Business

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Business communication is information

sharing between people within and outside
an organization that is performed for the
commercial benefit of the organization. It
can also be defined as relaying of
information within a business by its
people.

Overview
Business communication (or simply
"communication," in a business context)
encompasses topics such as marketing,
brand management, customer relations,
consumer behavior, advertising, public
relations, corporate communication,
community engagement, reputation
management, interpersonal
communication, employee engagement,
and event management. It is closely
related to the fields of professional
communication and technical
communication.

Media channels for business

communication include the Internet, print
media, radio, television, ambient media,
and word of mouth.

Business communication can also be said

to be the way employees, management
and administration communicate in order
to reach to their organizational goals.

Business communication is a common

topic included in the curricular of
Undergraduate and Master's degree
programs at many colleges and
universities.

Methods of business communication

include:
Web-based communication;
Video conferencing – allows people in
different locations to hold interactive
meetings;
Reports – important in documenting the
activities of any department;
Presentations – popular method of
communication in all types of
organizations, usually involving
audiovisual material, like copies of
reports, or material prepared in
Microsoft PowerPoint or Adobe Flash;
Telephone meetings – which allow for
long distance speech;
 Forum boards – which allow people to
instantly post information at a
centralized location;
Face-to-face meetings – which are
personal and should have a written
followup;
Suggestion box – primarily for upward
communication, because some people
may hesitate to communicate with
management directly, so they can give
suggestions by drafting one and putting
it in the suggestion box.

Directions
Business communication can take place in
four different directions in an organization:
Top-down: This kind of communication
takes place when the management
passes the order to the subordinates to
perform certain task. Usually this kind of
communication takes place using
circulars, newsletters, memos, e-mails,
etc.
Bottom-up: This kind of communication
takes place when the subordinates
submit an outcome, result, request,
application, etc. Usually this kind of
communication takes place using,
reports, e-mails, proposals, etc.
Lateral or horizontal: This kind of
communication takes place when
employees in same management level
communicate. The usual mode of
communication is e-mail, circular, etc.
Diagonal communication: When
different management levels
communicate who have no direct
reporting relationships, it is called
diagonal communication. This kind of
communication takes place using
normal meetings, circular, notice,
newsletter, etc.
Formal communication: The
communication held in systematic
manner. It has rules and regulations. It
get completed on decided time.
 Informal communication: The
communication held in proper way and
in non-systematic manner.It does not
get completed on decided time of
communication. Communication does
not conduct any rules and regulation.
Gesture cCommunication: The
communication takes place between
peoples via symbols and signs.

Effective business
communication
A two way information sharing process
which involves one party sending a
message that is easily understood by the
receiving party. Effective communication
by business managers facilitates
information sharing between company
employees and can substantially
contribute to its commercial success.[1]

For business communication to be

effective these qualities are essential:

1. Establish clear hierarchy

2. Use visual communication
3. Conflict management
4. Consider cultural issues
5. Good written communication

Face-to-face
Face-to-face communication helps to
establish a personal connection and will
help to sell the product or service to the
customer.[2] These interactions can portray
a whole different message than written
communication as tone, pitch, and body
language is observed.[3] Information is
easier to access and delivered
immediately with interactions rather than
waiting for an email or phone call.
Conflicts are also easily resolved this way,
as verbal and nonverbal cues are observed
and acted upon. Communicating
professionally is important as one is
representing the company. Speaking
clearly and asking questions to
understand the needs and wants, let the
recipient respond as one resolves the
issue. Decisions are made more
confidently during a face-to-face
interaction as the recipient asks questions
to understand and move forward with their
decision.

Email

When using email to communicate in the

business world, it is important to be
careful with the choice of words.
Miscommunication is frequent as the
reader does not have access to the
nonverbal cues that are available in face to
face spoken communication, the pitch,
tone, body language and facial expression.
Before someone beginnings writing an
email, they should make sure the email
address one is using is appropriate and
professional, as is the message one has
composed. They should ensure that the
message is clear and to the point so that
the recipient understands clearly the
sender's intent. Person should make sure
to include the sender's signature, title, and
other contact information at the end.

Telephone
When making a business call, person
makes it clear who is on the line and
where one is from as well as one's
message when on the phone. They should
smile and have a positive attitude as the
recipient will be able to read the caller and
that will affect how they react. When
leaving a message, make sure one is clear
and brief. One should state their name and
who they are and the purpose for
contacting them. If replying to a voicemail,
try to respond as soon as possible and
take into consideration the time of day.
Don't call too early or too late, as it is
important to respect other's time. Also be
mindful of where one is and the noise level
as well as the people one is around when
trying to reach someone by phone.[4]

When making a sales call, hope for the

person one are trying to connect to does
not answer the phone. Leave up to five
enticing messages and one's target
audience will be ready to speak when one
either gets a call back or one calls and
reaches the person. The enticing message
prepares the person to speak to the
representative. It may be that the person is
not interested based on what one had said
in each voice message. Always be polite
and accept that one may have many more
to call. If the individual is reached, one
might ask if there might be someone
better suited for the advertised program.

If one is calling and leaving voice

messages, include time of availability for
callbacks. There is nothing worse than a
callback coming to one when one is not
available. Use the telephone as a great
communication tool. Be polite and always
put oneself in the other person's position.
For more tips on making business calls
and leaving enticing messages see Harlan
J Brown's book on Telephone
Participation.

Listening
When listening to another employee or
customer it is important to be an active
listener. Here are some obstacles that you
might have to overcome:

Filters and assumptions

Biases and prejudices
Inattention and impatience
Surrounding environment

A good way to overcome these factors is

by using "LOTS" Better Communication
method. This method includes four steps
in order to produce good listening skills
and the ability to respond with an
educated statement. The four steps to this
method are:

1. Listen
2. Observe
3. Think
4. Speak

Doing all of these things while showing

good eye contact and body posture will
assure the speaker that they are getting
full attention from the listeners.

Choice of means and mode of

communication – Choosing the right
means and mode of communication plays
a vital role in the effectiveness of the
message being communicated and such a
choice depends on various factors such
as:

Organization size and policy – If the

organization is small, probably more
communication will be oral, than in larger
organizations where it may be in writing.
The policy for communication also would
play a major role in influencing one's
choice of mode of communication.

Cost factor –The main point to be

considered here would be to evaluate
whether the cost involved in sending the
message would be commensurate with
the results expected.

Nature of message – Whether the

message is confidential in nature, urgent
or important etc. and whether a matter
would require hand delivery or be set by
registered post etc. also influences the
choice of mode and means of
communication.

Distance involved – Whether the message

to be sent is also another vital factor
which could influence the choice of means
and modes of communication. For
example, if a letter is to be sent to a
partner in a joint venture in Japan and it is
urgent, individual wouldn't think of sending
someone to personally deliver it.

Resources - The resources available to

both the sender and receiver would also
influence someone's choice. Person can
only send a fax if the other
person/organization has a fax machine.
Therefore we can see that the choice of a
particular mode and means of
communication will depend on a case to
case basis and is influenced by various
factors.

Choosing communication
media
When choosing a media of
communication, it is important to consider
who are the respective audience and the
objective of the message itself. Rich
media are more interactive than lean
media and provide the opportunity for two-
way communication: the receiver can ask
questions and express opinions easily in
person.[5] To help such decision, one may
roughly refer to the continuum shown
below.

From Richer to Leaner[6]

1.Face-to-Face Meeting
2.In-Person Oral Presentation
3.Online Meeting
4.Videoconferencing
5.Teleconferencing
6.Phone Call
7.Voice Message
8.Video
9.Blog
10.Report
11.Brochure
12.Newsletter
13.Flier
14.Email
15.Memo
Subliminal method of communication

Subliminal perception refers to the

individual ability to perceive and respond
to stimuli that are below the threshold or
level of consciousness, which proved to
influence thoughts, feelings or actions
altogether or separately. There are four
distinct methods of communicating
subliminally. These are visual stimuli in
movies, accelerated speech, embedded
images in a print advertisement, and
suggestiveness which is not normally seen
at first glance. Focussing on subliminal
communication through visual stimuli,
marketing people have adopted this
method even incorporating it films and
television shows. Subliminal method of
communication first made its debut in a
1957 advertisement, during which a brief
message flashed, telling viewers to eat
popcorn and drink Coca-Cola. Since that
time, subliminal communication has
occupied a controversial role in the
advertising landscape, with some people
claiming it's omnipresent, while others
emphasize it's not real. As of publication,
there is still an ongoing scientific debate
about whether subliminal advertising
works. Subliminal messaging is a form of
advertising in which a subtle message is
inserted into a standard ad. This subtle
message affects the consumer's behavior,
but the consumer does not know she's
seen the message. For example, a
marketer might incorporate a single frame
telling consumers to drink tea in a movie.
In print media, advertisers might put
hidden images or coded messages into ad
text.

Arguments for effectiveness

A 2009 study at the University College of

London found that people were especially
likely to be affected by negative subliminal
communication. For example, a cosmetic
advertisement conveying to a consumer
that she is ugly might be more effective.
Subliminal ads "prime" the brain to seek
out stimuli that match the message in the
advertisement, according to a 1992 study
published in "Personality and Social
Psychology Bulletin." This can affect
behavior, particularly when a message
addresses an individual's insecurities or
behavioral tendencies and when a
consumer is in a context that allows her to
act on the ad's message.

Business writing process

The challenge of the communication
process is for the sender and receiver to
gain a mutual understanding about the
meaning of the message. A writer can put
their words on paper, but the reader may
not react to the words as the writer
intended. Most writers are much more
effective, successful, and productive if
they spend time thinking about the
communication situation before beginning
to write. Successful writers approach
writing as a three-step process that
involves planning before starting to write,
drafting with the audience (the reader) in
mind, and revising the document to
determine if it meets the audience’s needs
and if it represents the organization well.[7]
STEP1: Planning

Writer should spend more time planning

and revising your document than you
spend writing. Dr. Ken Davis suggests
effective writers spend as much as 40% of
writing time on planning the document.

STEP2: Drafting

Once the writer has planned the purpose

of their message, considered how their
audience might react to the message,
gathered their information, decided on an
order for their information, and selected
their medium for delivery, they are ready to
compose their document. About 20% of
writing time should be spent drafting the
document.

Person shouldn't be concerned with

perfection as you draft their message.
They should write in a conversational tone,
without using slang; write as they would
speak in a workplace environment. One
guideline that helps in the drafting stage is
to write as though the writer is presenting
the information to a friend. Rather than
thinking of the audience as just “someone
out there,” think of the audience as a
specific person with whom they are
building or maintaining a relationship.
Thinking of a friend helps person to
choose effective words and tone, help
them to be clear, and include information
helpful to the reader.

STEP3: Revising

Revising is more than checking the writer's

spelling and punctuation. Revising
requires individual to check every part of
they message to see if it is clear, concise,
and correct and will take approximately
40% of writing time. Writer should want to
look at every word to see if they selected
the most appropriate one, at every
sentence to see whether the structure is
the best it can be, and at every paragraph
to see whether it includes a well-developed
argument. Finally review the document
design to look for an attractive,
professional appearance that meets their
employer’s and their reader’s expectations.

Organizations
Founded in 1936 by Shankar is the
Association for Business
Communication (ABC),[8] originally
called the Association of College
Teachers of Business Writing, is "an
international organization committed to
fostering excellence in business
communication scholarship,research
,education, and practice."
The IEEE Professional Communication
Society (PCS) [1] is dedicated to
understanding and promoting effective
communication in engineering,
scientific, and other environments,
including business environments. PCS's
academic journal,[9] is one of the
premier journals in Europe
communication. The journal’s readers
are engineers, writers, information
designers, managers, and others
working as scholars, educators, and
practitioners who share an interest in
the effective communication of
technical and business information.
The Society for Technical
Communication is a professional
association dedicated to the
advancement of the theory and practice
of technical communication. With
membership of more than 6,000
technical communicators, it's the largest
organization of its type in North
America.
The International Business
Communication Standards are practical
proposals for the conceptual and visual
 design of comprehensible reports and
presentations.

References
1.
(http://www.businessdictionary.com/definiti
on/effective-communication.html )
2. (http://www.healio.com/orthotics-
prosthetics/human-
resources/news/print/o-and-p-business-
news/%7Bab5bdfed-6cea-47d6-b2bb-
9b57d79c406a%7D/face-to-face-
communication-the-trust-that-helps-build-a-
business )
3.
(http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/ho
w-to/human-resources/2012/08/face-to-
face-communication-can-help.html?
page=all )
4. (http://www.telephoneparticipation.com )
5. Newman, Amy, and Scott Ober. Business
Communication: In Person, In Print, Online.
8th ed. Mason: South-Western, 2013. 18.
Print.
6. Newman, Amy, and Scott Ober. Business
Communication: In Person, In Print, Online,
8e. 8th ed. Mason: South-Western, 2013.
18. Print.
7. Easton, Anna; Heidewald, Jeanette;
Morrone, Michael; Neher, Darryl; Steiner-
Williams, Judy. Strategic Business Writing
(2nd ed.). Trustees of Indiana University.
p. 21. ISBN 978-0-253-01611-9.
8. "Archived copy" . Archived from the
original on 2007-08-12. Retrieved
2007-09-11.
9. IEEE Transactions on Professional
Communication

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