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BUSINESS COMMUNICATION ASSIGNMENT

Zain Zulfiqar
Section-A
16E00017

Q1. What role will your communication skills play in your company’s success?

A1: Effective communication inside and outside the organization plays an important role in the
company’s success. For example, the company will be able to produce faster solutions to the problem.
Similarly, the decision-making process of a company will become improved. Effective communication
also increases the productivity by reducing time wasters. When someone effectively communicates with
the stakeholders of the company like customers, suppliers, shareholders then this will build strong
business relationships between them. Effectively communication also produces improved financial
results for the company and even higher returns for the investors due to higher employee commitment
and steadier workflows. In last, the effective communication not only presents an enhanced
professional image of the employees but also of the company itself.

Q2. What three principles will help you minimize missteps in business etiquette?

A2: There is a long list of general guidance for business etiquette which is expected to be followed by
every employee and newly appointed executives. However, we cannot memorize all of them at once.
Therefore, there are three principles that will help in any situation in the business world i.e. Respect,
courtesy and common sense. These principles even encourage forgiving someone if someone has made
a mistake in the business environment. Similarly, if someone has an ambiguity, it is better to ask
questions for clarity.

Q3. How does formal communication differ from informal communication?

A3: Every organization has a formal and informal communication channels. In formal communication,
there is a structured flow of information and ideas thru the chain of commands of the company’s
hierarchical level. Information or ideas are mostly related to the professional activities of the employees.
However, in informal communication, the flow of information and ideas do not follow structured
channels. Information is mostly related to personal or social opinion and feedback that does not have
any link to the business or professional activities of the organization.

Q4. In what directions can information travel within an organization’s formal hierarchy?

A4: Formal information inside the organization usually travels in three directions: Downwards, Upward
and Horizontal. Downward communication flows from top-level management to the lower level
employees. Mostly, executive information and decisions follow this type of direction. Upward
communication flows to a higher level in the organization. Mostly, feedback, market trends,
performances follow this type of direction that enables the management to make an intelligent decision.
Lastly, horizontal communication flow among employees at the same level of the organization. This will
help employees to share knowledge, coordinate task and solve problems.

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BUSINESS COMMUNICATION ASSIGNMENT
Zain Zulfiqar
Section-A
16E00017

Q5. What is the grapevine, and why should managers be aware of it?

A5: A grapevine is a form of informal communication inside the organization that can exist anywhere
among two or more employees. This type of informal communication can spread a message rapidly.
According to a study, 75% of employees used it to spread a rumour. This type of information cannot be
controlled by the management. Information spread through this process is perceived as being more
believable & reliable by most of the employees. Managers should be aware of it as an active grapevine
inside the organization shows that the formal communication channel is ineffective. Grapevines prevail
inside the organization when the employees don’t have the information they need.

Q6. What steps have to occur before an audience member perceives the presence of an incoming
message?

A6: Whenever a message is sent to an audience, the audience receives it, decodes it and responds to the
message in the form of a feedback. However, to actually receive a message, the audience need to first
sense the presence of a message, select it from the bulk of other messages and then perceive it as an
actual message. There are certain steps which need to be followed to enhance the chance of success of
efficiently perceiving your message by the audience. The speaker has to pay attention to the
expectations, needs and wants of an audience instead of focusing on his own needs. Similarly, the
speaker needs to use familiar channel and medium that audience can relate to. Moreover, the
technology used for transferring of a message has to be compatible with the audience. In last, the
message needs to be in simple and easier to perceive according to the audience expectations.

Q7. Why should communicators take an audience-centered approach to communication?

A7: Communicates should focus on the audience need to ensure effective communication. Otherwise,
the intended message will be ignored, lost or misinterpreted by the audience. The audience-centered
approach focuses on the “you” attitude instead of “me” attitude. During communication, if the speaker
knows about the audience, their needs and background then it will easier for the audience to hear your
message, understand it and respond effectively. This approach will not only increase the effectiveness of
the communication but also the quality of working relations.

Q8. How is communication affected by information overload?

A8: Information overload is a type of barriers to the effective communication. During communication,
information overload occurs when the information to work with exceeds the receiver’s processing
capability. Moreover, when there is too much information, messages or emails to handle then there is a
chance to ignore or even forget the important and useful information among the useless bulk
information. Information overload not only affects the effective communication but also induce
workplace stress due to an overload of data.

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BUSINESS COMMUNICATION ASSIGNMENT
Zain Zulfiqar
Section-A
16E00017

Q9. How can you make sure your feedback is constructive?

A9: Another name for constructive feedback is constructive criticism. Constructive feedback/criticism
focus on the improvement of the process and communication outcomes. This means that the people
involved during the communication are not important enough to criticize. Moreover, to make feedback
constructive, one should provide specific guidelines for the improvement instead of discussing flaws.
One should always try to focus on controllable factors and keep the feedback impersonal. In last, the
suggestions given for the improvement should be thought carefully. However, if there is a time
limitation or not enough capability to provide the feedback, then let the other person know about it to
make feedback appropriate.

Q10. Why is ethical communication important?

A10: Business communicator has a responsibility not only to think before saying or quoting something to
the audience but also the consequences of it. Anything a communicator says, quotes, or writes can be
used against him in the case of unethical behaviour. This is due to the fact that business communication
is always linked to the face of the company in public i.e. information can be used and evaluated by any
stakeholder of the company.

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