Effective Communication: A Roadmap to Success for Wheelie - Research Paper

Introduction

Communication is one of the essential skills that determine the success of any business organization. Effective communication allows for the free flow of ideas for the organization, hence moving the organization towards achieving its goals. In recent times, Wheelie, our company has had decreased sales due to poor communication and breaching of data confidentiality. The paper aims at educating Wheelie's managers and employees on the importance of communication to help improve the company's performance.

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Purpose of Communication

Aims of Communication

One of the significant determinants of how the management of an organization performs is communication. All the functions of the administration, such as controlling, leading, organizing, and planning, need effective communication for them to be performed well. Also, communication is essential for interactions between employees (Hamilton & Creel, 2016). Business communication is vital for the following reasons.

Business communication aims to promote motivation in any firm. Effective communication allows for the clarification of the company's goals and objectives hence keep the employees focused. Also, tasks to be performed are clarified and how to do them. Managers communicate with employees about how to improve their performances (Hamilton & Creel, 2016). A manager in the production department can communicate with the employees on the expected output and motivate them to achieve the targets.

Also, communication aims to encourage the exchange of information in a firm. Also, there is a flow of information between employees and the institution. The flow of information between departments causes efficiency in all the departments (Hamilton & Creel, 2016). An example is where Wheelie's research and development department informs the production department of the projected decrease in demand. Communication helps avoid overproduction in that case.

Moreover, business communication aims to encourage teamwork and cooperation. Dialogue allows for the members of the organization and employees to work together towards achieving its goal (Men, 2014). For example, communication within the group helps employees understand their duties and minimize conflicts hence promoting teamwork. Business communication is, therefore, important for any firm.

Communication Process and Barriers to Communication

The figure below shows the communication process.

(Business Jargons, 2016)

The sender, who is the source of the message, translates the information into a message through the encoding process. The sender then decides which communication channel will be used to pass the message effectively to the receiver and sends the message. Once the receiver receives the news, he/she decodes it to understand what was meant and sends feedback to the sender. The feedback enables the sender to know if the message was understood. However, the communication process affected by the communication barriers labeled as noise in the diagram (Business Jargons, 2016).

"Interference is anything that blocks or changes the source's intended meaning of the message." The barriers prevent the flow of information or cause incorrect meanings to be passed from the sender to the receiver (Fielding, 2006). Communication barriers may create misunderstandings between the sender and the receiver. Some of the barriers to effective communication include semantic barriers, which deal with the problems encountered in the encoding and decoding processes. Semantic barriers may result from different interpretations and faulty translations. Also, psychological barriers, which deals with the state of mind of the sender or the receiver, may affect the flow of information. Organizational barriers, such as rules and regulations, may harm the communication process.

Overcoming Barriers From the Sender

Weak expression of messages can lead to communication barriers. The sender may be unable to structure the ideas in the word efficiently. However, this can be overcome by having concrete ideas and structuring the message correctly. Also, issues such as loss during transmission in written and oral communication can be overcome by choosing proper channels, or channels with noise to pass information. Besides, over-communication and under discussion, which involves the sender sending excess or scanty information, can be dealt with by giving just the right amount of data. The receiver may be confused by excess information, while insufficient information may leave the receiver guessing (Rani, 2016). Before sending a message, it is essential to acquire the necessary information to determine what kind of information the sender would understand. Also, it is critical to the sender to avoid having any prejudices about the receiver, since biases affect how the message is formulated.

Overcoming Barriers From the Receiver

Receivers may also have barriers in the communication process. Sometimes the receiver may have poor retention skills. In this case, the receiver cannot connect what was said earlier and what is currently being reported. Such interference can be dealt with by the receiver writing down important points about the message. Also, inattentive listening, which affects verbal communication, can be eliminated by concentrating on what is being said (Rani, 2016). Techniques such as keeping eye contact with the speaker or the sender can help the receiver concentrate on what is being said. The receiver can also avoid differing information about the information and keep an open mind about new data. In that way, the receiver will avoid biases about the sender or a negative attitude toward the sender.

Communication Models in an Organization

The following diagrams show simple communication models used in organizations.

Linear Communication Model

Transactional Communication Model

(The Communication Process, 2019)

The liner model discourages a close relationship between the management and the employees. Also, the model discourages feedback hence affecting the flow of information. The model, therefore, hinders communication between the staff and the management. On the other hand, the transactional model allows for a sufficient flow of information between managers and employees hence creating a close relationship. The transactional model encourages teamwork in the organization and creates unity by encouraging communication between the staff and the management.

Forms of Communication

There are several forms of communication. However, different mediums of communication are more applicable in certain situations.

Benefits and Limitations of Given Communication Mediums

One of the standard mediums of business communication is the use of a phone. The communication medium involves transmitting speech over a distance through the use of radio signals or electric signals. The telephone can be used in situations such as when a senior manager wants to communicate with the production manager over decreasing the quality of products. In this case, using the telephone allows for the immediate interaction between the two parties. Also, the medium enables voice communication, where the distance inhibits face to face conversations. The use of telephone, therefore, allows the transfer of information over a long distance, in case the senior manager and the production manager are in different regions (Hamilton & Creel, 2016). However, the lack of non-verbal cues and facial expressions may act as a barrier to effective communication. Also, the absence of these cues discourages the building of trust since phones are less personal. There may be a communication barrier between the managers due to the lack of non-verbal cues.

Another medium of communication that can be used in organizations is the face to face communication. The method includes verbal and non-verbal communication and requires the senders and the receivers of information to be in the same place. The medium can be used in situations like when a manager is issuing instructions to the workers on how to perform a given task. In such a case, the receivers, who are the employees, can ask for clarity where they do not understand. Also, non-verbal cues and facial expressions are used to ensure the message is fully understood. When the medium is used, trust and a good rapport are developed. However, personal conflicts between the sender and the receiver may interfere with the communication process (Hamilton & Creel, 2016). Also, prejudices and biases based on physical information such as gender and race may be a barrier.

Moreover, written communication can be used to pass information in an organization. Written communication includes letters, emails, reports, and others. The medium is applicable in a situation when the management decides to use emails to notify all the workers about an inevitable change in the organization. The medium allows for the clarification of ideas and can be used to document ideas for future references. However, feedback from the receiver may take days to reach the sender. Also, written communication is less personal, compared to face to face communication (Dwyer & Hopwood, 2019). Missing information may also lead to misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the messages hence deterring the transfer of data.

Face to Face Communication

Although there are many ways of communicating, face to face communication is among the most effective medium. When a manager wants to pass information to the employees, he/she looks at them in the eyes and tells them about what they want. Face-to-face communication is also used to motivate employees to achieve the organization's goal. The receiver of the message can receive it both verbally and non-verbally. Besides, the receiver understands the message by hearing the voice and taking into account the non-verbal cues such as tone, emotions, and body language to decide the seriousness of the word (Duncan & Fiske, 2015). Some of the types of face to face communication include meetings, interviews, conferences, and seminars. Face to face communication allows for immediate feedback and clarification where needed.

Face to face communication can be improved in several ways. The sender and the receiver should ensure they maintain eye contact while talking. Keeping eye contact helps the senders and the receivers to respect each other and creates trust between them. Also, the speaker should be audible enough to ensure listeners can hear and understand the message. Receivers should listen carefully to get all the information, and the speakers should listen when receivers are giving feedback (Duncan & Fiske, 2015). A lot of attention should be given to non-verbal cues and facial expressions to ensure they depict the same message like the one being spoken. These steps will help face to face communications in organizations.

In face to face communication, people pay more attention to speakers who maintain relaxed and open postures and those who stand uprightly to face the audience. Inappropriate body postures make a person unapproachable hence creating a communication barrier (Duncan & Fiske, 2015). Also, the body language helps the listener to understand the message fully and boosts the confidence of the speaker.

Written Communication

Written communication is defined as the process of passing information from the sender to the receiver by the use of written symbols. Information in written form is considered more formal than spoken words (Dwyer & Hopwood, 2019). Some types of written communication include memos, reports, emails, letters, etc. written communication can be divided into formal and informal.

Formal communication refers to a type of communication where the flow of information follows a chain of command established by the org...