Examples of communication in the following topics:
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- While downward communication may sometimes invite a response, it is usually one-directional rather than reciprocal–the higher-level communicator does not invite or expect a response from the lower-level recipient.
- Whether informative or persuasive, effective downward communication results in the recipients taking action or otherwise behaving in accord with the communicators' expectation.
- Business communication experts John Anderson and Dale Level identified five benefits of effective downward communication:
- Ensuring effective downward communication is not necessarily an easy task.
- Managers need to effectively communicate information to their subordinates; they do this through downward communication.
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- Communication requires a sender, a message, and a recipient, although the receiver may not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication.
- Communication requires that the communicating parties share some area of commonality.
- Perhaps the most time-honored form of communication is storytelling.
- Business communication encompasses marketing, brand management, customer relations, consumer behavior, advertising, public relations, corporate communication, community engagement, reputation management, interpersonal communication, employee engagement, and event management.
- Many organizations have a communications director who oversees internal communications and crafts messages sent to employees.
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- Horizontal communication, also called lateral communication, involves the flow of messages between individuals and groups on the same level of an organization.
- Communication within a team is an example of horizontal communication; members coordinate tasks, work together, and resolve conflicts.
- Horizontal communication occurs formally in meetings, presentations, and formal electronic communication, and informally in other, more casual exchanges within the office.
- An organization that has relied on rigid, formal styles of communication in the past may find it difficult to switch to more employee-directed, horizontal communication.
- Horizontal communication refers to any communication between employees at the same level of an organization
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- Upward communication is the transmission of information from lower levels of an organization to higher ones; the most common form is employees communicating with managers.
- Upward communication is often made in response to downward communication; for instance, employees answering a question from their manager.
- In this way, upward communication indicates the effectiveness of a company's downward communication.
- The communication channel, or mode of sharing information, strongly influences the upward communication process.
- The availability of communication channels affects employees' overall satisfaction with upward communication.
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- The goal of communication is usually to generate action, inform, create understanding, or communicate a certain idea or point of view.
- Barriers to effective communication distort, obscure, or misrepresent the message and and fail to achieve the desired effect.
- Effective communication only happens when the words and symbols used create a common level of understanding for both parties.
- Communications have to take the potential barriers of an audience into account and tailor the message to reach them.
- Define effective communication in the context of organizational challenges and barriers
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- Effective communication is often a key to the successful performance of team tasks.
- A major part of teamwork is communication.
- Norms typically emerge about preferred modes, frequency, and timing of communication.
- When centralized, communication tends to flow from one source to all group members.
- There are several barriers to effective communication within teams.
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- There are three main vehicles for communication: verbal, written, and non-verbal.
- The most common vehicles for communication are oral, non-verbal, written, and electronic.
- Written communication includes e-mail, memos, and reports.
- Both oral and written communication can be conveyed electronically.
- For example, telephone and web conferencing are two modes of oral communication, while e-mail and text messaging are examples of written communication.
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- Informal communication occurs outside an organization's established channels for conveying messages and transmitting information.
- While formal communication follows practices shaped by hierarchy, technology systems, and official policy, informal communication faces fewer restrictions.
- Formal communication usually involves documentation, while informal communication usually leaves no recorded trace for others to find or share.
- In the past, many organizations considered informal communication (generally associated with interpersonal, horizontal communication) a hindrance to effective organizational performance and tried to stamp it out.
- While informal communication is important to an organization, it also may have disadvantages.
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- Nonverbal elements supplement the use of words to convey meaning during communication.
- Nonverbal communication refers to meaning conveyed in the absence of words.
- There are two types of nonverbal communication—voluntary and involuntary.
- Voluntary nonverbal communication refers to intentional movements, gestures, and poses.
- For instance, maintaining eye contact when communicating indicates interest.
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- Communication technologies support many types of messaging and information sharing in organizations.
- Many mobile apps used on tablets and smartphones allow for both real-time and asynchronous communication.
- Alternatively, communication can be intended as reciprocal and interactive.
- Organizations use communication technology to support and drive their business activities.
- Some examples of technology used to communicate in business include: