LECTURE 1 -

UNDERSTANDING BUSINSESS
COMMUNICATION
1
CHANGING NATURE OF ORGANIZATIONS
Shift from . . .

hierarchical (tall) to decentralized (flat) structures
climate of authority (control) to climate of coaching
(support through performance feedback)
analog to digital (computerized information
technology)
regional or national competition to global
competition

2
CHARACTERISTICS OF PRESENT DAY ORGANISATIONS
Diversity
Work teams
Technology
Empowerment
Cost containment
Environmental concerns
Outsourcing
3

WHY BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
Research conducted in 2000 by the National
Association of College Employers (NACE) identified
the top ten characteristics employers seek in a job
candidate .
No 1 was Communication Skills, followed by
motivation/initiative and team work skills.
4
WHY B C
A survey of 224 recent business graduates ranked
communication as the most important area of
knowledge both for securing employment after
graduation and for advancement and promotion once
on the job.
5
WHY B C ...
A survey of 6000 people conducted by Young
Executive magazine found that the most annoying habit
of American bosses was poor communication.

A survey of 200 corporate vice presidents reported they
spend the equivalent of nearly three months a year
writing correspondence and reports.
6
WHY B C ...
Eighty percent of the managers at 402 firms surveyed
nationwide said that most of their employees need to
improve their writing skills, up from 65% previous
year. But only 21% of the firms offered training in
writing skills.
7
WHY STUDY COMMUNICATION?
The Only Completely Portable Skill
You will use it in every relationship
You will need it regardless of your career path
The Information Age
The history of civilization is the history of
information
Language and written documents facilitate the
transfer of information and knowledge through time
and space
8
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Stronger business
relationships
Clearer promotional
materials
Enhanced professional
image
Improved stakeholder
response
Lesser misunderstanding
Quicker problem
solving
Stronger decision
making
Increased productivity
Steadier work flow
Better Quality of
documents

9
FOR BUSINESS COMMUNICATION TO BE EFFECTIVE:
Brief
Well - designed
Precise
Specific
Short
Neat & clear
Understandable & comprehensive


10
UNDERSTANDING BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
What is business Communication:
Derived from Latin word 'communis' meaning-
common.
Common with respect to communication implies
commonality in perception and understanding.
It stands for natural activity of all human beings to
convey, opinion, feelings, information & ideas
through words, body language or signs.
11
DEFINITION
COMMUNICATION can be defined as the exchange
of information, ideas and knowledge between the
sender and the receiver through an accepted code of
symbols.
12
The transfer and understanding of meaning.

Transfer means the message was received in
a form that can be interpreted by the
receiver.

Understanding the message is not the same
as the receiver agreeing with the
message
Communication
13
DEFINITION
Robert Anderson, Professional Selling,

Communication is interchange of thoughts, opinions
or information, by speech, writing or signs.
Communication is the sending and receiving of
verbal and on verbal messages.
It includes both verbal and non verbal means (facial
expressions, gestures postures, voice quality
It can be in written or oral form


14
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF MANAGERIAL
COMMUNICATION
15
ERA
Ancient & Medieval

Scientific
Management


Administrative
Management

Human Relations


Behavioral


Empowerment


Contingency

Characteristics
Initial efforts to organize
commerce
Clearly defined job duties,
time specifications for
completing the task, adhere to
rules
Emphasis on authority &
discipline

Relationship among managers
&workers important

Complexity of OB &
communication recognized

Distribution of power to
everyone in the organization

Interdependence of jobs,
organizations and people
Communication
Written Records

One way communication,
heavy reliance on written job
instructions &rules

One way communication as in
scientific management

Listening & two way
communication

Difficult to apply theories


Two way communication,
participation of employees

Communication strategy must
be applied to the situation
FOUR FUNCTIONS OF COMMUNICATION
Functions of
Communication
Control Motivation
Emotional
Expression
Information
16
THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS
Sender has an idea
Sender encodes the idea
Sender transmits the message
Receiver gets the message
Receiver decodes the message
Receiver sends feedback
17
THE COMPONENTS OF COMMUNICATION
Stimulus
Filter
Message
Medium
Destination
F
e
e
d
b
a
c
k

18
THE STIMULUS
A stimulus creates a need to communicate
This stimulus can be internal or external.
An internal stimulus is simply an idea that forms within
your mind.
External stimuli come to you through your sensory
organs- eyes, years, nose, mouth & skin
Examples of stimulus : email, presentation that you read,
a gossip that you hear
Response to the stimulus is a message : verbal or non
verbal
19
THE FILTER

Each person has an unique perception of reality based on
experience, culture, emotions, personality, knowledge,
status etc,
These act as a filter and help us interpret (decode) the
stimulus
Compatible stimuli have greater impact than conflicting
stimuli

20
THE MESSAGE

Message is the information to be communicated
It is encoded as a verbal or non verbal response to
the stimulus
Not only purpose and content of the message are
important but also important are the audience and
how well you know them

21
THE MEDIUM

Medium is the form in which the message is transmitted to
the receiver. Important to select an appropriate medium for
the message
Need to consider the needs of the sender, the nature of the
receiver and the aims of the communication. Inappropriate
medium can be a barrier to effective communication
Oral messages might be transmitted through a staff
meeting, personal conference, telephone conversation,
press conference, voice mail or as through informal means
grapevine.
Written messages may be transmitted through a memo,
report , letter, contract, brochure, notice, email, newsletter,
press release, manual
22
THE DESTINATION

The message transmitted enters the sensory
environment of the receiver,
It is the intended destination
Once the message reaches its destination ,control
passes from the sender to the receiver.

23
THE INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION PROCESS
24
NOISE
It is defined as any unplanned interference in the
communication environment, which causes
hindrance to the transmission of message.

NOISE
Channel Semantic
Interference in the
mechanics of the
medium.
Generated internally
due to the errors in the
message
25
CHARACTERISTICS OF GENERAL AND BUSINESS
COMMUNICATION
GENERAL
COMMUNICATION
Contains a general message
Informal in style and approach
No set pattern of
communication
Mostly Oral
Not always for a specific
audience
Doesnt involve the usage of
technical vocabulary or graphics.
BUSINESS
COMMUNICATION
Contains a technical message
Mostly formal
Follows a set pattern
Both oral and written
Always for a specific audience
Frequently involves jargon,
graphics etc.
26
VERBAL COMMUNICATION
It is the ability to communicate by using word that
separates human beings from the rest of the animal
kingdom.
It is one of the most common functions in business
One needs to be effective for Verbal Communication
Skill
Listening skills is also important for success of verbal
communication
27
VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Oral
Videoconferences
Presentations
Phone calls
Meetings
One-on-one conversations
Written
Miscellaneous
Reports
Email
Letters
Memorandums
FLOW OF COMMUNICATION
Formal communication refers to the
communication that follows the official hierarchy
and is required to do ones job
Types
Downward Communication
Upward Communication
Horizontal Communication
Cross Channel Communication




29
Downward
FORMAL COMMUNICATION NETWORK
CEO
VP-1
MGR-1 MGR-2
VP-2
MGR-3 MGR-4




Upward
Horizontal
Cross-Channel
30
FLOW OF COMMUNICATION
Downward-From the manager down the chain of
command. Used by superiors to inform, advice and
convey.
Upward- Subordinates send reports and make
recommendations to superiors.
Horizontal/Lateral Amongst peer groups/people
of equal rank in organization.
Cross Channel/Diagonal-Flows in all directions
and cuts across functions and levels in an
organization
31
INFORMAL COMMUNICATION NETWORK
Grapevine:
Transmission through non-official channel within he
organization
At any place, at any time, at any work
Out of 80% information 75-90% is accurate
At every level
Information moves most rapidly
Vital part of organization

32
THE GRAPEVINE IS ...
Business related
Accurate
Pervasive
Rapid
Most active during change
Normal
33
WHAT EMPLOYERS EXPECT
Organizing and presenting ideas precisely and
with clarity
Listening effectively
Communicating across different contexts
Using communication technologies
Practicing business etiquette
Communicating ethically
34
TO SUM UP
Communication is lifeblood of every
organization
Speaking and writing effectively is important
across all areas of business including
management, technical, clerk and social
positions
The ability to speak and write in ways that are
sensitive to and mindful of the factors in
different cultural context is the norm of the day
35
36
MEMO
RE: UNSCHEDULED ABSENCES GUIDELINES
The following departmental guidelines apply to all
unscheduled absences.
1. A verbal warning will be granted to anyone with a pattern
of Monday/Friday absences. Three days are to be utilized as
an indicator.
2. Unscheduled absences on a day here, day there basis
warrants a verbal counseling on the fourth day and a verbal
warning (signed) by the fifth day.
3. After the fifth occurrence, employees must be placed on a
written warning for a 60- day period. Failure to comply may
result in probation and must be reviewed by Human
Resources.
I would like all these problem cases brought to my attention.
TIPS FOR REVISION
Consider the following questions:
Purpose
Audience Analysis
Content
Organization
Style

37