Business communication
14.1 Purposes of Communication
Effective communication: the exchange of information between people or groups
with feedback
● Communication is effective if the message has been received and understood
by the receiver and the sender knows that it has been understood
● Key features of effective communication:
○ sender/transmitter of the message
○ Message that is clear enough for the receiver to understand it
○ Appropriate medium
○ Receiver of the message
○ Feedback from the receiver to confirm receipt and understanding
○ Communication has been effective if the receiver provides feedback
(response)
Situations in which communication is essential
Effective external communication is essential for:
● Communicating with customers: about new products, variations in
products, safety warnings, special offers, and constant feedback as part of
customer relationship marketing
● Communication with suppliers: about details of the next supply order,
delivery details, discount requests, incorrect products sent
● Communicating with shareholders: the date of the next AGM, latest
dividend payments, election of new directors, latest reports
Effective internal communication is essential for:
, ● Communicating with employees: about employment contracts, training
programmes, annual pay increases, new working practices, work schedules,
and workplace problems when employee input is required
● Communication with managers: coordinating the activities and decisions of
different departments, reporting to senior management, passing decisions and
instructions to senior managers, managers expressing their opinions
14.2 Methods of Communication
● Not every method of communication uses words
● When two or more people are in a room, the way one of them sits, stands,
their facial expressions or their general appearances will send out a message
between them
● These signs of nonverbal communication allow people to form impressions
about a person’s role, personality, intentions or emotional state
● The range of communication methods available includes spoken, written,
electronic and visual communication
Communication methods: the media used to communicate the messages
Visual communication: conveying information or ideas in forms that can be seen
Spoken communication
Spoken communication: sending messages by word of mouth between two or
more people
● One-to-one conversations, interviews, appraisal sessions, group meetings
Advantages of spoken communication:
● It allows two-way communication and feedback which motivates employees
according to Herzberg
● There is no delay between sending and receiving the message
● There’s evidence of who attended a meeting (so who received the
information) which can be kept for future references
● If something’s not clear then the receiver can ask for instant clarification
● Allows the sender to reinforce the message with body language
Weaknesses of spoken communication
● Some spoken communication can be ambiguous and some receivers may be
reluctant to ask for further detail
● There’s no written record of what was said so the message can’t be referred
to again
● It might not be appropriate for complicated and technical matters, written form
is better
