Developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership. The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others. If a leader can’t get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn’t even matter. - Gilbert Amelio If you are working in a company, you might have certainly understood how important business communication skills are. Business communication skills play a very significant role in helping employees communicate with each other in an efficient manner. In business communication, there usually are two major types of communication; internal and external. In internal communication, there is a transfer of knowledge between two or more entities between the companies. On the other hand; in external communication, the knowledge transfer is carried out between the company employees and outside entities, from other departments, other branches, and, in today’s global economy, from around the world. Moreover, communication can make the difference between success and failure for a company. Good communication helps ensure the efficient operation of all levels of an organization, from lowest to highest, whereas poor communication often results in inefficiency; and as successful business leaders know, inefficiency equals a loss of productivity and, consequently, a loss of profits. Increased efficiency isn’t the only corollary of good communication, however, since it also creates a sense of unity between members, resulting in their feeling that they are working together towards a common goal, and that goal is the success of the organization. In the dynamic business world of today, employer communication skills can make the difference between business success and business failure. Today’s global marketplace is a market of many cultures, languages, customs and traditions. Rising stars on the economic horizon include India, Indonesia, China, Pakistan and Peru. Businesses both large and small are conducting massive numbers of sales with these economic powerhouses on the Internet as well as the sales office every day. The importance of good customer service, and good communication skills, will continue to be the hallmark of companies that succeed instead of fail. In our multicultural and pluralistic business world, it is critically important that every CEO and manager understand the importance of communications as a skill requirement for business success. A look at the demographic makeup of most companies confirms that inside, as well as outside the company walls, there are many different people representative of our multicultural society. There are occasionally strong religious and philosophical differences between groups, but as employees most maintain some degree of loyalty to their employer as long as the employer is respectful of the differences. The best way for an employer to avoid misunderstandings and potential disruptions to productivity is to recognize the need for clear, unambiguous communications without the colour or cultural bias. If cultural bias appears in oral or written communications, it is quite likely to have a negative effect on employee morale and adversely affect business productivity. Developing Good Business Communication SkillsIn today’s electronic age, with all its gadgetry, for example, cell phones, fax machines, iPods, Blackberries, and computers, information is transmitted at the speed of light. Such electronic devices, however, are only as effective as the humans operating them, which is why members of an organization must possess proficiency in writing, speaking, listening, and reading. • Writing skills are important because the majority of organizational correspondence is through the written word, in the form of letters, announcements, proposals, reports, memos, and perhaps case studies. • Speaking is important because members must be able to express ideas verbally in a way that will both clearly get points across and hold the interest of listeners. Additionally, members might be called upon to conduct presentations to management, existing customers, or prospective clients. • Listening is important because, the ability to listen — or the ability to tune in to the needs and objectives of clients, customers, and colleagues — is the one skill that can make the difference between a mediocre company and a good company. • Reading is important because members of an organization must be able to interpret information correctly; moreover, they must be able to proofread their own written communications in order to ensure their messages will be properly interpreted. In summary, the reality is that members of an organization can possess brilliant ideas for company growth and expansion, product development, or groundbreaking innovations, but unless they can get those ideas across to management, existing customers, and/or potential clients through good communication, those ideas will come to nothing and, in the end, get the organization absolutely nowhere. Ends
