Basic Business Communication. Lesson 1. Principles

Basic Business Communication
Lesson 1: Principles of Effective Business Communication
More time is spent on communication in the workplace than on any other activity, and the bulk of our
communication is spent on listening to others. Figure 1 below illustrates the average time workers spent on
different communication activities in the workplace.
1. Communication in the workplace
Since so much time is spent on communication in the workplace, it is clearly advantageous to be a good
workplace communicator. Since the average adult only listens with 25% efficiency, you will have a distinct
competitive advantage if you develop your listening skills.
At the same time, the effects of bad workplace communication can be dire. As such, companies can simply
not afford to employ bad communicators in any capacity. Business managers will only spent 30 to 120
seconds to read a document, and so it is important to get to your point as soon as possible.

2. The communication process.
While communication happens constantly and spontaneously, it can be described as an eight-step process,
as illustrated below.
2.1. The sender and the receiver.
The person who initiates the communication is known as the sender, while the person, or persons, who
receives the communication is known as the receiver. The receiver(s) is also known as the audience. In
order for the communication to be successful, the sender must know its audience.

The audience can consist of 1 or more receivers. In a group, different people can act as both senders and
receivers.
2.2. The message and the channel.
The message is the information that you want to give the receiver.
• You want to be as accurate as possible.
• You want the receiver to understand the message as you conceived it.
The Channel as the way you send the message. You can use a verbal channel, that can either be spoken or
written, or a non-verbal channel.
• Verbal
o
o
Written
• Letter, Fax, Email, SMS, MMS, document, note, newspaper, magazine, road sign,
notice, book etc.
Spoken
• Voice mail, telephone, radio, lecture, meeting, TV, conversation, interview etc.
• Non-Verbal
o Voice tone
o Facial expression
o Posture, etc.

3. Communication categories.
When we communicate, our communication are not always directed at other individuals. Based on who the
communication is directed at, we can distinguish between the following communication categories.
4. Communication classes.
Communication can either be formal or informal. You must know if the environment you are communicating
in is formal or informal.
• Register refers to the degree of formality you use to address a person or a group.
• The degree of formality will depend on the organisation's structure and culture.
Above is an example of a classical hierarchical company structure. The workers will address the CEO by
title, and they will seldom have contact with him.

In a more modern hierarchy, everybody, including the CEO, is addressed by their name.
Even in one organisation, there will be both formal and informal communication structures.
5. Verbal and non-verbal communication.
Verbal communication includes both spoken and written communication. Both verbal- and non-verbal
communication can be visual or non-visual

6. Spoken and written verbal communication.
Spoken communication in the workplace is used in all the following situations:
• Meetings
• Interviews
• Client visits
• Presentations
• Brainstorming
• Announcements over intercom
• Telephone conversations.
Typical uses of written communication in the workplace include the following:
• Reports
• Faxes
• Notices
• Memo’s
• Press releases
• Minutes of meetings
• E mails
• SMS/MMS
7. Visual non-verbal communication.
Four types of visual non-verbal communication that are commonly used in the workplace are listed below.
7.1. Facial expressions, gestures, and posture
• Frowning to indicate displeasure.
• Pointing to identify someone.
• Fiddling with keys can indicate nervousness.
• Standing upright indicate confidence.
• Sloping shoulders indicate disappointment.
7.2. Icons
We use icons in the computer environment on a daily basis.
7.3. Signs
Signs are used in the workplace so that even people who cannot read, or does not stand the language used
there, will be able to follow the instructions.

7.4. Emoticons and emojis
People started using emoticons to convey the writer’s emotions or clarify intent, by using a digital icon or a
sequence of keyboard symbols that serves to represent a facial expression. For example, :‐) for a smiling
face.
Emoticons have been replaced by emojis over the last couple of years. An emoji is a small digital picture
that represents a thing, feeling or concept, and that is used in text messages and other electronic
communications. They normally form part of a standardized set for the application in use.
Younger workers use emojis extensively in their communications, and any workplace manager will benefit
from knowing there meaning and how to use them sparingly. Below is a screenshot from a number of
smiley emojis that forms part of the WhatsApp set.
8. Non-visual, non-verbal communication.
Sound like that of an alarm, instrumental music and the tone of the speaker’s voice are examples of nonvisual,
non-verbal communication. All these examples are reliant on the ears and not the eyes and exclude
the use of language, but this type of communication can also refer to how close we allow different people to
us and is called proxemics. Proxemics is strongly influenced by culture. Edward Hall is a scientist who
studied proxemics and who can up with the proxemic zones below, as it applies to western cultures.

9. Mixed & Implied Messages
It is important that you do not confuse your audience, and therefor the words and the images you use must
not contradict each other. In the two examples below, it is clear that the words and the images do not go
together.
In these cases the express messages are in the callouts, but the implied message in the pictures says
something completely different. Below are a couple of confusing traffic signs.

10. Effective Listening
As already mentioned, we spend more time listening than on any other communication skill. It is therefor
important to be an effective listener. Listening is a dynamic, cyclical process, but not necessarily sequential,
as all the activities below can be happening at the same time.
• Hearing: A passive activity, ignoring noise.
• Filtering: The deliberate manipulation of the info.
• Interpreting: To make sense of it and understand it.
• Remembering: To recall or think about it again.
You must listen in such a way that you will be able to respond effectively to the sender.
11. Types of listening
We can distinguish between the following different types of listening as indicated in the figure below.

12. Communication Barriers
We can identify the following communication barriers.
• Physical barriers: for example, noise and distance.
• Physiological barriers: for example, disabilities
• Psychosocial barriers: for example, attitude and emotions
• Perceptual barriers: for example, prejudices
• Semantic barriers: for example, slang, jargon, and accent
• Intercultural barriers: for example, Non-verbal greetings.
• Reference Barriers: Cultural background, Attitudes, Emotions, Ego, IQ, Values, Beliefs, Status &
Education.
To communicate effectively we must remove these barriers.
• Reduce the physical barriers.
• Create a conducive environment.
• Remove distractions.
• Be willing and open to communicate.
• Use clear and simple words, sentences.
• Avoid jargon and slang.
• Communicate face to face if you can.
• Show trust in the messenger.
• LISTEN