The purpose of communication is achieved only when the receiver receives the message sent by the sender fully and clearly (Ghanekar, 2007). It is observed that expressing our wants, feelings, thoughts and opinions through interpersonal communication consists only half part of the process, whereas listening and understanding others constitute the rest of the communication process. There is often an expectation that the receiver not only receives the message, but also understands, interprets, uses and provides the requisite feedback about the message and finally acts on it. It is essential to note that the roles of sender and receiver are not always fixed. This means, the sender may become the receiver and the receiver may become the sender depending on the circumstances. The root of the word “communication” in Latin is communicate, which means to share, or to make common (Weekley, 1967). Communication is defined as the process of understanding and sharing meaning (Pearson & Nelson, 2000). At the center of this study of communication is the relationship that involves interaction between participants. This definition serves us well with its emphasis on the process, which we’ll examine in depth across this text, of coming to understand and share another’s point of view effectively.
The success of any business lies as much in networking and building sound professional relationships as it does in individual tact and business acumen. Communication is a crucial decisive factor in business relations. It is very important to say the right things at the right time and at the right place when dealing with partners, customers and stakeholders. Any miscommunication or ambiguity can pour pails of cold water on your hard work and ruin your chances of survival in today’s competitive business environment. Maintaining professional etiquette in oral and written business communication is of utmost importance and must not be taken lightly. We should be grateful that we are living in an era of enlightenment where we have access to training on just about anything under the sun! Nowadays, many courses are available that provide training on developing business communication skills and correspondence and conduct classes on ways to improve communication skills. Effective communication skills in business go a long way in sealing your success.
Written communication involves any type of interaction that makes use of the written word. Communication is a key to any endeavor involving more than one person. Communicating through writing is essential in the modern world and is becoming ever more so as we participate in what is now commonly called the information age. In fact, written communication is the most common form of business communication. It is essential for small business owners and managers to develop effective written communication skills and to encourage the same in all employees. The information age has altered the ways in which we communicate and placed an increasing emphasis on written versus oral communications.
The ever-increasing use of computers and computer networks to organize and transmit information means the need for competent writing skills is rising. Dr. Craig Hogan, a former university professor who now heads an online school for business writing, receives hundreds of inquiries each month from managers and executives requesting help with improving their own and their employees’ writing skills. Dr. Hogan explains, in an article entitled “What Corporate America Can’t Build: A Sentence,” that millions of people previously not required to do a lot of writing on the job are now expected to write frequently and rapidly (Dillon, 2004). According to Dr. Hogan, many of them are not up to the task. “E-mail is a party to which English teachers have not been invited. It has companies tearing their hair out.” Survey results from The National Commission on writing study back up this assessment (The College Board, 2004). They found that a third of employees in the nation’s “blue chip” companies write poorly and are in need of remedial writing instruction.
The need to develop good writing skills is only highlighted by the fact that in the information age, it is not uncommon to have business relationships with customers and suppliers that are established and maintained exclusively through the use of written communications. In this environment, “the words we write are very real representations of our companies and ourselves. We must be sure that our e-mail messages are sending the right messages about us,” explained Janis Fisher Chan, author of E-Mail: A Write It Well Guide-How to write and Manage E-Mail in the Workplace, in an article appearing in Broker Magazine. The key to communication, of course, is to convey meaning in as accurate and concise a manner as possible. People do not read business memoranda for the pleasure of reading. They do so in order to receive instructions or information upon which to base decisions or take action. Therefore, highly literary prose is not desirable in business writing. Overly formal prose may also be counterproductive by seeming stand-offish or simply wordy. A style of writing that is too informal can also convey an unintended message, namely that the subject matter is not serious or not taken seriously by the sender. A straightforward, courteous tone is usually the best choice but one that may not come naturally without practice.
The basic process of communication begins when a fact or idea is observed by one person. That person (the sender) may decide to translate the observation into a message, and then transmit the message through some communication medium to another person (the receiver). The receiver then must interpret the message and provide feedback to the sender indicating that the message has been understood and appropriate action taken.
As Herta A. Murphy and Herbert W. Hildebrandt observed in Effective Business Communications, good communication should be complete, concise, clear, concrete, correct, considerate, and courteous (Murphy, Herta, & Hildebrandt, 1997). More specifically, this means that communication should: answer basic questions like who, what, when, where; be relevant and not overly wordy; focus on the receiver and his or her interests; use specific facts and figures and active verbs; use a conversational tone for readability; include examples and visual aids when needed; be tactful and good-natured; and be accurate and nondiscriminatory. Unclear, inaccurate, or inconsiderate business communication can waste valuable time, alienate employees or customers, and destroy goodwill toward management or the overall business.
One advantage to using written forms of communication is that written messages do not have to be delivered on the spur of the moment; instead, they can be edited and revised several times before they are sent so that the content can be shaped to maximum effect. Another advantage is that written communication provides a permanent record of the messages and can be saved for later study. Since they are permanent, written forms of communication also enable recipients to take more time in reviewing the message and providing appropriate feedback. For these reasons, written forms of communication are often considered more appropriate for complex business messages that include important facts and figures. Other benefits commonly associated with good writing skills include increased customer/client satisfaction; improved inter-organizational efficiency; and enhanced image in the community and industry.
There are also several potential pitfalls associated with written communication, however. For instance, unlike oral communication, wherein impressions and reactions are exchanged instantaneously, the sender of written communication does not generally receive immediate feedback to his or her message. This can be a source of frustration and uncertainty in business situations in which a swift response is desired. In addition, written messages often take more time to compose, both because of their information-packed nature and the difficulty that many individuals have in composing such correspondence. Many companies, however, have taken a proactive stance in addressing the latter issue. Mindful of the large number of workers who struggle with their writing abilities, some firms have begun to offer on-site writing courses or enrolled employees in business writing workshops offered by professional training organizations, colleges, and community education programs.
Electronic mail (E-mail) has emerged as a highly popular business communication tool in recent years. Indeed, its capacity to convey important corporate communications swiftly and easily has transformed it into a communications workhorse for business enterprises of all sizes and orientations. But many users of e-mail technology pay little attention to basic rules of grammar and format when composing their letters, even when they are penning business correspondence addressed to clients, customers, vendors, business partners, or internal colleagues. This sloppy correspondence style reflects a lack of professionalism and may communicate to the recipient a view of the company behind the message as equally unprofessional. The ease and informality of the medium should not be confused with the writing necessary to use it properly.
Given this unfortunate trend, many business experts counsel companies to install firm guidelines on tone, content, and shape of e-mail correspondence. These guidelines should make it clear that all employees are expected to adhere to the same standards of professionalism that (presumably) remain in place for traditional postal correspondence. Proper spelling and grammar and the ability to frame correspondence in suitably diplomatic language should be hallmarks of electronic mail as well as regular mail, especially if the communication is directed at a person or persons outside the company.
In order to send message in business, speaking plays a vital role. Giving instruction, conducting interviews, attending meetings, sending orders through telephone calls are very common in today’s business. There are some advantages of speaking: First is easy, simple and saves a lot of money because oral communication is the less expensive way to communicate with each other. Direct speech saves money, because it does not require any device or writing instruments like pen, paper, computer, telephone etc., (but sometimes people will use a telephone to communicate to the people that far from them, so it will reduce cost for calling them). If the speaker delivers his or her speech on the basis of the audience level, it becomes easy understanding. So, the main advantages of speaking is understandable. Second is allows feedback on the spot so if the receiver is not 100 percent sure what the message meant, then that feedback will be answered right away. There is a quick and direct feedback of oral communication (speaking), because the audience can interact directly to the speaker. Third is the message is instantly, it helps in avoiding time wasted. Direct speech between the speaker and the listener saves time to communicate information. It means that the speaker and the receiver can communicate well because there is no obstacle between each other. For example like bad connection, the receiver cannot hear the speaker because the volume of the speaker is to low, etc. The last one is brings personal warmth and friendliness and develops a sense of bonding because of these contact between the people. Speaking can help to develop the relation between the speaker and the listener. It is possible to establish friendly relation among the parties concern through direct speech.
Besides that, speaking also contains some disadvantages. In spite of this, there are some speaking disadvantages, which are: the first one is no record. In oral communication (speaking), messages are difficult to record. So it is impossible to preserve the message for future. Next is no legal validity. It means that there is any legal validity of the oral message. As, the oral messages are not taped and kept records, so it can be denied easily if the situation goes against the speaker. And then, creates misunderstanding. The speaker often gives message without having properly organized it earlier. So, it is possible that he may not be able to make himself properly to communicate with the receiver. As a result, misunderstanding may develops. And also, late decision would happened. It takes time to reach a decision. At the beginning stage, sometime is killed in the discussion of any personal matters. Besides some time is also wasted for irrelevant discussion. In this way decision making is delayed.
Speaking skills are important for career success, but certainly not limited to one’s professional aspirations. Speaking skills can enhance one’s personal life, thereby bringing about the well-rounded growth we should all seek. Speakers must learn to articulate their message in a way the listener can understand, delivering it in a manner that is consistent with the message itself. Serious issues are best delivered in a serious tone, but with regard to the known or potential reaction of the listener. The reaction of the listener to either good or bad news can be directly controlled by the speaker, as long as the word choice and delivery are carefully considered. One part of effective speaking is knowing your listeners and how they may react, or delivering your message in a generic fashion of the listeners are not known.
Good communication, therefore, calls for active listening skills. A good speaker must necessarily be a good listener. Nature blessed us with two ears but only one tongue, which is a gentle hint that we should listen more and talk less! To listen actively to another human being may be the greatest gift one can have. For a long time, people assumed that listening was a natural trait, but in fact, not all are good listeners. Listening is a skill that must be cultivated and developed further. Many people take it for granted that they are good listeners forgetting that there is a difference between hearing and listening or even active listening. Hearing is a physical and passive activity, whereas listening is necessarily a mental activity and hence it is active in nature (Ghanekar, 2007). Thus, listening consists of careful hearing with active application of mind. Hearing involves mere reception of sound signals, but listening requires the use of ears, brain, and eyes to understand non-verbal clues, with additional insights like perception, attitudes, participation, etc. There are, however, some barriers to active listening which cause hindrance to the normal functioning at the workplace affecting the business of the organization adversely. The importance of active listening in the organization needs no emphasis. Based on the experience of various organizations and day-to-day behavior of human beings in the society, suitable tips could be given to become good listener for personal as well as organizational growth (McLean, 2003). It is observed that business thrives on listening. The complaints of the customers are redressed satisfactorily if they are actively listened and can also contribute to knowledge acquisition regarding the problems faced. The training programs for service providers thus should be focused on behavioral skills, attitudinal changes and various communication skills which include listening.
People in business spend more time in obtaining information then transmitting it. Listening is the most important way to receive information: information regarding order of employers, instruction, rules and regulation, customer trend etc., are obtained through listening. But in listening, people generally forget 75% of the message after few days (Aqil, 2011). Listening is an important aspect of business communication. It stands third after writing and speaking. A business communicator has to listen to various customer, employees, officer, suppliers, financiers etc. Obviously, it is an unavoidable task for a business person (Aqil, 2011). This important reason as to why a business communicator should know about listening are: to gain new information and ideas. A business person has to get new information and ideas from various parties. For example he gets the information from customers regarding the product. He takes various ideas from the employees inside the organization. He receives order or instruction forms his superiors. He gets training form his instructor. All these activities require him to be a good listener. Next is to question test evidence and assumptions. Any activity, particularly business, activity requires good analytical skill to survive in the environment. A good listener does not feel much difficulty in doing so. The message of speaker mostly consists of facts (Verifiable data) or opinions (inferences). Good listeners test those facts and opinions against assumptions and then question the speaker. In this way he is able to analyze the massage and treat it on its merit. The next point is, to be inspired a motivated. A dynamic business man wants to be motivated again and again. Good listening enables him to take inspiration from the message and brings about enthusiasm in his attitude. And the last one is to improve overall communication. A business person needs strong communication skills to survive in the market. And to face a high degree of competition. This can only be achieved by having strength in all areas of communicating i.e. writing, reading, speaking and particularly listening (Aqil, 2011).
As the popular author and Hollywood entrepreneur Wilson Mizner said, “A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he knows something.” Learning to listen to the conversational partner, customer, supplier, or supervisor is an important part of business communication. Too often, instead of listening we mentally rehearse what we want to say. Similarly, when we read, we are often trying to multitask and therefore cannot read with full attention. Inattentive listening or reading can cause us to miss much of what the speaker is sharing with us. Communication involves the sharing and understanding of meaning. To fully share and understand, we have to practice active listening and reading so that we are fully attentive, fully present in the moment of interaction. Pay attention to both the actual words and for other clues to meaning, such as tone of voice or writing style. Look for opportunities for clarification and feedback when the time comes for you to respond, not before.
It has been proved by many researchers that the success of a business essentially depends on promotion of good listening skills at all the levels in the organization. The importance of good listening skills in the development of a business organization are: Effective listening improves the ability to process the information by the manager and helps him to make better policies, take correct decisions, solve the problems and grievances, know about various activities of his organization and understand the policies of other competing organizations. Next, on an average, managers spend 50% of their communication time in listening (Buvee, 2009) . They carefully listen to the messages to feel the pulse of the employees, to understand their mood and reactions to the policies of the management and to find out if there is any false rumor which may harm the prospects of the organization. Listening provides suitable atmosphere to the employees to express themselves. The next point, effective listening is extremely important to encourage the speaker, and to promote understanding and coordination among various departments of the organization (Rodrigues, 2003) . Lack of good listening skills can create embarrassing situations which lead to misunderstanding and lack of coordination. If the suggestions and proposals of the employees are not listened to by the managers, it provokes bitterness, annoyance and misunderstanding among the employees. After that, effective listening is very essential for the success of open-door policy. A manager, who listens to the employees, gives them an opportunity to express their suppressed emotions. Next is effective listening invariably contributes towards receiving constructive suggestions from the employees. There can be better harmony and cohesion in the organization if the management and employees effectively listen to each other. It can raise the morale of the employees, and the raised morale can bind them together. Next point is employees can introduce new schemes and give useful suggestions to the manager if he allows their participation in the decision-making process and listens carefully to what they say. After that is productivity of the workers is enhanced due to their good listening skills. The workers understand their assignments in a better way. A congenial and cohesive rapport is built up with colleagues, superiors and customers, ultimately resolving the work-related problems amicably through discussion. It creates team-based environment, encourages exchange of thoughts and promotes better understanding among the groups.
And then, we need to practice active listening. The advantages of practicing active listening are: First is active listening will show great respect to the speaker. It demonstrates that you authentically yearn for understanding in his or her point of view. It assists and facilitates the development of a good relationship between the listener and the speaker. Next is active listening, make possible further disclosure. Disclosure is significant for efficient legal representations. And then, active listening will allow the speaker to correct if you have not stated nor express the statement well. So, in that manner you will be guided. And also active listening facilitates the listener to stay focused on the discussion, and to retain information what the person hears. Next is an active listening resolves conflict. It is difficult to keep hitting when the other party does not hit back. After that active listening permits the speaker to utter feelings. And the last one is active listening will provide you additional information. Because of the fact that you comprehend what the speaker says, the information will retain to your brain and use it for future purposes.
Communication is not only about providing information, but also absorbing it correctly. Poor span of attention, heavily worded information, etc. can all contribute to misunderstandings and barriers to effective communication. When someone has poor listening skills, no matter how clearly a particular piece of information has been communicated, it is possible that the listener will misunderstand it. In an entirely different context, poor listening can also pose as one of the many communication barriers in a relationship. In fact, just because one partner does not have the time or the urge to listen to the other partner, these relationship communication problems lead to an unfortunate break up. As such, developing the art of listening is crucial. Learning ways of improving attention, and paraphrasing complex information to ensure you have understood it, are ways in which you can overcome communication barriers such as poor listening. Effective communication enables a company to inform and build relationships with its stakeholders. It is a two-way process enabling stakeholders to interact with the company. This includes employees supplying ideas for improvements and customers providing feedback.
In my opinion, these three methods is essential for business communication. Because everything is interconnected and very helpful from one method to the other. Communication is very important for the progress of the business is getting better in the future. And as we can see, what happened in this world, the development of technology in the world, has been increased a lot of number of technological developments related to communications, especially for business communication. The contribution of this world to develop communication between people or business is very great and very supportive for international communications business.
Communication is life blood of a business organization. No organization can succeed or progress, build up reputation, and win friends and customers without effective communication skills. In fact successful communication is the bed rock of ground and pleasant relationship between the seniors and sub ordinates, between the workers and the management, between the customers and the sellers good and efficient system of communication helps in better coordination and efficient control. It results in clear understanding, good production, healthy climate within the organization willing cooperation among the various levels, if businessman can communicate effectively and successfully. Profit and prosperity shall knock at the doors of firm, organization or shop keeper through effective system of communication. Poor and ineffective communication system may result in mismanagement, bad business and sure show down. Communication can build or destroy trust depending or use of words. A poorly worded message or talk may result in communication breakdown. On the other hand planned and well-meant communication helps in better service, removes misunderstanding and doubts; builds up good will, promotes business and earns favorable references. It is the key to success in business and trade. A good businessman believes in the saying, ‘take care of communication and success shall take care of itself.