Effective Business Communication

CHAPTER 1: Definition, Components & Non-verbal

Communication
By: Rafiullah Sherzad Lecturer, Kardan Institute of Higher Education

In The Name of Allah, Most Compassionate and Most Merciful

Recommended Text & Reference Books:

1. EFFECTIVE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION 7th Edition By: Herta. A. Murphy

Course outline overview

Note: The following chapters are randomly selected due to their relevance and importance to BBA 3rd and 4th semester level.

Chapter # 1: Introduction to Communication Chapter # 2: The 7 Cs of Communication Chapter # 3: Preparing Business Messages Chapter # 4: Short Reports

Chapter # 5: Long Reports

Chapter # 6: Proposals

Definition

HAPTER

1
C
OMMUNICATIONS

FFECTIVE

IB
N

USINESS

Communication defined
Communication is the process of sending and receiving messages. OR Communication is the process of exchanging information, data, ideas and opinions.

Business Defined

Any legal activity undertaken for the sake of generating profit and satisfaction is called business. OR BUSSINESS is the activity of making, buying, selling or supplying of goods and services for money.

Business Communication defined

Business Communication is the communication that facilitates business deals/activities in and out side of the organization. OR

Business communication is the communication required in order to make business deals.

Effective Business Communication defined

The communication that is used within formal business environment and produces desired results and outputs is called effective communication. OR Effective business communication is the act of influencing and inducing others to act in the manner intended by the speaker or writer/ speaker.

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Importance and benefits of Effective Communication

Importance of Communication

Organizational

Professional Development

Internal

External

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Effective Communication is lifeblood of organization

INTERNAL ORGANIZATION COMMUNICATION SYSTEM Communication integrates the managerial function. EXTERNAL ORGANIZATION COMMUNICATION SYSTEM. Communication relates an enterprise to its external environment: Micro- Level 1-customer 2-supplier 3-stockholders 4-distributor 5-competitor Macro Level 1-Technological 2-Legal/Political 3- Economic 4. Socio Cultural

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

planning organizing staffing leading controlling

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Communication in your career

The lack of effective communication skills have a negative impact on the personal as well as professional life of a person. A valuable requirement of the job.

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Sample: Job Announcement- Walk in Interviews

If you are Fresh graduate with 3 GPA.

If you are Energetic, Self motivated, dynamic,self starter .

If you have good communication skills. If you are below 25 years of age, then you are the Marketing Personnel WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Rush to Marriot Hotel Room no 6

Dated 15-12-2007 time 9:00am

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WE WANT YOU
If you are MBA with 5 years experience.

If you can prepare budgets, budgetary and sales reports, and make financial analysis.
If you are dynamic, self starter, pushing, enterprising and energetic. If you have good communication skills. If you are below 30 years of age, then you are the financial analyst WE ARE LOOKING FOR.

APPLY DIRECTOR PERSONNEL

Post box#716,kabul,Latest by December 11,2007.
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Communication is Essential For Promotion

Ability to communicate Ambition-drive College education Self confidence Good appearance

Ability to work with and through people Capacity for hard work
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Communication in the organization

Communication in the Organization

Downward Communication

Upward Communication

Horizontal Communication

The Grapevine Communication

(informal communication network) supplements official channels. People have casual conversations at work. Most deal with personal matters, but about 80 percent of the information on the grapevine pertains to business.

Organizational decisions are usually made at the top and then flow down to the people who will carry them out.

To solve problems and make intelligent decisions, managers must learn whats going on in the organization.

Communication also flows from one department to another, either laterally or diagonally.

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Communication activities in a business day

10%Time spent in writing.

15% Time spent in reading.

35% Time spent in speaking. 40% Time spent in listening.

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Communication Skills
Ability to communicate with all levels of

management.
Must have good writing skills. Able to prepare special analysis, research reports and proposals. Ability to communicate ideas. Able to maintain good customer relationships Need skills in gathering, analyzing and interpreting data and in writing analytical reports.
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Components of Communication

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A Communication Model

CONTEXT
Context

MESSAGE SENDER RECEIVER

MEDIUM

FEEDBACK

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Components of Communication Contd 1. Sender / Source

As the source of the message, you need to be clear about why you're communicating, and what you want to communicate. You also need to be confident that the information you're communicating is useful and accurate. Encoding. This is the process of transferring the information you want to communicate into a form that can be sent and correctly decoded at the other end. Your success in encoding depends partly on your ability to convey information clearly and simply A key part of this is knowing your audience: Failure to understand who you are communicating with will result in delivering messages that are misunderstood.
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Components of Communication Contd 2. Message

The message is the information that you want to communicate.

3. Channel/ Medium
Messages are conveyed through channels, with verbal channels including face-to-face meetings, telephone and videoconferencing; and written channels including letters, emails, memos and reports. Different channels have different strengths and weaknesses. For example, it's not particularly effective to give a long list of directions verbally, while you'll quickly cause problems if you give someone negative feedback using email.
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Components of Communication Contd 4. Receiver

Your message is delivered to individual members of your audience. No doubt, you have in mind the actions or reactions you hope your message will get from this audience.
Decoding Just as successful encoding is a skill, so is successful decoding (involving, for example, taking the time to read a message carefully, or listen actively to it.) Just as confusion can arise from errors in encoding, it can also arise from decoding errors. This is particularly the case if the decoder doesn't have enough knowledge to understand the message.
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Components of Communication Contd

5. Feedback
Your audience will provide you with feedback, as verbal and nonverbal reactions to your communicated message. Pay close attention to this feedback, as it is the only thing that can give you confidence that your audience has understood your message. If you find that there has been a misunderstanding, at least you have the opportunity to send the message a second time.

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Components of Communication Contd

6. Context
The situation in which your message is delivered is the context. This may include the surrounding environment or broader culture (corporate culture, international cultures, and so on).

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Challenges & Problems of Communication

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Challenges of business communication in the global market

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Overcoming communication challenges

Preparing adequately Become flexible Develop the right attitude

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Problems of Communication
Problems may occur in communication due to:

1. Convention of Meaning
2. Perception of Reality 3. Values, Attitude, Opinion

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Problems of Communication Contd

1. Conventions of Meaning
A fundamental principle of communication is that the symbols the sender uses to communicate message must have essentially the same meaning in both the senders and receivers mind. Miscommunication occurs when the sender and receiver have different meanings for the symbols used.
Denotative Meaning: Denotative meaning is the primary, common and original meaning of a word/expression. e.g. Connotative Meaning: Connotative meaning is the secondary, culturally assigned and narrowly acceptable meaning of the word/expression e.g.
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Problems of Communication Contd

2. Perception of Reality
Complex, infinite, and continuously changing, the material world provides a special reality to each individual.
Abstracting When we select some facts and omit others, you are Abstracting. Inferring Inferences are conclusion drawn from evidence. Risk of Inferring We must realize that inferences may be incorrect or unreliable & anticipate the risks before acting on them.

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Illusion

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Illusion Contd

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Problems of Communication Contd 3. Values, Attitude & Opinion

A speaker/writer should communicate keeping in mind the addressees attitude, cultural values and personal opinions.
Values:

Attitude: A receivers attitude toward a message can determine whether it is accepted, rejected, distorted or avoided. Favorable or Unfavorable Information Senders credibility Opinions: People react favorably when the message the receive agree with their mental filters. Closed Minds

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Non-verbal Communication

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ONVERBAL

OMMUNICATION
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Types of communication
Communication

Verbal Communication

Written

Spoken Non- verbal Communication

Appearance

Facial Expression

Eye Contact

Body Language

Voice

TSSST

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Non-verbal Communication defined

Non-verbal communication consists of all the messages other than words that are used in communication. In oral communication Information is conveyed as words, tone of voice, and body language. Studies have shown as follow:7% words of the information communicated. 38% vocal tone (verbal intonation/Paralinguistic)) 55% of body language
Non- verbal Communication

Appearance

Facial
Expression
Eyebrows Frown Mouth & Lips

Eye Contact
Gazing Duration Cultural Differences

Body
Language
Posture Gesture Movement

Voice
Vocal quality Tone Pitch Volume Rate

TSSST
Time Space Silence Smell Touch
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Personal Surrounding Message

1. Appearance
When you are speaking to one person face to face, Personal Appearance and Appearance of your surrounding convey nonverbal message.

Personal Appearance
Clothing, hairstyle, neatness, jewelry, cosmetics, body size

Appearance Of Surrounding
Room size, location, furnishings, machines, architecture, wall decoration, lighting and the other related features wherever people communicate.

Effect on written messages

The format, neatness, and language of written message sends a nonverbal message to the reader.

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2. Facial expression
A facial expression results from one or more motions or positions of the muscles of the face. Seven universally recognized emotions shown through facial expressions: fear, anger, surprise, contempt, disgust, happiness, and sadness

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Facial Expression

smile

cry

happy

surprise

angry

fear
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3. Eye Contact
Cultural Differences Eye Cues Communicating attention Facilitating learning Duration Shyness

Maintain eye contact 70% to 80% of the time. Make everyone feel included and important. Look at the person you're speaking to you. If you're addressing a small or large group, break the room into three parts. Focus on one individual, make a point, shift your gaze to another part of the room, make a point, and do the same for the rest of the room.

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4. Body Language
Posture, Gestures & Body Movements convey message & add to or subtract your oral message. Gesture
A body gesture is a movement made with a limb, especially the hands, to express, confirm, emphasize or back up the speakers attitude or intention.

Posture
Body posture is the bearing or the position of the speakers body. when the speaker is slouched or erect, his or her legs crossed or arms folded, such postures convey a degree of formality or relaxation.

Movement

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5. Voice
Pitch: It is how thick and how thin your voice is. Rate: It is the number of words you speak in one minute. Volume: It is how loud and quiet you speak. Tone: It is the intonation of where you rise and where you drop your voice. Vocal Quality: It is the natural quality of the voice one has.

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6. Time, Space, Silence, Smell, Touch

Time: Late, in time, on time Space: At least 4 Ft Public speaking At least 1 Ft in Formal speaking 0-12 Inches in Intimate speaking Silence It may carry negative or positive or neutral response depending on cultural differences. Smell Fragrance, air freshener and body perfume carry various messages. Touch It carry kindness, sympathy, motivation and other meaning depending on the culture varities.

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