BUSINESS COMMUNICATION UNIT-1. OVERVIEW Communication is defined as the management of messages for the purpose of creating meaning.

Communication depends on the interpretation of a message by the listener. Shared understanding involves through direction and correction of misunderstanding. The understanding created through one communication cycle can never absolute or complete. It is an interactive and ongoing process in which common ground, i.e., assumed mutual beliefs and mutual knowledge, is accumulated and updated. NATURE OF COMMUNICATION 1. Pervasive Function: Planning: Communication of information. Organizing: Transfer of information about tasks, authority, and responsibility. Staffing: Interchange of facts & ideas with employees. Controlling: Feedback about performance. 2. Continuous Process: Ongoing circulation of information and ideas are essential for organizational activity. 3. Create mutual understanding and cooperative human activities 4. Two way process correct understanding of message and feedback. 5. A short lived process communication is complete as soon as the message is received and understood by the receiver in the right perspective. 6. Leads to the achievement of organizational objective Effective communication does this by creating a sense of objective orientation in the organization. 7. Dispels misunderstanding Leads to clear understanding between people and thus builds camaraderie among people. Definitions Communication is the process of exchanging information, usually through a common system of symbols. The process of communication facilitates interaction among people; without it we would be unable to share our knowledge or experiences with anybody else. Common forms of communication include speaking, writing, gesturing and broadcasting. The process by which information and feelings are shared by the people through an exchange of verbal and non- verbal messages. The successful transmission of information through a common system of symbols, signs, behavior, speech, writings, and signals.

Dr. Sanjay Saxena Associate Professor SMS, Varanasi

The Mehrabian Model Professor Albert Mehrabian established the following statistics which have now become a classic for the effectiveness of spoken communication: 7% of meaning is in the words that are spoken. 38% of meaning is paralinguistic. (The manner in which the words are said) 55% of meaning is conveyed through facial expression. Benefits of Effective Communication

Better quality documents

Enhance professio nal image

Increased productivity

Lesser misunder standing

Effective Communi cation

Employees awareness

Stronger decision making

Improved customer relations

Quicker problem solving Healthier business relationshi ps

Dr. Sanjay Saxena Associate Professor SMS, Varanasi

PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION Components Sender (Encoder) Message Channel Selects, composes -------------------------------------------- Verbal/Non-Verbal/Combination -------------------------------------------- Oral / Written Functions/Nature

Receiver (Decoder) ------------------------------------------- Identifies, Comprehends, Interprets Response and Feedback ------------------------------------ Verbal/Non-Verbal/Combination

Response Message Formation Message Encoding Message Transmission Message Channels Channels

Message Feedback Message Decoding Message Receiving Message

Steps in Communication Process Step 1: Message Formation Sender conceives an idea depending on the purpose of communication. Step 2: Message Encoding Use of appropriate verbal and non-verbal language (words symbols and gestures) for transmitting the message. Step 3: Message Transmission Channel/medium or route through which the message is passed. Face to face talk, telephone, letter, radio, TV. Step 4: Message Receiving Message reception. Dr. Sanjay Saxena Associate Professor SMS, Varanasi

Step 5: Message Decoding Translating the message into words for the purpose of understanding, Interpretation of the message also takes place. Step 5: Feedback Receiver sends the response that is observed by the sender. TYPES OF COMMUNICATION ORAL COMMUNICATION Verbal Communication Non Verbal Communication

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION Verbal Communication

ORAL COMMUNICATION At the most basic level, oral communication is the spoken interaction between two or more people. This interaction is far more complex than it seems. Oral communication is composed of multiple elements which, when taken as a whole, result in the success or failure or failure of the interaction. In order to function successfully academically and professionally, you need to learn effective oral communication skills. Advantages of Oral Communication It saves time and money because it is quick and simple. On the spot clarification of any doubt is possible. It is more effective and acceptable due to personal touch between the speaker and the listener. Important points can be emphasized by supplementing words with gestures and facial expressions. Immediate feedback response is available. Disadvantages of Oral Communication There is no permanent record of communication. Therefore, it is not suitable for the messages that have to be kept as record. With poor non-verbal support the oral communication can be misunderstood. Not suitable for lengthy messages.

Dr. Sanjay Saxena Associate Professor SMS, Varanasi

Oral Communication Tool Kit As a speaker there are several elements of oral communication of which you need to be aware in order to learn how to use them to your advantage. Lets begin with few rudimentary skills for interacting with your audience. Eye Contact: Maintaining eye contact with your audience is the simplest thing you can do to establish a relationship. Eye contact serves many purposes. First, it establishes that the parties are listening. Second eye contact indicates respect. If a person is not making eye contact, they are less receptive to what you are about to say. Third eye contact is a basic expressive form. A speaker can learn a lot from the audience by just reading what there eyes are saying. Body Language: As a speaker, the messages you send through your body language affect how your audience perceives you. Whether you are interacting one to one with an auditorium of 200 people, the effectiveness of your message is affected by how you carry yourself. For example, when speaking to a large audience, crossing your arms is seen as bad body language. It shows that you as the speaker are closed off from the audience, which reflects negatively on your attitude towards the audience and your topic. You want your body language to establish interest and sincerity toward your audience. Paralanguage / Vocalic You might have heard two of your colleagues talking to each other in a different language other than yours, though you could not understand the contents, you would have had some idea about their talk or at least their feelings excitement, delight, frustration, ex-haustion, boredom from the tone of their voice and other non-verbal means. Voice communicates something beyond language. Paralanguage refers to all vocally produced sound that is not a direct form of linguistic communication. This non-lexical vocal communication may be considered a type of non verbal communication. This category includes number of sub categories: a. Tone: Tone is used to convey attitude. Direct, commanding, loud, harsh, disguised, soft, gentle, pleasing, sharp, rage and nasal etc. b. Voice Inflection: The way we change the tone of our voice to emphasize key words. Stressing I have got a BIG project. Stretching I have got a b----i----g project. Pausing I have got ------------- a big project. c. Pitch: Higher pitch faster rate of vibration. Lower pitch slower rate of vibration. Monotonous pitch throughout a conversation will be perceived as neither competent nor dynamic. d. Intensity / Volume: Refer to loudness or softness of your voice. Week voice perceived as lack of confidence. Strong voice shows great confidence. e. Articulation: Articulation is the process by which sounds syllables and words are formed when your tongue, jaw, teeth, lips, and palate alter the air stream coming from the vocal folds. Poor articulation often a result of years of bad habit. f. Quality: No two persons in the world have exactly the same voice. Dr. Sanjay Saxena Associate Professor SMS, Varanasi

g. Dysfluency: A dysfluency is any break in fluent speech. h. Tempo / pacing: Refers to rate at which someone speaks. If a person speaks too slowly the audience will likely lose interest. Speaking too quickly leads to lower credibility. A speaker should therefore use a rate that is fast enough to keep the audience interested and show confident knowledge of the subject. Non-Verbal Communication Non-Verbal communication includes facial expressions, eye contact, tone of voice, body posture and motions, positioning within groups, the way we wear our cloths, or the silence we keep, and the way we shake the hands with others If non means not and verbal means words, then it appears to be logical that non-verbal communication refers to the communication that does not involve words. Communication through any means other than words. Types of Non-Verbal Communication 1- Kinesics The study of body movements, which includes, facial expression, posture, and gesture. Facial Expression Your bosss smile makes you feel happy while his frown leaves you discomfited. Your subordinates confused expressions (e.g., blank face) indicate the need to continue with an explanation. Your customers smile and nodding signal the time to close the sale. There are five basic physical descriptions of facial expressions: neutral, relaxed, tense, uplifted and droopy. Neutral Expression: Pleasure, respect, thoughtful, quiet attention. Relaxed Expression: Love, affection and submission. Tense Expression: Fear, surprise, determination, extreme interest. Uplifted Expression: Happiness, anxiety, astonishment, rage. Droopy Expression: Distress, shock, dismay. Posture Get your posture right and you will automatically start feeling better. Head position: When you want to feel confident and self-assured keep your head level both horizontally and vertically upright. Conversely when you want to be friendly and in the listening and receptive mode, tilt your head just a little to one side or other. Legs: They tend to move around a lot more than normal when we are nervous, stressed, or being deceptive. Be careful too in the way you cross your legs. Do you cross at the knees, Dr. Sanjay Saxena Associate Professor SMS, Varanasi

ankles or being your leg up to rest on the knee of the other? The last position mentioned above is known as Figure Four and generally perceived as the most defensive leg cross. The angle of the body in relation to others: This gives an indication of our attitudes and feeling towards the people we are interacting. We angle towards people we find attractive, friendly and interesting and we angle ourselves away from those we dont. Angles include leaning toward or away from people. Body Relaxation and Tension: It is strong indicator of who has the power in one-to-one relationships. As a rule the more relaxed person in a given situation has the higher status. Height: This also affects the perception of power. Standing up tall can help you appear more authoritative. Whereas a slumped posture or slouched shoulders create an appearance of submissive or passive demeanor. A list of some postures and the message they communicate is given below: Slumped Posture: Low spirits. Erect Posture: High spirits, energy, and confidence. Lean Forward: Open and interested. Lean Away: Disinterested. Crossed Arms: Defensive, unwillingness to listen others. Uncrossed Arms: Willingness to listen. Gestures Gestures are observed actions. By moving parts of your body, you can express both specific and general messages. Many gestures for example, a wave of the hand have a specific and intentional meaning, such as hello or good-bye. Gestures contribute to a large portion of a message. All gestures do not enhance communication; some can be detrimental. Ideally, a persons gestures should flow with the vocal channel; so as to enhance the content. Gesture should also agree with the vocal message; if they do not they may be detrimental. Unnatural Gestures: Unnatural gestures, such as touching the body and playing with objects like clothing or pens, are detrimental to the conveyance of the message and hurt credibility. Excess leg and foot movement also represent discomfort and should be avoided. Finger tapping, lip licking, and smiling too often are tentative gestures that show lack of confidence. Beneficial gestures: Usually performed with the hands, arms and head. Communication should keep their hands and elbows away from their bodies to avoid the appearance of nervousness. Arms: In general terms, the more outgoing you are, the more you tend to use your arms with big movements. The quieter you are, the less you move your arms away from your body. So try to strike a natural balance and keep your arm movement midway. When you want to come across in the best possible light crossing the arms is something you should always avoid. Hand Gestures: Palms slightly up and upward are seen as open and friendly. Dr. Sanjay Saxena Associate Professor SMS, Varanasi

Universal hand gestures and their meaning: I am tired Pressing the palms together and resting the head on the back of the hand while closing the eyes as if sleeping. I am hungry Patting the stomach with the hands. After eating I am full Taking the hand and making the circular motion over the stomach. I am thirsty Using the hand and making a circular motion over neck. I am cold Rubbing the hands together. 2- Oculesics: Eye contact. Eye contact is a direct and powerful form of non-verbal communication. It can convey emotions. Direct eye contact may be seen as insulting in same cultures or conveying attention in others. Good eye contact helps your audience develop trust in you; thereby you and your message appear credible. Poor eye contact does exactly the opposite. If people find that someone is not looking at them when they are being spoken to they feel uneasy. In short good eye contact enables the sender of a message to determine whether the receiver is paying attention, showing respect, responding favorably, or feeling distress. Likewise from receivers perspective, good eye contact reveals the speakers sincerity, confidence, and truthfulness. The following are effective guidelines on eye contact: When speaking to group look at everyone. Look at people who are key decision makers or hold power. Look at reactive listeners. Do not look at the floor, scripts, or anything that causes you tilt your head away from the receiver. Do not look bad listeners who may distract you. 3 Haptics The communication of touch. Touch is used to establish emotional bonds & share feelings and satisfaction. You feel elated when your boss pats your back after your presentation at a board meeting. Your boss has communicated his/her satisfaction and appreciation just by his/her touch. We feel loved, cared for, respected, appreciated, and emotionally supported with touch. This form of communication also exists in other communication activities, such as a handshake, touching someones feet to show respect, an arm around the shoulder. 4 Proxemics A fascinating area in the non-verbal world of body language is that of special relationships, or Proxemics the study of mans appreciation and use of space. Dr. Sanjay Saxena Associate Professor SMS, Varanasi

Space is defined as the distance, a person maintains between him/herself and his/her followers. Distance from others is conceived if you want to send the right signals. Stand too close and you will be marked as pushy. Stand too far away, you are keeping the distance. Notice that you move closer to someone and he back away you are probably just a tiny bit too much in his personal space, his comfort zone. This zone constitutes an area that human protect from intrusion of outsiders. The study of special territory for the purpose of communication uses four categories of space: Intimate distance for embracing or whispering. Personal distance for conversation among close friends. Social distance for conversations among acquaintances. Public distance used for public speaking. There are three basic principles that summarize the use of personal space in an organization: The higher your position (status) in the organization: 1. the more and better space you will have 2. your territory would be better protected 3. the easier it will be to invade the territory of lower status personnel. 5 Appearance and Artifacts Potential employers, customers and colleagues are usually impressed by people who are trim, muscular and good in shape. People who look attractive are considered to be likable and persuasive, and they have generally successful careers. They also found to be credible more often than less attractive people. Personal appearance is a major factor used to judge a person simply because the first impression of a person is based on appearance. It is difficult to change your physical characteristics unless you go for plastic surgery to change the shape of your nose, lips, ear, etc. However you can change your appearance by changing your clothing styles, hairstyles, and other accessories or artifacts such as glasses, jewellery, handkerchief, flowers and so on. You may be surprised to know that some aspiring professionals may even turn for help to image consultants because appearance is such powerful force in business you must always keep the following in mind: 1. Pay attention to good grooming including a neat hairstyle, body hygiene, polished shoes and clear nails. 2. Invest in professional looking clothing and accessories. 3. Avoid flashy garments, chunky jewellery, garish make-up and overpowering perfumes. 4. Ensure that you feel comfortable in your attire. 6 Chronemics Chronemics refers to the use of time as a message system. This may includes punctuality, amount of time spent with another and waiting time. The way we use time provides number of silent messages. Dr. Sanjay Saxena Associate Professor SMS, Varanasi

Tips for Effective use of Non-Verbal Communication A Observe and understand the non-verbal signals being sent your way on a moment to moment basis. B Use good eye contact. C Stop what you were doing when your listeners look glassy eyed or bored. D Use the tone of your voice the way a musician uses an instrument. When you are expressing love, you can speak in soft lilting tones. When you are setting limits on a subordinates behavior you can use a tone of authority and firmness. E Adopt the most appropriate posture that suits the occasion. F Express gratitude to your audience when they are being attentive and responsive the encouragement could increase the level of attentiveness and responsiveness, making it more enjoyable experience for you and for them. G Soak in the pats / hugs that others give you. Many people have difficulty being present in the moment to truly receive the attention that comes with a hug or a pat. You need to stop resisting and try to express your happiness over that non verbal signal. H When you are confronting someone whom you are in close relationship with, reach out to take his / her hand in both of yours. This kind of gesture during a confrontation can assist the other person in hearing you instead of defending themselves. I Understand the cultural nuances of the various forms of non verbal communication. J When there is a contradiction between the verbal and non verbal messages of a person you are listening to, try to assess the situation with the help of non verbal cues.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION Transmission of messages in the form of letters, circulars, reports, memos, and manuals. The written message Involves writing and reading Generally formal and less ambiguous Feedback is delayed as no inbuilt mechanism for feedback. Rigid, slow and elaborate Authentic and credible records Suitable for lengthy and organized message Expensive and stable Dr. Sanjay Saxena Associate Professor SMS, Varanasi

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More time consuming Difficult to keep communication secret. Barriers to Effective Communication Organization Structure Tall organization structure generally has too many vertical communication levels; as a result messages become distorted as they move through the various organizational levels. When the process of communication is hierarchical then information flows through number of transfer points. There is a strong possibility that messages may get distorted, delayed, or lost at these points. Difference in Status In order to retain status & authority the people of higher status may distort messages by manipulating the message. Employees at lower levels of hierarchy are overly cautious while sending messages to managers. Lack of trust Without trust, free and open environment, the communication is effectively blocked, thereby threatens the organizational stability. You may be very clear in your communication but that is not enough. People should trust you to accept or to freely listen & discuss with you on what you communicate. Closed Communication Climate A directive, authoritarian style blocks free and open exchange of information that characterizes good communication. In this situation managers become speaker and subordinates become passive listener.

Incorrect Choice of Medium Choosing an inappropriate communication medium can distort the message and block the intended meaning. Face-to-Face communication is the richest medium because it is personal, it provides immediate feedback, transmits information from both verbal and visual non-verbal cues, and conveys the emotion behind the message. Telephone and other interactive electronic media are not as effective. Although they allow immediate feedback but do not provide visual non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions, eye contact, and body movements.

Dr. Sanjay Saxena Associate Professor SMS, Varanasi

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Written media can be personalized through memos, letters, and reports, but immediate feedback is missing along with the visual and vocal non-verbal cues that contribute to meaning of message. The leanest media are generally impersonal written message, such as bulletins, fliers and standard reports. Information Overload Too much information is as bad as too little because it reduces the audiences ability to concentrate on the most important part of the message. Message Complexity There two significant reasons for any message to become complex in a business setting one, the dry and difficult nature of the message itself and the other, the difficulty in understanding it. Message Competition Your message rarely has the benefit of the receivers undivided attention. It has to compete with a variety of interruptions phone rings at every five minutes, people intrude, meetings are called, and crises arise. Unethical Communication By all means it is possible for organization to avoid illegal or unethical messages and still be credible or successful in long run. Barriers arising out of unethical conduct may affect communication both within and out side the organization. Physical Distractions Communication barriers are often physical: bad connections, poor acoustics, noise, poor lighting, uncomfortable chair, poor health and so on.

Measures to Overcome Barriers Following are the essential measures: Clarity: Message must be perfectly clear and free from all ambiguity. The language used should be simple and precise which the receiver can understand easily. Completeness: Message must be essentially complete. Any assumption behind the message should be clarified. Dr. Sanjay Saxena Associate Professor SMS, Varanasi

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Brevity: All communication should be brief. Unnecessary repetition and over elaboration should be avoided. The flow of information should be regulated to avoid information overload. Timeliness: The message should reach the receiver at the right time to avoid obsolescence. Compassion: Communicator must understand the intelligence level and background of the receiver. He or she must also know that what information the receiver exactly needs and in what form. Integrity: The messages must be consistent with the objectives, policies & programs of the organization. The actions and behavior of the sender must also support his communications. Feedback: There should be follow-up action to ensure that the message is rightly understood. There must be proper feedback mechanism. Attention: The communicator should try secure undivided attention of the receiver. Following are some tips for above purpose: - Make written message visually appealing and easy to understand. - Make more use of face-to-face communication that should be followed by written compilation. - Deliver your message when your receiver has the time to read them. Avoid Unethical Communication: Make sure that your message includes all the factual and relevant information that ought to be there. Your message should be completely truthful, not deceptive in any way, and does not mislead the audience. Make use of Grapevine: Organization should employ the informal methods of communication such as grapevine. Reduce Structural Complexities: The receiver should be contacted directly rather than through numerous transfer stations. An attempt should be made to reduce hierarchical levels, increase coordination between departments and encourage two way communications. Enhance the Environment of Trust: Share key information with colleagues and employees, communicate honestly and include employees in decision making. Create an open communication environment in the organization, helping employees in times of distress, and assuming them of your suggestion or co-operation may help you to build trust in their minds. Choice of Media: Choose richest media for non-routine complex message. Use leaner media to communicate simple routine messages. Conducive Physical Environment: In oral presentation choose a setting that permits the audience to see and hear you without straining.

Dr. Sanjay Saxena Associate Professor SMS, Varanasi

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