Achieving Success Through Effective Business Communication

How is Business Communication 2.0 different from 1.0?
- Business Communication 1.0: Unidirectional flow of information, usually from "top down"
- Business Communication 2.0: Multi directional flow involving interaction, conversation, and technologies from the "Web 2.0 era".

1.0 Tendencies vs  2.0 Tendencies

Publication vs Conversation

Lecture vs Discussion

Intrusion vs Permission

Unidirectional vs Bidirectional, multi directional

One to many vs One to one, many to many

Control vs Influence

Low message frequency vs High message frequency

Few channels vs Many channels

If you are an active user of Web 2.0 technologies (i.e. blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other social media tools) you'll fit right in with this new communication environment - and possible even have a head start on more experienced professionals. 

For more, read this short article on 5 business communication trends:  

http://www.accuconference.com/blog/Communication-Trends.aspx

Achieving Success in Today's Competitive Environment (HINT: The key is COMMUNICATION)

*If you are looking for a surefire way to stand out from your competition, improving your communication skills may be the single most important step you can take. To do this, learn to:

1-Write well

2-Speak well

3-Listen well

4-Recognize the appropriate way to communicate in various business situations

What is Communication Anyway?

It is the process of transferring information and meaning between senders and receivers, using one or more written, oral, visual, or electronic channels. 

Some Benefits of Effective Communication:

   • Stronger decision making based on timely, reliable information

   • Faster problem solving, in which less time is spent on understanding problems and more is spent on creating solutions

   • Earlier warning of potential problems, from rising business costs to critical safety issues

   • Enhanced professional images fro both employees and companies

FACT: Top managers spend as much as 85% of their time communicating with others

Communication Within the Organization

There are two types of communication:

   -Formal Communication: ideas and information flow along the lines of command (the hierarchical levels) in the company's organization structure. They tend to follow the conventional Business Communication 1.0 mindset.

   -Informal Communication: Often referred to as the grapevine or the rumor mill, that encompasses all communication that takes place outside the formal network.

For Effective Communication...

1. Provide practical information
2. Give facts rather than vague impressions
3. Present information in a concise, efficient manner
4. Clarify expectations and responsibilities
5. Offer compelling, persuasive arguments and recommendations

The Communication Process

1.  The sender has an idea. Whether a communication effort will ultimately be effective starts right here. Have something to contribute (an idea, procedure change, etc.)
2. The sender encodes the idea as a message.
3. The sender produces the message in a transmittable medium.
4. The sender transmits the message through a channel.
5. The audience receives the message.
6. The audience decodes the message.
7. The audience responds to the message.
8. The audience provides feedback to the sender.

In  a Nutshell...


To communicate more effectively on the job, use six strategies:

1. Work to understand the communication process so that you can craft more effective messages.
2. Reduce distractions in the work environment, including not sending unnecessary messages
3. Adopt an audience-centered approach, focusing on the needs of your audience and working to ensure successful transmission and reception of your messages
4. Fine-tune your business communication skills
5. Give feedback that is constructive rather than destructive so that others can focus on improvement - and be able to respond to constructive feedback about your own work
6. Be sensitive to business etiquette, thereby reducing the chance of interpersonal blunders that might negatively affect communication

Communication and Ethics:
Ethical communication is particularly important in business because communication is the public face of a company, which is why communication efforts are intensely scrutinized by company stakeholders
Ethical Dilemma - When the choice is unclear because two or more alternatives seem equally right or equally wrong.
Ethical Lapse - Occurs when a person makes a conscious choice that is clearly unethical.