Abstract
Communication is an integral part of human life, including the field of business. Communication in an organization is an essential type of business relationship with other people, which performs several functions. In business communication, people use verbal and non-verbal means, which is also of great importance. Today, in the context of informatization, the most critical aspect of effective business communication is technology, which has both positive and negative consequences.
Business communication is regulated by ethical standards, which is a prerequisite for successful business communication. In globalization, it is significant to take into account the intercultural characteristics of business communication. In connection with the subjective factor of business communication, there are barriers, overcoming which is also vital for building effective communication.
Introduction
Unlike all other living beings, a person has such a unique tool for influencing other people as language. It is impossible to imagine modern life without language because communication covers all spheres of society. Communicating with others, persuading and compromising, listening, and speaking are what life and mostly, business life, consists of. Success cannot be achieved without these essential skills, and people acquire and improve them throughout their lives. Thus, communication plays a fundamental role in all aspects of business.
Discussion
Communication in an organization performs many vital functions. Communication refers to the process by which information is transmitted and understood between two or more people. McShane and Von Glinow (2020) emphasize the word “understood” because transferring the sender’s intended meaning is the essence of good communication (p.330). Thus, the definition of “communication” implies that its primary function is to provide the necessary information.
It is substantial for the decision-making process because having information, employees determine the action plan and set the organization’s course of development. Moreover, communication performs a control function that helps track employee behavior in various ways based on hierarchy and subordination. Communication also contributes to motivation – it encourages employees to perform tasks better. Moreover, it helps express feelings, experiences, and attitudes to what is happening. It allows meeting the person’s social needs. Thus, effective communication is essential to all organizations, so no company could exist without it.
A considerable part of effective communication is the channel or medium through which information is transmitted. In this regard, there are two main types of channels: verbal and nonverbal. Verbal communication is the process of exchanging information through speech and words. The breadth of intonation, the depth of shades of paralinguistic information, various speech means, and specific structure characterize verbal communication in business as one of the most exciting human activity areas. Verbal business communication, as opposed to nonverbal, is performed in oral and written forms.
According to Shonubi and Akintaro (2016), nonverbal communication is any part of communication that does not use words (p. 1907). Nonverbal means of business communication have the necessary influence on the partner and their subconscious. It replaces, duplicates, supplements, and enhances the meaning of words. The primary means of nonverbal communication are intonation, pauses, speech tempo, facial expressions, facial expressions, gestures, postures, eye contact. Thus, business communication’s channels are a powerful source of information about a partner, allowing to organize effective communication.
Communication is currently influenced by technological progress, which means that information technologies are essential for effective business communication. Therefore, contact via e-mail, phone, or video has become commonplace in an organization. This modern trend has both advantages and disadvantages. Firstly, the means of communication, which are almost always available and relatively easy to use, greatly facilitate communication.
Secondly, it is the ability to quickly receive and transmit the necessary information and process it with minimal effort. However, Bucăţa and Rizescu (2017) highlight that the main disadvantage of using information technologies in communication is the inability to convey emotions (p. 51). As already noted, nonverbal means of communication play a significant role in building effective communication, and the use of information technologies complicates the perception of emotions. Moreover, McShane and Von Glinow (2020) claim that information technologies reduce politeness and respect and contribute to information overload (p. 336). Thus, information technology is an integral part of the organization’s communication, which has both positive and negative sides.
The ability to deal with people appropriately facilitates the establishment of contacts, promotes mutual understanding, and builds effective communication. Thus, business etiquette makes the parties feel comfortable and provides more opportunities for doing business. Thus, in building communication in an organization, one should consider the hierarchy of employees, depending on which different types of communication can be used.
According to Bucăţa and Rizescu (2017), schemes such as “Boss-employee”; “Employee – boss”; “Employee – employee” are used most often (p. 55). According to the etiquette rules, the obligatory conditions of business communication are politeness, tact, modesty, correctness, and accuracy. To succeed in business communication, everyone needs to know the rules of greeting, the possibility of using hugs and kisses, presentation features, the use of compliments and apologies, and the basics of conversation. Furthermore, it is necessary to take into account the rules for conducting business correspondence and telephone conversations. Thus, etiquette plays a significant role in building effective business communication.
Every country has its traditions and customs of communication, including in the business sphere. Participants in international communication adhere to uniform rules and regulations. However, national and cultural characteristics can be significant in business relationships. McShane and Von Glinow (2020) note that knowledge of national features can be a guide to a partner’s possible behavior (p.348). Therefore, the way of thinking, argumentation methods, and expressing and justifying thoughts depend on culture. Moreover, nonverbal means of communication are particularly vital since common human gestures are also interpreted differently in each culture. Thus, in the process of business communication, it is significant to take into account intercultural differences.
In business communication, people face specific barriers to effective communication caused by natural, social, and psychological factors (Shonubi & Akintaro, 2016). Since contact occurs between subjects who have different desires, feelings, and life experiences, the information can cause various internal reactions. Semantic barriers of business communication arise due to the erroneous perception of information.
Emotional barriers are associated with the partner’s mood, their unwillingness to communicate, and attitude barriers are based on a pre-formed opinion about the interlocutor. No less significant obstacles to effective communication are information overload, and noise that affects both the perception of data and its transmission. Thus, communication barriers inevitably lead to inefficient management of the organization and hinder successful communication. In this regard, it is essential to learn how to overcome these problems.
Conclusion
To conclude, business communication is a necessary part of human life, the most vital type of relationship with other people, which performs some essential functions. In business communication, people use various channels, the main of which are verbal and nonverbal. Today, the most significant aspect of effective business communication is information technologies, which have both positive and negative consequences. One of the central regulators of business communication is ethical norms. In globalization, it is essential to take into account the cross-cultural features of business communication. Due to business communication’s subjective factor, some barriers need to be overcome to build effective communication.
References
Bucăţa, G., & Rizescu, A. (2017). The role of communication in enhancing work effectiveness of an organization. Land Forces Academy Review, 22, 1(85), 49-57.
McShane, S., & Von Glinow, M. (2020). Organizational Behavior: Emerging Knowledge. Global Reality. 9th ed. McGraw-Hill Education.
Shonubi, A., & Akintaro, A. (2016). The impact of effective communication on organizational performance. The International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Invention, 3, 1904-1914.