Business Communication

Table of Contents 1.0 LETTER 3 2.0 INTRODUCTION OF LISTENING SKILL 5 2.1 What is business communication? 5 2.2 Barriers to listening 7 2.3 How to overcome such barriers and improve our listening skill 8 2.4 Conclusion 9 3.0 REFERENCE 10

Question 1
You are John Branes, Manager of a company called Universal Stationers situated in Australia. Using your knowledge of effective letter writing, write a courteous letter in correct format to an applicant (Mary Rossa) who has applied for post of a Marketing Manager with your company to inform her that her application has been unsuccessful.

1.0 LETTER

Miss Marry Rossa
10 Corner Street,
Winchester Villas,
Australia,
BT 253647

Dear Miss Marry Rossa,
RE: Marketing Manager of Universal Stationers
Thank you for your application and participation in the selection process for the above position. I am writing to advise that in this instance you have not been successful.
We received over 200 applications for this positions that are available with us. We have now completed our primary selection process and have put down a shortlist of candidates who will now be interviewed as part of the recruitment process. As we are not able to personally meet all the well qualified candidates who applied, we sincerely regret to inform you that your application was not successful to take you through you for an interview with us.
I hope that this will not discourage you from submitting applications for future roles with the Universal Stationers. If you have any further questions, please contact us in this telephone number +61 2 7746 5524
We wish you all the luck with your job search and thank you again for your interest in our organization.

Yours Sincerely,
JOHN
Signed
John Branes
(Manager of Universal Stationers)

Question 2
Barriers to listening include: the vatiation of meaning between people, our history with people, uncertainty about the purpose of message, lack of empathy, assumed uselessness of message, the effect of hierarchy and problems in the environment. In what ways might we overcome such barriers and improve our listening?

2.0 INTRODUCTION OF LISTENING SKILL

Listening is a process of receiving, interpreting and reacting to the messages received from the communication sender. Effective listening is an art of communication, which is often taken for granted and ignored. Like any other art, listening require to be cultivated consciously and carefully. Unfortunately, our education systems beginning from kindergarten up to college level do not pay attention to the teaching of effective listening. Poor listening can be considered, as a mighty barrier to communication as listening is fundamental to all communication.

2.1 What is business communication?

Developing good business communication skills is as much about the ability to develop good content as it is about good form. Documents can be classified into two types, and it is internal and external. Internal documents circulate within the organization and may include memos, reports and proposals. And external documents circulate outside of the organization. Examples include: letters, tenders, proposals and report. The external environment may include clients, customers suppliers, stockholders, government, media and the general public.
The following part show the communication process(Figure 1.0):
Figure 1.0 Communication process

* Sender and Receiver
In the basic interpersonal communication model, the sender, also known as the source, is the person who initiates the communication process. In a dyadic, or two-person, communication situation, the receiver is the other person involved. In a public speaking or public communication situation, the audience is made up of receivers. The numbers can vary from a few to a few hundred. The speaker may use only his/her voice or may need a public address system. In mass communication, there could be literally hundreds, millions, or even billions of receivers

* Interaction of Senders and Receivers
Because communication is interaction, participants take turns 'sending' and 'receiving.' This turn-taking is even true for mass-mediated communication, for instance, the process whereby an entertainment program is created, programmed, and aired for an audience's enjoyment. If the audience watches and enjoys the program, it is likely to continue to be aired. If the audience is not amused, the program is canceled

* Context in the Communication Process
Context refers to the idea that every act of communication must happen in some sort of surroundings. Most obviously there is the physical context--whether we are talkiing to someone in our living room or on the terraces at a football match. But then there is the social context, which is to do with the occasion involved and the people in it. This might be a group of friends in a club or a family meal or a group of mourners at a funeral. And then there is the cultural context, which refers to an even broader set of circumstances and beliefs, which still may affect how we talk.

* Noise in the Communication Process
Noise is anything that disrupts or interferes with the communication process. Noise can be physical or psychological, it can disrupt the communication process at any point, and it can be associated with any element in the system.

* Feedback in the Communication Process
Feedback is the final link in the chain of the communication process. 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. Without feedback, the sender cannot confirm that the receiver has interpreted the message correctly.

2.2 Barriers to listening

It is a pointed out earlier, listening is not easy and there are a number of obstacles that stand in the way of effective listening, both within outside the workplace. These barriers may be categorized as follows: * Physical barriers – You cannot hear what is being said. Physical impediments include hearing disabilities, poor acoustics, and noisy surroundings. It’s also difficult to listen if you’re tired, uncomfortable or worried. * Psychological barriers - some people may have genuine hearing problems or deficiencies that prevent them from listening properly. Once detected, date and generally be treated. Some people may have difficulties in processing information, or memory related problem which make them poor listeners. * Wrong Assumptions - The success of communication depend on the both the sender and receiver, as we have seen in an earlier unit. It is wrong to assume that communication is the sole responsibility of the sender or the speaker and that listener have no role to play. Such an assumption can be big barrier to listening. * Thought speed – Because we can process thoughts more than three times faster than speakers can say them, we can become bored and allow our minds to wander.

* Lack of Training - listening is not an inborn skill. People are not born good listeners. They have to develop the art of listening through practice and training. Lack of training in listing skills is an important barrier to listing, in the Indian Context.. * Bad Listening Habits - Most people are very average listeners who have developed poor listening habits that are hard to say and that act as barriers to listening. For example, some people have the habits of “faking” attention, or trying to look like a listeners, in order to impress the speaker and to assure him that they are paying attention.
2.3 How to overcome such barriers and improve our listening skill

The following techniques will help you become an active and effective listener: * Control your surroundings – Whenever possible, remove competing sound. Close the windows or doors, turn off radios and noisy appliances, and move away from loud people or engines. * Keep an open mind – We all sift and filter information through our own biases and values. For improved listening, discipline yourself to listen objectively. * Listen to the main point – Concentration is enhanced and satisfaction is heightened when you look for and recognize the speaker’s central themes. * Listen between the lines – Focus both on what is spoken and what is unspoken. Listen for feelings as well as for facts. * Hold your fire – Force yourself to listen to the speaker’s entire argument or message before reacting. Such restraint may enable you to understand the speaker’s reason and logic before you jump to false conclusions. * Provide feedback – Let the speaker know that you are listening. Nod your head and maintain eye contact. Ask some related questions at appropriate times. Getting involved improves the communication process for both the speaker and the listeners * Stop talking – The first step to becoming a good listener is to stop talking. Let others explain their ideas or views. Learn to concentrate on what the speaker is saying, not on what your next comment will be.

2.4 Conclusion

To improve listening skills, we must first recognize barriers that prevent effective listening. Then, we need to focus on specific techniques that are effective in improving listening skills.

3.0 REFERENCE

Sample Candidate Rejection Letters, retrieve from < http://humanresources.about.com/od/sample-rejection-letters/sample-candidate-rejection-letters.htm > viewed on 10November 2012
Communication Skills, retrieve from < http://www.directionservice.org/cadre/section4.cfm> viewed on 25 November 2012
Listening Skills, retrieve from < http://www.d.umn.edu/kmc/student/loon/acad/strat/ss_listening.html > viewed on 25 November 2012
Listening Skills, retrieve from < http://www.skillsyouneed.co.uk/IPS/Listening_Skills.html> viewed on 25 November 2012
Overcoming Barriers to Effective Listening, retrieve from < http://biznik.com/articles/overcoming-barriers-to-effective-listening> viewed on 25 November 2012
How to Overcome the Barriers to Effective Listening, retrieve from < http://www.ehow.com/how_8197089_overcome-barriers-effective-listening.html> viewed on 25 November 2012