Business Communication Report: Challenges, Strategies, and Culture

This report delves into the critical aspects of business communication, exploring common challenges and barriers that hinder effective information exchange within organizations. It identifies various obstacles, including language, psychological, physiological, and physical barriers, providing a comprehensive understanding of their impact. Furthermore, the report outlines practical strategies for overcoming these barriers, emphasizing the importance of active listening, using simple language, and providing feedback. It also highlights the significance of cultural awareness in communication and negotiation, recognizing that cultural values can significantly influence how messages are received and interpreted. The report concludes by emphasizing the central role of effective communication in all organizational departments and underscores the need for sensitivity and adaptability to ensure clear and successful communication in the business environment.

Poster

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Common challenges and barriers to communication.............................................................1
Strategies for overcoming communication barrier.................................................................1
Awareness of cultural influences on communication and negotiation...................................2
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................2
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................3

INTRODUCTION
Business communication is defined as the process through which individuals functioning
within the organisation exchange important information with one another. With the help of this
process, personnel are able to take orders from higher management as well as pass on any
feedback to them. This process is central to each and every company functioning within the
confines of an economy to attain growth in a timely manner.
Common challenges and barriers to communication
Communication is an important process that takes place in each and every company, irrespective
of its size, scale and type. It ensures that important information related to the organisation and its
internal affairs are circulated within the base of employees so that they can work accordingly.
Communication is also central to informing the employees about the goal and objectives set by
the higher management for the entire workforce. This makes the individuals work as per the
requirements of the organisation. In this relation, it has been acknowledged that there are several
barriers or challenges that tend to hinder the process of communication from taking place in an
effective manner. These barriers are explained in a detailed manner as follows:-
Language Barriers:
Language as well as linguistic ability of an individual may tend to act as a communication
barrier. Even if two individuals set communication by way of same language, the terms used
within a message may serve as a barrier to communication if it is incomprehensible by the
receiver. For instance: A message which is inclusive of a several jargons or abbreviations
cannot be comprehended by the receiver who is not acquainted with knowledge about them.
Psychological Barriers:
The psychological state held by the receiver also influence the manner in which message is
received by them. For instance: If an individual is preoccupied with some personal concern and
thereby stressed, they may not be much receptive to the message. Anger is yet another example
which leads to emergence of psychological barriers to communication. When a person is angry,
they say things which they may regret later on and may also misinterpret the messages received
by them. This is one of the most prominent barriers which affect the process of communication
in day to day lives.
Physiological Barriers:
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Physiological barriers tend to arise as a result of the physical state of receiver. For instance: A
receiver who has reduced hearing issue or hearing impairment may not be able to effectively
comprehend the message that the sender is trying to convey. This tends to break the chain of
communication between both the parties, leading to either misinterpretation of information or no
information being transferred at all.
Physical Barriers:
Communication happens easily when it takes place over short distance. Physical barriers like
geographic distance tend to affect the communication taking place between sender and receiver.
Modern technology to a large extent seeks to decrease the influence of physical barriers;
however it has not been able to fully resolve the issue. Thus, it is important to make use of
effective channels of communication which can limit the impact of these barriers.
Strategies for overcoming communication barrier
Below discussed are some of the strategies through which communication barriers can be
effectively overcome:-
Active listening:
It is a strategy which allows individuals to effective acquire and comprehend what is being
conveyed to them. Active listening is concerned with actively concentrating upon, with all the
senses as to what is being said rather than just hearing the message being spoken by the sender.
Active listening also tends to assure the sender that the receiver is interested in the conversation
and thus wants to take active part in it. Non verbal cues tend to play a crucial role in conveying
evidence of active listening to the speaker. In this relation, such cues include hand movements,
gesture, posture, body movement, eye contact, nodding etc. These demonstrate that the listener is
interested in the message being transmitted. Verbal cues like asking questions in response to the
message or paraphrasing the statement used in the message are also effective ways to display
active listening.
Using Simple Language:
Another important strategy to overcome the barriers is to make use of a language which is easily
comprehensible by the receiver. The sender should avoid making use of jargons or abbreviations
that could be misinterpreted by the receiver. The language and the terminology used in the
message should be clear, specific and easily understandable. This restrains the chances of
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misinterpretation of information by the receiver owing to language barrier being present in the
process of message transmission.
Awareness of cultural influences on communication and negotiation
It has been acknowledged that culture places a significant influence over the process of
negotiation as well as communication. Every individual tends to have their own set of cultural
values that may hinder or foster them to execute communication and negotiation with other
individuals. Thus, it is important to have sound knowledge of the cultural background of receiver
before transmitting any message to them, as there may also be a probability that culture may
make the receiver unable to comprehend the message. Displaying cultural sensitivity is important
in order to gain positive feedback from the receiver and make them get indulged in the
communication process in an effective manner.
CONCLUSION
On the basis of above information, it can be easily inferred that communication is the
process central to each and every department of the organisation. There are several barriers that
tend to hinder communication from taking place in an effectual manner. Besides this, it can be
said that usage of simple language, active listening and provision of feedback are some of the
strategies to overcome communication barriers. In addition to this, it is important for the sender
to display cultural sensitivity so as to reduce the impact of culture upon negotiation and
communication.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Pearson, R., 2017. Business ethics as communication ethics: Public relations practice and the
idea of dialogue. In Public relations theory (pp. 111-131). Routledge.
Wang, W.Y., Pauleen, D.J. and Zhang, T., 2016. How social media applications affect B2B
communication and improve business performance in SMEs. Industrial Marketing
Management. 54, pp.4-14.
Veltsos, J.R., 2017. Gamification in the business communication course. Business and
Professional Communication Quarterly. 80(2), pp.194-216.
Mayfield, J. and Mayfield, M., 2017. Leadership communication: Reflecting, engaging, and
innovating.
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