Effective Communication in Business

This assignment analyzes the critical role of effective communication in both business negotiations and internal business operations. It highlights how clear communication is essential for achieving goals in negotiations and for the smooth functioning of a business. The document delves into different methods used for communication within a business context.

COMMUNICATE IN A BUSINESS
ENVIRONMENT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1 ...........................................................................................................................................1
1.1................................................................................................................................................1
1.2................................................................................................................................................1
1.3................................................................................................................................................2
1.4................................................................................................................................................2
1.5................................................................................................................................................2
1.6................................................................................................................................................2
1.7................................................................................................................................................3
1.8................................................................................................................................................3
1.9................................................................................................................................................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................4
2.1................................................................................................................................................4
2.2................................................................................................................................................4
2.3................................................................................................................................................4
2.4................................................................................................................................................4
2.5................................................................................................................................................5
2.6................................................................................................................................................5
2.7................................................................................................................................................5
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................6
3.1................................................................................................................................................6
3.2................................................................................................................................................6
3.3................................................................................................................................................6
3.4................................................................................................................................................7
3.5................................................................................................................................................7
3.6................................................................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
It is crucial to communicate effectively in negotiations to ensure you achieve your goals.
Communication is also important within the business. Effective communication can help to
foster a good working relationship between you and your staff, which can in turn improve morale
and efficiency. Workplace communication is very important to companies because it allows
companies to be productive and operate effectively (Castells, 2013). Employees can experience
an increase in morale, productivity and commitment if they are able to communicate up and
down communication chain in an organization.
TASK 1
1.1
Internal stakeholders are individuals within a company, i.e. employees, managers,
directors,investors. Internal stakeholders need to know the type of business the organisation is in,
specific details regarding the products services offered, and the correct procedures to follow in
case of a problem!
External stakeholders are those that are outside of but care/benefit from the performance
of the company, i.e. consumers, regulators, investors, suppliers, etc. The communications of
these groups differ and have different objectives (Cavusgil and et. al., 2014). These groups need
to &now information regarding branding, sale and publicity of product, as well as any events and
sponsorship.
1.2
There are a number of different patterns of communication that take place in a business!
They differ due to direction and flow of the information.
Schramm’s Model (1954)- This simplistic model, showing that encoding and decoding
is not a one-sided process and that by converting ideas into words humans are constantly
encoding and decoding messages to be decoded and encoded again.
The star model- It should be found in almost all organisations involving teams of
people; this will ensure consistent communication, and in turn improve overall efficiency of
organisation.

1.3
Email- Comparatively to telephone calls, email is entirely written, resulting in a lack of
verbal questions and limited understanding of objectives such as personality or attitudes (Crews
and Stitt-Gohdes, 2012). Consequently, smaller questions or details can be missed as a result of
the limitation of this communication method.
Telephone- Telephone calls are one of the most common forms of communication used in
business. Telephone calls are an effective communication method in business due to the ability
to structure messages simplistically and employ tone to ensure understanding between both
parties as well as to better understand intention.
1.4
When deciding which communication media to use it is important to consider what
message you're trying to get across/receive. When looking to describe and to discuss, telephone
or face-to-face are better choices as they allow the use of senses within conversation i.e. tone
(hearing), body language (visual), as well as ensuring the understanding of both parties due to
quick feedback. Telephone calls are typically better when looking to discuss large amounts of
information or to save time (Daim and et. al., 2012). Face-to-face meetings are good with clients
for initial meetings, or candidates following interviews, to gather key information and make a
lasting impression.
1.5
Business communications are important to the impressions made between internal and
external stakeholders as well as the messages expressed. The main purpose in the correct use of
grammar, punctuation and spelling is ensuring the receiver of the information reads it the way it
was intended. Addition to this when given a task to do, your employer expects you to do it
perfectly. When a document has inaccuracies, readers tend to distrust everything, including the
statistics, opinions, and facts.
1.6
When planning and structuring different communication media it is important to consider
how the message you are offering will be taken in. A key consideration is the ability of the
receiver to take on your message i.e. your message should be clear for a reader who may find
reading English difficult who might have English as a second language or suffer from a reading

disability. Planning and structuring communication is key to increasing the likelihood the
receiver will understand the intended message.
1.7
Barriers to communication
Cultural differences
Differences in cultural backgrounds typically alter body language,attitudes, and tone of
voice in response to ideas (Gardner and Laskin, 2011). In my role, it is important to stay open-
minded, as not to discriminate, and to ask questions to candidates/clients to ensure
understanding, i.e. asking to a party clarify/expand on ideas asking questions such as this makes
sure that you will understand the viewpoint of the other party.
Understanding
There are many reasons that a receiver may find it difficult to understand a message. In
order to decrease the likelihood of difficulties, it is important that communication is clear.
1.8
Berlo’s theory of communication takes into account the importance of senses, and
therefore body language as viewed by a receiver, in the deliverance of a message. Similarly, it
can be argued that the ‘interference’ of Schramm’s model could include such things as body
language. Using open body language in meetings with clients/candidates is important as it helps
to portray an honest and friendly message something key to creating the foundations for a good
business relationship.
1.9
The best way to proof-read a document is to as a colleague to read through it; this is
useful as they will pick up mistakes more easily (Hansen, 2011). Alternatively , reading the text
out loud will also highlight any mistakes with punctuation and grammar. When producing word
documents, it is important not to rely on a spell-check function as it will not pick up incorrect
grammar. 0 helpful technique when proof-reading is to reading sentences in the wrong order as
this will highlight any mistakes with missing words.

TASK 2
2.1
Audience-centred communication is a type of communication where a speaker analyses
the audience to determine the content, language usage and listener expectations. It allows
effective communication because the speaker can tailor messages to the needs of the listener
(Hsu and et. al., 2012). Communication serves five major purposes: to inform, to express
feelings, to imagine, to influence, and to meet social expectations. Each of these purposes is
reflected in a form of communication.
2.2
The methods or tools in which information can be exchanged and communication can be
facilitated. Examples include telephone, television, e-mail, Web sites, video conferencing etc.
There are two forms of communication media:
 Analog: Includes conventional radio, telephonic and television transmissions
 Digital: Computer-mediated communication, computer networking and telegraphy
2.3
Meetings- Meetings offer organizations a way to convey information using a personal
format. Meetings may include director, worker or customers.
Social Media- Social media websites and networks have presented a relatively new
business communication format (Li and Peng, 2011). Social media networks allow organizations
to create websites or fan pages and develop a following of customers.
Letters and Memo- Letters are commonly used to present official business information
to other businesses, to individuals or to outside business stakeholders. Memos are usually an
internal written communication format used to convey information to managers and employees.
2.4
Business Writing is a type of written communication, usually with standard structure and
style. written communication is most common form of business communication. It is essential
for small business owners and managers to develop effective written communication skills and to
encourage the same in all employees. Some business practices are:
 Clear purpose
 Clarity and conciseness

 Appropriate tone
 Attention to form
 Awareness of audience
2.5
One of the keys to communicating effectively is to be able to tailor your communication
to your audience (Li and et. al., 2011). This can be done in various ways, and if done correctly
will allow you to engage your audience quickly and with the optimum results.
Know your audience
In business, you’ll communicate with a variety of different people in many different ways. These
may include: marketing, networking, staff meetings, client and supplier meetings,
Every audience is different
If you want to maximize the effectiveness of your communication with various audiences, be
aware of the different approaches.
2.6
Effective writing allows the reader to thoroughly understand everything you are saying.
This is not always easy to do (Rose, Hair and Clark, 2011). It is necessary that language should
be simple. Here are a few tips that will help you:
 Know your goal and state it clearly
 Explain in clear terms what you want the reader to do
 Tone can help your writing be more effective.
2.7
Set a deadline schedule- Break your work up into blocks set up over a specified time
period. To get an idea as to how long you can expect the project to take, break it up into blocks
and allocate each block a certain amount of time. Always allow additional time for these blocks
to ensure that should there be problems or delays along the way, that you can still get the work
done.
Be very careful of over committing- This is one of the main reasons that deadlines are not
met. Rather be honest and speak up before the project starts. Know your strengths and
limitations, and plan accordingly.

TASK 3
3.1
When communicating in a work environment, the nature is to communicate factually, in
concisely and in an easily digestible style (Weber and Marley, 2012). If you are communicated
non-verbally, e.g. letter, the information needs to be relevant, accurate and be presented
professionally. You have to make sure in a business environment that the information that you a
portraying or that is being portrayed to you is accurate. If not, important decisions could be made
erroneously and maybe unnecessary costs could occur.
3.2
Language should be as clear and precise as possible, without oversimplifying past the
point of usefulness. Strike a balance between simplicity and accuracy. Weigh the costs and
benefits of simplification. The communication should be at a pitched at a level that will be
understood by your audience e.g. if you were talking to a customer you wouldn't be using the
usual jargon or abbreviations that would to your colleagues in the office
The use of technical terms or acronyms should be avoided wherever possible. Where technical
terms or acronyms are deemed absolutely necessary, clear definitions should be provided, even
when terms seem self-explanatory (Weck and Ivanova, 2013). In cases where technical terms or
dimensions are abstract and hard to easily comprehend, easy to understand analogies should be
used to help convey meaning.
3.3
When you are trying to reinforce messages, your body language and tone of voice will
help this. Your tone of voice needs to be moderate to low and the speed of what you are talking
needs to be slow enough in order for it to be clear and easy to understand. When communicating
verbally, your body language will be assessed (Hansen, 2011). Keep your posture high with your
shoulders back, give direct, solid eye contact and smile. Also use purposeful and deliberate hand
gestures and these will make you appear confident and interesting.
3.4
The sharing of information between individuals by using speech. Individuals working
within a business need to effectively use verbal communication that employs readily understood
spoken words, as well as ensuring that the enunciation, stress and tone of voice with which the

words are expressed is appropriate (Daim and et. al., 2012). When speaking to a customer over
the phone I use question techniques as way of confirming that the information has passed
through successfully. Skilful questioning can be matched with active listening from yourself so
you are both engaging what the other is saying.
3.5
It is important that we confirm that what we have been communicating has been
understood. A way of judging this when having a face to face conversation would be by
observing the person's body language as you speak and by questioning throughout. With all
forms of communication, at the end almost like a conclusion, you could sum up overall what has
just been discussed as a clarification of understanding.
3.6
Sometimes when questioning and answering over the phone, information can be
misinterpreted due to the speaker’s nerves. You should always appear confident when you speak
by speaking clearly and speaking with a smile (Li and Peng, 2011). Smiling can change the tone
of your voice to make you sound friendly and welcoming whereas if you are frowning you may
seem like you are fed up and that you don’t really want to be having that particular conversation.
As a result, that could lead to your company losing their customer morale. When speaking to a
customer it is important that you are following your companies’ policies and standards.
For example, present yourself formally and speaking formally as well. This presents yourself and
your company as being professional to your client.
CONCLUSION
It has been concluded from above given report that it is crucial to communicate
effectively in negotiations to ensure you achieve your goals. Communication is also important
within the business. Effective communication is vital to the smooth running of a business and
various methods of communication are used within a business environment to achieve this.

REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Castells, M., 2013. Communication power. OUP Oxford.
Cavusgil, S. T. and et. al., 2014. International business. Pearson Australia.
Crews, T. B. and Stitt-Gohdes, W. L., 2012. Incorporating Facebook and Twitter in a service-
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Daim, T. U. and et. al., 2012. Exploring the communication breakdown in global virtual teams.
International Journal of Project Management. 30(2). pp.199-212.
Gardner, H. E. and Laskin, E., 2011. Leading minds: An anatomy of leadership. Basic Books.
Hansen, A., 2011. Communication, media and environment: Towards reconnecting research on
the production, content and social implications of environmental communication.
International Communication Gazette. 73(1-2). pp.7-25.
Hsu, J. S. C. and et. al., 2012. The impact of transactive memory systems on IS development
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