Communication

Communication

1. What is Communication?

   • communication is the giving and receiving of information from one person(the sender) to another person(the receiver)

2. People in Business need to communicate with each other in order to:

   • Share Ideas and get feedback
   • Give information or instructions
   • Aid understanding
   • Keep people up to date
   • Improve and maintain the business's image
   • Persuade other people to accept their products or services
   • Negotiate and finalise deals

3. Why might it go wrong?

   • Jargon - Using language or abbreviations which other people do not understand
   • Noise - Loud background noise make the message difficult to hear and understand
   • Wrong channel - Complicated instructions would be better written down rather than given over the telephone
   • Timing - Information may be received at the wrong time e.g. receiving information about summer clothes in November
   • Attitude - If the receiver of the message does not like the sender of the message then it is less likely to be heeded
   • Feedback - If the receiver gives some feedback it confirms that the receiver understood the message
   • Poor Technology - Information may be lost or misunderstood if the quality of the message sent is poor
   • Inefficient use if equipment - Electronic mail is an excellent means of communication however its benefits are lost if the receiver does not check their inbox
   • Imprecise Message - The message must be given clearly
   • Too many people - To achieve accuracy communication needs to given directly from the sender to the reciever
   • Delays - Communication should be as immediate as is practical

4. Communication can be:

   • One Way - Exists were an instruction is being given and no feedback is required
   • Two Way - Exists where two people are taking part in a discussion. Immediate feedback is recieved
   • Multi-Directional - Communication takes place between a number of different people who are all both giving and receiving information

5. Methods:

   • Written
   • Oral
   • Visual
   • Electronic

6. Written Communications

   • Memos
     • Advantages:
       • Pre printed headings remove the need to write out the same thing several times
       • Can be handwritten or typed
       • Pre-printed headings can be saved unto the computer as a template
       • Can be used as reminders
       • Can be used as a notice to a large number of members of a business
       • Can be sent to a number of different individuals
     • Disadvantages:
       • They are paper based and have to be filed
       • They are more formal than hand written notes and often require a recipient to act on them
   • Letters
     • Advantages:
       • Can be personalised
       • Have a standard format
       • Used to deal with a single issue
       • Professional if correctly formatted
       • Used as a smiple covering letter when sending other information
     • Disadvantages:
       • They are rather formal
       • They may not convince the reader to respond
       • They can take too much time if a separate letter has to be written eachtime
       • They may be delayed in the post
       • Poorly presented letters can give a bad impression

7. Email

   • Advantages:
     • They can be sent instantly
     • They save on telephone, stationary and postal codes
     • They can be sent and received anywhere
     • Sent and received messages are stored in the email system for later reference
     • Email addresses can be stored and accessed without having to retype each time
     • Hard copies can be printed out if needed for records
   • Disadvantages:
     • There is usually no way of knowing whether the email has been opened by the recipient
     • Users need internet access and an email account
     • A computer failure could lead to the loss of email records

8. Barriers to good communication with customers

   • Writing something down incorrectly
   • Failing to hear a customers request incorrectly
   • Losing important notes or documents
   • Not telling the right person about a problem
   • Having too many other things to do
   • Not realising the importance of a query