BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS

There is probably no successful business enterprise—probablyno successful enterprise

of any sort—that does not rely for its success to great extent upon the ability of its

participants to communicate with each other and with extraneous persons. Business is not

transacted in a vacuum; there must be exchange between the parties. Haimann and Hilgert

define “communication” as follows:

Effective communication means that there is a successful transfer of information,

meaning, and understanding from a sender to a receiver. In other words, communication is

the process of importing ideas and of making oneself understood by others. The exchange is

successful onlu when manual understanding results, even though agreement is not necessary.1

Business communication falll into two main catergories, verbal and written. More

time is spent studying and perfecting writtencommunications, despite the fact that verbal

communications bring quicker results, are more easily understood, can be strengthened with

gestures and expressions, are informal, and make up a major portion of all comunications.

Moreover, our close working realtioships, our telephones, even our tadios and televisions,

make verbal communcatins not only functional but practical.

Most successful businesses have long recognized that effective verbal

communications contribute directly to their success; yet many appear to believe that written

communications deserve greater attention because they are used more frequently in dealing

outside the firm. Keeling et al. Explain thta written communications “occur less frequently

buy make up the grater part of the formal communication system and hence constitute the

1
Theo Haimann and Rayond L. Hilgert, Supervision: Concept and Practices of
Management (Cincinnati: South-Western Publishing Co., 1972), pp. 75-76

Savira Toscalini S
P.121-122
Leftbound
chief point of emphasis in an office communicating system.”2 Written communications, it is

said, have the following advantages:

1. They confirm facts and intentions. Any important verbal conversatin should be
confirmed in writting.

2. They constitute proof. The signature on a letter can have the same effect as a
signature on a formal contract.

3. They ca be retained for historical reference

4. They ovrcome some of the natural barriers (such as shyness) inherent in verbal
communications.

Make no mistake; both verbal and written communications are the stuff upon which

business is built—not only for the business but for the businessperson. Both forms

communication deserve careful study. The prospective businessperson should be able to

read and write skillfully; he or she needs to be able to speak and listen with equal skill.

2
B. Lewis Keeling, Norman F. Kallaus, and John J. W. Neuner, Administrative
Office Management (Cincinnati: South-Western Publishing CO., 1978), p. 161.

Savira Toscalini S
P.121-122
Leftbound