Basics of Business and Professional Communication

Basics of Business and Professional Communication

-Communication is a vital part of life * Without communication, nothing gets done: no money is found to set up a business, no connections between customers and products are made, no orders are taken or filled, etc. * Even money itself is a form of communication. It is symbolic of value, it unites people in common purposes, it is exchanged for things and actions. In fact, it can represent just about anything in the world that you want it to. * Better communicators earn more. That is why there is a saying, “Money Talks”
-The Advantages of Effective Communication * Good communication allows people to share common ground and unites purposes. * Most business communication is about action. * You can make workflows more efficient and therefore increase productivity. * You can process more information and concerns therefore make better decisions. * You understand people better therefore work with them better (especially in teams) * You can promote yourself clearly and effectively * You can create a better image of yourself. * Getting the jobs you want * Gaining Promotions
-Effective communication is normally always… * Practical and task focused * Precise and specific * Clear and concise * Factual, accurate and honest * Persuasive * Good-will building
-Define: Business Communication * It is the process of establishing a common understanding between or among people within a business environment. * Business communication is transactional. * It involves a give and take relationship between the sender and the receiver in order to establish a common understanding.
-Goals of business communication * Receiver Understanding * It is the most important goal of business communication. The message must be so clear that the receiver understands it as the sender means it to be understood. For communication to be successful, the sender and receiver must achieve shared meaning. * It is a challenge for the sender to achieve the goal of receiver understanding. To develop a clear message, the sender must consider the following 4 issues, which are: Receiver Characteristics, Message Form and Content, Receiver Feedback and Communication Barriers. * Receiver Response * This goal is achieved when the receiver demonstrates his or her understanding of the message by providing an appropriate response, a sender should assist the receiver to respond. It may be positive, neutral or negative. It may be conveyed through words, actions or both. * Favorable Relationship * It focuses on the people involved in the communication process. To establish a strong business relationship, the sender and the receiver should relate to each other in 3 important ways: Positively, Personally and Professionally. They must create and maintain a favorable relationship. * Organizational Goodwill * This goal stresses benefit to the organization. The goodwill of customers or clients is essential to any business or organization. If a company has the goodwill of its customers, it has their confidence and often their continuing willingness to buy its products or services. The more goodwill a company has, the more successful it can be.
-Patterns of Business Communication * Internal Communication Patterns * Depends on the day-to-day exchange of information among employees. * Examples are: performance objectives, job instructions, financial data, customer orders, inventory data, production problems and solutions. * FORMAL COMMUNICATION * It is business related, possibly with some personal touches. It can be written or oral. Most organizations keep written records of formal oral communication--- copies of speeches, minutes of meetings, etc. Formal communication is planned by the organization, flows in all directions and is essential for the effective operation of the business. * INFORMAL COMMUNICATION * Sometimes referred to as a grapevine—consists of both business-related and personal information. Most informal communication is oral, but widespread use of e-mail has made informal written communication more popular. Rumors about who is to become the new president of the company and a discussion of yesterday’s basketball scores are 2 examples. Informal communication is not planned by the org, flows in all directions, develops and maintains positive human relationships. * SERIAL COMMUNICATION * In serial communication, messages are usually changed—sometimes dramatically—as they are sent from one member of the chain to another. Because each sender may omit, modify or add details to the message as he or she relays it, special precautions are necessary. * External Communication Patterns * Flows between a business org and the entities with which it interacts. Companies have many external contacts such as customers, suppliers, competitors, the media, governmental agencies and the general public. * FORMAL EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION * The info that flows between a business and its external receivers. It can either be written or oral. Letters, reports, orders, invoices and web pages illustrate external written communication; Telephone calls and Ads are examples of external oral communication * INFORMAL EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION * Although external communication is typically formal, it may occur informally as well. Whenever an employee comments about work-related matters to someone not affiliated with the org, informal external communication has occurred. The audience could be a neighbor, friends or someone who just overheard the conversation.