Business Communication Report: Improving Communication at MiVo

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of business communication strategies, focusing on improving both internal and external communications within an organization. It addresses the Barnlund's Transactional Model, explores the impact of noise factors on effective communication, and su...Read More

Communication in Business 1
BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
By Name
Course
Instructor
Institution
Location
Date

Communication in Business 2
Business Communication
Question One
Barnlund’s Transactional Model:
Dean Barnlund invented a communication transactional model in 1970 to help in the
interpretation of interpersonal communication which emphasizes that sending and receiving of
messages happens at once between two people. The model has multiple layers and is a feedback
system. Constant feedback is provided by both parties. The Barnlund’s model is made up of
public, private and behavioral cues. Public cues are those that are in the environment or can be
man-made. Private Cues include factors like senses and can be verbal or non-verbal while
behavioral cues are concerned with behavior and can also be verbal and non-verbal (Shen and
Austin,2017, p.355).
Three Noise Factors:
Physical Noise-These are external interferences to both the sender and receiver of the message
and include loudspeakers, loud kids or a loud party (Noris,2016).
Physiological Noise- These are barriers that can be caused by the sender or receiver and include
things like talking too fast, mumbling or lack of pauses in a conversation (Noris,2016).
Psychological Noise – This is noise that is caused by mental interference either on the speaker or
receiver’s side. It can be caused by wandering thoughts, assumptions or sarcasm (Noris,2016).
Overcoming Noise Barriers:
Overcoming the barriers caused by noise can be done by:
 Identifying the source of noise so that possible solutions are thought out
 Removing physical distractions from wherever they are or moving away from them
 Listening actively while someone is speaking (Mai and Hoffman,2014)
 Being empathetic and not judging (Penrose,2015)
 Using clear language and being coherent
 Seeking and giving feedback (Verial,2017)

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Question Two-Motivational Report
Part One:
MiVO Telecommunications
From: Operations Manager
To: All Employees
Formation of Task Force to Implement New Communication Policy
MiVo Telecommunications has been my home for five years and I have been happy
working in such a reputable organization. Currently, I hold the position of operations manager
and my role is to ensure all operations go smoothly both internally and externally. Over the
years, MiVo has adopted a communication style that has enabled it to succeed while interacting
with customers and employees as well. This has leveraged the company into holding a strong
position in the South African market as one of the top telecommunications companies. Despite
the great work that the team has done, there are still challenges when it comes to communication
due to external and internal environmental factors. In light of this, the executive team has
deemed it fit that the organization’s communication policy be reviewed so that we are able to
cement our position as the top telecommunications company in the country.
Together with a team of employees from the various departments, we will form a task
force that will look at the current internal and customer communication policies to identify the
loopholes within the same over the next 3 months. Further to this, the task force will come up
with recommendations that will be the basis of coming up with a stronger communication policy
that will be beneficial to employees, customers, and all organizational stakeholders. The main
objectives of the task force will be:
 Engaging staff and getting customer feedback that will enable identification of loopholes
in current communication strategies
 Proposing new ideas to be factored into the new communication policy
 Organizing for organization-wide staff training on the importance and applications of
business communication
 Coaching employees on effective customer communication
 Official documents formulation and communication etiquette

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In achieving our objectives, the task force will require your full support and cooperation
so that the new communication plan becomes a success. Further, we will be seeing your input on
new ideas that can make communication better both internally and externally. As we start this
process, we are grateful for the support we have received so far and urge that you continue in this
spirit as we strive to make MiVo the best in its industry.
Part Two: Annotated Bibliography
Reference 1:
Harvard Reference Entries - Importance of Educating Employees on Effective Business
Communication Practices:
Educating Employees. (2017). The Importance of Educating Employees on Business
Communication Practices. Business Communication Practices [Online]. Available from
http://educating-employees.blogspot.co.ke/2017/09/educating-employees-on-effective.html
[Accessed 28 April 2018].
The above online source can is academically credible and relevant to the topic because it
gives exhaustive details as regarding why it is important to teach employees about business
communication. The article speaks about factors like understanding communication,
communication elements and forms of communication.
Reference 2:
Maislin, S (2017). How to Promote Effective Communications in Your Workplace.
CMSWire [Online]. Available from https://www.cmswire.com/digital-workplace/how-to-
promote-effective-communications-in-your-workplace/ [Accessed 28 April 2018].
The above article is academically credible and relevant since it speaks about the topic at
hand which is educating employees on business communication. The article gives various steps
that employers can use to educate their employees. The author also has experience in the
business communication field hence making the source one that can be trusted.
Question 3 -Email to MiVo Customer Care Agents
From: Operations Manager, MiVo
To: MiVo Customer Care Agents
Subject: Compulsory Intercultural Communication Workshop on 15th May 2018

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Dear Team,
Thank you for the great work you have been doing as the MiVo customer care team.
Despite this, it has come to our attention as management that of late, there have been problems
regarding intercultural insensitivity. This is after several complaints that have been received from
employees and customers, regarding how they have been handled and in some cases some
insensitive comments made by customer care agents. The complainants feel that they were
directly targeted and this poses a great reputational risk to our company. Considering this, all
customer care agents must attend a compulsory intercultural communication workshop, on the
15th of May 2018, at the MiVo Leadership and Training Centre. As customer care agents of
MiVo, we are the face of the organization and therefore must keep in mind that we must
empathize with our customers and always aim to give them the best service possible. Part of the
lessons that will be learned in this workshop will be the eight methods of improving intercultural
communication as shared by Rettig (2017):
 Reflecting on behaviors after any intercultural communication encounter and learn from the
same
 Understanding what motivates another person’s behavior
 Doing research to understand different cultures and how to behave in communication
situations
 Seeking help whenever in situations that may not be comfortable
 Being mindful of other people
 Double checking any assumptions concerning other cultures
 Do not judge others based on their culture
 Constantly seek feedback
I urge all the customer care agents to start putting the above eight factors into practice even as we
plan on attending the workshop. Kindly feel free to consult any manager or colleague in case you feel
stuck. Let us strive to be sensitive to one another and give our internal and external customers stellar
service as per MiVo’s mission.
Regards,
Operations Manager, MiVo.

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Bibliography
Educating Employees. (2017). The Importance of Educating Employees on Business
Communication Practices. Business Communication Practices [Online]. Available from
http://educating-employees.blogspot.co.ke/2017/09/educating-employees-on-effective.html
[Accessed 28 April 2018]
Mai, R. and Hoffmann, S., (2014). Accents in business communication: An integrative model
and propositions for future research. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 24(1), pp.137-158.
Maislin, S (2017). How to Promote Effective Communications in Your Workplace. CMSWire
[Online]. Available from https://www.cmswire.com/digital-workplace/how-to-promote-
effective-communications-in-your-workplace/ [Accessed 28 April 2018]
Norris, J.E. (2016). 4 Types of Noise That Disrupt Communication. Onthego.FM [Online].
Available from: https://onthego.fm/4-types-noise-disrupt-communication-non-technical-
problem-podcasters-face/ [Accessed 28 April 2018]
Penrose, J.M., 2015. Understanding and using the relationships between business and
professional communication and public relations. Business and Professional Communication
Quarterly, 78(4), pp.494-510.
Rettig, T (2017). 8 Habits of Successful Intercultural Communications. Intercultural Mindset
[Online]. Available from https://medium.com/intercultural-mindset/8-habits-of-successful-
intercultural-communicators-f77d7eb331a9 [Accessed 28 April 2018]
Shen, L. and Austin, L., 2017. Communication and job satisfaction. Social Issues in the
Workplace: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice,
p.355.
Verial, D. (2017). How to Overcome Noise Barriers in Communication. EHOW UK [Online].
Available from http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_8031308_overcome-noise-barriers-
communication.html [Accessed 28 April 2018]