Current Business Communication Channels - Assignment Example

Analyzing Current Business Communication Channels Communication skills are highly valued by business organizations. The functions of planning and implementing strategies for achieving goals are important, especially for people like me who is an administrative manager in my office. According to Roebuck (2001), there are studies that prove people usually spend 70 to 85 percent of their work time deliberately communicating through writing, reading, speaking, and listening. As the survey of 480 companies and public organizations by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the ability to communicate ranked first among personal qualities of college graduates sought by employers. Roebuck also mentioned that Henry Mintzberg had discovered that chief executives spend "almost every minute" of their days communicating. Such studies support experts' claims that communication is indeed "the lifeblood of any organization" (p. 2). Business organizations agree that there are many ways of communicating. These are the channels of communication, or where the communication will take place. Thus, choosing the right channel and the appropriate form for business messages is a communication skill. Channel involves the issue of what should be put in writing and what should be communicated orally. Will messages be communicated by fax Telephone E-mail Face-to-face exchange When communicators agree about the channel, they can avoid misunderstandings. Such misunderstandings may seem trivial, but these can be significant in closer analysis. In the United States, according to business communication guides, efficiency, clarity, conciseness, accuracy, and accountability are the keys to making the right communication channel. For example, a telephone call may be the fastest way to get clarification, but you may need something in writing before you can act. In my opinion, face-to-face meeting is still the "best channel" to use when doing official business communications. As face to face meeting allows communication on all verbal, vocal, and visual cues, this "human moment" is the most effective way to build trust and consensus in a group and help others work through resistance to new ideas. Face-to-face meetings continue to be the first choice among executives. Unfortunately, time constraints and travel costs are often obstacles to face-to-face meetings. Presently, business organizations could meet through videoconferencing. This method simulates live, face-to-face interaction, although people attending the "meeting" may be thousands of miles apart. Yet, videoconferencing could not provide the energy provided by participants who shares the space, and there is always the threat of technological glitches (Roebuck 2001, p. 4). In addition, memos, e-mail, networked intranet bulletin boards, printed reports, and other written documents are the most common channels of written communication within companies. Memos, in particular, play different roles in different cultures and organizations. In North American businesses, memos are the standard channel of communication from superiors to subordinates, subordinates to superiors, and employees at the same level. In addition to that, memos can also be written to file or as reminders to oneself. They can be formal or informal in tone. When informal, a memo is a convenient way of communicating information in writing-so there is a record of it-without the weight of a formal document. However, memos at this time are already commonly sent by e-mail (Varner & Beamer, 2004). As a means for sending feedback from employees to management, memos (especially e-mail) excel-at least where feedback is expected by managers. Feedback is not easy for managers to gather if subordinates are not used to giving it. Managers who don't solicit feedback will not receive as much as those who do. Memos may not be the best channel in these situations. Face-to-face exchanges, in which a wide range of nonverbal signals can be sent along with the worded message, may be a better choice. With the advancement of technology, electronic mail (e-mail) has made an impact on interoffice communication in format, tone, and content. It can be printed out, thereby providing a hard copy for records. E-mail is a less formal channel than hard-copy memos and letters, without established rules for format, and the tone tends to be informal as well. The content is often less well organized because writers are more spontaneous in creating messages. Sending them requires merely the click of a mouse, and rarely involves proofreading. As a result, follow-up messages are often necessary to cover information that was left out of the original message. However, e-mails may not be considered as private; managers can read messages presumed confidential by their senders. Employees have been embarrassed by seeing their supposedly private gossip about co-workers reproduced on company letterhead (Varner & Beamer, 2004). Networked bulletin boards allow employees to communicate through an expanded informal grapevine. Fax-facsimile transmission of a document electronically-also is used widely in organizations, especially when people need to see original documents. However, both fax and telephone voice messages can now be delivered to a receiver's e-mail address. Similarly, it is not necessary to use a computer to receive e-mail, as any person could use a cellular phone or a personal digital assistant (PDA) to send emails conveniently. Cellular text messages are typically short and use an encoding system of phonetic abbreviations that depart from standard language usage. "Staff mtg 2day, 3 PM at the BR." looks very informal compared with a standard written request: "Please be informed that you are required to attend our staff meeting today at 3 PM in the Board Room." In organizations where form is an important part of the culture, distortions of language and format in business communication may not be productive. Roebuck (2001) emphasized that aside from considering proper channels in business communication, an effective communicator must also learn to value, appreciate, and accept individual differences. This is because the workforce presently has transformed into a more culturally diverse environment. Employees need to understand and welcome the opportunities presented through interaction and intradependence. With the continually changing employee population, there exists opportunities for personal growth and improvements in global understanding (p. 10). Ultimately, it safe to claim that business communication is purposeful because all business functions require communication. That is why, Roebuck (2001, p. 12) suggested that if you are a sender, you must strive to transmit messages your receiver can correctly understand; and if you are a receiver, you must realize the important role listening plays. This is how the success of business communicator truly hinges: the ability to play both important roles. References Roebuck, D.B. (2001). Improving Business Communication Skills (3rd edition), New Jersey: Prentice-Hall - Pearson Education, Inc. Varner, I. and Beamer, L. (2004). Intercultural Communication in Global Workplace (3rd edition), New York: McGraw-Hill Companies. Read More