Introduction to business communication...

Chapter 1

Effective Communication in Business

Effective Business Communication

Herta A MurphyHerbert W Hildebrandt

Jane P Thomas7th ed. (SIE) Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi

Chapter Objectives

To understand the importance and benefits of effective communication

To understand essential components of communication

To learn the concepts of communication and Challenges of communication

To understand the role of nonverbal communication in overall communication

importance of effective communication

Important for the development of human civilization

The ancient world depended heavily on oral communication

With the evolution of human civilization, the art and science of written communication were developed

Writing became more important as a means of keeping permanent record of communication

importance of effective communication (contd.)

The origination of communication principles can be traced back to the bureaucratic traditions of China.

Thus, some of the principles of writing are based on a mixture of ancient oral and written traditions.


“Lifeblood” of Every Organization As blood helps transmission of vital

nutrients and hormones for effective functioning of human body, Communication does so in an organization.

This is achieved through Internal Communication - Downward, Upward and Horizontal.

Effective downward communication motivates employees to engage in a goal-directed behavior.


“Lifeblood” of Every Organization Effective downward communication also

provides the employees proper guidelines to carry out their tasks.

Effective upward communication fosters employee loyalty towards the organization. They feel they are part of the organization.

Managers, through effective upward communication get to know the impact of their decisions on their employees and overall functioning of the organization.


“Lifeblood” of Every Organization Effective horizontal communication is

essential for peer-learning within the organization.

It helps employees solve problems, perform duties, prepare for the meetings and enhance the level of inter-departmental coordination required for carrying out cross-functional tasks.


External Communication External communication determines can

have far reaching effect on a firm’s reputation and ultimate success.

The letter, proposal, report, telephone call, or personal conversation can win back a dissatisfied customer.


Cost of Communication Cost of communication can be measured

in terms of time and money. Late or ineffective communication may

cause loss of customers and firm’s goodwill.

In certain businesses, such as aviation, oil drilling, healthcare, mining, construction, poor communication may cost life of people and money.

benefits of effective communication

A Valuable Job Requirement Managerial career requires mainly

intellectual inputs to perform tasks effectively and hence an ability to communicate effectively becomes a valuable asset.

Communication is a primary responsibility in many careers, such as marketing, sales, public relations, human resources, customer relations, financial services, and teaching.

benefits of effective communication (contd.)

A Valuable Job Requirement Even if your work is mainly with figures,

as in the accounting profession, the ability to communicate to those who read your financial reports is essential.

It is an important requirement for those who are looking for their career advancement.

benefits of effective communication (contd.)

An Essential for Promotion Managers spend 60 to 90 percent of their

working days communicating – speaking, writing, and listening.

Ability to communicate is one of the very important aspects of becoming successful in managerial career.

components of communication

ContextSender-Encoder

MessageMedium

Receiver-DecoderFeedback

components of communication (contd.)

Context Every message, whether oral or written,

begins with context. It is a broad field that includes country,

culture, organization, and internal stimuli. Every country, culture and organization

has its own conventions for processing and communicating information.

Your attitudes, opinions, emotions, past experiences, likes and dislikes, education, etc. influence the way you communicate.


Context Especially important is your ability to

analyze the culture, viewpoint, needs, skills, status, experience and expectations in order to communicate effectively.

Words alone have no meanings. They are meaningful in a given context.


Sender - Encoder As a sender-encoder, you use symbols

that express your message and create the desired response.

Alphabets are verbal symbols, which are used to design a message.

Posture, gesture, eye contact, facial expressions, silence, etc. are some of the non-verbal symbols managers use to encode a message.


Message It is the core idea that on wants to

communicate and it contains both – verbal and non-verbal symbols.

A communicator’s first task is to decide exactly what the message is and what other information to include.

Choice of medium is crucial in determining the effectiveness of the message being communicated.


Medium The selection of communication channel

depends on all the contextual factors and the nature of the message itself.

The choices of medium include oral conversation, presentation, meeting, on one hand and e-mail, letter, memorandum, report, proposal, on the other hand.

In nutshell, a communicator should decide: to speak or to write.


Characteristics of Oral and Written Media:

Oral Written

Immediate feedback Delayed feedback

Shorter sentences & words Longer sentences & words

Conversational More formal

Focus on interpersonal relations

Focus on content

Prompt action Delayed action

Less detail technical information

More detailed technical info.

More personal pronouns Fewer personal pronouns

More colloquial language More complex constructions

Simpler constructions Possibility of review

More imperative, interrogative, and exclamatory sentences

Useful for permanent record and detailed documentation


Receiver-Decoder The receiver of the message - either a

reader or a listener – is also known as decoder.

The receiver-decoder is influenced by the context and by the external and internal stimuli.

The receiver decoded the whole message – the verbal and non-verbal contents of the message.


Feedback The receivers’ response to a message

depends on the meaning that is communicated through the message.

The receiver gives feedback using either a verbal or non-verbal or both symbols.

Feedback can be an oral or a written message, an action or simply silence.

A communication model

Sender-Encoder_______________(experiences,

attitudes, skills)Perception

Idea encodingSymbol Decisions

Sending Mechanism

Message_________

MediumVerbal

Nonverbal

FEEDBACKVerbal, nonverbal

Receiver-Decoder_______________(experiences,

attitudes, skills)Receptor Mechanism

PerceptionDecoding

Idea interpretation

CONTEXT

Stimuli

Concepts and problems of communication

Each person’s mind is a unique filter. Problems with communication are

more likely to occur when the two communicators’ filters are sharply different.

The communication is said to be effective only when the sender’s meaning is conveyed to the receiver.

Concepts and problems of communication (contd.)

The sender’s meaning the sender’s meaning and the receiver’s meaning are affected by a number of factors: Individual Conventions of Meaning Individual Perception of Reality Individual Values, Attitudes and Opinions


Individual Conventions of Meaning The fundamental principle of

communication is that the symbols the sender uses to communicate messages must have essentially the same meaning in both sender’s and receiver’s minds.

A sender can never assume that the message that resides in his/her mind will be perfectly transmitted to receiver’s mind.

This is because of differences in semantic understanding.


Individual Conventions of Meaning The difference in semantic understanding

can be reduced by common experience. The closer the common experiences

surrounding the symbols and their things (referents) in the minds of sender and receiver, the closer the level of understanding.

For examples, meanings of FIFO (fist in, fist out) or LIFO (last in, first out) can be understood by those who commonly share the profession of an accountant.


Communication Problems in Individual Conventions of Meaning Miscommunicated Instructions Reactions to Denotations, Connotations,

and Euphemism


Miscommunicated Instructions Miscommunication occurs when the

communicator (sender) and the communicatee (receiver) attribute different meanings to the same words or use different words though intending the same meanings.

It does not occur only in business and corporate offices but also among government officials, professionals and all of us in our everyday contacts.


Reactions to Denotations, Connotations, and Euphemism Most People agree on denotative

meanings of word, as they are dictionary meanings.

A connotation is an implication of a word or a suggestion separate from the usual definition.

In addition to more literal denotative meanings, some words have connotative meanings that arouse qualitative judgments and personal reactions


Reactions to Denotations, Connotations, and Euphemism For example, the word student is

denotative; whereas scholar, bookworm, dropout, are connotative.

The connotative meanings for words are also affected by the communicator’s backgrounds and interests. Words such as speed, gay, feminist arouse mixed feelings and arguments.


Individual Perception of Reality The world provides a special reality to

individuals called “Perception”. Human beings receive external stimuli

through sensory mechanism – touch, sight, sound, smell, taste.

Every individuals attach meanings to these stimuli in their own way.


Communication Problems in Individual Perception of Reality Abstracting Inferring


Abstracting Abstracting is a process of focusing on

some details and omitting others. Abstracting is necessary in countless

situations, as the communicator has limited time, money, space and purpose.

The communicator and communicatee should ensure that the facts they are acquainted with are truly representative of whole.

Slanting is unfair in reporting and creates communication problems.


Inferring Inferences are the conclusions made by

reasoning from the evidence or premises.

Most of the individuals make assumptions and draw conclusions even though they are not able to immediately verify the evidence.

Some inferences are both necessary and desirable, however, some are risky and even dangerous.


Necessary and Desirable Inferences Inferences are essential for analyzing

materials, solving problems. And planning procedures, for many professionals such as marketers, advertisers, architects, designers.

Certain inferences we make in our day-to-day life are necessary and are reliable, such as

If I assign some task to Mr. Shah- Sr. Executive, Marketing, it will be completed in time.


Risk of Inferences Inferences made without factual support

or sufficient evidence prove to wrong and they remain mere assumptions.

So far our company is doing well, but if current economic slowdown continues further, many of our colleagues might have to lose their jobs. (The employee may or may not lose jobs)


Individual Values, Attitudes, and Opinions The effectiveness of communication is

affected by the values, attitudes, and opinions of the communicators and communicatees have in their minds as mental filters.

The meaning of a message is derived based on these filters existing at both – the sender’s side and the receiver’s side.


Communication Problems involving Values, Attitudes, and Opinions Favorable or Unfavorable Information

Receivers often react to unfavorable information by rejecting, distorting or avoiding it.

Inadequate or Incorrect Information Creates confusion about the meaning when

message is incorrect.

Closed Minds Some people hold rigid views on certain subjects. It is very difficult to communicate with people who

have closed minds.


Communication Problems involving Values, Attitudes, and Opinions Sender’s Credibility

Attitude towards the sender is very important in determining the credibility of sender and therefore authenticity of information.

Sender ahs to win the confidence of the audience before sending any message to them.

Other Circumstances Life’s stresses affect communicator’s ability to

communicate effectively. Sensitivity to one’s own mind as well a to that of

the receiver helps communicate better.

Nonverbal communication

Nonverbal communication supports the verbal message being delivered by the communicator in an oral communication situation.

Some of the symbols of nonverbal communication are: Appearance Body Language Silence, time and space

Nonverbal communication (contd.)

Appearance In written communication, an envelope's

appearance – size, color, weight, postage – may impress the receiver as either important, routine or junk mail.

A communicator’s appearance – clothes and accessories, perfume, grooming - communicates a lot about his/her profession, professional status, sender’s credibility, etc.

Appearance of surrounding – room size, furnishing, lighting, air-conditioners, etc. supports the process of communication.


Body Language includes: Facial expressions Gestures, Posture and Movement Smell and Touch Voice and Sounds


Facial expressions The eyes and the face of a communicator

are very useful in oral communication. They are capable of revealing emotions

such as anger, confusion, joy, surprise, depression, dullness, etc.

Appropriate eye contact covering almost everyone in the audience enhances the effectiveness of the communication

Cheerful and charming face attracts audiences’ attention and thus helps communicator.


Gestures, Posture and Movement Hands and head movement adds to the

message. Excessive and aggressive hand movement

distracts the attention of the audience. Posture and Movement can convey self-

confidence. Relaxed, yet erect posture helps

communicate more effectively. Controlled amount of movement inside

the room helps communicate better.


Gestures, Posture and Movement Continual gesture and movement such as

pacing back and forth may signal nervousness and may be distracting to listeners.

An interested listener may lean forward towards the speaker; one who is bored may lean backward, slump or glance at the clock.


Smell and Touch Specific smell can communicate an

identity. For example smell of coffee or tea attracts people to enter a restaurant.

Touch can communicate friendship, love, approval, hatred, anger or other feelings.

A pat on the back or shoulder communicates more than just words.


Voice and Sounds The voice quality and extra sound one makes

while speaking is known as paralanguage. It includes voice volume, rate, articulation,

pitch and the other sounds such as throat clearing or sighing.

A loud voice communicates a sense of urgency.

A lazy articulation, slurring sounds or skipping over syllables or words, may reduce the credibility.

Speaking fast may be a sign of nervousness. A lack of pitch variation may be monotonous;

while excessive variation may seem artificial and overly dramatic.

Throat clearing can be distracting.


Silence, Time and Space Silence communicates more than words. Concepts of time varies across the

cultures. German are very time punctual. But if

you arrive for a meeting in time in Portugal, the host may wonder why you came so early.

In Indian context, reaching late communicates one’s high status and importance.


Silence, Time and Space Space or the distance between the

sender and communicator is important for effective communication.

The senior executive or officer keeps the size of the table larger to ensure a distance between him / her and the visitors or other staff in the office.

The size of office space / cubicles communicates a great deal about the designation and importance of people in an organization.

Date post:	24-Oct-2015
Category:	Documents
Upload:	shruti-verma
View:	50 times
Download:	5 times

Introduction to business communication...

Documents