Business Communication Business Communication Mediums Business Tone Business Communication: E-Mail PowerPoint Presentations In the workplace, information has value only if it is accessible, easy to understand, and relevant. We will take a look at business communication mediums, business tone, a specific business communication medium: e-mail, and PowerPoint tips.

Business Communication Mediums Face-to-Face Web Meeting Phone Instant Messaging E-Mail Handout/Report/Publication Text Messages There are seven mediums of business communication I want to focus on for this section. Most of the time, we don’t even think about which medium of communication to use when we communicate a message. We just automatically choose. Sometimes, this automatic response is the right choice. For example, when I come into the office in the morning, if someone stops by to say ‘hi, how was your weekend?’ I’m not going to sit down and reply to them in an e-mail. The choice is automatic. If it is my goal to be friendly, then I will return the gesture and say ‘hi’ back! In other instances, the automatic response is not the right choice. For example, if I open an e-mail in the morning from a co-worker, and it states ‘ you are wrong about x, you are wrong about y, and you are wrong about z.’ You are put on the defensive, and you automatically hit reply and write ‘what do you mean, I was wrong about x, y, and z? Do you think your solutions of a, b, and c are any better?’ and this continues back and forth, getting you no where. Too often, we choose our medium of communication automatically. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it does not. Next, we will take a look at a basic communication model to see why every communication medium does not work for every communication message.

Here is a basic communication model: The sender encodes and transmits the message through a medium (channel of communication) The receiver perceives and decodes the message. The receiver becomes the sender, and encodes and transmits a message through a medium. Looking at this communication model, there are items missing. For example, we have to take into consideration the background of the audience.

The background of the sender and receiver are different The background of the sender and receiver are different. If it is our goal to communicate our message to our audience, we need to recognize this. Before encoding and transmitting a message, ask yourself: Do I know my audience? How much do I need to know about my audience in order to communicate the message? Am I keeping the background of my audience in mind with encoding, transmitting, and choosing the medium of communication I am using for the message, or am I simply choosing the method that is the most convenient?

We also have to take into consideration the context of the situation We also have to take into consideration the context of the situation. The context has the potential to be different with each communication instance. What is your relationship with the audience? What is the setting for the communication model? What is the situation the communication message is taking place in?

And, then, there is noise. Internal and external noise affects how effectively we communicate our message to our audience. Internal noise are thoughts that are not directly related to the message, but are going on within the minds of our audience during a communication instance. External noise is physical noise that is going on within the context of the situation. So, are you taking all of these items (audience, context, and noise) into consideration when choosing a medium of communication for your message?

Exercise Working with the people in your group, review the sample business communication scenarios in the worksheet. Check the box to identify the preferred medium of communication for each scenario. Write comments to explain your choices.