Management Skills: Communicating

 Explain the central role of communications in business and management.

 Distinguish between the methods of communication.
 Discuss the importance if general communication skills.
 Identify and explain the main barriers to effective communication.
 Demonstrate business data in written forms, including business letters, reports, and memos.
 Draft a visual presentation from data.
 Identify the duties of a chairperson and a secretary and draft an agenda and minutes of a meeting.
 Illustrate the impact on business due to changes in ICT.
 Understand what GDPR is and the role of the Data Protection Commission in data protection in
Ireland.

Communication is the exchange of information between two or more parties in such a way that it is
received and clearly understood. It is important that the appropriate medium (method) and channel (person)
are used to send that message.

For communication to be effective the message must be clearly understood, and the recipient must have the
opportunity to respond.

An effective communicator is also an effective listener and act on feedback.

Feedback is information, opinion or observations offered to help a persons or process improve. In a

democratic organisation, everybody should have the opportunity to influence decision making and improve
the organisation – Feedback helps this to take place and confirms the message was successfully
communicated.

Principles of Effective Communication

Accuracy – All facts in the message should be accurate and the sender should have up-to-date
information/knowledge on the topic.
Length – If the message is too long, it risks losing the recipient’s attention. Too short, and all the important
elements may not be delivered in full.
Appropriate language – The language used should not be too technical or too difficult for the receiver to
understand. The sender should avoid using unnecessary jargon and use short clear sentences.
Preparation – Before communication takes place, the sender needs to research the audience to judge the
tone and content of the message to be sent, e.g., education levels, experience.
Confidentiality – The method chosen should reflect the confidentiality of the content of the message.
Sensitive information such as sakes data should be communicated face to face.
Urgency – When crucial information needs to be communicated instantly, a phone call is more suitable than
an email.
Feedback – A feedback mechanism should be featured in all methods of communication. It gives the
receiver the opportunity to seek clarification and reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings.
Records – Email is an excellent medium when the sender wants a record of the message and when it was
sent. The email systems store a copy of the message, which can be revisited.
 Communication in an Organisation

Board of Directors
Upward Downward Downward Upward

Lateral
Department Department
Managers Managers
Upward Downward Downward Upward

Lateral

Employees Employees

Internal Communication is the transmission of information between members of an organisation.

Downward Communication is the transmission of information from a superior to a subordinate. This could
be a manager passing instructions to employees.
Upward Communication is the transmission of information from a subordinate to a superior. This could be
the marketing manager and the board of director discussing the marketing budget.
Lateral Communication is communication between people at the same level of authority in the
organisation. This could be two employees passing on stock level information to each other.
External Communication is communication with stakeholders outside of the organisation such as orders to
suppliers, responses to consumer enquiries, reports to investors or a loan application.
 Internal Methods of External Methods of
Communication Communication

Staff Noticeboard Website

Intercom Telephone
Meetings Reports
Emails Emails
Memos Business letters
Video Conferencing Video Conferencing
Group messaging apps (Teams) Social Media (Twitter, Instagram)

Mediums of Communication

Written Mediums Verbal Mediums Visual Mediums

Emails Presentations Presentations

Memos Meetings Images
Letters Telephone Calls Charts, Graphs,
Reports Intercom Diagrams
Business Documents Video Conferencing Video Conferencing
Social Media Radio/TV Interviews Website
Website Face-to-Face Exhibitions
Newsletters & Brochures Conversations Posters
Conferences Packaging

Barriers to Effective Communication

Language – if too much jargon is used the message might get misunderstood.
Listening – if the receiver is not listening/concentrating the message might be lost.
Relationships – if the relationship between the sender & receiver is poor, communication may be
ineffective.
No feedback – getting no confirmation the message was received.
Wrong method – for example using the phone when a letter would be more appropriate.
Lack of planning – the message & the reasons for sending the message were not planned in advance.

Meetings
This is a gathering of two or more people to exchange ideas and make suggestions, enabling collective
decision-making.

Reasons for Holding a Meeting

Sharing Information: For example, sales targets are shared between management and staff.
Decision-making: People with different skills and experience come together to make decisions to benefit
the business.
Problem-solving: People meet to brainstorm solutions to problems experienced by the organisation e.g.,
declining market share.

Types of Meetings

Annual General Meeting (AGM)

This meeting is held once a year and attended by the directors and shareholders of the
organisation. The main functions of the AGM is to elect a board of directors, let the
chairperson give a report on the company's performance and to declare a dividend for
the year.

Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM)

This is a meeting of the shareholders and company directors that is held to discuss a
matter of urgency that cannot wait until the next AGM. No other matter will be
discussed at this meeting. An EGM might be called if there were a takeover bid for
the company or a major fire at the production plant.

Board Meeting
These meetings of the board of directors and are often help on a monthly basis.
Progress and performance is discussed and tactical and strategic plans are formulated.
Problem solving is a key fu nction of board meetings.

Ad Hoc Meeting
A meeting that takes place at short notice to discuss a matter that has arisen
unexpectedly and requires attention. These are not organised far in advance, but onky
as needed, e.g. a sales meeting to address falling sales.

Documents for a Meeting

Before a meeting at a business or a club takes place, the secretary of the meeting sends out a notice and an
agenda.

Notice: An invitation for people to attendee the meeting. It informs them of the date, time and venue.

Agenda: A list of items to be discussed at the meeting. Topics are listed in the order in which they will be
discussed. It allows people to prepare in advance what they may wish to discuss. It also ensures that the
more important topics of discussion are covered first.

Minutes: These are a brief and accurate record of the business discussed at the meeting. It should contain
details of proposals and decisions made. These should be sent to everyone in attendance at the meeting.

Notice & Agenda for a Club Notice & Agenda for a Business

Duties during a Meeting

Chairperson: They are responsible for the running of the meeting.
Duties include:
- Plan the meeting time and date. A quorum refers to the number of
members/stakeholders who must
- Run the meeting – Quorum, maintain order and focus.
be present before a meeting can
- Ensure previous minutes are read an adopted. take place.
 - Follow agenda.
- Allow members to speak.
- Put motion to the members.
- Use casting vote.

Secretary: They are responsible for all administration work in the company.
Duties Include:
- Write up the agenda with the chairperson.
- Send out notice and agenda.
- Read the minutes of the previous meeting.
- Record the minutes of the meeting.
- Keep a record of those in attendance at the meeting.
Benefits of Meetings

Clarity - Promote Cost - Time involved in

understanding organising and running
Rapport - Develops meetings

Drawback sof Meetings

relationshops between Record - harder to
departments remeber if no record is
Speed - Instead of sending kept
emails Accuracy - if the speaker is
Feedback - easier to get unclear it may be hard to
from staff understand.

Business Documents
Memo (memorandum).
This is a short-written note used in business for internal communication. It is used primarily to remind
people of items and events. It can be sent to employees across all levels of the organisation.
Business Letters.
Business letters are formal methods of communication. It can be sent internally (from a manager to another
manager or employee) or externally (from the business to external stakeholders such as investors). These
days, emails are usually sent.
They are used when:
- The content is important – the date of an appointment.
- A written record is required – business negotiations.
 - Complex instructions need to be given.

YOU ARE GIVEN MARKS FOR THE LAYOUT OF A BUSINESS LETTER IN YOUR
EXAM!!!

Reports
A formal written document used to present data and information to the people who requested it to be written,
e.g., market analysis report for the sales manager.
It can be used for both internal and external communication.
Used for:
Information: To provide information on a particular topic such as a financial report.
Investigation: An investigation into an incident or an accident such as a warehouse fire.
Solution: To find the best solution to overcome an issue in the business.
Impact of a decision: to assess the impact of a decision may have on the business such as the impact of
profits due to the increase of corporation tax.