Effective Communication Strategies

The assignment emphasizes the significance of proper communication strategies for success. It highlights the need to use appropriate channels, consider various factors, and employ clear language. The content also touches upon different aspects like advising, evaluating, analyzing, reassuring, questioning, and understanding to enhance communication skills.

Communicate in
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............................................................................................................................................3
2.1................................................................................................................................................3
2.2................................................................................................................................................4
2.3................................................................................................................................................4
2.4................................................................................................................................................5
2.5................................................................................................................................................5
2.6................................................................................................................................................6
2.7................................................................................................................................................6
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................6
3.1................................................................................................................................................6
3.2................................................................................................................................................7
3.3................................................................................................................................................7
3.4................................................................................................................................................7
3.5................................................................................................................................................8
3.6................................................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Two-way process of reaching mutual understanding, in which participants not only
exchange (encode-decode) information, news, ideas and feelings but also create and share
meaning. In general, communication is a means of connecting people or places (Castells, 2013) .
In business, it is a key function of management--an organization cannot operate without
communication between levels, departments and employees. Need of communication for
different type of stakeholders and various factors that affect the whole process of communication
is all detailed under this report.
TASK 1
1.1
Communications with internal stakeholders help to create a positive attitude within the
company. Internal stakeholders are individuals within a company, i.e. employees, managers,
directors, investors; alternatively, 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; External: This type of communication is varies largely on what the business wants/needs
from its external audience (Cavusgil and et. al., 2014). In terms of investors, a company
would be more honest with figures than it would with customers/consumers, i.e. margin
profits or company performance, in order to secure money from individuals.
 Internal: Communication internally can be less formal due to familiarity between
members of a team if between colleagues. However, it is typically informative in nature,
i.e. regarding sales processes, business requirements/needs, or performance. Internal
communications will be more honest than external due to the need to maintain and
improve business performance on realistic figures.
1.2
Schramm’s Model (1954) alters 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.
Berlo’s Model (1960) further alters Shannon and Weaver’s model: stressing the
relationship between the sender and receiver of messages by highlighting the communication
skills and perceptions which allow people to encode and decode messages as they do.
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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.
Consequently, smaller questions or details can be missed as a result of the limitation of
this communication method.
 Face-to-face: Meeting external stakeholders is an important way to create a relationship
with important business relations (Crews and Stitt-Gohdes, 2012). People create their
perspectives of others through body language and therefore meeting clients in person can
create a lasting impression which supersedes relations with others forged over telephone
calls or email.
1.4
When deciding which communication media to use it is important to consider what
message you are trying to get across/receive. For large amounts of information email is the best
choice as it is able to hold a large amount of written text and some documentation (Daim and et.
al., 2012). Telephone calls are typically better when looking to discuss large amounts of
information or to save time. 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. A key example of this in my role would
be email communications I use to first introduce appropriate candidates to roles. These emails
must be engaging, as to grab the attention of the reader, structured comprehensibly to include
key information, formal in nature and written in good English including spelling and grammar as
to make a good impression and a clear message for the reader.
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. Consequently, it is important to make sure that any message is as succinct as possible
only relevant and necessary information included within emails or conversations.
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1.7  Cultural differences: Differences in cultural backgrounds typically alter body language,
attitudes, and tone of voice in response to ideas. 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, with minimal use of dialect or strong accents, and that for those
with disabilities or English is their second language.
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. In my work, I understand that body language, similarly to tone in a telephone
conversation, is a key aspect to how a message is created and taken in. For example, closed body
language can suggest that someone is uncomfortable, nervous, or judgemental, i.e. hunching,
crossing arms, etc.
1.9
There are many proof-reading techniques used in business: key examples include peer
review, software review, and self-evaluation (Gardner and Laskin, 2011). Proof-reading is
important in business as communications are commonly the foundation for the opinion of a client
or candidate of you and your business therefore, creating a professional message is important to
ensure positive feedback. During my role, I commit many emails to candidates and clients. At
first these were reviewed by my mentor to ensure I understood the quality expected in the emails
and attached documents.
TASK 2
2.1
When you communicate, your purpose is not what you want to do; instead, it is what you
want your audience to do as a result of reading what you wrote or listening to what you said.
Thus, it involves the audience. To communicate effectively (that is, to achieve your purpose),
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you must adapt to your audience. Therefore, you must know your audience. Knowing your
purpose and audience helps determine your strategy. If your purpose or audience is unclear,
clarify it as best you can, possibly by asking others (Hansen, 2011). For a public thesis defence,
for example, the audience is usually strongly heterogeneous. It includes your jury, your
colleagues, your friends, and perhaps your family. The purpose depends largely on how your
institution sees the event.
2.2
Properly chosen communication media can present information more effectively than
teachers do, and free the teachers to plan activities, diagnose learning problems, counsel
students, and perform other tasks requiring human judgement and warmth (Hsu and et. al.,
2012). However, the influence of passive entertainment media too often causes instructional
media to be used passively, overlooking the importance of learner response and interaction.
Modest, inexpensive media, such as still television, slidefilms, and telewriting, often fill a
teaching need as well or better than more complex, expensive media.
For determine the right media of communication it is very essential for sender to analyse the
following things:
 Identify your target audience
 Analyse the message you want to communicate
 Calculate the cost of communicating through the channels you have identified
 Choose interactive channels if you want to obtain feedback or monitor opinions of your
company
 Work with communications professionals to develop and implement your
communication strategy.
2.3
Mainly there are five different layouts: Letters and Memos: Letters and memos are the most traditional written business
communication. Letters are commonly used to present official business information to
other businesses, to individuals or to outside business stakeholders. Meetings: Meetings offer organizations a way to convey information using a personal
format. Meetings may include managers, employees or customers.
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 Email: Email is an electronic form of written communication. This communication
format has become more popular as organizations increase the use of personal computers
in their business operations. Social Media: Social media websites and networks have presented a relatively new
business communication format. Social media networks allow organizations to create
websites or fan pages and develop a following of customers.
 Online Chat: Online chatting is another relatively recent feature companies are adding to
their websites (Li and Peng, 2011). Chat allows organizations to take advantage of
individuals viewing the company’s website and present a response system consumers can
use if they have questions regarding the company or its products.
2.4
What does effective business writing look like? In many ways, good writing is good
writing regardless of its particular purpose, but the following characteristics are especially
important for business writing.
 CLEAR PURPOSE
 CLARITY AND CONCISENESS
 AWARENESS OF AUDIENCE
 APPROPRIATE TONE
 ATTENTION TO FORM
2.5
Adapting Communication for Different Audiences Know your audience: In business, you’ll communicate with a variety of different people
in many different ways (Li and et. al., 2011). These may include: marketing, networking,
staff meetings, client and supplier meetings, disciplinary procedures, as well as
communicating with regulators or government agencies. Communication objectives: It is vital to think about the objectives of each
communication, as this will help you design your message. You can then take what you
already know about the audience to anticipate their reactions and tailor your message,
tone and medium.
 Every audience is different: If you want to maximize the effectiveness of your
communication with various audiences, be aware of the different approaches. For
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example, a joke in the office might be inappropriate when dealing with a customer. On
the other hand, the formal tone of a client negotiation will be inappropriate when chatting
with colleagues.
2.6
Effective writing allows the reader to thoroughly understand everything you are saying.
This is not always easy to do. Here are a few tips that will help you:
 Know your goal and state it clearly
 Tone can help your writing be more effective.
 Explain in clear terms what you want the reader to do
 Language needs to be simple.
2.7
What can you do to ensure you meet your deadlines?
 Agree to a reasonable deadline. This is extremely important. NEVER promise to
complete a project by a certain date, if you know upfront that the deadline is not
achievable. If you agree to a deadline, and kept quiet about the timeline not being
achievable, you will still be the one who is going to be painted in a bad light, when you
are not able to deliver (Rose, Hair and Clark, 2011). If the deadline is not achievable,
open your mouth up front, and ensure that a reasonable deadline is agreed to up front.
 Ensure that you are a hundred percent clear on what is expected of you, and the timeline
the project should be completed in. Write it down immediately, diarise the date and
ensure you have the right information.
TASK 3
3.1
The purpose of the communication can be summed up into the following:
 Flow of Information
 Coordination
 Learning Management Skills
 Preparing People to Accept Change
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
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benefits of simplification. As soon as simplification begins to distort your message, you should
stop. Often it is better for your target group to get a general idea of the overall meaning of your
communication, rather than completely understanding only some parts of its contents.
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 (Weber and Marley, 2012). Though it is tempting to use
technical terms so as to appear more credible, their use can make your research appear distant
and removed from the everyday realities of your target group.
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 we interact with others, we continuously give and receive wordless signals. All of
our non-verbal behaviours—the gestures we make, the way we sit, how fast or how loud we talk,
how close we stand, how much eye contact we make—send strong messages. These messages
don't stop when you stop speaking either. Even when you're silent, you're still communicating
non-verbally. The way you listen, look, move, and react tells the other person whether or not you
care, if you’re being truthful, and how well you’re listening. When your non-verbal signals
match up with the words you’re saying, they increase trust, clarity, and rapport.
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 (Weck and Ivanova, 2013). Verbal communication can be
taken to mean many different things. However, one thing is always clear: words must always be
involved in verbal communication. Words have been used for centuries as carriers of meaning.
And, though we may communicate in a variety of different languages, if we are using words we
can define our communication style as verbal communication. Sometimes verbal communication
is contrasted with written communication. However, strictly speaking, both types of
communication use words and thus both are verbal.
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3.5
The assurance of your message being understood begins with the message and the
manner of delivery. Here are some general guidelines for assuring that your message is clearly
communicated.
 Communicate just one message at a time. Don’t confuse the receiver with multiple
messages and make them sort through them.
 Express your message in clear language. Don’t try to “sugar coat” tough messages.
Don’t try to embellish the message.
3.6
FIVE WAYS OF RESPONDING
 ADVISING AND EVALUATING
 ANALYZING AND INTERPRETING
 REASSURING AND SUPPORTING
 QUESTIONING AND PROBING
 UNDERSTANDING AND PARAPHRASING
CONCLUSION
From the given information, it can be summarised that in order to make the process of
communication more effective it is very essential for sender to use right channel of
communication. Various factors which affect the whole process must be consider and right
language must be use by sender.
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REFERENCES
Books and 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-
learning project in a business communication course. Business Communication
Quarterly. 75(1). pp.76-79.
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
teams' coordination, communication, and performance. International Journal of Project
Management. 30(3). pp.329-340.
Li, J. F. and Peng, J., 2011. Task scheduling algorithm based on improved genetic algorithm in
cloud computing environment. Jisuanji Yingyong/ Journal of Computer Applications.
31(1). pp.184-186.
Li, Q. and et. al., 2011. Towards the business–information technology alignment in cloud
computing environment: anapproach based on collaboration points and agents.
International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing. 24(11). pp.1038-1057.
Rose, S., Hair, N. and Clark, M., 2011. Online customer experience: A review of the business‐to‐
consumer online purchase context. International Journal of Management Reviews.
13(1). pp.24-39.
Weber, J. and Marley, K. A., 2012. In search of stakeholder salience: Exploring corporate social
and sustainability reports. Business & Society. 51(4). pp.626-649.
Weck, M. and Ivanova, M., 2013. The importance of cultural adaptation for the trust
development within business relationships. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing.
28(3). pp.210-220.
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