Level: PGD Total Marks: 100
Pass Marks: 50
ASSIGNMENT No. 1
(Units: 1–5)
Note: Attempt all questions.
Q. 1 Write down the principles of effective communication. (20)
That may be true. But to make sure you’re expressing yourself clearly and effectively, here are 10 principles of good communication.
Ans: 1. Have A Goal
First, you need to determine what you want your audience to do or get out of your communication. Are you positioning yourself as a thought leader or are you persuading them to take action? Figuring out your ideal outcome at the start and intentionally crafting your communication to reach for that goal will make it much more effective. Decide which KPIs can best demonstrate that your goals have been met, whether it’s clicks, social shares, sign ups or purchases.
2. Listen
Good communication is never one way. It’s why no one likes being stuck with uncle Preston at the family BBQ because he’ll breathlessly tell you, again, in excruciating detail, how he fixed his lawnmower that one time. Without giving you a chance to say a word, that will launch him into another story about the types of birds he’s seen in his yard this summer. And it goes on and on.
Likewise, if you never listen to what your audience is saying or give them a chance to engage, you’ll struggle to effectively connect with them. So, do your research, read what they’re writing, ask for their feedback and incorporate what they’re looking for into what you’re trying to communicate.
3. Adjust To Your Medium
Context about where and how your communication is being consumed is a vital factor to consider. For example, you wouldn’t say certain things through written communication because the tone and inflection of the spoken word isn’t there. In the same vein, you would communicate differently on the phone than face-to-face because the other person can’t see your face, hand gestures or body language.
4. Stay Organized
When starting out, create a cohesive, high-level outline that includes your goal, your main point(s) to get across and the main ways you’re going to illustrate them for your audience. Stay focused on this plan, be methodic in your research and avoid scope creep.
5. Be Persuasive
This is the whole reason you’re communicating, so do it well! Different people are persuaded differently. So, if appropriate, appeal to their rational side with relevant facts to back up your main argument. But, perhaps more importantly in many instances, you should also appeal to your audience’s emotional side. Studies have shown that our emotional brain processes information five times faster than the logical side of our brain. So, use images and stories that elicit happiness, hope, humor or surprise to get you closer to your communication goal.
6. Be Clear
Begone jargon! Farewell wordiness! Adios spelling mistakes! Keep your writing clear and concise. Moreover, explicitly state what you’re arguing, keep it as short as possible, avoiding long words when a short one will do and generally keep your sentences below 30 words. Usually, this just requires going through a few rounds of editing to take out all that’s unnecessary.
7. Visuals Are Important
When communicating with an audience, variety can go a long way. Humans comprehend new information in a number of ways but many are primarily visual people.
8. Use Stories
Another way to connect with your audience and communicate your ideas is with relevant illustrative stories. People are natural story tellers and listeners. This inborn trait stretches across cultures and, for me, is especially evident with how kids are so quickly drawn to story books.
9. Less Is More
Your audience is likely busy. So don’t waste your (or their) time with irrelevant tidbits, repeated information or details that may be related but don’t help you with your main communication goal. It will lead to disengagement, less information being retained and take away from the effectiveness of your efforts.
10. Be Curious
Finally, resolve to always be learning. While some things remain the same, the how and what we communicate is constantly evolving. Read lots, talk to mentors and never assume you know everything when it comes to good communication. For your individual efforts, test different formats and styles to see what works best when connecting with your unique audience and always be open to feedback.
Q. 2 Write short notes on following:
Ans: a) National and individual cultural variables (10)
NATIONAL CULTURAL VARIABLES:
An entire country may have a series of cultural norms/standards; individual ethnic/tribal groups within that country may accept most of those norms as well as adding their own. The National Cultural Variables are following Ø Education Ø Regulation Ø Economics Ø Politics Ø Social norms Ø Language Education You should be aware of the fact about the education level of the person which you are speaking.
So communication lot depends upon education. The following charts shows the education levels of Chinese, Asian and U.S Mangers So you see the ratio of education levels in manager in different parts of world….! Education Levels of Chinese, Asian and U.S Mangers Highest level of education Chinese % Asian % U.S % Less than high school 5.4 2.5 0.1 High school graduate 31.8 12.4 3.2 Some college 34.6 19.4 16.9 Undergraduate degree 27.6 65.4 79.8 Post graduate degree 0.7 25.0 30.0 Laws and Regulations In both the under-developed and developed nations, various government regulations affect business communications and sale of products. The type of product to be advertised-for instance, “Cigarette” is restricted in Europe; also money spent on advertising is limited. Other countries such as France, Mexico and the province of Quebec also have restriction on the use of foreign languages in advertisements.
Economics Availabity of capital and transportation and the standard of living per capita vary from nation to nation. The opportunity to borrow money, the rate of inflation (price raise), and the exchange rates influence business and a country’s ability to communicate concerning that business. For example in Pakistan the competitors usually set their own prices. In contrast IEEE set their own standard for different computer equipments Politics Politics also affect our communication when we are doing business with our company can result even in personal harm. Even concepts of democracy will vary as interpreted in Korea, the Philippines, or Great Britain. Indeed, the sweeping political changes in Eastern Europe and its altered concepts of government will affect future business relations.
Even the events Tiananmen Square affected individual and business contacts with china; more changes will certainly occur in the future. All such events affect communication, understanding of a country, and a company’s willingness to do business in an unclear political environment. Religion Religion in different areas of the world can affect the business and communications. Recent statistics have shown some religious have totally changed the style of business and even the structure of that specific country. e.g. In Afghanistan, Chechnya, Arabia, Iraq etc In various ways national environmental constraints, education, law and regulations, economics, politics and religion effect a nation’s social norms.
Also family boundaries may exist between persons, based on caste, class, age. So aware of a nation’s social norms. Language Everybody knows that knowing the language of a country is the most significant contribute to improved communication, on personal and business level. Your communication is good when both sender and receiver have same language.
An important constraint that under girds all the preceding is language. English is a world language and to a major extent the language of business. But, you know some basic vocabulary of your host country.
Each language has it is own sentence patterns and vocabulary. Thus, writing and speaking in a second language are more prone to errors. It is an easy take to find support for this assertion: language problems are often core to communication misunderstandings.
b) Challenges in communication (10)
Barriers to Effective Communication
There are many reasons why interpersonal communications may fail. In many communications, the message (what is said) may not be received exactly the way the sender intended. It is, therefore, important that the communicator seeks feedback to check that their message is clearly understood.
The skills of Active Listening, Clarification and Reflection may help but the skilled communicator also needs to be aware of the barriers to effective communication and how to avoid or overcome them.
There are many barriers to communication and these may occur at any stage in the communication process. Barriers may lead to your message becoming distorted and you therefore risk wasting both time and/or money by causing confusion and misunderstanding.
Effective communication involves overcoming these barriers and conveying a clear and concise message.
Common Barriers to Effective Communication:
The use of jargon. Over-complicated, unfamiliar and/or technical terms.
Emotional barriers and taboos. Some people may find it difficult to express their emotions and some topics may be completely 'off-limits' or taboo. Taboo or difficult topics may include, but are not limited to, politics, religion, disabilities (mental and physical), sexuality and sex, racism and any opinion that may be seen as unpopular.
Physical disabilities such as hearing problems or speech difficulties.
Physical barriers to non-verbal communication. Not being able to see the non-verbal cues, gestures, posture and general body language can make communication less effective. Phone calls, text messages and other communication methods that rely on technology are often less effective than face-to-face communication.
Language differences and the difficulty in understanding unfamiliar accents.
Expectations and prejudices which may lead to false assumptions or stereotyping. People often hear what they expect to hear rather than what is actually said and jump to incorrect conclusions. Our page The Ladder of Inference explains this in more detail.
Cultural differences. The norms of social interaction vary greatly in different cultures, as do the way in which emotions are expressed. For example, the concept of personal space varies between cultures and between different social settings. See our page on Intercultural Awareness for more information.
Q. 3 Describe business communication and ethics in detail. Give examples. (20)
Ans: What you’ll learn to do: Discuss the importance of ethical communication
As business practices become more transparent and the people behind those businesses become more public, customers and patrons begin to expect more from these businesses. It’s no longer a faceless corporation trudging along making a profit and paying their investors. Because of this, in order to be successful in today’s environment, a company has to be socially conscious and to behave ethically.
That’s a trend whose thread is woven into every aspect of
business, and that’s not a bad thing. Communicators should absolutely be
cultivating a level of trust and integrity in each of their messages. They
should be socially conscious and inclusive in their communications. It’s what
audiences expect
and, frankly, what they should have.
In this module we’ll take a look at the guidelines for ethical communication and how they apply to ve It’s not enough for a communicator to craft a message that’s clearly understood by his audience, leveraging the seven principles of business communication:
Clear
Concise
Objective
Consistent
Complete
Relevant
Understanding of Audience Knowledge
rbal, written and online communications.
In reality, if you adhere to the seven principles, you will communicate ethically. For instance, if you craft a message that is
not clear and concise, and you use tricky language that manipulates your
consideration for your audience’s knowledge, then you are not being ethical. If
you’re not being objective, and you are trying to communicate your opinion (or
the opinion of others) as fact, then you are not being ethical. If you
purposely do not disclose complete information, then you are not being ethical.
You don’t have to look too far today to see examples of unethical communication; they’re all over the media. “Fake news” media sites abound, even though social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter are making efforts to prevent them from being posted and shared. Is fake news ethical?
The seven principles of business communication should be enough to keep your messages ethical. But if you want further guidance as to what is and is not ethical in business communication, the International Association of Business Communicators outlines a code of ethics for all its members:
I am honest—my actions bring respect for and trust in the communication profession.
I communicate accurate information and promptly correct any errors.
I obey laws and public policies; if I violate any law or public policy, I act promptly to correct the situation.
I protect confidential information while acting within the law.
I support the ideals of free speech, freedom of assembly, and access to an open marketplace of ideas.
I am sensitive to others’ cultural values and beliefs.
I give credit to others for their work and cite my sources.
I do not use confidential information for personal benefit.
I do not represent conflicting or competing interests without full disclosure and the written consent of those involved.
I do not accept undisclosed gifts or payments for professional services from anyone other than a client or employer.
I do not Posting
Don’t post non-factual information on the internet, and if you do, promptly correct errors. When you post information online on behalf of your business, you owe your co-workers and all your external readers’ truthful information. When you communicate, you work hard to develop a relationship of trust with your audience, whether they’re reading you or listening to you speak. Passing along information that’s not trustworthy is damaging to your reputation as much as it’s damaging to your message.
Don’t post questionable information anonymously. Just because you don’t put your name on it doesn’t mean you’re not responsible for facilitating an incorrect, untruthful message. Again, you’re damaging the level of trust you’ve developed for yourself as well as a reader’s trust in the information.
Be careful about sharing proprietary information, information that violates patient confidentiality or attorney-client privilege. We talked a little earlier about how the lines between professional and personal communications are blurring. It’s easy to make a mistake and post a picture of yourself and your patient and say, “That kidney transplant has been very successful!” Even if you work for the Cleveland Clinic, that’s not appropriate unless you have the correct forms from the patient saying it’s okay to release that information. In addition, if you’re a lawyer and your client posts something on your Facebook wall about his trial, that’s also not terribly ethical. Don’t leave it up on your wall. Take it down and contact your client by phone.
Guarantee results that are beyond my power to deliver.
Q. 4 How can new technologies make communication challenging for organizations? Give your opinion giving examples. (20)
Ans: Technology affects communication by making it easier, quicker, and more efficient. It allows you to track conversations and therefore provide better customer service. Tech also makes it easier to gather customer insights and improve the entire customer experience.
On the one hand, technology affects communication by making it easier, quicker, and more efficient. It allows you to track conversations and therefore provide better customer service. Tech also makes it easier to gather customer insights and improve the entire customer experience.
Effects of Technology on Communication
Everything has both a positive and negative impact, and the impact of technology on the communication process also comes as mixed baggage. In this article, we would be discussing the impact of popular technological elements like emails, telephones, cell phones, etc., on our means of communication. Mobiles and the Internet are literally the basic necessities these days. A majority of us would feel something missing in life, if there were no mobiles or Internet .
Take the daily routine of a person in this tech-savvy world. The day begins with a “good morning message” on social networking sites and ends with a “goodnight” on the same website. The social networking sites are a world in themselves, like a virtual world! There is the incessant use of mobiles and the Internet for communication, the whole day. To make the process quick and easy, there are modes like emails, teleconferencing, video conferencing, networking sites, etc., among other tools. Mobiles, emails, and social networking sites are the most popular means of communication among the current generation.
Positive Impact
Technology has transformed the once big and far world into a tiny global village. Thanks to technology, we now have the power to communicate with anybody on the other side of the world. The points below summarize these benefits.
No barriers: Communication is now easy; in case of situations when you want to convey something urgently to someone, mobiles and emails come in handy.
Strengthened relations: Technology has made it easy to keep in touch with old contacts, and has also helped strengthen relationships.
Better solutions: Technology has brought the world closer and promoted exchange of thoughts to find better solutions to any problem.
E-schools: Services like video-conferencing has made it possible to give best education to students via expert faculty on the web.
Impact on relations: Finding someone to date was never so easy, thanks to the dating and chatting websites! No one would disagree if I say – Technology is the rationale behind the success of long distance relationships. Video chats and social networking sites have played a big role in keeping people in touch.
Development: Technological advancements in the modes of communication have promoted faster decision-making, and led to the development and progress of the world. Video conferencing has played a considerate role in promoting faster decision-making. Most of the businesses depend on technology for communication.
Negative Impact
The most prominent negative effect of technology – the charm of the good old world is missing. The letters and lengthy face-to-face conversations have gone away, and have been replaced by texting or chatting. See the below given points for details.
Impact on interpersonal communication: The current generation lacks essential interpersonal skills (the ability to express the ideas and thoughts to others face-to-face). A major reason for this tendency is increased frequency of communication through texting and chatting on websites.
Effect on nonverbal communication: Technological means have also affected nonverbal communication. Lack of face-to-face interaction has reduced the nonverbal grasping power of individuals.
Near yet far: Teenagers especially are always hooked to the social networking sites. They are more close to online friends, but the gap between parents and kids has increased considerably. Communication is missing, parents are not technology savvy and not used to the communication styles of their kids, and this has increased the generation gap.
Reduced social interactions: Consider the socializing among people. Life has changed a lot; there are no social meetings and get-togethers (the frequency has reduced). People are more bothered about their online life rather than the real social life.
Has led to many addictions: People have literally become addicted to the Internet and cell phones, and this addiction has led to many anxiety disorders. People addicted to the Internet feel lonely and isolated.
Malicious motives: Many people abuse the social networking sites and communicate to unsuspecting beings pretending someone else. This tendency of people has done more harm than good.
As you can see, the impact is both positive and negative. But logically thinking, technology has bettered the communication process and has done negligible harm. The positive points of the technological advancements cover up the negative points. It all depends on how we use these means; use the technological means of communication for sane purposes, and don’t abuse them for malicious motives.
Q. 5: For a healthy workplace environment, non-verbal communication is necessary. Discuss. (20)
Ans:
Nonverbal communication comprises of your overall body language, including your appearance and posture as a form of communication with others. Rather than using words, people can communicate using nonverbal gestures, such as facial expressions and eye contact. Also, an individual’s voice tone may communicate nonverbal messages to others. In the workplace, people interact with each other throughout the workday using verbal and nonverbal communication. In essence, the way individuals deliver nonverbal messages can be just as important as verbal dialogue.
Definition of Nonverbal Cues
Examples of nonverbal communication include what you wear, how you wear your clothes, facial expressions, body gestures, eye contact, voice, posture, and the distance between you and your audience. Nonverbal cues affect how people understand what you are attempting to communicate, and their reaction corresponds to how you delivered your message. If you are expecting a certain response by the receiver of your message, your nonverbal communication affects their response.
Using NonVerbal Cues to Enhance Communication
Depending on your occupation, you may be required to communicate messages to others on a regular basis; certain occupations —such as teachers, salespeople, journalists, doctors, lawyers and corporate executives— spend a great deal of their workday communicating with others. Using nonverbal cues can enhance how people receive your communication. Nonverbal communication indicates how a person is feeling in relation to what they are saying, and it also reflects how people react to the message. Communicating an important message to your colleagues with excitement and enthusiasm may have a greater impact on your audience in regards to the importance of the message versus delivering the message with a monotonous tone and facial expression.
Impacting Workplace Relationships
Having a conscious awareness of your nonverbal communication when you are also communicating verbal messages allows others to receive the message the way you intended to deliver your message. Positive nonverbal communication helps colleagues in the workplace build positive business relationships, whereas negative nonverbal communication can cause conflicts and other negative disturbances in the workplace. Many people build positive business relationships by consistently delivering positive nonverbal communication to others.
Improving Workplace Performance
Effective communication is important to managers in business organizations because their communication with employees affects how employees perform their duties. Managers may provide information to employees in regards to various job-related matters, such as employee policies, job performance objectives, work schedules and deadlines. Employees must make adjustments to any changes communicated by managers in regards to workplace matters. The manager’s attitude, which is mostly communicated by nonverbal messages, can produce either positive or negative attitudes by the employees; this can affect their attitude and emotions when performing job duties and either raise or lower employee morale. In other words, communicating positive nonverbal cues when speaking with employees can increase employee morale and job performances.
Significance
Communication is vital in any business setting, and the effectiveness of your communication skills can make or break your career or your business. Fundamental issues, such as personal respect, courtesy and adherence to cultural standards, can go a long way toward making lasting, positive impressions and working productively with individuals from different backgrounds.
Types
Communication in business settings can take three distinct forms. Verbal communication consists of any spoken messages conveyed to others in person or through a technological medium. Written communication consists of any correspondence sent between individuals or groups, including letters and email. In addition to these fundamental forms of communication, body language plays a large role in communicating subtle nuances in the meanings behind your words. Businesspeople must understand the unwritten cultural rules governing all three types of communication to maximize the effectiveness of their interpersonal skills.
Effects
Effective communication between individuals in a business setting can strengthen feelings of camaraderie and group cohesiveness. This can directly enhance the productivity, creativity and adaptability of work teams and departments, as well as encouraging individuals to give their best efforts in their personal job roles.
Miscommunication, on the other hand, can have the exact opposite effect. A failure to communicate effectively can lead to missed opportunities for networking, strategic partnerships and new client acquisition.
Considerations
Although communication among business leaders and among employees within a company is crucial to a business's success, all employees must also pay attention to their communication with customers. A different set of rules applies to communication with customers; the employee must be courteous and respectful even when customers are not, to curb negative word-of-mouth advertising. Communication in advertising, public relations and customer service activities must be scrutinized to ensure that the intended messages are being sent clearly and received by the desired market segment.
International Business
Communication etiquette takes on additional significance in the international business arena. Cultural norms and communication standards vary between countries and geographic regions; what is expected in one country may be forbidden in another. International businesspeople must take the time to become acquainted with the unique cultures in which they do business, and must often keep several distinct communication standards in their repertoire to strengthen relationships around the world.
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