Effective Communication in Business

Effective Communication in Business

Task 1

A company needs to communicate well with both the internal and external parties concerning the importance of maintaining good neighborly relations. The purpose of good neighborly relations is that the company can come up with a strategic communication plan. The communication structure of any company plays a vital role in improving the productivity of the given company. Parties that should be involved in a communication circle include the company’s employees and subcontractors who deal directly with the members of the community. The relationship between the company and the immediate community remains the responsibility of the employees and the subcontractors. To ensure a thriving business environment, the company should ensure that it raises the awareness of the employees and subcontractors concerning the importance of good neighborly relations.

Proper communication is vital in ensuring the success of any organization. Also, communication involves the means a company employs to transmit information from one point to another. Effective communication is a vital component throughout the company’s journey towards achieving its objectives, goals, and missions. The responsibility of each in the communication cycle is equally important, and any inconvenience caused by a single individual could affect the whole company. Communication helps in the exchange of ideas, plans, proposals and information on decision making within the communication in a bid to increase motivation among the different parties for better performance and understanding of the business strategies. Communication also plays a vital role in creating a better relationship between the managers and the staff, colleagues and other individuals within the business organization.

An effectively working communication process is crucial in ensuring the continuance of business activities. A communication process begins at a source, which encodes the message before sending it to a receiver who is expected to give a response. The response obtained from a receiver indicates whether the communication process is sufficient, or needs improvement. In a business cycle, the business source is responsible for determining the type of message to pass, the channels through which the message will go through, as well as the target receiver (Hirth, 2018). The source is also responsible for ensuring that the message is strong enough and passes through the right channels to avoid improper access by unauthorized hands. The encoding process involves the transmission of information that can be understood by the receiver. Encoding ensures that the message is well structured and well presented to avoid communication barriers, which could in turn cause miscommunication. The channel used to convey messages within a business should present the most cautious way of transmitting information. The channels should be adapted to the requirements of the business and should be free from barriers that could accompany the transmission of information.

The benefits of an active communication cycle go a long way in improving the performance of a business. The communication cycle components are interdependent in that the entire business firm enjoys the benefits brought about by one component. A successful organization is associated with efficient and effective communication. Efficient communication ensures that personal and working relationships are built within the organization and among the service providers and customers. Effective communication is essential in facilitating the fruitful exchange of ideas and information within the organization. The successful exchange of ideas and information also improves the relationship between team members and business clients. The effectiveness of communication helps in avoiding barriers that could lead to miscommunications (Foster, 2018). Miscommunications tend to destroy the relationship between the managers and the staff since the true cause of the confusion may not be easily recognizable. Generally, effective communication creates a mutual understanding between employers and employees hence leading to increased employee productivity.

Written communication involves any interaction involving the use of the written word to pass information. The current era, commonly referred to as the information age has seen communication growing to become crucial in the conducting of business. The use of written communication has proved to be of dire importance in passing reliable information within various organizations. The information age is associated with an alteration of the traditional way of communication and replacing it with an emphasis on written communication. The need for written communication has been brought about by the increased reliance of the computer to pass information. The business sector has been hit by the fact that better writing is needed every day since it has become common to find business entities and departments being connected purely by the use of written communication.

The sources of written communication appear differently among different organizations. The primary source of written communication for several organizations comes from individual employees. An individual identifies an idea that needs exploitation. The individual then decides to translate the idea into a message that can be transmitted to various destinations. The transmission of the message will, however, depend on the source’s ability to give enough details concerning the message given. One advantage of written communication is that it does not have to be transmitted immediately. The written communication can be modified slowly to ensure the required standards are met before being released to the general public. The communication can be delayed intentionally to meet the intended timelines. The sender depends on the receiver of the message for interpretation concerning the message to identify potential barriers.  The response given by the receiver helps the sender of the message to perfect the message as well as choosing the right channel of transmission for the message.

The tone for written language plays a vital role in ensuring the dissemination of reliable information. Before the release of any kind, the producers of any written communication have to maintain a straightforward tone, which should also be cautious. The experience in producing quality messages for sharing across the business comes with practice, and therefore individuals should use their initial years in learning the qualities associated with quality written communication. The use of a conventional tone should be done in such a way that readability is maintained, and relevant examples are provided when required. Besides, written communication should always be made formal since it remains in circulation for a significant period, and could be crucial in presenting the company’s reputation among customers and competitors.

Task 2

An Extract of a Training Plan for Customer Delivery Inc

Verbal Communication

Verbal communication is the most basic form of communication. Before using any other form of communication, verbal communication is always at the starting end o the process. Verbal communication depends on several factors before becoming popular and acceptable. Different people define verbal communication is only spoken information. However, verbal communication includes both spoken and written communication. The effectiveness of verbal communication depends on the choice of words used, and the way the target receivers accept that the message passed is okay or should be changed to fit the needs of the population. The fact that verbal communication covers the most significant part of the business’s communication process makes it essential for every employee to possess useful verbal communication cues. The employees should be sure to use convincing language when engaging clients. A friendly tone of communication should always be employed whenever engaging clients.

Active Listening

Active listening skills enhance the absorption of information and always control the understanding ability of a receiver of the communication. The aspect that employers should learn from the training about effective listening is the ability to give total attention to any information being given. Active listening depends on the individual’s ability to give a 100 percent concentration while ignoring the disruptions that can cause miscommunication. Listening is also critical in helping an individual in deciding on the most appropriate time to take before giving any response concerning the message given from a communication. Active listening makes the first step in enhancing critical thinking before reacting to messages before understanding the idea being presented. Lack of active listening skills may lead to the risk of missing out on important content that could lead to severe contradictions during the interpretation of the message at a later stage. Active listening gives an individual a better chance to prepare persuasive and convincing replies whenever needed.

Overcoming Barriers in Verbal Communication

Verbal communication is always at the verge of being affected by barriers that appear each now and then due to the nature of the channels used. The most common barriers of effective verbal communication are disruptions during the communication process and the problem caused by the language barrier between the communicating parties. The barriers can, however, be dealt with, by proper training and practice on the best practices that can aid in ignoring disruptions and using simple language free from jargon. The effective steps in avoiding barriers in verbal communication include communicating only what is needed and ignoring unnecessary details, avoiding the use of slang and jargon, and being aware of the cultural differences among the audience. The source of the message should also be open-minded in readiness for questions and concerns raised from the audience. A more efficient way of overcoming the barriers associated with verbal communication is the use of an app to convey messages rather than giving instructions by word of mouth.

Body Language and Feedback Evaluation

Verbal communication gives the advantage that the sender is at a position to monitor the responses from a particular audience. In a work environment, body language plays a crucial role in indicating the response by an individual concerning the message being passed. The individual passing the message can meet the receivers at a personal level to get the accurate feedback towards the proposed changes in the message conveyed. Therefore, employees should learn how to give the necessary feedback and proper body language should be used to pass the intended message without causing confusions. Communication feedback is essential in improving the message transmission cycle in the organization and is essential in the transformational planning by the managers.

Task 3

Communication Strategy

To maintain good relations with the community stakeholders, a company needs to ensure proper communication and exchange of ideas with the various stakeholders. Transparency and openness shown by the company serve well to create the trust needed by the stakeholders towards the company. The importance of building trust with the community is based on the need to obtain a peaceful business environment. The surrounding community has the capability of creating any environment depending on the relations that the company establishes with the community (Beck et al. 2015). The demolition and building work proposed could have adverse impacts both on the internal and external stakeholders. Therefore, proper communication should be made to notify the parties affected on the possible effects and the efforts that the company will put to ensure that the adverse effects are controlled as much as possible. The communication should also involve a clear notification outlining the main reason why the company could not have better options to take instead of demolitions. The affected stakeholders should be duly involved in the decision-making process to avoid contradictions about the interests of the various parties.

The assessment of the relevance of a communication strategy is critical in ensuring that the objectives and goals of the strategy are met. Relevance is taken to mean the connection between the communication made and the sense that can be made from the message by the target stakeholders concerning the problem being addressed. For example, the communication plan should aim at ensuring that the effects that the demolition and rebuilding will have on the various stakeholders are sufficiently addressed. The addressing of the effects should involve a description of the measures that imply the company’s responsibility on the effects caused by the attempt.

The success of a communication strategy depends on the people responsible for its application as well as the achievability of the objectives set at the beginning. Communications officers tasked with coming up with a communication strategy should be competent enough to develop a reasonable plan. Failing to task competent officers with the development of a communication plan could lead to the skipping of critical steps in the communication plan, leading to poor performance of the plan at long last. The number of officers to be tasked with developing the communication plan will depend on the size of the plan and the objectives targeted. Also, the objectives of the communication plan should aim at improving the relations with the neighbors of the company (Baker, 2018). The plan should aim at creating a better picture of the company as well as seeking to gain more acceptability by the community. An example of a wisely prepared communication plan is one that informs the neighborhood of the dates and timelines for specific work activities. Also, the company could inform the neighbors or the municipality of the nuisance accompanied with the work and give the tools that have been put in place to minimize or do away with the nuisance in case of future similar work. Proper communication will give the community a feeling of being respected and will ensure a greater tolerance of the nuisances that could be created by the company’s proposed works.

The contents and the target population of a business plan should be decided at the onset of the plan development process. The messages to be conveyed should be critically analyzed to give a brief outlook of the expected results in the event of reaching the expected audience. Mistakes in the messages shared could destroy the reputation that the company and developed in the eyes of the neighboring society. The message should comprehensively cover the objectives of the plan and should inform the stakeholders on the benefits of the plan being proposed. Also, the plan should ensure that the goal of creating strong relations with the community is met. Also, the target population should be well selected. The plan should ensure that the plan addresses each stakeholder in the neighborhood who could be affected either directly or indirectly by the effects caused by the work. Inclusivity in the proposed plan will further improve the relations developed by the proposed plan. The plan should forget to involve the local media since they play a major role in spreading information easily among the residents.

The tools of communications, as well as the timelines of implementing a communication plan, should be clearly defined. The communication tools include holding meetings or using other methods of transmitting information. However, the choice of the communication tools will depend on the target population and should aim at meeting the needs of each of the subgroups in the population. A better way of deciding on better communication tools is to contact a survey that will give the planning team a clear understanding of the community’s concerns. The timelines will ensure that the company can trace the progress of the communication plan towards its success. In the case where the company is faced with options to choose from, the choice of the information to include in the communication plan should ensure that the decision favors both the company and the community. Finally, the company should ensure that the plan addresses the concerns that the survey could have recommended. The plan should be reviewed from time to time even during the implementation to check on the progress and check what needs to be changed or improved. The main goal of the plan should be to create employee and customer motivation and improve trust through transparency.

References

Baker, L. K. S. (2018). A Strategic Communication Plan for the City of Superior Building Inspection Division (Doctoral dissertation, The College of St. Scholastica).

Beck, C. C. M., Berke, J. M., Johnstone, J. A., Mitchell, R. M., Powers, J. K., Sidell, M. F., &      Knuff, C. D. (2015). U.S. Patent No. 8,971,216. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and         Trademark Office.

Foster, A. (2018). A Communication Plan for Organizational Effectiveness in a Youth      Development Organization.

Ganor, A., Kol, G., & Raz, R. (2016, June). Exponential Separation of Communication and          External Information. In STOC (pp. 977-986).

Hirth, J. (2018). TRAK: Internal and External Consignment Tracking System Simplified.

Lundgren, R. E., & McMakin, A. H. (2018). Risk communication: A handbook for             communicating environmental, safety, and health risks. John Wiley & Sons.