Business

Communication
Zard Ali Khan
 What I Think???
Interactive Sessions
Concepts
Mutual learning
Fun
Avoiding politics and issues like load shedding,
etc.
Mobile phones to be on SILENT / VIBRATION
MODE and will appreciate minimum use of mobile
phones
Introduction and
Icebreaker
Divide the students into PAIRS and ask them to share
the following information with their fellows:
Their name
Their hobby or favorite pastime
Their best friend and why they like him/her
Ask each scholar to, please, introduce his/her group
fellow in light of the above 3 pieces of information.
Now you may also ask each scholar to tell about his
fantasy career (What his fantasy career would be if
he could have any job he wanted?)
Now ask each student to come up with ONE strength
and ONE weakness
Recommended Books:
1. Business Communication: Process and
Product,
Authors: Mary Ellen Guffey & Dana Loewy,
Publication: South-Western Cengage Learning, 7 th
Edition (2010)

2. Business Communication Today,

Authors: Courtland Bovee & John V Thill,
Publication: Pearson Education (11th Edition)
Reference Book:
1. Effective Business Communications, Herta A.
Murphy, Herbert W. Hildebrant, Jane P. Thomas,
7th Edition
 Reading
Studies serve for delight, for ornament and for ability.
Their chief use for delight, is in privateness and retiring;
for ornament is in discourse; and for ability, is in the
judgment and disposition of business. (Francis Bacon)
Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and
writing an exact man. (Francis Bacon)
A man is seldom better than his conversation.
- German Proverb
Readers are leaders.
Four language skills

Reading → Writing
Listening → Speaking
Reading and listening serve as prerequisites
for writing and speaking respectively
Likhna nahin aata to meri jaan parha kar 
Ho jaye gi mushkil teri aasaan parha kar
Parhne k liye tujh ko agar kuch na mile to
Chehron pe likhy dard k unwaan parha kar
Laraib teri rooh ko taskeen mile gi
Tu karb k lamhaat main Quran parha kar 
Paida ho tere behr ki moujon main talatum
Tu hazrat-e-Iqbal k dewaan parha kar
Aa jaye ga "IQBAL" tujhe jeeney ka qareena
Tu sarvar-e-kounain (S.A.W.W) k farmaan parha kr

Allam Iqbal
 Communication
Definition: Communication is the
scientific process of sending and
receiving information among
people.

We use a variety of
communication techniques
to both understand and be
understood.
Interesting fact about Science
A carpenter, a school teacher, and scientist were
traveling by train through Scotland when they
saw a black sheep through the window of the
train. "Aha," said the carpenter with a smile, "I
see that Scottish sheep are black." "Hmm," said
the school teacher, "You mean that some Scottish
sheep are black." "No," said the scientist glumly,
"All we know is that there is at least one sheep in
Scotland, and that at least one side of that one
sheep is black."
Great Words on Communication
In his book “Seven Habits of Highly
Effective People”, Steven Covey included
effective communication and said:

“Seek first to understand and then to be

understood.”
 Communication
• Effective communication is an important element of
success for every organization, leader, manager,
supervisor and employee.
• An organization whose people communicate
effectively experiences fewer of the misunderstandings
which cause friction among people, waste time and
resources, and cause mistakes.
• Good communication skills increase one’s
productivity, give him an edge in getting the job he
wants and also help him move up the ladder to better
ranks.
 Communication
Exchanging or transferring information from one
part of the business to another that leads to some
outcome, changed behaviour or changed processes
and practices.

An idea, no matter how great, is useless until it is

transmitted and understood by others.

Communication can also be termed as the exchange

of thoughts between two or more people, groups or
organizations, verbally, through symbols, or in
writing.
Cont…
 Communication
 Communication is the Nucleus of the organization.
 The meanings of words are not in the words; they are in us.
Communication is a means, not an end.
 Communication has no life of its own. There is no meaning
in a message except what you put into it.
 Most people think at a rate of 400 - 500 W/M. Most people
speak at only about 125 W/M and write at even slower space
25 to 30 W/M.
 Formal Communication. Established, recognized and
agreed procedures/ rules/ channels.
 Informal Communication. It refers to the grapevine that
informally takes place in an organization. Such a network is
free to move in any direction, skip authority levels, and
satisfy group members’ social needs.
 Importance of Communication
Effective communication is important to avoid
disastrous repercussions caused by the poor
communication:

• Major World Air Accidents/Crashes/Wars

• Employee Frustration
• Customer dissatisfaction
• Employer vs Employee – lack of trust
• Government vs public – poor relations
• Broken family/friends relations
Importance of Communication
Quicker problem solving
Stronger decision making
Increased productivity
Steadier work flow
Stronger business relationships
Clearer promotional materials
Enhanced professional image
Improved stakeholder response
Customer loyalty/ delightedness
Importance of Communication
Inspires confidence
Helps make friends
Develops a distinct personality
Reveals your abilities to others
Leads to a more productive personal and
professional life.
Builds respect in business and social life
Is a critical element in your career and
personal lives.
 Communication as “Lifeblood” of Organization
• Organizations can’t function without open and
effective communication.
• Exchange of information is must for effective
individual and collective performance at all levels.
• Internal Communication. Downward, upward &
horizontal / lateral.
• External Communication. Effective communication
with external stakeholders can help create a good
reputation, and have a positive impact on its ultimate
success.
• Overall Communication Costs. Time is a major factor
in overall communication costs.
 How to gain effective communication
Use humour • Don’t praise yourself
Add interesting • Avoid old phrases
story • Don’t use cliches
Improve clarity • Good use of English
Be brief – avoid errors
Be sincere • Improved vocabulary
Be flexible – overlook vs. oversee
Be tactful
How to Improve Communication
Minimize distractions.

Consider/ understand the audience – empathy.

Improve your skills – successfully counter the

propaganda by the rivals.

Give and get feedback.

Apply business etiquettes & ethics.

The communication process
Communication is the process of sending and receiving
information among people…

Feedback

receiver sender

Use of
channel to
SENDER RECEIVER
transmit the message

Clarifies Confirms

Noise
Refresher: ½ min. break and food for thought
“Do something exceptional.”
The communication process
The person The specific set of The channel Receivers (or the
initiating the words, gestures through audience for the
communication, and images that the which the message) - from
or broadcasting sender uses to message whom the receiver
the message. convey what he or moves. often expects a
she wants to say. response.

SENDER
SENDER MESSAGE
MESSAGE CHANNEL
CHANNEL RECEIVER
RECEIVER

The response from the

receiver to the sender.

Context
FEEDBACK
The communication process
Communication code scheme
 Communication Model (Various Components)
Context
(Stimuli)

Sender / Receiver/
Encoder Message Decoder

Medium
(Verbal/
Nonverbal)

Feedback
(Verbal/
Nonverbal)
 Communication Model (Various Components)
Context:
A broad field that includes country, culture, organization
and internal / external stimuli; all have separate
conventions for processing and communicating
information.
Internal stimuli have complex influence on how to
compose and send a message. Understanding of the
sender’s own and the receiver’s attitude, emotions,
experience, likes/dislikes all influence the way
communication is generated.
Especially important is the sender’s ability to analyse the
receiver’s culture, viewpoint, needs, skills, status and
expectations.
 Communication Model (Various Components)
Sender/Encoder:
Sender encodes the messages in the form of words,
symbols, graphs, charts etc. to facilitate the receiver
in correct understanding and suitably reacting to the
message.
Message:
It is the core idea that sender wants to communicate;
it could be verbal (written or spoken) or non-verbal
symbols. While composing a message, sender must
decide what is the main point of message and what is
the other information to be included.
 Communication Model (Various Components)

Medium:
Medium may include Memo, Letter, Noticeboard, Fax,
Telephone, E-mail / Internet, Face to face, Body
language, Video / Video conferencing.
 Communication Model (Various Components)
4. Medium: Oral or Written

Oral
1. Immediate feedback
2. Shorter sentence; shorter words
3. Conversational
4. Focus on interpersonal relations
5. Prompt action
6. Less detailed technical
information
7. More personal pronouns
8. More colloquial language
9. Simpler constructions
10. More imperative, interrogative,
and exclamatory sentences
Written
1. Delayed feedback
2. Longer sentences; longer words
3. More formal
4. Focus on content
5. Delayed action
6. More detailed technical
information
7. Fewer personal pronouns
8. More complex constructions
9. Useful for permanent record;
detailed documentations
10. Possibility of review
 Communication Model (Various Components)
Receiver/decoder:
The message receiver is the decoder who interprets, understands
and then responds to the message. Receiver/decoder is influenced
by context and by his/her own mental filters.
Feedback:
Feedback is the ultimate impact of the message that compels the
receiver to act / react in a particular way or keep quiet. It could be
oral or a written message. Sender wants feedback to learn about the
impact of the message and the extent to which message has
achieved desired results / behaviour.

Feedback helps the sender to know about the weak points of his/her
message and further improve it.
Refresher: ½ min. break and food for thought
“Make proper planning.”
Communication Goals
To change
behavior

To get and
give To get action
Information

To ensure
To persuade
understanding
Distortions in Communication
 Common Communication Errors:
Finishing others’ sentences
Preparing our response before someone has
completed speaking
Multitasking while ‘listening’
Being judgmental
Being egocentric in communication
Filtering content or meaning based on the
speaker
Speaking for others (we…)
Need to improve communication ... because

70 % of our communication efforts are:

misunderstood
misinterpreted
rejected
distorted or
not heard
 Activity: Chinese whisper
In this challenge, number the participants
from 1 to end, get the first one and show him a
sentence that is written on a flash card and ask
him to whisper it in the ear of the 2nd person
and so goes on till the last one gets the sentence
whispered and announces it to everyone.

See if they managed to get the sentence

delivered properly.
 Critical success factor
The majority of your perceived ability comes
from how you communicate.
55% Tonal

38% Visual

7% Verbal

93% of all Communication is non-verbal – SKILL

e.g. During a presentation your eyes, hands or other
body movements may be telling a different story
The four language skills Reading
Listening

Speaking Writing
 Communicating time …
50%
45%
45%
40%
Am
35% ou
nt
30%
ta ug 30%
ht
25%
20%
16%
15%
10% 9%

5%
0%
Writing Reading Speaking Listening
Refresher: ½ min. break and food for thought
“Tujhe aabaa se apni koi nisbat ho nahi sakti.” (Iqbal)
Internal and external
communication
 Direction of Internal Bus. Comm.
Downward:
 Communication that flows from one level of a group
organization to a lower level.
 This is typically what we think of when managers
communicate with workers. Its purpose is to assign goals,
provide instructions, communicate policies and
procedures, provide feedback. It does not have to be face
to face or an oral communication.
Upward:
 Upward communication flows to a higher level in the
group or organization.
 It is used to provide feedback to higher-ups, inform them
of progress, and relay current problems e.g. performance
(reports prepared by lower management), suggestion
boxes, employee attitude surveys, etc.
 Direction of Internal Bus. Comm.
Lateral:
 When communication takes place among members of
the same work group, among members of work groups
at the same level, among managers at the same level.
 Horizontal communications are often necessary to save
time and facilitate coordination.
 They can create dysfunctional conflicts
Downward
when the formal vertical channels are
breached, when members go above or
around their superiors to get things Lateral
done, or when bosses find out that
actions have been taken or decisions
Upward
made without their knowledge.
 Internal Communication
A vital means of getting the organizational goals is
through effective communication.
There are four types of internal communication flows
within the organization.
Downwards
Upwards
Horizontal
Diagonal

Syed Maqsood Ahmed

1 Downward communication
 The Internal Audiences
CEO / President

VP
VP VP VP VP
Human
Production Marketing Sales Finance
Resources

Sales Sales Sales Sales

Manager Manager Manger Manager
East A B International

District District District

1 2 3
Manager Manager Manager

Sales Sales Sales Sales Sales

Rep Rep Rep Rep Rep
 1 Downward communication
Relatively easy to manage
Ensure staff know what their job is
Keep staff informed about changes
Communicate orally, then follow up in writing
It helps increase job satisfaction, safety,
productivity, and profitability
It helps to decrease absenteeism, losses, and
grievances.
 1 Downward communication
Staff information needs
Job responsibilities
 What is my job?
Performance feedback
 How am I doing?
Individual needs
 Does anyone care?
Work unit objectives, results
 How is my unit doing?
Vision, mission, values
 Where are we headed?
Empowerment
 How can I help?
 1 Downward communication
Mechanisms
Job descriptions
Notices
Training
Instructions
Memos, meetings, emails
2 Upward Communication
 2 Upward Communication
Hard to manage
Boss must be willing to listen
Especially to bad news
Boss must take time to listen
Staff must be willing to share
Especially bad news
 2 Upward Communication
Mechanisms
Short, written weekly notes summarizing
activities and problems
Boss must provide feedback
Regular staff meetings to discuss activities
Staff copy relevant emails to boss
Visit staff’s workplaces
Keep your door open
3 Horizontal Communication
 3 Horizontal Communication
Necessary to ensure coordination, avoid
“islands” or “information silos”
Encourage/require staff to communicate
among units
Effective horizontal communication is also
essential in order to solve problems, perform
job duties, prepare for meetings and
cooperation in important projects.
4 Diagonal Communication
 4 Diagonal Communication

Can be formal – eg. teams

Can be informal
Build cross-departmental teams
Encourage friendliness and informality
Encourage informal interaction
The ideal: Internal communication web
 How to encourage internal communication

Make information sharing part of job description

Define reporting and information sharing
responsibilities
But avoid over-rigid procedures if possible
Hold regular staff meetings
But keep meetings short and efficient
Provide physical bulletin boards
Communicate actively
Be an information source
 External Communication
Effective communication to people outside the
organization is called external communication & it
helps to create a good reputation & have a +ve impact
on its ultimate success.
 The External Audiences
General public,
potential employees, Subsidiaries Unions Employment
customers, stakeholders agencies

Special
Professional services
interest group
(auditions,legal,etc)

Customers
Suppliers,
clients
vendors
The
Trade association, Distributors,
Competitors,
Corporation
Wholesalers,
other businesses, Franchises,
and industries Retailers, agents

Legislators,
The Stockholders Foreign Government
media Investors Governments The courts agencies, regulation
and lenders and offices Offices
 External Communication
To Whom
Customers
Vender / suppliers
Government
Distributors / wholesalers, etc.
Methods:
Marketing ways, Paper + electronic
Sales Dep't
Customer Services
 Types of Communication
• Verbal Communication. Communication through
words whether Written or Oral.

 Written. Letters, memos, notice boards, bulletin

boards, employee manuals etc.

 Oral. Announcements, speeches / sermons,

counseling, demonstrations / explanations etc.

• Non-Verbal Communication. Communication through

various means other than words – appearance, body
movements, facial expressions, gestures, smell &
touch, voice, silence etc.
Various Types of Communication
Type Merits Demerits
► Verbal
o Oral Quick transmission Greater potential for
Quick feedback distortion

o Written Permanent record Takes more time

Tangible record Lack of feedback
Verifiable record

o Electronic Relatively low cost Problems of security for

media for others others

► Non-Verbal Conveys meanings Can be misinterpreted

fast
Refresher: ½ min. break and food for thought
“Learn how to be independent.”
CONCEPTS AND PROBLEMS
 Conventions of Meanings
• Shapes and Symbols used should have same meanings for both the parties
(to avoid misunderstanding).
• Standard (commonly accepted) acronyms, abbreviations – AIDS, LASER,
LIFO, FIFO etc.

– Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

– Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation

Denotations. Dictionary meanings should be used at right place, keeping
in view the positive / negative sense.
• Connotations. Application of words other than their common use, e.g.
using villa, cottage, lodge, etc. for the house should be used carefully.
– Villa: a large and luxurious country house in its own grounds
– Cottage: A small house, typically one in the country
– Lodge: A small house at the gates of a park or in the grounds of a large house,
occupied by a gatekeeper, gardener, or other employee
 Perceptions of Reality
• Dynamic scenario is fast changing the perception of
the people. Common problems are:

• Abstracting. Selecting some facts and omitting

others. Only necessary/ relevant facts/ figures
should be used.

• Inferring. Be careful while making inferences. Only

necessary/ desirable inferences should be used,
after collecting some relevant information. Similarly
don’t react to ‘guesstimates’.
 Values, Attitudes and Opinions
• Attitude of the receiver can reflect the acceptance or
rejection of the message. Main problems involving attitude,
values & opinions are:
• Favorable information will be accepted and would yield
better results.
• Inadequate / incorrect information will make the
recipient angry.
• Closed mind stops people from thinking on aspects
other than their pre-conception.
• Sender’s credibility plays important role in receiving
favorable response from the recipients.
• Sensitivity to the state of mind (by both parties) helps to
communicate in a positive way.
 Nonverbal Communication
• How Appearance Communicates. Format, neatness
language of written message and presentation all send
a nonverbal message to the receiver.

• How Body Language Communicates. Facial

expression, gesture, posture, movement, smell, touch,
voice all influence the recipient/ audience.
Appearance Communicates
Posture has Impact
Facial Expressions Convey Meanings

Neutral Surprise Happiness

Fear Sadness Anger

 Nonverbal Communication (cont’d)
• How Silence, Time & Space Communicate. Concept
of time & space are culture-specific. Effective
communicators adapt to receiver’s expectations.

 Silence. Keeping silence for an immediate oral

request or not responding to a letter indicate the
attitude of the receiver; taken as not accepted.

Time. Waiting for a response from the recipient for

an important request creates negative feelings.

 Space. A sense of being ‘egalitarian’; where you

stand in the group; how much space you maintain
from others.
Barriers to Communication
Ability of the sender – how much the senders

understand of the message they are trying to send.

Content – including technicalities and jargon.

Method of communication – including style and body

language where appropriate.

Skills and attitude of the receiver.

Organisational factors – complexity and scope of the

organisation.
 Challenge of Communication in The Global Market
The way you communicate within or outside the
country affect’s everything you accomplish. Your
ability to communicate effectively make a difference to
your organization.
Developing The Right Attitude:
Preparing Adequately:
Becoming Flexible:
Developing the right attitude and preparing
adequately are crucial to effective communication in
the international market place. These qualities helps
to be effective in dealing with the international
business people & becoming flexible helps you to deal
with the issues within your organization.
Communication Challenges in Global Market

• Diversified culture and language.

• Capabilities/ knowledge of both sender and receiver.

• Globalization.

• Fast technological advancements – IT boom.

• Ever changing communication demands of customers.

• Hostile competition.