Acquiring Business Communication Skills Necessary for Business Graduates - Research Paper Example

Acquiring Business Communication Skills Necessary for Business Graduates” Executive Summary The researcher, in the paper is an intern of the centre of Career Development in the University of Westminster. He tries to approximate the accurate communication skills that are requisites for graduate students of the University, to shine in their specialized and personal grounds in future. Communication is a method via which individuals share information, messages and thoughts through numerous ways like behaviours, visuals speeches or signals. However, it should be noted that when precious communication is broadcasted effortlessly, only then it is stated that the communication process is successful. Thus, the success of information allotment and valuation after a communication progression, estimates the integrity of the concerned communication skills. The context of the paper will first enumerate the general types of communication skills and then elaborate the variations in business communication skills. The researcher would also empirically prove that superior business communication has helped corporate organizations in business field. Finally the paper will precisely recommend ways through which the graduate students of Westminster University would enhance their communication skills in future. Contents Contents 3 Types of General Communication Skills 4 Categories of Business Communication Skills 6 Empirical Evidence 8 Recommendations 9 Conclusion 11 Types of General Communication Skills Communication in general is a method through which the individuals may convey information, thoughts or messages through writing, speeches, visuals, signal or behaviours. It basically implies worthy exchanges of information between two or more than living creatures. General communications are of various types’ namely verbal, non-verbal, oral, business, writing and historical development. A communication is termed to be effective if it can be executed smoothly and its precise information is equally understood by all the participants of the process. In general the success of transmission and receipts of information after a communication process helps to estimate the goodness of communication skills. If the communication skills of an individual are good then it helps to enhance the different aspects of life of the individual. Right from professional to social life, good communication skills are always indispensable attributes that must be possessed by the individuals (Burdett, 1992). The general communication skills are categorized primarily in four subdivisions: Interpersonal Communication Skills These are the skills that are required when the individuals exchange information through face to face communication. This process may involve two or more than two individuals. One such skill is the skill of Verbal Communication deals with the speaking effectiveness of an individual. However, the effectiveness of speaking of an individual depends of an individual depends on the skills of Non Verbal Communication. The attributes of Non Verbal Communication are personal presentation and personal appearance. The body language, signals, facial expressions and gestures of the individuals and even to some extent the appearance influences the effectiveness of verbal communication. However, it should be noted that Good Listening Skill is also crucial a speaker (Hassall, et al., 2000). If a speaker is also not a good listener, then in the he would not be able to judge the success of communication with the help of reflecting and clarification. Good Interpersonal Skills possessed by an individual helps him work effectively in teams or groups. Interpersonal Skills of an individual helps him to develop other types of skills like skill of decision making and problem solving (Smith, 2005). Presentation Skills This skill is used less frequently by the individuals in formal or informal situations. However, this deals with a situation when an individual’s communication process involves transmission of information to a large group of individuals. If an individual develops good presentation skills then he develops the calibre of speaking naturally, appropriately and effectively to large group of individuals. Thus it helps a use less time and transmits information to a wide base of listeners in the forum (Sarros, 1992). Writing Skills It is claimed by many scholars that the ability to write efficiently and transparently is the pivotal communication skill of an individual. If the writing communication skills are poor in an individual then it can generate strong frustration in the mind of the reader and create a bad image regarding the writer. The primary writing communication skills relates to good use of formal and informal writing styles, practice of using appropriate grammar and spelling, following a good structure of writing. Communication is assumed to be transmitted in the most proficient manner with the help of good writing skills. Personal Skills These are the types of skills that help to maintain healthy mind and body of an individual. Enhancing the level of Self Esteem and Confidence are the types of good personal communication skills. These are the skills in an individual that helps to improve the level of positivity. Categories of Business Communication Skills The degree of complicacy in the states of commercial affairs has significantly increased over time. At this epoch, the success of a business enterprise in this competitive environment largely depends on the quality of its communication. Business communication basically deals with customer relations, brand management, marketing, public relations, employee management, reputation management and corporate communication in business. It is found that in the process of recruitment, communication is the most superior attribute that all the employers look for in the employees (Nielsen, 2005). Through the various means of business communication like Web, video, e-mails, reports, presentations, telephonic meetings, forum boards and face to face meetings, effective business communication deals with the process through which the business owners can easily suffice the requisites of the customers and operate business tasks most smoothly. In short communication is often termed as “glue” that helps to integrate the entire organization. The basic skills that can be developed through effective business communication are: Will to Work Good business communication helps to enhance the morale of a workplace. This further facilitates a firm in following the ethical principles in business and also helps the organization to frame its missions and visions effectively. The values in business are thus augmented with the help of good business communication. The employees and the employers in an organization can upgrade special skills in their workplaces with the essence of good business communication. These skills are the attitude, involvement and motivation of the workers in the workplace. It is noted that good motivation at work helps to increase the overall productivity in business. At the same time, if the involvement and attitude of the employees in the workplaces are positive then many upcoming business risks and challenges can be easily solved by the organization. Skill to Work The success of a business substantially depends on its learning curve. If an organization experiences a large learning curve then its business not only generates new strategic means to earn good profit but also enjoys modified practices of logistics in business that helps it overcome certain challenges in the external business environment. A big learning curve can be achieved by an organization by gathering information and knowledge in business. These resources can be accumulated by an organization with the help of good communication skills. The education and training scopes of the employees in an organization also develops with the essence of good business communication. If such skills and resources are available to the employees then their overall productivity in workplace improves. Good education, knowledge, training and information help to build the workers self esteem in an organization. All the upcoming business risks and complexities can be easily resolved with the help of such skills (Boyd and Begley, 2002). Thrill To Work It is found that good business communication enhances the team work, belongingness, loyalty, enthusiasm and spirits of the employees in the workplaces. In the contemporary world most of the firms experience cut throat competition with each other. At this juncture all such business skills are the essential attributes that must be possessed in an organization in order to lead the market competition. These useful and valuable skills can only be expropriated with the essence of good business communication skills. Empirical Evidence In the current era companies like JP Morgan Chase, State Street and Partners Healthcare have realized the value of good business communication. These organizations have started to offer good soft skill development or internship programs for freshers in the workplaces. Such programs help good and hardworking students develop the skill of communication in business before they actually step into their professional life. The firms in the telecommunication industry have now adopted the process of “open innovation” in business in order to enhance their overall working performances (Bigliardi, Dormio and Galati, 2012). These firms in general spend large amount of money for research and development purposes, with the help of such a special technique in workplaces the companies are accumulating various new innovative ideas from the external world, that is ultimately helping them to enhance the quality of research and development and hence assuring these firms a higher level of competency in the market. It is also found that the Chartered Accountant employees of the financial companies in U.K. are much efficient from that of the employees of Spanish financial companies just because the firms in the U.K. regions have adopted active tasks to augment their business communication skills (Hassall, et al., 2000). The companies in the modern world often use their business communication to overcome the atrocities in workplace or enhance their brand value in the marketplaces. Like when the company of Coca Cola launched its bottled mineral water “Desani”, then a lot of questions aroused in the market regarding the purity of the water provided by the company (Coca Cola Company, 2013). However, the company overcame all the criticisms about its product by launching special Public Relation campaigns in the marketplaces that effectively communicated about the goodness of product to all its potential customers. In this way effective businesses communication has turned out to be one of the most crucial attributes that a modern corporate organization must possess. Recommendations There are several ways through which the undergraduate students of Westminster can enhance their business communication skills. These are primarily five ways through which the students of the university can develop their business communication skills while perusing their academics, these are: Reading Reading is a means of receptive communication; this would help the students in an organization gather several information and knowledge about the exact scope of their subject (Gallagher, 2013). In long run, the students would be able to use these information’s in their respective workplace effectively and hence enhance their business communication. Effective business communication skills can only be developed with the essence of good knowledge. Writing Writing skill is the most important skill that a student must develop in the course of his university life. Though this a student would not only be able to pen down all the important information in business but would also be able to assure that this gathered knowledge could be easily transmitted to infinite number of individuals. An employee in business would lack the most important communication skill if he does not practice efficient writing since his university life. Writing Email Most of the business activities are executed with the help of e-mails. Thus, a student of a university must learn to write emails right from his college days. This would help the student learn special ways to write and communicate problems or information in the most precise and concise manner (Conrad and Newberry, 2012). Speaking This is also a very important communication skill that must be developed in the university students. Good speaking helps the students convey valuable knowledge, information or issues in a minute to a large group of individual’s. The students would be able to excel in all the job interviews or presentations in the workplaces only with the help of efficient speaking quality. Listening It should be noted that listening is also a very crucial communication skill required to be developed for achieving efficient business communication in future. This is the skill with the help of which the students can develop the power to acquire good and valuable knowledge from the others. It can be stated though the five above methods the students of the university would excel in future business communication practices in their workplaces (Bigliardi, Dormio and Galati, 2012). Conclusion As the natures of commercial activities across nations are becoming more complex, the competencies required among the modern labour forces are also more in this epoch. The paper shows that right from academic learning years; graduate students must develop effective and appropriate communication skills. Such skills are indispensable requisites for their professional life in future. However, from the framework of the paper, it would be correct to comment that without the essence of general communication skills, business communication expertise cannot be nurtured within an individual. After all, only a professional possessing good communication skill would acquire will, skill and thrill to work efficiently in future. . Reference List Bigliardi, B., Dormio, A. I. and Galati, F., 2012. The adoption of open innovation within the telecommunication industry. European Journal of Innovation Management, 15(1), pp. 27 – 54. Boyd, D. P. and Begley, T. M., 2002. Moving corporate culture beyond the executive suite. Corporate Governance, 2(1), pp. 13 – 20. Burdett, J. O., 1992. A Model for Customer-Supplier Alliances. Logistics Information Management, 5(1), pp. 25 – 31. Coca Cola Company, 2013. CocaCola Journey. [online] Available at: [Accessed 24 January 2014]. Conrad, D. and Newberry, R., 2012. Identification and instruction of communication skills for graduate business education. Journal of education for business. 87(2), 2012. Gallagher, K., 2013. Skills development for business and management students.study and employability. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hassall, T., Joyce, J., Ottewill, R., Arquero, J. and Donoso, J. 2000. Communication apprehension in UK and Spanish business and accounting students. Education + Training, 42(2), pp.93 – 100. Nielsen, H. J., 2005. New media and new roles of librarianship: Illustrated by a literary website of Danish libraries. New Library World, 106(11), pp. 510 – 518. Sarros, J. C., 1992. What Leaders Say They Do: An Australian Example. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 13(5), pp. 21 – 27. Smith, G., 2005. Communication skills are critical for internal auditors. Managerial Auditing Journal, 20(5), pp. 513 – 519. Read More