Business Communication

CONTENTS
• Module 1 - Business Communication,
Management and Success
• Module 2 - Adapting Your Message to
Your Audience
• Module 3 - Communicating Accross
Cultures
• Module 4 - Planning, Writing and Revising
• Module 5 - Designing Documents, Slides
and Screens
MODULE: 1

Business Communication, Management

and Success
What is communication?

• Derived from latin word "communis,"

meaning to share.
• Communication is the process of
sending and recieving information, ideas,
opinions and facts between 2 or more
people
Business Communication Definition

• Business communication is the sharing of

information between people within in an
organization that is performed for the
commercial benefit of the organization
Process of Communication

• Communication is a process whereby

information is encoded, chanelled and
sent by a sender to a reciever via some
medium.
• A hindrance in the communication is called
noise
Components of Communication

• Sender - initiates the communication

process by developing an idea into a
message knoown as encoding
• Channel -The sender transmits the
message through a channel, or a method
of delivery;
• Reciever - This message then moves
through the channel to the reciever, who
completes the communcation process by
interpreting and assigning meaning to the
message known as decoding.
• Feedback - this is critical component in the
communication process as it ensures a
message was properly recieved and
interpreted
Types of Communication

• One - way communication

Involves the transfer of information in one
direction only, from the sender to the
reciever.
• Two - way communication
Is a form of transmission in which both
parties are involved, transmit information.
Verbal Communication
In this type of communication the
proffesional uses language as a vehicle of
communication.
• Oral communication - A face-to-face
interaction between the sender and
reciever.
• Written Communication - The sender uses
the written mode to transmit his/her
messages.
Non - Verbal Communication

• When a message is communicated

without using a word, the process requires
non-verbal cues to be transmitted and
received.

Eg. facial expressions, posture, eye contact,

walk, person’s voice, sign language, body
language volume, pitch, voice modulation
etc.
Formal Communication

• Communication takes place through the

formal channels of the organization
structure along the lines of authority
established by the management.
Informal Communication

• Communication arising out of all those

channels of communication that fall
outside the formal channels is known as
informal communication.
• Informal communication does not follow
lines of authority as is the case of formal
communication.
Formal Informal

Official Channel Unofficial Channel

Planned and systematic Cut accross formal relationships

Goal and task oriented Individual goal and need oriented

Impersonal Personal and Social

Stable and Rigid Flexible and instable

Slow and structured Fast and unstructured

Non - Authentic - Bigger chance of

Authentic - little chance of distortion
distortion
Communication Flows

• Upward Communication
Upward Communication is the process of
information flowing from the lower levels of a
hierarchy to the upper levels.

The function of upward communication is to

send information, suggestions, complaints
and grievances of the lower level workers to
the managers above.
• Downward Communication
Communication in the first place, flows
downwards.
All information in this medium is usually in
form of instructions, directions and orders.
This direction of communication strengthens
the authoritarian structure of the
organization.
• Lateral / Horizontal Communication
This type of communication takes place
between persons at the same level or
working under the same executive.
The main use of this is to maintain
coordination and review activities assigned
to various subordinates.
• Diagonal Communication
• External Communication
Interpersonal and Intrapersonal

• Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal communication is an
exchange of information between two or
more people.
• Intrapersonal Communnication
It is the communication which takes place
within one’s own self.
• Mass Communication
It is a means of conveying messages to an
entire populace.
This is generally identified with tools of
modern mass media, which include books,
the press, cinema, television, radio, internet
etc. It also includes speeches delivered by
leaders to a large audience
MODULE: 2

Adapting Your Message to Your Audience

Start by answering this questions:

• Who is my Audience?
• Why is audience so important?
• What do I need to know about my
audience(s)?
Start by answering these questions

• Now that I have my analysis, what do I do

with it?
• What if my audiences have different
needs?
• How do I reach my audience(s)?
Kinds of Audiences

• Primary Audience
First sees your message and routes it to others
• Gatekeeper
Someone who can stop your message from
getting to the primary audience
• Secondary Audience
may be asked to comment on your message or
implement its ideas once they are approved.
• Watchdog Audience
Have no power to stop a message or act directly
on it but have political , social or economic
power.
PAIBOC

• P - What are your purposes in writing?

• A - Who is (are) your audiences?
• I - What information must your message
include?
• B - What reasons or reader benefits can
you use to support your position?
• O - What objections can you expect your
reader(s) to have?
• C - How will the context affect reader
response?
Audience Analysis Factor

• Emphaty
• Knowledge
• Demographic Factors
• Values and Beliefs
• Personality
• Past Behavior
Discourse Community

• A group of people who share assumptions

about
 What channels, formats, and styles to use.
 What topic to discuss
 How to discuss topics
 What constitutes evidence
Organizational (Corporate) Culture

• Norms of behavior in an organization are

revealed
 Verbally through the organization's myths,
stories, and heroes.
 Non-verbally through the allocation of space,
money, and power.
Adapting messages to an Audience

• Strategy
• Organization
• Word Choice
• Document Design
• Photographs and Design
Written Messages

• Make it easier to
 Present many specific details.
 Present extensive or complex financial data.
 Minimize undesirable emotions
Oral messages

• Make it easier to
 Answer questions, resolve conflicts and build
consensus.
 Use emotion to persuade.
 Get immediate action or response.
 Focus the readers attention.
 Modify a proposal unacceptable in its original
form.
Communication Channels

• Channels vary according to

 Speed
 Accuracy of transmission.
 Cost
 Number of messages carried.
 Number of people reached.
 Efficiency
 Ability to promote goodwill.
For Written and Oral Messages

• Adapt the message to the audience

• Show the audiencehow it will benefit from
the idea, policy, service or product.
• Overcome any objections the audience
may have.
• Use you-attitude and positive emphasis.
• Use visual to clarify or emphasize material
• Specify what the audience should do.
MODULE: 1

Cross - Cultural Communication

Importance of Cross - Cultural
Communication
• Cross - cultural communication in
business happens between two any
companies regardless of their location.
To effect productive business
relationships,
every organization needs to be sensitive
to the potential issues of cross-cultural
communication.
Common Ground

• When a company engages in cross-

cultural communication, the first thing to
establish isthe common ground with the
new business partner. It begins with the
most effective waysto communicate.
Breaking through on common ground can
help the two sides to establisha productive
dialogue that will enhance the business
relationship
Informational Context

• Different corporate cultures require

different levels of information. Developing
the properinformational context is critical
when communicating with a new business
partner, and itbegins by understanding the
work culture of your business partner and
how information isprocessed.
Trust

• When a new business partner takes the

time and effort to establish good cross-
culturalcommunication, it helps to elevate
the level of trust and respect between the
two partners.Respect for other companies
business processes is critical in
establishing an efficient workrelationship.
Quality

• Working within the guidelines of a new

business partners corporate culture helps
to improve communication at all levels of
both organizations. The quality of
theinformation improves when it is
delivered in a manner that each company
isaccustomed to. Not only does the quality
of the information passed between the
twocompanies improve, but the quality of
the relationship with clients and
othervendors that are affected by the
relationship also improves.
Cultural Variables Affecting Communication

• On a different level it is also useful to be

aware of culturalvariables that can affect
the communication process byinfluencing
a person’s perceptions. Some of
thesevariables have been identified.
Cultural Variables Affecting Communication

• Attitude
• Social Organizations
• Thought Patterns
• Roles
• Language
• Non - verbal communication
• Time
Attitudes

• Attitudes underlie the way we behave and

communicate and theway we interpret
messages from other people.
Ethnocentricattitudes are a particular
source of noise in cross-
culturalcommunication.
Social Organization

• Our perceptions can be influenced by

differences in values,approach, or
priorities relative to the kind of social
organizationsto which we belong.
Thought Pattern

• Every culture have different thought

patterns and logics towardsanything vision
and traditions are different from one
another. Mostlydepend on experience
education and family background.
Roles

• (Manager Perception) Manager reflects

the culture of its own organization. How
managerperceive is very important, he
should properly understood all
theobjectives. Wrong perception result in
miscommunication
Language

• Spoken or written language is a frequent

cause of miscommunication. accurate
translation is a bridge to covercultural
gaps. language also conveys cultural and
social understandings.
Time

• Another variable that communicates

culture is the way people regard and use
time.
Mono-chronic time systems
It is related to time commitment
Poly-chronic time systems
Rather than giving importance to time this
system gives priorityto persons.
Non-Verbal Communication

• Behavior that communicates without

words. As it is said:
“A picture is worth a thousand words”
It includes:
1. Kinesics behavior
2. Proxemics
3. Paralanguage
4. Object/material
Kinesics behavior

• It refers to communication throughbody

movement, postures, facialexpressions,
gestures and eyecontact.
Prosemics Behavior

• It deals with the influence ofpower and

space incommunication.
High contact
(minimizing thegaps and good understanding)
Low contact
(it prefers less involvement witheach other)
Paralanguage

• It refers to how something issaid rather

than the content. for
e.g. The rate and tone of speech.
Object / Material

• Environment speaks througheffects and

material as howmuch object or
productattracts the person. Such asoffice
design, furniture,appearance, etc.
Managing Cross-Cultural Communication

Step towards effective inter cultural

communication includes
1. Developing cultural sensitivity
2. Careful encoding
3. Selective transmission
4. Careful decoding of feedback
5. Follow-up actions
Cultural Sensitivity

• Encode the message in a form that will

most likely be understood as it is intended
This means the manager must:
Be aware of their own culture
The recipient’s culture
The expectations surrounding the situation
Careful Encoding

• The sender must consider the receiver’s frame

of reference tomake the best choice regarding

Words
Pictures
Gestures

Remember that language translation is only part of

the process,consider the nonverbal language as
well
Selective Transmission

• The channel medium should be chosen

after considering:

The nature of the message

Level of importance
Context and expectations of the receiver
Timing involved
Personal interactions
Careful Decoding of Feedback

• Best means for obtaining accurate

feedback is face-to-face interactions.Best
means for avoiding miscommunication is
to improve your own listening and
observation skills.
Three types of miscommunications:
 Receiver misinterpreted the message
 Receiver encoded response incorrectly
 Sender misinterprets the feedback
Appropriate Follow-Up Actions:
(eye contact, posture, tone, etc.)
• Interaction posture – ability to respond in a
descriptive, non-evaluative, and non-
judgmental way
• Orientation to knowledge – understand
that your beliefs andperceptions are only
valid for you and not everyone else.
• Empathy
Cultural Conflict

Jonathan H. Turner defines it as:

“Differences in cultural valuesand beliefs
that place people at odds with one another".
In another words, conflict may arise
whenever there are cultural differences.
Causes of conflict

• Misunderstandings through language,

attitude and way ofcommunication.
• Cultural ignorance and insensitivity
• Lack of awareness of different societal
lifestyle practices
• Differences in cultural practice
• Differences in perception
• Misinterpretation can take place
Conclusion

• Effective cross culture communication is a

vital skill for internationalmanagers and
domestic managers of multi cultural work
forcesbecause miscommunication is much
more likely to occur amongpeople from
different countries or racial backgrounds
that amongthose from similar background.
So it is important to be alert to howculture
is reflected in communication.