The Different Forms of Communication in Business
Business communication is very important for managing and running any organization. Employees,managers,and also the owners should be able to convey their ideas and thoughts effectively with those working in the company,with their stakeholders,and also with their customers. To help people share their views,thoughts,and other important matters in a business world there are different forms of communication that can be used,about which we shall learn right away.
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Free for up to 100 ParticipantsFluent Group Video/Audio/IM ChatScreen Sharing and AnnotationWhite Board and CollaborationRecord and PlaybackFREE TO START NOWThere are basically two forms of communication – Internal and External.Internal Communication
The communications concerning the internal matters and interaction amongst the employees and staffs in different forms are known as internal communication. It helps solve any issues that the employees may have,and also helps increase business profits and turnovers.
The different types of Internal Communication –
1. Upward Communication
In this method,information is shared from the lower positions and moves towards those in the higher positions. As the information is shared in this way it helps in exchange of ideas,increases enthusiasm amongst staff members,and also improves job satisfaction.
2. Downward Communication
The information that flows from top to the lowest levels,sharing the policies and missions,is known as downward communication. This can be any instructions or guidelines given to complete projects. This flow of information can be used to pass on instructions,encourage mutual discussions,announce a decision,and obtain feedback.
3. Lateral/Horizontal Communication
When people in the same rank within the business collaborate and communicate with one another it is known as horizontal communication. Once work has been assigned,employees use this means of communication to cooperate and take things further smoothly.
External Communication
External communication is when company supervisors get in touch with agencies outside the company,like vendors and customers. This form of communication leads to better sales,better performance,and better profits.
Other important forms of communication in business are as follows:
Face-to-Face Communication
One of the oldest yet main forms of communication is face-to-face communication. This requires both the parties to be physically present,and matters are completely clear and understood in this method. After this,any further discussions can be conveyed using any other form of communication.
Verbal
Verbal business communication includes video conferencing,face-to-face meetings,telephoning,and is quite a popular mode of communication. This method helps the message receiver to ask questions to the sender and get an instant feedback,thus helping everyone make decisions fast.
Phone
The phone is more of a personal way of communication and gives a personal touch to even those messages that are otherwise complex in nature. This medium of communicating is good to be used when you want to explain matters that cannot be framed into a message format that well.
Electronic Communication
With continuous advancement in technology the way businesses communicate has changed a lot. Social networking,chat,text messaging,emails,and web conferencing using popular tools like ezTalks is very common these days. Electronic messaging helps communicate with many people at the same time,and this is why it so helpful and popular.
Written Communication
The written form of communication includes letters,bulletin boards,business memos,posters,and more. This is used more popularly by those who want to convey the same message to more than one person present in different locations. Technical messages including charts are also sent to help make the recipient understand things better.
Web Conferencing
Web conferencing is used almost by every company and most such companies use ezTalks Meetings to make their communication seamless. This type of communication helps in sending information to many people simultaneously,and communication can also be enjoyed on a real time basis.
Email is a cheap,easy,and a quick way of communicating and this is why it is used by many. Though it is not as personal as quite a few other modes of communication mentioned above,yet it does the job of communication pretty well. However,emails must be written very carefully to avoid any misunderstandings between the multiple recipients and the sender.Picture source from pnglot,netclipart,clipartwiki.
So,these are some of the well-known forms of communication in business. You may use either of these or as many as you want to,but before that understand each of them,and decide which one will help convey your message in the best possible way.