this is about basic business communication

1. Communication-introduction
The word ‘communication’ has been derived from the
Latin word ‘Communis’ which means ‘common’
meaning thereby common between two or more
people. In this way communication means sharing
thoughts among two or more than two people

2. Role and Importance of
Communication
• The ever increasing global competition,
flatening organizations, increasing
significance of team based management
and increasing multi-culturism in
organizations have made it imperative that
you read, write, listen and speak
effectively.

3. • It is with good communication that you can
locate problem areas, make effective
decisions, coordinate and supervise the
work of subordinates, strengthen inter
personal relations and leave your
company’s and your own impression on
the stakeholders.

4. Process of communication
• 1 Ideation: The communication process
begins with a sender having an idea. The
intent and content of your idea will depend
on your state of mood, cultural
background, age, experiences, attitude,
power position and many other such
factors. The ideation takes place when
you feel the need for responding to a
situation.

5. 2. Encoding the idea in message: This
symbolization of the idea is known as
encoding. This involves the problem of
choice of words, sentences, gestures,
expressions, paralanguage, layout and
design, etc. while selecting proper
symbols you consider receivers moods,
attitudes, experiences, education and
culture.

6. 3 Sending message over channel:
Channel is the medium through which the
message is transmitted from the source or
sender to the receiver. There are
numerous channels of communication
such as internet, telephone, television,
radio, FAX, personal (direct face to face),
letter, report etc

7. 4. Decoding by receiver: Just as the message is
received, the receiver transforms the same into
a thought. The communication will be assumed
to have taken place only when the receiver
understands the meaning intended by the
sender. What meaning is attached to the
message by the receiver will depend on the
receiver’s frame of reference comprising of
experiences, opinions and attitudes

8. 5. Feedback from receiver to sender:
Feedback is the response of the receiver
to the message received and encoded.
The feedback helps the sender evaluate
whether or not the message was received
and given the intended meaning by the
receiver.

9. Barriers in Communication
• The barriers can be classified accordingly to
their nature and source as follows:
1 Physical barriers
2 Psychological barriers
3 Semantic barriers
4 Organizational barriers
5 Personal barriers
6 Non-verbal barriers
7 Cultural barriers

10. 1 Physical barriers: Physical barriers
comprise of distraction, due to physical
failures such as poor signals, bad or
defective designs and lay outs, illegible
writing, poor health, uncomfortable sitting
arrangement, too dim or too much light,
too many links in the communication,
unwanted telephonic calls , etc.

11. 2. Psychological barriers: These barriers
comprise of psychological factors such as
feelings, emotions, attitudes, perceptions,
faiths and beliefs of people.
3. Semantic barriers: Semantics refer to
the meanings of different words or
symbols. The language and words, which
otherwise are carriers of communication,
often become barrier in themselves.

12. 4. Organisational barriers: Tall organisational structure,
power position, employee attitude, line and staff
conflicts, status consciousness, etc create obstruction in
communication.
5. Personal barriers: Different people have different
capabilities of hearing, seeing, smelling, evaluating and
experiencing the things. Stephen R. Covey in his treatise
on, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (pp.239) has
rightly observed, “Most people do not listen with the
intention to understand they listen with intent to reply.
They are either speaking or preparing to speak. They are
filtering every thing through their paradigm, reading their
autobiography into other people’s lives.”

13. 6.Non-verbal barriers: Non verbal communication
conveys more of the total meanings of a
message than the words do.
7. Cultural barriers: You will often encounter
people saying in generalized ways, such as
‘South Indians do this’, ‘Indians do this’,
‘Americans do this’, and ‘British do this.’
communication cannot be perfect between the
people of two different cultures if they do not
properly understand each others’ cultures.

14. Forms of Business
Communication
Forms of business communication can be
described by classifying them on several
bases, such as:
1 Direction of flow
2 Level of formality
3 Mode of delivery
4 On the basis of scope

15. 1.Direction of flow:
• Downward flow
• Upwards flow
• Horizontal flow
• Diagonal flow

16. 2. On the basis of formality:
• Formal communication-All communication,
flowing in any direction, which originates from
and is disseminated to the people owing to
their legitimate position in the organisations, is
known as formal communication.
• Informal communication- also known as
grapevine communication, is the transmission
of information through non-official channels
within an organization.

17. 3. On the basis of mode of delivery:
• Verbal communication
• Non verbal communication
4. On the basis of scope:
• External communication
• Internal communication
• Personal communication.

18. Principles of communication
• These principles are listed below:
– Clarity
– Correctness
– Conciseness
– Coverage or completeness
– Consideration
– Courtesy
– Conversational
– Coherency
– Cohesiveness

19. 1. Clarity: The success of a communication
depends upon the clarity about its goal,
content and medium
1.1 Goal: The goal of communication may be to
impart information, create awareness,
disseminate knowledge, and generate action
or to prepare the receiver to take an action .
1.2 Contents of message: The contents refer to
the material to be included in the message and
its style of presentation. Some guidelines
follow/- contd…..

20. 1.2.1 Prefer short words and expressions
Long words vs. short words
Long
words Short
words
(Avoid) (Prefer)
Tenderise soften
Temperament nature
Recuperate recover
Requisite needed
Repudiate reject

21. • Short vs. long expressions
Long expressions short
expression
(Avoid) (Prefer)
• All the more very
• In the present era at present
• In view of the fact that
• Owing to the fact that
• Due to the fact that because
• In order to
• In order for
• With a view to
• Fort he purpose of to
• Under separate cover separately

22. Short words should be familiar.
• Short-unfamiliar Long -familiar
• (Avoid) (Prefer)
• Vie compete
• Accord agreement
• Adept skilful
• Adieu farewell
• Timid nervous
• Apt appropriate
• Vim energy
• Weird strange

23. 1.2.2 Prefer familiar to unfamiliar words: Some examples are:
Unfamiliar familiar
(Avoid) (Prefer)
• Matrimony marriage
• Reproachful disgust
• Reprisal retaliation
• Scribbler journalist/writer
• Gregarious sociable
• Sobriquet nickname
• Hamper hinder

24. Long unfamiliar Short familiar
(Avoid) (Prefer)
• Impeccable perfect
• Inquisitive curious/enquiring
• Innocuous harmless
• Circumscribe restrict
• Clandestine secret
• Demonstrates shows

25. 1.2.3 Prefer single to double entry: Some
people use together two such words as
have almost the same meaning. The use
of such words may not be incorrect yet
using only one of them can serve the
purpose and fill clarity in communication.
Some examples of double entry follow:

26. • Double entry Single entry
(Avoid) (Prefer)
• Provision of Act provides Act provides
• Funds financed financed or funded
• 8 P.M. in the evening 8 P.M.
• Your personal viewpoint your viewpoint
• Absolutely compulsory compulsory
• During the year 2007 during 2007
• Return back return
• Incumbent person on duty incumbent or person on duty

27. 1.2.4 Use discipline specific words with
caution: Each discipline has its own
language comprising of technical words
and the people often tend to use their
discipline oriented language even while
communicating with people of other than
their own discipline

28. • Consider some of the examples here:
Abbreviations Expanded version
• LPG Liberalisation, Privatisation & Globalisation
or
Liquefied Petroleum Gas
• SLR statutory liquidity Ratio
or
Single lens reflex
• TA Traveling Allowance
or
Territorial Army
or
Teaching Assistant

29. 1.2. 5 Prefer active voice: Consider some
examples and see the difference for
yourself.
• Active: Quinine is bitter when tasted.
Passive: Quinine tastes bitter.
• Active: Assignment may be completed.
Passive: Complete the assignment.
• Active: You are advised to be punctual.
Passive: Be punctual.

30. 1.3 Medium: Communication can add to
clarity in the message by right choice of
medium as well. The medium can be oral,
written, and in the form of some non-
verbal actions, gestures, postures and the
like. It may be emphasised that not all
messages can be passed on by words
alone, instead they have to be supported
by non-verbal communication.

31. 2. Correctness
The correctness in communication
ascertains the success not only of your
message, but it can also serve as an
important factor in your own success.
Communication has to be correct in terms
of its contents, presentation or style and
timeliness.

32. 3. Conciseness
A lengthy message is often replete with
repetition of words, or ideas,
camouflaging, saying the things in a round
about manner, inclusion of irrelevant facts
in the message and the like. Some
precautions follow:……….

33. 3.1 Avoid Camouflaging: It refers to
concealing something by using excess
words.
3.2 Use few words for long expressions
3.3 Avoid converting verbs into nouns
3.4 Avoid redundant phrases: some
examples follow ….

34. • Wordy: It is absolutely necessary to eliminate
the problem.
• Concise: Eliminating the problem is necessary.
• Wordy: Attached herewith please find my
curriculum vitae.
• Concise: Attached are my curriculum vitae.
• Wordy: The material that has been requested for
by you is cheaper in cost.
• Concise: The material you requested is cheaper.

35. • 2.4. Coverage or completeness
Think of the consequences of situations like writing
incomplete address on an envelop for posting a
letter, not mentioning all specifications in a
purchase order, not replying to all questions in a
letter of enquiry, hiding a fact in an enquiry
report or a testimonial, and the like. The
consequences are undisputedly hazardous,
sometimes leading to serious implications like
law suits, not merely putting the receiver at
unease by miscommunication.

36. 2.5. Consideration
Consideration refers to being sensitive towards
others and thinking about their wishes and
feelings. A message will be well received by the
receivers if there is something in it for them. You
can do so by various means such as using ‘you
view point’, emphasising positive and pleasant
language, being sincere and fair, respecting the
feelings of the receiver while conveying a
message.

37. 2.5.1. You view point: use it in all positive
situations except bad news messages like
refusing credit to a customer. Example-
• You viewpoint: In view of your low current ratio,
you cannot be granted the credit facility.
• I viewpoint: In view of the company policy,
prohibiting credit grants to low current ratio
customers, we must sell on cash basis.

38. 2.5.2. Use positive language: Imagine the
impact of following:
• ‘You have failed to comply with the terms
and conditions of agreement.’
• ‘We expect you to reply by 25th instant.’
• ‘You claim that you have made the
payment.’
• ‘It appears you forgot to reply our earlier
communication.’

39. 2.5.3 Avoid gender, age and disability bias
2.5.3.1 Circumventing gender bias: examples
follow
Gender biased Gender neutral
(Avoid) (Favour)
• Policeman Police/police officer
• Chairman Chairperson/Chair
• Lady Doctor Doctor
• Manpower Workers/Personnel
• Man hours Work hours

40. 2.5.3.2 Circumventing age-bias: Such bias can
be against both young and old age people.
Age bias Fair
• (Avoid) (Prefer)
• The old age pension. The pension for people
• It happens in this age. It happens sometimes.
• He is too old to work. He is superannuated.

41. 2.5.3.3 Circumventing disability bias: The
words disability, retarded and
handicapped are viewed as offending and
inappropriate. You often see disabled
people out- performing the so called able
people in every walk of life, be it art,
science, games, mountaineering or
entrepreneurship. They are differently
abled.

42. 2.6 Courtesy
• Courtesy is observance of polite
behaviour that people would expect
when you communicate with them. It is
something that we give free to the others
and without having been expected by
them. Some of these courtesy
techniques are expanded next.

43. 2.6.1 Doing more than expected: Giving
additional information which would help
receiver in solving some problem or taking
an informed decision. However in an
earnest to be courteous, replying all
communications is not free from risk and,
therefore, you need to establish a trade off
between likely risk and achieving goal of
public relation building.

44. 2.6.2 Respectful salutation and ending: For
example, a publisher messaging to accept a
manuscript for publication could write the
solution, opening sentence and closing sentence
as:
• Salutation : Dear professor (surname)
• Opening sentence : Your scholarly work
contained in the manuscript meets the
standards our publishing company.
• Closing : We wish you the success of the book.

45. 2.6.3 Avoid overdoing and preaching: consider if a
banker tells you, “If you save today, you will be
comfortable in your old age”?
Doing more than expected and overdoing may not be
construed as the same thing. While the former is a
courtesy, the latter amounts to discourtesy.

46. 2.7. Conversational: To be conversational,
you may take the following precautions:
2.7.1 Avoid being stiff: straight way saying
‘thanks’ is conversational, but ‘we put our
thanks on record’ is stiff.

47. 2.7.2. Avoid worn out phrases, slang and
short words: Such examples are:
• Thanking you in anticipation…
• I beg to say that…
• It is to state that…
• Last but not the least…
• It goes without saying that…
• I take this opportunity to…

48. 2.8. Coherency
All parts of a message fitting together so that the point you
make carry the intended meaning, and message
become clear to receiver. Consider following on a notice
board
“Tomorrow is declared as holiday. Two of our employees
have registered their names in Limca Book of Records.”
• Probably, the communicator wants to convey:
“As two of our employees have registered their names in
Limca Book of Records, tomorrow is declared as
holiday.”

49. You can bring about coherency in your sentences and
paragraphs in the following ways:
2.8.1. Coherency in sentences: use compound and
complex sentences.
Compound sentences
• Incoherent: Ram is new employee of the company. He
refused to obey.
• Coherent: Ram is new employee of the company, and he
refused to obey.
• Incoherent: The senior economists prepared the
corporate plan. The plan has failed.
• Coherent: The senior economists prepared the corporate
plan, but the plan has failed.

50. • Complex sentences
• A complex sentence comprises of one
independent and one or more dependent
clause(s).
• Complex sentence: Though the total manpower
employed has increased, the profitability has
declined.
• If you separate the independent clause
(Though the total manpower has increased) and
the dependent clause (the profitability has
declined), the wished-for meaning will not be
conveyed.

51. 2.8.2. Coherency in paragraphs: In a
paragraph the sentences should be
arranged in a way that receiver is can find
out the crux of idea. Each paragraph has a
topic sentence which may be entrenched
in its beginning, middle or end.

52. 2.9 Cohesiveness
Coherency and cohesiveness sound the
same thing, but they are slightly different from
each other. While coherency brings out logical
order, the cohesiveness unifies different pieces
of information to make them whole.
Cohesiveness can be filled by using transitional
words, such as nevertheless, therefore,
however, though, yet thus, so etc. The
transitional words help connecting thoughts.