Business Communication: Skills, Barriers, Cross-Cultural, and Ethics

This essay explores the concept of effective communication, emphasizing its importance in various aspects of life and business. It highlights the essential elements of communication, including the sender, medium, and receiver, and discusses how technological advancements have transformed the communication landscape. The essay defines effective communication as the ability to convey intended messages clearly and emphasizes the significance of listening skills. It identifies common barriers to effective communication, such as technical jargon, ineffective mediums, noise, and distractions, and suggests strategies to overcome these challenges. The importance of self-awareness and cross-cultural communication is also discussed, highlighting the need to understand cultural differences to avoid misinterpretations. Furthermore, the essay touches on the role of ethical decision-making in business, advocating for the use of ethical theories like Kantianism and Utilitarianism to make fair and beneficial decisions. In conclusion, the essay underscores the necessity of effective communication skills and ethical considerations in today's interconnected world.

Running head: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
Business Communication
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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The concept of communication is useful in almost every sphere of lives and the
individuals are required to take the help of this process to not only express themselves but at
the same time to convey their ideas to the other individuals in the most effective manner
(Knapp, Vangelisti and Caughlin 2014). I personally believe that this concept can be utilized
to make the lives of the individuals by helping them to express themselves in a much better
manner. The process of communication requires the presence of a sender, medium and a
receiver (Thomas and Peterson 2017). However, in the present times it is seen that the
process of communication has undergone much transformation in synchronization with the
technological advancements of the recent times (Thomas and Peterson 2017). In this essay I
would discuss about the concept of effective communication and its related aspects.
I personally believe that the concept of effective communication has emerged as one
of the most important ones in the present times and the definition of effective communication
has undergone drastic transformation because of the recent technological advancements
(Reisinger and Turner 2012). I am of the viewpoint that the process of effective
communication takes place when a particular individual is being able to effectively convey
his or her intended message to the other individual. Furthermore, many experts are of the
viewpoint that the process of effective communication is more about listening in an
effectively than talking (Reisinger and Turner 2012). Therefore, I would like to say in this
particular context that the process of effective communication the requires the presence of
certain set of skills on the part of the individuals who are involved in the process of
communication like effective listening skills, talking skills and others.
I would like to comment at this particular point of time that the quality of a particular
communication process can be accessed by the extent up to the communication process
avoids the barriers to the process of effective communication. There are various barriers to
the process of effective communication which inevitably creeps within the process of

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communication either intentionally or unintentionally (Bramhall 2014). During the process of
communication with the other individuals I personally found that the some of the most
common barriers to the process of effective communication the use of too many technical
terms or jargon, unclear or ineffective medium, too much sound, distractions and others.
Therefore, I would suggest to the people to avoid the use of too many technical terms during
the process and that they should try to stick to the commonly used as the other person to
whom the message or the information is being is likely to understand the message or the
information in a much better manner in this particular way. Furthermore, the individuals who
are having the conversation also needs to ensure that the medium which they are using for the
process of communication is an adequate one and does not pose a challenge to the process of
communication (Bramhall 2014). I have seen that many times the presence of too much noise
or irrelevant sound in the environment also hinders the process of effective communication.
The absent mindedness of the people involved in the process of communication is another
factor which affects the process of communication (Bramhall 2014). These are some of the
major barriers to the process of effective communication in my opinion.
The self awareness level of the speaker as well as the listener also affects the process
of communication in a significant manner (Greenaway et al. 2015). I have seen that if the
people involved in the process of communication are not attentive or aware about the things
which are going on in their surrounding then they are more likely to not comprehend the
message or the information which is being conveyed to them. Therefore, it can be said that
the factor of self awareness is one of the most important ones within the framework of the
process of effective communication.
The concept of cross cultural communication is a process of communication which
has gained a considerable amount of prominence in the present times (Mira et al. 2014). The
process of cross cultural communication comes into play when people from two different

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cultures and social backgrounds are trying to have a conversation (Mira et al. 2014). I would
also like to comment in this particular context that same words have different meanings in
different cultures and therefore it becomes very important for the people involved in the
process of communication to have a basic idea about the culture of the other individual
involved in the process of communication. Furthermore, the use of gestures as well as body
language for the process is likely to much enhance the quality of the communication in this
particular context (Mira et al. 2014).
The process of “ethical decision making” is another significant development within
the framework of the present day business world (Rajhans 2012). The various individuals as
well as business enterprises are required to take the help of various theories of ethics like
Kantianism, Utilitarianism and others for the process of decision making (Rajhans 2012). The
use of ethics for the process of decision making is not only likely to help the individuals
involved in the process to make decisions which are ethical but also to make the kind of
decisions which is likely to be beneficial for the majority of the people (Rajhans 2012). I
personally believe that this is one of the reasons for the popularity gained by this particular
concept in the recent times.
To conclude, the process of communication is a necessary tool in the lives of all the
individuals as it helps them to express things in a much better manner. However, there are
certain factors which need to be taken into effective consideration during the process of
communication like avoiding the barriers of the factors which affect the process of effective
communication. I would also like to add in this context that the people involved in the
process of communication should also take into consideration the cultural factor as well
during the process of communication. Moreover, the use of ethics for the process of decision
making has also gained a considerable amount of significance in the recent times.

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References
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Shared identity is key to effective communication. Personality and Social Psychology
Bulletin, 41(2), pp.171-182.
Knapp, M.L., Vangelisti, A.L. and Caughlin, J.P., 2014. Interpersonal communication and
human relationships. Pearson Higher Ed.
Mira, J.J., Guilabert, M., Pérez‐Jover, V. and Lorenzo, S., 2014. Barriers for an effective
communication around clinical decision making: an analysis of the gaps between doctors' and
patients' point of view. Health Expectations, 17(6), pp.826-839.
Rajhans, K., 2012. Effective organizational communication: A key to employee motivation
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Reisinger, Y. and Turner, L., 2012. Cross-cultural behaviour in tourism. Routledge.
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