BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

MODULE 1

Role of Communication
Helps us understand: What factors are relevant to this situation.
Objective -

What do I want to accomplish in this situation.

Approach -

Which is the Better way of doing it.

Technique -

What specific methods should I use to solve it.

Communication Defined
Communication is interchange of thoughts , opinions,

information, by speech, writing or signs

- Robert Anderson
(Professional Selling)
Purposive interchange, resulting in workable
understanding and agreement between the sender and
receiver of a message
- George Vardman
(Effective Communication of Ideas)

Business Communication Defined

Business communication is any communication used

to build partnerships, intellectual resources, to promote

an idea, a product, service, or an organization with
the objective of creating value for your business.

Internal and External Communication

Business Communication encompasses a huge

body of knowledge both internal and external for any

business.
Internal communication includes communication of

corporate vision, strategies, plans, corporate culture,

shared values and guiding principles, employee
motivation etc

External communication includes branding,

marketing, advertising, customer relations, public

relations, media relations, business negotiations, etc.
Whatever form it takes, the objective remains the
same to create a business value

Major Classifications: Can be classified on basis of....

A) number of persons/ receivers to whom message is addressed: i) Intrapersonal:- talking to ones own self.

E.g. Dramatic works.

ii) Interpersonal :- exchange of messages between two persons.
E.g. conversation, dialogue, an interview, some other cases like
an author, a letter etc.
iii) Group:- Can be among small groups like organization, club, class
rooms where all individuals retain their individual identity.

iv) Mass:- occurs when the message is sent to large groups of

people
E.g. news paper, radio, T.V etc.

B) On basis of medium employed

i) Verbal:- means communicating with words, written or spoken
ii) Non verbal :- includes using of pictures signs, gestures and
facial expressions for exchanging information between persons
E.g. personal space, touch, eyes, sense of smell and time.
iii) Meta communication:- the speakers choice of words
unintentionally communicates something more than what the
actual words state.

Purpose of communication
We generally communicate to :
Inform directed by desire to expose, develop,

and explain the subject

E.g. A simple statement intending to convey
the information like an ad on face creams etc.

Persuade the focus is on the receiver and not

the message
E.g. Home loans ad by banks.

 The purpose of communication is to get your

message across to others clearly and

unambiguously.

Involves effort from both the sender of the

message and the receiver.

Is a process that can be fraught with error,
with messages often misinterpreted by the
recipient.
When not detected, it can cause tremendous
confusion, wasted effort and missed
opportunity.

Process of communication
The Linear Model: Involves 5 basic questions who?, says what?, on which

channel?, to whom?, with what effect?

One way process
Intended to control and manipulate the receiver.
Assumptions that no distortions while the message passes
sender

media

receiver

action

 Shannon Weaver Model : First to point that messages can change or be blocked
Brought in the concept of noise
Introduced feedback as corrective to noise which may again not

be an integral part of communication process

Viewed as another act of communication

 Two Way Communication Process: Concept is more contemporary

Receiver also acts as sender of feedback to complete the two way

flow of communication
Also known as transactional communication
message

transmitter

receiver
Communication
channel

Communication
symbols

Barriers to Communication
Noise
Selective perceptions
Filtering
Information overload
Loss by transmission
Poor retention
Poor listening
Emotions
Lack of planning

Wrong/Unclarified assumptions
Semantic problems
Cultural barriers
Socio psychological barriers
Goal conflicts
Offensive style
Time and distance
Abstracting
Slanting
Inferring

Characteristics of successful
communication
Candidness
Clarity
Completeness
Conciseness
Concreteness
Correctness
Courtesy

Importance of communication in
management
Communication skills constitute an important

aspect of effective management.

Some important functions of managing are forecasting , planning , organizing, instructing,
coordinating, controlling.
Communication is the system by which these
operations are led and coordinated and the results
fed back

Need for communication in management :-

(Advantages)
To increase job performance and effectiveness
To promote employee commitment
To effect changes smoothly
Inform and persuade employees regarding certain

decisions and reasons behind.

To help understand role of an individual in an
organization
To update employees information about the
developmental activities

Reasons facilitating need for corporate communication:Size of an organization

New developments in IT
The concept of human capital
Need to learn corporate etiquette - how to greet, shake

hands, dress for success, listen converse with seniors,

clients, ladies etc
Hence the need for man power equipped with
these skills are necessary.

Why managers need communication skills

To perform the following rolesInterpersonal role
Informational role
Decisional role

All these functions are performed with

the knowledge of human needs

Communication structure in an organization

Board of directors

Managing directors

Senior mgmt
Middle mgmt

Senior spvsr
Line managers

Vertical Communication
Horizontal Communication
Geographical location of divisions
Functional basis of division

Communication can be divided into two types:

I) Formal:
a) Line relationshipLine of authority sets down the path of
communication ( general indication can be through
proper channel etc..)
b) Functional RelationshipOccurs when departments inform work
and related organizational matters to each other

c) Staff relationship:Supports line management, marketing, and production. For

e.g. communication relating to personnel, public relations,
administration etc.
II) Informal :Usually flows through ---Chat :Grapevine:- can be attributed to a reliable source

Merits of informal communication:Uniting force

Speed
Creation of ideas
Good personal relations
Limitations:
Rumors
Inadequacy
Changing interpretations