Learn Business communication!

 

Business communication is a complex thing. Communication as a concept means far more than just a message or a conversation. It means the mutual understanding of the subject matter and therefore, in business, communication is most imperative to get right. Everything in the workplace is dependent on good communication across teams and individuals, from the planning stages of any activity right through to the reporting of its success.

In contrast to personal communication, business communication always comes with an end goal. There is a certain amount of regulation associated with communication within the workplace, and rules that each company put into place in order to establish good business practice. Previously, business communication was limited to telephone conversations and paperwork, however now there are far more channels of communication including email, video conferencing and instant messaging.

Understand the unique skill of business communication as we break down the key concepts

There are two main types of business communication that incorporate all of the different communication channels: written communication and oral communication. Oral communication covers things such as meetings, informal chats, telephone conversations, group discussions and interviews. Written communication includes emails, instant messages, reports and documentation.

 

Based on Structure

The first one is the structure of communication; the channel used for interaction plays a vital role.

It can be further bifurcated into the following two categories:

 

 

Formal Communication

It is a regular and organised channel of work-related communication within a company, where the employees have to coordinate through a proper medium among themselves.

Types of Formal Communication Network: A communication network is a pattern designed to understand how information travels from one person to another.
Let us now go through the different networks provided under formal communication:

·         Chain: When an employee passes on official information to the other employee who further communicates it to a third employee creates a chain pattern. For example; the CEO informs the sales target to the General Manager, the GM also transmits it to the Sales Manager.

 

Wheel: When a single employee communicates any organisational information to a group of co-workers, a wheel pattern is formed. For example; Team leader reading out a circular issued by the management in front of other co-workers.

Circular: An employee communicates information to his colleague, who passes it on to another co-worker and so on. The message passes from one employee to another and finally reaches to the person who initiates the process.

Free Flow: In this type of network, no particular pattern is followed. Information is spread in a non-systematic manner by anyone. For example; in an emergency condition in the organisation, say in case of a short circuit, the information is randomly spread among the employees.

Inverted V: Under this network, the subordinates can communicate directly with their immediate senior as well as their senior or top management too. For example; sales executives can interact with their team leader as well as with the manager.

Informal Communication

It is an unofficial form of communication arising out of friendship or casual relations, where the discussions may or may not be related to the work or the organisation.

Types of Informal Communication Network: Though there is no particular system which is followed for informal communication, still following are the four informal networks identified:

·         Single Strand: Similar to the chain pattern, in single strand too, the information goes on passing from one person to another; then to the next; and so on.

·         Gossip / Grapevine: One single person spreads information within an informal group where the message may or may not be valid. This pattern is also called as grapevine.

·         Probability: It is similar to the gossip pattern, but here, it is not necessary that everyone is involved in the communication.

·         Cluster: When a person passes on information only to his trustworthy people believing that they won’t tell it to anyone, but they do the same thing. Thus, the message spreads to a selected group of people; this network is known as a cluster.

Based on the Medium of Communication

The way a message is framed and the channel used for sending information to the receiver determines the following forms of communication:

    

Verbal Communication

Transmission of information which is enclosed in words whether written or said is known as verbal communication.

A message framed in words when spoken to the receiver is termed as oral communication. It includes face to face interaction, calls, voice calls, video calls, a recorded message, etc.

Non-Verbal Communication

As we say ‘actions speak louder than words’, expressing information other than words is known as non-verbal communication. Any communication remains incomplete without the use of non-verbal means.

There are different types of non-verbal communication, including kinesis, paralanguage, chronemics, artefacts, proxemics and haptics.

Kinesis refers to interactions through facial expressions, body language, eye contact, gestures, postures, etc. However, paralanguage is the way we speak, i.e. tone, volume, pitch, etc.

Artefacts include the appearance, personality, dressing sense and presentability of a person. Whereas, chronemics is the timing, punctuality, pause etc. while speaking.

Proxemics is the distance which a person maintains while communicating with others, speaks a lot about the relation between the two. Lastly, haptics or the touch also inform about the feelings and expressiveness of a person.