Business Communication, Unit 1 (BBS II)

Business Communication Skills (50%)

Unit: 1 Why do we need appropriate business communication?

We rarely pause to consider how we interact with others because it has become such a habitual part of who we are. It also applies to corporate communication. A company's procedures, efficiency, and level are impacted by effective communication. Information sharing within and outside of a corporation is known as business communication. To achieve organizational goals, management and employees must interact effectively in the workplace. Another area where effective corporate communication is crucial is when possibilities and fresh ideas are presented, plans are written, agreements are reached, orders are issued and fulfilled, sales are made, and meetings are successful. 

1.1 Business Communication Process: The sender, the recipient, and the message being transmitted through a chosen channel are all parts of the communication process. Understanding these components can assist explain what happens when one person tries to express an idea to another, even though the process of communication involves more than the sum of these components.

Sender: The individual who sends a message is the first step in the communication process. The messages may be written, spoken, or non-verbal (such as appearance, body language, silence, sounds, yawns, sighs, etc.)

Message: Every signal that prompts a receiver's response is a message. There are many other ways to communicate, including through words, body language, silence, sounds, yawns, and sighs.

Encoding: Sending an international communication requires the sender to select specific words or nonverbal cues; this process is known as encoding. While encoding a message, one must take into account its contents, the recipient's interpretation, and potential effects on personal relationships. It will be rather straightforward to convey a message of gratitude. Contrarily, communicating bad news like salary reductions to 50 employees or soliciting engineering bids for an Rs. 20 Lakhs industrial project will require considerably more intricate, thoroughly thought-out messages.

Channel: The method by which you convey your message whether it be through the printed word, a graphic symbol on paper, an electronic word processing system, or the medium of sound is referred to as the channel. In general, it has been found that an oral route might be a superior option if the message calls for a quick response. Also, the recipient of your message, whether they are an internal or external party, affects the medium you use.

Receiver: Any person who notices a message and gives it meaning is considered a receiver; under ideal conditions, a communication successfully reaches the intended recipient. Nonetheless, issues might arise in the complex and imperfect world of business. The recipient of the communication might never receive it.

Decoding: There is no guarantee that the message will be understood as the sender intended it to be understood, even if it reaches the intended recipient intact. It still requires the receiver to decode it by giving the words or symbols in it meaning. You should be aware that decoding is not always precise. Individual experiences will determine this.

Feedback: Feedback is the final reaction or response of the receiver to the message delivered by the sender. This reaction or response may be based on an accurate interpretation of the symbols sent, a clear misunderstanding of the symbols sent, or a misinterpretation of the symbols sent. Nonverbal cues like nods, sighs, and grins can also be used as feedback.

1.2 Essentials of Business Communication: If you are going to communicate effectively in business you must have a solid grasp of these seven elements.

Structure: How you structure your communication is fundamental to how easily it is absorbed and understood by your audience. Every good communication should have these three structural elements an opening, a body, and a close. This structural rule holds true no matter what your communication is, a memo, a phone call, a voice mail message, a personal presentation, a speech, an email, a webpage, or a multi-media presentation.
Clarity: Be clear about the message you want to deliver, as giving a confused message to your audience only ends up with them being confused and your message being ignored. If you are giving a message about, say, overtime payments don’t then add in messages about detailed budget issues or the upcoming staff picnic unless they absolutely fit in with your original message.
Consistency: Nothing more upsets a regular reader of, say, your newsletter than he n inconsistency of your message. The one that communicates your message with the greatest accuracy, with the largest likelihood of audience comprehension, at the lowest fiscal cost and at the lowest time cost.
 Relevancy: It never ceases to amaze me that business managers still believe that everyone would be interested in the message and then proceed to subject anyone they can find to a horrendous PowerPoint slideshow put together by a well-meaning but aesthetically-challenged subordinate.
Primacy: It is essential to know that, one-week later business communication is remembered by one or both of two things like the power and memorability of its opening and the power and memorability of its close.
Rule of 7±2: Psychologists have long known that the human brain has a finite capacity to hold information in short-term or ‘working’ memory. Similarly, your audience will group your business communication’s message with between four and eight other messages in their long-term memory.

1.3.Methods of Communication in Businesses

a. Verbal Communication: Verbal communication is one of the most commonly used forms of communication in business and it makes sense like in-person meetings, virtual meetings, phone calls, verbal presentations, brainstorming sessions, feedback meetings, and so on. 

b. Written Communication: Sometimes, it’s best to say what you need to say in your business and other times, it’s better to write what you need to say. Written communication is just as common as verbal communication in business particularly when you’re dealing with team members, colleagues, customers or clients that are in a different location. Written communications are email, text messages, digital messages (like Zoom or Microsoft Teams), proposals, contracts and training manuals.

c. Nonverbal Communication: The truth is, the majority of communication is nonverbal and everything from your facial expressions to your body language and the gestures you make while speaking can actually send a stronger message than what you’re actually saying.

1.4 Writing Process in Business communication: Writing a message that is consistently well received can become a habit, but it can be hard for new writers to achieve. Oral communication is the process of verbally transmitting information and ideas from one individual or group to another. Examples of informal oral communication include face-to-face conversations, telephone conversations and discussions that take place at business meetings. More formal types of oral communication include presentations at business meetings, classroom lectures and commencement speeches given at a graduation ceremony. Group Work process refers to the functions that communication plays in groups and to the way in which communication in groups becomes patterned and sequenced over time. There is a great deal of interest in how group process affects group outcomes such as decisions and leadership.

1.5 Communication Structures and Systems: Communication always takes place between at least two elements, whereby these can be either human beings or machines. The composition of these elements is called communication systems, as the definition of community systems clarifies. A communication system is an artificial, concrete system, consisting of automatic and natural elements and serves communication. The key is to first understand your own particular communication style so you can match your communication style to that of your audience. Whether you’re speaking with your boss, a small sales meeting, your employees, or an audience of thousands, matching your communication styles to the folks you need to hear your words is an essential step to effective communication.

 1.6. Management Styles and Communication to understand people’s communication: You must understand your own. Understanding people tend to begin with working on our own self-awareness. The five styles of communication are assertive, passive, aggressive, submissive, active, and best practices to manage different personalities effectively. The key is to first understand your own particular communication style so you can match your communication style to that of your audience. Whether you’re speaking with your boss, a small sales meeting, your, employees, or an audience of thousands, matching your communication styles to the folks you need to hear your words is an essential step to effective communication.

1.7. Barriers to Effective Communication: Whether it's vocal, nonverbal, written, listening, or visual, if we don't communicate effectively, we endanger both ourselves and those around us. There are six barriers to successful communication that both employees and managers should work to remove in addition to the physical and technological ones. Effective communication is hampered by:

a. Lack of interest in or dissatisfaction with one's job.

b. A Lack of Listening Skills.

c. A lack of trust and transparency.

d. Communication Approaches (when they differ).

e. Disputes at the Workplace.

f. Language & Cultural Differences.