Introduction to

Business Communication

The Communication Environment

Business Communication
Foundation

Chapter I
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` Explain the importance of business

communication to individuals and
organizations
` Explain the goals of business communication
` Describe the patterns of business
communication
` Explain the communication process
` Identify communication barriers and ways to
overcome them
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` Communication is a vital part of life as we use

it in our daily lives continuously
` Communication is important as it is considered
the foundation of individuals¶ personal and
professional relationships
` Good communication skills are tools for
achieving one¶s goals and results effectively
 
 

 


Getting the jobs you want

Gaining promotions
Providing Leadership
Being productive on the job
Relating positively to others
Assuring the success of your organization
 
 

 

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Professional business researches have revealed
that communication skills rank high among the
skills necessary to succeed in business
Business must have effective internal and
external communication
 
  




These are the internal operations that depend

on the day to day exchange of information
among employees
Exchange of information includes performance
objectives, job instructions, financial data,
customer orders, inventory data, production
problems and solutions, as well as employees
production reports
Effective internal communication helps the
organization to accomplish long term planning
and strategic decisions
 
  




It builds goodwill, brings in order and ensures

continued existence and growth
Day to day external communication includes
sales calls, product advertisements, news
releases, employment notices, bank
transactions and periodic reports to
governmental agencies
Effective external communication helps the
organization achieve long range impact on new
product, expansion plans, annual reports and
contributions to community activities
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Receiver Understanding
Receiver Response
Favorable Relationships
Organizational Goodwill
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The most important of all the goals

The message must be clear so that the receiver
understands it as the sender means it to be
understood
The sender and receiver must achieve a shared
meaning
To deliver a clear message the sender must
consider:
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To deliver a clear message the sender must

consider:
1. Receiver Characteristics
2.Message form and content
3.Receiver feedback
4.Communication barrier
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The receiver response may be positive, negative

or neutral
The receiver response might be conveyed in
words, actions or both depending on the
situation
The sender must assist the receiver to respond
in both oral (asking questions)or written
(letters or phone calls)communication
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It focuses on the people involved in the

communication process
To achieve a strong business relationship
sender and receiver must relate to each other
positively, personally and professionally
The sender should assume primary
responsibility to create and maintain favorable
relationship with receiver, this includes:Using
positive wording, stressing the receiver's
interests and benefits, and doing more than
expected
 


 

This fourth goal stresses benefits to the

organization
Goodwill of clients is basic for the organization
as clients gain confidence in the organization
itself
Senders achieve goodwill via the effective
communication that reflect their company and
products positive
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The patterns of business communication

involve external and external
communication
  


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uertical communication: messages flow

upward or downward along a path referred as
³ the chain of command´
Horizontal communication: messages flow
occurs between workers or units of comparable
status who need to share data or coordinate
efforts
Network communication: information flows
freely among those who have a common bond
that goes beyond the participants¶ role or unit
within the organization
  


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Formal Communication: is business related

with some personal touches, it can be written
(memos, reports) or oral (speech, meeting)
Formal communication is planned by the
organization, flows in all directions, and is
essential for the effective operation of the
business
  


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Informal Communication: consists of business

related as well as personal information, ex:
rumors
Informal communication is not planned by the
organization, it flows in all directions, and it
develops and maintains positive human
relationships
  


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Serial communication: information flows

vertically and horizontally to more than one
individual through oral, written or electronic
communication
Sender: should keep the message simple and
request feedback
Receiver: should take notes and repeat the
message
  


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It flows between a business organization and

the entities with which it interacts in written or
oral forms
A company might externally communicate with
entities it deals with, such as customers,
suppliers, media, governmental agencies and
competitors
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Sender¶s Role:
1. Select the type of message
2. Analyze the receiver
3. Use the You viewpoint
4. Encourage feedback
5. Remove communication barriers
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Receiver¶s role:
1. Listen and read carefully
2. Open to different ideas
3. Make notes
4. Provide feedback
5. Ask questions to clarify the message
 

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uerbal communication: using oral and written

words
Non verbal communication:audio and visual
presentations
uerbal channels: memos, emails, telegram
Non verbal channels: gestures and facial
expressions
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Sender must consider receiver¶s viewpoint
while composing and sending the message
In order to do so, sender must analyze the
receiver¶s
1. Knowledge
2. Interests
3. Attitudes
4. Emotional reaction
5. Use the you viewpoint
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To achieve a successful communication

process receiver must provide feedback of the
message to the sender
To achieve this goal sender must:
1. Ask for response either directly or indirectly
2. Assist the receiver in giving response
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These are factors that interfere with the success

of the communication process
These barriers may occur between any two of
the communication process steps or may affect
all the steps in the process
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1.Word choice: word choice is considered one of

the basic communication barriers
‰ Words shouldn't be too difficult or too easy
‰ Sender should use a language that is
understood by the receiver, ex: colloquial
English if English is not the primary language
‰ The choice of language is based on analyzing
your receiver well
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2@Denotative us Connotative Meaning

‰ Denotative Meaning: is the definitions
provided by a dictionary
‰ Connotative Meaning: is any other meaning of
a word suggested by the receiver and that is
based on his experiences, attitudes, emotions or
interests
‰ Analyzing your receiver might solve this
problem
‰ Ex: fast work
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3. Implications and Inferences:

‰ Implications: are meanings given through
connotations rather than specific details
‰ Inferences: are conclusions drawn from
connotations rather than specific details
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4. Punctuation, Spelling, Grammar, and

Sentence Structure
‰ Spelling ad grammatical mistakes may hinder
the receiver¶s understanding of a written or a
spoken message, and the sender might lose its
credibility
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5. Type of Message
‰ Selecting the type of the message is based on
the situation itself to ensure effective
communication
‰ Message type might be written or spoken
‰ Ex: explaining a complicated task (Written),
solving conflicts between employees (Oral)
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6. Appearance of the Message

‰ This is involved with the readability of the
message
‰ Ex: wrinkled paper, poor handwriting
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7. Appearance of the Sender

‰ The credibility of the message is based on the
sender¶s appearance
‰ Sender¶s unintended nonverbal messages might
hinder the communication with the receiver
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8. Environmental factors
‰ Noise or any other distracting environmental
factors might hider the success of a
communicated message, such as room
temperature, lights, color
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9. Receiver¶s capability
This might include the limited capabilities of the
receiver, for instance if he has any physical
disability, the sender must choose the
appropriate message type and channel to reach
him
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10. Listening

Poor listening may hinder the understanding of

a communicated message
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