Business Communication
WHAT IS BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS?
Business communication is the sharing of information between people within an organisation that is performed for the commercial benefit of the organisation.
It can also be defined as relaying of
information within a business.
Media channels for business communication include
the Internet , print media , radio , television , ambient
media , and word of mouth .
Business communication can also refer to internal
communication that takes place within the
organisation.
Business communication is a common topic included in the curricula of Undergraduate and Master programs of many colleges and universities.
There are several methods of business communication, including:
Web-based communication - for better and improved
communication, anytime anywhere ...
Video Conferencing - which allow people in different
locations to hold interactive meetings;
Reports - important in documenting the activities of
any department;
Presentations - very popular method of
communication in all types of organizations, usually
involving audiovisual material, like copies of reports, or
material prepared in Microsoft PowerPoint or Adobe
Flash ;
Telephone meetings-which allow for long distance
Speech- forum boards, which allow people to instantly post
information at a centralized location.
Face-to-face meetings- which are personal and should
be succeeded by a written followup.
Essential Factors or Elements of
Communication Process
We know that, sender, receiver and a message are the
basic elements of communication but the modern
communication process includes many other elements.
The elements which are essential for modern day
communication are briefly discussed below:
1. Sender: The person who initiates or begins
communication are called the sender or communicator.
Sender is responsible for an intended message and
encoding of the message. The sender therefore creates
the message out of reaction developed in his mind.
2. Source: For communication, there must be a source of
information. Although a sender is the immediate source
of information, the ultimate source is stimuli which
stimulates the sender to communicate.
3. Purpose: Communication never happens without any
purpose or objective i,e. Communicator must have some
intentions in his mind for which he is interested to
communicate with one or more than one person.
4. Encoding: It is the process of putting thoughts and
ideas of the message into symbolic form. It is also
termed as 'mental wrapping' of the communication.
5. Message: When there is any interest or intention or
idea in the mind of communicator, he makes encoding of
such which is known as message. Thus a message is an
encoded information which is communicated to the
receiver or destination. If there is no message, there will
be no communication.
6. Medium: When the information or message has been
encoded, a sender then selects media. Media means
through which something is communicated to others. The
media for oral communication are conversation,
telephone calls , conference, meeting and others. Written
communication uses media like newspapers, letters, e-
mail, report, memo, chatting etc.
7. Decoding: It is the process through which receiver
provides meaning to the message sent by the sender i. e.,
it helps the receiver to interpret or understand the
sending message. Such decoding depends on the
knowledge and perception of the receiver, past experience
with the similar communicator, personal desire etc.
Barlton & Martin said-
"Decoding is the process of translating the symbols
into the interpreted message"
8. Receiver: A receiver is the person or body who receives
the message sent by the sender. The receiver is the
destination that may be an individual or an organization.
When the receiver receives the message, he decodes the
message to create a meaningful idea from the message
received. In case of two way communication , the receiver
is required to provide response to the original sender of
the message.
9. Feedback: It is the response of receiver to
communicate to the original sender to create two way
communication. Feedback ensures proper and mutual
understanding between sender and receiver. It can be
written, spoken, signaled or given through other means.
It requires the same step-by-step process as followed by
the initial sender. There are need to follow some
principles of feedback to make effective communication .
10. Noise: It is the distortion during the communication
process which causes disturbance to the message sent. As
a result, receiver can get a different message than what
the sender has sent. Generally, environment noise is any
element or activity that disturbs, confuses or makes the
communication process more difficult.
Effective business communication
A two way information sharing process which involves
one party sending a message that is easily understood
by the receiving party. Effective communication by
business managers facilitates information sharing
between company employees and can substantially
contribute to its commercial success.
When using email to communicate in the business
world, it is important to be careful with the choice of
words. Miscommunication is very frequent as the
reader doesn’t know what non-verbal cues one is giving
off, such as the pitch, tone, or expressions. Before
beginning an email, make sure the email address one is
using is appropriate and professional as well as the
message one is going to send. Again, make sure the
information is clear and to the point so the recipient
isn’t confused. Make sure one includes their signature,
title, and other contact information at the
end.
Face-to-face
Face-to-face communication helps to establish a personal connection with help sell the product or service to the customer.
These interactions can
portray a whole different message than written communication as tone, pitch, and body language is
observed.
Information is easier to access and
delivered immediately with interactions rather than waiting for an email or phone call. Conflicts are also easily resolved this way, as verbal and non-verbal cues
are observed and acted upon. Communicating professionally is very important as one is representing
the company.
Speak clearly and ask questions to
understand the needs and wants, let the recipient respond as one resolves the issue.
Decisions are made more confidently during a face-to-face interaction as
the recipient asks questions to understand and move
forward with their decision.
Listening
When listening to another employee or customer speak
it is very important to be an avid listener. Here are some obstacles that you might have to overcome:
Filters and Assumptions
Biases and Prejudices
Inattention and Impatience
Surrounding Environment
A good way to overcome these factors is by using LOTS
Better Communication method. This method includes
four steps in order to produce good listening skills and
the ability to respond with an educated statement. The
four steps to this method are:
1. Listen
2. Observe
3. Think
4. Speak
Doing all of these things while showing good eye
contact and body posture will assure the speaker that
he/she is getting full attention from the listeners.
Choosing Communication Media
When choosing a media of communication, it is
important to consider who are the respective audience
and the objective of the message itself. Rich media are
more interactive than lean media and provide the
opportunity for two-way communication: the receiver
can ask questions and express opinions easily in
person.To help such decision, one may roughly
refer to the continuum shown below.
From Richer to Leaner
1.Face-to-Face Meeting
2.In-Person Oral Presentation
3.Online Meeting
4.Videoconferencing
5.Teleconferencing
6.Phone Call
7.Voice Message
8.Video
9.Blog
10.Report
11.Brochure
12.Newsletter
13.Flier
14.Email
Subliminal method of communication
Subliminal perception refers to the individual ability to
perceive and respond to stimuli that are below the
threshold or level of consciousness, which proved to
influence thoughts, feelings or actions altogether or
separately.
