EXECUTIVE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
INTRODUCTION
Communication is the life blood of all business enterprises. The word
'communication' has been derived from the Latin word, 'Communicare' and
‘communis’. 'Communicare' means to impart or to transmit and ‘communis’
means common. The process of communication involves the communication of
ideas. Communication is a process which involves the transmission and
replication of ideas ensured by feedback for the purpose of eliciting actions
which will accomplish organisational goals.
The process of communication involves exchanging facts, ideas, opinions
or emotions between two or more persons. Feedback is an essential component
of communication. The main purpose of communication is to inform, or to elicit
action to achieve organisational goals.
COMMUNICATION CYCLE
The communication cycle refers to the process of sharing information
between the sender and receiver. The process of communication starts when a
sender transmits a message to a receiver through a specific medium. Upon
receiving the message, the receiver responds in an appropriate manner – known
as feedback.
In simple terms, the communication cycle is a mechanism in which
one person transmits a message and the other person correctly receives that
message. Communication is two-sided. To complete the communication, we
need a sender and a receiver. The communication cycle starts with the sender,
who decides what the message is, how it will be transferred, and the best
medium to share it.
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COMPONENTS OF THE COMMUNICATION CYCLE
1. Sender
Has an idea
Encodes the idea, formulates the message
Selects an appropriate channel, sends the message
2. Receiver
Gets the message
Decodes the message
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Sends the feedback
IMPORTANCE OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN BUSINESS
1. INTERNAL COMMUNICATION
Better coordination
Conductive work atmosphere
2. EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION
Governmental agencies and departments
Ad agencies, distributors, retailers, individual customers, etc.
OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION
Information
Advice
Order
Suggestion
Persuasion
Education
Warning
Raising Morale
Motivation
METHODS OF COMMUNICATION
Written Communication
Oral Communication
Face-to-face Communication
Visual Communication
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Audio-visual communication
TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
1. Formal or official communication, and
2. Informal communication
Formal communication may flow vertically or horizontally.
Vertical communication can flow downwards or upwards. Downward
communication means communication flows from a superior to a subordinate.
Upward communication means communication flows from subordinates to
superiors.
Horizontal communication means communication between departments
or people on the same level.
Informal communication is also known as Grapevine. Gossip, Rumours
are examples for informal channel of communication.
BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION
Wrong choice of medium
Physical barriers
Noise
Time and distance
Poor timing
Semantic barriers
Interpretation of words
Bypassed instructions
Denotation and Connotations
Different comprehensions of reality
Abstracting
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Slanting
Inferring
Socio-psychological barriers including cultural barriers
Attitudes and opinions
Emotions
Cultural diversity
Closed mind
Frame of reference
Status-consciousness
Source of communication
Inattentiveness
Conflicting goals
Faulty transmission
Poor retention
Unsolicited communication
PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
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1. Clarity: Clarity emphasizes a good specific message or goal at time, rather
than trying to achieve too much at once.
2. Completeness: The communication must be complete. It should convey all
facts request by audience. The sender must take into consideration the
receiver's mindset. Complete and adequate is important; incomplete message
keeps the audience guessing and leads to misunderstanding and delays.
3. Conciseness: It means wordiness- communicating what you want to convey
in least possible words.
4. Consideration: It Implies “Stepping into the shoes of others”. Good attitude
and empathy is required for effective communication. Not hurting others
feelings.
5. Courtesy: It Shows sender’s expression and respect to the receiver. The
sender of the message should be sincerely, polite, Judicious, reflection and
enthusiasm. Being sincere, thoughtful, and appreciative; avoid irritating
messages and signs.
6. Correctness: Implies there are no grammatical errors in communication.
7. Concreteness: Be particular and clear rather than fuzzy and general. It
strengthens the confidence. Concrete messages are not misinterpreted.
Communicate concretely – being specific, definite, and vivid; not being too
general and vague.
