Business

Communication
Youcanhaveallthegreatideasinthe
worldandifyoucantcommunicate,
nobodywillhearthem.
-KaraBlackburn

Topics
Communication-Meaning
BusinessCommunication-Definition
Importance
Process
TypesOne-way/Two-way,Verbal/Non-Verbal,

Oral/Written,Formal/Informal,Upward,Downward,Lateral,
Intrapersonal,Interpersonal,Organizational,
MassCommunication
ModelsSMCR,ShannonWeaver
LanguageSkills-Listening,Speaking,Reading,Writing

What is Communication?
Derived from the Latin word "communis,"

meaningtoshare.
Communicationis the exchange of thoughts,

messages, or information by speech, visuals,

signals, writing, or behaviour.
Itisthetransmissionofanideaorfeelingsothat

the sender and receiver share the same

understanding.

Definition
Communication is a process involving the selection,
production and transmission of signs in such a
way as to help a receiver perceive a meaning
similar to that in the mind of the communicator.
-Fotheringham

Business Communication -Definition

Business communicationis the sharing of

information between people within an

organization that is performed for the
commercialbenefitoftheorganization.

Importance
In the professional world, communication and

related skills decide a persons career curve -

better the communication skills, higher are the
chancesoftouchingthezenithofsuccess.
Thenewglobalanddiverseworkplacerequires

excellentspokenandwrittencommunication
skills!

Process of Communication
Communication

is

process

whereby

information is encoded, channeled and sent by

asendertoareceiverviasomemedium.
Allformsofcommunicationrequireasender,a

channel, a message, a receiver and the

feedback.
A hindrance in the communication process is

callednoise

Components of Communication
Sender-Initiatesthecommunicationprocessby

developing an idea into a message known

asencoding.
Channel - The sender transmits the message

through achannel, or a method of delivery; eg.

e-mail, phone conversations, instant messages,
face-to-facediscussionorevenatextmessage.

Receiver This message then moves through

the channel to thereceiver, who completes the
communication process by interpreting and
assigning meaning to the message known
asdecoding.

Feedback - This is a critical component in the

communicationprocessasitensuresamessage
wasproperlyreceivedandinterpreted.

Types
One-way,Two-way
Verbal(Oral&Written),Non-verbal
Formal,Informal(Grapevine)
Upward,Downward,Lateral
Interpersonal,Intrapersonal,Organizational,

MassCommunication

One way Communication

One-way communication involves the transfer

of information in one direction only, from the

sendertothereceiver.
There is no opportunity for the receiver to give
feedbacktothesender.
Eg. weather report on television, newspaper,
recordedmusicontheCD,billboardmessages

Two-way Communication
Two-way communicationisaformoftransmissionin

whichbothpartiesinvolved,transmitinformation.
Two-Waycommunicationhasalsobeenreferredtoas

interpersonal communication.
Eg. Chatrooms andInstant Messaging, Telephone

conversations,classroomlecturesetc.

Verbal Communication
In this type of communication the professional uses
languageasavehicleofcommunication.
Oral communication A face-to-face interaction

betweenthesenderandthereceiver.
Eg. Making presentations and appearing for
interviews

Written Communication The sender uses the

writtenmodetotransmithis/hermessages.
Eg.Writingreportsandemails.

Non Verbal Communication

Whenamessageiscommunicatedwithoutusing
a word, the process requires non-verbal cues to
betransmittedandreceived.
Eg. facial expressions, posture, eye contact,
walk, persons voice, sign language, body
languagevolume,pitch,voicemodulationetc.
Communication includes both verbal and
non-verbal forms.

Formal
Communicationtakesplace

throughtheformalchannels
oftheorganizationstructure
along the lines of authority
established
by
the
management.
Such communications are
generallyinwritingandmay
take any of the forms;
policy;manuals:procedures
and
rule
books;
memoranda;
official
meetings;reports,etc.

Informal
Communicationarisingoutofallthosechannels

of communication that fall outside the formal

channelsisknownasinformalcommunication.
Informalcommunicationdoesnotfollowlinesof
authority as is the case of formal
communication.
Suchcommunicationisusuallyoralandmaybe
coveredevenbysimpleglance,gestureorsmile
orsilence.
Eg.Talkingwithfriends

Formal
OfficialChannel
Planned&Systematic

Informal
UnofficialChannel
Cutsacrossformal
relationships

Goalandtaskoriented

IndividualGoaland
needoriented

Impersonal
Stableandrigid
Slow&Structured
Authenticlittlechanceof
distortion

Personal&Social
Flexibleandinstable
Fast&unstructured
Non-Authentic-bigger
chanceofdistortion

Grapevine
It is an informal type of

communication and is
called so because it
stretches throughout the
organization
in
all
directions irrespective of
theauthoritylevels.
It exists more at lower
levelsoforganization.
Thus, grapevine spreads
like fire and it is not easy
totracethecauseofsuch
communicationattimes.

Downward
Communication in the

first
place,
flows
downwards.
All information in this
medium is usually in
form of instructions,
directionsandorders.
This
direction
of
communication
strengthens
the
authoritarian structure of
theorganization.

Upward
Upward

Communicationis the
process ofinformation
flowingfrom the lower
levels of ahierarchyto
theupperlevels.
The function of upward
communication is to
send
information,
suggestions, complaints
and grievances of the
lower level workers to
themanagersabove.

Lateral/Horizontal
This type of communication takes place between

persons at the same level or working under the

sameexecutive.
The main use of this is to maintain coordination
and review activities assigned to various
subordinates.

Interpersonal
Interpersonal

communicationis
an
exchange of information
betweentwoormorepeople.
It is the process by which
people exchange information,
feelings,
and
meaning
throughverbalandnon-verbal
messages.

Intrapersonal
Itisthecommunicationwhichtakesplacewithin

onesownself.
Thisimpliesindividualreflection,contemplationand
meditation.

Organizational
Aprocessby whichactivitiesof a society are

collected and coordinated toreachthegoalsof

bothindividualsandthecollectivegroup.
It is a subfield ofgeneralcommunications
studiesand
is
often
acomponenttoeffectivemanagement
in
aworkplaceenvironment.

Mass Communication
It is a means of conveying messages to an entire

populace.
Thisisgenerallyidentifiedwithtoolsofmodernmass
media, which include books, the press, cinema,
television, radio, internet etc. It also includes
speechesdeliveredbyleaderstoalargeaudience

SMRC Model of
Communication

SMCR MODEL
The

SMCR (Source-Message-ChannelReceiver) Model is a standard in

communicationstudies.
This model was originally developed
byClaudeShannonandWarrenWeaver,and
then altered by David Berlo, but the latest
credit has been given toWilbur Schramm for
hisinteractiveinterpretation

Source
Thesourceiswerethemessageoriginates.
Communication

skills It is the individuals skill to

communicate(abilitytoread,write,speak,listenetc)
Attitudes The attitude towards the audience, subject and
towardsoneselffore.g.forthestudenttheattitudeistolearn
moreandforteacherswantstohelpteach.
KnowledgeTheknowledgeaboutthesubjectoneisgoingto
communicate for e.g. whatever the teacher communicates in
the class about the subject so havingknowledgeinwhat you
arecommunicating.
Social system The Social system includes the various
aspects in society like values, beliefs, culture, religion and
generalunderstandingofsociety.Itiswerethecommunication
takesplace..
Culture: Culture of the particular society also comes under
socialsystem.

Message
Encoder:Thesenderofthemessage(messageoriginates)

is referred as encoder, so the source is encoding the

messagehere.
Content The beginning to the end of a message
comprises its content for e.g. From beginning to end
whatever the class teacher speaks in the class is the
contentofthemessage.
Elements It includes various things like language,
gestures,bodylanguageetc,sothesearealltheelements
oftheparticularmessage.Contentisaccompaniedbysome
elements.
Treatment It refers to the packing of the message. The
wayinwhichthemessageisconveyedorthewayinwhich
themessageispassedonordeliverit.

Channel
Hearing:Theuseofearstogetthemessagefore.g.oral

messages,interpersonaletc.
Seeing:Visualchannelsfore.g.TVcanbeseenandthe
messageisdelivered.
Touching:Thesenseoftouchcanbeusedasachannel
tocommunicatefore.g.wetouchandbuyfood,hugging
etc.
Smelling:Smellalsocanbeachanneltocommunicate
fore.g.perfumes,food,charredsmellcommunicates
somethingisburning,wecanfindoutaboutwhichfoodis
beingcookedetc.
Tasting:Thetonguealsocanbeusedtodeciphere.g.
Foodcanbetastedandcommunicationcanhappen.

Decoder: Who receives the message and

decodesitisreferredtoasdecoder.
Receiver: The receiver needs to have all the
thingslikethesource.
This model believes that for an effective
communication to take place the source and the
receiverneedstobeinthesamelevel,onlyifthe
source and receiver are on the same level
communicationwillhappenortakeplaceproperly.
Sosourceandreceivershouldbesimilar

Criticism of Berlos SMCR

model of communication:
Nofeedback/dontknowabouttheeffect
Doesnotmentionbarrierstocommunication
Noroomfornoise
Needspeopletobeonsamelevelfor

communicationtooccurbutnottrueinreallife.
Themodelomitstheusageofsixthsenseasa
channelwhichisactuallyagifttothehuman
beings(thinking,understanding,analyzingetc).

Shannon Weaver Model of

Communication

Shannon- Weaver Model

TheShannonWeaver

model
of
communicationhas been called the "mother
ofallmodels.
It embodies the concepts ofinformation
source,message,transmitter,signal,channel,
noise, receiver, information destination,
probability
of
error,encoding,decoding,information
rate,channelcapacity,etc.

Elements of the Model

Sender :Theoriginatorofmessageorthe

informationsourceselectsdesiremessage
Encoder:Thetransmitterwhichconvertsthe
messageintosignals
Forexample:Intelephonethevoiceisconverted
intowavesignalsandittransmitsthroughcables
Decoder :Thereceptionplaceofthesignalwhich
convertssignalsintomessage.Areverseprocessof
encode

Receiver :Thedestinationofthemessagefrom

sender
Noise:Themessagesaretransferredfrom
encodertodecoderthroughchannel.Duringthis
processthemessagesmaydistractedoraffected
byphysicalnoiselikehornsounds,thunderand
crowdnoiseorencodedsignalsmaydistractin
thechannelduringthetransmissionprocess
whichaffectthecommunicationfloworthe
receivermaynotreceivethecorrectmessage

Barriers to Communication

Barriers to Communication
When there is a problem which might cause

our communication to be distorted or

problematic, it is known as a barrier to
effective communication.
There are 4 types of barriers to
communication
Physical barriers
Psychological barriers
Semantic blocks
Organizational Barriers

Physical barriers
Distance:communicationisfoundobstructedinlong

distance. Like communication between America and

Nepal.
Noise: it is from external sources and affects the
communication process. Noise negatively affects the
accuracy

Psychological barriers
Perception:itistheprocessofacceptingand

interpretingtheinformationbythereceiver.People
receivethingsdifferentlyforavariousnumberof
reasons.
Filtering:Inthisprocess,knowinglyor
unknowinglysomevaluableinformationmaybe
disposed.
Emotions:emotionalsocreatesbarriersto
effectivecommunicationlikeanger,het,mistrust,
jealousyetc.

Viewpoint:italsocreates

barrierstoeffective
communication.Itthereceiver
doesntclearthemessageand
ignorewithouthearing,the
messagemaycreate
obstructions.
Defensiveness:ifthe
receiverreceivesthemessage
asthreatandinterpretsthat
messageinthesameway,it
createsbarrierstoeffective
communication.

Semantic barriers
Theuseofdifficultandmultipleuseoflanguages,

words,figures,symbolscreatesemanticbarriers.
Language:Ameaningsentbythesendercan
bequitedifferentfromthemeaningunderstood
bythereceiver.Longandcomplexsentences
createproblemincommunicationprocess.
Jargons:Technicalorunfamiliarlanguage
createsbarriers.Themessageshouldbesimple
andcondensedasfaraspossiblesothatno
confusioniscreated.

Organizational barriers
Itisraisedfromtheorganizationalgoals,regulations,

structureandculture.
Poor planning:itreferstothedesigning,encoding,
channelselectionandconflictingsignalsinthe
organization.
Structure complexities:-difficultorganizational
structurebarrierforfreeflowofinformation.Appropriate
communicationprocess
mustbeused.

Status differences:itcreatesbarrierforcommunication.

Superiorprovidesinformationtothesubordinateabout
plansandpolicies.Differentinformationisprovidedby
differentsubordinateswhocreatebarrierincommunication.
Organizational distance:-distancebetweensenderand
receiveralsocreatesbarrierstoeffectivecommunication.
Information overload:ifsuperiorprovidestoomuch
informationtothesubordinateinshortperiodreceiver
suffersfrominformationoverloadwhichcreatesbarriersto
effectivecommunication.
Timing:communicationcanbeobstructedifnotdoneon
time.Iftheinformationisnotprovidedintimeitcreates
barrierstoeffectivecommunication.

LSRW Skills

Listening Skills
Listeningisaneverydayaffair.
Wespendmoretimetolisteningthanspeaking
Itisaskillwhichisoftentakenforgranted
Itisconsideredasastressfultask
Successfullisteningischallengingandrequiresa

lotofpractice
Effectivelisteningisadynamicactivitythatseeks
out the meaning intended in the messages sent
bythespeaker.

Listening Vs Hearing
Arethesetwodifferentfromeachother?
Inthenameoflistening whatwedoishearing.
Hearingisaninvoluntaryactthathappens

automatically.Eg.Atruckrollingbyontheroadin
frontofourhouse.
Listening
voluntaryactivity,
demandsperfectcoordinationbetweentheears
&thebrain
verycreative
Interactiveandinterpretiveprocess.

Techniques for Effective Listening

You should have an open mind.
You should sit alert and look the speaker in

the eye with a view to establish your interest

in him/her.
Do not prejudge the speaker or his message.
Summarize what the speaker is saying
Take down notes
Link what you are listening to what you
already know.
Do not interrupt the speaker unnecessarily.
Ask relevant questions to yourself for clarity
in your understanding.

Reading Skills

Skimming

Skimming is used to quickly gather the most important

information, or 'gist'.

Run your eyes over the text, noting important

information.

Use skimming to quickly get up to speed on a current

business situation.

It's not essential to understand each word when

skimming.

Examples of Skimming:

The Newspaper (quickly to get the general news of the

day)

Magazines (quickly to discover which articles you would

like to read in more detail)

Business and Travel Brochures (quickly to get informed)

Scanning
Scanning is used to find a particular piece of information.
Run your eyes over the text looking for the specific piece
of information you need.
Use scanning on schedules, meeting plans, etc. in order
to find the specific details you require.
If you see words or phrases that you don't understand,
don't worry when scanning.
Examples of Scanning
The "What's on TV" section of your newspaper.
A train / airplane schedule
A conference guide

Extensive reading
Extensive reading is used to obtain a general
understanding of a subject and includes reading
longer texts for pleasure, as well as business books.
Use extensive reading skills to improve your general
knowledge of business procedures.
Do not worry if you understand each word.
Examples of Extensive Reading
The latest marketing strategy book
A novel you read before going to bed
Magazine articles that interest you

Intensive reading
Intensive reading is used on shorter texts in order to
extract specific information.
It includes very close accurate reading for detail.
Use intensive reading skills to grasp the details of a
specific situation.
In this case, it is important that you understand each
word, number or fact.
Examples of Intensive Reading
A bookkeeping report
An insurance claim
A contract

Critical readingis a form of language analysis that does not

take the given text at face value.
But involves a deeper examination of the claims put forth as
well as the supporting points and possible counterarguments.
Critical readers thus recognize not onlywhata text says, but
alsohowthat text portrays the subject matter. They recognize
the various ways in which each and every text is the unique
creation of a unique author.
Critical reading is not simply close and careful reading.
To read critically, one must actively recognize and analyze
evidence upon the page.
You can distinguish each mode of analysis by the subject
matter of the discussion: What a text says restatement
talks about the same topic as the original text
What a text does description discusses aspects of the
discussion itself
What a text means interpretation analyzes the text and
asserts a meaning for the text as a whole

Speaking Skills
There is a message in your voice

Tone
The tone of voice we use is responsible for

about 35-40 percent of the message we are

sending.
Tone involves the volume you use, the level
and type of emotion that you communicate
and the emphasis that you place on the
words that you choose.

Pitch

Pitch refers to the rise and fall in human voice.

Pitch plays a crucial role in communicating ideas to others.
All speakers need to effectively employ various pitch patterns

in their speeches.
Become aware of pitch and learn to refine it, phrase-byphrase.
Questions, for example, should end on a higher note.
Affirmative statements should end in a level or slightly lower
pitch. The ending of statements on a high pitch can create
doubt in your listeners.
Vary your pitch throughout your presentation to establish and
reinforce your message.
It provides colour and lustre to the speakers voice
Hence it plays an important role in the overall communication
process.

Rhythm
Rhythm is the pattern of the sounds you produce.
Stressingandde-stressingsyllables and words gives

usrhythmin English.
Rhythm is themusicalityof English
theupsanddownsand theconnected speech and
thelinkingof words, which together, change how we say
sentences.
Remember, speaking with correct rhythm (musicality)
is essential to being understood when you speak!
Use rhythm to carry meaning.
Slow the pace to emphasize certain ideas.
Quicken the pace to show excitement or humor.
Pause to underscore major points or to give listeners time to
absorb a complex idea. Pause also when you're about to
transition to another idea.

Stress

Stressing

means that speakers of English make

certainsyllablesandwords:
1.
louder
2.
longer
3.
higher in pitch
.Basically, stressing meansto emphasize a sound. Every
word in English has justonesyllable with a primary
stressoremphasis.
.However, it is not only essential to stress certain syllables
and words, butwe must alsode-stressother syllables
andwords.
.Examples | Listen & Repeat
.Engineer > [en gNEER] (2nd syllable is de-stressed; 3rd
syllable is stressed)
.English > [INGglish] (1st syllable is stressed; 2nd syllable
is slightly de-stressed)
.Photograph > [PHOd graf] (1st syllable is stressed, 2nd
syllable de-stressed, 3rd syllable is secondary stress)

Intonation
Correct intonation and stress are the key to

speaking English fluently with good pronunciation.

The entire variation of pitch while speaking is
called intonation.
Intonation and stress refers to the music of
theEnglish language.
Words that are stressed are key to understanding
and using the correct intonation brings out the
meaning.
English is considered a stressed language while
many other languages are considered syllabic.
It means that, in English, we give stress to certain
words while other words are quickly spoken
English however, spends more time on specific
stressed words while quickly gliding over the

A sentence can be spoken differently, depending on

the speaker's intention.

Look at the following sentences. Speak them out
loud and especially stress the word that is in bold
writing. Then think about how the meaning of the
utterance changes.
I did not read anything about the disaster.
Idid not read anything about the disaster.
I didnotread anything about the disaster.
I did notreadanything about the disaster.
I did not readanythingabout the disaster.
I did not read anything about thedisaster.

Writing Skills
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing
Ben Franklin

Effective writing is not a gift that youre born with,

rather it is a skill that you cultivate.

Clear writing means clear thinking.
Heres how to write simply, clearly, and precisely.
Think before you write
Before you put pen to paper or hands to keyboard,
consider what you want to say.
Ask yourself: What should my audience know or
think after reading this email, proposal, or report?
If the answer isnt immediately clear, youre
moving too quickly. Step back and spend more
time collecting your thoughts.

Steps to Improve your Writing Skills

1.Be direct
Make your point right up front.
By succinctly presenting your main idea first,

you save your reader time and sharpen your

argument before diving into the bulk of your
writing.
If your opener is no good, then the whole
piece of writing will be no good.

2. Avoid jargons
Business writing is full of industry-specific
buzzwords and acronyms.
And while these terms are sometimes
unavoidable and can occasionally be helpful as
shorthand, they often indicate lazy or cluttered
thinking.
You should also avoid using grandiose language.
Writers often mistakenly believe using a big
word when a simple one will do is a sign of
intelligence. Its not.

3. Read what you write

Put yourself in your readers shoes.
Is your point clear and well structured?
Are the sentences straightforward and concise?
Reading passages out loud -Thats where those
flaws reveal themselves: the gaps in your
arguments, the clunky sentence, the section thats
two paragraphs too long.
And dont be afraid to ask a colleague or friend
or better yet, several colleagues and friends to
edit your work.
Welcome their feedback; dont resent it.

4.Practice every day

Writing is a skill, and skills improve with
practice.
Read well-written material every day, and be
attentive to word choice, sentence structure,
and flow.
Most importantly, build time into your schedule
for editing and revising.
Writing and reworking your own writing is
where the change happens, and its not quick.

5. Coherence
Coherence in writing is the "logical glue" that allows readers
to move easily and clearly from one idea to the next.
Coherence is product of many different factors, which
combine to make every paragraph, every sentence, and
every phrase contribute to the meaning of the whole piece.
Coherence in writing is much more difficult to sustain than
coherent speech because writers have no nonverbal clues
to inform them if their message is clear or not.
Therefore, writers must make their patterns of coherence
much more explicit and much more carefully planned.
Coherence itself is the product of two factors paragraph
unity and sentence cohesion.

Principles to Remember:
Do:
Plan out what you will say to make your writing more direct
and effective.
Use words sparingly and keep sentences short and to the
point.
Avoid jargon and fancy words. Strive for clarity instead.
Dont:
Argue that you simply cant write. Anyone can become a
better writer with practice.
Pretend that your first draft is perfect, or even passable.
Every document can be improved.
Bury your argument. Present your main idea as soon as
possible.