The Communication Process

The Communication Process

COM 295

Business Communication

 

The Communication Process Worksheet

Complete the following table.

Review the steps of the communication model on in Ch. 1 of Business Communication. (See Figure 1.3).

Identify one personal or business communication scenario.

Describe each step of that communication using your personal or business scenario. Use detailed paragraphs in the boxes provided.

Steps of communication model Personal or business scenario
Sender has an idea. I support 15 elementary schools. One aspect of my job is to do regular site visits to ensure all sites are operating as they should be in accordance with district policies and procedures. This in turn, effects their evaluations down the road. Currently, my boss visits each site as she can, whenever her schedule allows. I suggested she and I split up the 15 schools and do monthly or bi-monthly check ins with each Site Supervisor. This would increase our ability to support the schools and evaluate their progress over time. It would enable us to better to mentor, support, evaluate and provide accountability to ourselves and our team.
Sender encodes the idea in a message. I visited all the sites, did observations, asked questions from the Site Supervisors regarding what areas they felt they needed more support in. I asked my boss questions and took notes on the current processes in place. From there, I wrote down my thoughts, suggestions and things to incorporate to make this process more efficient.
Sender produces the message in a medium. I decided I would type some notes and come up with a schedule to show her. I am a visual person and I know this helps in making the idea come to fruition. After I completed these items, I would have an in person conversation with my supervisor to convey my thoughts and ensure her that her current way was not lacking, but that I simply wanted to enhance it and take some of the workload off of her as that is the main reason I was hired.
Sender transmits message through a channel. The channel I chose was my words to speak to her in person. Because the conversation happened organically, I was not as prepared as I wanted to be. That way, she could see my emotion, body language and I could get immediate feedback from her and take notes on her immediate reaction and feedback to my ideas. To provide my boss with updates, I composed emails throughout the week to ask for clarification and she responded with additional questions.
Audience receives the message. While our initial conversation was an informal conversation that happened to take place without planning, it was successful. The topic happened to arise as we were planning site inspections. I decided it was a good time to share my thoughts with her. Although it was a very rough draft and premature ideas, the message was received and she liked my suggestions. She stated we would both resonate on the ideas and meet again in a week to discuss next steps and how to go about implementing my ideas.
Audience decodes the message. As I stated above, we ended the conversation agreeing to ponder my ideas and the revisiting the topic in a week. She stated we would both resonate on the ideas and meet again in a week to discuss next steps and how to go about implementing my ideas. I was to start site inspections the following week after.
Audience responds to the message. In our follow up meeting, my boss decided to adopt my ideas and proposed new way of doing things. Although she offered some tweaks and suggestions, we both agreed and liked all ideas brought to the table. She suggested that we split up the schools as I had originally suggested. However, instead of me just continually support those particular schools all year, we would switch halfway through the year or every other month. For instance, I would visit and inspect all of our schools in Folsom, while she did the schools in Rancho Cordova. And then the next month or second half of the year, we would switch. This would give us the opportunity to make observations on all the schools and then come together to compare our notes and see if we have the same observations/feedback.
Audience provides feedback to the sender. My boss thanked me for coming up with this idea and putting so much time and thought into how to best serve our schools and employees. This was validation to me that she not only received my intended message, she heard it, embraced it and is now willing to and take action implement it.

Additional Insight

Potential barriers that could occur in my communication scenario would be for my boss to take offense to my suggestion. It could have caused her to have feelings of inadequacy as she may have thought I was criticizing her current processes and ways of doing things. She could have misconstrued my communication as being over confident and over-stepping. To overcome this, I would have to be mindful my overall approach, including my word choice, body language and tone of voice.

Another potential barrier could have been my boss immediately shutting down my ideas. This could have hindered all future communication with her. I would have been less likely to share ideas in the future for fear she would just immediately shut them down as she feels her way is always the right or best way. Instead, she genuinely took the time to consider my ideas and was willing to implement it.

The Communication Process

In the world of business, it is important to understand all aspects of communication. Communication is an essential part of being a successful professional. “Business communication is essential within any organization and must be understood by all employees” (“Reasons for Studying Business Communication,” n.d.). Effective business communication allows for all involved to send and receive information in a clear and concise manner.

Mobile technology is changing the practice of business communication. Business strategies have evolved tremendously over the years to keep up with the demand of technology. This evolution has been made possible by the integration of various technological tools. These tools have enhanced business communication as well as made business processes simpler and more efficient. Mobile technology is a trend that is fast paced and constantly improving. Businesses acknowledge the increasing need to keep up with this trend and have adjusted their practices to accommodate this demand.

The growth of technology has given many organizations, and their employees the freedom to communicate from anywhere. More and more organizations have adopted a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) strategy to accommodate the mobile technology trend. Now, more than ever, employees are using their mobile devices for work-related purposes as this is their primary means of interacting with others. Technology has given people the freedom to stay connected no matter where they are or what they are doing. More and more people are using their mobile devices for work-related purposes and have the freedom to work from anywhere.

Nearly ninety-nine percent of full-time American workers use their personal smartphones for work purposes. In fact, many use multiple mobile devices such as laptops, smartphones, and tablet to help them accomplish their tasks. Technology offers freedom in the workplace, the ability to effectively and efficiently accomplish tasks and manage time better throughout the day.

With so many ways to communicate, it is crucial that each business professional knows how to effectively and ethically communicate. Ethics, the consideration of right and wrong, helps us in forming our responses and communications with others, both in the workplace and in our daily personal life. Responsible thinking and decision making are fundamental to ethical communication. Ethical communication is fundamental is the business world and encompasses the moral good present in any form of communication. This includes interpersonal communication, mass mediated communication, and digital communication. These fundamentals help in developing relationships within businesses and among audiences.

It is possible to be an effective communicator, but not an ethical communicator. Trying to portray unsavory news in a different light and mask the truth is unethical. It is what some would call putting a “spin” on the story. Ethical communication includes not only what you do say, but what you don’t say or what you choose to exclude. Intentionally excluding crucial information, or not correcting false impressions, can also be considered unethical and some would say is the same as lying. It is important when communicating, in business and in life, to always be honest, respectful and show sensitivity to cultural differences.

Transparency involves disclosing relevant information to the appropriate people, the appropriate way at the appropriate time. Transparent organizations consistently do the right thing, have an “open-book” mind set, have leaders and employees that are accessible, acknowledge inescapable facts and accept accountability for its failures. Transparency can increase camaraderie both among employees and with outside organizations.

Social media provides businesses with a platform to connect with its customers. They can do this through targeted promotions, responsive customer service or through private groups and communities of interest. Alternatively, social media has given immense power to the customer. The customer can now very quickly and easily tarnish long standing and established reputations with a single angry post. Customers can voice their thoughts and opinions of their experience with that particular organization. Sometimes, their opinion is based on one, single experience with that business that may not be an accurate representation of that the overall customer service and image they strive to portray. Everyone has a bad day. However, customers can be very unforgiving and take to social media to convey their disdain based on one encounter. The successes and failures are now on forever on display for anyone to view.

Social media has also increased people’s ability to be transparent. Many people are stepping forward as “whistleblowers.” This is a person who informs an audience or entity of illicit activity that is taking place within an organization or the organization is engaged in.

Conclusion

In conclusion, communication is an essential part of being a successful in a professional world. Effective business communication practices are essential within any organization. Mobile technology is changing the practice of business communication in many ways. Not only has it enhanced business communication, it has enhanced the daily lives of many. Mobile technology increases efficiency, efficacy, and productivity within and organization. This technology continues to evolve and grow each day and will continue to impact many, both personally and professionally.

References

Seven Dimensions, (2012). Professional Use of Social Media (03:09) [Video file]. Films on

Demand.

Astani, M., Ready, K., & Tessema, M. (2013). BYOD issues and strategies in organizations.

Issues in Information Systems, 14 (2), 195-201.

Business Communication Essentials: A Skills-Based Approach, Ch. 1: Professional

Communication in Today’s Digital, Social, Mobile World. References

(n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2018, from https://bizfluent.com/info-8286799-reasons-studying-business-communication.html

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