Business communication Flashcards
Effective communication
the exchange of information between people or groups with feedback
Feedback
the response to a message by the receiver
- without feedback the effectiveness of the communication cannot be judged
External effective communication
the processes responsible for communicating with people and entities outside your organisation
Internal effective communication
communication between different groups of people within the organisation
Why is effective communication important
- staff motivation
- the number and quality of ideas generated by the staff
- speed of decision making
- speed of response to market changes
- reduces the risk of errors
- effective coordination between departments
Communication media
the methods used to communicate a message
Oral communication
one-to-one conversations, interviews, appraisal sessions, group meetings or team briefings
Advantages of oral communication
- allows for two-way communication and feedback - encourages staff motivation
- instant communication and evidence of who attended the meeting
- allows reinforcing the message with appropriate body language
Disadvantages of oral communication
- no written record of what is said
- not appropriate for complicated and technical matters
- costly in terms of time
Written communication
any communication that involves writing in letters, memos, notices, boards, reports and diagrams for technical matters
Advantages of written communication
- can be referred to more than once
- should be an accurate record
- allow for the transmission of detailed data
Disadvantages of written communication
- eliminate supporting body language
- do not follow for immediate feedback
- no evidence of the message being received and understood
IT / web-based media
any form of communication that involves the Internet and email use, Intranets, video conferences and smartphones
Advantages of IT / web-based media
- great speed
- interactive
- messages can be sent to many people
- overcomes global boundaries
- good image for external communication
Disadvantages of IT / web-based media
- cannot always be received
- expensive in hardware
- security issues
- risk of information overload