Business Communication Flashcards
Define Effective Communication
The exchange of information between people and groups with feedback
Why is Effective Communication important?
- Speeds up decision making
- Motivates employees
- Scope for innovation through exchange of ideas
- Adaptability to market changes
- Collaboration and Teamwork
- Enhanced customer relationships
Define Internal Communication
Exchange of information between groups within the organisation
What are some benefits of internal communication?
- Ideas and innovation from employees
- Fewer chances of errors
- Quicker decision making
- Employee motivation and morale
Define External Communication
Exchange of information between groups outside of the business, such as customers and suppliers
What are some benefits of External Communication?
- Suppliers know when to deliver inventories/ materials
- Debtors are aware when to pay which improves trade recieveables
- Investors and lenders may feel confident in businesses that establish relationships outside of the organisation
What are 3 strengths of Spoken Communication?
- It allows two-way communication & feedback is recieved, which is considered a motivational factor as per Herzberg
- The message is instantaneous
- Feedback allows any misunderstandings to be clarified
What are 3 weaknesses of Spoken Communication?
- One-on-one spoken communication can be time consuming
- No written record of the message
- May be ambigious in a large group setting
What are 3 Benefits of Written Communication?
- Provides a permanent record, which can be important in legal aspects
- It can allow detailed information with figures and diagrams
- The message can be referred back to in the future which improves accountability and efficiency
What are 3 drawbacks of Written Communication?
- Does not allow immediate feedback
- It may not be clear if the message is understood
- Can act as a form of information overload
What are 3 benefits of Electronic Communication?
- Global coverage is possible which is useful for multinationals
- Allows instant exchange of feedback
- Evidence of the message is present, such as contracts in emails
What are 3 drawbacks of Electronic Communication?
- It can reduce social contact which goes against social needs in maslows needs
- Security and technical issues can arise
- May require training for certain employees who are technologically impaired
What are 3 Benefits of Visual Communication?
- Supports spoken communication methods along with diagrams / graphs
- It is a simple and pleasing way to present complex diagrams or charts
- Aids communication among language barriers
What are 3 Drawbacks of Visual Communication?
- Costly and time consuming to produce
- May not be beneficial for communication over technical data
- Messages can be misinterpreted, especially if they are too dramatic
What is Vertical Communication?
When individuals from different levels of hierarchy communicate with each other
What are some drawbacks of Vertical Communication?
- It is always top-down, which can feel demotivating to certain employees
- The messages can get distorted if there are many chains of command
- Messages can take time to be recieved
What is Horizontal Communication?
When individuals on the same level of hierarchy communicate with each other
What are some problems with Horizontal Communication?
- Objectives of different departments can conflict
- Some departments may not understand the culture and objectives of other departments
Define Communication Barrier
Reasons why communication can fail
What are some examples of communication barriers?
- Inappropriate medium chosen
- Technical language / jargon
- Information overload
- Noise
- Channel of communication is too long
- Demotivated Employees
- Sender is not trusted
How can communication barriers affect businesses?
- Delay decision making
- Reduce efficiency and productivity
- Makes it difficult to establish good relationships
- Lower employee morale / breakdown of teamwork
- Increases chances of errors
How can communication barriers be overcome?
- Ensure the message is precise
- Ensure feedback is a part of communication
- Smaller chain of intermediaries / keep the communication channel small
