BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

1. BUSINESS COMMUNICATION Ch: 13 Pg: 226

2. Communication • Communication is the exchange of information between people. The passing of information from sender to receiver. • It is effective communication if the message has been received & understood by the receiver & the sender knows that it has been understood.

3. Features of successful communication: • a) Sender of the message. • b) Clear messages. • c) Appropriate medium. • d) Receiver. • e) Feedback.

4. Why is effective communication important? • a) Effective communication will aid motivation. • b) The number quality of ideas generated by the staff. • c) Speed of reactions to changing conditions. • d) Speed of decision making. • e) The response of the receiver. E.g.: Incorrect message will lead to incorrect response. • f) Effective coordination between departments.

5. Media used in communicatinga) Oral communication • Strengths • It is a direct conversation. • Need a receiver. • Easy to understand. • Can be questioned quickly. • Can be varied to suit. Weaknesses • Need to listen carefully. • Affected by noise. • Quickly forgotten if no record are made.

6. b) Written communication - Letters, memo, notices on boards or report. Strengths • Permanent record. • More structure. • Easy to distribute. • Cannot be varied. • Can be referred again. Weaknesses • Often difficult to read. • No body language. •  Slow feedback. • No immediate response. • May be misinterpreted. • Costly & time consuming. • Message identical to each receiver.

7. c) Electronic media - • Internet, e-mail, fax, mobile phone, video conferencing Strengths • Interactive. • Creates interest. • Great speed. • Encourages speed. • Ignores boundaries. • Good images for external comm. Weaknesses • Not always be received. • Risk of comm. overload. • Can be intercepted. • Diminishes personal contact.

8. d) Visual communication - • Diagrams, pictures, oral & written Strengths • More interactive. •  Demands attention. • Often easier to remember. • Creates greater interest. Weaknesses • Needs close attention. •  Sometimes too fast. • Not always clear. • Interpretations by receivers can vary.

9. Factor Influencing Choice Of Appropriate media: a) The importance of written record that the message has been sent & received. b) The advantages to be gained from two way comm c) The cost of an electronic media. d) The speed of the media to deliver the message. e) The quantity of data to be communicated. f) Whether one or more method should be used or whether it has been received or not.

10. Barriers to effective communication3 broad reasons a) Failures in one stages of the communication process. • ·The medium is not appropriate if it contained flow diagrams. • Receiver forgot messages given him orally then a written form would have been more appropriate. • Incorrect message would result in poor understanding. • The excessive use of technical language. • Too much information. • Channel of comm. is too big.

11. Barriers to effective communication3 broad reasons b) Poor attitudes of the sender or receiver. • If the sender is not trusted. • Unmotivated worker make poor receiver. • Intermediaries - May decide not to pass on message if they are poorly motivated. • The sender may have poor opinion. c) Physical reasons • Noisy factories are not suitable for comm. • Geographical distance can inhibit effective comm.

12. Reducing communication barriers Six steps to minimize the impact of comm. barriers: a) ensure the message is clear & precise. b) keep the comm. channel as short as possible. c) ensure that channels of comm. are clear to all involved. d) build in feedback. e) establish trust between senders & receivers. f) ensure that physical conditions are appropriate.

13. Different types of communication: • a) Formal communications • b) Informal communications • Formal channels are recognized by the organisation which follow the structure of the organisation. E.g.: From supervisor to shop floor worker. • Informal channels are not part of organisation structure because comm. are not able to stop. E.g.: Meetings in the staff dining room at break times. Might be used by management to encourage of a new idea.

14. Formal Communication Networks The internal comm. structure of a business can be organised in a number of different ways. A) The Chain Network - Used in a hierarchical structure. E.g.: Police or army. It does not encourage either 2 way comm. or horizontal comm. Gives leader control & allows an overview. B) The Vertical Network The owner has 4 subordinates & comm. with them directly but individually. Used in small department or narrow SoC.

15. C) The Wheel Network Leader is in control & can limit formal contact.D) The Circle • Each person can only comm. with two others. • It is a de-centralised network - so no leader. • Slow rate of communicating. E) The Integrated Or Connected Network • Full two-way comm. between any group member. • It could assist in solving complex problems.

16. One-way communication is the methods of comm. do not allow for or encourage feedback from the receiver. It is suitable autocratic leadership styles. • Two-way communication is the methods of comm. that allow feedback from the receiver. This method of comm. is much more motivating because it allows for participation. It is suitable for democratic leadership styles to operate but it is time consuming & it is inappropriate for some message.

17. The link between staff motivation & effective comm. Two-ways: a) Motivation to effective communication · Well-motivated staff are more likely to listen & respond to message. Better & more accurate comm. b)  Effective comm. to motivation · Staff are more likely to feel involved & will receive constant feedback. · Shorter comm. channels reduce remoteness leads to better motivated staff. · These links are important. · They could lead to a virtuous (good or worthy)  circle in an organisation. · More staff are given the opportunity to participate.

18. Horizontal communication occurs between people who have the same status but different responsibility. Problems of horizontal comm.: a) Different departments may not understand the culture, ways of working, objectives, problems of the others. b) Objectives of different departments could conflict. E.g.: Spending money on an advertising campaign. Matrix structure establish could help to eliminate these problems. Vertical communication is when people from different levels of hierarchy communicate with each other.

19. How to improved communication? a) Hold meetings with staff. This is two-way communication & it allow problems over production & group member to be resolved. But it is time consuming & not suitable for all messages. b) Use IT (Information Technology). It is more accurate than hand written messages, allows for quick feedback. Capital costs & training costs may be very high. Danger of information overload. Virus, confidentiality, misuse of technology. c) Video conferencing. Each different departments hold a meeting through the use of computer network. It is very costly to provide devices such as projector & high quality camera & speaker to each department. All staff in every department may need to received a message before the meeting started. The problem is it would be troublesome if the particular staff forget to spread the message to every staff in the department.

20. How to improved communication? (cont) d) Blogs. It is very convenient if each department have the access to internet. Some message may contain confidential information & the information put on the blog are not always safe because it is easily access by anyone & even competitor. e) Email. Convenient & simple but easily intercepted by hacker. Not everyone in the staff got email.