Unit 2.4 - internal & external communication Flashcards
(7 cards)
2 types of communication
Internal - employees communicate with each other
External - employees communicate with people outside the business
5 reasons why effective communication is important
- Coordination between different parts of business improves - improves efficiency
- Reduces number of mistakes employees make
- Employees know about decisions being made so motivated
- Customer service improves
- Enables faster decision making
What are 4 main types of communication + pros & cons?
- Visual communication - e.g. notice boards, advertisement. + presents complex info in appealing & attractive way; - no feedback, may not be understood
- Verbal communication - e.g. meeting, telephone. Direct, quick decision making + feedback. quick & efficient; - no written record, may take long time to come to decision
- Written communication - e.g. fax, report, letter. + evidence of message, cheap, copied & shared; - no instant feedback, long messages cause disinterest
- Electronic communication - e.g. email, social media. Quick, efficient, but age gap.
What is a facsimile (fax)?
Written document sent through phone line printed by machine in receiver’s office. Very fast way to send paper document, but not all businesses have fax machine & unreliable
Factors affecting choice of communication method
- Urgency
- Cost
- Complexity
- Available technology
- Need for feedback/response
problems of ineffective communiccation
Inefficiency due to mistakes, conflict due to misunderstandings, mistrust due to bad communication, poor organisation
State 9 common communication barriers + how to fix
- Second language - use automated translation software
- Message too long - make message briefer/split it up into sections
- Too complex/technical language (jargon) - message should use simple language and sender should allow for feedback to be asked
- Noise in meetings - transmitted in quite environment or written format
- Long-distance communication - planning for different time zones and use electronic communication
- Medium of communication - give training to employees to understand medium and how to use it
- Too many layers in organizational structure - consider delayering/delegation to ensure that message passes through as little people as possible
- Mistrust due to poor relationships - management should build trust with employees