Dr.

Shradha Sudin Naik Roll No :541111376

MBA-HCS MB0039Business Communication (Book ID B1128) Set 1

Q.1 Importance of effective communication skills in workplace. Ans : The importance of communication skills in the workplace lies in the fact that you will be working with other people. Whether youre a paper-pusher, industrial worker, executive and everything in between communication is a part of your job. One person cant work alone in a vacuum and really be able to get things done within an organization. This is just impossible. Think about it: even if you have your own company, you will still need the help of others to promote it. You need to be able to communicate to other companies to acquire the things you will need in order to produce. At the very least, you need to communicate to other people in order to persuade them to support your business. Here are examples showing the importance of communication skills in the workplace: 1) Interoffice Communication This is the best example in showing the importance of communication skills in the workplace. In offices, people often receive memorandums, letters and other types of interoffice communication. These are used to coordinate the efforts of the people within the company. Fast and accurate communication is required to make a company more efficient. This means that the people who send messages should have effective communication skills. However, it also means that the people receiving the messages should be able to interpret them correctly. Whether you are a boss or an employee, this importance of communication skills in the workplace should be quite evident to you. People need to communicate inside the company. As a boss, you have to let your subordinates know what you want to accomplish.

As an employee, you would want to understand what your boss wants in order for you to do it. 2) Social Interaction Despite the insistence of many companies to eliminate personal relationships within a workplace, attachments will be formed between workers. This is because of the fact that socialization is an inherent part of being human. A persons social ability often determines his or her professional success. 3) Company Communications Companies need other companies in order to help them out. This was mentioned on the first part of the article but let us elaborate on the subject. No company can survive on its own. Each company needs raw materials, equipment and other things that come from other people. The importance of communication skills in the workplace can be found in this fact. More people should understand the importance of communication skills in the workplace. Not many folks understand that their jobs often hang in the balance because of this skill. Your ability to get your message across to other people does determine just how effective you are as a worker.

Q.2 Explain the different aspects of non verbal communication. Ans : Nonverbal communication has received much attention in the areas of business presentation, sales and marketing, and the development of social skills. Little attention, however, has been given to its importance in general communication despite major differences in cultural use and interpretation of body language, expression, personal space and other nonverbal tools. It is estimated that less than ten percent of interpersonal communication involves words, the remainder being made up of voice tone, sounds and a variety of devices such as kinetics (movement), haptics (touch), oculesics (eye-contact), proxemics (space) and chronomics (time) as well as posture, sound symbols and silence, which either replace or accompany words. Different studies have identified a wide variety of types of nonverbal communication. The following is a relatively simple classification: Kinesics body motions (blushes, shrugs, eye movement, foot-tapping, drumming fingers) spatial separation (in relation both the social and physical environment)

Proxemics

Haptics Oculesics Chronemics Olfactics Vocalics Sound Symbols Silence Adornment Posture Locomotion Expression

touch eye contact use of time, waiting, pausing smell tone of voice, timbre, volume, speed grunting, mmm, er, ah, uh-huh, mumbling, absence of sound (muteness, stillness, secrecy) clothing, jewellery, hairstyle position of the body (characteristic or assumed) walking, running, staggering, limping frowns, grimaces, smirks, smiles, pouting

It is often assumed that nonverbal communication is a transferable skill. However, there are two major problematic factors: firstly that, like speech, it has both form and function, and, secondly, that it is not always directly translatable. It is the first of these factors which makes nonverbal communication difficult to teach, and the second which leads to breakdowns and misunderstandings in intercultural communication. Gestures, expressions and all other forms of nonverbal communication have functions, which, as with language, need to be taught along with their forms. In the same way as language items, some paralinguistic expressions have several functions, while nonverbal communication in general performs the three basic functions of managing identity, defining relationships, and conveying attitudes and feelings (but not ideas): Form Nod (Yes) Shrug (I dont know) Main Function (in some cultures) Repeating Substituting

Scratch head, quizzical look Tone of voice, pointing Hand raised Head shake Eye movements Staring/Looking down or away Raised fist Hand-shake Touching, kissing Over-adornment

Complementing Accenting Regulating, turn taking Contradicting Deceiving Dominating/Submitting Aggression Socialising Arousal Boasting

Misunderstandings occur because the functions of paralinguistic forms vary from culture to culture, although there are some universal nonverbals such as smiles, laughter and sour expressions. There are also differences according to gender and age. Nonverbal communication tends to be relatively ambiguous and open to interpretation while its influence often depends on the nature of the listener, particularly when it is unclear whether the messages conveyed are deliberate or unconscious. Nonverbal indicators are most common in polychronic cultures, in which an individual often performs several tasks simultaneously. The following are examples of common gestures which have different functions and meanings in different cultures:

Nonverbal and verbal communication are normally inseparable, which, for example, is why it may seem so difficult to use the telephone in a foreign language. It needs to be taught and practised situationally, in the right contexts, and with plenty of cultural input and awareness. Given its importance, there is a singular lack of material for the teacher which focuses on this aspect of communication, but here are a few techniques: Learners discuss the meaning of gestures and expressions (either demonstrated by the teacher, from pictures, or from existing published materials. This is particularly effective with multilingual classes.

Learners watch a video clip without sound, then discuss and write the dialogue. Learners act out a dialogue using gesture and expression only: A: Excuse me. Can you take a picture of me? B: Yeah, sure. A: Just press that button. B: Er, which one? A: The one on the top. B: OK, right. Er.... can you move back a bit. A: Is this OK? B: Fine, now smile. That's it. Very nice. A: Thanks. B: Not at all. You've got a lovely smile. Er... fancy a drink? A: OK, but I've got no money on me. B: That's OK. I'll pay.

Learners, in pairs, take turns in listening to each other for 30 seconds, using only nonverbal responses.

Nonverbal communication has implications for the teacher as well as the learner. It is often said that one can always recognise a language teacher by their use of gesture in normal conversation, while it is certainly true that a system of gestures has evolved which allows a teacher to perform aspects of classroom management quickly, quietly and efficiently. Gestures for 'work in pairs', 'open your books', 'listen' and 'write' are universal, while individual teachers have developed nonverbal repertoires involving the use of fingers to represent words, expressions to denote approval/disapproval and gestures to indicate time, tense and other linguistic features, and hence systems for instruction, correction and management which well-trained learners respond to immediately. The effective use of nonverbal cues assists in a wide range of classroom practices by adding an extra dimension to the language: reducing unnecessary teacher talking time

increasing learner participation confidence building reducing fear of silence clear instructions efficient classroom management classroom atmosphere improving listening skills improving performance in pair and group activities self and peer correction avoiding misunderstandings improving intercultural competence

Teachers, however, should always remember that the meanings of gestures and other nonverbal cues need to be taught in the same way as the meaning of essential classroom language, also that a number of nonverbal techniques already exist in their repertoire, such as the use of cuisenaire rods, colours and charts, adapted from the Silent Way. Make sure that the learners understand your codes, and teach them to use them themselves.

Q.3 write short notes on

A) UPWARD COMMUNICATION. Communication is an integral part of working in the business environment. Individuals communicate various pieces of information to internal and external business stakeholders. While much of the business communication in organizations flows from directors or managers to employees, upward communication channels also can exist. Upward communication channels are the methods that lower-level or front-line employees use to transfer messages to managers, supervisors and directors. These channels may face significant barriers for employees attempting to send feedback or other communication to higher-level management. Communication Medium

Upward communication channels may be crippled by the communication mediums available to lower-level employees. Directors or managers often use multiple communication channels, such as telephones, letters, memos, meetings and other methods. However, employees may not have as many mediums at their disposal to send messages to directors or managers. Limited communication mediums can force employees to deliver messages using potentially ineffective methods. Inappropriate upward communication mediums can create confusion for individuals receiving the messages. Filtering Filtering occurs when messages pass through an intermediary in the communication channel. Filtering often can alter the original message, limit its effectiveness or render it incomprehensible. Upward communication filtering occurs when employees pass a message intended for upper-level management through an immediate supervisor. The employees immediate superior may change information in the message to reflect the supervisors opinion or understanding of the situation. Filtering also occurs when the message's recipient allows the message to pass through multiple individuals before reaching its final, intended party. Education or Experience Upward communication faces barriers when lower-level employees have different educational backgrounds than the individual requesting feedback. Lower-level employees also may lack the specific business experience to allow them to reply with terms that are readily understood by the receiving parties. Employees also may have misunderstood the original message from a lack of understanding, education or experience. Misinterpreting the original message allows incorrect or unnecessary information to flow through the upward communication channel. Cultural Differences Business organizations face cultural differences when sending messages through the companys communication channels. Cultural differences can affect the language in messages flowing through upward channels to managers. This barrier can be more prevalent in companies with global operations, large international work forces or diverse local economic labor markets. Companies may need to employ managers who have an understanding of cultural differences and can translate messages through the upward communication channel to higher-level managers.

B) DOWN WARD COMMUNICATION

Communication which flows from the superiors to subordinates is known as downward communication. In an organization structure, the superiors utilize their abilities to attain the desired targets which mean that they may be engaged in issuing commands, directions and policy directives to the persons working under them (at lower levels). Under downward communication, the superiors anticipate instant recital of a job thats why it is highly directive. Downward communication can be defined as, Information flowing from the top of the organizational management hierarchy and telling people in the organization what is important (mission) and what is valued (policies). Some examples of downward communication include notice, circulars, instructions, orders, letters, memos, bulletins, handbooks, annual reports, loudspeaker announcements and group meetings. Communication from superior to subordinate can be face to face as well as through written memorandums, orders, job descriptions etc. The authority line flows from the top to the bottom according to the organizational structure (hierarchy). It is needed to get things done, to prepare for changes, to deject lack of understanding and doubt; and to allow the organizational members to develop feeling of pride of being well-informed about all organizational matters. The other elements of downward communication include: - Directions to carry out a specific task. - Job instructions. - Information intended to create understanding of the task and its relation to other organizational tasks. - Job principle. - Information about organizational processes and patterns. - Response to the subordinate about his performance. - Information of an ideological character to inculcate a sense of mission

C) HORIZONTAL COMMUNICATION Information exchange between departments or functional units, as means of coordinating their activities. Communication between people at the same level in an organization, community or peer group, usually as a means of coordinating efforts.

Its when the managers of the same level share ideas, suggestions and solutions to help bring the organization to a better level. The main objectives of horizontal communication are developing teamwork, and promoting group coordination within an organization. It takes place between professional peer groups or people working on the same level of hierarchy. Horizontal communication is less formal and structured than both downward communication and upward communication, and may be carried out through informal discussions, management gossip, telephone calls, teleconferencing, videoconferencing, memos, routine meetings and so on. In organizations and organisms, lateral communication works in contrast to traditional top-down, bottom-up or hierarchic communication and involves the spreading of messages from individuals across the base of a pyramid. Lateral communication in organism or animals can give rise to Collective intelligence, or the appearance of Collective intelligence. Examples of lateral communication in organisms include: A coordinated flock of birds or a shoal of fish all maintain their relative positions, or alter direction simultaneously due to lateral communication amongst members; this is achieved due to tiny pressure variations. An ants, termites, bees nest is not coordinated by messages sent by the queen ant / bee / termite but by the lateral communication, mediated by scent trails of the ants. Its physical structure is an emergent property of the individual entities. Bacterial colonies communicate with each other, coordinating for example an attack, or the production of slime using lateral communication based on chemical messengers so that as a group they can detect how many colleagues there are, and if they are likely to overwhelm a target. The pacemaker cells in the heart, Cardiac pacemaker is a very small group of cells, where lateral communications sweeps through the cells, much like a Mexican wave as a three dimensional circulating wave, which relays contraction signals to the whole heart. With Slime mold millions of individual amoeba like creatures can spread out and graze the surface of a leaf. When conditions change, the amoeba all concentrate and form a slug like creature which can actually move off somewhere else before forming a spore body and releasing millions of individual spores. The positions of human cells, and which type of cell is mediated by lateral communication.

Q4. Explain the different barriers to listening. List the differences between discriminative listening and comprehension listening. Barriers to listening As pointed out earlier, listening is not easy and there are a number of obstacles that s t a n d i n t h e w a y o f e f f e c t i v e l i s t e n i n g , b o t h w i t h i n o u t s i d e t h e w o r k p l a c e . T h e s e barriers may be categorized as follows. 1. Physiological Barriers: some people may have genuine hearing problems or deficiencies that prevent them from listening properly. Once detected, date andg e n e r a l l y b e t r e a t e d . S o m e p e o p l e m a y h a v e d i f f i c u l t i e s i n p r o c e s s i n g information, or memory related problem which make t h e m p o o r l i s t e n e r s . Another physiological barrier is rapid though. Listeners have the ability to process information at the rate of approximately 500 words per minute, whereas speaker talk at around 120 words per minute. Since listeners are left with a lot of spare time, there attention may not be focused on words the speaker is saying, but may under elsewhere. 2. Physical Barriers: T h e s e r e f e r r e d t o d i s t r a c t i o n i n t h e a v e r m e n t s u c h a s t h e sound of an air conditioner , cigarette smoke, or an overheated room,whichi n t e r f e r e w i t h t h e l i s t e n i n g p r o c e s s . T h e y c o u l d a l s o b e i n t h e f o r m o f information overload. For example, if you are in meeting with your manager and the phone rings and your mobile beeps at the same time to let u know thatyou have the message. It is very hard to listen carefully to what is being said. 3. Attitudinal Barriers :pre occupation which personal or work related problemscan make it difficult to focus ones attention completely on what speaker iss a y i n g , e v e n w h a t i s being said is of crime importance. Another common attitudinal barrier is egocentrism, or the belief that y o u a r e m o r e knowledgeable when the speaker and that you have nothing new to have tolearn from his ideas. People with this kind of close minded attitude may very poor listeners. 4. Wrong Assumptions :The success of communication depend on the both thesender and receiver, as we have seen in an earlier unit. It is wrong to assumethat communication is the sole

responsibility of the sender or the speaker andthat listeners have no role to play. Such an assumption can be big barrier tol i s t e n i n g . F o r e x a m p l e , a b r i l l i a n t s p e e c h o r p r e s e n t a t i o n , h o w e v e r w e l l delivered, is wasted if the receiver is not listening at the other end. Listeners

have as much responsibility as speakers to make the communica t i o n successful, by paying attention seeking clarifications and giving feedback.Another wrong assumption is to think that listening is a passive activity, inw h i c h a listener merely the thoughts of the speaker. On the contrary, r e a l listening or active listening is hard work it requires speaking sometimes to ask question, agree or disagree with the speaker, give feedback etc.

5.Cultural Barriers :Accents can be barriers to listening, since they interferewith the ability to understand the meaning of words that are p r o n o u n c e d differently. The problem of different accents arises not only between cultures, but also within a culture. For example, in a country like india where there isenormous cultural diversity, accents may differ even between regions states.Another type of cultural barrier is doddering cultural values. The importancea t t a c h e d t o l i s t e n i n g a n d s p e a k i n g d i f f e r s i n w e s t e n a n d o r i e n t a l c u l t u r e s . Generally, orientals regeard listening and silence as almost a virtue, whereasAttach greater importance to speaking. Therefore this would interfere with thel i s t e n i n g p r o c e s s , w h e n t w o p e o p l e f r o m t h e s e t w o d i f f e r e n t c u l t u r e s communicate.

6.Gender Barriers :c o m m u n i c a t i o n r e s e a r c h h a s s h o w n t h a t g e n d e r c a n b e barrier to listening. Studies have revealed that men and women listen verydifferently and for different purposes. Women are more likely to listen for the emotion behind a speakers words, when men listen more for the facts and the content. E x a m p l e : - s a l e s p e r s o n s g i v i n g a d e m o n s t r a t i o n o f a n e w t y p e o f o f f i c e equipment may be asked by two colleagues if the equipment will work without ant problem and respond by saying Sure. A male user may take his at face value; where as the female user may detect some hesitation in his voice. This is because the male user listen for the content of the message, where as the female user listen for the tone of the message.7 . L a c k o f

Training: - listening is not an inborn skill. People are not born good listeners. They have to develop t h e a r t o f l i s t e n i n g t h r o u g h p r a c t i c e a n d training. Lack of training in listing skills is an important barrier to listing, in the Indian Context.

8)Bad Listening Habits: - Most people are very a v e r a g e l i s t e n e r s w h o h a v e developed poor listening habits that are hard to say and that act as barriers to listening. For example, some people have the habits of faking attention, or trying to look like a listeners, in order to impress the speaker and to assure him that they are paying attention. Others may tend to listen to each and every fact and, as a result, miss out on the main point. Difference between Discriminative Listening and comprehension Listening.

Discriminative listening involves the basic function of hearing sound and distinguishing between different sounds. In human communication, this includes picking up on shifts in a speaker's voice such as speed, emphasis, and pitch. This listening skill allows the listener to recognize nuances in the speaker's message such as sarcasm or anger. Comprehension listening, also called informative listening, involves the understanding the information in a speaker's message. Business meetings and college lectures exemplify situations where comprehensive listening may be involved. This listening skill requires an understanding of the vocabulary being spoken. The listener should also possess enough concentration and memory to retain at least the basic information spoken.

Q.5 Discuss the principles of business writing. Techniques and Principles as below, ) Knowing the Addressee Good Business Letter should contain the relevant information about the knowledge of subject and the person to whom it is addressed. It will create maximum influence on the reader and will benefit in best possible way. 2) Writing Naturally Good Business Letter should have genuineness in expression of thoughts or ideas. It should be written in soft spoken language and the reader should believe that we are in conversation with him. 3) Writing Clearly and Without Ambiguity Good Business Letter should be free from any confusion or ambiguity. It should insured clarity of thoughts with no omission of words, no faulty punctuation and no disorderly arrangement of facts. There has to be affixation of full

stops and commas at right places so that there is no change in the sense or subject of the matter. Besides this, there has to be proper specification of numbers and figures to maintain the authenticity of the matter. The faulty punctuations or faulty words may prove disaster or failure for the business relations. 4) Writing Completely Good Business Letter should have all the relevant facts and complete information so that there are no unnecessary queries. The letter should be complete in all aspects and everything should be described or written specifically. 5) Courtesy and Consideration The courtesy in business correspondence is simply not restricted to obligatory words like Thank you or Please but implies to promptness in attending to the letters. It is important to acknowledge letters when it is not possible to give immediate replies. There has to be politeness in declining business proposals or saying no and it has to be done in decent manner. In business, courtesy begets courtesy, so there has to be congenial and friendly with business associates and parties . 6) Avoiding Jugglery or Jumbling of Words It is important that the language of the letters should be simple and should not be like essay or article from literary point of view. It has to be written in short sentences with simple words. The letter should not have typical or difficult words and it should be refrained from verbose or prosaic style of writing. 7) Avoiding the use of commercial words/phrases/abbreviations The use of commercial words/phrases/abbreviations should be avoided as they have become obsolete and out of practice. There are some important commercial terms that cannot be substituted, yet they should be minimize or avoided in the letters.

8) Effectiveness Good Business Letter should be concise, precise, relevant, concrete and consistent so that it is easily understood by the reader and its contents should be fully followed. The letter should be arranged in the relevant way so that the important facts should be given prime importance. It should be followed by other important facts in continuation so that the entire letter becomes link chain. The letter can be divided into small paragraphs and each paragraph should contain specific type of information. It should be not too short or too lengthy as this may prove monotonous or irrelevant in a business letter to the reader. 9) Planning the Letter The writer of the letter should have good thinking power and should plan out its contents before writing the letter. It helps in assorting all relevant facts, figures and places so that the letter becomes more useful and result oriented. The following steps are to be taken for planning a letter and they are as follows:

a) Collecting facts or information It refers to collecting all the relevant facts or information to be included in the letter. b) Selecting right or accurate style/approach It implies to the initiation of letter and can be done through three approaches or styles. They are: 1) Direct In this type we can jump into main issue or conclusion before giving any type of preface or introduction. For example Enquiries, Quotations, Orders etc. 2) Indirect It involves making indirect or preface for the main information, issue or subject. 3) Persuasive It should be written in a way that the reader should be motivated and its content should arouse his interest to create a demand for the business. For example sales executive offering lucrative offers to sell his products through effective business letter writing. c) Arranging Facts, Figures and Places The collected information of the relevant facts, figures and places should be arranged and assorted properly so that the letter becomes link chain and should be able to satisfy readers. 10) Checking or Revising the Letter The business letter should be revised and checked thoroughly before signature and dispatch. It is done to assure accuracy, clarity and effectiveness of a business letter. It should be free from faulty words, faulty punctuation, and incomplete information etc for congenial and prosperous business relations.

The Principles Each of these will be explained in a few sentences... 1. Stay Focused First off, you need to adjust the scopeand scale of your writing to influence the behaviour of your readers. This is the first step towards sharpening the focus of your writing. Scope - adjust the breadth (restricting yourself to the subject matter) and depth (level of detail included) of your material.

Scale - length of your writing. The larger your scale, the higher the need to plan your writing. Behaviour - action or inaction of your reader after reading your material.

2. Identify your Purpose Next is to identify the purpose of your writing and connect it to your readers expectations. Avoid buzzwords and simply use a purpose analysis model (usually sieved from questions asked when taking your initial brief) to gather your thoughts in 3 simple ways:

Identify your personal values and ambitions Identify your readers' expectations Find areas of overlap, emphasise recurring commonalities and address all discrepancies.

3. Explain your Meaning Always explain the meaning of whatever you write, whilst making sure readers can also relate!! :0) For example, answering the question what does A mean to B in a business stakeholders' communication is a simple, yet effective way of connecting with your readers. If you are looking for a simple way to put this into writing, use the [Statement], meaning [consequence] format. Simple illustrations include:

We are facing stiffer competition in our market, meaning we need to develop new products This logistics team achieved its set targets, meaning team members have earned a bonus.

4. Substantiate, substantiate, substantiate!!! Your writing will gain credibility when it is substantiated with facts. Always make sure to verify your factual statements before 'publishing'. ;0)

My approach will be to use focus as the lead principle. This will guide you when building a text from scratch. Once the main structure of the text has been prepared, your substantiating details can then be added.

5. Always build a Structure Three useful indicators include the use of sequence, consistency and balance to build a structure that guides the reader though your text Sequence - order in which your writing unfolds;

Consistency - using the same style and the same words when referring to the same object; Balance - your sentence or paragraph must be long enough to maintain a readers' interest but not too long. Consider sentences that are around 2 to 3 lines and paragraphs that hover around 6 to 10 lines.

6. Provide enough writing Clarity

Ensuring clarity when you're writing is presenting your piece so that the readers thinking revolves around a compelling idea. Total clarity is therefore achieved during editing, since this is where you create a distance between yourself and the material; i.e. reviewing and re-writing it. This puts your writing into perspective and allows proper evaluation of the pros and cons of your work, a definite litmus test to check whether the initial five principles are self-evident. 7. Remain Humble!!! Be humble while writing and editing, and always critically judge your work first. Though this has no effect on how good the technicality of your work is, the truth is that most people are sick of reading anything that has an arrogant or condescending tinge to it. A tinge you definitely want to avoid if your thoughts are to be heard via your writing. Q.6 Explain the advantages of oral communication with the help if suitable example. Ans: The advantages of oral communication are that they:

are fast - useful for obtaining very recent unpublished information are based on two-way communication and therefore promote an understanding of the real information need(s) and the communication of relevant information are flexible simplify and facilitate the transmission of information between people working in different subject areas (useful in interdisciplinary studies) are easy and pleasant to use example : Meetings and conferences, lectures and interviews are some examples of oral communication.