Chapter FOUR business communicatio.pptx

Business communications power point presentation

1. Chapter Four Principles of Communication Introduction The application of business communication principles helps to communicate effectively through letters, memorandums, reports, speeches, telephones, face-to-face conversation, etc. The commonly used principles in business communication are called 7Cs . The 7 Cs provide a checklist for making sure that your meetings, emails, conference calls, reports, and presentations are well constructed and clear – so your audience gets your message.

2. Principles of communication To compose effective messages you need to apply certain specific communication principles. The basic business communication principles known as seven C’s of business communication provide guidelines for choosing content and style of presentation. The principles of communication used to achieve both specific and general objectives of a message are collectively justified as the 7Cs. The commonly used principles are:

3. Cont … 1. Correctness : when your communication is correct, it fits your audience. And correct communication is also error-free communication. Communication is correct when it bears real information and uses formally appropriate titles of persons, words etc to express matters . Presenting a message correctly helps you to avoid the risk of miscommunication . Mistakes cause misunderstanding and they can destruct the recipients from concentrating on the intended message.

4. C ont … To be correct in communication the following principles should be borne in mind . Don’t say : -Isn’t , aren’t, amn’t , - I can hardly Maintain acceptable writing mechanics. This refers to: -Spelling errors Punctuation marks, Capitalization, Grammatical accuracy, Sentences and paragraph structures - Format for memos, letters, reports etc .

5. C ont … 2. Conciseness : B usiness executives are busy . They don’t have time to go through unnecessarily lengthy messages. The writer is also a loser if he writes wordy messages because it involves more time and money to type and read . Conciseness is making the message more understandable and comprehensible by avoiding unnecessary repetition. ­Eliminate wordy Expressions eliminate words like "for instance," "you see," "definitely," "kind of," "literally," "basically," or "I mean."

6. Cont … 3. Clarity means getting your messages across so that the receiver will understand what you are trying to convey you want that person to interpret your words with the same meaning you have in mind. Make sure that it's easy for your reader to understand your meaning . Clarity is getting your message understood by others. The receiver must interpret your message with the same meaning in your (sender’s) mind.

7. C ont … Accomplishing that goal is difficult because, as you know, individual experiences are never identical and words may have different meanings to different persons. Some ways that help you make your message clear include: Choose short, familiar, conversational words When you have a choice between a long word and a short one, use the short, familiar word that your reader or listener will quickly understand.

8. Cont … Construct effective sentences and paragraphs Arranging your words in well constructed sentences and paragraphs is also an essential task that requires adaptation to your reader. Include Examples , Illustrations, and other visual Aids, when desirable. When you have a complicated or lengthy explanation in a letter, speech, or report, you will often find you can improve the clarity by giving your recipients an example, analogy/similarity, or illustration.

9. C ont … 4. Completeness : the message should be complete to bring desirable results. Your business message is “complete” when it contains all facts the reader or listener needs for the reaction you desire. The following guide lines are important to make the message complete enough. Does your message include a "call to action", so that your audience clearly knows what you want them to do? Have you included all relevant information – contact names, dates, times, locations, and so on etc ?

10. Cont … Check for the five W’s and any other Essentials The third way to help make your message complete is to answer, whenever desirable, the “five W” questions who, what, where, when why-and any other essentials , such as how . The five-question method is especially useful when you write requests announcements, or other informative messages. For instance, to order (request) merchandise from a supplier, make clear what you want, when you need it, to whom and where it is to be sent, and how payment will be made.

11. Cont … 5. Consideration means that you prepare every message with the recipient in mind and try to put your self in his/her place. Try to visualize your readers (or listeners)- with their desires, problems, circumstances, emotions, and probable reactions to your request. Then handle the matter from their point of view. This thoughtful consideration is also called “you-attitude ,” empathy, the human touch, and understanding of human nature. It does not mean, however, that you should overlook the needs of your organization.

12. Cont … Show reader benefit & interest; your message should show interest in and concern for the reader’s needs or viewpoints. Focus on YOU instead of I & WE : People are usually concerned about themselves than about others. They are likely to read your messages when they see their names and the pronoun ‘you’ rather than ‘I’ or ‘we ’ For instance, 'We pay 8% interest’ is not preferred rather say ‘you earn 8% interest’ Emphasize positive& pleasant: For most people negative words like no, impossible, I cannot etc. have unpleasant emotions etc.

13. Cont … Apply integrity & et hics: integrity refers to high moral standards as honesty, sincerity, decent character etc Ethics on the other hand is concerned with what is right human conduct. 6. Courtesy : To make your message courtesy, be sincere, tactful, thoughtful and appreciative, Omit expressions that hurt, irritate, or insult. Grant apologies graciously/kindly.

14. Cont … Courtesy messages help to strengthen present business friendships, as well as make new friends . It is a goodwill building. 7. Concreteness means being specific, definite and vivid or using words that create clear image in the mind rather than vague and general. If possible, try to substitute an exact fact or figure for a general word to make your message more concrete and convincing using specific facts and figures whenever possible adds up to the content of your message.

15. Cont … For instance, you will lend your ears more to a person who tells you that currently around 10 million people in Ethiopia are in need of food assistance than a person who tells you a lot of people in Ethiopia are facing drought . Generally use active rather than passive verbs, because active verbs help make your sentences more specific, personal, concise and emphatic. Strong verbs can activate other words and help make your sentences definite.

16. Cont … In Passive verb (subject receives the Action) or where as, Active verb (subject performs the action ). For instance, A full report will be sent to you by the supervisor or The supervisor will send you a full report ( or you will receive a full report from the supervisor ). Identify Concrete statement? Thank you