Introduction
Communication is an important aspect of business today. Managers and employees have to choose the appropriate communication technique to use to ensure their messages are delivered and understood according to their purpose. The following discussion analyzes various scenarios in business communication to determine the appropriate communication method to use.
Employer and Employee Communication
In this scenario, the employee behavior is unacceptable in the workplace. The best communication approach to use is face-to-face communication. Due to the importance of the issue, it is crucial to use this approach since I can warn the employee against living food and drinks in the workplace and coming to work late. Face-to-face communication strategy is important since it enables instant feedback and it is faster compared to letters. In addition, I can get answers to why the worker comes to work late constantly. This will enable the employee and me to develop measures or rules to stop this behavior in the workplace.
The set rules or agreement can be written down for reference in case the employee’s behavior persists. Face-to-face communication is one of the effective ways of delivering a message since one can use non-verbal cues to address his or her issue. For instance, the use of facial expressions or gestures can be useful in this scenario to make the employee understand the seriousness of them matter. In case the employee does not understand any part of my message, he or she is free to seek direct clarification during the communication. In addition, I can provide a direct feedback to the employee’s questions or clarifications.
Communication of Special Events
When the message is targeted to many people, it is vital to select the appropriate method that will enable all the targeted audience to receive the same information at the same time. In this scenario, the aim is to inform all the employees about a special event in the workplace. The best strategy is to draft a memo is to include; all the employees invited to the special event, venue, date, time, and its purpose. The memos should be placed in strategic positions to ensure that all the employees read them to ensure they attend. This strategy is effective for organizations with one branch.
I can also use email memos in case the firm has many branches to ensure that all the workers get the message. Due to the development of information technology, it is easy to send similar memos to all the employees at the same time. The memos sent should include who sent them to ensure that the workers understand who sent the information. In this scenario, I can also use newsletters if the event is not urgent. The newsletters can be both print and online form depending on the nature of the firm and the employees. Electronic newsletters are more effective than print since they can cover a wide audience, which is appropriate for firms with many branches.
Client Communication
When selecting the communication plan to a client one has to determine the agency of the issue, time, and availability of the client. In this case, the situation is agent since the customer is about to sign a contract with a competitor which means that company is to lose business. The appropriate approach to use is to call the client and talk the way forward considering his or her actions. Telephone communication is vital in this scenario since I can provide immediate feedback to the client concerns.
In addition, telephone communication can be useful in setting a meeting with the customer to discuss a better contract than the competitor provided. This will enable me to discuss with the client on the appropriate time we can set a meeting to discuss his issue and sign a new contract. I will ensure that I am brief, professional, and speak clearly on the purpose of calling him or her. In case we set-up a meeting, I will develop an agenda for the meeting and inform the client in advance on the intent of the meeting.
Management or Board Communication
In this case, I have to ensure that the board or management makes a decision on the equipment to purchase. To get their decision, I can organize a video conference where all the board members can discuss the bids. Before the video-conference, I will draft the agenda for the meeting and email all the board members. If the decision to be made is urgent, I will call them to set a date for the conference and ensure all the required technology systems are available for the conference. Video conferencing is a crucial channel of communication since it is convenient to use since the board members will not have to travel to the firm to discuss and make a decision on the equipment to purchase.
Conclusion
Business managers have to consider the size of the audience, the urgency of the matter, the audience characteristics, and the culture of the firm when determining the communication channels to use. Improvement in technology has enhanced business communication efficiency since it is easy to communicate with many people at the same time.