It is impossible to avoid professional communication. Technology has made the ability to communicate instantly a part of daily professional activities. This instant access means that good communication skills are even more important than ever. The ability to communicate effectively with coworkers and customers is at a premium whether the context is official or personal.
Welcome to the Communication Archives
You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere.
Lee Iacocca
Formal and Informal Communication
There are two main forms of business communication: internal and external. Like any other kind of professional communication, their purpose is the same — to transmit “information, ideas, thoughts, opinions and plans between various parts of an organization.” Internal communication is directed at the members of the organization. This includes, but is not limited to, instructions for employees, reports for managers, and email between coworkers.
Culture and Intercultural Communication
With the globalization of the world economy, the average employee is more likely than ever to encounter a coworker or business associate from a different culture. In his New York Times op-ed piece, David Brooks observes that “while global economies are converging, cultures are diverging.” In the face of globalization and apparent backlash of anti-multiculturalism, it is the responsibility of every professional to communicate effectively without stepping on any cultural toes.
Factors That Inhibit Intercultural Cooperation
Harry Triandis of the University of Illinois describes three factors that inhibit intercultural cooperation: perceived similarity, ethnocentrism, and class structure. Studies have shown that during times of conflict individuals tend to congregate into groups of similar individuals. There is no guarantee that these people are the same, only the perception that they are. Naturally, this leads to an “us” versus “them” atmosphere. In this situation, differences are magnified and the conflict is easily blown out of proportion due to misunderstanding and distrust.
The Writing Process and Business Messages
There are three main stages in the writing process: planning, drafting, and revising. The planning stage is when information is collected, the document is organized, and a format is chosen. During the drafting stage, the writer is focused on getting thoughts down on paper; there should be no intention of writing a finished document at this time. That is the purpose of the next stage. Once the writer has completed the draft, revising is the act of applying the finishing polish. This should be done in a top down approach by first revising the content, then analyzing sentence structure and word selection, and finally correcting for typographical and grammatical errors.
Organizational Skills and Business Writing
As technology has advanced the pace of modern society, the modern employee has less time available for any given work task. Susan Meisinger wrote “it is almost impossible to be productive in today’s business environment without being an effective communicator.” A business writer must present messages that are efficiently organized to convey the message as quickly and directly as possible. With this goal in mind, the skill of organizing a message for proper reception is paramount.
