Business Communication
According to William Scott in his ‘Organisation Theory’, business communication is defined as “a process which involves the transmission and accurate replication of ideas ensured by feedback for the purpose of eliciting actions which will accomplish organizations goals’.
Business Communication is used to promote a product, service, or organization; relay information within the business; or deal with legal and similar issues. It is also a means of relying between a supply chain, for example the consumer and manufacturer.
At its most basic level, the purpose of communication in the workplace is to provide employees with the information they need to do their jobs.
Business Communication can also refer to internal communication. A communications director will typically manage internal communication and craft messages sent to employees. It is vital that internal communications are managed properly because a poorly crafted or managed message could foster distrust or hostility from employees.
There are several methods of business communication, including:
Web-based communication – for better and improved communication, anytime anywhere …
e-mails, which provide an instantaneous medium of written communication worldwide;
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;
Telephoned meetings, which allow for long distance speech;
Forum boards, which allow people to instantly post information at a centralized location; and
Face to face meetings, which are personal and should be succeeded by a written follow-up.
Why are communication skills in business essential?
In any form of business, communication is an internal as well as an external affair. The success of the business rests upon communication and it has become all the more essential due to the following reasons:
Increase in size: Business firms have grown tremendously in scale of operations. A large business firm today employs thousands of people and has factories or offices in different parts of the world. The head office of the company must always be in close touch with branch offices. An efficient system of communication is required for this purpose.
Growing specialization: Narrow division of work results in different activities being handled by different departments. Due to narrow outlook every department tends to overstress its own work. Sound communication is essential for ensuring mutual co-operation and understanding between different departments. Otherwise the organisation cannot function smoothly. If, for example, there is no communication between production and sales departments, the sales department might book orders which the production department cannot supply.
Technological advancements: Rapid changes in science and technology lead to obsolescence of technology and knowledge. In order to upgrade or modernise technology, management must persuade employees to accept new technology. Regular training of staff becomes necessary to update their knowledge and to provide them the skills needed to apply new technology.
Cut-throat competition: Liberalisation and globalisation have resulted in severe competition between different sectors of business. Persuasive communication in the form of advertisements, personal contacts and publicity becomes essential to survive in the race of competition.
Trade union movement: In all business sectors, employee unions are very strong and powerful. Management must consult union leaders on several matters. Regular exchange of information and ideas between managers and union officials helps to maintain healthy relations between them.
Human relations: Effective communication between management and employees is necessary to develop mutual trust and confidence. Participation of employees in the decision-making process and other means of communication help to develop among employees a sense of belonging and loyalty to the organisation.
Public relations: Society expects more and more from managers. Business has to keep Government, distributors, suppliers, investors and other sections of society well-informed about its contributions to society. Public relations help business to improve its image in society and big enterprises employ professional experts for this purpose.
Personal asset: Communication skill is essential for success in every job. Managers are required to deliver speeches, write documents and conduct interviews. The ability to communicate effectively is equally essential for promotion in career.
Essential Communication Skills for Managers
Good communication is the foundation of good managerial skills. In fact, communication skills for managers are a part of management studies also. All would-be managers are trained in this. It is essential not only for the growth and success of the company but also for the personal growth.
However, just theoretical knowledge is not enough. If a manager does not possess practical communication skills, he would fail. He may have all the requisite technical skills, know the business and policies but fail to communicate effectively. This inadequacy overshadows the other skills.
Generally, the main problem is that the effort to communicate is missing. Also, in some cases there is no effort on behalf of the organization to introduce some measure or plan to improve communication skills for the managers.
The real question here is how to develop these communication skills for the managers. The answer is innovation and a little bit of effort. Find below specified some of the ways in which mangers can improve their communication skills.
The first thing that an organization needs to do is to gauge the communication skills of the managers through an evaluation of the performance of their routine activities. The human resource department of a company should implement some target and performance specific activities. Then, conduct various surveys and audits throughout the year to measure the communication skills of the mangers and supervisors.
Another method is to conduct training for the managers to teach them interpersonal communication skills. In this kind of training, the managers should be taught topics such as measuring the quality of personal communication; how to recognize the obstacles to good communication; developing interpersonal behavior to create healthy working relationships; non-verbal communication skills; developing active listening skills; giving and receiving feedback.
Apart from these, a number of other communication activities should be organized to develop communication skills of the managers. These activities include organizing communication audit for each mangers area of responsibility. Team sessions or periodic workshops on staff communication skills can be conducted.
A regular newssheet or an email newsletter should be sent to all the staff members in a particular area of activity. This should explain to the manager the importance of the need of the employers and thus suggesting them how to deal with these needs.
They should conduct regular meetings to review the performance of all the employees in the company rather than the customary practice of six monthly or quarterly reviews. This will keep the managers alert too.
Finally, the most important tip to develop communication skills for managers is to recognize their own strengths and weaknesses. Only a managers inner potential can make him a good communicator.
Role of Communication in the Workplace
Most organizations understand the need and importance of effective communication in the workplace and therefore concentrate to improve its standard. These organizations strongly believe that communication is the central point of all activities and everything else revolves around it.
To achieve the desired standard of workplace communication, constant efforts are required. Any failure in workplace communication results in chaos and defeated purposes. To avoid these situations, organizations need to make specific yardsticks and follow them strictly. Proper flow of communication in the workplace ensures harmony of objectives among all individuals. Any gap in communication or miscommunication hampers the coordination between various departments.
The methods followed for effective workplace communication vary among organizations. And the size and objectives play an important role to choose the best method to be applied. In a big organization both verbal and written communication are vital whereas, in small organization only verbal communication would be enough.
Communication is an exchange of information and it helps people understand the possible outcome of business processes. Therefore, it is important that the media chosen for communication is familiar among all people so that people can easily attain and provide information. To increase the effectiveness of workplace communication, a balanced combination of formal and informal means is beneficial. Gossip and rumors are indeed effective ways to circulate information and receive feedback.
Communication helps decide upon and achieve professional and personal goals. It is important for top level executives and managers to communicate with their juniors and clear their doubts. Regular interactions among various executives, ensures the meaningfulness and authenticity of