Introduction to Business

Communication
Sadia Munir
[email protected]
Business Communication

“You can have all the great ideas in the

world and if you can’t communicate,
nobody will hear them.”
-Kara Blackburn
Topic
s
• Communication - Meaning
• Business Communication - Definition
• Importance
• Process
• Types – One-way/Two-way, Verbal/Non- Verbal,
Oral/Written, Formal/Informal, Upward, Downward,
Lateral, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Organizational,
• Mass Communication
• Barriers to Communication
• Language Skills-Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing
 What is Communication?
 Derived from the Latin word "communis," meaning to

share.
 Communication is the exchange of thoughts, messages,

or information by speech, visuals, signals, writing, or

behaviour.
 It is the transmission of an idea or feeling so that the

sender and receiver share the same understanding.

 Definition
“Communication is a process involving the selection,
production and transmission of signs in such a way as
to help a receiver perceive a meaning similar to that in
the mind of the communicator.”
-Fotheringham
 Business Communication -
Definition
 Business communication is the sharing of information

between people within an that

performed organization for the
organization. commercial benefit is of
the
 Why do we Communicate?
 Inform  Reveal
 Misinform  Persuade
 Counsel  Accept
 Sell  Affirm
 Buy  Clarify
 Confuse  Motivate
 Confirm  Criticize
 Advice  Deny
 Teach  Conceal
 Learn
Objectives of Business
Communication
Conveying the right message
Co-ordination of effort
Good industrial relations
Development of managerial skills
To send message
To receive message
To promote
To inform
 Importance
 In the professional world, communication and related

skills decide a person’s career curve - better the

communication skills, higher are the chances of touching
the zenith of success.
 The new global and diverse workplace requires excellent

spoken and written communication skills!

 Process of Communication
 It is a 2-way process
 Communication process happens between or among two
or more parties. (Sender and Receiver)
 Communication involves exchange of ideas, feelings,
information, thoughts, and knowledge.
 Communication should involves mutual understanding
between Sender and Receiver
 Process of Communication
 Communication is a process whereby information is

encoded, channeled and sent by a sender to a receiver

via some medium.
 All forms of communication require a sender, a

channel, a message, a receiver and the feedback.

 A hindrance in the communication process is called
noise
Components of Communication
 Sender - Initiates the communication process by

developing an idea into a message known as encoding.

 Channel - The sender transmits the message through a

channel, or a method of delivery; eg. e-mail, phone

conversations, instant messages, face-to-face discussion

or even a text message.

 Receiver This message then movesthrough
– the the receiver,
channel
communication processwho
by interpreting
completes andthe
assigning
to
meaning to the message known as decoding.
 Feedback - This is a critical component in the
communication process as it ensures a message was
properly received and interpreted.
 Example for :Channel of Communication

PRINCIPLE PEON NOTICE STUDENT

SENDER CHANNEL MEDIUM RECEIVER
Type
s
•One-way , Two-way
•Verbal(Oral & Written), Non-verbal
•Formal, Informal(Grapevine)
•Upward, Downward, Lateral
•Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Organizational,
Mass Communication
One way Communication

 One-way communication involves the transfer of

information in one direction only, from the sender to the
receiver.
 There is no opportunity for the receiver to give feedback
to the sender.
 Eg. weather report on television, newspaper, recorded
music on the CD, billboard messages
Two-way Communication

 Two-way communication is a form of transmission

in
which both parties involved, transmit information.
 Two-Way communication has also been referred to
as
interpersonal communication.
 Eg. Chat rooms and Instant Messaging,
Telephone conversations, classroom lectures etc.
Verbal Communication
In this type of communication the uses
professional language as a vehicle of communication.

 Oral communication – A face-to-face

interaction between the sender and the receiver.

Eg. Making presentations and appearing for interviews

 Written Communication – The sender uses the
written mode to transmit his/her messages.

Eg. Writing reports and emails.

Non Verbal Communication
When a message is communicated without using a word,
the process requires non-verbal cues to be transmitted
and received.

Eg. facial expressions, posture, eye contact, walk,

person’s voice, sign language, body language volume,
pitch, voice modulation etc.

Communication includes both verbal and non-verbal

forms.
Formal
 Communication takes place
through the formal channels
of the organization structure
along the of
lines authority by
established
 management.
Such communications the are
generally in writing and may
take any of the forms; policy;
manuals: procedures and rule
books; memoranda; official
meetings; reports, etc.
 Informal
 Communication arising out of all those channels of
communication that fall outside the formal channels is
known as informal communication.
 Informal communication does not follow lines of authority
as is the case of formal communication.
 Such communication is usually oral and may be covered
even by simple glance, gesture or smile or silence.
 Eg. Talking with friends
Formal Informal
Official Channel Unofficial Channel
Planned & Systematic Cuts across formal
relationships
Goal and task oriented Individual Goal and
need oriented
Impersonal Personal & Social
Stable and rigid Flexible and instable
Slow & Structured Fast & unstructured
Authentic – little Non- Authentic - bigger
chance of distortion chance of distortion
Grapevine
 It is an informal type
ofcommunication and is
so because called it
throughout the organization
stretches in
all directions irrespective of the
authority levels.
 It exists more at lower levels of
organization.
 Thus, grapevine spreads like
fire and it is not easy to trace
the cause of such
communication at times.
 Downward
 Communication in the first
place, flows downwards.
 All information in this
medium is usually in form of
instructions, directions and
orders.
 This direction
of communication
strengthens the authoritarian
structure of the organization.
 Upward
 Upward Communication is
the process of information
flowing from the lower levels
of a hierarchy to the upper
levels.
 The function of upward
communication is to send
information, suggestions,
complaints and grievances of
the lower level workers to
the managers above.
 Lateral/Horizontal
 This type of communication takes place between
persons at the same level or working under the same
executive.
 The main use of this is to maintain coordination and review
activities assigned to various subordinates.
 Interpersonal

 Interpersonal
communication is an exchange
of information between two or
more people.
 It is the process by which people
exchange information, feelings,
and meaning through verbal and
non-verbal messages.
Intrapersonal
 It is the communication which takes place within one’s
own self.
 This implies individual reflection, contemplation and
meditation.
 Organizational
 A process by which activities of a society are collected
and coordinated to reach the goals of both individuals
and the collective group.
 It is a subfield of general communications studies and is
often a component to effective management in a
workplace environment.
Mass Communication
 It is a means of conveying messages to an entire
populace.
 This is generally identified with tools of modern mass
media, which include books, the press, cinema,
television, radio, internet etc. It also includes speeches
delivered by leaders to a large audience