Business Communication_Definition

Business Communication

 -An act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings etc.

Process of sharing information between among the people within and outside a company

Message related to product, service and information related to organization.

The content of the message is related to the business world. Topic of communication:

Consumer behavior

Advertising

Public relations

Corporate communication

Research

Measurement

Corporate image management

Event management

*Nature of Business Communication

1. Goal Oriented

Business message takes place in some context and communicated with a purpose

2. Clear and precise: Since the business messages are communicated with a specific goal, the messages should be crafted written/spoken in easy and precise language. Similarly, for the clarity, the communicators use pictures, diagrams, and charts in their messages. And, details, for example, date, time and place should be clearly mentioned. For clarity in oral messages, communicators use appropriate nonverbal cues, like gestures, voice modulation and other important visual aids.

3. Inevitable: Communication itself is inevitable in human life. The communication becomes the inevitable aspect of every business venture in order to organize the employees, maintain coordination and public relations.

4. Continuous and dynamic: Communication between sender and receiver takes different forms and medium depending upon their purpose, goal and need. It is thus, a dynamic process that keeps changing in different situations.

5. Contextual: Context refers to setting where the communication takes place. It basically refers to three things: time, place and circumstances.  For example, the communication could be intrapersonal (a person communicating to oneself), interpersonal (communication between persons). Or, it could be group communication, public communication, or mass communication.

6. Response seeking: As the business messages are conveyed to achieve a goal, the senders seek or expect responses from the audiences. Therefore, to reduce the redundancy of the exchanges, many companies have separate sections as FAQ (frequently asked questions) in their website or other related documents.

7. Transactional: Most of the business exchanges are transactional. The sender and the receiver involve in continuous process in which they take turns to communicate messages. And, such exchanges take place more than once. However, transmission of certain content such as policy, rules, guidelines could be one-way, especially those messages coming from top-level management to the employees.

8. Persuasive: Communication process has a persuasive effect. Communication that takes place in business setting is goal-oriented and response seeking. In other words, it contains a call for action. 

Historical Perspectives on Business Communication

2. Clear and precise: Since the business messages are communicated with a specific goal, the messages should be crafted written/spoken in easy and precise language. Precision in messages is achieved through being to the point and avoiding unnecessary information. Clarity in written messages is gained through being exact with the words. Similarly, for the clarity, the communicators use pictures, diagrams, and charts in their messages. And, details, for example, date, time and place should be clearly mentioned. For clarity in oral messages, communicators use appropriate nonverbal cues, like gestures, voice modulation and other important visual aids.

3. Inevitable: Communication itself is inevitable in human life since we are not telepathic (not connected mind to mind). We are connected the way our technological devices are connected through wire or Bluetooth. Exchanges inevitably take place at every minute in human life. In the same way, business affairs do not take place without exchanges. The communication becomes the inevitable aspect of every business venture in order to organize the employees, maintain coordination and public relations.

4. Continuous and dynamic: Exchange of ideas and opinions among people is an ongoing process in business and non-business organizations. Continuous interaction promotes understanding and exchange of information relevant for decision-making. In companies, one or other form of communication always takes place. Communication between sender and receiver takes different forms and medium depending upon their purpose, goal and need. It is thus, a dynamic process that keeps changing in different situations.

5. Contextual: Context refers to setting where the communication takes place. It basically refers to three things: time, place and circumstances. Context influences the meaning of a message as it can impact the communication process. Business communication can take a variety of contexts. For example, the communication could be intrapersonal (a person communicating to oneself), interpersonal (communication between persons). Or, it could be group communication, public communication, or mass communication.

6. Response seeking: As the business messages are conveyed to achieve a goal, the senders seek or expect responses from the audiences. In fact, it works both ways: the businesses transmit messages to get responses from customers; the customers communicate to get some responses from the businesses. Therefore, to reduce the redundancy of the exchanges, many companies have separate sections as FAQ (frequently asked questions) in their website or other related documents.

7. Transactional: Most of the business exchanges are transactional. The sender and the receiver involve in continuous process in which they take turns to communicate messages. In other words, they are actually the conversation between the employees or between the employees and the public. And, such exchanges take place more than once. However, transmission of certain content such as policy, rules, guidelines could be one-way, especially those messages coming from top-level management to the employees.

8. Persuasive: Communication process has a persuasive effect. Communication that takes place in business setting is goal-oriented and response seeking. In other words, it contains a call for action. Therefore, the senders in the messages try to elicit a response from the receiver. They try to convince the receiver to perform an action or agree with whatever they are saying. The tuition institutes, for example, distributing the leaflets at Baneshwar chowk are expecting a visit or call of the students to their institutes.

Why to communicate?

Workplace efficiency: Communication coordinates organizational resources (human and non-human), individual goals with organizational goals, and internal environment with external environment. Similarly, when managers or superiors communicate on a regular basis with the employees, it motivates and boosts the morale (confidence) of the employees. 

2. Planning and decision-making: Communication enables the management during the planning stage: to formulate purpose, mission, goals of the organization, to form structure of organization, to determine style of work and so on. 

3. Enhancing managerial skills and leadership: Managers perform three major roles: managing persons (interpersonal), managing information and taking decisions. Communication helps managers in performing these roles effectively. Effective leaders interact with followers, guide and inspire them to perform the individual and organizational goals.

4. Conflict resolution and problem solving: It is almost impossible to avoid occurrence of conflicts in an organization. Conflict is a part of organizational process. Moreover, effective communication creates mutual understanding and trust among the members of the organization.