Introduction
The increasing number of businesses – both online and offline – makes companies think more about how they can approach both their employees and customers to achieve the best possible outcomes. Therefore, communication is one of the essential instruments intended to help managers and executives convey all the required information without generating misunderstanding (O’Rourke, 2019). The idea is that effective business communication may be trained and promoted among all team members, with several obstacles averting managers from achieving decisive success. There will be no possibility to establish a highly productive environment in the case where both managers and employees are not aware of how to converse properly, so corporate communication should be the key point of focus.
Effective Communication Norms
One of the most important reasons why communication is vital is the potential of creating conflicts within the organization that might deteriorate teamwork and ultimately leads to the generation of mistrust. Such probable ineffectiveness would drive the team away from focusing on organizational missions and objectives, leaving the team stagnating and continually destroying the existing business norms (Chang et al., 2018). In the case where employees easily miss important deadlines and ignore each other’s needs, it may lead to even more organizational issues. Therefore, one of the norms should be to practice effective communication on a daily basis and help employees extend their knowledge in terms of how to interact with the environment in the most vibrant way possible. Managers should recurrently track the workplace for conflicts, to protect employees from demoralization and the lack of initiative.
Another idea is to communicate even during conflicts, as it could help the team solve issues much quicker when all parties involved frankly share their outlooks. It is one of the best conflict resolution tools that may be used to create a competitive advantage related to how the organization is coping with business challenges. When a business is successful, managers always perceive communication as one of the parts of the organizational structure to help employees develop motivation and a positive mindset (Dwyer & Hopwood, 2019). Such an approach to organizational performance reinforces the inherent value of communication and shows that business objectives may only be achieved under the condition where team members are able to convey all required information. Performance improvements develop a sense of teamwork and help managers establish long-lasting relationships with their employees.
The Role of Interpersonal Communication
The foremost reason why interpersonal communication is important is its role in developing and improving the existing business norms and reaching out to society. The connection enables collaboration and creates opportunities for both managers and employees to maintain positive relations and pursue improved organizational performance. As communication is also a command tool, it may be used by managers to help employees grow both personally and professionally (Trittin & Schoeneborn, 2017). On the other hand, interpersonal communication is the best way to convey information quickly and clearly, not affecting any processes or functions. It also contributes to the idea that one employee may gain certain knowledge from the other one and then convey it to even more employees in the future.
Different functions would not be lucrative without effective communication, such as staffing, planning, manufacturing, quality controlling, and reporting. Without a proper mechanism of sharing information, the team will not be able to achieve the best outcomes related to interpersonal communication and individual employee performance (Coffelt et al., 2016). The last idea is that a number of different activities may be successfully coordinated with the aid of communication between managers and employees. Specific instructions always have to be conveyed in the correct shape and form in order not to confuse employees.
Communication Barriers
When overcoming communication barriers, the first task would be to define the potential areas where conflicts may arise and outline possible solutions to those issues prior to reviewing the state of affairs within the organization. On the other hand, I would always review nonverbal prompts from employees to see how they really feel about certain managers, employees, or tasks. As a communication barrier, the lack of attention paid to nonverbal cues could lead to reduced performance and an increased number of conflicts (Patrutiu-Baltes, 2016). I would approach every employee with empathy and convey all the required information in shape and form that is acceptable and appropriate in accordance with the given employee’s values and beliefs. When communicating specific messages, I would also try to make sure that the receiver understood the message and would not interpret it incorrectly. In the case of specific inquiries coming from employees, I would always try to seek clarification and listen actively so as not to leave employees confused and exasperated.
The Role of Communication in Global Businesses
The increasing cultural diversity of modern global business creates numerous opportunities for international businesses to benefit from improved technology and personal differences. Nonetheless, effective communication has to be in place to support every initiative related to individual beliefs or cultural peculiarities. The process of integrating different cultures into one business environment is a complex task that cannot be completed without addressing communication needs as well (Chaudhri, 2016). There have to be common standards of interpersonal interaction that have to be maintained and promoted across the organization in order for communication to remain effective. Only when employees are able to understand each other, the team will achieve every objective and successfully realize the potential of extending business initiatives. Without organizational communication, no business will be able to take advantage of its cultural diversity and come up with initiatives that are intended to further promote variety values.
Verbal and Nonverbal Management Communication
Within the framework of management, verbal communication stands for individuals conveying messages from one to another with the help of speech. Verbal communication is recurrently utilized to ensure the most accurate transmission of valuable information that has to be communicated clearly, even with tone variations where necessary (Hynes & Veltsos, 2018). The importance of verbal communication for managers may be explained by the idea that this type of conveying information requires supervisors to maintain direct contact with employees and learn more about their needs and aspirations in the quickest way possible.
On the other hand, nonverbal communication does not require either manager or employee to convey specific information with the help of their mouth. This means that managers can use their body language to communicate specific messages to employees without having to say something aloud (Hynes & Veltsos, 2018). Nonverbal communication skill has to be possessed by any manager who is willing to improve the state of affairs within the organization, as not all the information will be conveyed by employees verbally.
Approaches to Written Management Communication
When developing written messages, managers should pay close attention to several factors that could severely distress the effectiveness of their writing. First, they should always check in with the audience that is expected to receive the message, as individual employees may see definite posts as inappropriate. Everything from the person’s background to the educational level should be considered when developing and sending a message. On the other hand, useful written messages are always organized neatly and arrange all the tasks and valuable points in a logical sequence (Coffelt et al., 2016). Purposeful writing improves reports both visually and content-wise and allows employees to get acquainted with all the vital events and data points. The ability to choose the right format (for instance, an e-mail or a letter) is also an important skill that would help the manager to reach out to a specific audience with the help of dedicated messages. Therefore, it is also crucial to pay attention to how fonts, colors, and other visual elements are used throughout the message (O’Rourke, 2019). Customizable options are always important because they may be used by managers to highlight the purpose and the intended audience of the message.
Engaging an Audience
In order to prepare an engaging presentation and attract more employees to it, the manager would have to create space for feedback and opinions. Practically every slide could feature a voting mechanism for the audience in order for the manager to maintain interest and retain the energy level (Chaudhri, 2016). Visual demonstration of engaging information is one of the best ways to convey information to different employees. The first method of engaging an audience is to make the presentation interactive and help employees “communicate” with tangible objects. On the other hand, every topic or question discussed by the manager should be discussed together with employees. Important corporate messages could be mixed with storytelling in order to utilize appropriate examples and inspiring stories that could resonate with any audience and make even complex issues sound and look easy (Chaudhri, 2016). Ultimately, employees should always have an opportunity to reflect on their experience and knowledge in order for the manager to promote the vital nature of intrapersonal skills.
Effective Conflict Resolution
There is a number of different conflict resolution methods that can be used within any organization, depending on the dispute that has to be fixed. Negotiation, for example, is an essential tool that allows parties to learn more about each other’s stances on the subject. In most cases, this method of resolving conflicts leads to compromises and increased willingness to communicate (Patrutiu-Baltes, 2016). Speaking of managers, they are often engaged in the mediation method, as there has to be an unbiased third party assisting the conflicting counterparts in resolving the issue. Yet, mediators never have any kind of control over the conflict outcomes. This is where the method of arbitration may be helpful, as it provides the third party with the power required to make mandatory decisions that would bind the conflicting parties (Patrutiu-Baltes, 2016). The last type of conflict resolution method is avoidance, where conflicts are managed through circumvention, as both parties choose to ignore the conflict and step away from it.
Methods of Leading Teams and Group Meetings
In order to lead teams and group meetings, the manager should accurately plan the required events and communicate appropriate expectations. The most important task that the manager has to complete is to choose the right place for the meeting and prepare everything beforehand in order not to cause confusion and have everyone feel comfortable (Chang et al., 2018). The majority of group meetings require an informal space where design elements can be easily moved. The team should be provided with food and drinks in the case where the event is relatively time-consuming or takes place during overtime hours. In order to lead the event efficiently, the manager will have to get themselves familiar with the topic in advance and learn as much about the subject as possible (Dwyer & Hopwood, 2019). All discussion threads should be started and discontinued by the manager, allowing them to remain the frontrunner of the event and navigate the group through different activities.
A knowledgeable leader knows how to enable and control the audience. Even though a lot depends on the leadership style that is characteristic of the manager, the majority of responsibilities related to leading group meetings require them to set the discussion topic and then foster communication and engage all participants (Dwyer & Hopwood, 2019). A successful team leader will advance the debate in a timely manner and clarify important points from time to time with the intention of ensuring that all meeting members still understand what and how has to be done. One of the crucial techniques that never have to be ignored by managers is follow-up. Even after the discussion is over, the manager would still have the opportunity to receive feedback from meeting participants and answer additional questions (Chang et al., 2018). In some cases, even homework can be assigned to employees, leaving them engaged after the meeting is over.
Conclusion
Without effective management communication, no team would be able to achieve corporate goals and adhere to the organizational vision, as the majority of team members would not have the ability to realize their responsibilities. In order to evade any adverse outcomes, the manager will have to set clear expectations and communicate them eloquently. Everyone involved in the organizational proceedings would gain better insight into what has to be completed and what are the deadlines that no one has the right to miss. In the era of multicultural workplaces, managers should be as attentive as ever in order not to overlook specific challenges that could interfere with their employees’ ability to complete all tasks in time and avoid interpersonal conflicts. Effective corporate communication would make it easier for employees to improve their performance and learn the latest updates soon enough.
Accordingly, the manager’s ability to communicate transparently might be a way of building a committed team that is willing to accept any challenge and turn every opportunity into business outcomes. By conveying opinions and various information, the manager has the possibility to unlock employee feedback and have the latter contribute to corporate achievements. There are many obstacles to effective communication that managers have to consider prior to deploying new initiatives. The lack of commitment may also contribute to an increase in the number of interpersonal conflicts within the organization. This ultimately supports the thesis that productive environments cannot be established without effective communication on both employee and management sides.
References
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Chaudhri, V. (2016). Corporate social responsibility and the communication imperative: Perspectives from CSR managers. International Journal of Business Communication, 53(4), 419-442.
Coffelt, T. A., Baker, M. J., & Corey, R. C. (2016). Business communication practices from employers’ perspectives. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 79(3), 300-316.
Dwyer, J., & Hopwood, N. (2019). The business communication handbook. Cengage.
Hynes, G. E., & Veltsos, J. R. (2018). Managerial communication: Strategies and applications. Sage Publications.
O’Rourke, J. S. (2019). Management communication: A case analysis approach. Routledge.
Patrutiu-Baltes, L. (2016). The impact of digitalization on business communication. SEA–Practical Application of Science, 4(11), 319-325.
Trittin, H., & Schoeneborn, D. (2017). Diversity as polyphony: Reconceptualizing diversity management from a communication-centered perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 144(2), 305-322.