Ch.

2 Understanding Business Communication

QUOTE OF THE WEEK It is easier to go down the hill. But the view is from the top. The Basic Forms of Communication Nonverbal Communication The process of communicating without words Cues, gestures, vocal qualities (stress, intonation), spatial relationships, and attitude towards time Long before human beings used words, our ancestors communicated nonverbally
1. 2. They gritted their teeth to show anger Smiled & touched one another to show affection


1. 2.

Although we have come a long way, we still use nonverbal cues Nonverbal differs from verbal in 2 ways:
Less structured difficult to study, no book We dont know how to teach or how a child learns it Mostly universal, but in certain ways varies from culture to culture Spontaneity

Importance of Nonverbal Communication

Important when conveying feelings, 93% of emotional meaning in an interaction Of course, the total effect is achieved by blending both Reliability; detect deception by reading nonverbal cues It helps interpret underlying intentions Efficient both for sender & receiver Communicate a conscious purpose more economically through nonverbal means more economically (a wave of hand, a wink etc.)

Types of Nonverbal Communication Facial expressions & Eye behavior Gestures & postures Vocal characteristics Personal appearance Touching behavior Use of time & space Variation with culture & gender

Verbal Communication
Speaking & Writing (productive skills)
Business people prefer oral communication because it is quicker & more convenient When speaking or listening you can pick up added meaning from nonverbal communication Mere oral Communication has its own limitations. See example of Ben & Jerry

Listening & reading (receptive skills)

People spend more time to receive information Most of us generally not good listeners Even reading is not efficient Both Listening & reading require that you tune out distractions & focus Interpret & evaluate Decide what is important & what is not To do so, look for main ideas If you can Discern the structure of the material, you can understand Listening gives you chance to ask question

The Process of Communication

The sender has an idea The idea becomes a message through encoding. The message is communicated through a communication channel (verbal/nonverbal), and medium (letter, computer, face-to-face etc) The receiver gets the message and decodes it to understand. The receiver reacts and sends feedback to sender.

Formulating a message (problems)

Indecision about a content
Decide what to include, what to exclude, & what order to follow If recommend actions, explain why

Lack of familiarity with the situation of receiver

Analyze type of audience

Difficulty expressing the ideas Lack of experience, expertise in language

Overcoming Communication Barriers

Communication barriers exist between people and within organizations. Noise is a major major barrier. Communication Barriers between people
Sender & receiver must share similar meanings for words, gestures, tone & other symbols

Differences in Perception
Perception is our individual interpretation of the world around us. No 2 perceptions of about the world are alike because each mind absorbs experiences in ones unique/personal way Perceptual barriers difficult to overcome
Try to predict how your message will be received Shape the message accordingly Try not to apply the same solution to every problem, but look for solutions to fit specific problems Your message should have meaning for audience

 Incorrect Filtering
To overcome filtering barriers:
Try to establish more than one communication channel (so that information can be verified through multiple sources) eliminate as many intermediaries as possible condense message to bare essentials

Language Problems
Code, members of particular community problems also due to varied interpretation of words: example of cookie, language is arbitrary. Denotative & connotative meanings To overcome this barrier, use specific words, which your audience will understand. Language that describes rather than evaluates.

Poor listening
To overcome listening barriers:
Verify your interpretation of what has been said Empathize with speakers Resist jumping to conclusions Ask non-threatening Q, listen without interrupting

 Differing Emotional States

Every message contains content meaning & a relationship meaning between sender & receiver You may have conflicting emotions about a subject of your message or its audience To overcome emotional barriers:
Be aware of your feelings & those of others Choose neutral words avoid attitudes, blame and other subjective concepts

be alert to the greater potential for misunderstanding that accompanies emotional messages

 Differing Backgrounds
Communication becomes difficult when receivers life experience differs from yours Age, education, gender, social status, economic position, cultural background, temperament, health, popularity, religion, political belief, and even mood Cultural & nationality clashes often arise at work places Misunderstanding not just confined to alien, even best friends To overcome differing backgrounds barriers:
Avoid projecting your own background or culture Clarify your own & understand others backgrounds, spheres of knowledge, personalities & perceptions Dont assume that certain behaviors mean the same thing to everyone.

 Communication barriers within organizations

Business communication a difficult, complex & controversial affair Distractions Often limited opportunities for feedback, making it difficult to correct misunderstandings

Information overload
Too much information is as bad as too little as it reduces audiences/readers ability to concentrate on important messages In overload situation people sometimes try to ignore some messages by delaying responses, or responding inaccurately To overcome information overload make necessary information easily available Give information meaning rather than just passing it on, & set priorities for dealing with the information flow

 Message complexity
Adjust your own ideas & style so that acceptable to your employer May be asked to write or say something that you disagree with Try to turn dry subjects into interesting writings To overcome barrier of complex messages: Keep them clear & easy to understand Use strong organization Tell readers what they should expect Use concrete & specific language, stick to the point Get feedback so that you can improve

 Message competition
Communicators are often faced with massages that compete for attention Variety of interruptions: the phone rings, people intrude, meetings are called & crises arise To overcome this, avoid communication with receiver who doesnt have time for attention Make written messages visually appealing and easy, & try to deliver them when your receiver has time to read Oral messages are most effective Set aside enough time for messages that you receive

Differing status
Lower status employees may be overly cautious Higher status people wouldnt discuss details that they think tends to undermine their authority Belonging to a particular dept. can narrow your point of view To overcome status barrier, keep managers and colleagues well informed Be respectful to the opinions of lower status employees

Lack of trust
Without trust free & open communication is blocked To overcome trust barrier, be visible & accessible. Dont insulate yourself behind assistants & secretaries Share info with colleagues, & include them in decision making

 Inadequate communication structures

Organizational Communication is affected by formal restrictions on who may communicate with whom Too few formal channels blocks effective C Strongly centralized, tall structures To overcome structural barriers, allow up, down & horizontal Using techniques like employee surveys, open-door policies, newsletters, memos, emails etc. Reduce hierarchical levels

Incorrect choice of medium

Message can be distorted if incorrect Media richness is the value of a medium in a given communication situation. Its determined by mediums ability to:
Convey a message using more than one informational cue (visual, verbal, vocal) Facilitate feedback Establish a personal focus

Face-to-face C. is the richest medium because it is personal, provides immediate feedback, both verbal & nonverbal, emotions

 Telephones although allow immediate feedback, they dont provide visual nonverbal cues Written media can be personalized through addressed memos, letters but the lack immediate feedback, and nonverbal cues The leanest media are: impersonal written messages, such as bulletins, fliers, standard reports To overcome media barriers: choose the richest media for non-routine complex messages Use rich media to extend & humanize your presence in organization Use leaner media to communicate simpler routine messages

 Closed communication climate

Authoritative style, tall structure, blocks free Communication To overcome this, spend more time listening than issuing orders Encourage employees participation in setting goals, decision making

Unethical communication Inefficient communication

Worthless messages waste time & resources causing information overload Reduce messages by thinking twice speed up the process by timely messages, standardized format

Physical distractions
Bad connections, poor acoustics, noise, illegible copy Uncomfortable chair, poor lighting, Sometimes receivers health, hearing or visual impairment etc.

How to Improve Communication

Five important traits of good communicators: Perception Precision Credibility Control Congeniality

Create the message carefully

Focus on your audience Tell at the outset what to expect, purpose & main points Balance concepts with illustrations, examples Brief & clear, but develop main ideas adequately Relation of new ideas with existing ones; it makes new concepts clear & acceptable Bring readers attention to an important idea by mentioning, using heading/bold font, by using V Aids. Orally you use body & voice for emphasis Before concluding, take a moment to review the points just covered, restate purpose and show how main ideas relate to it. This will help audience remember your massage, and simplify a complex document/message

Minimize Noise
Try to eliminate potential sources of interference Choose proper channel/medium for your message If written document, make it appealing & easy to comprehend Deliver when sure the reader has time to read If oral channel, try to eliminate physical barriers Quite & comfortable location, adequate lighting, good acoustics, few visual distractions, your own appearance, direct delivery of message to intended audience because the more the filters, the greater the distortion

Facilitate Feedback
Face to face allows immediate feedback while written document Although useful, it reduces your communication control, communicating with group doesnt allow reacting to every question Sometimes you may ask specific questions from audience, but also encourage audience to express general reactions Regardless of channel, encourage people to be open & tell what they really feel Accept criticism, dont lose temper, try not to act defensively, instead of repeating again & again, try to find the source of misunderstanding