Communication

Objectives At the end of this lesson you should understand: The importance of Communication in Business Internal and External types of communication Barriers to effective communication How to overcome these

What is communication? Communication is the passing of information between people

The purpose of communication is To pass and receive information (2 way!) To give instructions To check and receive feedback To discuss matters of concern

Pg 100 – Mitesh Mistry Read the context... How many forms of communication are there? What other forms of communication do you think Mitesh could have used – why? Were his methods effective?

Consider this... An urgent message has been received which needs to be passed on to a member of staff in another part of the building. 1.How many ways can you think of getting the message to the member of staff? 2.Which one do you think is the most appropriate and why? 3.What could happen if the message is not passed on or is incorrect?

Internal communication Communication can take place in various directions. Upwards Downwards Horizontal Diagonally

Upward Manager Employee

Downward Manager Employee

Horizontal Employee

Diagonal Manager Employee AEmployee BEmployee ZEmployee X

Grapevine An unofficial or informal way of communicating

Activity... Volunteer please... The volunteer is to read instructions from the sheet... You are all to follow his instructions, WITHOUT being able to ask any questions at all!

Activity... OK, now we get to do it again, but this time, you do get to ask him questions !!!

BARRIERS to Communication... No all information gets across effectively – sometimes not at all, due to certain barriers... What “barriers” can you think of?

BARRIERS to Communication... Language Can you understand it? It can be misunderstood Is the same “jargon” being used? (business words!)

BARRIERS to Communication... Atmosphere Is there a “bad” atmosphere between the sender and the receiver of information? Will the person receiving the information read something into it that isn’t there! They might think that the message is more harsh than intended 

BARRIERS to Communication... Physical Barriers Speech impediments – can a person communicate effectively face to face? Technology – fax/computers break down! Environmental issues – NOISE pollution! Can people hear you clearly? Timing – being informed about meetings/events before they happen! Otherwise you will feel left out 

Communication issues !!! ACTIVITY 17.2 – pg 103 Heading in books : Barriers questions Answer ALL questions as fully as you can... THEN... Exemplar exam question on Pg fisherman

Q1 Manager to employee: possible barriers include: language – manager should use simple language suitable for the individual; atmosphere – choose a suitable place and time to inform employee; timing – find a suitable moment to talk to the employee. Q2 Customer to Chief Executive: possible barriers include: language – make sure points are clearly explained; atmosphere – the customer might be intimidated by the status of the Chief Executive; physical barriers – how should the complaint be made? Should it be by letter, telephone or a visit to the office?

Q3 Report to board of directors: possible barriers include: language – avoid technical language, make all diagrams simple and clear; timing – make information available to everyone concerned so they have time to read the report. Q4 Urgent request to colleague: possible barriers include: physical barriers such as time difference between different locations – choose a method of communication that the colleague can access at a suitable time; language – make sure the message is clear and simple to understand.

Task... In you books, list as many types of communication that you can think of... Group them into the following: Internal/External Verbal (oral) Written Electronic Visual Non Verbal

Did you get these? 1.Written: letters, memos, reports, notices, fax, 2.Oral: telephone, face-to-face, meetings 3.Visual: charts, tables, posters, adverts 4.Electronic: pager 5.Non-verbal: body language Which one would video conferencing come under???

Relying on Communication... Write in books... From the following people in a business, what types of things do you think they need to be communicated to them (ie – what to do they need to know about?) What method(s) of communication that we have discussed would you use?  Employees  Owners/Managers  Suppliers  Customers

The choice of medium will depend on: The nature of the information – is it long or short? Is it confidential? The speed at which it needs to be sent – does it need to arrive today? Whether it’s best in written or oral form – would a telephone call be best? The cost – would the cost be too much?

Information Communication Technology ICT has drastically changed the world of communication, but how? –Telephones, mobile phones and fax machines are still a relatively new technology –The Internet has made instant communication over vast distances possible, via . –Video phones and video conferencing make meetings with international branches easier.