Understanding Business Communication

Business Communication Session I

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Session 1

Introduction to Communication Components Nature and Types Barriers to Communication Ethics and Communication

Communicating in Organizations

An organization is a group of people working together to achieve common goals. Communication is vital to that process. Understanding how communication works in business and how to communicate competently within an organization can help you participate more effectively in every aspect of business. Competent writing and speaking skills will help you get hired, perform well, and earn promotions.

The components of communication

Stimulus Filter Message Medium Destination

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Feedbac k
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Dave Kaplan Case

Let us follow the case of Dave Kaplan a Chemical Engineer at Industrial Chemical ,INC .In 1998, in the process of working on another project, Dave developed ULTRA LIGHT ,a flat ,electroluminescent sheet of material that serves as a light source .Dave could see the enormous business opportunity offered by a paper-thin light fixture ,such as Ultra Light , which was bendable and could be produced in a variety of shapes and sizes. The market for lighting is vast ,and Dave ,even though at the time an engineer and not a business man ,felt the sting of inventing a device that had great potential ,but that belonged to somebody else (Industrial Chemical ,INC). He was disappointed in ICs eventual decision not to manufacture and market this product .As we learnt what happened to Dave Caplan after ICs decision , we will examine the components of communication ,one at a time

Match the following

Incident 1 Dave receives a memorandum from the head of R&D He interprets the memo to mean that IC has no interest in his invention Communication Component He filters the stimulus Marc provides feedback

The message reaches its destination

He selects a medium He forms a message Dave receives a stimulus

He decides to relay this information to his brother

He telephones Marc His brother receives the call. Marc listens and gives Dave his reaction

4 5 6.

Correct Answer
Incident Communication Component He filters the stimulus Marc provides feedback The message reaches its destination He selects a medium He forms a message Dave receives a stimulus

Dave receives a 2 memorandum from the 6 head of R&D 5 He interprets the memo to mean that IC has no interest in his invention 4
He decides to relay this 3 information to his 1 brother He telephones Marc His brother receives the call. Marc listens and gives Dave his reaction

4 5

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The Components of Communication

Communication is the process of sending and receiving messages through spoken or written words or through nonverbal means.

The Components of Communication

The Stimulus

Internal or Externalis an event that creates within an individual the need to communicate. You respond to the stimulus by formulating a message, either a verbal message (written or spoken words), a nonverbal message (nonwritten and non-spoken signals), or some combination of the two.

The Filter
consists of a person's unique impression of reality based on that person's experiences, culture, emotions at the moment, personality, knowledge, socioeconomic status, and other variables. The brain receives the stimulus that is the source of the communication, interprets the stimulus, and derives meaning from it in determining what responseif anyis necessary.

The Message The message consists of the verbal and nonverbal symbols that represent information you want to transmit. The extent to which your communication achieves its goal depends directly on how you construct your message to suit your audience

The Medium The medium is the form the message takes. The medium can be oral (for example, a phone call), written (a letter), or nonverbal (a smile).

The destination

The greatest problem in communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished. George Bernard Shaw
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The destination

The destination is the point at which the transmitted message enters the sensory environment of the receiver. At this point, control passes from the sender to the receiver, and the transmitted message becomes the source, or stimulus, for the next communication. A response or reaction to a message provides feedback.

FACE

Nature of Communication

From a look at the communication model it is very easy to infer that communication is a linear and static process-flowing in an orderly fashion from one stage to the nextand that one can easily separate the communicators into senders and receivers. But that is not at all what happens.

Two or more people often send and receive messages simultaneously. While a person is receiving one message ,he may be at the same time sending another message. For example, the look on the face as one is receiving the message may be sending a new message to the sender. This may mean that the receiver either understands the message, agrees with it or is baffled by it.

Now this feedback may prompt the sender to modify his or her intended message. Thus artificially freezing the action in order to examine each step of the communication process may lead to lose some of the dynamic richness of the process in terms of both its verbal and non-verbal components.

Verbal communication
Oral
One-on-one conversations Meetings

Written
Memorandums Letters

Phone calls
Presentations Videoconferences

Email
Reports Miscellaneous 1.4

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Formal communication network

CEO

Upward

VP-1

VP-2

Downward

Cross-Channel

MGR-1

MGR-2

MGR-3

MGR-4

Horizontal
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The grapevine is ...

Business related Accurate Pervasive Rapid Most active during change Normal

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Verbal barriers

Inadequate knowledge or vocabulary

Differences in interpretation
Language differences

Inappropriate use of expressions

Over abstraction and ambiguity Polarization
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Nonverbal barriers

Inappropriate or conflicting signals Differences in perception Inappropriate emotions Distractions

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Ethics and communication

Defamation Slander Libel Invasion of privacy Fraud Misrepresentation

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Other Ethical Considerations.

Is this message true? Does it exaggerate? Does it withhold or obscure information that should be communicated? Does it promise something that can not be delivered?

Does it betray confidence? Does it play unduly on the fears of the reader? Does it reflect the wishes of the organization?

Remember !!!

Competent communicators use their knowledge of Communication to achieve their goals while acting in an ethical manner.

Communication Process

Use an incident from any recent television program to illustrate each of the five components of the communication process. Identify any communication barrier that you observe.

Communication Directions

Think of an organization that you are familiar with. Provide a specific illustration of each of the four directions in the formal communication network. Also develop an organizational chart representing this.