Introduction
Communication is important in people’s lives, as it is a mean of exchanging information from one person to another (Kushal, n.d, pp 1). In business, communication is necessary, as it plays a role in negotiation between an entrepreneur and the customer, and between the distributor and the entrepreneurs, among others.
Therefore, business communication involves flow of information, which requires feedback. In an organization, communication may flow through various channels, hence contributing to controlling and directing employees. Communication involves feedback, thus avoiding any misunderstanding and it contributes to effective transfer of messages from one party to another.
An organization has the duty of communicating its rules and regulation to the employees. Business communication has also changed with the trends in technology.
In the early years, communication was evident in terms of paper work and telephone calls; however, today, communication has expanded to video conferencing, emails, cell phones and satellite, all of which have led to effective communication. Business communication can be divided in to two – oral communication (which can be formal and informal) and written communication. Normally, formal communication involves interviews, meetings, discussions, and speeches, while informal involves grapevine.
Verbal communication has been evident for generations and it creates a high level of understanding, and feedback is immediate, thus contributing to quick decision-making. However, this method faces the challenge of language barrier due to the many existing nationalities.
Nevertheless, verbal communication is commonly evident in interviews, telephone conversations, and video conferencing. The second type of business communication is written communication, which incorporates, reports, and agendas among others (Management study guide, n.d).
Current types of business communication range from the use of internet, video conferencing, teleconferencing to the use of emails. Effective communication is an important tool to any business and organization, as it contributes to efficiency at the place of work in terms of getting tasks accomplished within the required time.
According to Kushal (n.d, p1), “without communication, uniformity in the business activities cannot be brought about.” Therefore, business communication is a type of communication that contributes to meeting the organization’s needs.
The role of business communication in daily activities at my workplace, and its current trends.
Communication is very important at the workplace and it can vary from oral to written communication. Generally, it contributes greatly to the organizations’ activities; hence, every employee is required to have effective communication skills when addressing customers and his fellow employees.
In addition, good communication skills contribute to resolving issues very fast, thus avoiding delays. In my line of work as a human resource assistant, communication is very effective as my job entails communication with the staff. This takes place in form of emails, phone and video conferencing.
When my manager is out of the country, video conferencing and emails have proven to be effective in ensuring that communication takes place. My boss is able to communicate quality and urgent information to me, which in return is communicated to the rest of the staff through the phone or via email. Some of my daily activities involve updating Medicare accounts for the staff, updating information about their leaves, reviewing their payroll, and renewing contracts among other tasks.
All these tasks require the use of internet or phone. In addition, when I need to pass an important notice throughout the department, written communication is applicable, which involves notices and memorandums. Therefore, in my workplace, it is a requirement for all employees to be at par with the advancement in technology in order to be capable of operating computer programmes such as emails.
Business communication is efficient, as it assists me in sharing important information to the rest of the staff on time, especially through the internet; therefore, delay in information is not evident in my organization due to the many modes of communication available. In addition, communication contributes to the internal and external functions at the workplace. Internal functions include communication within the organization that contributes to employees’ job satisfaction and increase productivity, thus decreasing the levels of turnovers.
This is evident, as the management ensures that information is available to employees on time, about how they are required to perform a certain task and the terms of rewards when the job is completed. Employees are thus motivated due to the information communicated. The external function of business communication occurs when our staff relates with the outside environment, such as the customers, whom our organization works hard to please through delivering quality services.
The current trend at my workplace is cloud computing that involves the use of computers and internet in order to enhance communication. This trend has proven sufficient in the organization as it involves a large number of services, such as Google, yahoo, face book, twitter, and MySpace among others. Such services have led to instant messaging through chats, for instance, in yahoo and g-mail, therefore providing the staff with urgent and instant messages in which they provide an instant feedback.
The impact is contribution to effective communication of urgent information without having to post a letter. Video conferencing is also evident in the workplace, whereby, a manager is able to address his staff on an important matter, and he can actually see the staff he is addressing via the aid of a webcam. Therefore, work is becoming paperless at the place of work, as emails are replacing memorandums and minutes of workplace meetings.
Monge and Desanctis (2008) describes electronic communication as a link to distance, cultures, organizations, and the departments within them, hence responding to the customers’ demands fast. Electronic communication therefore comprises of emails, and teleconferencing among others.
However, information must be communicated effectively in order to enhance understanding, as is the case of face-to-face communication. With the changing technology, business communication has also changed and adopted new type of communication, such as internets, which have yielded to instant messaging like chat messages and instant feedbacks; as opposed to a letter that requires time before the sender can get a reply, as it has to go through the process of posting.
Conclusion
In any business, professionalism is highly regarded, as it is the key to attracting customers. in this case, customers are confident on the information on the services and products offered. Therefore, business communication aids in sharing information on every crucial matter, thus ensuring that the matter has been attended to promptly.
Business communication modes include electronic communication, written communication, verbal communication, and non-verbal communication. In spite of the used type of business communication, how well the message is communicated is what makes a difference, since when a message is conveyed wrongly, it could cost the organization a lot. Therefore, organizations should make sure that their employees acquire quality communication skills, to avoid errors either in typing, writing, or verbally.
References
Kushal, S. Business Communication. Web.
Management study guide. What is business communication?Web.
Monge, P. and Desanctis, G. (2008). Communication Processes for Virtual Organizations. Web.