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Business
Communication:Concepts & Theories
Business Communication 7 Cs of Communication - Modes of Communication -
Process of Communication - Levels of Communication - Flow of Communication -
Barriers to Communication
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What is Communication?
A process of expressing ideas and feelings or of giving people
information.
Plays a central role in our lives
Is essential for the existence of our society
Plays a prominent role in the functioning of different
professional organisations
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communication
communicare
share
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Communication Competence
Is the ability to express views in an effective manner, enabling
one to achieve goals and enhance relationships
Is situational
It is not an inherent personal quality
A person can be proficient in some aspects of communication
and less proficient in others
However, this quality can be developed
Merely processing a large array of communication skills is not
a guarantee of communication competence To develop such competence, one must acquire the ability to
choose the most appropriate behavior in given situation4
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1. Idea/
message
2. sender
3.encoding
4.Medium/
channel
5.
Noise
6. Receiver
7.Decoding
8.
feedback
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The Source Planning Your Message
Before you start communicating, take a
moment to figure out what you want to say,
and why.
Don't waste your time conveying information
that isn't necessary and don't waste thelistener or reader's time either.
Too often, people just keep talking or keep
writing because they think that by saying
more, they'll surely cover all the points.
Often, however, all they do is confuse the
people they're talking to. 7
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To plan your communication:
Understand your objective. Why are youcommunicating?
Understand your audience. With whom are youcommunicating? What do they need to know?
Plan what you want to say, and how you'll send themessage.
Seek feedback on how well your message wasreceived.
When you do this, you'll be able to craft a messagethat will be received positively by your audience.
Good communicators use the KISS ("Keep It Simpleand Straightforward") principle. They know that less isoften more, and that good communication should beefficient as well as effective. 8
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EncodingCreating a Clear, Well-Crafted Message
When you know what you want to say, decide exactly how
you'll say it.
You're responsible for sending a message that's clear andconcise.
To achieve this, you need to consider not only what you'll say,but also how you think the recipient will perceive it.
We often focus on the message that we want to send, and theway in which we'll send it.
But if our message is delivered without considering the otherperson's perspective, it's likely that part of that message willbe lost. To communicate more effectively:
Understand what you truly need and want to say.
Anticipate the other person's reaction to your message.
Choose words and body language that allow the other personto really hear what you're saying.
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With written communication, make sure that what youwrite will be perceived the way you intend. Words on a
page generally have no emotion they don't "smile" or
"frown" at you while you're reading them (unless you're a
very talented writer, of course!) When writing, take time to do the following:
Review your style.
Avoid jargons or slangs.
Check your grammar and punctuation.
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Check also for tone, attitude, and other subtleties. If you
think the message may be misunderstood, it probably
will. Take the time to clarify it!
Familiarize yourself with your company's writing policies.
Another important consideration is to use pictures,
charts, and diagrams wherever possible. As the saying
goes, "a picture speaks a thousand words."
Also, whether you speak or write your message, considerthe cultural context.
If there's potential for miscommunication or
misunderstanding due to cultural or language barriers,
address these issues in advance. Consult with people who are familiar with these, and do
your research so that you're aware of problems you may
face.11
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Choosing the Right Medium/Channel
Along with encoding the message, you need to choose the
best communication channel to use to send it.
You want to be efficient, and yet make the most of your
communication opportunity.
Using email to send simple directions is practical. However, if
you want to delegate a complex task, an email will probably
just lead to more questions, so it may be best to arrange a
time to speak in person.
And if your communication has any negative emotionalcontent, stay well away from email!
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Make sure that you communicate face to face orby phone, so that you can judge the impact of
your words and adjust these appropriately. When you determine the best way to send a
message, consider the following:
The sensitivity and emotional contentof the subject.
How easy it is to communicate detail.
The receiver's preferences.
Time constraints.
The need to ask and answerquestions. 13
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Medium : oral / written
Channel: phone / email / memos / etc.
Feedback: the sender becomes the receiver
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Decoding Receiving and Interpreting a
Message
It can be easy to focus on speaking; we want to get our points
out there, because we usually have lots to say.
However, to be a great communicator, you also need to step
back, let the other person talk, and just listen .
Receiver should be careful to decode the message properlyand correctly.
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Feedback/Response You need feedback, because without it, you can't be sure that
people have understood your message.
Sometimes feedback is verbal, and sometimes it's not.
Feedback through body language is perhaps the most
important source of clues to the effectiveness of your
communication.
By watching the facial expressions, gestures, and posture of
the person you're communicating with, you can spot:
Confidence levels.
Defensiveness.
Agreement. Comprehension (or lack of understanding).
Level of interest.
Level of engagement with the message.
Truthfulness (or lying/dishonesty).
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As a speaker, understanding your listener's bodylanguage can give you an opportunity to adjust yourmessage and make it more understandable,
appealing, or interesting. As a listener, body language can show you more
about what the other person is saying.
You can then ask questions to ensure that you have,
indeed, understood each other. In both situations,you can better avoid miscommunication if it happens.
Feedback can also be formal. If you're communicatingsomething really important, it can often be worthasking questions of the person you're talking to makesure that they've understood fully.
And if you're receiving this sort of communication,repeat it in your own words to check yourunderstanding.
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1. Clear
When writing or speaking to someone, be clear about yourgoal or message.
What is your purpose in communicating with this person?
If you're not sure, then your audience won't be sure either. To
be clear, try to minimize the number of ideas in eachsentence.
Make sure that it's easy for your reader to understand your
meaning.
People shouldn't have to "read between the lines" and makeassumptions on their own to understand what you're trying to
say.19
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2. Concise
When you're concise in your communication, you stick to
the point and keep it brief. Your audience doesn't want
to read six sentences when you could communicate your
message in three.
Are there any adjectives or "filler words" that you can
delete? You can often eliminate words like "for instance,""you see," "definitely," "kind of," "literally," "basically," or
"I mean."
Are there any unnecessary sentences?
Have you repeated the point several times, in differentways?
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3. Concrete
When your message is concrete, then your audience has a
clear picture of what you're telling them.
There are details (but not too many!) and vivid facts, and
there's laserlike focus.
Your message is solid
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4. Correct
When your communication is correct, it fits your
audience.
And correct communication is also error-free
communication.
Do the technical terms you use fit your audience's level
of education or knowledge?
Have you checked your writing for grammatical errors?
Remember, spell checkers won't catch everything.
Are all names and titles spelled correctly?
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5. Coherent
When your communication is coherent, it's logical.
All points are connected and relevant to the main topic
the tone and flow of the text is consistent
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6. Complete
In a complete message, the audience has
everything they need to be informed and, if
applicable, take action.
Does your message include a "call to action", sothat your audience clearly knows what you want
them to do?
Have you included all relevant information
contact names, dates, times, locations, and so
on?24
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7. Courteous
Courteous communication is friendly, open, and
honest.
There are no hidden insults or passive-aggressive
tones. You keep your reader's viewpoint in mind, and
you're empathetic to their needs.
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Modes of Communication
Modes of
Communication
Formal &Informal
Oral & WrittenInternal &External
Verbal & Non-Verbal
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Formal & Informal
Communication The formality or informality of communication depends
on ones relationship with the sender or receiver.
When working directly for the goal of the organisation,
formal communication is used.
Both are equally important
The mode used is decided by the relationship, purpose,
and occasion
Informal communication may also be known as
grapevine.
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Oral & Written
Two equally important categories: written & oral
Written mode has several advantages over the oral mode
But it has its disadvantages too!!
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S. No. Written Oral
1. Delayed feedback Immediate feedback
2. Formal Conversational
3. Focus on content Focus on interpersonal relations
4. Complex constructions Simpler constructions
5. Delayed action Prompt action
6. Permanent record; documentation No records can be kept
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Forms of Oral & Written Communication
OralC
ommunication Face - to - face conversations
Telephone conversations
Meetings
Seminars
Conferences
Presentations
Group Discussions
Interviews
WrittenC
ommunication Memos
Letters
Emails
Faxes
Notices
Circulars
Reports
Proposals Research Papers
Bulletins
Manuals30
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Internal
Within theorganisation
Usually planned,Preset Formats
Used to informthe members
Dissemination ofinformation to
various depts. &employees
External
Outside theorganisation
To expand theboundaries of
business
Coordinates withexternal agencies
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Verbal & Non-verbal Communication
Verbal Communication
Verbal communication includes both written and oral.
It is related to the use of words in communication.
Anything that we speak or write comes under the
category of verbal communication.
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Non-verbal Communication
Refers to all communication that occurs without the use
of words: spoken or written.
It includes all unwritten and unspoken messages; both
intentional and unintentional.
Non-verbal cues, however, speak louder than words
Speech can be made up, bodily expressions can rarely bemasked well
Interpretation of non-verbal cues is a very subjective
concept. 33
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Kinesics
The study of the bodys physical movements
Kinesic behaviour can be deliberate as well as
unintentional
It includes:
1. Personal appearance
2. Posture
3. Gesture4. Facial Expressions
5. Eye Contact35
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Chronemics
Is the study of human beings communicate
through their use of time
Time is a valuable resource; in the professional
world
Misuse of time can make people react negatively By valuing someone elses time we communicate
professionalism or seriousness subtly and
explicitly36
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Proxemics
Is the study physical space in interpersonal relations
Space is related to behavioural norms
The way people use space say a lot about them
In a professional setting, space is also used to signal power
and status
Four kinds of zones:
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Intimate Personal Social Public
18 inches 1.5 feet 4 feet 4 12 feet 12 25 feet or
more
Starts with personal
touch
colleagues Formal relationship Formal events
Special
circumstances
Spontaneous &
unplanned comm.
Planned comm. Detached
listener-speaker
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Paralinguistic Features
Study of human voice and how words are spoken
It determines non-verbal vocal cues that help us give urgency
to our voice
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Quality
Volume
Rate / Pace
Pitch
Articulation
Pronunciation
Is innate but can be improved by practice
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Is innate but can be improved by practice
Soft, thin, nasal, hoarse, husky, harsh, irritating etc.Quality
Is different from projection
Should be in accordance with the listenersVolume
No. of words per minute
Normal rate is 120-150 words/minuteRate / Pace
No. of vibrations of our voice / second
Rise & fall conveys certain emotionsPitch
speaker should be careful not to slop, slurp, chop,or omit sounds between words or sentencesArticulation
Follow standard pronunciation
Consult dictionary, correct stress
Pronunciation
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Extrapersonal Communication
Communication between human beings and
non-human entities is extra personal
communication. For example, when your
pet dog comes to you wagging its tail as
soon as you return home from work, it is anexample of extrapersonal communication.
A parrot responding to your greeting is an
example of extrapersonal communication.
This type of communication requires perfect
coordination and understanding.
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Intrapersonal Communication Intrapersonal Communication is defined as
the communication process within an
individual.
The communication occurs within one's
mind or when an individual talks to him or
herself when nobody is around.
Intrapersonal communication can aid in
helping an individual become more social,
like a pat on the back and saying that 'you
can do it'.
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Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal communication is exchange of information
between two or more people.
Related skills are learned and can be improved.
During interpersonal communication there is message
sending and message receiving.
This can be conducted using both direct and indirect
methods.
Successful interpersonal communication is when the
message senders and the message receivers understand
the message. 43
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It helps us in understanding that how and why peoplebehave to each other in different ways so constructs and
negotiate a social reality.
Interpersonal communication comes from the differentkind of backgrounds.
The people talk in different ways because of their
culture, their gender and how they learned to perceivethe world.
Through engaging with each other, interpersonalcommunication skills help to get knowledge about otherindividual.
Every culture is different in number of ways as well as inverbal or non-verbal languages and consequently culturaldiversity can strain the organizational communication.
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Organisational Communication
Takes place within the organisation
Takes place at different hierarchical levels
Inter-operational, External-operational, Personal
Is of three kinds:
Inter-operational all communication that occurs in the process of
operations within an organization
External-operational work related communication that an
organisation has with outside the organisation
Personal all communication other than that for business purposes
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Mass Communication
Mass communication technically refers to the process of
transferring or transmitting a message to a large group of
people.
typically, this requires the use of some form of media such as
newspapers, television, or the Internet. The audience is anonymous.
Approach is impersonal.
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Between human beings & non-human entitiesExtrapersonal
Takes place within an individual
Without this one cannot move to further levelsIntrapersonal
Sharing of information among people Roles of sender and receive keep alternatingInterpersonal
Takes place at different hierarchical levels
Inter-operational, external-operational, personalOrganisational
Meant for larger audiences; requires a medium to transmit
Audience is heterogeneous and anonymous; approach isimpersonal
Mass47
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