Unit 2: Internal and external communication (Chap 9)

Question 1

What are the keywords for this chapter? (Chap 9)

Answer 1

• Communication media
• Feedback
• Effective communication
• Two-way communication

Question 2

What is internal communication?

Answer 2

Internal communication is when employees communicate with each other.

Question 3

What is external communication?

Answer 3

External communication involves communicating with people and organisations outside the business - the business’s stakeholders.

Question 4

Examples of communication media

Answer 4

• Letters
• Faxes
• Text messages
• Leaflets
• Zoom
• Face-to-face conversations

Question 5

How is communication made effective between two or more people or groups of people?

Answer 5

• The message is sent using the correct medium
• Message is sent to and received by the right person
• Receiver understands the message
• Receiver provides feedback to the sender to confirm they have received and understood the message

Question 6

What are the benefits of effective communication?

Answer 6

• Reducing the risk of mistakes
• Enabling faster decision-making
• Enabling quicker responses to market changes
• Improving coordination between departments
• Improving the morale and motivation of the workforce
• Improving customer relationships

Question 7

What are the four types of communication?

Answer 7

• Oral
• Written
• Electronic
• Visual

Question 8

Notes on oral communication

Answer 8

• Uses the spoken word e.g. meetings and telephone calls
• Allows for two-way communication between the sender and receiver
• Provides opportunity for feedback
• Can take place between two people or groups
• Most appropriate to use when something needs to be discussed between two or more people
• If an employee has a problem at work it’s best for this to be discussed with their manager face-to-face

Question 9

Notes on written communication

Answer 9

• Provide a permanent record
• Can be looked at more than once to check understand
• A letter is used for formal communication between the business and its stakeholders, such as employees and customers, for example informing employees about a pay rise or replying to a customer complaint.
• Memorandum - only used for communication within the business, e.g. a message from the human resource manager to the operations manager about the date for job interviews

Question 10

Other examples of written communication

Answer 10

• Agenda - order for the conduct of a meeting
• Minutes of meeting - written record of what was discussed at a meeting
• Job description
• Purchase order - official document which is sent to suppliers to request the supply and delivery of raw materials and other components.
• Invoice - official form sent to customers requesting payment for goods which the business has supplied
• Company magazine - includes information about the business’s products, future plans, awards etc for employees or customers

Question 11

Notes on electronic communication

Answer 11

• Email, fax and text messaging
• Much faster
• Message received instantly
• Video-conferencing has reduced the need for people to travel to meetings
• Managers can connect with each other via the internet

Question 12

Notes on visual communication

Answer 12

• Use of graphs and charts
• Videos and photos on company websites often have a greater impact on the receiver than the spoken or written word
• Pictures and charts are easier for some people to understand than words or complex tables of numbers
• Television advertising

Question 13

Advantages of oral communication

Answer 13

• Personal contact between sender and receiver
• Immediate feedback
• Language used can be altered to the needs of receiver

Question 14

Disadvantages of oral communication

Answer 14

• No permanent record
• Receiver might not listen
• Receiver might not hear message correctly because of noise

Question 15

Advantages of written communication

Answer 15

• Permanent record
• Can be used by the receiver more than once
• Can be sent to many receivers
• Message can’t be changed

Question 16

Disadvantages of written communication

Answer 16

• No personal contact
• Slower feedback
• Might not be understood since the language is too complex
• Message is too long
• Time-consuming for both sender and receiver

Question 17

Advantages of electronic communication

Answer 17

• Very quick
• Some methods e.g. email are permanent
• Can be sent to many receivers at the same time
• Can be used to create a more interesting message e.g. a company website

Question 18

Disadvantages of electronic communication

Answer 18

• Not everyone has access to equipment needed
• Equipment and software is expensive
• No personal contact except video-conferencing
• Risk of message being received by people not intended for, loss of confidentiality

Question 19

Advantages of visual communication

Answer 19

• Simplify complex data so more easily understood
• Interesting and grabs attention of receivers
• Receivers often remember visual messages, especially moving images

Question 20

Disadvantages of visual communication

Answer 20

• Some detail might be lost
• Different receivers might interpret the data differently

Question 21

What do businesses need to think about when choosing the best method of communication?

Answer 21

• How urgent the message is (telephone call or face-to-face conversation would be better than a letter)
• The length and complexity of the message (written communication is best)
• How many people need to receive the message (letters or emails are good for contacting many people)
• How far away the receiver is from the sender (email, text, phone call or letter depending on the situation)
• How important it is for all receivers to receive the message at the same time (meeting is the best way of getting the message to everyone at the same time)

Question 22

3 communication barriers

Answer 22

• Problems with the communication channel
• Problems between the senders and receivers
• Problems with the physical environment

Question 23

Problems with the communication channel

Answer 23

• Wrong medium used e.g. using telephone to communicate complex technical data
• Language used is too complex for receiver to understand
• Too much information in one message
• Channel of communication is too long

Question 24

Problems between the senders and receivers

Answer 24

• Lack of trust and respect between the sender and receiver
• Demotivated employees don’t listen properly
• Poorly disciplined employees don’t pass on the message to others

Question 25

Problems with the physical environment

Answer 25

• Noise between sender and receiver
• Too much distance between sender and receiver, more difficult to have face-to-face conversations
• However, Zoom and Skype have significantly reduced this particular problem

Question 26

What are the problems arising from ineffective communication?

Answer 26

• Tasks not completed
• Tasks done incorrectly
• Wrong type of employee recruited
• Poor sales
• Business’s reputation damaged
• Employees’ morale and motivation fall
• Risk of accident in the workplace

Question 27

How can communication barriers be reduced or removed? (Card 1)

Answer 27

• Make sure the language used is appropriate to the receiver like using simple rather than complex words
• Keep the channel of communication as short as possible because the more people a message is passed through, the greater the risk of it beings changed before getting to the final receiver
• Sender must always insist on receiving feedback to show understanding

Question 28

How can communication barriers be reduced or removed? (Card 2)

Answer 28

• Sender must use appropriate medium
• Physical barriers like noise should be removed
• Management must build a culture of trust and respect between all employees