Administrative & Business Communication

Course Number Mgt 212

UNIT 1: COMMUNICATION: AN OVERVIEW

 Introduction

Communication is the process of exchanging of facts, ideas and opinions and is also a means that
individuals or organizations use for sharing meaning and understanding with one another. In other words,
it is the transmission and interaction of facts, ideas, opinions, feelings or attitudes. Communication is an
interdisciplinary concept. Theoretically it is approached from various disciplines such as mathematics,
accounting, psychology, ecology, linguistics, systems analysis, etymology, cybernetics, auditing etc.
Communication enables us to do important things: to grow, to learn, to be aware of ourselves and to
adjust to our environment.

It is a process, which involves organizing, selecting and transmitting symbols in an appropriate way to
ensure the listener perceive and recreate in his/her own mind the intended meaning of the communicator.
Communication involves the initiation of meaning in the listener, the transmission of information and
thousands of probable stimuli. Human beings have a compulsive urge to communicate with each other.
Mutual understanding is not only based on communication. Mutual understanding is the core of human
relations. There can be no mutual understanding without communication; mutual understanding is the
core of human relations. Communication is like birth, death, breath and wanting to be loved and be part of
life itself. A human is a communicating an advanced animal in a dialogue form. He/she alone has the
power to express in words. Sight, sound, touch, smell and taste are the modes of exchange of messages

1.1. Meaning of Communication

The term communication comes from the Latin word “communes” which means common; sharing
information common to all to create common understanding.

Communication used to be defined as the process of transferring thoughts and ideas from one person to
another.

However, the words transferring thought from one person to another inaccurately imply that
communication is like pouring liquid from a jar to a glass. In other words, this definition implies a simple
one-way action where person A takes knowledge from her/his head and simply pours (transfers) it in to
the head of person B. Obviously, communication is not that simple. Person B may refuse to accept A’s
ideas and may wish to present her/his own ideas or B may completely misinterpret A’s message. As Dan
O'Connor notes, “communication does not consist of the transmission of meaning. Meanings are not
transferable, only messages are transferable, and meanings are not in the message, they are in the
message-user.”
Many times what we hear is not what the other person said, and consequently, what we say frequently can
be interpreted in an entirely different manner by the listener.

Communication is the process of exchanging/sharing information by speaking, writing or other methods.

It is the process by which information and human attitudes are exchanged with others.

Large part of each day in office is spent by talking (30%) and listening (45%). When you are not talking
or listening, you are likely communicating in other ways reading (16%), writing (9%), and no calculation
has been made to gesturing, drawing. Or perhaps you are just taking in information by seeing, feeling or
smelling. All of these activities are forms of communication.

Percentage share of communication skills (Source: Internet)

Human Communication Skills

We can identify three types of business communication skills:-

a) Written b) oral c) non-verbal communication skills

a) Written Communication: - It is one of the widely used forms of communication in business. It

includes letter writing, report writing, memorandum writing, minute writing skills…etc.

b) Oral Communication: - It is realized through skills that involve interpersonal, face-to-face oral
communication skills, telephone conversation, etc.

c) Non-verbal Communication Skills: - It is a wordless form of communication and is realized through

various non-verbal skills. These include body language (hand gesture, facial expression, touch, posture)
dress and grooming, numbers, pictures, color …etc.

1.2. Significance of Communication

Communication is very essential in developing understanding and enhancing group effort that it
contributes to motivating employees thereby creating commitment that results in their
productivity and consequent profitability of organizations. Communication also enhances an
attitude necessary for cooperation among peer groups and job satisfaction. It is a very significant
way of discouraging the spread of misinformation, ambiguity, destructive rumors. A very open
system in organizations can also create a favorable atmosphere where subordinates can supply
ideas, suggestions and even criticisms which are important sources of new ideas or new
approaches to problems and their consequent decision-making. Communication is the only
mechanism to improve labor management relations in this era of union extremism where
industrial peace is the only way of maintaining the profitability of business firms.
Intercommunication also another side of the communication agenda where social relations are
addressed so that the best governance is realized leader-follower settings.
Communication is a very important managerial aid to managerial performance by achieving
coordination, smoothening organizational operation and helping in decision making for decisions
are as good as the information they are based upon and information- good and up-to-date at that-
must be communicated before decisions are to be made. (Hendrix, 2004)

The importance of effective communication is immeasurable in the world of business and in personal
life. From a business perspective, effective communication is an absolute must, because it commonly
accounts for the difference between success and failure or profit and loss in life. It has become clear that
effective communication is critical to the successful operation of modern enterprise. Every business
person needs to understand the fundamentals of effective communication. Effective communication is the
most critical component of total quality management. The manner in which individuals perceive and talk
to each other at work about different issues is a major determinant of the business success. It has been
proven that poor communication reduces quality, weakens productivity, and eventually leads to anger and
a lack of trust among individuals within the organization.

Good Communication Skills: - They refer to effective communication in business organization by

making the objective of communication clearer. Good communication skills help:-

 to improve managerial performance

 to create co-ordination
 to enable workers to know the real situation prevailing in an organization.
 to provide all the necessary information
 to facilitate industrial peace.
  to act as a transmitter of ideas, feelings, suggestions and decisions to the employees,
express their responses, attitudes and problems through communication;
 employees get job satisfaction
 Saves time.
Poor Communication Skills: - They refer to ineffective communication in business situation. Barriers
such as noise, interference, defensiveness, lack of communication skill contribute to poor/ineffective
communication. If the communication skill is poor, performance is inefficient, coordination is weak, and
workers lack information about the real situation prevailing in an organization; industrial unrest will be
the consequence of it. Workers being unsatisfied with their job could also be the result of poor
communication.

1.3 Communication in Management

The basic purpose of communication in management is to give and receive information which is of
interest both to the receiver and sender. A good communicator transmits ideas to create a favorable
impression in the minds of the receiver. In general terms, the purpose of communication system in
business are:-

 handling information
 informing action
 taking decisions

Thus, we communicate because we want to make someone do something or take some action or think or
feel in a certain way. Moreover, Chabra has mentioned the following important purposes of
communication system in business:-

a) To inform employees about company progress.

b) To order and instruct employees.
c) To solicit information from employees.
d) To make each employee interested in his job.
e) To express management’s interest in its personnel.
f) To reduce or prevent labor turnover.
g) To instill each employee with personal pride in being a member of the company.
Ethics in Administrative Communications:

Questions of right and wrong arise whenever people communicate. Ethical communication is fundamental
to responsible thinking, decision making, and the development of relationships and communities within
and across contexts, cultures, channels and media. Moreover, ethical communication enhances human
worth and dignity by fostering truthfulness, fairness, responsibility, personal integrity and respect for self
and others.

It is possible to be an effective communicator and yet not an ethical communicator. (The classic example
is that of charismatic, but immoral, leader who understands how to persuade his followers with dazzling
rhetoric that appeals to their emotions.) A common term used in political and corporate circles these days
about communication that always attempts to put the candidate or corporation in the best light is “spin.”
But if “spin” means obfuscating or hiding the truth, then it is not an ethical practice.Ethical business
communication means: -

1. being honest
2. being respectful
3. Showing sensitivity to cultural differences.
Ethical communication includes not only what you do say, but what you don’t say. Excluding crucial
information from a presentation, or not correcting false impression, can also be considered unethical
action.

The term communication comes from the Latin word “communes” which means common; sharing
information common to all to create common understanding