CHAPTER 5- EFFECTIVE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION SKILLS

CHAPTER 5: EFFECTIVE
BUSINESS

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

PREPARED FOR:
PUAN SABARIAH BINTI ABD RAHMAN

PREPARED BY:
ROHANIDAH BINTI YAHYA

14DPM19F2070
DPM4B

CHARACTERISTICS
FOR

EFFECTIVE BUSINESS
COMMUNICATION

1|Page

CHAPTER 5: EFFECTIVE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
SKILLS

Effective business communication is sharing process involving two or more parties
sending a message that is easily understood by each person. Effective
communication can significantly contribute to a company’s success.

1) Characteristics for effective business communication

a) Clarity of purpose

➢ The message to be delivered must be clear in the mind of sender.
The person to whom it is targeted and the aim of the message
should be clear in the mind of the sender. Completeness: The
message delivered should not be incomplete.

➢ Example of Clarity of purpose
After our perusal of pertinent data, the conclusion is that a lucrative
market exists for the subject property. The data we studied show
that your property is profitable and in high demand

b) Feedback

➢ Feedback refers to the information that comes directly from
customers regarding their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with a
product or service. Feedback allows businesses to keep track of
their success. It also allows them to make any necessary
improvements to increase their success.

➢ Customer feedback system gives you many ideas on how you can
improve your product abilities. Sometimes customers mention the
specific features of the product or services and what improvements
they require. This can help you to build better products and make
advanced versions of the product.

➢ Characteristics of effective feedback are:

i. It is timely, feedback given too late may no longer be useful
for the sender

ii. It is appropriate and user targeted i.e., it suits the specific
needs of the sender of the message e.g. providing only
requested information

2|Page

iii. It is clear and not prone to misinterpretation e.g., does not
signify dual meaning

➢ Example of Feedback

When you have firm control over customer service feedback or
results, it becomes easy for you to have a genuine interaction with
your customers regarding your products. Good feedback means
that you are trusted, and therefore if you’re a business person,
strive to communicate well for better feedback.

c) Empathy

➢ Empathy is the ability to recognize emotions in others, and to
understand other people's perspectives on a situation. At its most
developed, empathy enables you to use that insight to improve
someone else's mood and to support them through challenging
situations.

➢ Empathy helps us to communicate our ideas in a way that makes
sense to others, and it helps us understand others when they
communicate with us.

➢ Example of empathy

Dr Ahmad opened a private clinic business, which provided
services to his patients. Positive effect on empathy it helps the
patient who comes for treatment trust him he is someone who cares
about the welfare of his patients. She helps her patients understand
their own feelings more clearly. Thus, empathic responses facilitate
patients in the ability to solve their own problems.

d) Modify the message according to audience

How to modify the message according to audience there are

i. Identify ALL possible audiences. Who are ALL the people who may
eventually want or need to read your document?

ii. Analyze the discourse community.
3|Page

➢ If this is your first document for a specific group (your new co-
workers, for example), ask for copies of similar documents from
others. Model your own document on existing forms and
conventions.

➢ Learn to walk the walk and talk the talk by watching others walk and
talk. Use what you learned from analyzing and adapting to the
college community to analyze and adapt to new and different
communities.

➢ College should have trained you to be aware of:

~ What people ask for and how to give it to them.

~ Acceptable and unacceptable communication habits.

iii. Identify the audience's expectations, needs and wants, and
structure your message to satisfy these in specific ways.

➢ You CANNOT assume you know the audience in general, abstract
ways; therefore, you must analyze their expectations, needs etc. in
terms of your specific message and document.

iv. Revise ALL documents for the following:
➢ Content/Information: Does the document address what the reader
needs to know or what you, the writer, already knows?
➢ Structure/Order: Are topics ordered to satisfy the reader's needs?
➢ Tone: address the reader with the proper degree of respect based
on:

~ Your status in relation to the reader.

~ The discourse community and "culture".

~ Previous communication.

~ Negative stereotypes the reader has about you.

~ Reader Benefits phrased in You Attitude.

4|Page

EFFECTIVE BUSINESS
COMMUNICATION
SKILLS

5|Page

2) Effective business communication Skills

i. Interpersonal communication skills

➢ Interpersonal communication is the process by which people exchange
information, feelings, and meaning through verbal and non-verbal
messages: it is face-to-face communication.

➢ Interpersonal communication is not just about what is actually said - the
language used - but how it is said and the non-verbal messages sent
through tone of voice, facial expressions, gestures and body language.

➢ When two or more people are in the same place and are aware of each
other's presence, then communication is taking place, no matter how
subtle or unintentional.

➢ Without speech, an observer may be using cues of posture, facial
expression, and dress to form an impression of the other's role,
emotional state, personality and/or intentions. Although no
communication may be intended, people receive messages through
such forms of non-verbal behaviors

ii. Presentation Skills

➢ Presentation skills can be defined as a set of abilities that enable an
individual to: interact with the audience; transmit the messages with
clarity; engage the audience in the presentation; and interpret and
understand the mindsets of the listeners.

➢ Presenting information clearly and effectively is a key skill in getting
your message across.

➢ Characteristics of a Good/Effective Presentation Skill

i. A good presentation should be concise and should be focused on
the topic. It should not move off-track.

ii. A good presentation should have the potential to convey the
required information.

iii. The fear should be transformed into positive energy during the
presentation. Be calm and relaxed while giving a presentation.
Before beginning, wait and develop an eye contact with the
audience. Focus on conveying your message well and use a
positive body language.

iv. To communicate the desired information, the speaker should use
6|Page more of visual aids such as transparencies, diagrams, pictures,

charts, etc. Each transparency/slide should contain limited and
essential information only. No slide should be kept on for a longer
time. Try facing the audience, rather than the screen. The speaker
should not block the view. Turn on the room lights else the
audience might fall asleep and loose interest. Organize all the
visuals for making a logical and sound presentation.

e. A good presentation must be planned. The speaker must plan how
to begin the presentation, what to speak in the middle of
presentation and how to end the presentation without losing
audience interests at any point of time.

f. Rehearse and practice the presentation. This will help the speaker
to be more confident and self-assured. The more the speaker
rehearses the better the presentation turns to be.

g. The speaker should encourage more questions from the audience.
He should be honest enough to answer those questions. If any
biased question is put forth by the audience, rearticulate it before
answering.

h. Summarize the presentation at the end. Give final comments.
Leave a positive impact upon the audience.

i. The speaker must have a presentable appearance while giving a
presentation. The speaker should stand with feet far apart
maintaining a good balance. He must use confident gestures. He
must use short and simple words.

j. Try to gain and maintain audience interest by using positive quotes,
humour, or remarkable fact.

k. The speaker must be affirmative and optimistic before giving
presentation. He should ensure all tools and equipments to be used
in presentation are working well.

l. The speaker must state the objectives of the presentation at
beginning of the presentation.

iii. Public Speaking Skills

➢ Public speaking skills represent your ability to speak to a group of
listeners in an engaging and comfortable manner. The type of skills
required to be a strong public speaker range from technical abilities,
such as clear diction, to personality-based skills, such as being
comfortable as the focus of a group. You can develop these skills using

7|Page

a variety of methods depending on the type of skill you wish to
improve.

➢ Examples of Public Speaking Skills are:

Although there are many skills that contribute to being a successful
public speaker, some skills are more important. Some of the most vital
skills to become a stronger public speaker include:

• Communication
The most important skill for any strong public speaker is the
ability to clearly communicate with others. There are many
elements to being an effective communicator. Good diction is
essential for ensuring that the individuals listening to you
understand the words you are saying. Another skill is your ability
to control the volume of your speech and the speed at which you
are talking.

• Confidence
One of the most essential skills for a public speaker is
confidence. Many people who are great at conversations in
small groups may feel uncomfortable speaking in front of larger
groups in which they are the center of focus. Confidence is key
to delivering the information you want to share in an effective
and influential manner. While the skill of confidence is often
innate, it is also one that you can develop through practice.

• Empathy
Being able to relate with another person is highly useful in a
speech setting. The ability to look at your audience, gauge how
they are feeling and relate to them in that moment allows you to
significantly improve the results of your public speaking. It is
easier to adjust your tone, pace or style when speaking to a
room when you can understand the audience’s reactions.

• Charisma
Having charisma can help an individual deliver a speech in a
compelling manner that keeps the interest of an audience. The
more charismatic a speaker is, the more inclined an audience
will be to listen to what they say. Not only does an attentive
audience retain the information you are conveying, but it can
also be easier to give a speech to them since they’re interested
in what you’re saying.

• Stamina
A public speaker with high physical stamina can continue to give
their speech at optimal levels without growing tired and having it
affect the quality of the speech or the ability of the audience to
understand and retain information.

8|Page

iv. Feedback skills

Feedback skills is important in business communication because
Feedback helps your team avoid major mistakes.

By creating a clear and honest communication flow during any kind of
teamwork, it saves you the time of correcting someone's work, reduces
errors caused by miscommunication to a minimum, and prevents regrets
of those who feel like they failed.

The effective business communication for feedback skill are:

➢ Focus on specific behaviors
➢ Keep feedback impersonal
➢ Keep feedback goal oriented
➢ Make feedback well timed
➢ Ensure understanding
➢ Direct feedback toward behaviors that is controllable by the recipient

v. Listening Skills

➢ Listening is the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in
the communication process. Listening is key to all effective
communication, without. the ability to listen effectively messages are
easily misunderstood. Listening is one of the most important skills you
can have.

➢ Effective listening skills must have:

i. Discover your interests’ field.
ii. Grasp and understand the matter/content.
iii. Remain calm. Do not loose your temper. Anger hampers and

inhibits communication. Angry people jam their minds to the
words of others.
iv. Be open to accept new ideas and information.
v. Jot down and take a note of important points.
vi. Work upon listening. Analyze and evaluate the speech in
spare time.
vii. Rephrase and summarize the speaker’s ideas.
viii. Keep on asking questions. This demonstrates that how well
you understand the speaker’s ideas and also that you are
listening.
ix. Avoid distractions.
x. “Step into the shoes of others”, i.e., put yourself in the
position of the speaker and observe things from his view
point. This will help creating an atmosphere of mutual

9|Page

understanding and improve the exchange of ideas in
communication process.
v. Information management Skills
➢ Information management is a cycle of processes that support the
organization's learning activities: identifying information needs, acquiring
information, organizing and storing information, developing information
products and services, distributing information, and using information
➢ There are many benefits to having effective information management skills
such as:
a. Enables organizations to have quality information, i.e. information
that is meaningful, reliable, trustworthy, and usable.
b. Ensures timely and efficient identification and retrieval of records
and information as needed, including in response to information
requests from the public.
c. Informs decisions made on systems and processes based on
information value, risk, and costs.
d. Facilitates improved business analysis and decision making, both
strategic and operations.

10 | P a g e

PRINCIPLES OF
EFFECTIVE BUSINESS

COMMUNICATION

11 | P a g e

3) Principles of effective business communication

i. Completeness

➢ In business communication, the completeness of facts is necessary.
Incomplete communication irritates the reader, for it leaves him
baffled. If wrong actions follow an incomplete message, they may
also prove expensive.

➢ Example, suppose you are ordering shirts by mail. Your
communication must include all the relevant facts-size, color,
catalog number, quantity, mode of payment, mode of dispatch, the
date by which. You need shirts, etc. In the absence of any of these
details, your order may not be filled to your satisfaction. You should
organize your message in such a way that the receiver is not in
doubt about anything contained in it.

ii. Conciseness

➢ Conciseness is communicating complete information about a topic
or idea in a few words. Concise writing also involves being mindful
of word choice. Limiting your word count isn't enough to write
concisely. You need to choose the strongest words to illustrate your
point.

➢ For achieving the conciseness, you have to consider the following:

a. It is both time – saving as well as cost- saving
b. It underlines and highlights the main message,
c. Concise communication provides short and essential

message in limited words to the audience
d. Concise message is more appealing and comprehensible to

the audience.

iii. Consideration

➢ Consideration means preparing every message keeping the
receiver in mind: put yourself at their place; being ware of their
ideas, emotions, attitudes, desires, circumstances and probable
reactions to your point

➢ Handle the matter from their point of view, called as “you-attitude”

➢ Example,

We attitude – ‘I am delighted to announce that we will extend the
shopping hours’

12 | P a g e

You attitude- ‘you will now be able to shop more with the extended
hours’
Readers react positively when emphasis is shown to them.

iv. Clarity

➢ Clarity means the massage which is send should be in the clear or
in other words it should be understandable for the receiver. In any
organization the message which is send should have clarity in it so
that everyone can understand it. If the message is not clear then
maybe it leads to misunderstanding.

➢ Clear massage makes use of exact, appropriate and concrete
words

v. Concreteness

➢ Concrete communication implies being particular and clear rather
than fuzzy and general. Concreteness strengthens the confidence.

➢ Concrete message has following features:

• It is supported with specific facts and figures
• It makes use of words that are clear and that build the reputation

➢ Concrete message are not misinterpreted

vi. Courtesy

➢ Courtesy in message implies the message should show the
sender’s expression as well as should respect the receiver. The
sender of the message should be sincerely polite, judicious,
reflective and enthusiastic. Courteous message has following
features:

• Courtesy implies taking into consideration both viewpoint as
well as feelings of the receiver of the message

• Courteous message is positive and focused at the audience.

• It makes use of term showing respect for the receiver of
message.

➢ It is not all biased

13 | P a g e

vii. Correctness
➢ Correctness in communication implies that there are no
grammatical errors in communication. Correct communication has
following features:
• The massage is exact, correct and well-timed
• If the communication is correct, it boosts up the confidence
level.
• Correct message has greater impact on the audience /
readers.
• It checks for the precision and accurateness of facts and
figures used in the message
• It makes use of appropriate and correct language in the
message.

14 | P a g e