Chapter 1

Business Communication
Foundations

Communications in Business
Williams, Krizan, Logan, & Merrier
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 Business Communication

The process of establishing a common

understanding between or among
people within a business environment.

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The Importance of Communicating
Effectively
Getting jobs you want
Gaining promotions
Providing leadership
Being productive on the job
Relating positively to others
Assuring the success of your
organization
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 Internal and External
Communication
Internal
Involves day-to-day exchange
among employees
External
Flows between an organization and
the entities with which it interacts

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Business Communication is
Transactional

Give-and-take relationship
between sender and receiver in
order to establish a common
understanding

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Goals of Business Communication

1. Receiver understanding

2. Receiver response

3. Favorable relationship

4. Organizational goodwill

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Internal Communication Patterns

Vertical

Horizontal

Network

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 Formal Communication

Is business related
May be written or oral
Is planned by the organization
Flows in all directions
Is essential for effective operation
of the business
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 Informal Communication

Is both business-related and

personal
Is not planned by the organization
Flows in all directions
Develops and maintains positive
human relationships
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 Serial Communication

Chainof three or more people

Messages usually change as passed
Senders should
Keep the message simple
Request feedback

Receivers should
Take notes
Repeat the message

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 Grapevine

Managers should:
Be open, honest, and as complete as
possible
Monitor the grapevine to learn whether
formal messages have been understood
or need restating
Identify and work with those who are
key sources of grapevine information
Ask employees how they use the
grapevine
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Communication Process Model

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 Office Politics

The competitive
environment that
exists within the
corporate culture

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 Political Fundamentals

Be honest and ethical in all dealings

with people
Believe in yourself
Believe in your work
Do the best job you can
Keep your commitments
Be a pleasant person
Feel true respect for everyone
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 Senders Role

Selecting the type of message

Analyzing the receiver
Using the you-viewpoint
Encouraging feedback
Removing communication
barriers
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 Receivers Role

Listeningor reading carefully

Being open to different types of
senders and to new ideas
Making notes when necessary
Providing appropriate feedback to the
sender
Asking questions to clarify the
message
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 Verbal and Nonverbal
Communication

Verbal Communication
Uses words

Nonverbal Communication
Does not use words

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Message Channels

Written

Oral

Nonverbal

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 The You-Viewpoint

The sender gives primary

consideration to the
receivers point of view when
composing and sending
messages

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Analyzing the Receiver

Knowledge

Interests

Attitudes

Emotional Reaction
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 Feedback

The senders role includes

providing for feedback
Ask directly or indirectly for a
response
Assist the receiver in giving the

response
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Communication Barriers

Any factor that interferes

with the success of the
communication process

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 Communication Barrier: Word Choice

Denotative versus connotative

meaning

Idioms

Implications and inferences

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More Communication Barriers

Incorrect grammar, sentence

structure, punctuation, and
spelling
Wrong message type
Poor message appearance
Poor appearance of the sender
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More Communication Barriers

Distracting environmental
factors
Receivers capability
Ineffective listening skills
Other barriers

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