MB0039 Buisness Communication

8/9/2019 MB0039 Buisness Communication

1/18

BUISNESS COMMUNICATION

Name RATI BHAN

Roll No. 511022630

Program MBA SEM-1

Subject BUISNESS COMM.

[Set 1]

Code MB039Learning

Centre

IICM KINGSWAY CAMP

RATI BHAN, MBA (1ST SEM), SUBJECT CODE-MB0039, SET-1 Page 1

8/10/2010


2/18


Q 1.Describe any situation in your experience where thecommunication went wrong. Analyze the situation by pointing outthe type of barrier to communication and suggest how toovercome this barrier.

Ans. - A situation of communication barrier between executives &

Associate Manager

As an Associate Manager, manager was a sender for a communication and

intended to be received by his Executive. Manager sent the following

communication to all executives through a notice and displayed on the

notice board:- Coming Second Saturday to complete our targets

for the month a review meeting is arranged and all should attend.

If any executive is not able to attend should find out the contents

of the meeting from their peers without fail. But his (manager)

communication went wrong and out of 10 executives, only three

executives have attended at 4.00 PM who checked-in by boss the time of

the meeting. Following were the barriers of communication which

stood in the way of his communication: - The Channel manager has

chosen did not ensure the receipt of the communication by Receivers

1. The communication lacked the Chronological context The secondSaturday being a non working day.

2. The communication has created a Psychological noise by not

mentioning correct time of the meeting and confusion has been

created.

3. The social context also is one of the causes for the failure of the

communication as boss has not taken all executives into confident by

giving any advance information or a intention of the meeting earlier.

Lessons learnt in order to overcome these barriers of

communication:-

Associate manager communication was unclear by not giving exacttime of meeting. The media he has used is the placing the notice

on the notice board, instead had he circulated to all the Receivers

and obtained their signatures by asking their availability or

feedback his Communication would not have failed.


8/10/2010


3/18


Analyze Manager had chosen a wrong day a holiday though the

task was a routine one.

Manager could have maintained good relations with his executives

for success of his communication.

Communication:-

Communication is a non-stop process and is a vital ingredient for success,both within and outside the workplace. It is a part of soft skills, asopposed to domain or technical knowledge, which is a part of hard skills.A formal study of business communication is important, since the average

business executive today spends a good part of his time on the jobcommunicating in some form or the other. In this unit, we will see howcommunication involves certain key elements, no matter in what contextit takes place. We will also examine some of the general problems thatcome in the way of smooth communication and ways of overcoming theseproblems.

Types of barrier to communication and to overcome the barriers

1. Environmental Barriers This is the same as physical noise,which could be in the form of distracting sounds, an overcrowdedroom, poor facilities and acoustics, all of which may hinder theability to listen to and understand the message.

2. Individual Barriers A major barrier to interpersonalcommunication is a tendency to judge, evaluate, approve ordisapprove of the views of another person. This happens particularlyin situations where we have strong feelings about something. Insuch cases, we tend to block out the communication and form our ownviewpoints.

3. Organizational Barriers In organizations that are toohierarchical, that is, where there are multiple layers, messages mayhave to pass through many levels before they finally reach thereceiver. Each level may add to, modify or completely change themessage, so much so that it becomes distorted by the time it


8/10/2010


4/18


reaches the intended receiver. In other words, there is likely to be loss ofmeaning and the message may not reach the receiver in the same way asit was intended by the sender.

4. Channel Barriers In the earlier section, it was pointed outthat communication can fail due to any of the different elements

going wrong. Wrong choice of channel is one of the main barriers tocommunication. Using a wrong medium of advertising, or conveying amessage orally when a written letter would be more appropriate, areexamples. The written channel is more appropriate when thecommunication is more formal or for keeping things on record, whileemotional messages such as feelings about co-workers are betterconveyed orally.

5. Linguistic and Cultural Barriers When the sender of themessage uses a language that the receiver does notunderstand, the communication will not succeed. Either thesender may be using a different or foreign language, or thelanguage used may be too highly technical for the receiver tounderstand.

6. Semantic Barriers The word semantics refers to themeaning of words and the way in which they are used. For example,different words may have different meanings in different cultures.Failure to take this into consideration could lead to serious blunders.Example : Saying The new product launch went like abomb in British English would mean that the new product launch wasa success. On the other hand, saying The product launch bombedin American English would mean that the new product was a disaster.

7. Non-verbal Barriers This refers to the non-verbalcommunication that goes with a particular message. Non-verbalcommunication includes tone of voice, body language such as gesturesand facial expressions, etc.

Overcoming the Barriers to Communication

Certain steps can be taken, both at the organizational level, as well

as at the individual level, to effectively deal with the barriers tocommunication, in order to try to minimize them, if not eliminate thementirely

Organizational Action1. Encourage Feedback Organizations should try to improve


8/10/2010


5/18


the communication system by getting feedback from the messagesalready sent. Feedback can tell the managers whether the message hasreached the receiver in the intended way or not.

2. Create a Climate of Openness A climate of trust and opennesscan go a long way in removing organizational barriers to communication.

All subordinates or junior employees should be allowed to air theiropinions and differences without fear of being penalized.

3. Use Multiple Channels of Communication Organizationsshould encourage the use of multiple channels of communication, inorder to make sure that messages reach the intended receivers withoutfail. This means using a combination of both oral and written channels, aswell as formal (official) and informal (unofficial) channels ofcommunication.

Individual Action

1. Active Listening This means listening to the meaning ofthe speakers words, rather than listening without hearing, orpassive listening. Passive listening is a barrier to communication,whereas real communication takes place when we listen actively, withunderstanding. Listening is a skill which can be developed through propertraining.2. Careful wording of messages Messages should be wordedclearly and without ambiguity, to make sure that the message that isreceived is the same as the message that is sent.

3. Selection of Appropriate Channels Individuals should becompetent enough to choose the right communication channel,depending on the situation. Channels of communication and the criteriafor selection of channels

Q.2 Describe any two aspects of non verbal communication and

give examples of how each of them could be used to convey

positive messages at the workplace

Two aspects of non-verbal communication

Non-verbal communication may be defined as communicationwithout words. It refers to any way of conveying meanings without the useof verbal language. Non-verbal communication is generally unintentional,unlike verbal communication. All of us tend to communicate silentlyand unknowingly send signals and messages by what we do, apart from


8/10/2010


6/18


what we say. Gestures, facial expressions, posture and the way we dress,are all part of non-verbal communication.

Non-verbal Communication Varies Across Cultures While certaintypes of non-verbal behavior are universal, others may be differentin different cultures. Examples There are different rules regarding the

appropriateness of the handshake in oriental and western cultures.Generally, in oriental cultures like India, any form of physical contact is notcommon and is interpreted as being intimate, while it is an accepted thingin western countries. Similarly, a nod of the head means yes in somecultures and no in other cultures.

Types of Non-verbal Communication

Description Communication TerminologyBody Language1. Kinesics2. Personal Space and Distance Proxemics3. Meaning Attached to Time Language4. Tone of Voice5. Paralanguage6. Physical Environment Physical ContextLet us now look at each of the above aspects of non-verbalcommunication in detail-

1. Kinesics This is the most often studied and important area ofnon-verbal communication and refers to body movements of anykind. Different body movements can express inner states of emotion.

Facial Expressions can convey feelings of surprise, happiness, anger andsadness. If you meet a long lost friend and say Im very happy to meetyou again, but with a sad facial expression, it conveys the exact oppositemeaning.

Eye Movements, such as wide open pupils express feelings of surprise,excitement or even fear. The importance of eye contact with onesaudience was pointed out earlier. Direct eye contact is an indication ofintensity and interest, while lack of it can convey feelings of nervousness

and guilt.

Gestures, such as movement of the hands while giving a lecture orpresentation indicates a high level of involvement in what you aresaying. On the other hand, shuffling of the feet is a sign of nervousnessand speaking with ones hands in ones pockets is considered to be


8/10/2010


7/18


casual or even rude.

Head Movements like nodding the head can convey interest, appreciation,agreement or understanding.

Body Shape and Posture Body shape is not within ones control

but can be stereotyped to convey certain meanings. For example,someone who is strong and muscular is generally thought to beathletic, as opposed to a person who is short and fat!

Physical Appearance Our outward appearance, including the way wedress and the jewelry and make-up that we wear can convey animpression of formality or informality. Going to a job interview dressed inblue jeans or not sticking to a stipulated dress code at the workplace canconvey that you are a rebel, non-conformist or a very casual person.Therefore, it is important to take care of your appearance, so that youconvey the right meaning to others.

2. Proxemics Proxemics is derived from the word proximityorcloseness and is the communication term for personal space anddistance. The space and distance which we choose to keep frompeople is also part of non-verbal communication. Each of us has ourown inner and outer circles, which differ for different people. Our innermost circle is an intimate space, into which we generally admit onlyselect people such as family and close friends. Next comes a personalspace which might include other friends and colleagues orcoworkers. These two spaces involve communication of an informalnature. Most of us also have a social and public space, whichincludes official or workplace relationships, where the communication is ofa more formal nature.

3. Time Language This refers to the meaning or importance attachedto time and varies between different people. One person may value timemore than another. Similarly, time language also varies across cultures.

4. Paralanguage Para means like or similar to,therefore paralanguage means like language. Of all the formsof non-verbal communication, paralanguage is closest to verbal

communication. It refers to the tone of voice with which something issaid. In other words, it is how something is said, and not what issaid. The tone of voice includes the pitch (high or low pitch), thepace (slow or fast) the emphasis on words and the volume (soft orloud) and can convey different moods and emotions, as mentionedearlier in this unit.


8/10/2010


8/18


5. Physical Context This refers to the physical environment orsurroundings within which we communicate and includes two aspects 1) color and layout and 2) design.

Colors are known for their symbolic meaning and have associationswith different feelings. For example, colors like black and grey are

associated with death, mourning and negative feelings. Yellow and greenare associated with more positive feelings. Of course, these can also varyacross cultures. The point to remember is that you can make the rightimpressions with use of the right colors.

Teleconferencing is almost as good as face-to-face communication, sinceit enables two parties in different locations to see ( if there is video-conferencing facility) and speak to each other. Today, many large Indianorganizations make use of this technology. While teleconferencing hasthe advantage of saving time and costs involved in travel, it cannotreplace face-to-face meetings completely. Some types of interactionsuch as brainstorming, negotiation, persuasion and problem solving canbe conducted better through face-to-face meetings.

Telephone communication has the advantage of being able to contactpeople who would be impossible to reach in person. It is also relativelyinexpensive, compared to face-to-face communication. The disadvantageis that it is hard to hold the listeners attention for too long.

Email is another two-way, but not face-to-face channel that allows sendersand receivers to send and respond to one anothers messages almostinstantaneously. Within an office, email is used as an alternative totelephone communication and personal meetings and is called theintranet. Email has the advantage of low cost, speed and the ability tosend messages to several people anywhere in the world. Thedisadvantages are its impersonal nature and the lack of confidentiality,since the messages can be stored or passed on to others.

3. One-way, not face-to-face channels All forms of writtencommunication mentioned earlier letters, reports, memos, notices,etc. may be classified under this type of channel. Written communicationis largely one-way communication, since there is usually no instantaneous

feedback between the sender and the receiver. It is also purely verbal,since non-verbal communication is not possible, in the absence of face-to-face contact. It lacks the personal quality of face-to-face communication,although it could be personalized to an extent in some forms such asletters.


8/10/2010


9/18


Q.3Which types of listening would be required the most at theworkplace? Explain with suitable examples.Ans. Type of listening required most at the workplace.

Listening is hard work and is more than just sitting passively andabsorbing a speakers words. According to Lund Steen, Listening is ahighly complex process by which spoken language is converted tomeaning in the mind. Listening has been identified byStephen Covey as one of the seven habits of highly effectivepeople, in his book with the same title. This definition implies thatlistening is a skill which can be cultivated and developed, just likespeaking, reading or writing. Listening is often thought to be synonymouswith hearing. The difference is that while hearing is a passive process,listening is active. It means being alert to and understanding themeaning behind the speakers words. While listening, one is engaged inprocessing the information, reconstructing the information and also givingmeaning to the information.

Types of Listening

1. Discriminative Listening

This is the most basic type of listening, whereby thedifference between the sounds is identified. Unless the differencesbetween the sounds are identified, the meaning expressed by suchdifferences cannot be grasped. Once we learn to distinguish betweensounds in our own language, we are able to do the same in otherlanguages. One reason why people belonging to one country find itdifficult to speak the language of another country is that they find thesounds similar and cannot understand the subtle differences.

2. Comprehension Listening

Once we have learnt to discriminate between the different sounds,the next step is to try to comprehend the meaning of these sounds. Inorder to do this, we require a dictionary of words, along with the rules ofgrammar and syntax. Apart from the verbal communication, we alsoneed to understand the meaning conveyed by the speakers nonverbalbehavior. This can be achieved by closely observing various aspects


8/10/2010


10/18


of the speakers body language and tone of voice.

3. Evaluative Listening

This kind of listening involves making judgments about what the

speaker is saying. We listen critically and try to assess what is being saidas good, bad, worthy or unworthy. We generally resort to this kind oflistening when the other person is trying to persuade us, change ourbehavior or convictions. The tendency then is to question what thespeaker is trying to say.

4. Appreciative Listening

This kind of listening could be in the form of paying selectiveattention to certain kinds of information which might be relevant to us, orwhich helps to meet our needs and goals. The tendency is to appreciatesuch information better. Appreciative listening is also used when listeningto good music, poetry or a powerful speech.

5. Empathetic Listening

In this type of listening, we try to put ourselves in the other personsplace and understand the moods, beliefs, goals and feelings behindthe speakers words. It requires excellent discrimination and payingattention to the nuances of emotional signals. It also requires a highdegree of sensitivity and tactful probing on the part of the listener.Empathetic listening is most often needed at the workplace, when dealingwith customer complaints, employee feedback and problems. A managerdoing a performance appraisal with an employee for example, shouldlisten to the employees point of view and understand the real reasons forlack of performance.

6. Therapeutic Listening

In this type of listening, the listener goes beyond merelyempathizing with the speaker and tries to help him to change or

develop in some way. In other words, he plays the role of a therapist, bydiagnosing the problem at hand and offering a remedy or solution. Thistype of listening is common in social situations, where family and personalproblems are resolved through counseling. It is also important in jobsituations, where managers try to solve the problems of employees. Taking the same example of a manager doing a performance


8/10/2010


11/18


appraisal, the manager should not only understand the employeesproblems, but should also counsel him, by suggesting whatmeasures he could take to improve his performance in future.

7. Dialogic Listening

This type of listening involves listening and learning throughdialogue. This implies that listening is a two-way, rather than a one-wayprocess. It involves interchange of ideas and information between thespeaker and the listener. This type of listening is active listening,whereby the listener continuously seeks clarifications, gives feedbackand engages in conversation with the speaker. Another name for thisis relational listening , since a relationship is established throughthe exchange of ideas.

Q4. Imagine that you have to make a presentation on your MBAproject to a group of your professors and industry experts.Prepare the following a) A general statement of purpose b) Aspecific statement of purpose c) The key idea d) A brief audienceanalysis e) Delivery style.

Ans. Statement of Purpose:The main aim of this presentation is toinform new students of SMU MBA program with Edunxtweb portalrecently launched by Sikkim Manipal University.Introduce students about the flexibility of Edunxt portal, by high lighting

the salient features of this portal that it is an online class room for the

students from which they can access to a wide variety of activities like e-

boos, SLMs, Quizzes etc anytime anywhere by just simply logging in.

Key Idea: Sikkim Manipal University has launched first time in the

History of Distance Education in India, the virtual classroom through

Edunxt. Within the Edunxt portal, after logging in, a student can access

study materials in the form of an e-workbook with value-added

components, attempt quizzes related to his study curriculum interactively,

ask questions in the Discussion groups related to his subject of study and

will get the reply also either from the LC faculties or the SMU core faculties

just sitting in the comfort of his own drawing room. The portal is for

bridging the gap between the students and the SMU Head-quarter

faculties, for transferring the knowledge of the core-faculties directly to all


8/10/2010


12/18


students, for increasing the interaction between the LC faculties as well as

core-faculties and above all for imparting quality education in a more

productive way.

Audience Analysis:

Making a good presentation alone is not enough. It also has to betailored to your listeners, in such a way that they understand and

appreciate it. The group size of the students is 45 and nearly 50% of the

students are new to internet. So the presentation should be more focused

towards those persons in educating them about the advantages of

Edunxt and how to use it without any difficulty. Explain the user

friendliness of the web portal. As the group size is large more time can be

devoted for question and answers for making it more interactive. Also

nearly 10 participants are not very good at English; hence the

presentation could be had at a slower speed so that they can understandthe point of discussion. There are around 5 participants who have used

the Edunxt portal for the first time. We could take an opportunity to

request them to share their opinion on this portal.

Delivery Style:The delivery style of the presentation could be Speaking

from Notes because this is generally the most effective style of

delivery. I write down the main ideas in point form on index cards and

then referring to these cards merely as a trigger while speaking, I can

deliver the presentation. If the main ideas are put down briefly on the

cards, I can elaborate on these ideas in my own words and speak for anylength of time. The presentation is likely to be more effective, since it

comes across as natural and permits eye contact with the audience.

Q 5. In your opinion, does the success of a meeting depend moreon the chairperson or the participants? Justify your answer.Ans. Success of meeting

People spend so much time in meetings that turning meeting time

into sustained results is a priority for successful organizations. Actions thatmake meetings successful require management before, during, and afterthe meeting.

If you neglect any one of these meeting management opportunities,your meetings will not bear the fruit you desire from the time you invest in


8/10/2010


13/18


meeting. Take these twelve meeting management actions to guidemeeting attendees to achieve expected, positive, and constructiveoutcomes.

Before the Meeting to Ensure Effective Meetings

Actions before the meeting establish the groundwork for accomplishingmeeting results. You can do all of the needed follow-up, but without aneffective meeting plan to start, your results will disappoint you.

Plan the Meeting

Effective meetings that produce results, begin with meeting planning.First, identify whether other employees are needed to help you plan themeeting. Then, decide what you hope to accomplish by holding themeeting. Establish doable goals for your meeting. The goals you set willestablish the framework for an effective meeting plan. As Stephen Coveysays in the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, "Begin with the end inmind." Your meeting purpose will determine the meeting focus, themeeting agenda, and the meeting participants.

Make Sure You Need a Meeting

Once youve developed your meeting plan, ensure that a meeting isthe appropriate vehicle for accomplishing the set goals. To schedule andhold a meeting is expensive when you account for the time of the peopleattending. So, make efforts to determine that a meeting is the best

opportunity to solve the problem, improve the process, or make anongoing plan.

You may find that you can accomplish the meeting goals with anemail discussion or by distributing and requesting information through thecompany newsletter. Make sure the meeting is needed and not justconvenient for you youll get better results from attendees.

Ensure Appropriate Participation at the Meeting

If a meeting is the appropriate means to accomplish your goals,

check with the participants who must attend for the meeting to succeed.The needed attendees must be available to attend the meeting. Postponethe meeting rather than holding a meeting without critical staff members.If a delegate attends in the place of a crucial decision maker, make surethe designated staff member has the authority to make decisions orpostpone the meeting.


8/10/2010


14/18


Distribute and Review Pre-work Prior to the Meeting

How many meetings have you attended that started out with themeeting facilitator passing out a ream of handouts or projecting aMicrosoft PowerPoint slide for discussion? Frustrating? You bet. Themeeting becomes a group read-in, hardly productive for goal

accomplishment. You can make meetings most productive and ensureresults by providing necessary pre-work in advance of the actual meeting.Providing pre-work, charts, graphs, and reading material 48 hours before ameeting affects meeting success. The more preparation time you allot, thebetter prepared people will be for your meeting.

Documentation that will help you achieve the meeting goals caninclude reports; data and charts such as competitive information, salesmonth-to-date, and production plans; Microsoft PowerPoint slides thatillustrate key discussion points; and minutes, notes and follow-up fromearlier or related meetings and projects. Pre-work distributed in a timelymanner, with the serious expectation that attendees will read the pre-work before the meeting, helps ensure meeting success.

Q6. How do memos differ from other written communicationchannels? Give examples of two business situations that wouldrequire either an informational or a persuasive memo.

Ans. A memo, which is a short form for memorandum, is also referredto as an inter office memo, since its purpose is to communicate topeers, superiors and subordinates within the organization. A memo is acondensed form of a report and can be used to pass on information, giveinstructions and make decisions. Writing a memo is similar to prciswriting, or condensing an article to one fourth its length.

The principles of prcis writing also apply to memo writing. Theseprinciples are referred to as the three Cs, namely -

Condensation or reduction of the original article. Comprehension or retention of the essence of the original article Coverage or inclusion of all the main ideas.

A prcis may be written in a memo format. Business executives oftensummarize business articles and send them in memo format to theirsuperiors, to help them to keep up with their business reading.


8/10/2010


15/18


A memo should be a maximum of two pages in length and include thefollowing standard components

Header with To, From, Date and Subject lines Body with main points A call for action, in the case of a persuasive memo.

Memos are generally of two types informational memos and persuasivememos. A memo may be written in one of two formats 1) Directorganizational plan or deductive organization and 2) Indirectorganizational plan or inductive organization.

a) Direct Organizational Plan This format is used when a memois purely informational, as in the example shown above. Since thepurpose is only to convey information, the purpose is mentionedright at the outset and all the details are presented right away. Itis also used sometimes when the purpose of the memo is topersuade. This is appropriate when you are sure that yourproposal or request will be accepted without any resistance. Inthis case, the writer will make the request right at the beginningand then list out the reasons.

An example of a persuasive memo that is written following thedirect organizational plan or deductive organization is shown onthe page


8/10/2010


16/18


In the above example, the sales manager is confident that hisrequest for strengthening the sales force will be granted, since ithas obvious benefits. Therefore, the request is made right at theoutset, followed by the reasons.

b) Indirect Organizational Plan or Inductive Organization Thistype of memo format is appropriate when the purpose of thememo is to persuade, but when the writer feels that the readermight object to the request or the proposal. Therefore, the writerwill try to convince the reader by presenting the reasons first andthen make the request or recommendation right at the end. Anexample of a memo written using this format is given on the page


8/10/2010


17/18


Note that in the above memo, the writer delays his request orproposal to the end and justifies the need for a bigger advertisingbudget first, by listing out the reasons. Since he is suggestingthat the budget be doubled, he is not sure if the request will begranted. That is why the indirect organizational plan is usedinstead of the direct plan. Unlike the direct plan, the subject linedoes not reveal the real purpose of the memo, which is a requestfor

A memo whose main purpose is to inform, is written following the directorganizational plan. Sometimes, a persuasive memo is also written in thisformat, when the writer is confident that his request will be granted. On


8/10/2010


18/18


the other hand, a persuasive memo where the writer feels that his requestmay not be accepted easily should be written following the indirectorganizational plan. In this case, the reasons or justification for therequest are stated first, followed by the actual request.

Circulars are sent to small or selective groups within the organization.

They are written in the same way as memos and must be brief and to thepoint. Notices are displayed on official notice boards and are meant forlarger groups, usually all employees of the organization. Occasionally,notices may be sent to individual employees in the form of Show CauseNotices, asking for an explanation for misconduct and mentioning theaction that could be taken.


8/10/2010

Documents

MB0039 Buisness Communication