MAKERERE

UNIVERSITY

MAKERERE UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION MASTERS OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MBA 1) AY 2011/2012; SEMESTER 2 INDIVIDUAL COURSE WORK
COURSE UNIT: COURSE CODE: FACILITATORS: NO. NAME 1 KIZITO GARRY DANIEL BUSINESS COMMUNICATION SKILLS MBA Dr. Ngoma REG: NO. STUDENT NO.

2011/HD10/3618U 203012943

Signature

Date:

UNDERSTANDING BUSINESS COMMUNICATION Introduction Communication is the process of sharing our ideas, thoughts, and feelings with other people and having those ideas, thoughts, and feelings understood by other people. The communicator must consider the purpose, target audience, structure and medium of communication. It is through the communication process that the sharing of a common meaning between the sender and the receiver takes place. The communication process is made up of the following key components; sender, encoding, medium/channel, decoding, receiver, and feedback. Sender The sender is an individual, group, or organization who initiates the communication. The sender's experiences, attitudes, knowledge, skill, perceptions, desired action, persuasion, and culture influence the message. In order to convey meaning, the sender must begin encoding, i.e. translating information into a message in the form of symbols that represent ideas or concepts to be communicated. Medium To transmit the message, the sender uses some kind of channel/medium. The channel is the means used to convey the message. The channels are categorized as oral, written or non-verbal. Oral Channels E.g. Telephones, Interviews, Meetings The sender should use the right verbal, body language, tone, and listening skills needed. Written Channels This can be either verbal or graphical. E.g. Memos, Letters, Reports The sender should be able to interpret, summarize, present and use different formats e.g. pie charts, bar or line graphs. Non-verbal Channels The sender must use the right gestures, posture, expressions, proximity and sound.

Note that the effectiveness of the various channels fluctuates depending on the characteristics of the communication and communicator. E.g. to conduct effective meetings, one must issue a notice for the meeting early enough, have an agenda and take minutes. One must also have good interpersonal skills in order to keeping order, guiding discussions, seek agreements and make decisions. The Receiver Once the message is received and examined, the stimulus is sent to the brain for interpretation, to assign meaning to it hence decoding. The receiver begins to interpret the symbols sent by the sender, translating the message to their own set of experiences in order to make the symbols meaningful. Successful communication takes place when the receiver correctly interprets the sender's message.

The extent to which the receiver comprehends the message will depend on; the knowledge he has about the topic, the interest in the message, and the relationship that exists with the sender. All interpretations by the receiver are influenced by their experiences, attitudes, knowledge, skills, perceptions, and culture. Feedback After receiving a message, the receiver responds in some way and signals that response to the sender. The signal may take the form of a spoken comment, a long sigh, a written message, a smile, or some other action. "Even a lack of response, is in a sense, a form of response. Feedback allows the sender to evaluate the effectiveness of the message. Barriers Certain barriers present themselves and have a negative impact on the communication process. These barriers interrupt the flow of communication from the sender to the receiver, thus making communication ineffective. The main barriers of communication include the following; Inappropriate choices, lack of opportunity, politics, language, Technical failure, Jargon, Conflict, Distortion, Information Overload, personal differences, Lack of trust, Noise, Incompleteness, lack of feedback, lack of skills. How to cover the barriers It is essential to deal and cope up with these communication barriers so as to ensure smooth and effective communication in the following ways; i. ii. iii. iv. v. Using simple language Using clear words and avoid jargons Active listening: Avoiding Information Overload Reduction and elimination of noise levels Conclusion Successful and effective communication within an organization stems from the implementation of the communication process. All members within an organization will improve their communication skills if they follow the communication process, and stay away from the different barriers. It has been proven that individuals that understand the communication process will blossom into more effective communicators, and effective communicators have a greater opportunity for becoming a success. viii. ix. x. vi. vii. Effective use of body language. Establishing a good relationship between sender and receiver. Giving constructive feedback Proper Media Selection Preparation before communication.