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Business communicationBusiness communicationBusiness communicationBusiness communication

36 sessions36 sessions

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Books

Business Communication: By Shirley Taylor

Communication for Business: By Taylor S.

Business Communication: R.C. Sharma Mohan

The secrets of Body Language: Readers Digest Association

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Topics:

• Unit 1- Communication Skills– Nature, Scope and Functions of Communication

• Nature of Communication• Communication defined• Importance of Communication• Functions of Communication

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The role of communication in business

• Forms of communication

• Oral• Written• Computer

• All organized efforts including the work of business requires communication

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Main Forms of business in communication

Three categories of communication in business

1. Internal operation…giving orders, assembling reports..

2. External operations. personal selling, advertising..

Technology assists in constructing and sending these communications

3. Personal communication

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Main Forms of business in communication

• These internal and external communications takes place in a non verbal and verbal manner. Verbal manner is through general hearing, gestures, expressions, meetings, writing,

listening and speaking.

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Personal communication

• Non business related exchanges of information and feelings among people

• Personal communication affects workers attitude

• Attitude affects workers performance

• The extent of personal communication permitted affects workers attitude

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Communication network of the organization

• Information flow in a business forms a complex network

• The flow is mainly downward, but upward communication is also important

• The main formal lines of flow are like the network of arteries in the body

• The secondary informal network is like veins. It is highly complex and continually changing

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Communication network of the organization

• Managers can use the grapevine network effectively

• The extent of a business communication depends on the nature of the business, its operating plan, and the people involved.

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The process of human communication• The beginning: a message sent

• Entry in the sensory world

• Detection by the senses

• sent to the brain

• Filtering process

• Minds differ so message meanings differ

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The process of human communication

• Formation and sending of the response happens by reacting to the meaning

• Through the mind and its content the meaning of the response is determined

• Message is formed and sent

• Cycle is repeated

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Activity

• Telephone game: The noise or change in the content of information when a short story is conveyed from one student to the other (among 6 students)

• Link formation by sentences: by 6 students

• Sunday punch

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The communication process and the written communication

• Written communication differs from oral communication by

Is more likely to involve creative effort

• Has longer cycles

• Usually has fewer cycles

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Basic truths about communication

• Meanings sent are not always received

• Meanings are in mind not in symbols

• Symbols of communication are imperfect

• Communication across culture is especially difficult

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1.2 Communication Process, Principles and Patterns

• Communication Process• The Communication Process Model• Principles of Communication• Patterns of communication in organizations

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1.3 Barriers to communication

– Physical barriers– Semantic & Language barriers– Socio-psychological barriers– Organizational barriers– Cross-cultural barriers

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The communication barriers are:-

• Fear i.e. lack of confidence• Language• Power Of Speech• Motivation• Perception• Time limits

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Dealing with Communication Barriers

• Listening is the key to communicate your response effectively. So Listen carefully and perceive the message from the point of view of the sender.

• Develop and simultaneously sharpen your language skill and participate effectively in the communication process.

• Keep the focus on the purpose, by properly planning and conceptualizing your thoughts before giving a response.

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Dealing with Communication Barriers

• Use your time effectively and do not resort to long elaborations. Avoid extra or irrelevant communication by focusing on the point.

• To create an effective message, you must know about, and understand your audience.

• Communication should be organized in such a way that it conveys your message effectively. Knowledge of the subject, purpose and audience helps to structure the communication in such a way that it becomes easy for the audience to read and understand.

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Unit 2 –Oral Communication

• 2.1 Interpersonal Communication• Face to face conversation• Telephonic conversation• Social business conversation

• 2.2 Meetings • Purpose• Organizing & running meetings• Participating in Meetings• Meeting etiquette• Tele conferencing

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Verbal Communication

• Verbal communication means a systematic arrangement of words to form meaningful patterns. Verbal communication can be achieved through: -

• Speaking

• Writing

• Listening

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Non-Verbal communication• It expresses many things, but it has its own limitations. To communicate without the help of

language creates many problems in the business environment.

• Non verbal communication accounts for more of a total message than words do

• Nonverbal i.e. non word communication is broad and imprecise

• Cross cultural aspects give many meanings to non verbal communication

•

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Non-Verbal communication

• Be sensitive to intended non verbal meanings. go beyond the obvious

• Realize that nonverbal meanings can have many meanings

• Types of nonverbal communication• Body language• Space and• time

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Non-Verbal communication

• Usually business people prefer oral communication to written one, but at the same time relying completely on oral communication causes problems in organizations

• Therefore business people use both written and spoken

channels.

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Informal oral communication

• You will spend more time talking than writing in business

• Most of your oral communication will be informal

• Formal ones would be interviews, meetings, telephone calls,

dictation, speeches and oral reports.

• Talking is the oral expression of knowledge ,viewpoints ,and emotions through words.

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Informal oral communication

• Think about the best and the worst speakers on the basis of voice quality ,speaking style ,word choice ,adaptation.

• Good voice quality is:-• Varying the pitch ,changing delivery speed ,and alternating

volume.

• Practice word pronunciation ,voice range ,and volume

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Listening

• Poor listening is a major cause of miscommunication

• Listening is important in language skill development, in time spent communicating, and in business relations

• Listening involves sensing ,filtering ,and remembering.

• How well we sense spoken words is determined by our ability to sense sounds and our attentiveness

• Filtering is the process of giving symbols meanings through the unique contents of each persons mind

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Listening

• Remembering what we hear is a part of listening

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Importance of Listening

• Listening plays a significant role in the interactive process of business transaction and yet, when it is suggested to improve this skill through deliberate or conscious effort, it is viewed with surprise.

• One primary reason why listening is so important is the amount of time people spend just listening. Recent studies have revealed that usually people spend 32.7% of their time listening, while speaking takes up 25.8% and writing only 22.6%.

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Importance of Listening

• Good listening improves the quality of work and even increases the productivity. At the same time poor listening leads to innumerable mistakes which result into various types of problems even in our day to day life. In due course of time many of us develop certain bad listening habits that eventually create a pattern.

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Importance of good listening

• It improves your ability to understand and evaluate the views and opinions expressed by others.

• It enables you to gather proper and accurate information, which helps you in decision-making.

• It helps you to establish a rapport with co-workers quickly.

• It helps the speaker to give his best in any given situation.

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Some common bad listening habits are:

• Some of us are quite reluctant to receive any new or different idea.

• Many of us pay fake attention just to avoid being discourteous. This becomes a habit.

• Unwillingness to concentrate also results into a bad habit of listening.

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Some common bad listening habits are

• Some times when the topic is uninteresting or if it is difficult or unfamiliar, we switch off our attention from the topic.

• At times, it happens that we are so concerned towards the appearance and the delivery of the speaker that we do not pay attention towards the message.

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Barriers To Effective Listening

• What is listening? • Listening is purposeful hearing. It is an instrument, which we

keep on using throughout our life to acquire knowledge and gather the required information.

There are certain factors that hinder or impede effective hearing. These are -

• Physiological barriers: -• Hearing impairment • Speaking - Thinking Rate (125 to 150 words / min is the

speaking speed & 500 words / min is the thinking rate.)

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Barriers To Effective Listening

• Environmental Barriers:

• Physical distractions: Distracting sounds, poor acoustics and uncomfortable seating arrangements.

• Message overload leads to forced Listening

• Attitudinal Barriers:

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Barriers To Effective Listening

• Sometimes our prejudices and deep-rooted beliefs pose as a barrier.

• Preoccupation: Some times we are preoccupied with other concerns.

• A casual attitude: Many times people have a casual approach towards Listening.

• Egocentrism: Many people are concerned about themselves and thus are poor listeners. Their personal concerns dominate their listening behavior.

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How To Be A Better Listener?

• Listening is not a passive skill. It is the most important skill of all the skills of a language that one has to master in order to be successful in career.

• You can get a number of benefits if you train yourself to be attentive, evaluative and critical while listening.

• Some positive habits need to be cultivated to improve listening. First of all, you must pay full attention to the speaker, in the lectures, with full concentration, which is helped by the alertness of mind and the body.

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listening

• So listening skills must be consciously improved by following some strategies given below: -

• Try to keep your focus on the content i.e. the subject matter. Do not give too much importance to the style of delivery or the teacher’s idiosyncrasies. (i.e. view peculiar to a person)

• Consider listening to be a stimulating task so concentrate on what is being said so that you can comprehend and process the information.

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listening

• A positive attitude towards both the speaker and the topic would help you to concentrate on the matter being spoken.

• Ignore and expel distractions. Don’t let your mind wander and be distracted by any noise or even the speech mannerisms of the speaker.

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listening• Refrain from interruptions. It is not possible to listen effectively

while talking or doing any work which is not related to the understanding of the topic.

• The speed of thinking is much more than that of speaking, so have patience while listening and use the time gap for summarizing the contents.

• Observe the nonverbal clues. These visual clues would assist you in understanding what the speaker says.

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listening• Try to gather as much relevant information as you can about

the subject. This will help you to understand better and appraise what the speaker is saying. Resolve to become a listener. The more motivated a listener is the more active and alert he becomes as a receiver. Though motivation alone can not solve all the problems in listening; it is a prerequisite to becoming a good listener

• Last, but not the least, use feedback to make the speaker understand, if you have not heard or understood any message. This lets you hear it again.

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In short to improve your listening ability.

• You must want to improve it

• Be alert ,force yourself to pay attention

• Concentrate on improving your mental filtering

• Think from the speakers view point

• Use your faster filtering time in listening to determine the total meaning the speaker is sending

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In short to improve your listening ability

• Listen actively by focusing on word and non word symbols

• Consciously try to remember

• Follow the guidelines :-• Stop talking• Put the talker at ease• Show the talker you want to listen• Remove distractions• Emphasize with the speaker

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In short to improve your listening ability

• Be patient• Hold your temper• Go easy on argument and criticism• Ask questions• Stop talking

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Reading

• Comprehensive reading is a two-fold process which includes:-• 1) The understanding of the topic

• 2) Reproducing it as comprehended.

• The process of reading involves active co-ordination of the mind. It involves a variety of clues from outside the verbal text. E.g. illustrations, layout and general knowledge.

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Strategies of Reading

• There are different types of reading -• Browsing: - Reading in a casual manner.• Skimming: - Reading to get a general idea, i.e. words may be

skipped during reading.• Scanning: - Reading carefully and in detail to collect facts and

details.• Speed is an important factor during reading. So concentrate on

what can be understood and always remember if you are learning reading skills, do not spend too much time on problem areas.

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Ways to improve reading skills

• Develop adequate command over the language.• Read the matter carefully, pause for a while to recollect and

after determining what the writer is trying to say, read the passage or matter once again.

• If you do not understand the meaning of some words, try to guess the meaning (while skimming) and look for the meaning (while scanning) and get suitable books to read.

• Try to read under a proper guidance, for enhancing your reading

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Activity

• Read the article and comprehend the article: Business world

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SELF ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

• Anuj has prepared a good speech for the Independence Day celebration, but while practicing he understood that he is exceeding the time limit and he is slightly nervous. Think and write about the barriers he has to overcome.

• Write in your own words the importance of communication.

• Read the article below about communication in the work place and write the gist in your own words.

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The Importance of Good Communications

• Effective communication is essential for all organizations. It links the activities of the various parts of the organization and ensures that everyone is working towards a common goal. It is also extremely important for motivating employees. Staff need to know how they are getting on, what they are doing right and in which areas they could improve. Working alone can be extremely difficult and it is much easier if someone takes an interest and provides support. Employees need to understand why their job is important and how it contributes to the overall success of the firm. Personal communication should also include target setting. People usually respond well to goals, provided these are agreed between the manager and subordinate and not imposed.

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Cont’d• However, firms often have communications problems that can

undermine their performance. In many cases, these problems occur because messages are passed on in an inappropriate way. There are, of course, several ways of conveying information to others in the organization. These include speaking to them directly, e-mailing, telephoning or sending a memo. The most appropriate method depends on what exactly it is you are communicating. For example, anything that is particularly sensitive or confidential, such as an employee's appraisal, should be done face-to-face.

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Cont’d• One of the main problems for senior executives is that they do

not have the time or resources needed to communicate effectively. In large companies, for example, it is impossible for senior managers to meet and discuss progress with each employee individually. Obviously this task can be delegated but at the cost of creating a gap between senior management and staff. As a result, managers are often forced to use other methods of communication, such as memos or notes, even if they know these are not necessarily the most suitable means of passing on messages. The use of technology, such as e-mail, mobile phones and network systems, is speeding up communication immensely. However, this does not mean that more investment in technology automatically proves beneficial: systems can become outdated or employees may lack appropriate training.

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TELEPHONIC CONVERSATION• DISCOURTEOUS AND INEFFICIENT

• Listening is an important component in the process of communication. It is an instrument, which we keep on using throughout life for gathering information and acquiring knowledge. There is a need of conscious efforts. Listening is an important skill. Poor listening can be a serious problem to the correct answer. This skill often holds the key to your success by making you speak or answer correctly and in a focused manner.

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EXTEMPORE

• topics

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MOVIE

• Chicken run

• review

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COMMUNICATION PROCESS, LISTENING AND READING SKILLS

• LEARNING OBJECTIVE• To know the importance, process, forms and barriers of

communication• To understand how to extract information and infer from

listening• To appreciate, enjoy and develop communicative skills • To understand the techniques for better listening• To develop comprehension ability • To improve vocabulary• To improve reading speed• To improve pronunciation, accent and intonation

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Points to Ponder:

• Is Effective Communication Essential for Success? • Are communication skills more important than any other

subject?• Is listening important?• Listening helps in academics as well as profession. How?• Along with listening skills, suggest any other way of improving

communication /spoken English skills. • Listening (L), Reading (R), Speaking (S), Writing (W), set the

order of these skills on the basis of their importance.

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The 9 Cs which make a leader stand out • Curiosity

• Creative

• Communicate

• Character

• Courage

• Conviction

• Charisma

• Competent

• Common sense

• LEE IACOCCA

• Former CEO CHRYSLER

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Process

• Communication skill means the ability to listen, understand and communicate effectively. Communication is the process of transferring meanings, the main components of which are SENDER, MESSAGE, CHANNEL, RECEIVER, and RESPONSE.

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Process

• These internal and external communications takes place in a non verbal and verbal manner. Verbal manner is through general hearing, gestures, expressions, meetings, writing, listening and speaking.