Business and Technical Communication, Johari Window Model - Coursework Example

Running head: Business and technical communication Student name: Student number: Course title: Tutor: Date: Business and technical communication Introduction With the advent of the new technology, there is competition in the way businesses undertake their businesses and operations. Technology has been the battleground for many companies. There have been many arguments and theories on how the various technologies affect the business and the operations within the businesses, but there is very little that is being discussed about the impact of technology on the consumer. This essay enumerates how communication flows within all levels of management within a business organization. The essence of communication is explained including all the channels and means of communication. Dissemination of information depends on the intended recipient and the nature of communication (Young, 2006). For instance, the crucial decisions which are vital and involve the design problems are only meant for the senior management staff. Some information therefore, should be disclosed to the intended individuals other than the irrelevant persons in the organization. This is made easier in this document by studying the Johari window which explains the flow of information within the organization .This document will also look into the way a new product is introduced to an organization, the impact and the value that the new technology brings to the development of the business. It will also look into the new partnerships that come with the introduction of the new technologies, and how organization introduces new products. The paper will look at the impact that the technical communication has on business and the support strategy that is out in place for the sake of continued support of the technology. It has been found out that not all technologies are received by all people; it therefore follows that new technologies should be managed carefully. The introduction of new technologies has an impact on the customers on a daily basis. Technology has therefore proven to add value to operations of the company, has also proven to provide support for customers who need more clarification of the technology. Communication Communication is the dissemination of information from the source to the intended destination. Dissemination of information fails to be communication when it fails to reach the intended destination. Communication is therefore a social interaction which entails transmission through a medium. A variety of medium of transmitting the information can be used in the running of the business affairs. This includes: radios, telephone, mobile phones, telegrams, telegraphic machines, computers and also the advanced technology of communications such as the use of the internet, faxing machines and other means. Communication is an important tool for building good relationship amongst the employees of and organization. The main objective of every business organization is to acquire as many customers as possible. This is done through unanimous marketing of products and services of the business organization. Communication is therefore the most important tool of relaying the information about the company to the outside world. Through online advertising of the organization’s products, the organization manages to acquire numerous customers globally. Educating people on the importance of the product involves communication either verbally or through journals (Hybels, & Weaver, 2009). The employee’s grievances together with some other issues which appear thorny to the company can be amicably solved through communication. This involves negotiation which leads to the mutual understanding amongst the employees of the company together with the management body. It is therefore through communication that the meaning, ideas and feelings can be shared. The communication process The communication process entails the following; messages, pre-editing, encoding, decoding, post-editing, noise, feedback, channels and then context. Messages are processes of passing information; messages can be written, spoken, non-verbal, graphics or mediated. Written messages can be in form of hard copy or soft copy. The soft copy messages can be sent through the internet or mobile phones in the form of text messages. The spoken messages are the messages which can directly be delivered by an individual verbally. Spoken messages also include the broadcast messages by the media, either through the televisions or the radio broadcasts. Messages transmitted via phone calls are also rated as phone calls. Graphic/ visual messages are the messages which are transmitted via the bill boards, posters and also the banners. The non verbal messages are the messages which are transmitted via gestures. This includes the dissemination of information to the deaf. In dealing with the business organization therefore all this communication processes should be put in place to enhance the organization’s ability to deal with the workers and clients of all caricatures (Young, 2006). Some means of communication process are necessary and more convenient than others in disseminating various messages to the intended destinations. For instance, the organization will efficiently pass the messages especially the advertisements on new products to a large number of people by the use graphic/visual messages on bill boards. Encoding involves mechanical and behavioral mechanisms encountered while disseminating the information. This includes emphasis, pronunciation, accent, fluency, pitch, pausing and the garbled speeches. The information which is deliberately held and does not reach the intended destination fails to be communication and is therefore regarded as noise, this includes the misinterpreted, mispronounced and any other information which reaches the destination in a different form other than the intended one. Feed back- every transmitted information which reaches the intended destination warrants a response. The response is therefore the feedback. Disseminated information in business organizations warrants feed backs. It is necessary for every business organization to establish the employee and the customer satisfaction levels. The business managements therefore carry out regular surveys to establish performance; this includes oral interviews or filling of questionnaires by the clients and employees. Their response will therefore enable the organization to go back to the drawing board and put proper mechanism in place to ensure the positive measures are taken to correct the shortcomings. However, the nature of the responses varies depending on the respondents and the type of the issue at hand. The respondents do this through various ways depending on the urgency and texture of the matter. The feedback therefore can be written response, physical response, and disagreement. The response of the comic messages is laughter whereas the response to inspirational messages is the change in attitudes cum the social behavior. Channels are the medium through which messages are transmitted. These channels can be one way or multi-directional. The channels of communication can be formal or informal, for instance postal offices and the courier services. Some channels for instance the internet and emailing are in soft form whereas the letters and brochures are in hard copies. The effectiveness of the channels of communication warrants transformation and reinforcement to foster the efficient transmission of information. The context of the message plays a crucial role in communication. It is therefore important for the sender to take several factors into consideration before deciding on which process to use. This includes; time, cultural factors, interpersonal skills and time (McGregor et al, 2008). If the transmitted information fails to reach the intended destination in time, it loses meaning and will not be of helpful to the recipient in any way. The cultural factors should also be taken into consideration; therefore the sender should design the information in a language and manner which is easily understood by the recipient. Johari window This is a model, an idea of window panes which are used to describe the flows and breakdowns in an organizational communication. This model of communication is necessary especially for the running of the organization since it addresses the uncertainties within the organization. Communication in a business organization fosters good interrelations amongst the employees and the decision making body. On providing the feedback, the recipient may only disclose some information to the sender and with hold some. This also happens within the business organizations whereby decision making is done by the top brass of the organization. The crucial ideologies regarding the running the organization, remains only with the senior management officials of the company (De Janasz et al, 2009). The extent of how much we can disclose to others about ourselves is explained using Johari window. This model fosters understanding of the communication interactions within all levels in an organization. This model explains how business organizations communicate and do transactions with the outside world. This window also shows the magnitude of the willingness of individuals to provide feedback to others about themselves. The Johari window model is sub-divided into four panes which are necessarily not of same sizes. These four panes represent four regions namely: arena, blind spot, facade and the unknown region. The arena This is an area which is known to everybody, it’s a public domain in that nothing is hidden from anybody. This includes the basic things in an organization which are known to everybody in the organization and are not secrets. This includes the basic rules and regulations of the organization, the management hierarchy, the names and marital status of the employees within the organization (Hybels, & Weaver, 2009). The opinions which warrant public interests also fall here. Blind spot This is a region which consists of the information which is not known to others but is known to some other people in the organization. This normally happens in organizations whereby the junior staff keeps some secrets to themselves and never discloses to their seniors. On the other hand, the senior employees also keep some information to themselves, never mingle with the junior employees and thus will never know what goes around amongst the junior staff members. Façade This is a region which consists of the information and behaviors withheld by people and never disclose to others. This region is commonly practiced by the top management officials normally the chief executive officers and the managing directors. The top company secrets which are vital for the running of the organization, is normally withheld by the top officials and is never disclosed to neither the clients nor the employees of the organization. Unknown region This is a region in the model which represents a situation where people live in uncertainties. The running of the organization appears to be wallowing and neither the directors nor the employees know exactly what is happening. The unknown region signifies danger within the organization and such a situation warrants immediate investigations into the company to establish the root cause, and correct accordingly before the company collapses. Intrapersonal communication This is the communication within own self, whereby an individual converses within him/herself. This involves self discipline and motivation including making own informed choices. Intrapersonal communication entails the inner speech and self-talk. The inner speech enhances the competence in one’s communication hence plays crucial role in interpersonal, organizational and persuasion skills. Models of communication The model of communication entails the source of information, the information, and medium of transmission, the intended destination and the effect of the information (De Janasz et al, 2009). However, Shannon and weaver describe communication as constituting of the following models; criticisms, interpretations, social context, channels, media, transparency, linearity and presumptions. Assertiveness This is system which improves personal effectiveness in communicating with other people. This enables one to analyze own communication styles. Assertiveness entails the acquisition of desired things from individuals without infringement o their rights. Assertiveness involves the behavioral characteristics which leads to mutual satisfaction between the partners involved in transaction. This includes assertiveness, manipulative ability, aggression and passivity. Assertiveness is appropriate in business organization since it is ethical and does not infringe on people’s property. Assertiveness therefore should be embraced in business organizations. Listening skills Listening is paying attention to the message being sent across with a core aim of understanding and deriving the meaning out of it. This is a necessary and sufficient skill which should be embraced in the business environment. The information delivery and the effectiveness of verbal communication solely depend on the listening skills of the intended recipients Gamble T, & Gamble M, 2010). The active listening skills in an organization enable the members to clarify their supervisor’s instructions. The employees therefore will fathom the organization’s instructions without distorting the meaning of the laid down procedures and precautions. The organization’s employees will be able to cope with distractions and distress thus widening magnitudes of their concentration span. The employees will be able to make their own wise judgments in case of uncertainties within the organization. Effective listening also warrants effective questioning, it is therefore necessary for the personnel who are entitled to providing instructions to the junior members of staff to perfect their communication skills. Statements of different contexts convey different meanings and if unchecked will lead to different perceptions of the messages being delivered other than the intended meaning. This may lead to improper handling of matters thus ineffective performance of the organization. Wrong perceptions of messages amounts to misinterpretations thus lead to cold relationships amongst the employees. This pollutes the working environment in terms of the employee cum management relations. It is therefore necessary for the organization to capacity build their employees on active listening skills as this will promote the mutual understanding and social cohesion within the organization. Listening to others demonstrates courteousness and willingness to work with others. Emotional intelligence This entails one’s ability to manage, assess and control self emotions including other people and even the group’s emotions. Emotional intelligence employs the intrapersonal skills especially in handling of crucial matters which may be detrimental to one’s progress. This is an important aspect which should be carefully examined by the organization’s management authority to ensure that the employees of the organization uphold the stipulated moral standards at all times. This involves the application of spatial skills, logical reasoning, numerical skills, verbal skills, and understanding analogies. The intrapersonal communication skills and self control will enable the employees to exercise restraint with sense of purpose at all times. This normally takes center stage when disagreement arises within the organization amongst the employer and the employees (McGregor et al, 2008). This happens especially when the demand of pay increment or allowances exceeds the employer’s capacity. This normally threatens the organization’s peace and tranquility and the employees may cause havoc and bring the business activities to a standstill by holding demonstrations. The emotional intelligence will therefore prevent the employees from damaging the organization’s property upon the occurrence of such exorbitant situations. The employees with apt emotional intelligence are very necessary and sufficient to the organization since they assist the organization in generating the new ideas which are necessary for the running of the organization. Such employees are highly initiative and posses self-confidence which enables them execute their duties diligently thus improving performance of the organization. The personnel dealing with the welfare of the employees should posses’ competence of emotional intelligence. The individual’s involved in the running of the company’s affairs in all levels should discharge their duties with optimism. Emotional intelligence is necessary to the organization, since it enables the organization perform and put various mechanisms in place which enhances the progress of the organization. This includes: assessing the needs of the organization, assessing the individual’s performance, encouraging participation, linking the personal values and goals, assessing motivation and employee job satisfaction. This enables the organization adjust their expectations including the approach of meeting their objectives. Conclusion The main objective of every business organization is to make realistic profits. The organization must therefore perform optimization in order to realize it. This includes putting mechanisms in place to ensure the realization of maximum profits with minimal expenses (Gamble T, & Gamble M, 2010). The business organization therefore must employ appropriate skills in order to achieve set goals. This includes effective communication skills which bring about the mutual understanding between the organization’s employees, management body and the organization’s clients at large. The success behind every business is effective communication; this will foster the marketing of the organization’s products which leads to global attractions of customers. References Mohan, T., McGregor, H., Saunders, S., & Archee, R. (2008). Communication theory and professional practice. South Melbourne, Victoria: Cengage Learning Australia Pty. Limited. Gamble, T. K., & Gamble, M. (2010). Communication and the self-concept: Who are you? New York, NY: McGraw Hill. De Janasz, S., Wood, G., Gogtschalk, L., Dowd, K., & Schneider, B. (2009). The importance and skill of listening. North Ryde, NSW: McGraw Hill Australia Pty. Limited. Young, D. J. (2006). Persuasive communication. Foundations of business communication. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Hybels, S., & Weaver, R. L. (2009). Intercultural communication. New York, NY: McGraw Hill. Read More