Social:Business communication

Short description: Process of sharing information between employees within and outside a company

Business communication is the process of sharing information between employees within and outside a company. It includes the process of creating, sharing, listening and understanding messages between different groups of people through written and verbal formats. The way people communicate and operate within a business is very vital to the companies success in the business world. Communication in business is more than just talking about the jobs that need to be done or jobs that are in progress. Most of the time the communication part within business is how employees talk with each other (meaning relationships) and how employees talk with their bosses. Being able to share ideas, concerns, problems or even our own lives within our job is where the success of communication comes in within the business world. In fact research has shown that when business have effective communication amongst their employees there is a 25% spike in productivity. This is only the beginning of the communication process though, as communication goes beyond what happens on the inside of a business and goes to the outside world of said business. With all of that being said being an employee within a very dominate business world is more than just doing your job. It is how we can communicate with one another and business not only need this from their employees but they expect it. "There is a growing emphasis on employees to not just do their job but to contribute to business success... work related team skills, the team culture, and to work effectively in a team environment ". All of this is done with communication.

Overview/History

The word communication has been derived from the Latin word communis which implies common. Thus communication may be defined as interchange of thoughts and information to bring about mutual understanding.

Business communication encompasses topics such as marketing, brand management, customer relations, consumer behavior, advertising, public relations, corporate communication, community engagement, reputation management, interpersonal communication, employee engagement, and event management. It is closely related to the fields of professional communication and technical communication.

Business communication is often categorized based on the flow of information from one level of the business hierarchy to another. Communications which flow from the top of the hierarchy to the bottom, also called top-down communication, has been shown to decrease the stress levels of employees when it provides clarification and reassurance. Although a certain level of communication is necessary, too much communication can be seen as micromanaging. Communication in general is valued even more in international business communications to allow for the understanding of cultures and overall morale of the operation. The amount of information shared in this way is often dependent on a "need to know" basis. This communication may take the form of memos and other internal documents.

Upward communication is any communication within the business that is passed up through the business hierarchy from the bottom up. Suggestion boxes, which allow low-level workers to communicate with management anonymously, are one example of upward communication. Horizontal communication occurs between individuals who are on the same level in the business hierarchy.

Media channels for business communication:

• Internet
• Email
• Print media
• Radio
• Television
• Ambient media
• Word of mouth.

Business communication focuses primarily on achieving goals/aims and, in the case of a public company or organization, increasing dividends of shareholders.

Methods of business communication

Business communication can occur through a variety of ways, including verbal and non-verbal methods of communication. Face-to-face meetings and presentations are popular methods of communication between employees within an organization, which increasingly feature audiovisual material, like copies of reports, or material prepared in Microsoft PowerPoint or Adobe Flash. Means such as telephone conference and letters allows for communication over long distances. In the 21st Century, computer-mediated communication, such as video conferencing and email, has become increasingly prevalent in business. Formal reports are also important in documenting the activities of any department;

Business communication studies

Many higher learning institutions offer business communication courses which are designed to teach students how to communicate effectively in business settings, and more broadly in society. Participating in these courses has been shown to increase competitiveness in the professional field.

Managing negative news

In a business communicating a negative news is unavoidable. At one point or the other it had to be done. It may be about giving the employees some constructive feedbacks on their works or informing them that they are being laid down. It may have serious effect on them based on how you choose to deliver those messages.

while communicating negative news, if possible, at first provide some good news, express gratitude, have agreement or understanding, and then discuss and explain the reasons that led to the decision. while communicating negative news, we must be non-judgmental and use non-discriminatory language while doing so. We must be compassionate and fair to them. The next step is to explain the bad news clearly without overemphasizing it, avoid using negative language, and end the communication on a positive and friendly note

Barriers to business communication

There are various barriers to effective communication which can occur within business setting. These often arise because of differences in the states of mind, body and perspective between sender and receiver, which are a result of how encoding or decoding processes occur.

Linguistic and cultural barriers can also prevent understanding.

Organizations

• Founded in 1936 by Shankar is the Association for Business Communication (ABC), originally called the Association of College Teachers of Business Writing, is "an international, interdisciplinary organization committed to advancing business communication research, education, and practice."
• The IEEE Professional Communication Society (PCS) [1] is dedicated to understanding and promoting effective communication in engineering, scientific, and other environments, including business environments. PCS's academic journal, is one of the premier journals in Europe communication. The journal’s readers are engineers, writers, information designers, managers, and others working as scholars, educators, and practitioners who share an interest in the effective communication of technical and business information.
• The Society for Technical Communication is a professional association dedicated to the advancement of the theory and practice of technical communication. With membership of more than 6,000 technical communicators, it's the largest organization of its type in North America.
• The International Business Communication Standards are practical proposals for the conceptual and visual design of comprehensible reports and presentations.

See also

• Strategic talk