Business Communication: An Introduction

Exercise 1

1. How do you define communication?

It is a process of exchange of facts, ideas, opinions and as a means that individual or organization share meaning and understanding with one another. In other words, it is a transmission and interacting the facts, ideas, opinion, feeling and attitudes.

Louis A. Allen defines, ‘Communication is the sum total of all the things that a person does, when he wants to create an understanding in the mind of another. It involves a systematic and continuous process of telling, listening and understanding’. 

2. What is the role of communication in management of business? 

Business communication is marked by formality as against personal and social communication. Communication is the life blood of any organization and its main purpose is to effect change to influence action; the success of any business to a large extent depends on efficient and effective communication.

3. What are the different purposes of communication? Briefly explain any five of them.

For integration: It is consolidated function under which integration of activities is endeavoured. The integration function of communication mainly involves to bring about inter-relationship among the various functions of the business organization.

For information: The purposes or function of communication in an organization is to inform the individual or group about the particular task or company policies and procedures, etc.

For evaluation: Examination of activities to form an idea or judgement of the worth of task is achieved through communication.

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.

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, procedures etc.

4. Discuss the different situations when the communication exists. 

Sender: There's always a person who wants to share information

Receiver: That is the person to whom the information is going to be shared.

5. “Communication is an exchange of facts, ideas, opinions and emotions by two or more persons.” Explain the statement and discuss the role of feedback in communication.

Communication could not be called that if it is not ambiguous, you have to be open to sharing information but also to receive it. Always being respectful of the opinions of others and understanding that we all have different perspectives.

6. “Communication is the two way process.” Explain. 

Sharing and receiving information because if it happens just one way, it's impossible to talk about effective and correct communication; that's the important part of a sender and a receiver.

7. Discuss the elements of communication process. 

Sender: The person who is sharing a message or an opinion

Message: What's sharing the sender

Encoding: How the communicator shares the idea in his mind

Channel: How the idea is going to be shared

Receiver: The person who is going to catch the information

Decoding: How the receiver is going to take the information, and after that give a feedback

Feedback: Exchange process; how the receiver process the information and give us an answer about creating a conversation

8. Give three examples of brain drain in communication process. 

1. It could be when we use technical words and we don't explain with easy-to-understand words creating a brain drain.
2. Also when we use a different language if we are in a casual conversation with friends and we use fancy and formal words to communicate. It could happen that we are sending a wrong message. 
3. When our accent is different because sometimes our pronunciation is different.