Communication vs Business Communication

• What is communication?


  Communication is any process by which people share information, ideas and feelings.

  Communication may be defined as giving, receiving or exchanging information, opinions or ideas by writing, speech of visual means, so that the material communicated is completely understood by everyone concerned
• What are the elements in the communication process?

  Sender/receiver, message, channel, feedback, noise, setting.
• What is the setting in the communication process?


  where the communication takes place; can have significant impact on communication
• Define the sender/ receiver in the communication process?

  both sending and receiving messages at the same time.
• What is the message in the communication process?

  made up of the ideas and feelings that senders/receivers want to share. These messages are sent via symbols, which could be verbal, concrete (an object – a chair), abstract (an idea – beauty, home) or nonverbal (facial expressions, gestures, posture, tone of voice, appearance, etc)
• What is the channel in the communication process?

  the route which the message travels
• What is feedback in the communication process?

  the response of the receiver/sender to the message
• What is noise in the communication process?


  interference which keeps the message from being understood
• Principles of communication as a transaction

  • Participation is continuous and simultaneous - whether or not a communicator is actually talking in a communication situation, messages are actively being sent and received, and feedback given, through body language and thoughts
  • All communications have a past, a present, and a future - communicators respond to situation from their own experiences, moods and expectations
  • All communicators play roles - roles are ways people behave with others, people behave differently towards e.g. parents, teachers, friends, spouse, children, etc.
• What are the different types of communication?


  ❣️ intrapersonal- mental thought process/communication that occurs within us

  ❣️ interpersonal- one on one conversation

  ❣️ small-group- meeting between 2-5 persons

  ❣️ computer-mediated

  ❣️ public- communicating with a mass audience

  ❣️ intercultural- when 2 or more persons from a different cultures interact
• What is ethical communication?

  Ethical communication is communication that is honest, fair and considerate of others' rights.
• What are the three types of communication flow?


  Downward, upward, horizontal
• Define downward communication.


  • Downward communication flows from supervisor to employee, from policy makers to operating personnel or from top to bottom on the organizational chart.
• Define upward communication.


  . • Upward communication generally is feedback to downward communication. Accurate upward communication keeps management informed about the feelings of lower-level employees, taps the expertise, helps management identify both difficult and potentially promotable employees and paves the way for more effective downward communication.
• Define horizontal communication.


  • Horizontal communication describes interactions between organization units on the same hierarchical level.
• What is business communication.

  Business Communication or professional communication is communication that is applicable and conforms to various business transactions or occupations. It is communication within the workplace and involves transmitting information using appropriate communication technologies or decision making purposes
• What is formal communication?


  Formal communication is described as the official communication channels and routes used within an organization. It can be written (memo, report, policy) or oral (speech, meeting)
• What is informal communication?


  Informal communication channels exist between informal groups within an organization and are referred to as the grapevine. Is consists of both business- related and personal information eg. rumours about the business expansion and discussion about a popular tv show
• What is the grapevine?


  The grapevine, often called the rumour mill, is the best known informal communication system. Even though the formal communication system has definite communication channels, the grapevine tends to develop and operate within the organization. As a communication channel, the grapevine often has a reputation for being speedy but inaccurate. While the grapevine is often thought of as a channel for inaccurate communication, in reality, it is no more or less accurate than other channels
• What is communication competence?

  Communication competence is the ability to communicate in a personally effective and socially appropriate manner
• What are the three components of communication competence?

  ❣️ Knowledge - communicators must recognize what communication practice is appropriate.

  ❣️ Skill - they must have the ability to perform that practice.

  ❣️ Motivation - they must want to communicate in an effective and appropriate manner
• When is communication considered competent?

  Communication is considered competent if there is respect, empathy, tolerance, flexibility and interaction management.
• What is strategic flexibility?


  Strategic flexibility means expanding your communication behaviours to enable you to use the best skill or behaviour available for a particular situation.
• What is creativity?


  Creativity is the capacity to synthesize vast amounts of information and wrestle with complex problems.
• What are the six steps of strategic flexibility?

  Anticipate, Assess, Evaluate, Select, Apply, Reassess and reevaluate
• What is culture.


  the way of life of a group of people/a society. What people value, their beliefs and norms
• What is an open culture?

  An open culture is one with an open communication and easily adapt to change. Some features are:

  💞 free flow of information

  💞 information sharing is highly encouraged

  💞 there is a high level of trust between employees

  💞 creativity is encouraged and employees make their own decisions
• What is a closed culture?

  A closed culture is one that has a closed communication system? Some features are:

  ❣️ communication is very formal

  ❣️ top-down in nature (management makes all decisions)

  ❣️ distrusts exists between management and employees

  ❣️ creativity is discouraged