Channels of Communication

Channels of communication may be divided into the following parts:

1. Internal Communication

(a) Horizontal/ Crosswise communication.

(b) Downward communication

(c) Upward communication

2. External Communication

Internal Communication

When communication flows from one person or part to the other within an organization it is called internal communication. It is incomparably communication. Through this type of communication manager leads, guides, directs, motivate, counsels, informs his subordinates. Internal communication has the following channels, or kinds.

(a) Horizontal/ Crosswise Communication

It is communication that flows between personnel in one department and personnel of equal, lower, or superior status in other department. Voluntary channels of horizontal communication at all levels speed information and improve understanding. It facilitates subordinates to keep their superiors informed of their interdepartmental activities. If improves the quality of coordination.

(b) Downward Communication

When communication flows from superiors to subordinates it is referred to as downward communication. In this channel instructions, guidelines, orders, advice, and information are given to subordinates. Manager motivates, guides, advises, and informs his subordinates. Employees can have understanding of organization goals, policies, and products. Boss subordinate relationship is improved. Employees get aware of the laws relating to health care, insurance, promotions, pension, training, working conditions, retirements, and their service conditions, rights and obligations.

(c) Upward Communication

When communication flows from subordinates in superiors, it is referred to us upward communication. It includes daily reports, sales reports explanations, reviews, summaries, statements, and comments. By this medium lower staff keep their superiors informed of the progress. Appeals, requests, problems, difficulties are communicated. Guidance, advice, and help are sought by the subordinates.

2. External Communication

It is intercompany communication. Well worded letters, reports, and proposals improve business relations. Oral communication is also used. Disgruntled customers are satisfied. New customers are discovered: New dimensions and depths of the market are exploited. It improves goodwill, public image, safety productivity, profits and public credibility.

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Formal & Informal Language In Business Communication

There are two types of standard language. The language we speak at home, with friends is informal. It is like casual clothes which people use on informal occasions. Formal language, on the other hand, is used in offices, business, and other formal occasions. It is like a suit or dress for public and formal situations.

Formal Language

We use formal language when we are dealing with serious business affairs. The situations which call for it include the following:

1. Application for jobs
2. Letters to public and utility companies
3. Business Letters
4. Business reports & memos
5. Public discussions of serious issues
6. Formal reports (e.g. accident reports)
7. Oral & written reports
8. Class discussion
9. Discussions in conferences, seminars, assemblies, courts e.t.c.

In formal language we avoid slang and informal words and sentences. Here we are more respectful, courteous, reserved, and careful. We use more resources of the language because it has more synonyms. Audience takes the subject seriously and pays solemn attention to the subject.

Informal Language

It is spoken language. It is used in private conversation and we use it in personal letters. Informal language has all purpose words. For example boss is all-purpose word which is used informally to mean manager , director, employer, owner, gang leader or supervisor. It may be funny which may make us smile, such as cheaters which as a slang means eyes glasses.

This language is often used when you are in a hurry. To do so you use contractions, such as I' m, I've, she's, It's, we're, 'em. We are informal, free, and close to the reader or listener.

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Seven Principles To Develop Your Writing Skills

Irrespective of your age factor you can improve your writing skills if you want to. Writing ability is the key to success in the modern business. The following tips will help you develop it.

1. Learn Grammar

No language goes without grammar, knowledge of grammar is essential for writing, speaking, understanding and listening.

2. Increase Your Word Power

Thesaurus of words augments your writing power. It also aids in reading. The greater the vocabulary you have the better the author you will be, and you will have a better command over the language.

3. Develop Reading Habit

Reading helps you in expanding your understanding and knowledge. You become accustomed to the correct structure of the sentence acquainted with the use of the right word in the right place. Read newspapers, magazines, or journals regularly.

4. You Must Have A Standard Dictionary

Whenever there is a word whose meaning you don't know, look up the dictionary and memorize its meaning or meanings.

5. Develop Writing Habit

Regularly write diary, notes short stories, articles, or memorandums. Or construct several sentences using a single, difficult word.

6. Develop Your Imagination

Without imagination you cannot write no matter how great vocabulary you have. You can develop your imagination by reading, listening, and observing.

7. Improve Your Knowledge of The Subject

If you lack the knowledge of the subject you are unable to write even a single line.

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Communication Skills For Business Career

When two persons get together communication skills are required, Professors, leaders, doctors, teachers, singers, professionals, religion leaders, all require effective communication skills for success in their career.

The following communication ability and skills are required for success in business career.

1. Must be able to communicate effectively with all levels of management.

2. Must have substantial experience, training in oral and written communication and demonstrate good writing skills.

3. Be able to prepare special analyses, research reports and proposals.

4. Need ability to compose effective correspondence

5. Must have ability to communicate and sell ideas, firm, and products.

6. Must be able to cultivate and maintain good customer relationships.

7. Need skills in gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data and is writing analytical reports.

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Business Writing Principles(9 C's of Effective Writing)

We have to consider specific writing principles to help us choose right words, syntax, and sentences for our letters, reports and memorandum.

The principles are as follows:

1. Correctness

To be correct in communication the following principles should be borne in mind:

1. Use the correct level of language.

2. Include only accurate facts, words, and figures.

3. Maintain acceptable writing mechanics.

4. Apply the following qualities

    (a) Avoid Switching from third person to second person or first person. If you are writing in the third person don't use I, me, we, us, you.

    (b) Vary your sentence structure.

    (c) There should be proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, and paragraphing.

2. Conciseness

Business executives are dead-busy. They don't have time to go through unnecessary lengthy messages. The writer is also a loser if he writes wordy messages, because it involves more time and money to type and read. Conciseness makes the message more understandable and comprehensible. To achieve conciseness the following guidelines will help you.

1. Omit hackneyed expressions and cliches.

2. Avoid unnecessary repetition and wordy expressions.

3. Include only relevant facts with courtesy.

4. Organize the message logically and efficiently.

The message should be laconic. Conciseness should not be accomplished at the cost of completeness or courtesy. In business writing, less is more, spare is fair, lean is keen.

3. Clarity

Clarity demands that the business message should be correct, concise, complete, concrete, and with consideration. To accomplish these, observe the following:

1. Choose pithy, short, familiar, and conversational words.

2. Proper punctuation make the writing clear.

3. Insert examples, illustrations, tables, graphs, and other visual aids, if necessary.

4. Make the message readable and understandable.

5. Make correct sentences, and divide the message in properly sized paragraphs.

4. Completeness

The message should be complete to bring desirable results. It should include everything the reader wants to read or needs. We should be able to know the reader's background, viewpoints, needs, attitudes, and emotions to determine the extent of information to be included in the message.

5. Concreteness

The business writing should be specific, definite, unambiguous, and vivid rather than vague & general. The following guidelines lead to concreteness.

1. Use specific facts and figures. Avoid words like few, quick, soon, e.t.c.

2. Use action verbs. You can accomplish it by using active voice.

3. The messages should have vivid and image building words. To achieve it make                          comparisons and use figurative language and concrete words.

6. Consideration

Consideration refers to your attitude, empathy, the human touch, and understanding of human nature. Consideration means the message with the receiver, in mind. You should try to visualize your readers, their desires, problems, emotions, circumstances, and possible reaction to your request.

Consideration can be achieved through the following:

1. Emphasize your instead of I or we.
2. Your message should covey truth.
3. Stress the positive, pleasant aspects of facts.
4. Offer a services of value to the reader.

7. Courtesy

"Everyone gains where courtesy reigns" is a good age-old slogan for written and oral communication. Courtesy is more important and advantageous in business writing than it is in face to face communication or conversation. Courteous messages strengthen present relations and make new friends. Courtesy is a goodwill builder.

Courtesy may be achieved by the following:

1. Be truly tactful, thoughtful, and appreciative.
2. Omit expressions that annoy, distress, or disparage.
3. Answer all you mail promptly.
4. Grant and apologize candidly.

8. Confidence

Your letter will be more successful when you show confidence in yourself. Confidence in your reader, and confidence in your message. Letters with optimistic tone take into account neglect and negative issues. Confidence in communication creates positive tone. Confidence in yourself is produced when you believe in the fairness of your decisions and actions. You need not be defensive or apologetic. Show your reader that you are decisive, positive, indecisive, and negative.

To have confidence in your reader means that you assume the reader will do what is right until otherwise it is proved. You should give reader the benefit of the doubt.

You lose confidence in your message when you write I hope, I trust, If, why not. Such phrases should be avoided. Spend the time necessary in designing a letter so that the message accomplishes the business objectives.

9. Conversational Tone

Your letter should read as if you are talking to the reader. The tone should be comfortable, natural, conversational, Unpretentious, and inconspicuous. Business letters are not scholarly dissertations. Conversational tone makes the writer emphatic. You should avoid legalese and business jargon such as beg to advise, please find enclosed herewith, or thanking you in anticipation. To accomplish conversational tone.

1. Vary your words
2. Use proper syntax
3. Be straight forward
4. Keep the paragraph small
5. Avoid vague writing

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6 Planning Steps For Communication

There are six planning steps before we transmit our message:

1. Know the purpose of the message.
2. Visualize your reader or listener.
3. Choose the ideas to transmit.
4. Get all the facts to back up these ideas.
5. Organize your ideas in the most effective order.
6. Revise and proofread.

1. Know the purpose 

When you are arranging business communication you must know the purpose clearly. You must know why you should write and what should be written. The purpose may be sale, goodwill, request, or refusal, e.t.c.

2. Visualize your reader or listener

It is better for the sender to understand the receiver. You should know his background, qualification, education, position and status in the company. You should also know his desire, expectations, problems, circumstances, and possible reaction to your request. In addition, you should know whether he is superior, subordinate, laborer, professional or technical person, colleague, single or married, man or woman, young or old, new or longtime customer. 

3. Choose the idea

After having decided on the purpose and visualized the reader, you begin to choose the idea to be inserted in the message. The idea to be included in the letter or report depends upon the type of message. Before you start working you should not down the points to be covered in communication, and then bring them in order of importance and urgency.

4. Get all the facts

Communication of any sort should be backed by the facts and figures, making the communication more emphatic, forceful, and pithy. To explain facts and figures visual aid may be utilized augmenting the communication.

5. Organize ideas

Once the ideas have been jotted down, they should be properly arranged and organized, Disorganized writing reflects or disorganized, illogical, untrained, and even week mind. Failing to organize will foil the objective of the message.

6. Revise and proofread

Short Communication are easy to transmit or dictate without revising or proofreading them. However, detailed and complex writings need revision substantially. The reason is to ensure that the message fulfills all principles of communication. A poorly organized and written message is waste of material and money.

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Some Important Facts About Communication

It Will be noted with interest that successive transmissions of the same message are decreasingly accurate. Note the following carefully:

1. In oral communication around 30 percent of the information is lost in each transmission.

2. Even written communication is subject to some loss of meaning in transmission.

3. Equally serious is poor retention of information. Studies show that employees retain only       50 percent of communicated information, and supervisors only 60 percent.

Another study shows that there is a tremendous loss of information, which is 37 percent between the board of directors and the vice president level. General supervisors loss 44 percent of the information, plant managers 60 percent, and general foremen lose 70 percent of what had been transmitted downward to them.

4. An average of only 20 percent of the communication sent downward through the five               levels of management finally gets to the workers level.

Communication activities fill the business day. An analysis of time spent is communication shows approximately 10 percent in writing, 15 percent reading, 35 percent speaking, and 40 percent listening.

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