Business Communication....

Business Communication
The Medium

How the communication is to be made
Important to select an appropriate medium for the message:
Need to consider the needs of the sender, the nature of the receiver and the aims of the communication
Inappropriate medium can be a barrier to effective communication
Value

Vast majority of problems in business are caused by ineffective communication in one form or another
Businesses essentially human focused organisations
Value of good communications therefore inestimable
To Whom?

Who the communication is aimed at is an important factor:
The nature of the medium and the content may depend on who it is aimed at
Necessity of being sensitive to the receiver
Should communication be formal or informal?
E.g.

To Whom
E-mail communication:
Does it need to adhere to normal rules of spelling, punctuation and grammar?
Is it appropriate to use text speak?
Is this OK 4U or is txt 1 stp 2fr?
Are there different rules for different situations?
How do you know what the receiver expects?
What damage can be caused by inappropriate e-mail messages?
Type
Type of message may be an important factor in determining the medium, content, approach, etc.
Good news?
Bad news?
Information?
Instruction?
Each of the above may require a different approach and a different medium.
The Message
The Message
What is the communication designed to achieve?
This needs to be considered carefully to judge the best method of delivery and to judge the effectiveness of the feedback as to whether the message has been successful.
Role of ICT

ICT has brought many advantages but also has its limitations:
It enables speedy communication
It can be cheap and save on costs (e.g. videoconferencing)
It can be expensive in hardware requirements
It can seem impersonal
It can be abused
Barriers

Anything that prevents successful communication from occurring
Complex and multi-layered
Can be technical or generated by the medium used, etc. but:
Main problem is human behaviour and psychology, e.g.
Emotional Interference
A significant factor influencing successful communication
Emotions - anger, frustration, happiness, enthusiasm, need to be defensive, desire to be assertive, etc.
Body language – says far more about communication than we ever realise!