Importance and Principles of Business Communication

This report discusses the significance, challenges, and strategies to overcome the barriers to make communication effective in organizations. It covers the importance and principles of different kinds of business communication, challenges and barriers to effective communication, and strategies to overcome these barriers.

BUSINESS
COMMUNICATION

INTRODUCTION
Business communication refers to the sharing of useful informations, to personnel as well
as to the outsiders to generates commercial profits for the organization, with the purpose of
ensuring improvement in the practices of the organization and to reduce the errors as well
(Austin and Pinkleton, 2015). Present report discusses the significance, challenges, and strategies
to overcome the barriers to make communication effective in the organization, Mr. Fishy.
LO 1
Importance and principles of different kinds of business communication.
Communication provides bas to the success of planning. In any organization communication
plays a vital role in its success as well as in the failure. The communication chain among
employees, between the managers and the employees and communication with the customers
and other stakeholders. Different organizations follows different forms of organizational
communication (Kernbach, Eppler and Bresciani, 2015). Basically, the organizational
communication can be classified into four categories with their specific purposes and principles
as well, these are discussed as under:-
Formal and informal communication-
Formal organizational communication is followed generally in those kinds of firm which
have specific structure of organization. In this kind of business communication the firm will
make sure that the flow of communication must be followed by a defined channel. The main
purpose of formal communication in the organization is to make orders and convey the useful
instructions with the motive of achieving the goal by the pre-defined set of regulations and rules.
Informal communication in the organization will take place only among the employees. In this
kind of communication interactions become quick in between employees and customers of the
organization. The purpose of informal communication is to establish personal contacts,
amplifying the official or formal channels, quick sharing of informations, etc.
Directional Communication-
In this form of business communication the requirements of following different channels
within the business concern for the employees to communicate in every direction has been
stated. Further, directional communication can be classified into three types:- upward, downward
and horizontal. By following this form of communication in the corporation will entitle the
personnel to establish interaction with their colleagues without any kind of involvement of other
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peoples at different levels. The purpose of upward directional communication messages and
informations flows from subordinates to their superiors. In contrast to upward directional
communication, the purpose of downward business communication is to assure the flow of
instructions, information and messages from top-level managers to middle and low level
managers and supervisors (Shonk, 2019). Purpose of horizontal directional communication the
employees who are working at the same level can communicate with each other freely without
come in the knowledge of personnel of other levels.
Internal and external communication-
Internal communication is held among the different members of the firm, which may
include entire company or communication between the small groups of members, like; people of
departments or members of particular team. This form of communication is beneficial for
employees or the members of the company only. The purpose of internal communication is to
make sure that the employees works collaboratively in direction to achieve common objectives
and goals. Messages or informations which are meant to deliver to the people outside the firm
such as; partners, government, customers, media and competitors is considered as the external
form of organizational communication. The purpose of this form of business communication is
to establish cooperation with various groups like; investors, customers, suppliers and
shareholders. To represent the favourable and positive image of the company and its product and
services to the society as a whole and to the ultimate customers of the company is also the main
motive of external communication.
LO 2
Challenges and barriers to effective communication.
It is essential to know about the barriers of effective communication within Mr. Fishy. Some
barriers to effective organizational communication are as follows:-
Language barriers:-
If the managers use different language or language full of abbreviations make the
information difficult to understand for the employees. As a result they can't make changes in
their behaviour as per the need of Mr. Fishy.
Psychological barriers:-
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If the employees at Mr. Fishy have personal problems or are occupied with stress and
worries then it will create barriers to their understanding and does not make communication
effective.
Physiological barriers:-
If the personnel of Mr. Fishy have any physical problem such as problem in listening,
problem in communicate fluently. These inabilities result in creation of barriers in organizational
communication (Kernbach, Eppler and Bresciani, 2015).
Physical Barriers:-
When there is geographic distance between the supervisor and the subordinates then it
will act as a barrier as it may cause inaccurate transfer of informations to the employees.
Attitudinal Barriers:-
The behaviour of personnel and the perceptions of employees which prevent them to
establish effective communication.
LO 3
Strategies to overcome the barriers to effective communication.
The managers of Mr. Fishy have to plan following strategies to overcome from the barriers to
effective communication:-
Must avoid casual or slang language:-
By avoiding slang in verbal as well as in written way of communicating instructions in
organization will keep the staff members on same line (Eaves and Leathers, 2017). To avoid
confusion and the state of misunderstanding, the managers must avoid the use of casual
language.
Take care differences of culture:-
At Mr. Fishy the employees belongs to different cultures and varied backgrounds. To
avoid the discomfort of employees in understanding the instructions, the mangers must
communicate the strategies of business in simple manner with to the point instructions.
Make use of simple language:-
The typical and complex terminologies must not be used in front of those employees who
are not familiar to them. Use of simple language in staff meeting make the employees to
understand the meaning of instruction as it is (Austin and Pinkleton, 2015). By using simple
language the managers of Mr. Fishy can overcome from the barriers of effective communication.
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LO 4
Application of principles to effective communication.
The effective communication comprises the implication of certain principles. Some principles
and there application is discussed as under:-
Principle of clarity:-
This principle emphasizes on having clear delivery of messages and information to the
employees to avoid confusion among them and make them to understand the instructions as it is
planned by the authority and the managers (Norbash, 2017). The manager of Mr. Fishy must be
clear to their employees while defining the purposes of the organization and their roles and
responsibilities towards the firm. Clarity in communication enables the employees to improve
their performance according to the requirement of the company.
Principle of completeness:-
This principle says that the communication must contain all the facts and informations
which the employees need to know. The manager must consider the mindset of the employees
and accordingly communicate the messages. All the desired and important information should be
involved in the process of communicating with staff in the meetings. So that, the questions in the
mind of employees can minimized (Shonk, 2019). And they also take active participation in
decision-making and share their point of views too.
Principle of conciseness:-
According to the principle of conciseness the message should be written or verbally
present in summarized manner. To the point discussion should be their while communicating the
instructions and informations to the employees. The managers of Mr. Fishy must use the least
numbers of words and avoid the use of excess and unnecessary words. This will save the time of
both employees and managers as well. Use of unnecessary words make the message lengthy and
meaningless.
Principle of concreteness:-
This principle emphasizes on being particular rather being general. The managers must
use specific facts in support to their informations. Concrete messages make the communication
effective and make the instructional informations clear and direct to the employees. The
authority need to follow this principle in both written and in verbal communication. By being
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specified with related facts and figures also helps in building confidence in managers which will
further build the trust of personnel in their manager.
Principle of coherence:-
The principle of coherence states that the managers of Mr. Fishy must follow a logical
order which is synced by thoughts by using phrases. This will enhance the understanding of the
employees and minimize the possibility of getting confused by the orders. The informations must
be synced in such a manner so that the employees or other receivers of the messages can make
sense from that orders and can perform the organizational activities accordingly.
Principle of courtesy:-
It is implies in this principle that the communicator must not hurt the listeners' emotions.
The managers must communicate to the employees with enthusiasm and in polite manner.
Courtesy in communication will create the interest of the employees in the messages which the
manager wants to convey (Norbash, 2017). To make the business communication effective the
managers must communicate courteous message which can connect the employees to the
managers. The use of positive words will help to develop the focus of employees towards the
instruction of managers.
LO 5
Evaluation of communication practices.
In the organization Mr. Fishy, the managers follows the bilateral practice of
communication, whereas, in many organization unilateral communication is being followed to
make decisions. According to Lipitz-Snyderman and et.al., (2017), the bilateral communication
is beneficial to the organization as the feedback of the employees is also considered on decision-
making process. Bilateral communication is also known as two-way communication, as in this
type of organizational communication the opinions of the listeners i.e; employees and other staff
members of the firm, is permitted and are considered by the authority. In the contrast of bilateral
communication, Thomas and Stephens, (2015) says that, the unilateral communication is much
better than the bilateral communication, as by following unilateral communication managers can
make quick decisions for the organization and can easily implement the strategies without
wasting the time in considering the feedbacks of the employees. In the words of Lipitz-
Snyderman and et.al., (2017), bilateral communication helps the managers to know whether the
message is understood by the employees in the same way as it is communicated or it is
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misinterpreted by the employees. That is why it must be considered by the managers to convey
the message as through this the authority can ensure the involvement and active participation of
the employees in the process of decision-making. But in contrary according to Coffelt, Baker and
Corey, (2016), unilateral communication doesn't allow the employees' opinion regarding any
strategies of the company, which is beneficial to the organization as the focus of employees will
not divert towards making decisions, and they will concentrate on the production of goods and
services or whatever work or task assigned to them.
LO 6
Influence of culture in communication and negotiation.
Basically, culture is referred to the set of values which is shared commonly in a group of people
with same backgrounds. These shared values impose its impact on their thinking process and on
their action as well. As in the organization Mr. Fishy some staffs are from Britain and some are
non-British, this is because their culture also vary with their geographic location. The reason of
arising conflict among the employees is they are from different culture and has different set of
beliefs and values. The issues are there among the employees of Mr. Fishy because of difference
in their personal goals and individual expectations. Culture of individual affects the
communication as the same words may consist opposite meaning in different culture which may
cause conflicts and misunderstanding among the employees. The culture of an individual also
affects the negotiation, in such a manner that it is difficult to predict their reaction on certain
language, gestures (Shonk, 2019). That's why it is said that the managers and the leaders must be
aware of various cultures so that they can resolve the conflicts of employees of the organization.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it can be concluded that to make organizational communication
effective, one should make such practices so that all the employees can feel their worth by
assuring their involvement in decision-making process. The study also conclude that the
managers must be aware of cultural influences to remove the barriers to effective
communication.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Kernbach, S., Eppler, M .J and Bresciani, S., 2015. The use of visualization in the
communication of business strategies: An experimental evaluation. International
Journal of Business Communication. 52(2). pp.164-187.
Coffelt, T. A., Baker, M. J and Corey, R. C., 2016. Business communication practices from
employers’ perspectives. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly. 79(3).
pp.300-316.
Thomas, G. F and Stephens, K. J., 2015. An introduction to strategic communication.
Lipitz-Snyderman, A and et.al., 2017. Peers without fears? Barriers to effective communication
among primary care physicians and oncologists about diagnostic delays in cancer. BMJ
Qual Saf. 26(11). pp.892-898.
Austin, E. W and Pinkleton, B. E., 2015. Strategic public relations management: Planning and
managing effective communication campaigns. Routledge.
Norbash, A., 2017. Transitional leadership: leadership during times of transition, key principles,
and considerations for success. Academic radiology. 24(6). pp.734-739.
Eaves, M and Leathers, D. G., 2017. Successful nonverbal communication: Principles and
applications. Routledge.
Online:
Shonk, K., 2019. Cross-Cultural Communication in Business Negotiations [Online] Available
Through: <https://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/international-negotiation-daily/cross-
cultural-communication-business-negotiations/>
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