Effective Communication Norms in a Business Setting - Research Paper Example

Management Communications Data: Introduction Management communication can be described as the effective interaction between different groups of organizational management. The roles, responsibilities and viewpoints of management in different levels differ from each other which affect the pattern of their overall communication. Communication within any organization mainly refers the interpersonal and employee communication which generally excludes management. The managers of any organization are responsible for determining policies and applying them across different operations which assist businesses to achieve their ultimate goals and objectives (Bell & Smith, 2010). Hence, the management communication is highly important for any organization as they are responsible to effectively and efficiently communicate the policies, processes and future plans of the organization to the subordinates. The further discussion will focus on the analysis and understanding of the principles of management communication and its effectiveness to successfully achieve organizational objectives. Effective Communication Norms in a Business Setting Effective communication is essential for the success of any business organization. To establish strong communication process, organizations need to properly follow the 7 C’s of business communication. The 7 C’s of effective business communication norms are concise, complete, conversational, clear, considerate, concrete and correct (Guffey & Loewy, 2012). The first norm of effective communication describes that business communication need to use concise and straight forward languages to properly deliver the major messages of their communication to the different level of employees and other stakeholders of the organization. Management need to indulge sufficient time to plan a complete business communication process which will ensure that all the essential information has been properly communicated to the recipients during the first time. It will increase the effectiveness of the message while the incomplete communication can hamper the understanding of the employees (Baack, 2012). Guffey & Loewy, (2012) have explained that business communication should be presented in a conversational manner which can assist the management to initiate interactions with receivers. The authors have also mentioned that managements need to be careful to avoid confrontational communication tone that can lead to argument. Hence, this effective communication norm should be more focused on professional presentation of information rather than emotional aspects (Guffey & Loewy, 2012). Effective communication norms also emphasizes on the clarity of the communicated message. Businesses communication needs to be clear enough to properly communicate the information in the first time. Ambiguous message and unclear tone of the communication can create problem in the proper understanding of the core message. Hence, it can restrict the organization to achieve its desired goal. The effective communication process also needs to be considerate to the queries and questions of the recipients. An effective business communication process should welcome questions and clarify it in a better manner to eliminate misconception and misunderstanding. Concreteness in business communication demonstrates confidence of the communicator which assist to increase credibility of information. Correctness can also be considered as one of the important norms of effective business communication which allow the management to properly check the data before presenting them in front of the recipients (Baack, 2012). Role of Interpersonal Communication as a Manager and as an Employee Interpersonal communication process encourages interchange of ideas within different part of any organization. Interpersonal communication within any workplace involves interactions within different levels of the hierarchy such as between superior and subordinates and within the co-workers. Interpersonal communication encourages the interchange of ideas and messages through word, voice tone, gesture, body posture and facial expression (Berger, 2014). As a future manager, interpersonal communication can assist me to strengthen my bond with subordinates and other stakeholders of the organization. It can also enable me to enhance my leadership skills. As an aspiring manager, interpersonal communication skill is essential for me to build workplace cooperation and trust within the staff those are collectively accountable for achieving organizational goal. The major role of interpersonal communication is to enhance the fineness and influence of effective communication of the management (Bell & Smith, 2010). Hence, effective interpersonal communication will allow me to select and utilize words and phrases very tactfully that can influence subordinates to follow the command. Effective interpersonal communication can also influence me to become a powerful communicator while assisting in utilizing my personal strengths (Bell & Smith, 2010). Apart from communicating message, interpersonal communication process also influences the listening power of the management. This role of interpersonal communication is essential for me to open door for new ideas and suggestions that certainly enable me to increase innovativeness in different organizational functions. Proper interpersonal communication methods can also assist me to enhance my managerial capability in terms of boosting the morale and productivity of the employees by strengthening the organizational relationship while eliminating all the communicational barriers. Alternatively, my ineffective and poor interpersonal communication as a manager can increase the confusion and irritation of customers and employees. Poor interpersonal skills will also restrict me to properly instruct employees in terms of the development of their soft and technical skills. Apart from enhancing my managerial competencies, interpersonal communication also assists me to develop my employability skills. Interpersonal communication enables me to enhance my understanding regarding the organizational goals objectives and operations. Hence, it enables me to relate my personal goal with the organizational perspectives. The effectiveness of my interpersonal communication skills allows me to properly and clearly receive the important messages of the higher authority and other stakeholders of the organization. It enables me to properly connect with my team members which subsequently influence us to efficiently manage all the organizational challenges. Effective interpersonal communication assists me to properly deliver my queries and questions to the upper management while adequately clarifying the doubts of other stakeholders such as customers and peers. Finally, it encourages me to efficiently handle and manage conflicts within the team members to increase the harmony within colleagues. Techniques to Overcome Communication Barriers The most common communication barriers in workplaces include psychological, social and technological, cultural and ethical barriers. Barriers to communication can also initiate from wrong choice of media and diversity in languages (Kaul, 2014). The psychological barrier emphasizes on the differences of attitude, opinion, emotion and past experiences of communicator and listeners (Kaul, 2014). To reduce the changes of this kind of communication barrier, I tend to initiate face-to-face communication process to gauge the expression and gesture of the recipient. I also prefer to frequently ask for feedbacks from the receiver to assess their understanding and doubts regarding the communicated message. The cultural factors such as different cultural beliefs and perception regarding signs, symbols and colors also restrict the proper delivery of any communication. For instance, red color is a sign of warning and danger in Western culture, while, it is cited as a sign of prosperity in China (Kaul, 2014). Language can also be considered another important cultural barrier. Hence, I prefer to utilize simple and comprehensible languages to properly convey my message to the receivers. I also make sure to utilize proper language converter or translators to adequately pass my messages. Ethical barrier in communication restrict workers to clearly communicate wrong or unethical issues which further influences moral silence. It also hampers proper delivery and understanding of different moral concerns (Ferrell & Fraedrich, 2014). I prefer to utilize impartial and one-to-one discussion process with all the workers which can enable me to properly receive their queries regarding different ethical dilemmas. To eliminate the technological barriers to communication I consider all the suitable communication channels to reach the appropriate receiver. If the message is very urgent, then I prefer to communicate in person or over phone rather than utilizing e-mail. Role of International and Intercultural Interpersonal Communications International communication refers to the practices of business communication across the international borders. The globalization of businesses and increase in cross-border trading has influenced the international interpersonal communication within a number of organizations. During effective international communication, it is very essential for management to consider the cultural differences of various regions. It is essential for marketers to understand the interchangeable relationship of international and intercultural interpersonal communication process (Ting-Toomey & Chung, 2012). Culture emphasizes on the accepted behaviors and beliefs of any particular social groups or regions across the world (Kaul, 2014). The increase in the international business practices due to the advanced communication technologies and efficient transportation procedure has significantly enhanced the intercultural interpersonal communication as well as global communication. In the current scenario, global business describes more roles and responsibilities than trade relationship between companies from different geographical locations. International and intercultural businesses focus less on border differences and more on interpersonal communications that reduces the cultural barriers and distances. Globalization of businesses has influenced the business communicators to clearly deliver values and initiate concise interactions which promote their cross border efficiency and effectiveness. In today’s global business era, management from different international organizations may perceive their role as business communicator within specific business sector, city or industry but they also need to be aware and well-versed with the languages, values, legal system and culture of different geographical locations they are operating in (Samovar, et al., 2014). Effective international and intercultural communication allows management to eliminate obstacles of communication such as language, attitude, behavior, adaptability etc. The effective international and intercultural interpersonal communication enables marketers in today’s businesses to properly convey their messages to the stakeholders from different geographical and cultural backgrounds. This effective communication assists organizations to create common purposes and sense of mission within the stakeholders from different geographical locations. It also enables the management to standardize their branding and offerings for wide range of customers from different parts of the world. For instance, the effective international and intercultural communication has allowed McDonald’s to generate worldwide emotional response to the mental image of the “Golden Arches” logo. The proper interpersonal communication also assists the organization to effectively communicate with their global employees and franchisees to maintain their business standards in terms of timeliness and cleanliness (Lawrence, 2015). On the other hand, the international and cross-cultural interpersonal communication enables marketers to gather feedbacks and opinions of the stakeholders across the world to emphasize on customer centric products and services. As per example, the proper interpersonal communication has assisted Red Bull to initiate new packaging process in China which focuses on the color preferences of China population (Lawrence, 2015). Verbal and Nonverbal Management Communication Verbal communication defines the utilization of words to deliver intended messages to the receivers. It can be represented in two different forms such as oral and written. The written communication within management influences the usage of traditional processes, electronic documents, text chats, e-mails, SMSs etc. These kinds of communications are indispensible for management in any organization. Other forms of verbal management communication include brochures, contracts, press releases and memos which influence interpersonal communication within management and external and internal stakeholders (Kaul, 2014). This communication process assists the management to easily and efficiently circulate a huge amount of information within a large number of relievers. The oral communication within the management and other employees of any organization also depict another form of verbal communication. This communication process can be considered most effective while it is urgent to deliver any message. Management generally prefers face-to-face meetings, presentations, lectures and workshop to indulge in an effective oral communication within employees or other stakeholders (Guffey & Loewy, 2012). Nonverbal communication describes different modes of wordless expressions such as physical posture, eye contact, gesture, tone of voice, wave, facial expression etc. These methods generally reinforce verbal communications. Business activities involve frequent interaction with clients, investors, customers and employees (Lawrence, 2015). Hence, proper understanding of nonverbal elements of communication provides various benefits in terms of interpersonal relationship with in management and stakeholders. Various nonverbal gestures and communication process delivers the details regarding understanding, attentiveness and trustworthiness of stakeholders. Voice tones, eye contact and physical gesture describe the confidence of communicator (Bell & Smith, 2010). Approaches for Effective Written Management Communication There are a number of approaches that can increase the effectiveness of the written communications of management. The major approach of effective written communication is to concentrate on making sense in the communicated messages. Hence, management should express their ideas in a coherent and orderly way. Management also needs to back up their written messages with believable and strong evidences and statistics. Effective approach of written communication also directs management to design the language, length, argument and evidence of the communication as per the characteristics and understanding of targeted audience. The management also needs to consider the readability and attractiveness of the written messages by utilizing different electronic and technological mediums. Management also needs to consider common languages rather than ornamented words or phrases. This will increase the chances of proper understanding of the messages. Finally, the written communication of management should consist of graphic aids to highlight the important messages and ideas for smooth and proper delivery of the information (Berger, 2014). Approaches for Engaging an Audience and Encouraging Active Listening during Presentation The engagement and active listening of audience during any presentation is extremely essential for the proper delivery of the important messages. Hence, management needs to work on the attractiveness and adaptability of the presentation to increase chances of proper distribution of messages. Before, the presentation, presenter needs to distribute study materials or online surveys to the audience. This process will engage the audience in the presentation subject prior to the meeting. It will also assist them to come up with their questions according to the subject area. Therefore, the presenter needs to plan an interactive opening session which will enhance the understanding of the audiences regarding the subject area of the presentation. Presenter should use the slides or queue notes only for back up and must concentrate on conducting an interactive session. During the preparation of the presentation benefits of the audience need to be considered in each point. Hence, the presenter should communicate the benefits in relation to the audience through various real life evidences, stories and statistical reports. Eye contact, posture, body language and modulation of voice play very important role in the process of presentation to engage the audience and grab their interest. Allow various scopes of humor within the presentation to cut the monotonous tone of the process. The presenter must include short video clips and pictures to grab the attention of the audience. Finally, the presentation should encourage a short interaction round after each topic to judge the active listening and understanding of the audience (Guffey & Loewy, 2012). Effective Methods of Conflict Resolution Conflict within the workforces of any organization can increase the disagreement within team members. This situation can also hamper team efforts and harmony of the workers. Hence, management needs to focus on effective conflict resolution process to increase the productivity of the workforce. Management should take adequate disciplinary actions to limit the conflicts within organization (Wiedmer, 2011). Disciplinary actions should be circulated within different teams of any organization through a written document which will clearly convey all the unacceptable behavior and practices within organization. The management needs to gather the workforce for a meeting on a time to time basis to discuss different issues that enforce conflict within organization. The practice of arbitration can also be utilized to resolve conflict. This process will influence management to introduce any third-party agency to communicate with workers regarding all the issues lead to conflict. Therefore, this authority will be responsible for providing neutral solution to the management (Wiedmer, 2011). Techniques for Leading Teams and Group Meetings To lead a group or team, meeting management needs to follow a number of techniques or ground rules. In the primary level, management needs to focus on the arrangement of the meeting logistics. The management should determine an important as well as realistic goal for the meeting. Hence, proper agenda need to be distributed to the team members before the actual meeting. The manager also needs to assign various responsibilities regarding the meeting to the team members to ensure their engagement in the activity and the meeting subject. The meeting should initiate with clear goals and objectives. The discussion of the meeting should be lead by delegating appropriate issues to team members. The meeting should include the feedbacks and understandings of the team members. The management should draft a written conclusion to the attendants of the meeting which includes decisions and action plans as per the conducted meeting (Baack, 2012). Conclusion The overall discussion has evaluated the importance of interpersonal management communication within any organization to increase the employee employer relationship. The discussion has also evaluated the role and effectiveness of interpersonal communication during the globalization of today’s businesses. The study has emphasized on different types and norms of communication to emphasize on the efficient choice of communication modes and mediums to increase the effectiveness of the team members within any organization. The discussion has evaluated the value of both verbal as well as nonverbal communication of management to enhance the proper delivery of messages throughout the intended audience of any organization. The discussion has efficiently elaborated that the proper selection of modes and methods of communication by the management assist the organization to effectively circulate the important messages which subsequently improve the performance of employees in terms of achieving organizational goals. References Baack, D. (2012). Management communication. California: Bridgepoint Education. Bell, A. H. & Smith, D. M. (2010). Management Communication. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Berger, C. R. (Ed.). (2014). Interpersonal communication (Vol. 6). Germany: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. Ferrell, O. C. & Fraedrich, J. (2014). Business ethics: Ethical decision making & cases. Connecticut: Cengage learning. Guffey, M. E. & Loewy, D. (2012). Essentials of business communication. Connecticut: Cengage Learning. Kaul, A. (2014). Effective business communication. New Delhi: PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. Lawrence, T. (2015). Global leadership communication: A strategic proposal.Creighton Journal of Interdisciplinary Leadership, 1(1), 51-59. Samovar, L., Porter, R., McDaniel, E. & Roy, C. (2014). Intercultural communication: A reader. Connecticut: Cengage Learning. Ting-Toomey, S. & Chung, L. C. (2012). Understanding intercultural communication. New York: Oxford University Press. Wiedmer, T. L. (2011). Workplace bullying: costly and preventable. Morality in education, 35-41. Read More