Business Communication: Personal Development and Teamwork Report

This report details a student's learning experiences in a business communication course, focusing on intercultural and interpersonal communication, and teamwork. The report discusses the application of theories such as Uncertainty Reduction Theory and Hofstede's Cultural Model to real-world scenarios, particularly the challenges faced when working with diverse teams. The student reflects on personal growth, including overcoming communication barriers and developing decision-making skills, while highlighting areas for improvement and outlining strategies for enhancing communication and teamwork effectiveness. The report also covers the importance of referencing and cross-cultural training, concluding with the development of a successful team working spirit and the importance of continuous learning for future success in business management.

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

2BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
Things learned during the trimester
I have been able to understand many important lessons during the trimester. This
has been very helpful for me as I came to learn many important theories and concepts
that are needed in a sound team communication. The different theories that were
considered are team working, intercultural communication, interpersonal
communication, team work and also referencing system.
Intercultural communication
I have learned in the trimester that intercultural communication is one of the
most essential parts of gaining a proper team success. I have been able to work with a
large number of team mates coming from different cultural backgrounds. Thus it has
really helped me a lot to develop a cross cultural competence. I have been able to
gain many new ideas and knowledge about the different business etiquettes
followed in different parts of the world. As per my perception, this knowledge will be very
helpful for me to become an ideal manager in the upcoming future.
Interpersonal communication
Interpersonal communication is very important for the overall functioning of the
business and also for connecting in a better way with all the team members. This lesson
has been very helpful as I was able to overcome the barriers that I face while speaking.
I have been able to learn about the different friendly body gestures that are the non
verbal mediums of communication that can help in understanding about the emotions
going on within the team members and how to connect with them in a better manner.
I also learned about the importance of team work. In order to work as a
successful business manager in future, I will have to work with my team and put forward
a joint collaborative effort. Learning about intercultural communication was very useful.
This helped me to give equal importance to all the tam workers irrespective of their
cultural backgrounds

3BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
Main theories covered
Interpersonal Communication
Uncertainty reduction theory (URT)
As per the opinion of Chan (2018) the beginning of any relationships always star
with a fight or a huge series of uncertainties. However in order to reach to a successful
position in the field of business, I will have to face the challenges and overcome the
uncertainties. For an example, there was a large scale difference in the business
etiquettes of Australian students like me and the ones that came from Japan. Japanese
students were seen to be very formal in their attitudes and also in their body language.
They did not want to get involved in any kinds of physical contacts like handshakes or
patting on the back as a sign of appreciation. Thus we were taught how to overcome
these uncertainties through strategies like
Active strategy
To set up of some situations that would help in understanding about the interests
of the other person. This is mainly carried on with the help of observations
Interactive strategy
I feel that this is the best strategy as it helps in interacting with the person
directly. Talking and understanding each other’s differences is always a very useful tool.
I have undertaken personal communication and also group discussion sessions on a
regular basis. This has helped me a lot in identifying the cultural and the social
differences that are present (Al-Fuqaha et al., 2015).
Intercultural communication
Hofstede cultural model is a very useful theory that is used in order to understand
about the differences in the culture and the religion of different people (Bi, S., Zeng, Y.
and Zhang, R., 2016). There are some parameters that help in understanding the
differences between the different cultures and the ways in which one can actually
overcome these differences. I was having some problems in adjusting with the students

4BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
that came from Kuwait. As per the Hofstede cultural dimension theory Australia has a
high sore (90) in Individualism, This shows that they are very self reliant and self
dependent in nature. The employees are expected to take their own decisions based on
their own resources without depending much on their bosses or the hierarchy. On the
other hand, Kuwait has a low score of about 25 in the individualism which shows that
the employees depend on their bosses. They have a collectivist culture and they are
very loyal to the each other. They are of the opinion that it is the duty of the bosses to
take care of their subordinates.
Thus self reliance was lacking in the students of Kuwait. As I was working as the
team leader I realized all these differences among different cultures. This made me
understand that I have to patiently deal with the students coming from different cultural
backgrounds and teach them how to become more self reliant and take up their own
responsibilities rather than depending on others.
Issues faced
 Lacking a proper decision making power was a setback I faced in carrying on
with my team
 Lack of confidence was a major issue that I was facing in the initial levels.
 Communication issue was a problem for me in the initial levels as I felt nervous
while speaking undertaking any business level or public speaking.
How I performed
 I realized the intercultural differences and took strategies to overcome them
 Horizontal communication was developed so that all the team members can
freely talk with one another and get rid of their hesitations
 Including all the team members from the from different socio cultural background
is very important in order to get over the differences and work successfully as a
team

5BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
 I also enrolled myself in some yoga sessions and other meditation classes so
that I can be able to manage my anger level and restless nature. This has helped
me to become much patient and rake up business decisions in a better way
 I also arranged for several cross cultural training sessions that helped me too
gather all the students from different cultures to come together and get over their
differences
 I also learned about the importance of referencing while taking up any important
assignment. As per my perception this will be very useful for future as my
teachers will be able to know about the authentic and the credible sources that I
have used in my assignment.
 I was able to accomplish the essence of developing a successful team working
spirit. I was able to get rid of my communication errors and started talking with
others in a very friendly and frank manner
Areas of improvement
Areas of improvement Resources needed Desired outcome
Communication issue I have to undertake regular
group discussion sessions
and p-personal interview
sessions so that I can get
over the stammering issues
and the hesitations that I
have
Be able to speak in an error
free manner and also take
regular feedback from the
intended users
Decision making power Taking up challenges in
order to learn the apt
decision making skills
Be able to take the right
decision at the right time
without suffering from lack
of security or lack of
confidence

6BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
References
Al-Fuqaha, A., Khreishah, A., Guizani, M., Rayes, A. and Mohammadi, M., 2015.
Toward better horizontal integration among IoT services. IEEE Communications
Magazine, 53(9), pp.72-79.
Bi, S., Zeng, Y. and Zhang, R., 2016. Wireless powered communication networks: An
overview. IEEE Wireless Communications, 23(2), pp.10-18.
Chan, D., 2018. How Working Together Matters. World Scientific Publishing Company
Pte Limited.
Quirke, B., 2017. Making the connections: using internal communication to turn strategy
into action. Routledge.

7BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
Bibliography
Adler, R.B., Rodman, G.R. and Du Pré, A., 2016. Understanding human communication
(Vol. 10). Oxford University Press.
García-Campayo, J., Puebla-Guedea, M., Herrera-Mercadal, P. and Daudén, E., 2016.
Burnout syndrome and demotivation among health care personnel. managing stressful
situations: the importance
of teamwork. Actas Dermo-Sifiliográficas (English Edition), 107(5), pp.400-406.
Mehta, A., 2018. Enhancing performance in Indian companies through better teamwork.
HR Future, 2018(Jul 2018), pp.14-16.
Pagani, A., STMicroelectronics Srl, 2018. Electronic system having increased coupling
by using horizontal and vertical communication channels. U.S. Patent 9,881,911.

8BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
Appendices