Unit: 1Business Communication

What is Communication?

• The origin of word “communication” is formulated from the Latin expression, which means to exchange, share, talk, relate, transmit, and share information. Communication is summation of everything, through which a person creates an understanding of his message in the mind of another.

What is Business Communication?

• Business communication is the giving and receiving of feedback between individuals which is demanding and because of these companies have competitive advantage.

Importance of communication

Today’s competitive environment is a lot challenging due to the diversity, which has taken place in the environment

Effective Communication

• The ability to solve the problem having strong decision making skills.

• Be proactive when problems arise.

• Expand your vision and productivity, and steadily execute your strategies.

Cont…

• Try to make stronger business relationships.

• Use professional background for business presentation.

• Effective communication leads toward higher employee satisfaction, and lower employee turnover.

Communication Process

Communication Process

• Source

• Message

• Encoding

• Channel

• Decoding

• Receiver

• Feedback

• Context

Source

Before speaking or conveying any message you really need to know why you are communicating. Is your message is clear and concise? You have to be confident enough that the message you’re conveying is valuable and accurate.

Message

The message is the data that you want to convey.

Encoding

• Encoding is the process of transferring the message that you want to convey properly and correctly decoded at the other end. The clearness of message is all depend on your ability to transfer information simply and concisely. You need to eradicate the sources of confusion e.g.: Negative perception, cultural issues, and unclear information.

Channel

• Information is obviously transfer through channels, which involves verbal channel e.g. telephone, face-to-face meetings, and videoconference. The written channel is comprised of memos, letters, reports, and email.

Decoding

• Encode meanings clearly alone is not just everything, in order to decode the message you need to carefully read and listen actively. The perplexity often arises from the errors while encoding, but in some cases if the decoder doesn’t have adequate knowledge to comprehend the meanings.

Receiver

• The person who receives the meaning is said to be a receiver. When you deliver message you need to keep in mind the target audience should comprehend it in a positive way. Your message should be crystal clear that wouldn’t influence any pessimism in receivers mind.

Feedback

• When we convey message we probably get feedback, in term of verbal and nonverbal reactions to our conveyed meaning.

Context

• The context includes your surrounding such as societal culture, international culture, corporate culture, and so on. It is the state in which your message is conveyed is said to be a context.

Types of communication

• Verbal

• Nonverbal

Verbal communication

Written-It includes report writing, proposals, memos, letter, application, etc.Oral-It comprises of spoken words that one person deliver to another person.Email-Now-a-days with the help email people can send their messages within no time.

Nonverbal communication

• Body language: Body language communicates through physical actions

• Eye contact: Eyes usually tell much as compare to other facial expressions.

• Posture: Posture is the way a person carry himself. The way he sits, lean, slouch, etc.

• Facial expression: It includes emotions such as joy, anger, interest, confusion, fear, sorrow, annoyance, surprise, hatred, etc.

• Smell and Touch: Fragrances also play an important role for instance: whenever I wear Nina Ricci I remember my first date

• Gesture: The movement of hands, head, arms, torso, and legs are different gesture.

• Sign language: Signs also play a significant role in communicating the message

• Paralanguage: Para means like, this like language includes pitch variation, emphasis on words, accent, hesitation, volume, tempo and pause.

Today we discussed:

• Communication

• Business communication

• Importance of communication

• Effective communication

• Process of communication

• Types of communication

References

• Courtland L. Bovee & John V. Thill. Business communication. Fourth Edition Published by: Prentice hall

• G. T Vardaman & PB Vardaman (1973). COMMUNICATIONS IN MODERN ORGANIZATIONS. John Wiley & Sons,Inc New York, pp. 516

• J Weedman (1992). Informal and formal channels in boundary-spanning communication. Available at. <http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/10049660/abstract> [Accessed on 21 August 2011]

• RA Bauer (1953). Word-of-Mouth Communication in the Soviet Union. Available at. <http://poq.oxfordjournals.org/content/17/3/297.abstract> [Accessed on 22 August 2011]

• RHG Chan & MR Mann (1985). Interactive communication channel. Available at. < http://www.google.com.pk/patents?hl=en&lr=&vid=USPAT4546429&id=dyYuAAAAEBAJ&oi=fnd&dq=The+Communication+Channels&printsec=abstract#v=onepage&q=The%20Communication%20Channels&f=false> [Accessed on 22 August 2011]