Business communication

36 sessions

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

Topics:

Unit 1- Communication Skills

Nature, Scope and Functions of Communication
Nature of Communication
Communication defined
Importance of Communication
Functions of Communication

The role of communication in business

Forms of communication
Oral
Written
Computer
All organized efforts including the work of business requires
communication

Main Forms of business in communication

Three categories of communication in business
1.

Internal operationgiving orders, assembling reports..

2.
External operations. personal selling, advertising..
Technology assists in constructing and sending these
communications
3.

Personal communication

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

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

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

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.

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
teachers 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. Dont 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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Contd
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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Contd
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

Conviction

Creative

Charisma

Communicate

Competent

Character

Common sense

Courage

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.

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