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Business communication
Introduction to communication
INTRODUCTION
Communication is an important component of success in our personal and professional lives
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It is a part of 'soft skills' as opposed to the
domain or technical knowledge, which is part of 'hard skills
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Telecommuting is a work arrangement in which employees work from a remote location
usually their homes and communicate with their company using electronic means
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Telecommuting may significantly decrease
interpersonal communication requirements and is therefore affecting effective communication
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, & Hearn, G
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The participants
were working in the following different categories:
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Administrators
Computer system designers
Journalists
Legislative drafters
Managerial consultants
Project workers
Public relations consultants/executives
Sales-marketing personnel
Solicitors

About 46% of the participants of the survey were female telecommuters
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Meetings were
conducted based on the following three situations:
➢ Complexity of task and required feedback
➢ Management predictions for contacting their telecommuters
➢ Need for currency of information
The satisfaction levels of telecommuters varied across the three situations
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About 18% of the participants found meetings either difficult to attend or a disturbance to
their work-at home schedule
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Daily telephone or other forms of contact was the main means of communication for nearly
30% of telecommuters
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Once the communication patterns were established, the telecommuters began to use two-way
communication
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Consequently, they sometimes did not receive critical information on time
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Timeliness of communication is more important for telecommuters since they lack proximity
and quick referral to co-workers as well as other information
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Communication has been defined differently by different writers and behavioral theorists
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➢ According to Allen Louis, "It is the sum of all the things one person does when he wants
to create an understanding in the mind of another"
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➢ In the words of Anderson, "Communication is the process by which we understand
others and in turn, endeavor to be understood by them
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➢ According to Berelson and Steiner, "Communication is the transmission of information,
ideas, emotions, skills, etc
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"
➢ In the words of Fotheringham, "Communication is a process involving the selection,
production, and transmission of signs in such a way as to help a receiver perceive a
meaning similar to that in the mind of the communicator"
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Our body language, the way
we dress, the importance we give to arriving on time, our behavior, and the physical
environment in which we work, all convey certain messages to others
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➢ It is a process - Each message is part of a process and does not occur in isolation
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For example, your boss' response to your request for a
promotion will depend on your past relationship with him, as well as his mood at that
particular moment
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➢ It could be verbal or non-verbal - Communication could be through the use of words
in spoken or written form, or through the use of body language such as gestures and
facial expressions
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When the message is wrongly interpreted, the communication is
a failure
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➢ It is a dynamic process - Communication involves sharing of thoughts and experiences
in a meaningful manner while assimilating, processing, and responding to the person
one is talking with
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➢ It enables understanding - Communication enables people to understand the necessity
for change, the reasons for performing certain things, the method of implementing
processes, and the importance of their actions
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The communication model
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SENDER /

RECEIVER /

ENCODER

MESSAGES
Channel(s)

(SENDS & RECEIVES)

DECODER
Channel(s)
(RECEIVES & SENDS)

Figure Communication Model
The elements involved in communication are:
➢ Sender or encoder - This is the person who transmits a message
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Here the manager is the sender
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Decoding may not always be accurate and a wrong meaning may be
attached to a message
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➢ Message - This is any signal that triggers the response of a receiver
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➢ Channel - This refers to the medium or the method used to deliver the message
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For example, you could
communicate with a customer through a letter, email or telephone
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Receivers generally respond to messages
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This response to a sender's
message is called feedback
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Sometimes feedback can also
be given in a written form
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At other times, feedback could be non-verbal, as in
smiles and nods of appreciation during a talk or presentation
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Due to the element of feedback, people are simultaneously
senders and receivers of information in face-to-face communication
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Context can be
classified as follows:
• Physical context - This refers to the physical surroundings
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Asking your boss for a
promotion might be received differently, depending on whether the communication
takes place in your office, your boss' office, at a company party, or over lunch at a
restaurant
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• Taking the same example, asking for a promotion is likely to be received differently,
depending on how well you get along with your boss and whether you are personal
friends or not
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For example, is your request made first thing in the morning or at the
far end of the day? Is it made during or after work hours? Is it done at a time when the
company is going through problems such as a strike in the factory, or major losses?
• Cultural context - This refers to the similarity of backgrounds between the sender and
the receiver, such as age, language, nationality, religion and gender
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Each of these key elements contributes to the success of communication
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For example, a junior accountant in a company
writing a letter to a bank, asking for a loan for a project worth several crore, is not likely
to get the bank's approval
➢ The message is unclear or badly worded
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Placing an ad for a liquor product in
a religious magazine for example, is not likely to be received favorably
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➢ The message is wrongly interpreted, i
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, the receiver attaches the wrong meaning to
the message
➢ The feedback is not adequate to ensure understanding
➢ Physical, physiological or psychological noise distorts the message
➢ The communication takes place in the wrong physical, social, chronological, or cultural
context
CLASSIFICATION OF COMMUNICATION
Some experts have categorized communication into different types based on the following
factors:
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Number of people involved in communication
Physical proximity of the communicators
Immediacy of communication
The context of communication

The various types of communication are:
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Interpersonal communication
Intrapersonal communication
Group communication
Mass communication

Let us now discuss the features of these classes of communication
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Feedback is an important concept of
interpersonal communication
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➢ Group communication - This involves three or more people
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➢ Public communication - This involves a large number of people
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Mediated interpersonal communication makes use of technology for sending and receiving
messages
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By using mediated communication, we can communicate over large distances or for different
periods
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Intrapersonal communication
Intrapersonal communication is self-communication
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It occurs for clarifying ideas or for analyzing a situation
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➢ Vocal communication - This involves talking aloud to oneself and is done for clarifying
or rehearsing messages
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We can thus use intrapersonal communication to process data, encode data before sending a
message, and decode data when we receive messages
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The basic
resource of any group is its members
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Group communication can be achieved in any of the following forms:
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Verbal
Non-verbal
Written
Electronic

The factors that affect group communication are:
➢ The nature of the task
➢ The personalities and abilities of the group members
➢ Environmental factors
Communication is essential for creating and sustaining groups
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The facilitator establishes rules and
guidelines for communication within the group
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The advances in electronic and digital technology have influenced the way in which groups
function in contemporary organizations
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Mass communication
Mass communication is communication that employs some form of media like the television,
radio or the Internet to communicate to a very large audience
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The message communicated is the result of the
work of many people (such as writers, directors, editors, graphic designers)
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For example, a magazine
article, a television program, or a billboard advertisement
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For example, the
radio makes use of microphones, transmitters, tape machines, and receivers
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Mass audiences are from diverse backgrounds and have dissimilar
socio-political characteristics
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➢ Feedback - As the message flow is usually one-way, the feedback is minimal and
delayed
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Businesses employ mass communication to send out company-wide messages to other
companies or the general public
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Mass communication messages are sent to other companies to persuade them to
use the company's products or services
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DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TECHNICAL AND GENERAL COMMUNICATION
Communication takes place all the time
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Let's now see some differences
between General Communication and Technical communication
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It essentially entails any interaction
between random people, regardless of communication technology, discussing even trivial
matters
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People usually express or discuss their sentiments, emotions, and
ideas
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General
communication discusses the majority of general or personal topics
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There is no set pattern in it
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Nor are they the only kinds of writing a given business should concern itself
with
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It is a means to convey
scientific, engineering, or other technical information
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Technical writing is devoted to complex subject matter
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Technical communication should be accurate, clear, concise, coherent, and appropriate
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Business communication refers to professional conversations with employees and leaders
regarding business matters
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You, as the communicator, need to think about who you're
communicating with (your audience) and why you're communicating-via verbal or
nonverbal means, as well as what you're communicating about (your knowledge and
expertise) (the purpose)
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This way of communication is mostly formal in style and approach
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Business communication includes
advertisements, white papers, proposals, minutes, memos
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Several factors could interfere with the exchange of messages
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➢ Physiological noise - Hearing or other disabilities, fatigue, or physical illness could
come in the way of both speaking and listening
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There are many other barriers to communication, an understanding and analysis of which
are needed before coming up with ways to eliminate or minimize them
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➢ Individual barriers - A major barrier to interpersonal communication is a tendency
to judge, evaluate, approve, or disapprove of the views of another person
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In such cases, we tend to block out communication and form our own viewpoints
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Each level may add to, modify or completely change
the message, so much so that it becomes distorted by the time it reaches the intended
receiver
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➢ Channel barriers - In the earlier section, it was pointed out that communication can
fail due to any of the different elements going wrong
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Using the wrong medium of advertising,
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or conveying a message orally when a written letter would be more appropriate, are
examples
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➢ Linguistic and cultural barriers - When the sender of the message uses a language
that the receiver does not understand, the communication will not succeed
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For example, Pepsi's slogan "Come Alive with Pepsi", when translated
into Chinese, reads "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave!"
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Cultural differences refer to differences in values and perceptions, which may affect
the interpretation of the message by the receiver
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➢ Semantic barriers - The word 'semantics refers to the meaning of words and the way
in which they are used
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Failure to take this into consideration could lead to serious
blunders
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On the other hand, saying 'The product launch bombed' in American English would
mean that the new product was a disaster
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Non-verbal communication includes tone of voice, body
language such as gestures and facial expressions, etc
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For example, if you happen to meet a long-lost friend and say "I am delighted to
meet you", but in a sad tone of voice, the exact opposite message will be conveyed
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MEASURES TO OVERCOME THE BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION
Certain steps can be taken, both at the organizational level, as well as at the individual level,
to effectively deal with the barriers to communication, in order to try to minimize them, if not
eliminate them entirely
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One of the commonly cited problems in organizations is poor
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workplace communication
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Some of the steps which an organization can take to overcome the barriers to
effective communication are as follows:
➢ Encourage feedback - Organizations should try to improve the communication system
by getting feedback on the messages already sent
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➢ Create a climate of openness - A climate of trust and openness can go a long way in
removing organizational barriers to communication
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➢ Use multiple channels of communication - Organizations should encourage the use of
multiple channels of communication, in order to make sure that messages reach the
intended receivers without fail
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Individual action
An individual can take certain actions to overcome the communication barriers
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Some of the actions that an individual can take are:
➢ Active listening - This means listening to the meaning of the speaker's words, rather
than listening without hearing, or 'passive listening'
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Listening is a skill that can be developed through proper training
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➢ Selection of appropriate channels - Individuals should be competent enough to choose
the right communication channel, depending on the situation
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Usage of unnecessary technical terms can lead to misunderstandings
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➢ Right feedback - Feedback is an important communication skill
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The feedback given must be a proper combination of
criticism and information sharing
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As you go up the corporate ladder, you
will find that communication skills are required, more than technical skills
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According to the survey conducted by
National Commission on writing, American businesses spend $3
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Several surveys conducted
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among people who have been successful in their professions have indicated that
communication skills are more vital to job success than subjects taken in college
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Without communication and human skills, technology will overwhelm an organization
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For
example, communication is required to explain a new computer program or software
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Effective communication serves the following specific purposes in an organization:
➢ Greater awareness of organizational goals and teamwork - When there is open
communication between superiors, co-workers, and subordinates, there is a smooth
flow of information regarding the goals of the organization
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➢ Better employer-employee relationships - By listening to employees, showing empathy,
and giving them the freedom to express their opinions without fear of being repressed,
a manager can create a climate of openness that leads to better work relationships
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➢ Problem-solving - Effective communication can help resolve conflicts between coworkers, and work-related and performance-related problems
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➢ Improved performance - Effective communication by managers at the time of
appraising the performance of their employees can point out areas for improvement
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➢ Stronger link between managers and the external environment - Apart from internal
communication within the organization, effective communication by managers with
external audiences such as customers, government, bankers, media and suppliers lead
to a better rapport with them
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Communication has assumed even greater importance today since the new model of business
is based on teamwork, rather than on individual action
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SUMMARY
Let us recapitulate the important concepts discussed
➢ Although there is no single and correct definition of communication, most
communication theorists and writers on the subject agree that communication has the
following characteristics:
• It is a non-stop process like breathing since we communicate all the time in some form
or another
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A large part of it is
• also, non-verbal
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• Communication may be said to be accurate when the intended message is understood
in the same way by the receiver
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These may be
categorized as follows:
• External or physical barriers
• Individual barriers
• Organizational barriers
• Linguistic or cultural barriers
• Semantic barriers
• Channel barriers
• Non-verbal barriers
➢ The various types of communication are:
• Interpersonal communication - Interpersonal communication usually involves direct
face-to-face contact between the sender and the receiver
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• Intrapersonal communication - Intrapersonal communication is self- communication
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