That\u2019s why understanding the importance of communication in business and learning how to deliver messages effectively shouldn\u2019t be assumed as common sense. Taking the obvious out of what you already know and giving you a more practical look into how to strengthen your business communication, we\u2019ll cover:<\/p>\n
- \n
- What is business communication\u2014and how exactly does it impact your day-to-day work?<\/a><\/li>\n
- What are the main types of business communication?<\/a><\/li>\n
- Measuring success: how to know if you’re doing business communication well<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/a>
\nForget what the textbooks say, here\u2019s what \u201cbusiness communication\u201d really is<\/h2>\nThe term business communication is pretty vague. Ask anyone and they\u2019ll give you their own definition of what it means. If you try to look up a formal definition of it, you\u2019ll probably end up with something like this:<\/p>\n
Transmission of a message or information in order to promote an organization’s goals, objectives, aims, and activities, as well as increase profits within the company.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n
But this isn\u2019t exactly helpful to get a team of people aligned on how exactly to do that\u2014and to do that well.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s another, more practical way you can think about business communications:<\/p>\n
Choosing the <\/i>right ways<\/i> to express your thoughts and ideas to <\/i>other<\/i> people<\/i> so that they can be <\/i>best understood<\/i>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
The right ways will come down to:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Choice of words and language<\/li>\n
- Tone of voice<\/li>\n
- Channel of communication<\/a> (in-person vs online)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
And “other people” can be:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Coworkers<\/li>\n
- Managers or executives<\/li>\n
- Customers or clients<\/li>\n
- Investors<\/li>\n
- The media<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Understanding happens when the person being spoken to can:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Recognize where the speaker is coming from (in a disagreement, the listener can still identify with the other person\u2019s point of view)<\/li>\n
- Take action based on clear direction or feedback (members of a team create an action plan based on the project manager\u2019s input)<\/li>\n
- Gain knowledge from what they\u2019ve just heard (cross-functional teams can learn more about each other\u2019s roles, even if it doesn\u2019t directly impact their own)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In the context of business, good communication will result in:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Resolved conflicts or prevention of potential ones from arising (by removing barriers to understanding)<\/li>\n
- Clarity when something isn\u2019t working<\/li>\n
- Better relationships by nurturing mutual respect through shared understanding<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What’s the purpose of business communication?<\/h3>\n
Being aware of the four reasons for communicating will help you better decide on the right way of communicating. For each, pay attention to when communication might happen so you can choose the best channel for it to get delivered through. Remember, the purpose of good business communication is to elicit full understanding.<\/p>\n
1) Between coworkers<\/h4>\n
Talking or exchanging information amongst those you work with falls into this category. This happens in a team environment while working on a project together, or between departments like when there\u2019s a handoff between the product and marketing team before a product launch.<\/p>\n
Examples of when information gets exchanged:<\/p>\n
- \n
- To make joint decisions, problem-solve, or brainstorm solutions<\/li>\n
- To share individual learnings within a team or across departments<\/li>\n
- To train new employees<\/li>\n
- To collaborate on working documents<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Generally speaking, most communication will happen through channels where conversations can move quickly, such as through phone\/video calls<\/a>, instant messages, and texts.<\/p>\n
2) From management to employees<\/h4>\n
This comes from the top down with a leader<\/a> sharing news to their support team. This typically involves providing direction to those who report to them or sharing broad news on the business\u2019s performance and agenda to align the team on a focused vision.<\/p>\n
Examples of when information gets exchanged:<\/p>\n
- \n
- To give actionable feedback on employee performance<\/li>\n
- To share news of business changes, performance, or growth plans<\/li>\n
- To be the decision-maker to resolve problems<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Because communication from the top down happens less frequently than between employees, typically more formal channels of communications are used, such as in-person, or through emails or documents.<\/p>\n
3) From employees to management<\/h4>\n
This type of communication comes from the bottom up when an employee shares information with a higher up. Usually, this is to communicate progress or results so that the leader has a pulse on activities that they\u2019re not part of during the day to day.<\/p>\n
Examples of when information gets exchanged:<\/p>\n
- \n
- To share progress on how work or projects are going<\/li>\n
- To provide data, analytics, or financial reports<\/li>\n
- To discuss plans and goals for professional growth<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Similar to the last type, leaders might not be speaking to employees every day. Depending on your organization\u2019s culture (how flat or structured the hierarchy of people are), communication here can happen as formally or informally as everyone agrees on. In a more traditional business, communication tends to be formal and take place in person or over reports, emails, or documents.<\/p>\n
4) To external stakeholders<\/h4>\n
External communication is any communication that happens with individuals outside of your business. Think prospects, customers, investors, or even the press. Often in these exchanges, you want to represent your brand consistently and confidently to those who may be hearing from you for the first time.<\/p>\n
Examples of when information gets exchanged:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Presenting your business\u2019s traction to raise capital from investors<\/li>\n
- Participating in community engagement (fundraisers and events)<\/li>\n
- Reaching customers via social media marketing and advertising<\/li>\n
- Sharing a press release on major business achievements<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Because these forms of communication rarely get to be accompanied by a voiceover, it needs to be factually correct, succinct, and clear to the receiver. These types of communication are normally shared in the form of sales presentations or proposals, online ads, white papers, or blogs on your business\u2019s website.<\/p>\n
<\/a>
\nWhat are the main types of business communication?<\/h2>\nIn the last two decades, the time spent on calls, emails, and meetings has increased by 25 to 50%. And yet, only one in four employees feel highly engaged.1 <\/sup>Why is it that we\u2019re spending more time communicating but still not getting enough out of it?<\/p>\n
Clearly, something\u2019s broken.<\/p>\n
The biggest thing you can do to improve engagement is to have the right technology in place. This is especially true with a growing remote workforce that relies on a smorgasbord of other means to communicate in lieu of face-to-face time.<\/p>\n
So, empower your team to better connect with fewer misunderstandings using the right communication tools. <\/a>This means providing a range of options so that they can use the right channel depending on what they’re trying to accomplish.<\/p>\n
But let\u2019s not confuse having options with needing to go out and buy multiple disparate tools. The thought of using three or four different apps just to talk every day just isn’t very efficient\u2014not to mention, most people don\u2019t even have enough screen real estate to support all that.<\/p>\n
One key part of the equation for setting up effective business communication? Streamline how many tools you\u2019re asking people to use so they don\u2019t get overwhelmed by a bunch of different video chat apps and messaging apps and… you get it.<\/p>\n
The neat thing about RingCentral is that its desktop and mobile app can support a range of communication needs (like video chats<\/a>, phone calls, texts) with internal folks…<\/p>\n
- What are the main types of business communication?<\/a><\/li>\n
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