Fundamentals of Effective Communication
Assignment 2 – Fundamentals of Effective Communication in the Workplace
BUS 100 – Intro to Business
William Butler
Dr. Zelphia A. Brown
August 1st 2013
Most people don’t see the military (Air Force, Marines, Army, Navy, Coast Guard) as a business. But many aspects of what the military does are the same as what any business would do from recruiting, to marketing, advertising, and budgeting. With the biggest difference being instead of trying to make a profit we are in the business of defending the United States of America. With me being in the United States Air Force I experience effective communication on a daily basis. The Air Force works off of a rank structure so it is imperative that at all levels effective communication is used. For example; when someone of higher rank wants something done by his or her subordinates they usually won’t tell them directly. That person will tell someone lower ranking than them who will tell the next person below them, and so on until the message reaches its intended audience. Now for this process to work the person who originated the message must be clear and concise in the order that they are giving. Also those who are relaying the message must be as well so that the meaning and intent aren’t lost in translation. Effective communication is also used by those of lower rank as well. In the Air Force we use what’s called a “chain of command” so if a subordinate has a question, comment, or concern they must route it up the proper channels. What this means is that the subordinate wouldn’t just go to the commanders office and present his or her problem to them. They would first inform whoever is higher ranking than and let them know of the problem. Now if the problem was not able to be solved at that level, that individual would channel it up to the next person. This process would continue until the problem reached the proper level of authority and was solved. This is another example
BUS 100 – Intro to Business
William Butler
Dr. Zelphia A. Brown
August 1st 2013
Most people don’t see the military (Air Force, Marines, Army, Navy, Coast Guard) as a business. But many aspects of what the military does are the same as what any business would do from recruiting, to marketing, advertising, and budgeting. With the biggest difference being instead of trying to make a profit we are in the business of defending the United States of America. With me being in the United States Air Force I experience effective communication on a daily basis. The Air Force works off of a rank structure so it is imperative that at all levels effective communication is used. For example; when someone of higher rank wants something done by his or her subordinates they usually won’t tell them directly. That person will tell someone lower ranking than them who will tell the next person below them, and so on until the message reaches its intended audience. Now for this process to work the person who originated the message must be clear and concise in the order that they are giving. Also those who are relaying the message must be as well so that the meaning and intent aren’t lost in translation. Effective communication is also used by those of lower rank as well. In the Air Force we use what’s called a “chain of command” so if a subordinate has a question, comment, or concern they must route it up the proper channels. What this means is that the subordinate wouldn’t just go to the commanders office and present his or her problem to them. They would first inform whoever is higher ranking than and let them know of the problem. Now if the problem was not able to be solved at that level, that individual would channel it up to the next person. This process would continue until the problem reached the proper level of authority and was solved. This is another example
References: Lt. Col Pine, W. S., & Lt. Bauman, W. R. (n.d.). Effective Communication: "If Anything Can Go Wrong, It Will". Retrieved from http://http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/au-24/pine.pdf United States Air Force (2011). Communicating in Today 's Air Force. In Professional Development Guide (p. 305). Randolph AFB, TX: United States Air Force.