Acquiring Business Communication Skills Necessary for Business Graduates - Essay Example

Module Executive Summary Human beings are complex entities that use different communication methods to understand each other andinteract in a healthy manner. However, people do not always understand each other and this development gives rise to the need for effective communication to ensure that individuals interact appropriately. Effective communication skills are needed in every communication process to ensure that the intended message gets to the recipient through an appropriate channel. This paper discusses general communication skills that assist individuals in socialising, important communication skills in the workplace and their significance, and recommendations for improving one’s communication skills. Communication Skills INTRODUCTION Since the beginning of time, human beings have interacted by using various methods of communication such as verbal and nonverbal cues, in an effort to understand each other and cooperate through different tasks. Communication can be described as the process of imparting, participating and conveying information from one individual to another using an appropriate channel. Communication involves four elements, which include the sender, the message, the channel and the recipient. In the business world, managers and employees need to communicate effectively in order to work towards achieving the organisation’s goals and objectives (Cheesebro, Linda and Francisco 4). Identify and evaluate types of general communication skills General communication skills refer to the basic communication competences that people use in the society or family settings. General communication skills are necessary for effective interaction with others in an informal context. They help individuals to understand people and situations, resolve conflicts, show affection, build trust and establish serene environments that promote healthy interaction. General communication skills include nonverbal communication skills and verbal communication skills (Worth 6). Verbal communication skills Verbal communication skills consist of speaking and listening skills. In various contexts, normal communication process mainly involves conversations where words are used to exchange of ideas, views and information. For the individuals involved to understand each other during a conversation, intelligible speech has to be made and the recipients need to listen in order to comprehend the message. Speaking skills involve articulating one’s words to be brief, clear and concise (Robinson, Jeanne and Robert). This helps the recipients to understand each word and process it to form meaning. One also needs to use the right tone and volume when speaking in order to show emotions, assist the recipients in understanding the situation and to be audible enough for message to reach the recipients. Language is one of the most important things that an individual should consider when speaking. An individual can use well-articulated words, the right tone and the right volume, but if the language used cannot be understood, the recipients cannot get the message. Therefore, a language that can be easily understood by both the recipients and the sender should be used when an individual needs to transmit a message. The quantity and quality of words used when speaking should be relevant to the context, for example, friends can hold lengthy conversations and use a lot of jargon but still understand each other. This may not happen when people with huge age differences speak (Palea, Georgeta, and Annamaria 4673). Listening skills are also very important in every verbal communication. The sender may pass the message effectively but without using proper listening skills, the recipient will not process and evaluate the information. Individuals need to take note of the words used by the sender to communicate a message. This assists in establishing the key points and understanding what the conversation is all about. A serene environment fosters effective communication since noise and other distractions hinder an individual’s ability to listen effectively. Therefore, listening is a general communication skill that is very important in every effective communication process (Robles 455). Nonverbal communication skills Non-verbal skills refer to the body language used when individuals are expressing themselves. Body language consists of wordless communication skills such as eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, voice tone, and posture that utilise the whole body to aid in the communication process. Nonverbal communication skills are very important in that they assist the sender to enhance communication, therefore, providing an emotional attachment to the message being conveyed. They can help the recipient to recognise emotions or feelings that are not hidden or not easily said. The recipient needs to be observant and analytical in order to note the different nonverbal cues that are expressed by the sender. The sender needs to use the nonverbal communication skills effectively to help in expressing his or her message in a clearer manner (Robinson, Jeanne and Robert). Identify and evaluate types (or categories) of business communication skills Communication in the workplace encompasses the general communication skills and other communication skills such as writing skills and visual communication skills. These communication skills are important in the organisation as they foster effective communication, therefore, helping the business run smoothly (Windle and Suzanne). Verbal communication skills In every organisation, verbal communication skills are utilised to ensure that there is effective communication between the employees and the managers. As noted in the preceding section, speaking skills and listening skills are very significant in every verbal communication. The employees and the managers need to speak clearly and listen to each other to ascertain that the message is well understood. Where certain issues are not understood, the employees need to ask questions to confirm the message conveyed and avoid misinterpretations. The speakers should display confidence in their words to persuade the audience. On the other hand, the audience should practice active listening skills to capture the message conveyed. In this category, there is also telephone etiquette, which is a communication skill that emphasises on the ability to handle telephone conversations in a courteous and respectful manner. This is because telephones are widely used in many organisations to convey quick messages (Robles 458). Writing skills In the workplaces, writing skills are emphasised as they form a crucial part of communication within and outside the organisation. The organisation has to write letters, emails and memos to contractors, suppliers, customers and the employees. Employees should have writing skills that would enable them to pen documents that can effectively pass messages using the correct format (Cheesebro, Linda and Francisco 17). Empathy This is a communication skill that stresses the need for an individual to show understanding for other people’s feelings. In the workplace, the employees, customers or other stakeholders will engage in a better communication process with the people that attempt to understand their feelings. When one communicates with pride and arrogance he or she is subject to negative emotions from the recipients. Empathetic communicators will receive positive feedback from the recipients and will also be seen as transparent and honest. Therefore, it is important for managers to show empathy when engaging in communication with their employees as it helps enhance their communication process (Worth 14). Non-Verbal Communication skills As stated in the previous section, non-verbal communication skills are important in establishing the emotions of the communicator. In the workplace, non-verbal communication skills can help the employees and the managers to understand each other’s emotions and realise issues or conflicts that cannot be communicated easily. The people working in the organisation need to be keen on the non-verbal communication to enhance their ability to understand each other. In many organisations, there is need to use visual communication skills, which also emphasise on the importance of observation (Worth 15). Employees and managers in a company may share information and ideas through presentations, which may require them to observation and analytical skills (Robinson, Jeanne and Robert). Give examples of how communication skills can be used in business environment with references to reliable and relevant sources Communication skills are utilised in many aspects of an organisation, for example to transmit ideas, proposals, information and plans to the employees during meetings. They are also utilised when the company wants to attract new talent by communicating to interested candidates through appropriate interview invitations (Worth 31). Communication skills can be utilised in job interviews to help in the selection of appropriate candidates as they are used to help the selection panel to choose the right candidates. Communication skills can also be used in the interaction process with the customers, suppliers, employees and other stakeholders to assist the company in obtaining market, raw materials, and human resources to work in the achievement of its goals (Windle and Suzanne). Communication skills are also important in conveying information about the company’s future and making future plans. They assist in controlling and coordinating meetings and aid in monitoring progress of the goal attainment. Through effective communication skills, the managers are able to share the company’s goals with the employees and notify every person about their role in the organisation. Communication skills are also important in enhancing the organisation’s public image and the marketing process. Using effective communication skills, the company is able to display its strengths and achievement thus creating a good rapport with the people (Palea, Georgeta, and Annamaria 4677). Give recommendations to the undergraduate students on how they can develop different business communication skills whilst they are studying different modules of their course Individuals can improve their communication skills by applying the following recommendations. Firstly, to improve the listening skills, individuals need to focus all their attention on the communicator. A person should not think about what he or she will say next but instead concentrate on picking up the key issues in the conversation. The individual also should learn to listen without making any interruptions. One needs to wait for his or her turn to speak. In case of a noisy environment of one that has many distractions, the individual should choose a location that promotes the listening abilities. Showing interest during the conversation through active listening helps to enhance the communication process (Cheesebro, Linda and Francisco 17). Secondly, an individual can practice observing other people when it comes to improving non-verbal communication skills. This helps to improve observational skills and notice how people match nonverbal cues with their words. An individual should also learn to use and observe body language according to the context, thus recognising that individual differences such as culture and age. This should help one realise that different people use nonverbal signals to mean different things. One should also read nonverbal signals collectively as they usually complement each other and the words used (Robles 465). Individuals can improve their writing skills by reading the relevant material concerning writing. They can also review writing samples. To improve on empathy, the individuals can try to understand the recipients’ feelings and show concern for the issues affecting (Windle and Suzanne). CONCLUSION Effective communication is crucial in every business setting as it enables the employees to form and maintain meaningful relationships, solve disputes and understand one another. Research shows that an organisation’s performance can be linked to the nature of the communication between the employees and managers. Poor communication leads to poor performance while effective communication contributes to the success of the organisation. Communication skills such as active listening and body language play a significant role in the communication process (Windle and Suzanne). Communication skills are the different kinds of abilities that individuals use to help them to communicate. These include speaking or language skills, writing skills, active listening, body language and observation skills among others. These skills affect the manner in which individuals transmit information to others and how well the recipients understand the message. In the work place, communication skills are key to determining an individual’s level of success (Robles 455). Works Cited Cheesebro, Thomas, Linda Connor, and Francisco Rios. Communicating in the workplace. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print. Palea, Adina, Georgeta Ciobanu, and Annamaria Kilyeni. "Educational Skills in Training Landscape Architecture Students: Developing Communication Skills." Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 46 (2012): 4672-4677. Print. Robinson, Lawrence, Jeanne Segal, and Robert Segal. "Effective Communication." : Improving Communication Skills in Business and Relationships. N.p., 12 July 2013. Web. 11 Feb. 2014. http://www.helpguide.org/mental/effective_communication_skills.htm Robles, M. M.. "Executive Perceptions of the Top 10 Soft Skills Needed in Todays Workplace." Business Communication Quarterly 75.4 (2012): 453-465. Print. Windle, Rod, and Suzanne Warren. "CADRE Resources." Communication Skills. N.p., 3 Dec. 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2014. http://www.directionservice.org/cadre/section4.cfm Worth, Richard. Communication skills. 3rd ed. New York: Ferguson, 2009. Print. Read More