Organisational and Intercultural Communication - Essay Example

Running Head: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION Name Course Tutor Date Effective Meetings In understanding communication in the business environment, it is necessary to recognize the significance of meetings and the role they play. Communication is a fundamental aspect in every day life and is carried out in several ways depending on the situation and purpose of interaction. Be it formal or informal, it is crucial to comprehend the impact that it plays in business settings. Group communication in the form of meetings is a common practice in businesses and organisational settings. Understanding how meetings operate and structured forms the basis of their success. First, meetings can be of a formal or informal nature depending on the purpose or roles. They take place when two or more people gather with the objective of communication. Unlike informal meetings, formal meetings may be subject to certain rules and regulations and systems set to guide the communication process. Is such a case, meetings are structured in matters relating to constitution, procedures and control. The constitution is commonly documented and contains structural and underlying requirements set by the organisations. Procedures or standing orders explain specific conduct of carrying out activities. The motion in a meeting setting explains reasons for required change, which is followed by amendments supported by movers and those seconding the motion. In this view, voting may be carried out in way of abstention or acclamations. If resolutions are not reached, meetings at times may adjourn to reconvene later. A motion may be passed or defeated. When there is stalemate a casting vote is used to break it. The chairperson in a meeting has the overall responsibility of control and presides over the communication process in the meeting. The secretary records the proceedings in terms of notes, minutes and attendance for future reference. Meetings should be properly planned in terms of attendance, timing and purpose. This is in essential in achieving their purpose. Misinformation and lack of clear goals will ultimately lead to failure of meetings. The decision making process in a meeting may follow several approaches. Those attending may come into a consensus, vote, support an individual or use other techniques such as the Delphi or nominal group methods (Lecture 9). Organisational Communication Different organisations apply diverse communication methods. This is dependent on issues such as nature of organisation, purpose of communication, location and resource endowment. An organisation can be defined as a group of people with common interest and objectives working towards their achievements. Communication within an organisation is a process which relates to its members and the external environments as well. Depending on the form of communication, an organisation can use several methods to communicate to different people, either internally or externally. For instance, memos, emails, notifications, briefings, meetings, print media, or the internet are common channels. Interpersonal channels are meant to reach specific individuals wile mediated channels are group targeted. In organisations, communication follows certain designs. Horizontal communication occurs between individuals at the same level. Vertical communication occurs where people at different levels of power communicate. Downward communication occurs when individuals at higher hierarchies communicate to those at lower ones. Communication in organisations is based on whether the organisations are tall or flat too. Tall organisations have a control span which is limited as compared to flat ones which have control that is open and wide ranged. Centralised communication follows a uniform and coordinated manner while decentralise allows communication decisions to be made at different units or departments in an organisation. Each of these designs has its advantages and disadvantages and will only work optimally given specific conditions and natures of organisations. Informal communication in organisations can also be regarded ass the grapevine. It is a fast mode of communication that does not follow any specific structures. It occurs mainly among low hierarchy employees in an informal manner. It is a fast way of communication especially in large organisations. Organisational culture is a set of norms, beliefs and traditions that an organisation has followed since its inception it is one of the determiners of the channels, designs and modes of communications followed therein (Lecture 7). Intercultural Communication Culture can be described as social norms or behaviours that develop over a long period of time. They shape the way people react, behave, and act in specific situations. In a dynamic environment, cultures are constantly changing to accommodate upcoming aspects in society. Micro culture affects a general community while micro culture is more specific to smaller groups such as individual organisations. Inter cultural communication(IC) relates to how people or groups with different cultural backgrounds communicate when necessitated to. It is crucial that those communicators understand the cultural affiliation of involved parties to avoid stereotypes and miscommunication. As the contemporary world becomes more integrated, cultures are becoming integrated too and many differences that existed there before are slowly disappearing. When different cultures interact, acculturation occurs where some aspects of both cultures are altered in one way or another. Researchers have identified for models that can explain this process; Hofstede, House, Hall and Huntington. The Hofstede model describes culture as a process where groups involved differentiate themselves from each other through a common state of minds. Different cultures will have different ways of solving common problems. In this model, distance cultures work through negotiations or engagement of leaders in coming up with solutions. The House model approaches the cultural issue from a management and leadership perspective other than disciplines such as psychology, sociology or history. The model is based on dimensions of gender, future implications, and performance goals among others. The Hall model asserts that communication in the cultural context is based on the context in it other than the theoretical framework. It further argues that, in this view, culture is measurable in terms of degree. In high communication, the significance in which the context of communication is carried out is as important as the messages relayed. Low communication is the opposite where the context is insignificant. Though communication between cultures is important, it does not always help in solving problems of communication conflicts. It is, however, important to understand and appreciate the different culture involved in the process to avoid unnecessary complexities (Lecture 6). Reports and Proposals In written communication, reports and proposals play a significant role. They complement verbal or oral communication through documentation. There are different types of reports depending on the information requirements, for example, progress reports, accounting reports annual reports, research reports among others. Reports are different from essays in several aspects. While assays are commonly academic, reports are common in the work environment. They also differ in terms of recommendations summary and content. Reports are used for purposes such as recording events which form ground for future or incumbent decision making. When preparing reports, the scope purpose and intended audience are crucial. This is translated in the content ad time frame required to prepare them. A report may choose specific data from a collection depending on its scopes and purpose. Here, only relevant information to the scope is chosen. A report may take a direct or indirect structure. Direct structure is more comprehensive and inclusive in details while an indirect one provides general information. In the executive summary of a report, the main points of importance in the report are summarised. The introduction explains the scope, background and intention of the report. In this section, issues such as methodology, assumptions, and challenges are also highlighted. The body of the report gets into specific details, explaining comprehensively what the report is all about. The conclusion and recommendation part is a general overview as well as solutions. Recommendations explain proposed plans of action, given the argument and clarifications enumerated in the body. This part is essential as it forms a basis for decision making. The recommendations should only follow what has been discussed in the report. Finally, supporting documents such as tables, references, indices and appendices should be provided. Report writing, preparation and presentation entail a lot of adequate and proper planning (Lecture 3). Oral Communication Oral communication forms a crucial and significant aspect in the communication process. For instance, in speaking out, a presentation, motivational or impromptu speech may be necessary at some point. The audiences in oral communication play an important role in determining whether the intended message is relayed or not. Their response, attitudes and reactions towards the communicator determine the success of the process. . An audience poses power, authority, and influence. In dealing with unfriendly or uncooperative audiences, a communicator may use he grapevine to find out who their listeners will be. They should also ensure that they are versed with adequate information to counter any challenges that may occur during the actual communication process. When communicating orally to audiences, it is important to plan ahead on issues such as intention purpose, and the kind of audience in question. Public speaking should be well planned and rehearsed as well. It should take at least ten times the intended presentation time. The content of the presentation should focus on quantity, quality, pattern and how to maintain audience attention. The content should have introductory, body and conclusion sections. Research on possible questions and their answers that may arise during the presentation should also be well researched. Communication skills are essential in driving the point home and maintaining an attentive audience. During presentations aids such as audiovisual facilities can be used to ease the process. Projectors and PowerPoint presentations are good examples. Generally, oral communication requires proper planning, rehearsal and good communication skills (Lecture 10). Reference Kaplan Business School Australia, 2013, Business communication Lectures. Read More