mode to send bulk information.

 Clearly write the name and number of the recipient on the paper need to be sent.
 Ensure phone line is free from any disturbance as it could disrupt the communication.
 Ensure fax machine has the roll of special paper duly placed.
 It is advisable to get confirmation about the receipt of fax.
The newer technology has enabled to send a fax using an internet connection. By using these
software and programs employees can send and retrieve faxes from their workstations.

8. Teleconferencing:
A group conversation becomes very important when opinion of more than two persons matters for
decision making. Sometimes all the needed people are not available at a common place.
Teleconferencing provides a solution to this problem of communication. It enables group
communication irrespective of location of its members. For conducting a teleconference
communication phone connection and internet are required. Teleconferencing can be of two types
namely audio conferencing and video conferencing.

A phone connection is must for an audio conferencing. It is just like a normal telephonic
conversation. The only change is that in an audio conferencing more than two persons present at
different geographical locations can talk to or listen to each other on the same call. Present day
mobile phone service providers also offer the facility of conference call wherein more than 20
individuals could be connected for a common conversation. The greatest advantage of audio
conferencing is that a communication could happen irrespective of location of participants. It
saves lot of time and travelling expenditure for the organization. Through a video conferencing,
both voice and video messages can be exchanged among the participants present at different
geographical locations. For communicating via video conferencing each individual require certain
 equipments such as camera, microphone, monitors and signal conversion equipments. The
greatest advantage of video conferencing is that participants can see and hear to each other. Such
kind of communication tool is very important when there is requirement to display something
during the discussion. Also just like audio conferencing it save a lot on time and travelling
expenditure. Now expert advice is available without actually calling an expert at your place.
Depending upon the availability of equipment, a video conferencing could have certain
limitations. It could be one way audio and one way video, two way audio and one way video, and
both ways audio-video.

9. Text Messaging:
Text messaging or Short Message Service (SMS) is another gift of technology for
communication. In this mode of communication, people can exchange short written messages
between their mobile phones having a service network. As the name suggests, this tool is useful to
send written messages only upto 160 characters. It also offers one-to-many communication option
i.e. same message can be sent to many contacts at the same time. Till few years back, it was one
of the most popular and fastest way to communicate. For using this tool, a sender must have a
mobile phone and installed SMS service. The cost of sending message is generally low and it
varies from one mobile service provider to other. The cost could further be reduced by purchasing
a suitable SMS plan. Text messaging turned out to be a useful tool for marketers. They can now
send information, offers, and alerts on one to one to their customers. While using SMS tool for
communication, following points need consideration:

 Be aware that an SMS lacks expression.

 A reply of an SMS is not expected every time.
 Carefully draft the message you want to send as there is no turning back once it is gone.
 Carefully type or select the numbers of recipients otherwise you might end up in
sending a message to a wrong person.
 Although there is a limitation on number of characters used, still message should be
drafted in a way to remove any kind of ambiguity.

10. Blog:
Blogging is one of the latest communication tool adopted by the businesses. It is considered as a
tool which connects the customer to the organization in a better way. Through blogs an
organization can share timely and relevant information with their customers. This sharing of
information is done on a continuous basis. It presents the information by the organization in
reverse chronological order. It offers one-to-many type of communication. A blog offers many
benefits to a business. It increases the presence of a business on internet and helps in attracting
search engine optimizers. Through writing a blog, a company can show its expertise in a given
area. Blogs have followers and such followers are asset for a company. These followers could
turn into customers, loyal customers, advisers, spreading positive word of mouth. Blogging is also
considered as a public relations activity that is virtually free of cost. Overall blogs are having
value in the eyes of customers and other stakeholders and it is a good communication tool to get
connected with your stakeholders. In order to read a blog, its readers have to subscribe for it. A
subscription offers updated information about the area of interest. Few do’s and don’ts related to
blogs are as follows:

 Choice of blog topic decides its fate.

 Keeping the subscribers up to date on the topic is the key responsibility of a blogger.
  The content written on a blog must have authenticity. Development of trust factor is
must to keep a blog going. Do not forget, a subscriber considers you an expert in the
field.
 It is suggested to communicate by using personal style.
 Delay in updating information could damage your reputation.

11. Podcast:
A podcast is related to distribution of information in the audio and video format. This information
is meant for audience who are either present on internet or demanded for such kind of
information. A podcast provides freedom to get the required information in a particular format, at
a desired place and time. Just like blogs it also offers one-to-many communication. It offers a
wider reach for the ideas and possesses an ability to generate followers. One interesting use of
podcast is to train people. To serve this objective, the content and its delivery becomes crucial. It
is very important to generate a good script before reading. While creating a podcast, listeners and
their listening habits have to be kept in mind. If a podcast fails to create connect in the starting,
the listener eventually loses interest and stops following it. To create a podcast proper equipment
are required. These equipments include microphone, recording software, mixers etc. Always
provide content of value in a podcast. Once it is done, the next task is to promote it heavily.

12. Social Media:

In recent times, social media have shown a revolutionary presence in the field of communication.
A social media platform enables its user to be the part of generation of content, getting views,
sharing information in the form of pictures and videos, and get connected with friends. It offers
many-to-many communication to its users. Social media networks have given impetus to
collaborative communication practices. Now, companies are using these social networking
platforms to reach out their customers in order to inform them and persuade for a desired action.
The only reason for companies attracting towards these social networks is the number of users.
You can reach out to billions of users just with a single connect. Although there are large number
of social networking sites and each fulfilling certain specific purpose, there are few worth
mentioning.

 Facebook: One of the most popular social networking sites till date with huge user base.
It offers facility to its users to connect with your friends and share information, images,
videos. All a user requires is to register on the network by mentioning personal details
and using a valid email id. By screening the profiles of users of facebook, companies
 could get valuable information related to user’s demography and psychological
attributes. A fair amount of idea can be obtained about the likes and dislikes of the
users. A well crafted message on a social platform like facebook could generate likes
and spreads positive word of mouth.
 Linkedin: It is a social network created for working professionals. On this network you
to get registered through a valid email id and some personal information. This platform
is used by companies to share industry specific information, search for the right kind of
talent, connecting with area specific experts etc. Broadly, through linkedin you can
connect yourself with professionals of your area of interest and get benefited from each
others’ expertise.
 Twitter: It is used as a micro-blogging service. For this, you have to create a twitter
account also known as handle. A company can use it provide updates to its followers
while keeping the message length under the prescribed limit of characters. It acts like an
SMS service to its followers.
 Youtube: It is a video sharing platform. Users can upload or download the videos, give
their reviews and opinions. Companies are using this platform to show advertisements
and image building promotional videos.

Introduction of mobile phones as smart phones have actually integrated different technological
offerings related to communication at one place. Now with a smart phone having internet you can
actually SMS, create and upload video on Youtube, create a podcast, start a blog, register and
access facebook, write and send an email, enter into a conference call or do a video conferencing.
Let’s see what technology has in store for us in future and how that would change the way we are
communicating.

13. Summary:
The biggest challenge before an organization is to assimilate and provide relevant information to
the correct audience at the right time and right place. The solution of this challenge lies in the
hand of technology. Technology has made remarkable contribution in improvement of
communication methods in an organization. Technology has made an impact on inter as well as
intra communication function of an organization. Various technology enabled tools have made
life much easier for the corporate sector especially in the field of communication. These tools are
telephone, fax, email, blog, podcast, social media etc. With the advent of technology enabled tools
the communication is becoming faster, less costlier, wider reach and highly specific. Every
technology enabled communication tool has certain advantages and disadvantages. There is no
perfect tool that serves all communication related requirements. So, judicious mix of these tools is
required to enhance effectiveness in communication.