What Do You Understand by the Following Terms in Business Communication? Essay Example

encoding their message is to mentally visualize the communication from the receiver’s point of view.MEDIUM To begin transmitting the message, the sender uses some kind of channel, which is also called the medium. The medium is the means of communication used to convey the message, such as print, mass, electrical and digital, but currently visual channels are becoming more common as technology expands.

For instance meetings take place electronically from multiple locations saving the organization’s resources in both expenses of physically bringing people from different locations together and the time lost by employees traveling.A sender should define the purpose of the message, construct each message with the receiver in mind, and select the best medium possible. Words can be verbal, written and spoken. Words are used to create pictures and stories. Written communication should be sued when the situation is forma, official or long term or when the situation affects several people in related ways. The effectiveness of the various channels fluctuates depending on the characteristics of the communication.

When immediate feedback is necessary, oral communication channels are more effective because any uncertainties can be cleared up on the spot.In a situation where the message must be delivered to more than a small group of people, written channels are more effective.

GRAPEVINE

In organizations there are formal and informal communication channels. The grapevine is an informal communication network which exists outside the formal channel and is used by people to transmit casual, personal and social interchanges at work. It consists of rumours, gossip and truthful information.

Managers should pay attention to the grapevine, but should not depend on it for accurate information.People in an organization who seem to

know everything about everyone are prominent in grapevine circles. Information spread grapevine can be on issues of either personal nature or business nature for example, an impending takeover bid of a company or the Director’s divorce case. NOISE The communication process is the perfect guide towards achieving effective communication.

When followed properly, the process can assure that the sender’s message will be understood by the receiver. Although the communication process seems simple, in essence it is not.Certain barriers can hamper the process. Barriers are factors that have a negative impact on the communication process.

Noise is another common barrier. Noise can occur during any stage of the process. It is essentially anything that distorts a message by interfering with the communication process. Noise can take many forms, including a radio playing in the background, another person trying to enter your conversation and any other distractions that prevents the receiver from paying attention.

FEEDBACK

Feedback is the final link in the chain of the communication process.It is the transfer of information from the receiver to the sender, thus in the feedback process the receiver becomes the sender and the sender becomes the receiver. After receiving a message, the receiver responds in certain ways and signals the responds to the sender. The signal may take the form of a spoken comment, a long sigh, a written message, a smile or some other action. Without feedback the sender cannot confirm that the receiver has interpreted the message correctly.

It is a key component in the communication process because it allows the sender to evaluate the effectiveness of the message.Feedback provides an opportunity for the sender to take corrective action to clarify a misunderstood

message. “Feedback plays an important role by indicating significant communication barriers, differences in background, different interpretation of words, and differing emotional reactions” (Bovee & Thill, 1992).

CONFLICT

Conflict is a natural part of life brought on by our different beliefs, experiences and values. Gareth R Jones, et al defines conflict as the discord that arises when the goals, interests or values of different individuals or groups block or thwart each other’s attempts to achieve their objectives.

It is an inevitable part of organizational life because the goals of different people such as managers and workers are often incompatible. If not managed carefully, however, conflict can harm relationships. Conflict can also exist between departments and divisions that compete for resources or even between managers who may be competing for promotion to the next level in the company. In an organization, there are several types of conflicts; Interpersonal conflicts which is between individual members of an organization because of their differences in their goals or values.Two managers may experience interpersonal conflict when their values differ. Intragroup conflict arises within a group, team or department.

For example, when members of the marketing department, say, in a clothing company, disagree about how they should spend budgeted advertising funds for a new line of women’s designer shoes, they are experiencing intragroup conflict. Inter organizational conflict arises across organizations. When managers of one organization feel that another organization is not behaving ethically.

NEGOTIATION

Negotiation is a method of conflict resolution in which the parties in conflict consider various alternative ways of allocating resources to each other in order to come up with a solution acceptable to all. There are mainly two types of negotiation which are

Distributive negotiation in which parties in conflict compete to win the most resources while conceding as little as possible, and Integrative bargaining, this is a cooperative negotiation in which the parties involved work together to achieve a resolution that is good for them all.

In conclusion communication establishes relationships and makes organizing possible. Ever message has a purpose or objective. The sender intends, (whether consciously or unconsciously), to accomplish something by communicating. In organizational contexts, messages typically have a definite objective; to motivate, to inform, to teach, to persuade, to entertain or inspire. This definite purpose is in fact, one of the principal differences between casual conversation and business communication.

Effective communication in the organization centres on well defined objectives that support the organization’s goals and mission.It has become clear that effective business communication is critical to the successful operation of modern enterprise. Every business person needs to understand the fundamentals of effective communication.

REFEREES:

1. Gareth R Jones et al -Contemporary Management Burnett, MJ & Dollar A (1989) -Business Communication Nick Sanchez - Communication Process (online publication) Gemmy Allen, 1998 – Management Modern www. telecollege. dcccd. edu
2. www. midtools. com/commskll/communication intro www. ohioonline. osu. edu Burnett, MJ and Dollar (1989) – Business Communication Bovee, CL & Thill JV (1992) Business Communication Today NY.