2.4 Internal and external communication Flashcards
Why is communication important?
Communication ensures that all parts of business’s operations run smoothly + employees understand what they need to do
Why is effective communication important?
- Reduce the risk of mistakes
- Enable faster decision-making
- Enable quicker responses to market changes
- Improve coordination between departments
- Improve morale and motivation of the workforce
- Improve customer relationships
Oral communication
Appropriate when more than two people need to discuss things
Benefits + limitations of oral communication
Ads:
- Easy to communicate
- Direct feedback
- Help build relationships between employees/ customers
- Personal contact
Disads:
- Hard to schedule (busy)
- Takes up time
- No permanent record
- Receiver might not listen
What is written communication?
Provide a permanent record of message
Benefits + limitations of written communication
Ads:
- Message cannot be changed
- Information is clear + can be looked at more than once
- Can be sent to many receivers
Disads:
- Messages may be lost or destroyed
- No personal contact
- Time consuming
Main types of written communication
- Purchase order
- Minutes of meeting
- Agenda (Order for the conduct of a meeting)
- Memorandum
- Invoice (Official form sent to customer requesting payment for goods)
- Company magazine/newsletter
What is visual communication?
Includes presentations using graphs, charts, videos etc
Benefits + limitations of visual communication.
Ads:
- Information more interesting
- Photographs or videos have greater impact than just words
- Pictures + charts easier to understand
Disads:
- Takes time for preparation
- Costs money to create visual communication
- Details may be lost
What are some factors to consider when choosing the best method of communication?
- Urgency
- Location
- Security issues and concerns
- Personal preference
- Cost
How do communication barriers arise?
- Accents
- Channel of communication is too long
- Demotivated workers don’t listen to the message properly
- Poorly disciplined workers
- Technological issues
- Language barrier
What are the problems of communication barriers?
- Tasks are not completed → increases waste
- Damaged reputation of the business
- Higher risk of accidents
- Poor sales
- Recruitment problems
How to reduce or remove communication barriers?
- Make sure the language used is appropriate to the receiver
- Keep the channel of communication as short as possible
- Sender asks to receive a feedback so they know it has been read and understood
- Physical barriers such as noise should be removed
