2.5. Business communication Flashcards
Define effective communication
the exchange of information between people or groups with feedback
Why is effective communication important?
- Staff motivation - if staff are encouraged to participate through group discussion => aid motivation => productivity
- The number and quality of ideas generated by the staff
- Speed of decision making - the more people who have to receive and react to message, then the slower it will be
- Speed of response to market changes
- Reduces risks of errors - misintepretation/misunderstanding of message will lead to incorrect responses
- Effective coordination between departments
Define communication media
methods used to communicate a message
4 main communication methods
- Oral
- Written
- Visual
- Electronic
Oral communication
- E.g. one to one conversations, interviews, appraisal sessions, group meetings, team briefings
- Allows 2 way communication and feedback
- Instantaneous => correct any misunderstandings
- Allows body language
- Might be no written record
- Costly in terms of time
- Can be quickly forgotten
Written communication
- E.g. memos, notices on boards, reports, diagrams
- Accurate record and allow for transmission of detailed data
- More structured
- Eliminate body language
- Do not allow for immediate feedback
- Often no evidence that message has been received/understood
Electronic
- E.g. internet, intranet, fax messages, video conferencing, mobile telephones (allows oral as well)
- Speed
- Ignores boundaries
- Written record
- May require staff to be trained
- Reduce social contact and can create a sense of isolation
- Staff may use company time to send personal messages
- Security issues with computer technology
- Leads to information overload as a result of the speed and low usage costs. Too many messages prevent the important messages from being noticed and acted upon on
Define information overload
so much information and so many messages are received that the most important ones cannot be easily identified and quickly acted on - most likely to occur with electronic media
Visual communication
- E.g. diagrams, pictures, charts
- Used to accompany and support oral, written or electronic communication
- Interactive
- Demands attention
- Often easy to rmb
- Creates greater interest
- Not always clear
- Interpretations by receivers can vary
Factors influencing choice of appropriate media
- Importance of the message e.g. legal contract
- Advantages to be gained from staff input
- Cost
- Speed
- Quantity of data
- Whether more than one method should be used. e.g. telephone call followed up an official letter
- Size and geographical spread of the business
Define communication barriers
reasons why communication fails
What are the communication barriers?
- Failure in one of the stages of the communication process
- Poor attitude of either the sender or receiver
- Physical reasons:
- Distraction from external environment
- Geographical distance
Failure in one of the stages of the communication process
- Medium chosen might be inappropriate
- Too much information => receiver forgot part of the message
- Misleading or an incomplete message
- Excessive use of technical language or jargon
- Channel of communication is too long => distortion
Poor attitudes of sender or receiver
- Sender is not trusted perhaps due to previous misleading messages
- Unmotivated or alienated workers will not want to take the trouble to ensure communication is effective
- Intermediaries - those on channel may decide not to pass on message or to change it. e.g. supplier’s query about customer complaint
How to reduce communication barriers?
- Ensure the message is clear and precise but adequately detailed
- Keep communication channel as short as possible
- Make sure that channels of communication are clear to all involved
- Build in feedback to solve misunderstandings
- Establish trust between senders and receivers
- Ensure that physical conditions are appropriate for messages to be received
Define formal communication networks
- The official communication channels and routes used within an organisation
- Passed through ‘line’ and ‘staff’ relationships
- These information flows will be concerned with the content of the jobs and may be in one of several forms, spoken, written, or electronic for example.
Types of formal communication networks
- Vertical network
- Wheel network
- Circle
- Integrated or connected network
The vertical network
Boss has four subordinates and communicate with them directly but individually -> no group network-> used in small department or narrow span of control
The wheel network
- Leader at the centre of the network -> in control and can limit formal contact between others
- 2 way communication between leader and other parts of the wheel
- Used when regional manager communicates with other branch managers
The circle
- Each person communicates with only 2 other people
- Decentralised network, no obvious leader
- Slow rate of communication
- No assurance that messages have been received
The connected network
- Team meeting sessions
- Assist solving complex problems where inputs of everyone is necessary
- 2 way communication between any group member
- Allows participative style of decision making
Define informal communication
refers to the unofficial channels of communication that exist in a business (often spoken as opposed to written communication). This is often referred to as the ‘grapevine’.
Role of informal communication in business
- Organizational Solidarity: The existence of informal communication proves that the workers are interested in their association. The important fact is that they talk among themselves and help to promote organizational solidarity. If properly used, it may raise the morale of the workers.
- Supplement to other channels
- Increased Efficiency: Such communication helps to solve various complex issues existing in any organization. It opens the door for mutual communication between superiors and subordinates. Therefore, subordinates feel free to interact frankly which can influence their efficiency.
Define horizontal communication
refers to contacts and flows of information between people at the same level in the business
Define one way communication
Where there is no facility for feedback, (often under an authoritarian management style) then this is referred to as one-way communication.
Advantages of horizontal communication
- Co-ordination of activities from departments
- End of misunderstanding
- Quick communication and solutions to problems
- Linking with different areas of expertise
Disadvantages of horizontal communication
- Lack of understanding
- Ignoring vertical communication
- Overload of info due to both flows - vertical and horizontal
- Different departments may not understand culture, ways of working or technical language
- The outlook and objects of different department can create conflict
