Effective Business Messages

Seven C’s of Effective Communication -

1. CLARITY:
A communication should be definitely clear so the recipient can certainly
understand what the particular sender really wants to communicate. The actual
sender always desires how the recipient interprets the particular meaning while
using the exact same meaning. For this, the particular sender ought to help to
make the particular meaning free of ambiguity and also vagueness. The
subsequent tips are offered for making meaning clear:

 Picking out the brief, acquainted and also effortless words and phrases.
 Picking out conversational words and phrases rather then poetic types.
 Constructing successful paragraphs and also grammatical construction.
 Supplying illustrations, cases along with visual supports while appealing.
 Staying away from techie words and phrases and also jargon’s.

2. COMPLETENESS
The sender needs to post extensive communication. An extensive
communication. An extensive communication consists of all of the required
information that the reader’s requirements regarding knowing. Completeness
involving communication is extremely essential to create communication
effectively. Unfinished massage irritates this reader.

3. CONCISENESS
A message should be while brief as possible. Conciseness signifies declaring
exactly what this sender has to declare in the fewest achievable words. This
helps you to save moment regarding both equally sender as well as a receiver.
Nevertheless, conciseness must not be attained on the expense of this process
involving completeness. The next suggestions should be taken into mind to
obtain conciseness:

 Removing wordy expression.

 Including merely relevant information.
 Staying away from unwanted duplication.
 Arranging communication well.

4. CONCRETENESS
Concreteness signifies become distinct, particular and vivid rather than vague
and normal. The next guidelines will help write concrete floor information:
  Employing distinct information and stats.
 Employing verbs that indicate steps.
 Picking out vivid, image-building words.

5. COURTESY
Sender must retain wanted a higher level courtesy for the receiver. Mannerly
communications assistance to strengthen current company happen to be
together with produce brand new close friends. There’s a favorite stating that
courtesy charges only results much more. Sender will most likely always hold
this kind of as the primary goal. Being well-mannered, the actual communicator
has to stick to this guidelines:

 Be genuine, tactful, innovative and appreciative.

 Steering clear of expressions that aggravate or even hurt the actual
device.
 Responding quickly.
 Looking for apology best regards for virtually any omission.
 To thank generously for any prefer.

6. CORRECTNESS
The process of correctness includes greater than proper grammar, punctuation
and spelling. The idea of correctness signifies the particular article author must
evaluate this:

 With all the appropriate sort of vocabulary (formal/informal)

 Examining the particular exactness of stats, information and phrases
before sending these.
 Delivering the message meaning the precise occasion.
 Delivering the message meaning inside appropriate type thinking about
the requirements and background on the receivers.

7. THING TO CONSIDER
Thing to consider means that the particular sender prepares each meaning
preserving the particular receiver at heart. The following particular sender must
evaluate the particular desires, difficulties, instances, sensations and most likely
allergic reactions on the recipient. The next guidelines may make certain
thought:

 Concentrating on “you” rather than us and us. As an example, for

obtaining remains, the traditional bank may publicize since “get the
absolute maximum give back on your own savings”, Grameen cellular
phone promotes the particular services by saying the saying, “Whatever
may be the length, often be in hint. ” Each one of these advertising
concentrates on visitors rewards.
 showing reader benefit.
 Putting an emphasis on with enjoyable, good information.
 Making use of integrity and ethics.
 Picking nondiscriminatory and gender totally free phrases like chairperson
rather than chairman; law enforcement employees rather than policeman.
Five Planning Steps - Good internal communication is essential in engaging and
motivating employees. It leads to a more effective workforce, directly boosting
the bottom line. But it doesn’t happen by chance. Here’s a look at five steps to
developing an effective internal communications program.

Step 1: Identify the goals: Communication for the sake of communication will

achieve little.
It is essential to establish specific goals for an internal communications program.
It’s important to then link these goals closely to your business objectives to
reflect the company’s vision and mission statements.
Within the goals, address known problems such as internal rumors or lack of
departmental communication.

Step 2: Know the audience: Central to any effective communications program is

delivering the right message to the right person at the right time.

By knowing your audience, you can plan your strategy more effectively. And it
may include more than employees. Corporate communication may involve
stakeholders and even government agencies.
The geographic location of the audience also could affect how you distribute
information. Are there cultural issues to be considered? Certain societies are less
willing to express themselves openly than others. A particular social media
platform may be popular in some locations but not others.
Sharing information digitally is often subject to legal constraints, particularly
across borders. Consider logistical issues related to time differences or possible
challenges posed by regional infrastructure.

Step 3: Create a strategy

To achieve the desired outcome, you will need to define a clear strategy, based
on your goals and the audience. This lets you build detailed and measurable
actions.
A SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) will help
clarify potential areas of concern. These might cover staffing skills, budget
constraints and timing demands.

Step 4: Confirm the understanding

When the strategy has been established and agreed on, the tactics for execution
can be discussed. The delivery team will add the actions, dates and names of
those responsible for each item to create a clear and measurable plan.
Unless senior management is committed to the plan, failure is often a risk. The
same is true for all members of the delivery team. Do they fully understand their
involvement? Have they bought into the need for an internal communications
system and the plan for developing it?
It is often easy to obtain agreement but not necessarily commitment. Addressing
this may require motivating people in a less formal environment.

Step 5: Review, reassess and refine

Measurable deliveries with clear due dates make it easy to monitor progress. But
things change. By anticipating bottlenecks, delays can be avoided. Delivery team
members should be encouraged to provide input and feedback as they
implement the program.
Once fully implemented, monitor the program on a regular basis to ensure it is
meeting the objectives. Reactions and comments from end users are important.

Basic Organizational Plans –

1. Direct (deductive) Approach

The direct or the deductive approach is used when we know the receiver, the
reaction of the receiver and the matter is of routine. Or when there is good news
2. Indirect (inductive) approach
Indirect or inductive approach is used when we don’t know the receiver, the
reaction of the receiver and when the matter is not of routine or when the there
is any bad news.

Composing the Message –

The purpose of communication is to have the sender’s idea in mind reach the
receiver’s mind with identical understanding.

Yet, communicating is not as simple and transparent as the image below

suggests. Communication is surrounded by potential pitfalls and myriad
opportunities for the main point to be lost or altered

Perhaps you are surprised to realize there is more than one audience for a
message. There is the primary audience or receiver of the communication: this is
the direct audience, who we’ll focus on in this module. In Module 6: Reports, we’ll
also discuss indirect or remote audiences; these others include those who may
see the communication even if they are not intended as a target of the
communication. In this module, the direct audience is the focus. A good
communicator is mindful of the other potential audiences when they start writing
since doing so can help advance the company and advance a career.

The direct audience is the receiver of the business communication. This person
or group of people might be internal or external to the sender’s organization. The
relationship to the organization may impact the formality of the wording and the
candor of the message. When new to business writing, be sure to check the tone
with appropriate staff.
Effective Communication
Improving my skills – Self assessment – Strengths – Weaknesses
Communication skills, tops the list of fundamental skills needed to succeed in the
workplace. A decade-and-a-half later, with the rise of social media networking
and texting, communication is becoming more casual, even in situations where
more formal ways of communicating are required. What this means is that
people from the younger generation, may not know or even understand
the importance of effective communication skills in the workplace. When you
take a look at the greatest leaders, one of the traits they possess, is the ability to
communicate effectively, which underscores the importance of communication
skills.
 
There are specific things to do that can improve your communication skills:
 
1.  Listen, listen, and listen. People want to know that they are being heard.
Really listen to what the other person is saying, instead of formulating your
response. Ask for clarification to avoid misunderstandings. At that moment, the
person speaking to you should be the most important person in your life. Another
important point is to have one conversation at a time. This means that if you are
speaking to someone on the phone, do not respond to an email, or send a text at
the same time. The other person will know that she doesn’t have your undivided
attention.
2.  Who you are talking to matters. It is okay to use acronyms and informal
language when you are communicating with a buddy, but if you are emailing or
texting your boss, “Hey,” “TTYL” or any informal language, has no place in your
message. You cannot assume that the other person knows what the acronym
means. Some acronyms have different meanings to different people, do you
want to be misunderstood? Effective communicators target their message based
on who they are speaking to, so try to keep the other person in mind, when you
are trying to get your message across.
3.  Body language matters. This is important for face-to-face meetings and
video conferencing. Make sure that you appear accessible, so have open body
language. This means that you should not cross your arms. And keep eye contact
so that the other person knows that you are paying attention.
4.  Check your message before you hit send. Spell and grammar checkers
are lifesavers, but they are not foolproof. Double check what you have written, to
make sure that your words are communicating the intended message.
5.  Be brief, yet specific. For written and verbal communication, practice being
brief yet specific enough, that you provide enough information for the other
person to understand what you are trying to say. And if you are responding to an
email, make sure that you read the entire email before crafting your response.
With enough practice, you will learn not to ramble, or give way too much
information.
6.  Write things down. Take notes while you are talking to another person or
when you are in a meeting, and do not rely on your memory. Send a follow-up
email to make sure that you understand what was being said during the
conversation.
7.  Sometimes it’s better to pick up the phone. If you find that you have a
lot to say, instead of sending an email, call the person instead. Email is great,
but sometimes it is easier to communicate what you have to say verbally.
8.  Think before you speak. Always pause before you speak, not saying the
first thing that comes to mind. Take a moment and pay close attention to what
you say and how you say it. This one habit will allow you to avoid
embarrassments.
9.  Treat everyone equally. Do not talk down to anyone, treating everyone
with respect. Treat others as your equal.
10.  Maintain a positive attitude and smile. Even when you are speaking on
the phone, smile because your positive attitude will shine through and the other
person will know it. When you smile often and exude a positive attitude, people
will respond positively to you.

Communication Strengths
 
A student with communication strengths is able to live in the world using
language as a tool. These children can often tell you what they want and
need, share ideas, use appropriate inflection, understand humor, and
recall a story or situation correctly.
 
They understand the unspoken rules of conversation. This includes knowing
when to talk and when to wait (turn-taking). They will make eye contact when
speaking to you. And, these children know how to contribute ideas to a topic,
even when it’s not one that they’ve chosen. They use appropriate grammar and
an ever-growing vocabulary. They know how to answer who, what, where, when
questions appropriately. They will be able to speak clearly and concisely to a
variety of communication partners and advocate for themselves in the
classroom.

Communication Weaknesses
 
A student with communication weaknesses will often show frustration
when they have difficulty pronouncing certain sounds or understanding the
meaning of what is being said to them. These students may have difficulty
finding the right words to use, use only short phrases, or speak in sentences with
jumbled or unnatural word order. They may struggle to use words that are
appropriate to the social context. These are examples of contextual
communication weaknesses that your child may experience.
 
There are also physical or auditory manifestations of communication
weaknesses. If the student is exhibiting symptoms of stuttering, they may repeat
words or parts of words (st-st-st-st-stop), lengthen words (stooooooop), stretch
sounds out (sssssssstop), or pause frequently during speech. Students with voice
disorders may sound hoarse, breathy, or excessively nasal when they speak.

Stages of Effective Communication

Prepare the message - Matching to the receiver – the means of delivery
To be an effective communicator, you need to make sure that your messages are
clear, concise, accurate, and well planned . This will avoid misunderstanding
and ensure that they get through each stage of the Communications Process
without a hitch.

Let's take a look at the seven stages of the process in more detail:
1. Source
The "source" is the sender of the message – in other words, you! And the
"message" refers to the information and ideas that you want to deliver.
You need to be clear about what message you want to communicate,
and why it's important – what's its main purpose? And, moreover, why should
anyone care? You also need to be confident that the information that you impart
is useful and accurate.

2. Encoding
This stage involves putting your message into a format that you can send, and
that the receiver will be able to easily understand or "decode." Your success will
depend on your ability to convey information clearly and simply, and to eliminate
areas of confusion.
For example, be aware of any cultural mismatch between you and your recipient.
Also, avoid making assumptions about the receiver's existing knowledge of the
subject. You might know the "ins and outs" of what you're talking about, but he
or she probably won't. Lastly, steer clear of gaps in the information that require a
"mental leap."
A key part of being a successful encoder is knowing your audience. Failure to
understand and respect who it includes will likely result in your message "falling
flat," and being misunderstood, dismissed or even ignored.

3. Channel
There are countless different channels that you can use to send your message.
Verbal communications channels include face-to-face meetings, telephone and
videoconferencing. While written communications include letters, reports,
emails, instant messaging (IM), and social media posts. You might also want to
include videos, photos, illustrations, or charts and graphs in your message to
emphasize your main points.
Different channels have different strengths and weaknesses. For example, it's
not particularly effective to give a long list of directions verbally, and you'll be
better off delivering sensitive feedback in person, rather than via email.

4. Decoding
Successfully decoding a message is as much a skill as encoding it is. To
accurately decode a message, you need to take the time to read through it
carefully, or to listen actively  to it.
Confusion will most likely occur at this stage of the Communications Process,
though that doesn't mean it will always be the decoders fault. He might lack
sufficient background knowledge to understand the message, or he might not
understand the specific jargon  or technical language that you are using. It's
therefore essential that you tackle issues like these at the encoding stage.
5. Receiver
No doubt, you'll want your audience members to react in a certain way or take a
specific action in response to your message. Remember, though, that each
person is different, and will interpret it subjectively.
Every receiver who enters into the Communication Process brings with them
their own ideas and feelings that influence their understanding of your message,
and their response to it.
That means it's your job, as the sender, to take these ideas and feelings into
consideration when drawing up your message. To do this effectively, brush up on
your emotional intelligence  and empathy  skills.

6. Feedback
Your audience will likely give you feedback  as soon as it's seen or heard your
message. This might include verbal or nonverbal  reactions. Pay close attention
to these, as they will reveal whether your audience truly understood your
message.
If you find that there has been a misunderstanding, try to adapt the message.
For instance, if you're talking about a complex subject, find a simpler way to
communicate it. Could you break it down into steps, or remove technical jargon?
This will make it easier for everyone in your audience to grasp the subject
matter, no matter their background knowledge.

7. Context
The "context" is the situation in which you deliver your message. This may
include the current political and social environment, or the broader culture (for
instance, the corporate culture or the national culture.)
Message Delivery

Communication refers in its widest sense to the interaction that involves the
exchange of ideas, feelings, information… at different levels. It is the process
through which ideas, emotions or knowledge are exchanged and transmitted
through different media.

The elements that take part in the process of communication are the sender,
encoding, the channel, decoding, the receiver, feedback and the context source,
the message and the receiver. A good communicator will carefully choose the
elements of his/her message and deliver them in a manner that is
understandable and compelling.

Figure 2. Elements that take part in the process of

communication
We have already made emphasis on the importance and means of structuring
and creating your message. What we list below is a series of tips to improve your
verbal communication skills:

 Before the activity, focus on the needs of your audience.

 Visualize yourself succeeding.
 Begin by breathing.
 Be professional. Enter the performance space with a confident stance.
Acknowledge the audience by smiling and making eye contact. Wait until
you have their full attention. Introduce yourself, and make a brief
presentation and summary of the activity.
 Make sure your audience can see and hear you. Work as close to them as
possible.
 The sound of your voice is your most important tool. Use a variety of tones
of voice.
 Keep the message clear and concise.
 Be vivid when delivering the message.
 Keep your body language up-beat and expressive.
 Don't talk too fast. Slow down your speech to avoid showing that you are
nervous.
 Pauses are effective.
 Tell the story naturally, as in a conversation with a good friend.
 Use deliberate movements and fill your space. Move in relation with your
story. Avoid nervous mannerisms like playing with your hair or moving
back and forth. This will distract your audience.
 Use your hands to emphasize your message. Do not put them in your
pocket. Do not cross your arms; arms crossed in front of your body say
that you are insecure.

 Use visual aids and props.

 If you forget your words, pause for a moment and remember your
objective. While the words may not come right back to you, this will help
keep you on track and may even help you to think of additional thoughts
and ideas your audience will benefit from hearing.
 Don’t mumble while speaking, pronounce each word clearly. People will
judge your capabilities through your vocabulary.
 Use the words you know. Don’t use any word, if you are not sure of the
meaning.
 Engage your audience actively. Ask questions and try to have them
involved in what you are saying by maintaining eye contact and referring
to their previous commentaries.
 End your story as a professional. Remember to summarize the main
aspects of your message and do not forget to thank your audience.