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Business Communications Communication enables organizations to function. The ability to communicate effectively increases the productivity of individuals and the organization as a whole. Even people at the bottom of the organization’s ladder are required to have good communication skills. These people contribute firsthand observations in areas where upper management may not have access otherwise. This internal communication is as important as the external communication that carries information out of the organization. Whether it be by fax, phone, letter, e-mail, or in person, all forms of communicating in business are important. Written communication is a vital part of business. Written messages can take many forms, from scribbled notes to elaborate formal reports. Regardless of the form, written communication provides one advantage over the others: it allows the sender to plan and control the message. A written format is appropriate when the information is complex, when a permanent record is needed for future reference, when the audience is large and geographically dispersed, or when immediate interaction with the audience is not important or desired. The most common types of written communication are letters, memos, and reports. Although written communication is important and widely used, most people would rather speak than write. Oral communication is the simplest form of business communications. It has a major advantage over the other two forms in that it is the only type of communication that offers immediate audience feedback. This is useful when you are presenting controversial information or are trying to reach a group consensus. The choices you make on whether to have a face-to-face conversation, telephone or conference call, or a group meeting depend on audience location, message importance, and your need for nonverbal feedback that only body language can reveal. Oral communication can take many forms, but the general use of it is to collaborate with the audience. Electronic communication is the most recent form of communication to take on the business world. The most unique thing about electronic communication is that it utilizes the other two forms of communication also. Although oral communication can be face-to-face conversation, it can also be transmitted electronically using voice mail, teleconferencing, audiotape, videotape, and closed-circuit television. The same goes for written communications. They can be transmitted electronically by fax, e-mail, or computer conferencing as well as handwritten, typed, or printed. These electronic options are useful when you need speed, need to overcome time zone barriers, or when you are separated from your audience. |
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There are six basic stages in the communication process. Many of these stages also include many sections within. There are in theory two parties that send and receive messages. In the process of sending and receiving a message, there are many things that the parties need to be aware of and take into consideration.
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Source for steps and diagram: Thill, John V., and Courtland L. Bovee. Excellence in Business Communications; Forth Addition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999 |
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Communication Process Diagram |
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Source for steps and diagram: Thill, John V., and Courtland L. Bovee. Excellence in Business Communications; Forth Addition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999 |
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Teamwork is an inevitable task in today's Business world. Corporations often hire outside companies to facilitate team building activities to improve communication and trust among employees. Since the late 1980s and 90s, many companies have recognized "Team Building", as an important factor in providing a quality service and remaining competitive with other corporations. When defining a team, it is important to define the common goal of the team before defining who is in it. Many times, the entire corporation is considered one team, working towards a set of common goals. As a result, a clear definition of a team is "a group of people working towards a common goal". Team building is the process of enabling a group of people to reach their goal. The stages involved in teambuilding are:
Overall, the primary skills in the team building process include recognizing the right issues and tackling them in an appropriate manner and an appropriate order. Team building can take different forms depending on the size and nature of the team. This can be explained by displaying a table, showing how team building can help each team size:
To find out more information about team building and companies that provide these services, check out these great websites: Joyce Weiss, Professional Speaker, m.a., csp
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Source: Hughes, Marylou. Keeping Your Job While Your Bosses Are Losing Theirs. New York : William Neil, Publication c1998. |
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Over the years, corporations have been adopting a new concept called participative management, which involves employees in company decision making. Teamwork has become such an important skill, that companies are looking for people who can interact successfully in small groups and make useful contributions during meetings. Whether a meeting is held to solve a problem or share information, the participants gain a sense of involvement and importance from their attendance. By sharing in the decision process, employees accept it and are committed to seeing it succeed. To see how to run an effective meeting, click here. People have many different roles when working in a team. They are self-oriented, group maintenance and task facilitating. Here is a chart describing each role and characteristics of these people:
The Group Decision making process includes four phases:
Many times, groups must arrive at a consensus on a certain decision. This is to ensure that everyone understands, agrees with and stands behind the decision completely. Here are guidelines for consensual decision making:
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Source: Thill, John V., and Courtland L. Bovee. Excellence in Business Communications; Forth Addition. UpperSaddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999 |
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Before the Meeting…
1. Determine whether the meeting is necessary Meetings should only be held if there is a specific objective to accomplish. Meeting for the sake of meeting just wastes everyone's time.
2. Determine the meeting objectives Make sure you have clear and specific objectives to accomplish. State these objectives in terms of end results of outcomes, not in terms of processes. Clear and specific objectives help committee members stay on track at the meeting.
3. Determine the time and location for the meeting You'll need to find a time that fits in all the committee members' schedules. This may seem to be a next to impossible task, but it can be done.
4. Determine who needs to be present and send out an agenda Only invite those members who need to be present. For informational meetings, everyone who needs the information should attend. For decision-making meetings, only those members involved with the decision at hand should be present. During the meeting… 1. Start on time Members who arrive late will get the point when they have missed out on decisions or find the door closed. By starting on time, you show that you have respect for the members' time.
2. Set the meeting climate Does everyone know each other? If not, you should have the members introduce themselves. Thank everyone for coming and state the committee objectives up front. This helps set a business tone and indicates that you plan to run a productive meeting.
3. Stick to the agenda Briefly go over the agenda before starting discussion on the first item. Make sure everyone is clear on what will happen at the meeting and make any changes that are necessary.
4. Make sure everyone participates and keep discussions on track The decision making process will be enriched when everyone participates. Try to control the outspoken members by limiting the number of times people can speak. Ask those not participating what their opinions are to try to draw them into the discussion.
5. Be prepared and make sure others are too By sending out an agenda before the meeting, you allow members to prepare their information to share. If someone is not prepared and they hold up the meeting while they gather everything together, it may be easier to table that discussion item to the next meeting.
6. Keep interruptions to a minimum When the meeting is interrupted by talking, passing of notes, or people being called out, it makes it difficult for members to stay on task.
7. Summarize and provide a sense of closure for the meeting At the end of the meeting, go back and recap the results of the meeting by restating the conclusions, decisions, agreements and assignments relating to each agenda item. It is especially important to review who is responsible for accomplishing each task.
8. End on time After the meeting… 1. Evaluate the meeting Did you accomplish the goals you set? Did all the members attend who needed to? Did members seem comfortable and willing to participate? Examine how the meeting went and ask for feedback from members to determine if changes need to be made at the next meeting.
2. Get minutes out quickly Minutes are very important, so there will be an official record of what happened at the meeting. All members should receive a copy, so they can refer to it when needed. Minutes allow those members absent from the meeting to get a summary of what was accomplished.
3. Follow up on decisions that were made
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Tropman, John E. Effective Meetings: Improving Group Decision Making. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, c1996. |
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WHO SHOULD BE RESCUED?
The United States in under nuclear attack. Twelve people in an insolated Illinois Community are seeking shelter in the only bomb shelter in the area. There are only enough provisions (air, food, water, etc.) in the shelter area for five people to survive the three months necessary to avoid radioactive fallout contamination before coming out onto earth again. You have a limited time to decide which five will go to the shelter. If you do not decide all members will perish from radioactivity. All final decisions made by your group must be unanimous. No voting or bargaining.
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Source: Tropman, John E. Effective Meetings: Improving Group Decision Making. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, c1996. |
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In order to work hard in all aspects of life, people usually need stress. Stress is also essential in teamwork activity an in the business world of today. Although in excess, stress can be very detrimental to a person, in the right amount, stress can help to motivate if one can manage it well. There are many symptoms of stress, and individuals need to learn how to recognize these to reduce stress to a healthy level. Irritability and headaches are just two of the many symptoms of excessive stress. In the long run, with prolonged stress, one can experience stomach ulcers or even heart problems. One should learn not to deny their stress, but rather how to manage it. In working in teams in the business world, an overabundance of stress can lead to poor performance from individuals and consequently poor performance from a team, and also a decrease in team spirit. There are many causes of stress and also many ways to deal with the stress that one has. Overall, people should fit their way of dealing to suit the cause of stress. Some examples of ways to deal with stress are relaxation techniques, keeping physically fit, finding a work schedule that suits a lifestyle, or even consulting a doctor. Every person deals with stress in the workplace differently. One simply needs to find their own way of dealing with stress to make it work the their advantage.
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Source: www.teamtechnology.co.uk/tt/t-articl/stress.htm |
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Some basic hints on how to motivate individuals:
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Source: Hughes, Marylou. Keeping Your Job While Your Bosses Are Losing Theirs. New York : William Neil, Publication c1998. |
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