BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

STUDY II

Suggested Readings:

1. BC- Dr. Anjali Ghanekar

2. BC- K.K. Sinha

3. BC- Murphy

4. BC- Lesikar

CONTENTS

Page

Components of Communication

.2

Communication Process

.3

Principles

.5

Questions

.8

This study note is only Suggestive and not exhaustive. Student MUST drive his/her own way through attempting any answer; reproducing points as is will not count for points / credits.

PRELUDE

In many ways, the history of human civilization chronicles the increasing centrality of communication. Communication establishes relationships and makes human organization and cooperation possible. Whether you recognize it or not, you have no choice but to communicate. If you try to avoid communicating by not replying to messages, you are nevertheless sending a message, but it may not be the one you want or intend. When you dont say yes, you may be saying no by defaultand vice versa. The only choice you can make about communication is whether you are going to attempt to communicate effectively.

COMPONENTS OF COMMUNICATION

1. Context

Every message whether oral or written begins with context. Context includes the below mentioned aspects. These aspects have their own conventions for processing & communicating information. This helps PLAN, DESIGN & COMMUNICATE message successfully.

a. Corporate Culture

Culture is the lens through which one views the world. It is central to: What you see, how you make sense of what you see and how you express yourself. Corporate Culture refers to organizations values, beliefs and behaviour.

b. Styles

c. Color

d. Numbers

e. Figures

f. Stimuli

i. External

ii. Internal

2. Sender-Encoder

Responsibility : To Determine purpose of the message. Analyze the point of view / expectation of the audience / receiver. Choose the medium to get the message (symbol) across.

3. Message

4. Medium

5. Reciever-Decoder

Responsibility : Analyze the senders background and values to comprehend the message. Decode the message.

RULE OF FIVE

Keith Davis has set the Rule of five for Receivers:

Receive

Understand

Accept

Use

Feedback

6. Feedback

7. Noise

COMMUNICATION MODELS / COMMUNICATION PROCESS

[A] Laswells Model

Figure Id: 1

Eg: Newspaper

[II] Shamon & Weaver (SMCR) Model

Engineers @ Bell Laboratories : Western Electric

Figure Id: 2

Eg: Telephone Conversation

[III] Weiners Addition

Cybernetics process model based on built-in monitoring of environment & modifying components of overall system.

Figure Id: 3

[IV] Osgood & Dance

Figure Id:4

[V] Schramms Model

Figure Id:5

[VI] Integrated Model

Figure Id:6

Source : Web

+ Communication Skill for Effective Management

by Dr. Anjali Ghanekar

PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATION

[I] Tips

1. Be sure of what you want to communicate & why. Be certain of your objectives.

2. Be clear in the use of language.

3. Watch how much you communicate

4. Use adequate medium

5. Provide right climate

6. Listen alternatively

7. Watch out for unintentional communication

8. Remember that communication is a two-way process. Consider feedback/

9. Be sure that actions do not contradict your communication

10. Provide communication training.

Source: Collection of extracts from suggested readings

[II] Principles of effective communication

1. Completeness

2. Conciseness

3. Consideration

4. Concreteness

5. Clarity

6. Courtesy

7. Correctness

Source: Collection of extracts from suggested readings

[III] The Seven "C's" Of Effective Management The following are the seven "C's" of effective managerial communication. 1.Credibility: When communicating with employees or others, your audience must be willing to believe you. Repetitive mistakes or factual errors in trying to persuade or inform others will cause listeners to eventually question everything you say.

2. Context: You must back up your words with action and lead by example. "Do as I say but not as I do" doesn't sit well with your subordinates. Employees will defy policy statements that are consistently ignored or abused by leaders.

3. Content: Managers should not assume that their audience is aware of the significance or importance of a message. Explain why it is significant. How does compliance with a stated initiative impact your organization's bottom line?

4. Continuity: A fundamental rule of communication is that messages be passed along through at least three channels to be effective. Repetition contributes to understanding, retention, learning and acceptance.

5. Consistency: Repetition with slight variation is necessary, but you must keep the facts and the story consistent with each communication. If facts change, credibility will deteriorate.

6. Channels: Communication in today's technological environment has the potential to be more successful than at any previous time. Your messages can travel via e-mail, newsletters and memos. The challenge is understanding that some channels have different effects on different audiences.

7. Clarity: Put the message in simple terms. Words must mean nearly the same thing to all involved. Introduce complex issues with simplicity and clarity.

Planning ModelsSeven C's of Effective Communication

1. Command attention.

Drama, with its fascinating characters and exciting plots, can attract and hold the listeners attention throughout many episodes. Drama also can direct attention to a social message by making it stand out from all the other information a listener receives in the course of a day, by demonstrating how the message is relevant and useful to listeners, by showing that it is compatible with listeners beliefs, and by making it attractive.

2. Cater to the heart and the head.

Emotional involvement is every bit as important as information when it comes to attracting an audience and motivating listeners to change. An emotional response will increase the time and energy a listener spends thinking about the message. Furthermore, decisions that are reached logically are strengthened if the decision is also emotionally rewarding. Drama has the ability to involve listeners in a range of emotional experiences as well as to provide them with information to help them to improve their lives.

3. Clarify the message.

Messages must be clearly understood in order to be effective. Drama allows the message to be presented by various characters in language and in situations that the audience can understand and readily recall. By demonstrating the message, role-model characters make the message much clearer than any abstract description.

4. Communicate a benefit.

Listeners will be more likely to risk trying a new behaviour if they believe it has real advantages. Through role modeling by the various characters, drama can demonstrate to listeners the benefits to be gained from a change in their life styles. It can quickly illustrate the consequences, both good and bad, of various behaviors.

5. Create trust.

As listeners become personally and emotionally involved with role-model characters in the drama, they come to see the characters as real people whom they can trust and rely upon. If the drama features experienced, knowledgeable characters who can relate to listeners lives, then listeners will trust the message that they are delivering.

6. Call to action.

People need encouragement to discuss new ideas, to make difficult decisions, and to attempt a new behavior. Characters in dramas have the power to inspire and motivate listeners to try a new behaviour and to advocate it to their families and friends.

7. Be consistent.

Because a detailed Writers Brief guides the creation of serial drama for development, the drama always delivers the message to the listening audience in a consistent, appropriate, and relevant manner no matter how many characters restate the message in how many different ways. Consistent repetition of the message helps listeners to understand new ideas, to learn how to perform a new behaviour, and to rehearse mentally how they might act.

Source: Esta de Fossard, Population Communication Services, Center for Communication Programs, The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health: November 1998, pages 4-5.

[IV] The Four Cs of Communications

By Andraea Dawson-Shepherd, Director, Hedron Consulting Ltd

The 4 Cs capability, credibility, consciousness & confidence.

Capability means not just being personally good at crafting, writing and presenting messages but also a strategic thinker, with the ability to explain how their suggestions will influence what people do, feel and think. To be listened to, the internal communicator must understand the detail within the organizations business plan and how it affects each function and their business division. They can then engage senior people from across all functions in commercially useful conversation, discussing how their teams/staff feel, think and behave, together with the impact of the plan upon the business performance and how changes can be made. Internal communicators need to understand what constitutes effective management and how to achieve it.

Credibility understand enough about each area of the business, including the finance directors area. You need be able to have a decent conversation with functional leaders and have the knowledge to advise them on what internal communication can and cannot achieve for them. You should also be able to inform them on what staff issues they need to address in order to achieve the sort of attitudes and behaviors that they seek. An MBA is a good backgrounder for any internal communicator.

Consciousness be aware of the politics and where you fit in. Do not let it limit you skim across it. One good thing about ICs lower-than-desired status is that few will view it as a threat, so ducking and diving your way through the politics is easier. Base your IC structure model on the reality of the structure in which you operate. Hedron uses a simple matrix to help communication teams decide on the best structure for their organisation, which is based on the organisation structure, the style of management, the power structure of the organisation and the personal style of internal communications most senior boss or champion. In general, it does not matter which function IC is within it should just ensure that it is within the most powerful and credible one. Then IC can have some freedom to operate.

Confidence you have to be able to be confident with senior people and find ways in which you can add value to their ability, particularly in the area of instilling the desired attitudes and behaviors in their staff. If you are a good speechwriter, you can be an ace confidante for the CEO by preparing her/his internal speeches. If your capability (as defined above) is good, then you can stand out by showing the depth of your understanding of the business. Speak up, put forward the employee perspective, but do so in business terms. Ask for resources and do not be afraid to say, Yes of course, I/we can do it, but it will have to come out of your budget as ours is already utilized.

QUESTIONS

1. Describe the process of communication and identify its key components.

2. Elaborate the communication process and explain its essential elements.

3. Discuss general principles of effective communication.

4. Explain with apt diagrams the Communication Models

5. Write short notes on

a. Rule of five

b. Lasswell Model

c. Important Cs of Communication or 7 Cs of communication

**Thank you for a patient reading**