1.0 Introduction
This report has been commissioned by the Chair of IABC to explore prominent causes of miscommunication in a business environment. Outlined in this report are some prominent causes of miscommunication in the workplace as well as recommendations for avoiding commonly seen communication failures which can lead to crises situations. The effect of human nature on communication is explored to create awareness of employee’s tendencies when communicating in house between different hierarchical levels. The five major factors which influence business communication are examined and recommendations for their effective use are given.
2.0 Prominent Causes of Miscommunication
Miscommunication can occur in business environments simply as a result of human nature. It is our nature to sometimes feel that our opinion is of greater value than those working under us and therefore not take as much notice of it. This is a very bad view for management to take because many times people in lower roles have specialised skills which make them more qualified to give an opinion on matters. This type of situation may only arise with incompetent management but a much more common problem arises from bad news not being passed upwards in the first place, or that bad news not being taken as seriously as it should be. Housel & Davis (1977) suggest that the channel of communication plays a big role in what information is passed upwards:
“The channel that subordinates use to communicate upward will affect how openly they feel they can communicate. If a subordinate interacts with his/her superior through a satisfying channel (i.e., face to face) they will probably feel more open in their communication than if they use an unsatisfying channel (i.e., wri...
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Communication is a vital skill in all facets of life and all occupations. Before a person begins work, they first interview with the employer, where their communication skills are made apparent. These skills are vital to daily success in the workplace, whether they are used in direct communication or indirectly through the written word. It is crucial that the true meaning of what one person is trying to communicate to another is made perfectly clear the first time to ensure efficiency and success throughout all paths of life. There are also several situations for communication a person may experience. Communication situations can happen at any point in a person’s life, and it is imperative that a person is prepared for these situations when
On a daily basis, leaders are expected to communication on both a business and professional level. As stated by Solaja, Idowu, and James (2016) “today’s leaders must acquire effective communication skills for public speaking, listening and critical thinking in order to promotes organizational performance and cordial relationship between the organization and the external public” (p. 100). At the same time, internal communication with upper management, peers, and subordinates require the same level of information exchange.
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Communication is an essential part of our lives. Although we’ve been doing it daily, not all have mastered the art of effective communication. The consequences are that we might create misunderstandings, anger, and discouragement even if they are unintended.
Effective communication in its various forms is the substratum of crisis management. Internal and external communication is essential during times of crisis if a successful outcome is to prevail. In a crisis, people’s lives are often at risk, these are lives that can be lost or protected; however, their fate lies in the hands of information. A breakdown in communication during times of crisis will interfere in dispensing pertinent and time sensitive information to the target audience, thus placing them at a gross disadvantage in protecting their health. During a crisis, it can be extremely costly to falter in delivering accurate, detailed, and informative information.
Communication is an integral part of working in the business environment. Individuals communicate various pieces of information to internal and external business stakeholders.The design of an organization should provide for communication in four in distinct directions: downward, upward, horizontal, and diagonal. But we have only discuss about downward communication and upward communication, where downward communication is more prevalent than upward communication in organization. Communication can flow vertically or laterally. The vertical dimension can be further divided into downward and upward direction. Downward communication is more prevalent because in this type of communication, we have to give orders and instructions to our sub-ordinates. So we have to explain each and every step that is going to help in work. But in upward communication they sub-ordinates do not have to give instructions their head.
Effective business communication is central to the success of an individual’s career and consequently to that of the overall business entity. It would be imaginable therefore that there is some form of correlation between effective communication skills and such success. To put this into context, University of Kent (2011) has placed Verbal Communication at the top of the ten skills that employers most commonly look for. On the same note, anything that hinders effective communication is bound to have a negative effect not only on the specific message delivery, but also on the overall success of a career. In this paper, some of the barriers to effective business communication are discussed, with a few examples of how they affect the process.
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Clarity is the second important aspect in effective workplace communication, because clarity fosters understanding, and if everybody in the workplace has a clear understanding of each other, miscommunication happens muc...
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A study by University of East London shows that the concept of communication is immeasurable in modern management, and it seeks to meet clear understanding between manager and all the employees. It explains that employee communication is the exchange and clear provision of information, commands and directions between management and employees. And it makes the organization to work properly and employees to be well aware about their responsibilities and duties. (University of East London, 2009)
While working at Borders, I experienced quite a bit of upward communication. Employees liked taking their messages to me, I was seen as one of the managers that listened. I would also try to meet their needs by communicating these messages to my ge...
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