BUSINESS
COMMUNICATION AND EXECUTIVE SKILLS
Good communication is as stimulating
as black coffee and just as hard to sleep after. Communication is a process by
which information is transmitted and understood between two or more people. It
should include both transference and the understanding of meaning.
Communication is the life blood of social as well as
corporate world. We exist because we communicate. Even our silence communicates
a lot. We all have a layman’s idea of what communication is , but let us try to
understand the concept fully so that we can use it effectively.
Communication is the process by which
we exchange meanings , facts , ideas ,opinions or emotions with other people.
It is an essential condition of our existence and the most important activity
of ours. The word communication has been derived from Latin word “
communicare/communis’ that means to ‘share’ or ‘participate’ . Everybody knows
that most of the time , through speech or writing or any other means like
exchange of a common set of symbols , we are sharing information with other
human beings. It is , therefore , first and foremost a social activity. Man as
a social animal has to communicate.
Communication is an exchange of facts
, ideas , opinions or emotions by two or more persons.
General communication is different
from business communication / Administrative communication.
According to William Scott in his
book organizational theory “ Administrative communication is a process which
involves the transmission and accurate replication of ideas ensured by feedback
for the purpose of eliciting actions which will accomplish organizational
goals”
Communication
is the process of sending and receiving messages. However it is said to be
effective only when the message is understood and when it stimulates action or
encourages the receiver to think in new ways.
OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION
1. STRONGER DECISION MAKING
Your
ability to communicate effectively increases productivity ,
both
yours and your organization.
2. INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY
With good communication skills , you can anticipate
problems , make decisions , co-ordinate work flow , supervise others , develop
relationships and promote products and services.
3. STEADIER WORK FLOW
Communication
acts as tool for the effective work related flow of information.
4. STRONG BUSINESS
RELATIONSHIPS & ENHANCED PROFESSIONAL IMAGE
You can shape the impressions you and
your company make on colleagues , employees ,supervisors , investors ,and
customers in addition to perceiving and responding to the needs of these
stakeholders(the various group you interact with ) without effective
communication , people misunderstand each other and misinterpret information.
Ideas misfire or fail to gain attention and people and companies flounder.
5. CLEARER PROMOTIONAL
MATERIALS
Your organizations need for effective reach of
company name and public promotions are based on effective promotional material
such as advertisements , bill boards , online add , posters etc are all
communicated for effective message delivery and meaning.
6. PROVIDE ADVICE
Giving advice is based on individual-oriented and
work-oriented ,advice should not given to the person for pinpointing his
mistakes rather it should be helpful for his improvement. Effective advice
promotes understanding and it can be a two way process if the subordinate staff
given freedom.
7. PROVIDE ORDER
Order is an authoritative
communication pattern and it is directive to somebody always a subordinate to
do something. Orders will be written and oral orders , general and specific
orders ,procedural and operational orders , mandatory and discretionary order.
Order should be clear and complete ,execution should be possible and given in a
friendly way.
8.SUGGESTION
Suggestion is supposed to be very
mild and subtle form of communication. Suggestions are welcomed for
it is not obligatory to accept them , it can be voluntary and anonymous and
submitted through suggestion boxes.
9. PERSUASION
Persuasion may be defined as an
effort ‘ to influence the attitudes , feelings ,or beliefs of others , or to
influence actions based on those attitudes , feelings , or beliefs. Persuasion
can be done to others if you are convinced , you do not impose , you are not
rigid are prepared to meet half-way and you can look at the situation from the
other person’s angle also.
10. EDUCATION
Education
is a very conscious process of communication ,it involves both teaching and
learning by which organizations provide to their employees in the form of
training. Education is given for management , employees and outside public.
12. WARNING
If the employees do not abide by the
norms of the organization warning is a power communication tool and it can be
general and specific. Specific warning should be administered in private and
after thorough investigation. The aim of the warning should be the organization
betterment.
13. RAISING MORALE AND
MOTIVATION
Morale stands for mental health and
it is a sum of several qualities like courage , resolution , confidence .High
morale and effective performance go hand to hand. Motivation is a process that
account for an individual intensity, direction , and persistence of effort
towards attaining a goal.
14. TO GIVE AND RECEIVE INFORMATION
Communication’s main idea is to give
and receive information because managers need complete , accurate and precise
information to plan and organize employee need it to translate planning in to
reality. Information will cover all aspects of the business.
15. TO PROVIDE COUNSELLING
Counseling is given to solve
employees mental stress and improve the employees productivity.
16. TO IMPROVE DISCIPLINE
Finally
discipline is the foremost part of any business communication. The various
disciplinary codes are effectively communicated to employees through
disciplinary codes.
CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE BUSINESS MESSAGES
Effective business messages have a common basic
characteristics
1. Provide practical information : Business messages
usually describe how to do something , explain why a procedure was changed ,
highlight the cause of a problem or a possible solution , discuss the status of
a project , or explain why a new piece of equipment should be purchased.
2. Give facts rather than impression : Business
messages use concrete language and specific details. Information must be clear
, convincing , accurate and ethical. You must present hard evidence ( not just
opinion ) and present all sides of an argument before you commit to a
conclusion.
3. Clarify and condense information : Business
messages frequently use tables , charts , photos , or diagrams to clarify or
condense information , to explain a process , or to emphasize important
information.
4. State precise responsibilities : Business messages
are directed to a specific audience. Therefore , you must clearly state what is
expected of , or what you can do for, that particular audience.
5. Persuade others and offer recommendations :
Business
messages frequently persuade employers , customers , or clients to purchase a
product or service or adopt a plan of action. To be effective , persuasive
messages must show readers just how a product , service or idea will benefit
them specifically.
COMMUNICATION
PROCESS MODEL
PHASE
1
A person has an idea or thought which he wants to
communicate to the other person. Now the sender sends the message with a
carefully selected medium and channel. The sender encodes the idea (i.e)
Written or spoken word , facial expression , gesture. The message length,tone,
and style all depends on your audience and your personal style or mood. The
sender transmits the message to the receiver in a form of channel (i.e)
Telephone , letter , memo , email , report , face to face exchange.
PHASE
2
The message will now enter in to the
sensory world of the receiver. Sensory world we mean all the noise that
surrounds a person that the senses sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch can
detect.
PHASE
3
From this sensory world the receiver
picks up the messages through his senses. But receiver senses cannot detect all
that exists in the world around him. Just how much they can detect depends on a
number of factors. One is the ability of his senses. As you know not all eyes
see equally well and not all ears hear equally well. And so it is with the
other senses. Another factor is receiver mental alertness. There are times when
he is keenly alert to all that his senses can detect, and there are times when
he is dull – in a stupor, a daydream, or the like. Then there are the
distractions “NOISES” that occur around receiver at the moment. They can
weaken, perhaps even eliminate, the stimuli sent. Furthermore, receiver
cultural background has sensitized him more to some stimuli than to others. Yet
another limiting factor is the receiver will. In varying degrees, the mind is
able to tune in or tune out events in the sensory world. In a noisy room full
of people for example, the conversation of a single person can be selected and
the other voices ignored.
PHASE
4
When receiver senses pick up sender
message, they relay it to his brain-that is, as much or as little of the
message as they detect. But the sender message may not be all that receiver
senses pick up. In addition to sender message, his sensory world may contain
outside sounds, movements of objects, facial expression, and the like. In fact,
this senses are continually picking up messages from the world around him.
Sender message is just the primary one at the moment. The others are there, and
they might interfere with sender’s message.
PHASE
5
When sender message gets to receiver
brain, it goes through a sort of filtering or decoding process. Through that
process the receiver brain gives meaning to sender message. In other words, the
message is filtered through the contents of receiver mind. Those contents are
made up of all receiver knows. It includes all the cultural influences of his
family , his organization memberships, his social group, and such. In fact, it
includes all receiver has learned, experienced and thought throughout his life.
Obviously , no two people have precisely identical filters, for no two people
have minds with precisely the same contents. Because people’ filters differ,
the meanings they give to comparable message may differ. Thus, the meaning
receiver gives sender message may not be precisely the same as the one that
someone else would give it. And it may not be meaning sender intended.
PHASE
6
After his mind has given meaning to
sender message, receiver may react to the message. If the meaning he received
is sufficiently strong, he may react by communicating some form of response
called feedback. This response may be through words, gestures, physical actions
or some other means.
PHASE
7
When receiver elects to communicate a
response, through his mind he determines the general meaning encoding that the
response will take. This process involves the most complex workings of the
mind, and we know little about it. There is evidence, however, that ability,
here and throughout this stage, is related to one’s intelligence and the extent
that one permits the mind to react. Receiver ability to evaluate filtered
information and formulate meaning also is related to his stage, is related to
one’s intelligence and the extent that one permits the mind to react.
Receiver ability to evaluate filtered information and formulate meaning also is
related to his ability with language. Ability with language equips one with a
variety of symbols, words and other ways of expressing meaning. And the greater
the number of symbols one possesses, the better one can be at selecting and
using them. Receiver ends this stage of the communication process by forming a
message. That is, he converts meaning in to symbols decodes mainly in to words,
and then he sends these symbols to sender. He may send them in a number of
ways: as spoken words, written words, gestures, movements, facial expression,
diagrams on paper etc.
PHASE
8
When
receiver sends his message to sender, one cycle of the communication process
ends. Now a second cycle begins. Now the sender becomes the
receiver and receiver becomes the sender. The message enters
receiver sensory world. Her senses pick it up and send it through her nervous
system to her brain. There her unique mental filter influences the meaning he
gives to sender message. This filtered meaning also may bring about a response.
If it does, receiver, through her mind, selects the symbols for his response.
Then he sends them to sender, and another cycle of communication begins. The
process may continue, cycle after cycle, as long as both sender and receiver
want to communicate.
Although our description of the
communication process illustrates face to face, oral communication, it also
fits written communication. But there are some differences. Perhaps the most
significant difference is that written communication is more likely to involve
creative effort. It is more likely to be thought out, and it may even begin in
the mind rather than as a reaction to a message received. A second differences
is the time between cycles. In face to face communication, cycles occur fast,
often in rapid succession. In written communication, some delay occurs. How
long the delay will be varies. While instant and text messaging may be read
within a few seconds of sending, fax or email messages may be read within few
minutes after they are transmitted, letters in a few days, reports perhaps in
days, weeks, or months. Because they provide a record, written messages may
communicate over extremely long time periods. A third difference is that
written communication usually involves a limited number of cycles and oral
communication usually involves many. In fact, some written communication is one
cycle communication. That is a message is sent and received, but none is
returned.
FUNCTIONS
OF COMMUNICATION
Communication
serves four major functions within a group or organization: Control, motivation, emotional expression, and information. Communication
acts to control member behavior in several ways.
Organizations have authority hierarchies and formal guidelines that employees
are required to follow. When employees, for instance, are required to first
communicate any job related grievance to their immediate boss, to follow their
job description, or to comply with company policies, communication is
performing a control function. But informal communication also controls
behavior. When work groups tease or harass a member who produces too much and
makes the rest of the group look bad, they are informally communicating with,
and controlling, the member’s behavior. Communication fosters motivation by clarifying to employees what is to
be done, how well they are doing, and what can be done to improve performance
if it’s subpar. We saw this operating in our review of goal setting and
reinforcement theories. The formation of specific goals, feedback on progress
toward the goals, and reinforcement of desired behavior all stimulate
motivation and require communication. For many employees, their work group is a
primary source for social interaction. The communication that takes place
within the group is a fundamental mechanism by which members show their
frustrations and feelings of satisfaction. Communication, therefore, provides a
release for the emotional expression of
feelings and for fulfillment of social needs. The final function that
communication performs relates to its role in facilitating decision making. It
provides the information that individuals
and groups need to make decisions by transmitting the data to identify and
evaluate alternative choices.
Common
myths about communication:
—
Words contain meaning . Untrue . In fact people attach meaning to words.
—
Information equals communication. Untrue. What matters is the degree of
similarity between the message sent and the message received.
—
Communication is a product you can control. Untrue everything said or done
conveys a message. Ex. Facial expression or cloths.
—
Good speakers are good communicators. Untrue . Effective communicators listen
to the audience and express their thoughts clearly in an understandable way.
Taking
steps to establish effective communication :
—
Increasing the awareness of communication
—
Using and understanding verbal message
—
Using and understanding non linguistic cues
—
Listening and responding to other in a thought fuel way.
Attentive
listening is crucial to effective listening :
Remember , Do not jump to conclusions
before hearing what the other person has to say.
Do not interrupt
Deep understanding of human
interaction is essential.
Since interpersonal communication occurs
whenever we interact with other people. We learn interpersonal skills since
birth.
We could enhance them with :
The
10 human relations commands :-
1.
Speak to people
2.
Smile at people
3.
Call people by name
4.
Be friendly and helpful
5.
Be cordial
6.
Be genuinely interested in people
7.
Be generous with praise
8.
Be considerate
9.
Be alert
10.Have a good sense of humor.
Six
rules of effective communication:
1) Organize your thoughts
2) Don’t think about it, think
through it
3) Recognize that actions speak
louder than words
4) Be concise
5) Always translate your message in
to benefits for the other party
6) Listen carefully to the other
party.
Effective
communication strategies:
The result of the communication is
the responsibility of the communicator
If you are not getting the result you
want in communication try something different. Communicate the message in
others view point
Always focus weather your
communication is successful in reaching the receiver. No matter whether the
message is right or wrong.
Communication can change reality and
it is a effective tool for creating trust.
COMMUNICATION
IN ORGANIZATIONAL SETTINGS
FORMS OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
Whether an organization is large ,
small or virtual , sharing information among its parts and with the outside
world is the glue that binds the organization together. When you join a company
, you become a link in its information chain. Whether you’re a top manager or
an entry-level employee , you have information that others need in order to
perform their jobs, and others have information that is crucial to you. To
succeed organization must share information with people both inside and outside
the company. It includes the internal and external structure through which
messages pass and the way information is presented , as well as the actual
content of the messages themselves. As you exchange information with people
inside and outside the organization you use a variety of formal and informal
forms of communication.
COMMUNICATION
|
FORMAL
INFORMAL
|
INTERNAL
EXTERNAL
|
|
|
Planned communication among with insiders (
letters , reports , memos , e-mail ) that follows the company’s chain of
command
|
Planned communication with outsiders ( letters ,
reports , memos , speeches , websites and news release )
|
|
|
Casual communication among employees ( email ,
face-to-face conversations and phone calls that do not follow the company’s
chain of command )
|
Casual communication with suppliers , customers ,
investors and other outsiders ( Face- to-face conversations , email and phone
calls )
|
|
INTERNAL
COMMUNICATION : It
refers to the exchange of information and ideas within an organization. As
employee, you are in a position to observe things that your supervisors and
co-workers cannot see: a customer’s first reaction to a product display , a
supplier’s brief hesitation before agreeing to a delivery date or a slowdown in
the flow of customers. Managers and co-workers need these little gems of
information in order to do their jobs. Internal communication helps employees
do their jobs , develop a clear sense of the organization’s mission and
identify and react quickly to potential problems. To maintain a healthy flow of
information within the organization , effective communicators use both formal
and informal channels.
Formal
internal communication network : The
formal flow of information follows the official chain of command. There are
organizational charts in many company’s which commands good communication flow.
In organization information flows down , up , and across the formal hierarchy.
Downward flow : Organizational
decisions are usually made at the top and then flow down to the people who will
carry them out. Most of what filters downward is geared towards helping
employees do their jobs. From top to bottom , each person must understand each
message , apply it , and pass it along.
Upward Flow : To solve problems and
make intelligent decisions , managers must learn what’s going on in the
organization. Because they can’t be everywhere at once, executives depend on
lower-level employees to furnish them with accurate , timely reports on
problems , emerging trends , opportunities for improvement , grievances , and
performance.
Horizontal flow : Communication also
flows from one department to another , either laterally or diagonally. This
horizontal communication helps employees share information and coordinate tasks
, and it is especially useful for solving complex and difficult problems.
Formal organization charts illustrate
how information is supposed to flow. In actual practice , however , lines and
boxes on a piece of paper cannot prevent people from talking with one another.
Informal
internal communication : Every
organization has an informal communication network known as grapevine that supplements official channels. As
people go about their work , they have casual conversations with their friends
in the office. Although many of these conversations deal with personal matters
, about 80 percent of the information that travels along the grapevine pertains
to business. The informal communication network carries information along the
organization’s unofficial lines of activity and power. The grapevine is an
important source of information in most organizations.
EXTERNAL
COMMUNICATION: The external
communication network links the organization with the outside world of
customers , suppliers , competitors , and investors , journalists , and
community representatives. Sometimes this external communication is carefully
orchestrated – especially during a crisis. At other times it occurs informally
as part of routine business operations.
Formal
external communication : Companies
use external communication to create a favorable impression. Whether by letter
, website , phone , fax , internet , or videotape , good communication is the
first step in creating a favorable impression. Carefully constructed letters ,
reports , memos , oral presentation , and websites convey an important message
to outsiders about the quality of your organization. Messages such as
statements to the press , letters to investors , advertisements , price
increase announcements and litigation updates require special care because of
their delicate nature. Therefore , such documents are often drafted by a
marketing or public relations team – a group of individuals whose sole job is
creating and managing the flow of formal messages to outsiders. The
public relations team is also responsible for helping management plan for and
respond to crises – which can range from environmental accidents or sabotage
situations to strikes , massive product failure , major litigation , or even an
abrupt change in management. To minimize the impact of any crisis , expert
communicators advise managers to communicate honestly , openly , and often. If handled
improperly , a crises can destroy a company’s reputation.
Informal
external communication : Although
companies usually communicate with outsiders in a formal manner , informal
contacts with outsiders are important for learning about customer needs. As a
member of an organization , you are an important informal conduit for
communicating with the outside world. Every employee informally accumulates
facts and impressions that contribute to the organizations collective
understanding of the outside world. In the course of your daily activity
you unconsciously absorb bits and pieces of information that add to the
collective knowledge of your company. Top managers rely heavily on informal
contacts with outsiders to gather information that might be useful to their
companies. Much of their networking involves interaction with fellow
executives. Many top level employees recognize the fact that keeping
constant touch with the external real world , front line employees ,
customers by making a opportunity to talk to them and getting feedback
helps in organizational improvement. Receiving feedback is considered to
be the most important aspect of communication.
