Business communication is exchanging information in order to promote an organization’s goals, objectives, aims, and activities, as well as increase profits within the company.

It is also the sharing of information between people within an enterprise that is performed for the commercial benefit of the organization. In addition, business communication can also refer to how a company shares information to promote its product or services to potential consumers.

OVERVIEW OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

“Today principle of communication is based on a mixture of ancient & written tradition”.

Communication is one of the most important part of human life as well as mean of business expansion. In the business sector various communication methods are used to promote a product or services, or an organization; it is also used to deliver information and receive information from others. It is also a means of relaying between a supply chain, for example the consumer and manufacturer. Business communication (or simply “communications“) encompasses a variety of topics, including marketing, branding, customer relations, consumer behaviour, advertising, public relations, corporate communication, community engagement, research & measurement, reputation management, interpersonal communication, employee engagement, online communication, and event management etc.

In the last three decades, technology has transformed the way businesses communicate and collaborate, streamlining the processes to get crucial information from one team to another. But technology isn’t staying stagnant. The evolution of information sharing has progressed from letters to email; from email to chat, and is continuing to elevate internal business teams to the next level: artificially intelligent information-sharing platforms.

Technological innovations have presented solutions and obstacles in the communications process. Business communication has evolved in response to overcoming the obstacles, especially as each solution presents the potential for a new set of challenges.

TYPES OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Business communication is somewhat different and unique from other types of communication since the purpose of business is to make money. Thus, to develop profitability, the communicator should develop good communication skills. Knowing the importance of communication, many organisations train their employees in communication techniques.

Internal Communication: Communication within an organization is. It includes all communication within a specific organization. It may be informal or a formal. Internal communication is direction:
Upward Communication: the flow of information from subordinates to superiors, or from employees to management.
Downward Communication: Information flowing from the top of the organizational management hierarchy and telling people in the organization what are important mission and what is valued policies. Downward communication generally provides enabling information which allows a subordinate to do something.
Horizontal/Literal communication: normally involves coordinating information, and allows people with the same or similar rank in an organization to cooperate or collaborate. Communication among employees at the same level is crucial for the accomplishment of work.
External Communication: Communication with people outside the company is called ―external communication. Supervisors communicate with sources outside the organization, such as vendors and customers.

CATEGORIES OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Marketing
Brand Management
Customer/Public relations

METHODS OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Web-based communication;
Video conferencing: allows people in different locations to hold interactive meetings;
Reports: important in documenting the activities of any department or organisation;
Presentations: popular method of communication in all types of organizations, usually involving audiovisual material, like copies of reports, or material prepared in Microsoft PowerPoint or Adobe Flash;
Telephone meetings: which allow for long distance speech;
Forum boards: which allow people to instantly post information at a centralized location;
Face-to-face meetings: which are personal and should have a written follow-up;
Suggestion box: primarily for upward communication, because some people may hesitate to communicate with management directly, so they can give suggestions by drafting one and putting it in the suggestion box.
Letters; letters to external members of the organisation or contracts between the staff and organisation
Memos: letters to members of a company or organization.

KEY PRINCIPLES OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Understand your audience. It is important to understand and be aware of your audience. …
Strive for clarity. To be effective, your message must be clear. …
Understand the context of your communication. …
Have a clear purpose in mind. …
Select the most appropriate medium.

IMPORTANCE OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Business communication is one of the most important parts of business. Even success of businesses also depends on communication between employees and owner, Owner and manager, manager and employees, salesman and customers etc. However, we can define the importance of business communication as follows;

a) Instructions Motive: To giving instructions to the particular person or receive instruction from someone business communication is required. In this, instructions basically flow from top to the lower level.

b) Integration Motive: There are a number of integrated activities in business which required to better performance of the particular business. The integration function of communication brings about Inter-relationship among the various functions of the business organization. It helps in the unification of different management functions.

c) Information Motive: Providing information to the employees or persons involved in the management of the business is also important motive in the business communication. Business communication helps to share, gather and distribute the information

d) Evaluation Motive: Examination of activities to form an idea or judgment of the worth of task is achieved through communication. Communication is a tool to appraise the individual or team, their contribution to the organization. Evaluating one‘s own inputs or other‘s outputs or some ideological scheme demands an adequate and effective communication process.

e) For direction: Communication is necessary to issue directions by the top management or manager to the lower level. Employee can perform better when he is directed by his senior. Directing others may be communicated either orally or in writing. An order may be common order, request order or implied order.

f) For teaching: The importance of personal safety on the job has been greatly recognized. A complete communication process is required to teach and educate workers about personal safety on the jobs. This communication helps the workers to avert accidents, risk etc, and avoid cost, procedure etc.

TOOLS FOR BUSINESS COMMUNICATION PROCESS

Intranet/Social Intranet.
Chat rooms, Private and Group Messaging.
Discussion Forums.
Ticketing, Issue Tracking and Case Software.
Internal Blogs, Video and Audio.

EFFECTIVE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Business communication can be broken down into five broad subjects.

1. COLLABORATION

Collaboration and teamwork are vital to business success. Being able to collaborate carries a number of benefits for an employer, from better marketing to increased employee satisfaction to a higher quality of product or service.

The art of collaboration isn’t just one thing, though; it’s a complex network of interrelated skills. In order to collaborate, you must be good at asking questions, respecting others’ contributions, generating their trust and considering their perspectives. These skills contribute to an employee’s ability to collaborate effectively, and there’s another important component of collaboration: emotional intelligence and awareness.

2. PUBLIC SPEAKING

Whether you’re speaking in front of colleagues at a meeting, in a crowded seminar hall or to your team before a big project, you must be able to clearly and concisely convey your ideas. Leaders in business must develop comfort speaking in front of others, both with authority and credibility.

For many, anxiety is a very real barrier to strong public speaking. You might consider creating contingency plans to address your two biggest fears associated with public speaking, or setting a backup goal in case your speech goes off the rails. Being open to questions through your speech helps involve the audience members and keep them engaged. It can also help you establish rapport and build comfort. People tend to respond to personal stories, so coming up with one or two stories beforehand to illustrate points you want to make can be a great way to connect with others.

3. LISTENING

A big part of effective communication is effective listening. By developing good listening skills, you help create an environment where everyone feels heard and valued. You also train yourself to hear and retain important information. People can generally tell when you’re listening to them. Most people will respond better to good listeners. Remaining actively engaged with your conversation partners creates a sense of enthusiasm and respect in your work environment.

In business, people often disagree. When this happens, avoid appearing judgmental of a person you disagree with. Difficult conversations can be uncomfortable, but they often lead to helpful breakthroughs if approached with an attitude of respect and collaboration.

4. NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

People say a lot without uttering a word, and a facial expression or quirk of body language can communicate attitude and interest better than words can. Gestures, eye contact, tone of voice, posture, breathing and other factors contribute to nonverbal communication. People can pick up on these cues in conversation.

Being aware of your own body language and other nonverbal cues can put you in control of the image you put forth in the office. Body language is more important than you think. Researcher Amy Cuddy has done studies revealing that “body language shapes who you are.” Do you adopt a defensive posture around your boss? Are you slumped in your chair when you work? Do you avoid eye contact with your coworkers? Each of these cues can cause people around you to infer things about you, and being aware of them helps you not only to control how others perceive you but also to make you more aware of body language in others.

5. WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

Email has become a standard way to communicate both in business and in our personal lives, and many people treat electronic communication as less formal than other forms of communication. In a business context, it’s important to treat your emails the same way you would treat a written letter. It’s fine to be friendly with your coworkers but, when communicating through writing, err on the side of formality. When you write something down, you create a permanent record of that communication; make sure it’s a permanent record you don’t mind having to address again in the future.

In any form of written business communication, clarity is paramount. Once you’ve written something, look it over before you send it to anyone. Ensure that it says what you intend for it to say. Make sure your facts are accurate, and ensure that you’re being respectful. When in doubt, with any written communication, ask these three questions:

Is it true?

Is it respectful?

Is it necessary?

Communication skills are essential for business professionals. An online business degree, like the ones from Jefferson, can help provide you with the skills you need to be an effective communicator in your career.

Conclusion

Businesses, therefore, have to implement purpose-driven communications with individuals who communicate well. This can be achieved with real-time, in-app coaching on content creation and analytics that provide insight into communication performance with integrated communication campaigns using multiple touch points.

Business Communication