Communication has been a vital part of businesses in all ages. However, the need for good communicators has increased many fold in the modern world. Technological advances, globalization, diverse workforce, and emphasis on team work have made effective communication vital to business success.
The field of
business communication has undergone a sea change in the past few decades. The most dramatic change is
seen in the increase of number of channels of communication. Development in
technology and introduction of internet has rapidly brought the world closer.
Earlier, long distance calls and snail mail were the standard communication
channels and the mode of communication was through voice, pen and paper. There
was a limited scope for transmitting videos and visual presence was present
only in face-to-face communication.
Today, technological advances and
increasing competitiveness in business has made business communication
versatile in terms of communication tools available to businesses. This has
resulted in change in the way communication works today, and it has also opened
new avenues and markets for doing business such as telemarketing, outsourcing services and e-business. Besides new business ideas, technology also remains a
tool for business communication ventures.
Teams need leaders and leaders need to
share their vision and mission with team members in order to get work done. Moreover, teams thrive and succeed through the leaders’ wisdom and action; and they work
according to the leaders’ plan of action. In order to accomplish these tasks,
leaders need to be effective communicators. This is where the need to master
business communication comes in.
Basically, business communicators focus on
clarity, brevity, ability to come straight to the point, the ability to be
attentive, and the ability to be approachable.
Clarity requires communicators to express
themselves clearly to their intended audience so that they grasp the intention
of the message.
Brevity requires communicators to express
thoughts in as few words as possible. However, it does not mean that clarity is
sacrificed for brevity.
Ability to come straight to the point means
getting to the main point of discussion as soon as possible without unnecessary
beating about the bush.
Ability to be attentive requires
communicators to be good and active listeners as well as clear and effective
speakers.
Ability to be approachable creates an open
and comfortable work environment where communication is spontaneous and easy.
Today social media has proliferated the business world. Although use of social media may not be mandatory for business success, it is important for business communicators to understand the options available to them and how their audiences use and respond to such social media.Social media tools are useful for internal as well as external audiences. For example, companies create their own Facebook pages or Linkedin groups for internal sharing and community development. Youtube has made videos popular means of sending messages. Web cams help to incorporate sound and image in messages.
Combing traditional and modern means of communication tools to engage various audiences ensure wider circulation of messages. This is of particular relevance to businesses that cater to a wide variety of customers.
