Business Communication: Types, Characteristics And Common Mistakes
We live in a society in which a large part of the labor market is configured based on the business environment. Whether they are large multinationals, SMEs, family businesses or even individual services, all of them must take into account that an essential element for their survival is coherence in the organization and communication between its parts in order to join forces and move towards a common objective.
In this sense, we can affirm that Business communication is one of the key elements when it comes to an organization , especially if it has a certain complexity, works correctly and can adapt and survive. And it is about this communication that we are going to talk about throughout this article.
Business communication is understood as the set of processes carried out by a company or part of it in order to make information travel, both internally between different departments or positions of the company and if we talk about company communication. with the outside.
It is important to keep in mind that, as a general rule, said communication does not only imply the ability to issue the information, but would also include the fact of receiving it: we are facing a mutual exchange of data
Good business communication ensures that all members of the company can remain motivated and that their actions can be known, reducing the uncertainty of both workers and leaders regarding the state of the company. It also facilitates interaction and improves the work environment in addition to improving productivity and allowing you to react more optimally to any eventuality.
General objectives
The objectives of business communication are easily understandable. Internally, on the one hand, it allows for a coherent organization to be produced and the information and results obtained by its different departments or workers to be shared, as well as the objectives and corporate vision of the company to be generated and transmitted.
Also facilitates understanding of what is expected of each of the workers , as well as the understanding of the realities that each of them must face. Likewise, it makes it easier for everyone to work in the same direction, and to learn new ways of carrying out their own responsibilities.
At the level of communication with the outside world, business communication is essential in order to contact the environment and generate a positive image of the company itself, as well as in order to analyze the target audience and assess their needs. It also allows you to learn to attract potential clients and assess the changes inherent to the dynamic and fluid society in which we live, something essential in order to anticipate and face possible difficulties and be able to adapt to the environment.
In order for communication to be efficient, it is necessary for the company itself to create effective channels for this as well as to enhance the transmission of information with its actions, generating means to communicate and also actively working so that uncertainty does not exist regarding what is requested and sought within the organization.
It is also important to work on both formal and informal aspects, as well as assess the needs and thoughts of different workers. Empathy is also essential, as well as good regulation and planning of communication mechanisms.
Different types of business communication
Not all companies and organizations communicate in the same way, and there are different typologies and classifications of business communication based on various criteria.
1. Internal and external
The first of them is the one that establishes the distinction between internal and external communication, the first being the one that occurs between the different departments and workers of the company itself and the second being the one that is aimed at establishing communication with the environment.
2. Bidirectional and monodirectional
Likewise, we can also find styles of business communication with a greater or lesser level of interactivity, ranging from the most common two-way communication in which the sender and receiver interact and exchange information to the one-way communication in which only a message is sent. generally from positions of power, to a recipient who has no option to reply
3. Ascending, descending and horizontal
Within the internal business communication of an organization, we can find three main types depending on the point where the information originates and the position between the sender and the receiver of the same communication. We speak of descending communication when the communicative act is carried out from a sender with a higher position than the receiver.
When it is the subordinate who sends the message to his superior, we would speak of upward communication. In both cases we would be dealing with a type of vertical communication, that is, a communication in which The subjects who maintain the communicative act have a relationship of inequality in terms of power (there being a hierarchy between them).
The other major type of communication is horizontal communication, which is established between individuals who have the same position and are at the same level of the hierarchy.
Finally, it should be noted that in business communication we can find the existence of two different types of communication channels: formal and informal. The first is where the technical aspects linked to the tasks themselves are usually dealt with, being a type of respectful communication focused on reason and the company’s objective.
In informal communication, however, More flexible and natural communications are usually established , fundamentally focused on interpersonal relationships and often being the one that has the greatest effect on work well-being. The latter varies greatly depending on who carries it out and can transcend the work environment, being difficult to control by the organization.
Possible threats to good communication
Maintaining efficient business communication is essential, but it is not easy. And the existence of a high level of variability in the situations that may arise must be taken into account, as well as the existence of misunderstandings, misuses and difficulties in a company’s own communications
1. Lack of consistency
One of the factors that most influences whether communication is truly useful is the credibility of the sender and the consideration shown to the recipient of the message. An example of this may be the existence of dissonances between what is said and what is said. is done, not maintaining the emitters a way of acting consistent with the messages issued
The latter can happen to any of the company’s workers, regardless of their hierarchical position or if they speak with a superior, subordinate or someone at the same level of the hierarchy, and generates serious repercussions for both the subject (which depending on the situation could end up being poorly regarded or even fired) and for the organization (generating a lower level of trust in the person and in case of having a high position even in the organization).
In the same way, and for example in the case of large companies with a large number of departments, if there are divergences between authority or reference figures within the company, they will probably A situation could arise in which the worker does not really know what leadership he should follow something that can generate frustration and distrust.
Likewise, it is necessary to be very careful with the interpretability of the messages, since the existence of ambivalence can cause different departments or workers to interpret opposite things. What business communication seeks is precisely to guarantee organization and internal coherence, which is why unclear messages with different interpretations can cause the appearance of uncertainty and doubts among the recipients of the message.
2. Lack of emotional connection
Another problem can be found in the way communication occurs. For example, in some organizations there may be a difficulty in generating a feeling of connection on an emotional level, which in workers can generate less commitment and productivity and in users a lack of interest and the search for other alternatives. It is necessary to appreciate that everything that is done and even what is not, is basically communicative.
Thus, not only the message itself is important but also the way in which it is transmitted: an email is not the same nor does it offer the same sensations as a face-to-face meeting or the search for a real contact.
3. Not understanding the context
It should also be assessed adaptation to the current situation and social advances , as well as the particularities of the situation itself. For example, in an increasingly globalized society and in which new technologies allow immediate communication with a large number of people at the same time, it may be necessary to analyze and invest in communication policies that take into account the power of networks. social networks and how to correctly transmit the desired information, in addition to evaluating contact with potential clients from other regions of the world.
Likewise, it is also necessary to assess the company’s own situation in order not to undertake more than what they can cover, and to do so it is necessary to take into account the situation of the company as a whole.
Another problem could be the content of the messages that are broadcast: it is possible that although communication exists, it does not transmit or does not convey the content that would need to be transmitted. It is possible that they focus on rather supplementary aspects and ignore, for example, the orientation or objectives that a given position should have, or that they take for granted the existence of knowledge that has never been made explicit
4. Isolation and lack of communication
Finally, the perhaps most important problem that can be extrapolated from all the previous ones is the possibility that there is no true communication.
The clearest example is the stable and continued use of one-way communication, which can generate a situation of stagnation and a lack of understanding of what is happening in the organization itself. Fortunately today it is the least used precisely because it is the least efficient and useful.
It is also possible that different positions do not have adequate mechanisms to contact each other even if their opinions were to be heard, there being fewer possibilities for feedback or even different parts of the company not having contact with each other. It is necessary to actively stimulate this interaction.
