Business communication is nothing but, the communication between the people in the organisation for the purpose of carrying

out the business activities. It may be oral, verbal, written etc. A business can flourish when all the targets of the organization are achieved effectively. For efficiency in an organization all the people (within and outside) of the organization must be able to convey their message properly. The exchange of ideas, understanding, within and outside the organization to achieve the business goals is known as business communication.

Business communication is a broad-based concept that describes any kind of communication whose goal is to improve a business's value. This could be internal communication, such as rules, guidelines and motivational material, or it could be external communications, including ads and press releases. Either way, the underlying principal is the same: adding value through information dispersal. 1. Motivation

o Value is added by motivating people. So, by telling lower-level workers how their work is important, they are motivated to work harder. The same goes with telling higher-level workers what the company's broad-based initiatives are and how they fit into them. Motivation is a key concept in business communication because the more valued people feel the more value they contribute. 2. Information

o Toward that end, people within businesses also must be informed. This is particularly true with regards to rules and policies. If employees do not know the rules and the consequences for violating them, they will not be able to make a decision as to whether they will violate them or not. Shareholders o Another reason for communication is to keep shareholders informed. The people who own stock in a company must be informed as to what that company is doing and why. So, a CEO's speech at a shareholder meeting is an example of shareholder relations in business communication. The same goes for smaller businesses and their investors. If a business has a group of four or five angel investors, they must be informed as to how their investment is panning out, either through speeches, presentations or memorandums. Sales o Business communication is also involved in person-to-person and business-to-business sales. Cold calling, writing sales letters and chasing leads are all forms of business communication. Marketing o The final concept of business communication is related to sales, but on a wider scale. All marketing efforts are business communications, whether they are commercials on television, direct mail programs or billboards next to the highway. The difference between marketing and sales is that sales is to an individual or business. Marketing is on a broad scale, directed at large groups rather than individuals.

Business communication is performed by relaying information to people throughout the organization in many different ways. Some of these methods include the phone, email, and in person. All methods have different factors to whether or not they are effective. The definition of business communication includes all departments, staff, clients, and people involved are aware of what is going on and there is no confusion. Communication is one of the most important factors in any organization or relationship. Without communication, things do not work properly and can be mixed up. When you can communicate properly in a business then things run smoothly and there is no confusion. Today, technology has allowed for many outlets and highways of communication to take place through the use of cell phones, pagers, email, and even holding old fashioned meetings. Cell phones are one of the most common forms of business communication today. Most companies provide cell phones for their employees and they require them to carry them on and off the job. This allows people to be available when they are off the clock if there is an emergency and they need to be called in. This form of communication is good to be able to get in touch with someone but when you have an important topic to discuss, it is best it is not done over the phone. When it comes to updating the defintion of business communication, email communication would be a standard item to be added. Email has become one of the most common forms of business communication. There's a set of norms and ethics that come with email communication, considering that it eliminates the interpreation of body language, tone and gestures. An email is a conveyd message that allows interpretations if it is not clearly stated. At the same time an email is an official document that can be saved and used pro or against you. It is best if you never delete an email from a client or other staff members. This is because you can use it later to refer back to if you need to. Also, email is required to backed up for a business for up to 7 years for legality purposes. Email provides a copy and proof that something was said to you. If you have an agreement through email it can hold up in court. One thing to keep in mind is that if you need to speak to someone about something that is serious it is not always best to use email. There are certain rules about business communication through email that you must learn also. For example, using capital letters in a sentence can be construed as you screaming at the other person. Although you may not mean anything of the sort, many people follow these guidelines for email. Speaking to someone in person is the best method of business communication. Technology has allowed you to communicate with people around the world through other methods to save company money. However, when you speak to someone in person it is more certain that there will not be any misunderstanding when you walk away from the conversation. Today, you can set up a web conference if you want to meet with someone in person on the other side of the world. This still allows you to have face-to-face meetings without being in the same room. The defintion of business communication has many forms and many different methods with a company. The goal is to relay a message to another person successfully without there being any confusion about what you mean. Misunderstandings occur all of the time and some people are easily offended. It is important to be aware of issues that might arise with attitudes and the way messages need to be conveyed. Ans 2 Communication plays a very crucial role in an organization. In fact, communication is the reason for human existence. There are different forms of communication through which the intentions of people and animals and even plants alike can be passed across to another. Without communication, life will be very difficult and in fact, it will be full of chaos. Feedback makes communication meaningful. It is the end-result of an idea and makes communication continuous. In the process of communication, the originator first gets the idea to be passed across and then think of how to get it across via appropriate channel or medium. After the coding and dissemination, one expects the decoder after receiving the information or idea to give response. The response thus given is called the response which may be verbal or non-verbal, that is, in words or mere smile, glance, clap, etc. While feedback could be instantaneous as in the case of verbal conversation between two people standing or on telephone conversation or internet instant message, it could be delayed for sometime before the response is given to

allow the receiver to think and take his time to consider what he is given. While the former is common to an informal communication, the latter goes with formal communication via letters, memo, etc. Feedback could also be in written form or in oral form or even both. It could be also in form of demonstration e.g. body movement, paralanguage, gesture, posture, etc. At one time or another, people are seen been frustrated as a result of the refusal of another person to give response to their message or letter. Some got so mad that delay in such could result to disciplinary measures or insubordination especially in a formal setting. To lovers, it means life itself. Refusal to communicate one's intentions may mal the whole relationship of a thing. All these explain the importance of feedback in communication. The following are some of the importance of feedback in communication either in a formal or informal setting: 1. It completes the whole process of communication and makes it continuous. 2. It sustains communication process 3. It makes one know if one is really communication or making sense 4. It is a basis for measuring the effectiveness of communication 5. It is a good basis for planning on what next to be done especially statistical report 6. Communication will be useless without feedback 7. Feedback paves way for new idea generation

Ans 3. Communication is a process of exchanging verbal and non verbal messages. It is a continuous process. Pre-requisite of communication is a message. This message must be conveyed through some medium to the recipient. It is essential that this message must be understood by the recipient in same terms as intended by the sender. He must respond within a time frame. Thus, communication is a two way process and is incomplete without a feedback from the recipient to the sender on how well the message is understood by him.

Communication Process The main components of communication process are as follows: 1. Context - Communication is affected by the context in which it takes place. This context may be physical, social, chronological or cultural. Every communication proceeds with context. The sender chooses the message to communicate within a context. 2. Sender / Encoder - Sender / Encoder is a person who sends the message. A sender makes use of symbols (words or graphic or visual aids) to convey the message and produce the required response. For instance - a training manager conducting training for new batch of employees. Sender may be an individual or a group or an organization. The views, background, approach, skills, competencies, and knowledge of the sender have a great impact on the message. The verbal and non verbal symbols chosen are essential in ascertaining interpretation of the message by the recipient in the same terms as intended by the sender. 3. Message - Message is a key idea that the sender wants to communicate. It is a sign that elicits the response of recipient. Communication process begins with deciding about the message to be conveyed. It must be ensured that the main objective of the message is clear.

4. Medium - Medium is a means used to exchange / transmit the message. The sender must choose an appropriate medium for transmitting the message else the message might not be conveyed to the desired recipients. The choice of appropriate medium of communication is essential for making the message effective and correctly interpreted by the recipient. This choice of communication medium varies depending upon the features of communication. For instance - Written medium is chosen when a message has to be conveyed to a small group of people, while an oral medium is chosen when spontaneous feedback is required from the recipient as misunderstandings are cleared then and there. 5. Recipient / Decoder - Recipient / Decoder is a person for whom the message is intended / aimed / targeted. The degree to which the decoder understands the message is dependent upon various factors such as knowledge of recipient, their responsiveness to the message, and the reliance of encoder on decoder. 6. Feedback - Feedback is the main component of communication process as it permits the sender to analyze the efficacy of the message. It helps the sender in confirming the correct interpretation of message by the decoder. Feedback may be verbal (through words) or non-verbal (in form of smiles, sighs, etc.). It may take written form also in form of memos, reports, etc. Ans4. Grapevine is an informal channel of business communication. It is called so because it stretches throughout the organization in all directions irrespective of the authority levels. Man as we know is a social animal. Despite existence of formal channels in an organization, the informal channels tend to develop when he interacts with other people in organization. It exists more at lower levels of organization. Grapevine generally develops due to various reasons. One of them is that when an organization is facing recession, the employees sense uncertainty. Also, at times employees do not have self-confidence due to which they form unions. Sometimes the managers show preferential treatment and favour some employees giving a segregated feeling to other employees. Thus, when employees sense a need to exchange their views, they go for grapevine network as they cannot use the formal channel of communication in that case. Generally during breaks in cafeteria,the subordinates talk about their superiors attitude and behaviour and exchange views with their peers. They discuss rumours about promotion and transfer of other employees. Thus, grapevine spreads like fire and it is not easy to trace the cause of such communication at times. Examples of Grapevine Network of Communication 1. Suppose the profit amount of a company is known. Rumour is spread that this much profit is there and on that basis bonus is declared. 2. CEO may be in relation to the Production Manager. They may have friendly relations with each other. Advantages of Grapevine Communication 1. Grapevine channels carry information rapidly. As soon as an employee gets to know some confidential information, he becomes inquisitive and passes the details then to his closest friend who in turn passes it to other. Thus, it spreads hastily. 2. The managers get to know the reactions of their subordinates on their policies. Thus, the feedback obtained is quick compared to formal channel of communication. 3. The grapevine creates a sense of unity among the employees who share and discuss their views with each other. Thus, grapevine helps in developing group cohesiveness. 4. The grapevine serves as an emotional supportive value. 5. The grapevine is a supplement in those cases where formal communication does not work.

Ans 5. Vertical Communication consists of communication up and down the organizations chain of command. Downward communication starts with top management and flows down through management levels to line workers and non-supervisory personnel. The major purposes of downward communication are to advise, inform, direct, instruct, and evaluate employees and to provide organization members with information about organizational goals

and policies. This is what Hockaday is doing at Hallmark. The main function of upward communication is to supply information to the upper levels about what is happening at the lower levels. This type of communication includes progress reports, suggestions, explanations, and requests for aid or decisions. At Hallmark, Hockaday participates in both downward and upward communication processes. Much of the communication that takes place within an organization follows a common-sense approach that involves a chain of command from the executive office to the front lines, according to Illinois State University. The most common form of communication within structured organizations follows an up-and-down vertical pattern, but too many details can complicate the process. Basics Communication that moves through a chain of command typically is vertical in nature. Rules and mandates come down from the top leadership to management and trickle down to the front-line supervisors, eventually reaching the workers. When workers have an issue, they usually talk first to their immediate supervisor. The chain of command dictates that supervisors report the issue to their managers, who then are responsible to carry the information up to the executive offices. Purpose The main purpose of operating with a vertical communication system is to control the flow of information and decision-making. Top-down communication usually consists of orders, mandates, policy decisions, directions and instructions. The policies and goals of the organization typically come from the top and move down through the chain of command. Communication that flows upward typically involves information from the front lines to the executives about what's going on at the lower levels. It might include complaints, suggestions, reports, requests for clarification or news about trends. Disadvantages Information often is filtered as it moves up and down the chain of command, watering down the message or changing the nature of the information. Managers receiving a request directed to upper management may decide the request isn't valid and slow its motion or stop it altogether. Information meant for distribution down to all the lower levels may become stalled. Middle management may decide their workers dont need the information and halt its progress. Information going in either direction may change or become diluted if not passed up or down in its original form. Channels Various channels used to send information up and down the chain of command also affect the ways its perceived and acted upon. When passed on verbally, information is tainted by body language, spoken nuances and personalities of the informant. The person receiving the information brings various filters to every conversation that can change the intention of the information. Written communication, on the other hand, when passed on unchanged, may effectively send a consistent message through an organizational structure. Although electronic communication can be more easily manipulated, organizations may utilize a wide range of applications to get and receive pertinent information. Problems of vertical Communication: Downward communication is likely to be filtered, modified, or halted at each level as managers decide what should be passed down to their employees. Upward communication is likely to be filtered, condensed or altered by middle managers who see it as part of their job to protect upper management from nonessential data originating at the lower levels. In addition, middle managers may keep information that would reflect unfavorably on them for reaching their managers. Thus, vertical communication is often at least partially inaccurate or incomplete.

Problems in downward communication exist when managers do not provide employees with the information they need to carry out their tasks effectively. Managers are often overly optimistic about the accuracy and completeness of their downward communication. In fact, they can fail to pass on important, information (such as a higher level change in policy) or to instruct employees adequately on how to perform their duties. This lack of communication is sometimes deliberate, as when managers withhold information to keep employees dependent on them. The net effect of incomplete downward communication is that employees can feel confused, uniformed or powerless and might fail to carry out their tasks properly.