Business

communication
“People don’t get along
Because they fear each other
People fear each other
Because they don’t know each
other
They don’t know each other
Because they have not
communicated with each other”
The Importance of Communication
Skills as Expressed by Business
Authorities
“Top executives from Fortune 500 companies rate
communications skills as the most important
quality for business leaders.”
--
Business Section
New
York Times
“There may be no single thing more important in

our efforts to achieve meaningful work and fulfilling

relationships than to learn and practice the art of
communication.”
--Max De Pree,
Author
The Art of
Success for YOU in the new
global
and diverse workplace
requires excellent
communication skills!

© Jean-Louis Bellurget RF / Pixland / Jupiterimages

Defining communication
 “Natural activity of all human beings to
convey opinions, feelings, information
and ideas to others through words, body
language or signs”.
 “Purposive interchange, resulting in
workable understanding and agreement
between the sender and receiver of a
message”.
 “Interchange of thoughts, opinions, or
information, by speech, writing, or
signs”.
Classification of
communication
 Intrapersonal communication
 Interpersonal communication
 Group communication
 Mass communication
 Verbal communication
 Verbal communication
 Non-verbal communication
 Meta communication
Purpose of communication
 Inform
 - It is directed by the desire to
expose, develop, and explain the
subject.
 Persuade
 - Primarily to persuade the reader.
The primary focus is on the receiver
and not the message
The linear model

sender Media Message Receiver Action

Message
Shannon – Weaver Model

Noise



Information source Encoding process
ChannelDecoding process Destination

Feed back
How communication takes
place

1.Source create messages 2.Selects channel 3.Sends message

Feedback Noise

5. Filters
Experience 4.Receiver gets message
6. Interprets messages Feelings
Knowledge
Two way communication
process
Message Transmitter

Receiver

Communication symbols
Communication channel
Elements of communication
 Message
 Sender
 Encoding
 Channel
 Receiver
 Decoding
 Acting
 feedback
Major difficulties in
communication
 Ensuring received meaning affects
receivers behavior in the desired
way.
 Achieving accuracy in
communicating the message.
 Ensuring that the message conveys
the desired meaning
Barriers to communication
 Noise
 Lack of planning
 Wrong/ unclarified assumptions
 Cultural barriers
 Socio-psychological barriers
 Emotions
 Selective perception
 Filtering
 Information overload
 Poor listening
Sender (barriers)
 Lack of planning
 Vagueness about the purpose of
communication
 Choice of wrong language
 Unshared and unclarified
assumptions
 Wrong choice of channel
Receiver (barriers)
 Poor listening
 Inattention
 Mistrust
 Lack of interest
 Premature evaluation
 Different perception
 Bias
Socio – psychological
barriers
 Status
 Perception and reality
Conditions for successful
communication
 The message is properly understood
 The purpose of the sender is fulfilled
 The sender and receiver of the message
remain linked through feedback


sender Message Receiver

Feed
back
Rule of five
 Receive
 Understand
 Accept
 Use and give
 Feedback
Seven Cs of
communication
1.Candidness
2.Clarity
3.Completeness
4.Conciseness
5.Concreteness
6.Correctness
7.courtesy
Need for communication in
Management
 To increase employees job performance
 To effect changes smoothly
 To inform and convince employees about
decisions
 To develop employees clear understanding
of their roles
 To inform about the organizational goals
Why managers need
communication skills
 Interpersonal
 Informational
 Decisional
The Business Communication
Process
Communication structure in an
organisation
Information Flow in
Organizations
Managers Supervisors

Upward flow
Coworkers

Coworkers
Horizontal flow

Downward flow

Subordinates Supervisees
Categories of organizational
communication
 Vertical communication
 Horizontal communication
 - geographical locations of
divisions
 - Functional organization
Types of communication
system
 Formal communication
 - Line relationship
 - Functional relationship
 - Staff relationship
ØInformal communication
 - Chat
 - Grapevine
Merits of informal
communication
 Uniting force
 Speed
 Creation of ideas
 Goods personal relations
Limitations of informal
communication
 Rumours
 Inadequacy
 Changing interpretations
Information to be
communicated at workplace
 Statutory information
 Regular work – situation information
 Major policy or operational information
 Information bulletin
 Communication by expectancy
Factors Affecting the
Communication in a Business
 Nature of the business
 Operating plan
 Business environment
 Geographic dispersion
 People
 Company culture