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The Principles of Management and Communications
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The Principles of Management and Communications
Introduction
In today’s age of cut-throat competition and ever-changing business dynamics, every business is struggling to rise high above its competitors to capture the maximum market share. In the recent times, it has become extremely important to look for the challenges of the current business environment and cope up with them in an efficient manner so that the business can sustain for a longer period. Moreover, as it has already established, sustainability is not the only option and priority of business organizations nowadays. Companies want to progress, grow, and become noticed in the eyes of the customers or potential customers in the market.
In order to achieve this goal or dream, the business organizations in the world work very hard. They design different strategies, plan various approaches, and adopt multiple styles to achiever their afore-mentioned dream. Undoubtedly proper planning and execution play a very vital role in the success and prosperity of any organization, but there are some other factors as well that pose great importance for the development of a business. These factors include strong leadership, powerful decision, great marketing, efficient customer service, and effective communication. Communication holds great importance in the life of a company no matter what the nature of the business is and in what market it dealing. Whether the business is a small or a large multi-national corporation, the prospect of communication always plays a crucial role in the proper functioning of it.
Effective communication is not only required to pass on the internal information outside the organization like advertisement and marketing but also the communication within the organization. This kind of communication refers to the exchange of different kinds of messages and information across the various departments of the organization (Conrad, 2014). It would not be inappropriate if it is said that this kind of communication or internal communication is more vital for the proper functioning and operations of an organization as compared to external communication. Moreover, external communication is also a result of the proper and successfully executed internal communication. More elaborate the internal communication, more effective will be the flow and content of the external communication.
Discussion
The term communication refers to the exchange or imparting of the information by various methods. These methods comprise of writing, speaking, gestures, and postures or with the help of electric means. As humans, we need effective communication on a daily basis in order to explain our needs and demands to the other person or an audience. Communication is also required to present a point or a concept to the other person, whether they are a single person or a group of people. In short, communication is very important
It goes without any doubt that communication has great importance in a business setting. Any business person, whether working at the top level of management or the lowermost level, can benefit significantly by paying attention to the learning and development of the communication etiquettes in business.
Effective Communication Norms in a Business Setting
Communication norms refer to those patterns or acceptable (even appreciated) set of values that are expected in a communication process. These communication patterns are considered appropriate and respectful and are highly recommended by communication experts to make the whole process more productive and fruitful. Communication norms are not anything that some institute or organization can make you learn, but this is a learned trait and cultural entity. It forms a part of the cultural socialization process. These traits and norms are learned by the family and the society in which a person is born and grows up. These also form an important function of race and ethnicity.
Talking strictly about the communication process in business settings, communication in the business setups is goal-oriented. It is governed and regulated by certain rules and regulations that are prevailing in the organization. Policies established by the higher management and followed by the lower staff also control the communication process in an organizational setting. It is strictly observed in the business communication processes that the communication is kept strictly formal, and the person being addressed in the process is treated according to their designation. One of the common factors which are observed in the communication process, whether it’s in a business setup or any communication process in is respect.
Role of Interpersonal Communication both As a Manager and As an Employee
Interpersonal communication is the process by which people exchange information, feelings, emotions, and messages directly. Inter-personal communication may be verbal or non-verbal. There are four main types of interpersonal communication; verbal, listening, written, and non-verbal communication. Most of the times, this type of communication is usually face-to-face, but in the case of business communication, interpersonal communication is mostly carried on in the written form (Miller, & Barbour, 2014). This may be in the form of letters, memos, reports, financial documents, and most commonly e-mail.
Interpersonal communication is very important in the case of a business set up both in the case of a manager and an employee. A manager requires an effective communication process so that he or she can cultivate better employee relations with their employees. Moreover, effective communication from the side of manager boosts productivity at the workplaces as it motivates the employee and builds up their trust in the management.
Communication from the side of employees is essential both to maintain a stable level of relationship between the higher management and the employee. Moreover, a good level of communication allows the employee to pass on his or her issues or complaints in an effective manner to the manager.
Specific Techniques I Have Used To Overcome Barriers to Communication
Barriers to communication refer to anything or any reason that that prevents the proper exchange of information. These reasons or barriers prevent a person from properly receiving and understanding the message, information, or ideas being conveyed in the communication process. These barriers may be regarding the message, internal barriers that refer to thoughts and feelings, and (or), external barriers.
Although many factors affect the communication process at a workplace or in an organization, there are majorly seven types of communication barriers that severely damage or distort a communication process. These are
physical barriers
perceptual barriers
Cultural Barriers
Emotional Barriers
Gender-based Barriers
Language barriers
Interpersonal Barriers
I have also faced multiple situations in my organization, where I was faced with one or more than one type of communication barriers. I effectively came over these barriers or hindrances by using these simple and extremely handy techniques which helped me out to convey my message more appropriately and clearly.
Keep your message precise and to the point. Do not elongate it unnecessarily and try to avoid wordiness.
Avoid using slang.
Keep a positive mindset while receiving and sending a message.
Role of International, Intercultural and Interpersonal Communications in Today’s Global Businesses
As technology is progressing day by and new methods and techniques of communication are being invented by science every other day, the process of conveying one’s message is becoming more and more convenient. The advent in the areas of science and technology has converted the world into a global village and brought the people of the world closer. Where there were many hurdles and complications in the communications process in the previous times, the message became distorted or useless till the time it reached the receiver. The world of business has also progressed significantly in the manner that companies are now not limited to a single region or country (Sorrells, 2015). The organizations have now spread their operations all over the world, and now, companies can be seen working in different states, providing their services and products to the people of other countries as well. The process of communication, especially intercultural communication, gains great importance in this respect as the individuals belonging to various cultures and backgrounds, come and work together for a single cause. If handled properly, international, intercultural, and interpersonal can bring great results inside the organization.
Verbal and Nonverbal Management Communication
Communication consists of two major types: Verbal and Non-Verbal.
Verbal Management Communication
Verbal communication refers to the communication carried on using words, whether they are written, spoken, or signed. The ability to incorporate a language apart from mere sounds into the messages or the communication process is the ability that separates humans from the other species of the world. Verbal communication holds great importance in management as it aids in communication all the information within the organization. All the important and necessary information within an organization is carried on in a verbal manner as it increases the authenticity and reliability. This kind of information may be downward or upward.
Nonverbal Management Communication
Non-verbal communication consists of exchanging all the messages or information without the use of words. No language is required to convey a message in non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication mostly consists of body language, like gesture, posture, eye contact, facial expressions, etc. (Mehrabian, 2017). Touch is also considered a very strong form of non-verbal communication as it communicates a number of messages and can even tell about the personality characteristics of a person. Non-verbal communication also has significant value as a pat on the back or a nudge may mean a lot than words.
Approaches for Effective Written Management Communication
At this stage, it goes without saying that written communication is the most important type of communication in an organizational setup. In fact, it would be inappropriate if it is said that written communication is the backbone of any communication process in any organization.
In previous times, the written communication was mostly carried on, on paper. There used to be letters, reports, memos, and legal documents (Lewis, 2019). All the communication was handwritten and recorded on paper, but the advancements in technology have revolutionized everything, and now most of the communication is carried on electronically. Organizations and companies now prefer to carry on their communication through electronic sources. The most common way of communication currently seen in organizations, whether big or small is e-mail. An e-mail has proven to be a very handy and beneficial tool for the organizations, working locally and globally, as it saves a lot of time and cost incurred on the paper. But the norms and regulations for written communication have remained the same. A manager can make his or her written message more powerful and influential by considering some simple tools while drafting the message. These are:
Proper choice of words
Clarity in content
Inoffensive Language
Positive or neutral tone of writing
Unbiased Approach
Various Approaches for Engaging an Audience during a Presentation and Encouraging Active Listening
Meetings and presentations are an integral and unavoidable part of today’s business scenario. A manager has to conduct group meeting and presentations on a regular basis to keep track of the current progress or position of the company or discuss the strategies for the upcoming challenges of the market. In this respect, it is extremely important that the audience of such a kind of gathering, whether a meeting, seminar, conference or a presentation remains attentive and gives their 100% attention to the message being delivered. Attention spans have become interestingly short, and the mind of the audience attending any conference or meeting wander away here and there quickly (Baym, 2015). There may be distractions inside or outside the venue, or the audience may be pre-occupied with their own challenges of life or work. Hence, in order to grab the attention of the audience attending the conference is a very tough task. In such a situation, the speaker or presenter should take the following steps in order to keep the attention towards himself or herself:
Sticking strictly to the message.
Keeping the pace of the presentation or meeting slow and steady
Keeping the session interactive
Cracking jokes occasionally so that the audience does not get bored
Bringing changes in the tone according to the situation in the presentation.
Effective Methods of Conflict Resolution
Conflict refers to the disagreement between two people or parties on a similar point or concept. Conflict arises when two or more parties have a different opinion for the same idea. This disagreement may be personal, financial, economic, political, or emotional.
Conflict is an unavoidable factor in any setup where two or more individuals come together. This union may be for the achievement of a common goal or to fulfill a societal need. Conflict especially occurs in a business or organizational setups where more than one individuals are working together to achieve a common goal. In order to avoid such a situation or find a solution to this disagreement, there is a process adopted by managers in almost all the organizations (Ramsbotham, Miall, & Woodhouse, 2011). This process is known as conflict resolution. Conflict resolution refers to finding a peaceful solution for the disagreement so that it works for both the parties. A manager, supervisor or any person at an authoritative position should adopt the following strategies to provide a successful and effective resolution to the conflicts in the case of a conflict
Use the techniques of active listening skills to understand the issue appropriately.
Determine the most suitable method or medium to deal with the issue.
Keep the door of communication open for all the parties.
Try to address the issues privately.
Techniques for Leading Teams and Group Meetings
Meeting is a gathering of individuals for the purpose of discussing and formulating the solution to any problem. Meetings are also conducted to discuss various options and make decisions regarding the strategies and methods of carrying on various procedures in organizations. Effective meetings are highly charged and full of energy events where the participants are bombarding the speakers with ideas that how to solve and issue or what procedure to adopt while addressing the any latest challenge (Malhotra, Majchrzak, & Rosen, 2007). The best techniques that a leader or manager can adopt to lead their teams or group meetings are as follows:
Be a role model for your followers
Always go in a meeting or presentation with an agenda
Always have a positive approach towards life and work.
Be an encourager.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, it can be seen that communication is an important aspect of everyone’s life, whether they say it or not. Without communication, the world would not have been completed. Communication garners much more importance in the case of an organizational setup, where the process of communication is being carried out at a large level. There are certain norms of business communication that need to be followed, in order to make the process a successful one, but the most crucial ones are respect and integrity. In addition to this, there are certain barriers in the way of a communication process that can be effectively removed by adopting multiple smart approaches. Communication is important every level, whether is the manager or the lowest grade employee. There are two kinds of communication, verbal and non-verbal. Another critical skill that should be possessed by a manger is the art of conflict management.
References
Baym, N. K. (2015). Connect with your audience! The relational labor of connection. The Communication Review, 18(1), 14-22.
Conrad, D. (2014). Workplace communication problems: Inquiries by employees and applicable solutions. Journal of business studies quarterly, 5(4), 105.
Lewis, L. (2019). Organizational change: Creating change through strategic communication. John Wiley & Sons.
Malhotra, A., Majchrzak, A., & Rosen, B. (2007). Leading virtual teams. Academy of Management perspectives, 21(1), 60-70.
Mehrabian, A. (2017). Nonverbal communication. Routledge.
Miller, K., & Barbour, J. (2014). Organizational communication: Approaches and processes. Nelson Education.
Ramsbotham, O., Miall, H., & Woodhouse, T. (2011). Contemporary conflict resolution. Polity.
Sorrells, K. (2015). Intercultural communication: Globalization and social justice. Sage publications.
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