A Comprehensive Report on Effective Business Communication at Aldi

This report examines effective communication strategies within a business context, using Aldi as a case study. It explores internal and external stakeholders, highlighting the differences in their communication needs and objectives. The report delves into various communication models and methods, including telephone calls, email, and face-to-face interactions, assessing their strengths and weaknesses. It further analyzes the importance of audience understanding, planning, and structuring communication to overcome potential barriers such as differences in perception and cultural nuances. The report also emphasizes the significance of proofreading techniques and the impact of verbal and non-verbal communication, including body language. Overall, the report provides a comprehensive overview of business communication principles, focusing on practical applications and strategies to enhance communication effectiveness within an organization.

COMMUNICATE IN A
BUSINESS ENV

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
1.1 ..........................................................................................................................................3
1.2 ..........................................................................................................................................3
1.3 ..........................................................................................................................................4
1.4 ..........................................................................................................................................4
1.5 ..........................................................................................................................................4
1.6 ..........................................................................................................................................5
1.7 ..........................................................................................................................................5
1.8 .........................................................................................................................................5
1.9 ..........................................................................................................................................6
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................6
2.1...........................................................................................................................................6
2.2...........................................................................................................................................6
2.3 ..........................................................................................................................................7
2.4 .........................................................................................................................................7
2.5...........................................................................................................................................7
2.6 .........................................................................................................................................7
2.7 ..........................................................................................................................................7
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................8
3.1...........................................................................................................................................8
3.2 ..........................................................................................................................................8
3.3 ..........................................................................................................................................8
3.4 ..........................................................................................................................................9
3.5...........................................................................................................................................9
3.6 ..........................................................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills are valuable in the workplace. Some
companies spend a lot of money to train their employees on how to effectively communicate.
Good communication skills go beyond conversations, but employees must know how to
communicate well in written reports and emails (Atli, 2011). The following report is based on
Aldi which is a retail store. Discussion on ways through which effective and good
communication can be established in the referred organisation will be done in given study.
TASK 1
1.1
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 (Combe,
2012).
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.
External: This type of communication is varying largely on what the business
wants/needs from its external audience. 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. Similarly, with regulators companies
will be honest in terms of relevant documents/information due to avoid legal issues.
Comparatively, customers and suppliers will have limited information (Adams, and et.al., 2011).
1.2
Communication is a key element to business success both internally and externally. There
have been multiple models which explore how people communicate to enhance their ability to
transfer messages;
Shannon and Weaver Model of Communication (1948) - This is one of the earliest models of
communication and lays out the process of conversation to evidence what could go wrong
from ‘source’ to ‘receiver’ as a message is ‘encoded’ and ‘decoded’ by two people.

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.
1.3
There are a range of different communication systems/methods which are used within
business:
Telephone - Telephone calls are one of the most common forms of communication used
in business. In my work this is one of the most valuable forms of communication as by using
tone I can ensure clients/candidates understand the messages discussed, as well as ask more
questions for quick and comprehensible answers helping me in my work
Email - Comparatively to telephone calls, email is entirely written, resulting in a lack of
verbal ques 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 (Vinerean and et.al., 2013).
Face-to-face - Meeting external stakeholders is an important way to create a relationship
with important business relations. 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. Face-to-face
meetings are good with clients for initial meetings, or candidates following interviews, to gather
key information and make a lasting impression (Elliott, 2011).
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. This importance carries through to
other methods of communication with similar reasoning the most important thing is to ensure the
correct message is expressed (Ward2016).
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. Other
considerations include the formality of language choices involved in portraying ideas, i.e.
conversations with clients, and the desired outcome of communication. Planning and structuring
communication is key to increasing the likelihood the receiver will understand the intended
message (Morecroft, 2015).
1.7
There are many barriers to communication overcoming them is important to ensure
successful business communications. These barriers consist of:
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.
Difference in perception - Over the phone and particularly over email it can be difficult
to ensure that the receiver has understood a message as intended, furthermore, they can disagree
on certain elements and so it is important to address these ideas to ensure understanding between
both parties.
Cultural differences - Differences in cultural backgrounds typically alter body language,
attitudes, and tone of voice in response to ideas.
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.
1.9
There are many proof-reading techniques used in business: key examples include peer
review, software review, and self-evaluation. 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 (Ferraro and Briody, 2017).
TASK 2
2.1
Understanding the audience is fundamental to the success of any message. The sender
needs to analyses the audience and then adapt the message to their goals, interests and needs.
Audience like to listen the message that suits their interests, familiar with their level of
knowledge and understanding, and seems true and credible.
Types of 5udience:
1.Primary Audience
2 Secondary Audience
3 Initial Audience
4 Gatekeeper Audience
5.Watch dog Audience
2.2
Communication is valuable in a business environment as there are several parties involved.
Various stakeholders, whether they are customers, employees or the media, are always sending
important information to each other at all times. To communicate with the customers, the
organizations can use various media such as television channels, internet, promotional campaign
and so on (Mandelstein, 2016).

2.3
E - mail may be the quick and convenient way to relay daily business messages, but the
printed business letter is still the preferred way to convey important information. A carefully
crafted letter presented on attractive letterhead can be a powerful communication tool.
2.4
In Principles of business Communication there are some guidelines or principles that are to
be considered and followed to make Communication effective. Among them seven are
fundamental and relevant and these are clarity, completeness, conciseness, courtesy, correctness,
consideration and concreteness.
1 Principle of courtesy."
2. Principle of completeness.
3. Principle of consciousness.
2.5
According to situation the content and style of communication differs from one another.
There are many types of listeners in an organization. The style and content of the
communications should vary from one to another types of audiences. If the specific audience are
the customers of the organization, the approach must be persuasive. The formal tone of a client
negotiation will be inappropriate when chatting with colleagues (Edmondson, 2012).
2.6
There are different forms of communication in business, such as verbal, nonverbal and
written. Each of these communication forms is significant. However, written communication
usually requires more thought and effort. Writing must be concise, informative and easy to read
as both an informative and instructional tool. The importance of written communication in
business is evident by the plethora of forms, manuals and materials that companies publish each
day. Written communication can take the form of legal documents or manuals (Ross, 2016).
2.7
In order to meet deadlines, the following factors need to be considered:
Care about deadlines. This is the first step, as many people are very lax about deadlines. You
have to be very serious about meeting them, and make them a priority

Keep a list of projects g deadlines. If you care about deadlines, you'll write them down, and
have one place that you check often to make sure you know what's due and when.
Communicate a clear deadline. Be sure that you and the client are in agreement with a
specific deadline, including time of day (and factor in time zone differences as well).
TASK 3
3.1
When communicating in a work environment, the nature is to communicate factually, in
concisely and in an easily digestible style. If you are communicated non-verbally, e.g. a letter,
the information needs to be relevant, accurate and be presented professionally. Knowing what is
trying to be achieved from a conversation is essential for a successful conversation. 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 (Harmon, 2014). This is why it is a good idea to confirm that a
recipient has understood correctly what has been communicated but repeating what either you
have said, or what they have said to clarify for yourself. When you are communicating verbally,
or non-verbally, your language and style will change depending on who the recipient is.
3.2
Communication has not taken place until the person(s) being communicated with has
understood the message as the sender intended." In other words, an appropriate choice of
language for your audience is required. 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
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. 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
Communication is the act of transferring information from one person to another. If you do
this verbally, it will usually be as a face to face conversation or over the phone. When speaking
to a customer over the phone I use question techniques as way of confirming that the information
has passed through successfully (Cook, 2017). Using questioning techniques is a positive way of
engaging the recipient as you are enquiring their input building a positive response from them.
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. 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 (Merrilees, Miller and Herington,
2012).
CONCLUSION
From the above report this has been summarised that there are often issues with a supply
chain and these may need to be rectified with negotiations. Through communication,
organizations etc. change information with internal and external parties. Proper Communication
also brings dynamism in organizational activities and helps in attaining goals.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Atli, A., 2011. Businessmen as diplomats: The role of business associations in Turkey's foreign
economic policy. Insight Turkey, 13(1), p.109.
Adams, T.J. And et.al., 2011. Method, system and program product for managing assignment of
MAC addresses in a virtual machine environment. U.S. Patent 7,873,711.
Vinerean, S. and et.al., 2013. The effects of social media marketing on online consumer
behavior. International Journal of Business and Management, 8(14), p.66.
Morecroft, J.D., 2015. Strategic modelling and business dynamics: a feedback systems approach.
John Wiley & Sons.
Ferraro, G.P. and Briody, E.K., 2017. The cultural dimension of global business. Taylor &
Francis.
Edmondson, A.C., 2012. Teamwork on the fly. Harvard Business Review, 90(4), pp.72-80.
Harmon, P., 2014. Business process change. Morgan Kaufmann.
Cook, N., 2017. Enterprise 2.0: How social software will change the future of work. Routledge.
Merrilees, B., Miller, D. and Herington, C., 2012. Multiple stakeholders and multiple city brand
meanings. European Journal of Marketing, 46(7/8), pp.1032-1047.
Ross, D.F., 2016. Introduction to e-supply chain management: engaging technology to build
market-winning business partnerships. CRC Press.
Mandelstein, D.J. And et.al., 2016. Managing tenant-specific data sets in a multi-tenant
environment. U.S. Patent 9,244,951.
Elliott, M., 2011. Marine science and management means tackling exogenic unmanaged
pressures and endogenic managed pressures–a numbered guide.
Combe, C., 2012. Introduction to E-business. Routledge.
Ward, J., 2016. Perpetuating the family business: 50 lessons learned from long lasting,
successful families in business. Springer.

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