8. Communication Media in Business Communication

8. Communication Media in Business Communication

Both formal and informal channels of communication may employ four major media of
communication:
 face-to-face communication (formal meetings, interviews, informal contact, the
grapevine),
 oral communication (the telephone, the intercom or public address system),
 written communication (letters, memos, reports, forms, notice boards, bulletins,
newsletters, organizational manuals, etc.),
 visual communication (charts, films, slides, photos, etc.).
9.Principles of Business Communication
There are eleven principles of business communication:
1. Conciseness. Most business people are very busy (time is money!). The
wordy letter is usually put aside, for its very wordiness makes
comprehension difficult.
2. Completeness. Your communication must contain all necessary
information. Having to request information that should have been included
will probably antagonize the recipient of the communication.
3. Courtesy.
4. Correctness. Everyone has a tendency to focus on errors. To many
people, errors in spelling, price quotations, sentence structure, and the like
are a reflection of organizational inefficiency.
5. Clarity. All ambiguity should be avoided.
6. Logical Organization. It is one of the keys to all effective
communication.
7. Attractiveness. All business communication should „look good‟.
Appearance is also important in face-to-face communication.
8. Natural tone. The tone of business communication should be friendly,
natural, and sincere. Hackneyed, archaic, and obsolete words, phrases and
expressions should be avoided.

9. Tact. Controversial expressions that might antagonize or embarrass the
„receiver‟ should be avoided. At times it is necessary to convey unpleasant
ideas, but the choice of words used to accomplish that objective should
permit the „receiver‟ to save face and accept the idea.
10. Positive tone. A positive tone almost invariably evokes a positive
reaction. In almost every situation, it is more desirable to make a positive
statement. On rare occasions you may wish to convey a negative idea or
problem. However, you should almost always follow immediately with an
offer of a positive solution.
11. „Receiver‟ orientation. An effective communicator must be sensitive to
the reactions and anticipated responses of the „receiver(s)‟.
We shall take a closer look at these principles in the next few lectures on the use of the
language in business communication.