Communication is one of the essential elements of organizational behaviour. Communication is required on the entire positional directions of organizations like downward, upward and horizontal. On a broader aspect, organizational communication is of two types ‘formal’ and ‘informal’. The mode of communications can be both verbal and written (Henderson, Cheney and Weaver 2015). The study aims at finding solutions to communication challenges, which the case-study company is facing.
According to Raina and Roebuck (2016), communication is essential to any business practice from communicating with employees to dealing with suppliers. An ineffective communication can hamper the quality of work and can also delay the project. As opined by Holmes and Parker (2017), communication is a mean to information sharing between management and employees and with outsiders like suppliers and customers. An ineffective communication will actually affect the sharing of information and eventually the outcomes. As opined by Aten and Thomas (2016), for an effective business communication it is important to focus on a few areas like the hierarchy of communication, visual communication, cultural issues, conflicts and written communication. In the opinion of Pikhart (2014), a systematic process and the use of behavioural theory is required to construct and implement the communication strategies to promote a sustainable behaviour and social change. According to Christensen (2014), effective communication strategies are required while addressing a dilemma or business-specific plans to the target audience.
1. An explanation and analysis of the principles and purposes the HR director would need to consider in a communication strategy
The case study company faces issues like a poor communication between employees. To address the issue an effective communication is required, which has the following principles and purposes of a communication strategy: (Jamal and Abu Bakar 2017)
Principles of Courtesy
It says that managers should focus on courtesy while communicating with employees. Managers can do it in several ways like answering the messages promptly, omitting the irritating expressions, apologizing sincerely for a mistake and others. The principle of courtesy will support the formation of a relationship of understanding between management and employees.
An incomplete answer or vague response may also support a wrong misinterpretation of messages among employees. Responses must be very organized in nature. This helps managers to establish an effective communication with employees.
Principle of Clarity Both verbal and written communication needs to have the clarity, so that, message is appropriately understood by all. With clarity in communication, managers can effectively convey the message or any announcement to employees.
Concise sentences needs to be used to help employees understand the fact as such sentences are easy to understand. This can also be helpful in establishing an effective communication between managers and employees.
It says that communication needs to be made in concrete sentences, so that, target message is effectively conveyed. Communication strategies must include this principle to make a better impact.
It means that every message needs to be prepared while ensuring that it is relevant to the receiver. It is important to be equipped with what receiver expects.
It says that communication needs to be in correct languages. The communicator needs to understand the language, which is feasible with the receiver. Communication needs to be made strictly in feasible languages only.
Following is the list of purposes: (Campbell, Carmichael and Naidoo 2015)
This is important for circulating the regular updates as well as for knowledge management. In irrespective of purposes, information is needed to travel along the paths towards downward, upward and horizontal directions. The HR director of the case company should consider information sharing as one of the important elements of communication strategies.
An effective coordination enables the exchange of resources between different departments without any delays and fails. If it lacks, the exchange of resources will either get hampered or delayed. An effective organizational communication is essential to a productive coordination between departments.
Communication facilitates the flow of information, ideas, beliefs, opinions, advice, perception, orders, instructions etc. Experienced professionals can be a good knowledge house for fresh employees. Transfer of knowledge is required mostly at the time of dealing with a project as every new thing then is a learning opportunity for fresh employees. They can either learn through applying the relevant management theories and concepts, which they are aware of. They can also groom their understanding by discussing problem with their senior peers.
Change management is an integral element of management practices. There can be the needs to undergo a change at any point in time in response to external pressures or opportunities. The change can be department specific or is happening at a bigger level. In either of the situation, employees have a significant role to play. Normally, it is difficult to get a majority of support from employees due to their perspectives of the change. This is the kind of a situation when an effective communication is required to sort-out their confusions on the change and show them the brighter part of the change process.
It is quite certain to have conflicts between management and employees on several kind of matter. The level of conflict tends to be at higher degrees till the moment there is no verbal and written communication between managers and employees. Once, they are into the communication, things become a lot different then. Such communication helps to reduce the percentage of dissatisfaction for a managerial decision.
2. An explanation of the general characteristics that participants at meetings must have to be good listeners and good speakers
It is important that both speakers and listeners are equipped with skills required to effectively convey or understand the message. Both speakers and listeners need to maintain a certain set of characteristics in order to justify their presence.
Confidence is one of the key factors, which help to convey the message in front of huge number of people. A very confident speaker generally has a number of characteristics like accurate, credible, competent, knowledgeable, intelligent, believable and likable. Excitement is a good way to overcome the nervousness. A nervous speaker may end up being exhausted whereas speakers filled with excitements are most certain to enjoy the opportunity. They can also comfortably deliver the speech. Passion is another key factor to a good speech. In order to deliver a good and informative speech, speakers need to have passion for their subject. Voice modulations is also an important characteristic of speakers. One can become engaging as speakers if they have good commands over their voice and can modulate as required. Ability to connect with people by being short and precise and communicating in an engaging way is also one of the key characteristics of a good speech (Mayfield, Mayfield and Sharbrough III 2015).
To be a good listener, it is important to pay attention to speech. This can be done by actively listening to the speech. An active listening can help to catch and configure the message according to the distinguished understanding of different situations. An uninterrupted listening to speech is also recommended. It helps to catch the every bit or most of the parts of a speech. Such practices are utterly required when listener is a part of an important meeting otherwise listener can also miss on important messages. Take a note is also required to note down some of the important briefing of the meeting. This actually helps to analyse the messages being conveyed in meeting. A focussed listening is also required to be able to understand the speech and ask the relevant questions when needed (Burke-Smalley 2014).
Evaluation of own strengths and weaknesses in terms of communicating, both orally and in writing, in a business context
In a business context, I am good at some characteristics of communication while bad on the others. I am an active listener, which helps me to remain focussed in meeting. However, I usually struggle to take a note of the meeting as I do not have the information capturing habits. I also hesitate to communicate with my managers and supervisors as I am not very confident of speaking in front of these people. I am also very average in English speaking. This is one of the reasons for why I hesitate to speak in front of the management. On the other hand, I am very good at written communication. A written communication requires a good utilisation of grammar, vocabulary and sentence framing capabilities which I am good at. I find little or probably no difficulties in responding to an official mail.
Conclusion
In summary, it can be said that for an effective communication both speaker and listener needs to effectively fulfil their characteristic related requirements. Listener needs to pay attention to the speech and also capture some important information. Speakers, on the other hand, must be able to use a few important characteristic of speakers like voice modulation, engaging sentences, passion to perform, excitement for the opportunity and ability to remain confident.
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