Addressing a Situation of Effective Communication - Assignment Example

Addressing a Situation of Effective Communication Effective communication requires that messages are conveyed to other people clearly and without distortion. It also means receiving the information other people are sending to you with minimal distortion. This therefore requires that both the sender and the receiver to try and pass information using the best channel as messages are vulnerable to misinterpretation and fraught hence leading to confusion and a waste of efforts or even miss of opportunities. In fact communication can only be termed successful when both the sender and receiver understand that information. Efficient communication is vital for every business undertaking. However, it depends on the information being conveyed, received and whatever is being taken in. A barrier is created when there is an obstacle to good communication. These barriers include complex language, unclear details and sometimes complicated technical terms or even noise. Communication is important in businesses due to the many complex processes in which business dealings are involved in, and the need to pass information to many stakeholders involved in it. These stakeholders may include customers, executives, salespeople as well as managers, who wish to know how the business is activities are going on. This paper will discuss the characteristics of the audiences required when presenting quarterly sales information to a group of business stakeholders who include the managers, salespeople and customers. It will also look at the appropriate communication channels and the important factors to consider, regarding the diversity of the audience. Lastly, it will also talk about how to ensure the message conveyed is effective to the stakeholders attending the meeting. The Corresponding Audience When presenting quarterly sales information to more than one audience, the presenter might have to discuss various sections specifically according to the corresponding audience. The audience can be defined as the people the message seeks to address. You intend to pass information to an audience; therefore, the information has to have relevance to the audience and should be conveyed using the right channels. The audiences differ according to the levels of specialization with regard to the topic being discussed. In business communication for example, one would have to deal with divisions such as managers, experts and technicians, executives and non specialists. Depending on the above divisions, it may be obvious that one may develop one channel of communication that can be applied to both the specialists and the non specialists order to enable them get whatever is being discussed. Business experts are people who are aware of the business undertakings and may have participated in the design of the business, while on the other hand, the non specialists maybe the people who consume the business products and are not fully conversant with the business processes. It is therefore important to know which of the channels to use to address all of these groups in order for them to understand whatever information is being conveyed. Communication Channels Face to face channel is one of the common channels used in sales. This channel involves addressing a larger group of people. One of the various forms of face to face presentation that can be applied to present business quarterly sales information involves the use of spreadsheets, showing graphs, PowerPoint presentations to the audience. One of the advantages of this channel of communication is that it caters for the needs of the audiences. For instance, Deborah Romaine and Gary McClain (2007) noted that constant face to face communication daily promotes good feelings as well as collaborative and effective work. The stakeholders will be targeted most with information explaining how the company has gained or lost finances using the quarterly sales charts through power point slides. The customers might as well understand since the slides depict whatever is being said and they can as well ask for clarification wherever there are misconceptions. In the business field for example, there is the business to business and the business to person methods. The business to business method involves discussion between parties involved in the business field while the business to person method is conducted between business experts and people outside the business field, in most cases the customers. There is need to adopt the face to face communication because it engages all these parties in the discussion. John Naisbitt (2009) brought a new concept called the high tech, high touch, having the main idea that in as much as human beings continue to become adapted to the modern communication technologies, personal interaction would still be the best way of sharing ideas. Looking at an instance where there is an extra ordinary happening such as a land slide for example and the news media air these events, we will always strive to get opportunities to share the grief. We will struggle to go to the site and get a personal view and evidence of the event; this is how powerful face to face communication is. Face to face meetings are at the top of the scale of richness because they provide comprehensive use of all the human senses and constant feedback according to John (2009). They also provide the synergistic effect which normally improves the outcome of the stakeholders’ actions. Through successive conveyance of information, thoughts and ideas are shared. Developing a relationship with an audience and controlling them often requires the ability to present convincing information that engages all the stakeholders (Gary & Deborah, 2007). The stakeholders in turn receive immediate feedback and can also be able to videotape the discussion for future reference. Given the diversity of the audience, is important to put in mind some vital considerations. These include the type of language used in the presentation. The presenter has to try to use simple terms as possible for all to understand. Technical terms should be defined so that the audience gets the information. Another factor that should be considered is that unnecessary information should be omitted. This especially applies to PowerPoint presentations so as to avoid confusing the audience. The presenter must also try as much as possible to use examples to communicate to the audience, since use of examples is the most powerful way of connecting with the audience and especially in explanations. In order to ensure the message is effective, the presenter has to explain to their audience the reason as to why it is important to know about the business operations such that the audience gets to know the importance of listening to whatever is being discussed. Conclusion In order to consider business communication successful, there has to be a right audience and the right channels of communication have to be chosen so as to reach the audience effectively. The presenter has to convince the audience that there is need to listen to whatever is being discussed. References Gary M. & Deborah S. (2007) The Everything Managing People Book: Quick and Easy Ways to Build, Motivate. Adam media Publications Company, USA. John Naisbitt (2009) Mind Set!: Eleven Ways to Change the Way You See--And Create--The Future. Harper paperbacks, USA. Read More