1. Chapter 1
Effective
Communication in
Business
by
Syed Maqsood Ahmed
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 1

2. Business Communication
 Transferring information from one part of the
business to another that leads to some outcome,
changed behaviour or changed practice
 Formal Communication – established and
agreed procedures
 Informal Communication – channels not
formally recognised – ‘the grapevine’
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 2

3.  Importance & Benefits of Effective
Communication
 Effective communication whether speaking or
writing is highly valued skill. Number of surveys told
us that executives having the ability to communicate
are ranked first among the personal factors necessary
for promotion.
 The importance of effective communication extends
across all areas of business, including management,
technical, clerical & social positions.
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 3

4. Ancient Heritage for Communication
Principles
 In ancient world, both the East & the West, depends
heavily on oral communication. It was necessary to
communicate well specially when dealing with
matters in Government assemblies & the law courts.
 For Example,
 China.
 Egypt.
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 4

5. Lifeblood of Every
Organization
 An organization is a group of people associated for
business, political, professional or social purposes.
 Organization cannot function without open &
effective communication.
 The group of people require to interact & react, that is
to communicate. They exchange information, plans,
order needed supplies, make decisions, rules and
regulations, proposals, contracts and agreements.
 So communication is lifeblood to every organization.
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 5

6.  Internal Communication
And
 External Communication
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 6

7. Internal Communication
 A vital means of getting the organizational goals is
through effective communication.
 There are four types of internal communication flows
within the organization.
Downwards
Upwards
Horizontal
Diagonal
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 7

8. 1 Downward communication
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 8

9. 1 Downward communication
 Relatively easy to manage
 Ensure staff know what their job is
 Keep staff informed about changes
 Communicate orally, then follow up in writing
 It helps increase job satisfaction, safety, productivity,
and profitability
 It helps to decrease absenteeism, losses, and
grievances.
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 9

10. 1 Downward communication
 Staff information needs
 Job responsibilities
 What is my job?
 Performance feedback
 How am I doing?
 Individual needs
 Does anyone care?
 Work unit objectives, results
 How is my unit doing?
 Vision, mission, values
 Where are we headed?
 Empowerment
 How can I help?
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 10

11. 1 Downward communication
 Mechanisms
 Job descriptions
 Notices
 Training
 Instructions
 Memos, meetings, emails
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 11

12. 2 Upward Communication
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 12

13. 2 Upward Communication
 Hard to manage
 Boss must be willing to listen
 Especially to bad news
 Boss must take time to listen
 Staff must be willing to share
 Especially bad news
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 13

14. 2 Upward Communication
 Mechanisms
 Short, written weekly notes summarizing activities and
problems
 Boss must provide feedback
 Regular staff meetings to discuss activities
 Staff copy relevant emails to boss
 Visit staff’s workplaces
 Keep your door open
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 14

15. 3 Horizontal Communication
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 15

16. 3 Horizontal Communication
 Necessary to ensure coordination, avoid “islands” or
“information silos”
 Encourage/require staff to communicate among units
 Effective horizontal communication is also essential
in order to solve problems, perform job duties,
prepare for meetings and cooperation in important
projects.
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 16

17. 4 Diagonal Communication
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 17

18. 4 Diagonal Communication
 Can be formal – eg. teams
 Can be informal
 Build cross-departmental teams
 Encourage friendliness and informality
 Encourage informal interaction
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 18

19. The ideal: Internal communication web
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 19

20. How to encourage internal
communication
 Make information sharing part of job description
 Define reporting and information sharing
responsibilities
 But avoid over-rigid procedures if possible
 Hold regular staff meetings
 But keep meetings short and efficient
 Provide physical bulletin boards
 Communicate actively
 Be an information source
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 20

21. External Communication
 Effective communication to people outside the
organization is called external communication & it
helps to create a good reputation & have a +ve impact
on its ultimate success.
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 21

22. External Communication
 To Whom
 Customers
 Vender / suppliers
 Government
 Distributors / wholesalers
 Methods:
 Marketing ways, Paper + electronic
 Sales Dep't
 Customer Services
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 22

23. Challenge of Communication in The
Global Market
 The way you communicate within or outside the
country affect’s everything you accomplish. Your
ability to communicate effectively make a difference
to your organization.
 Developing The Right Attitude:
 Preparing Adequately:
 Becoming Flexible:
 Developing the right attitude and preparing
adequately are crucial to effective communication in
the international market place. These qualities helps
to be effective in dealing with the international
business people & becoming flexible helps you to deal
with the issues Maqsood Ahmed
Syed within your organization. 23

24. Components of Communication
D.Context
E.Sender-Encoder
F.Message
G.Medium
H.Receiver-Decoder
I. Feedback
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 24

25. Context
 Communication is affected by the context in which it
takes place. This context may be physical, social,
chronological or cultural. Every communication
proceeds with context. The sender chooses the
message to communicate within a context.
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 25

26. Sender / Encoder
 Sender / Encoder is a person who sends the message.
A sender makes use of symbols (words or graphic or
visual aids) to convey the message and produce the
required response. For instance - a training manager
conducting training for new batch of employees.
Sender may be an individual or a group or an
organization. The views, background, approach, skills,
competencies, and knowledge of the sender have a
great impact on the message.
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 26

27. Message
 Message is a key idea that the sender wants to
communicate. It is a sign that elicits the response of
recipient. Communication process begins with
deciding about the message to be conveyed. It must
be ensured that the main objective of the message is
clear.
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 27

28. Medium
 Medium is a means used to exchange / transmit the
message. The sender must choose an appropriate
medium for transmitting the message else the
message might not be conveyed to the desired
recipients. The choice of appropriate medium of
communication is essential for making the message
effective and correctly interpreted by the recipient.
This choice of communication medium varies
depending upon the features of communication. For
instance - Written medium is chosen when a message
has to be conveyed to a small group of people, while
an oral medium is chosen when spontaneous
feedback is required from the recipient.
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 28

29. Recipient / Decoder
 Recipient / Decoder is a person for whom the message
is intended / aimed / targeted. The degree to which
the decoder understands the message is dependent
upon various factors such as knowledge of recipient,
their responsiveness to the message, and the reliance
of encoder on decoder.
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 29

30. Feedback
 Feedback is the main component of communication
process as it permits the sender to analyze the efficacy
of the message. It helps the sender in confirming the
correct interpretation of message by the decoder.
Feedback may be verbal (through words) or non-
verbal (in form of smiles, sighs, etc.). It may take
written form also in form of memos, reports, etc.
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 30

31. Concepts & Problems of
Communication
&
Nonverbal Communication
F.How Appearance Communicates
G.How Body Language Communicates
H.How Silence, Time, & Space
Communicates
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 31

32. Nonverbal Communication I
Is it possible to communicate without words?
Studies show that over half of your message is
carried through nonverbal elements:
 Your appearance
 Your body language
 The tone and
 the pace of your voice.
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 32

33. Nonverbal Communication I
 Communication researcher Mehrabian found that
only 7% of a message’s effect are carried by words ;
listeners receive the other 93% through non -verbal
means.
 ♦Birdwhistell suggested that spoken words account
for not more than 30-35% of all our social
interactions.
 ♦Over 65 percent of the social meaning of the
messages we send to others are communicated non-
verbally.
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 33

34. A. Body Language
 “The bodily gestures, postures, and facial
expressions by which a person communicates
nonverbally with others”
 POSTURE
 GESTURE
 FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
 GAZE / EYE CONTACT
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 34

35. A. Body Language
 1.Facial expression(s)
 2.Eyes
 3.Lips
 4.Arms
 5.Hands
 6.Fingers
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 35

36. A1.2. Facial Expression(s)
Forehead Wrinkles Anger
Eyebrows Outer edges up Anger
Nose Upward Contempt
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 36

37. A2. Eyes
Cantered Focused
Gazing Up Thinking
Gazing Down Shame
Gaze on the Side Guilty
Wandering Disinterested, Bored
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 37

38. A3. Lips
Parted Relaxed, Happy
Together Possibly Concerned
Wide Open Very Happy / Very Angry
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 38

39. A4. Arms
Arms Crossed Angry, Disapproving
Open Honest, Accepting
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 39

40. A5. Hands
On Top of the Head Amazement
Scratching Head Puzzled , Confused
Rubbing Eyes Tired
Rubbing Chin Thinking,
folded Timid, Shy
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 40

41. A6. Fingers
Fingers Interlocked Tense
Pointing at you Angry
OK Signal Fine
V Sign Peace
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 41

42. A. Basic Types of Body Language postures
 1.OPEN / CLOSED
 People with arms folded and legs crossed and bodies
turned away are signaling that they are rejecting
messages. People showing open hands, fully facing
you and both feet planted on the ground are
accepting them.
 2.FORWARD/ BACK
 When people are leaning forward and pointing
towards you they are actively accepting or rejecting
the message. When they are leaning back, looking up
at the ceiling, doodling on a pad, cleaning their
glasses they are either passively absorbing or ignoring
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 42

43. Thank You
Syed Maqsood Ahmed 43