Communication Flashcards
1
Q
Impact of Poor Communication
A
- Employees may become demotivated, leading to higher staff absenteeism.
- Employees may not understand the task and therefore wast time, leading to low productivity.
- Deadlines may be missed, which could result in reduced sales/profits.
- Employees may wrongly inform customers, leading to increased complaints.
- Poor customer service may damage the image of the company.
- Breakdown in relationships can occur between managers and staff, causing negativity, leading to high staff turnover. This can lead to increased costs in recruitment and training.
2
Q
E-mail
(Electronic communication)
A
- Allows for groups to be set up so e-mails can be sent quickly to groups of individuals at the same time.
- Documents can be attached for everyone to see.
- No guarantee that staff will check their e-mails when required.
3
Q
E-diary
(Electronic communication)
A
- Can invite possible meeting attendees at the same time, attendees can accept or decline immediately.
- Diaries can be checked before a date and time is chosen to ensure most people can attend a meeting before sending invitation.
- Meetings documentation can be attached to save on postage and speed, attendees are better informed and prepared for decision-making.
- The to-do list/tasks feature can be used to set meeting task deadlines and view progress.
- Recurring meetings can be entered.
- Reminders can be used to remind employees of meetings, reducing the chance of non-attendance.
4
Q
Social Media
(Electronic communication)
A
- Can be used to communicate with existing and potential customers.
- Can be used to alert customers of problems or issues, inform customers about offers or new products/services, post photos or videos and ask customers for feedback.
- Informal way of communication, messages have to be short and to the point.
- No guarantee that all messages and posts will be seen.
- Posts are visible to everyone so organisations have to be careful about what is said.
5
Q
Virtual Learning Environments (VLE)
(Electronic communication)
A
- Require users to log in to secure areas to access resources and tools to support their learning.
- Users can work through materials at their own pace before submitting for checking and marking.
6
Q
Instant Messaging (IM)
(Electronic communication)
A
- Can communicate in real time/instantly.
- Messages can be sent to anyone who is online at the same time and replies can be sent immediately.
- Two or more people can join in a conversation at the same time.
- Useful for colleagues to have a quick conversation when they are working on the same project but are located in different areas of the office.
- IM chat can be saved for future reference.
7
Q
OneDrive
(Electronic communication)
A
- Allows multiple users to share and update files.
- Allows team members to take responsibility for their own area of a task and then update the shared file when finished.
8
Q
Microsoft Teams
(Electronic communication)
A
- Allows teams to share files with one another, have discussions via instant messaging, arrange meetings and give each other feedback on tasks.
- It is also available as an app so can be accessed from anywhere with a mobile device.
9
Q
Presentations
(Face to face communication)
A
- Use of animation/graphics/embedded sound and video can hold attention, making it more interesting.
- Displaying information can aid understanding for attendees.
- Use of SmartArt/bullet points/designs/tables can avoid information overload.
- Ability to print slides in handout format for distribution, can also have space for audience to write additional notes.
- Notes space on slides can aid speaker.
- Presentation can be e-mailed to avoid intranet/online platforms for future reference.
- Slides can be timed/automated to avoid a presentation overrunning.
10
Q
Meetings
(Face to face communication)
A
- Allows people to gather together, usually in small groups, to share information and discuss ideas/strategies.
- Can be formal or informal.
- Formal meetings will have records kept of discussions (minutes) so that those who attended and those who were absent can review what was discussed and agreed.
11
Q
Letters
(Written communication)
A
- Used to send important and confidential information such as offers of employment, changes to a policy, or answering a complaint.
- Can be referred to at a later date which ensures information will not be forgotten.
- No guarantee people will read the information.
12
Q
Reports
(Written communication)
A
- Prepared internally to present research and findings on a particular issue.
- Provide a permanent record for future reference which staff can refer to when they want clarification.
- Often extensive and lengthy, employees may find language confusing and may not read the full report.
13
Q
Memos
(Written communication)
A
- Internal messages sent within the organisation.
- Used to send the same message/information to a group of individuals.
- Mainly used when attached to tasks for completion by staff.
- Not used as often now due to ICT.
14
Q
Posters
(Written communication)
A
- Cheap and easy way to communicate information to a large number of people.
- Displayed on walls or noticeboards to attract attention.
- Use key pieces of text and graphics to highlight key messages.
- People may ignore them and not look at them, meaning key messages may be missed.
15
Q
Audioconferencing
(Oral communication)
A
- A number of people can speak to each other at the same time from different locations.
- Useful if a face-to-face meeting is not needed.
- Cannot see body language/facial expressions/presentations/demonstrations.
- Can be difficult to organise due to time differences.
- Language barriers can pose problems.
16
Q
Telephone
(Oral communication)
A
- Use of mobile phones helps with instantaneous communication between employees.
- Allows easy accessibility as employees can answer whilst working away from office.
- Conversations may be forgotten, best used for communicating short pieces of information.
17
Q
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
(Oral communication)
A
- Allows conversations to take place anywhere in the world as long as there is an internet connection.
- Calls from PC to PC over the internet are free.
- Documents and pictures can be sent, data can be exchanged and 3-way calling can take place.
- Requires a reliable internet connection.
- Some calls may lag, delay or disappear altogether.
18
Q
Noise
(Barriers to communication)
A
- When the full message is not able to be heard due to a number of factors.
- External noise, work may be going on outside.
- People could be talking while a message is being delivered leading to distractions.
19
Q
Technical Issues
(Barriers to communication)
A
- There may be instances when connection error mean that you cannot communicate the message you wanted to.
- System crash or loss of signal can occur with mobile/video/audio conferencing.
20
Q
Jargon
(Barriers to communication)
A
- When there is too many complicated technical terms used in communication.
- Listeners begin to switch off as they have a lack of understanding of what is being communicated.
21
Q
Information Overload
(Barriers to communication)
A
- Giving an audience too much information at the one time can result in them switching off, meaning they may miss important information.
- Recipient can be tired and confused as a result.
22
Q
Language
(Barriers to communication)
A
- Speaker may have a strong accent and it may be hard to understand message enfin delivered in its entirety.
- There may be limited common language, especially if it is a multinationals meeting, cultural/ language barriers could result in attendees misunderstanding discussions.
23
Q
Lack of Interest
(Barriers to communication)
A
- The audience may not engage with the topic or presenter, leading to them being bored and not paying attention.
24
Q
Features of Reliable Sources of Information
A
- Up-to-date, information that is recent and current.
- Accurate, information that does not contain errors.
- Available, information that is easy to access quickly.
- Cost-effective, information where the benefits of having it outweigh the cost.
- Relevant, information that is suitable for the user/reader.
- Complete/sufficient, information that is complete and comprehensive but concise.
- Non-biased, information that is impartial and fair.
