Com285_Wk1

Business Communication July, 19, 2010 COM/285 - BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS Business Communication Communication affects every aspect of business. Day-to- day activities, managing work activities, and trends in the work place are ways communication affects companies effectiveness. These are key components that will influence any company's ability in finding success. Communication is tool when mastered that can catapult a company into success. Day to Day Business communication plays a big role in the day to day activities for managers. People must communicate to plan products and services; hire, train, and motivate workers; coordinate manufacturing and delivery; persuade customers to buy; and bill them for the sale (Locker, 2008). All team members in the chain of command are affected by communication. Managers need to be able to communication to subordinates, peers, and upward management. Entry level team members must be able to communicate with management and their peers as well. Communication is a necessary function of every job. The way people can communicate can vary from email, face-to-face contact, telephone, websites, texting, meetings, or presentations. As a manager there are a few roles one must be able to do. A manager must first be able understand the communication that is being received. The information must be deciphered in order to use the information to make decisions. These activities can range from simple daily decisions about payroll to business strategies that affect the entire company. Once the information is understood the manager must be able to effectively communication this to those who need the information to make decisions. This includes management, employees, clients, customers, and investors. Trends in the Workplace There have been a few noticeable trend in the work place. There has been a shift in driving a culture of team work. More often that not many companies are utilizing teams to execute goals versus using specialized individuals to accomplish different parts of the goal. More and more companies are getting work done through teams. Teamwork brings together people’s varying strengths and talents to solve problems and make decisions (Locker, 2008). Cross-training team members has proven to an extremely effective way of upgrading talent in the work environment. Electronic information is becoming an everyday resource. The amount of reporting available is mind boggling. This can vary from payroll, sales, future trend forecasts, employee punches, intranet resource websites, and email. These tools are making communication faster and more efficient for all employees. Instant communication has arrived and now has a place in everyday business. Message Types The workplace is now a communication hub. The team environment is making it easier to communicate to an entire team at once rather then communicating to select individuals. More companies are channeling their communication to a wider audience. Especially for their employees. Making information readily available to employees is creating an inclusion environment. When all employees understand the company's objectives and have access to information the more likely they feel a part of the company rather than working for the company. This type of environment is creating an open dialog with employees and management. E-mail is also quickly becoming an important tool for communicating. This tools is quick, easy, and can be a useful way of reaching out to others. E-mail has revolutionized communication because an employee can communicate with someone across the world with the click of a mouse and never use a telephone. File transfers can be used with E-mail attachments making it easy to send documents, photo's, bills, and other important document files to other employees or customers. The need for personal contact in order to communicate is becoming less since the arrival of the internet. The times are changing quickly. Business communication is become quicker, easier to use, and more effective with companies. The vast amount of information available to employees can be useful in expanding company objectives and goals. Mangers are communicating more in a team environment as well as using E-mail to communicate throughout the company. New technology like E-mail is making instant communication possible. The combination of face-to face communication and virtual communication can be used to paint a solid picture of expectations. Citations Business and Administrative Communication (8th edition). Locker, K., & Kienzler, D. McGraw-Hill, 2008 New York, NY