A Beginner’s Guide to Business Communication

Business communication is the basis for the success of any organization regardless of its size, industry, or business model it operates in. In other words, communication is the key factor driving virtually any business activity. From internal collaboration and planning to customer relationship building, every process starts and ends with effective business communication. 

In this guide, we will cover every aspect of business communication including:

  • The definition and examples of effective business communication,
  • The importance of effective business communication and the problems it solves,
  • The types and methods of business communication,
  • The tips and techniques on how to improve communication in business.

A complete guide to business communication - cover

Table of Contents

What is business communication?

Before we get into a more detailed analysis of the factors that make up effective business communication, let’s first define the term and its key elements. 

Business communication is the exchange of information between two or more people inside and outside an organization.

Ricks and Gow — authors of Business Communication: Systems and Applications — define business communication as “ a system that affects the change within the total organization .”

Essentially, any time we witness any type of interaction between different business subjects — internally or externally — we can categorize it as business communication. 

The key five elements of business communication include:

  • Sender(s) — or the source, is the person or a group initiating the communication (employee, manager, customers, agencies, suppliers, contractors, etc.).
  • Business information — the piece of information the sender wants to communicate to others (message, memo, email, document, report, etc.).
  • Channel(s) — the medium the sender uses to transmit the information (phone, email, letter, chat message, etc.).
  • Receiver(s) — or the audience, are the recipients of the business information.
  • Feedback — or the response, refers to the reply conveyed by the receiver of the message. Feedback is an integral part of the business communication process as it determines whether the business information (the message) is successfully sent and interpreted. 

What is effective business communication?

Effective business communication refers to any type of exchange of information inside and outside an organization oriented towards achieving business goals. Essentially, the goal of effective business communication is to improve internal processes, minimize mistakes and meet organizational goals. 

Effective business communication examples

To get a better understanding of effective business communication, let’s go over a couple of best practice examples using the business messaging app Pumble to illustrate the examples.

🔸 An example of effective business communication meant to improve processes

Neil is a team leader in a development department. He uses the dedicated channel in Pumble to discuss the tech the team will use for the upcoming project. Neil starts the conversation by introducing the topic to make sure everyone on the team is on the same page. He proceeds to outline previous discussions and conclusions regarding the tech they should use. 

James is a team member. He joins the conversation and provides the pros and cons of the two types of tech suggested. James concludes his message by suggesting a final choice based on factual evidence and research. 

Neil responds by agreeing with James’ choice. 

An example of effective business communication to improve processes in Pumble

🔸 An example of effective business communication meant to minimize mistakes

Jack is a sales specialist. He received a technical question from a customer and he needs more information from the development team to be able to give an accurate answer. Jack explains the issue in the dedicated channel in Pumble asking someone from the development team to join the call with the customer. 

James, a developer, volunteers to jump on a call. 

Jack thanks his colleague and then continues with another technical question, to make sure no mistakes and no false promises to the customers are made. He mentions Neil, a team leader in the development department, to request an official response from him. 

Neil responds by confirming Jack’s assumption. 

An example of effective business communication to minimize mistakes in Pumble

Why is effective business communication important? 

Business communication is the tie that binds all processes, workflows, and people within an organization into a coherent and productive unit. In addition to affecting larger organizational processes, effective business communication is also integral to crafting proposals and plans, reaching agreements, conducting constructive meetings, and improving sales.  Let’s get a more in-depth analysis of how business communication impacts different internal and external processes.

Effective business communication facilitates the preparation of plans and proposals

Effective business communication is critical to crafting plans and proposals. 

Managers possessing strong communication skills are more likely to engage a large team around a project and successfully implement vital tasks without any delays or losses. At the same time, poor communication fails to communicate tasks clearly and, almost by default, reduces the chances of project success.   

In fact, a study by PMI reveals that ineffective communication can cause a loss of $75 million out of every $1 billion spent on a project. 

Every step in the process requires constructive communication to be properly implemented. From research and information sourcing to the actual writing, communication is the key component of any proposal preparation. 

Although most of us would automatically associate proposal preparation with written communication exclusively, there’s also plenty of information sourcing, discussions, and brainstorming sessions that are conducted verbally. 

Strong business communication skills secure the success of project or business proposals and plans. 

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business communication skills introduction

Effective business communication helps present and discuss ideas

Similarly to the previous point, effective business communication determines how new business ideas are communicated, perceived, and accepted. Effective business communication enhances brainstorming, facilitates constructive dialogue, and supports transparency and understanding. Specific communication techniques and skills largely determine how successfully people will get their ideas across. 

Effective business communication eradicates team silos

According to a 2016 survey by McKinsey , executives consider silo mentality as the number one issue hindering a functional digital culture. 

With limited communication as one of the main causes for the origin of team silos , understandably, effective company-wide communication can prevent the issue from developing in the first place.   

Transparent, assertive, and collaboration-based communication reduces the chances of developing the silo mentality and generates more opportunities for company-wide trust-building.  

Effective business communication facilitates better decision making and execution

Business communication is instrumental to decision making and it also largely determines how the decisions will be applied. Effective communication facilities a constructive decision-making process by reducing the risk of information overload and excessive data. 

Clear, concise, and structured information shared via effective business communication leaves more cognitive capacity for decision making rather than processing excessive information.

Moreover, effective business communication plays an important role in how the decisions will be perceived, and ultimately, realized. According to organizational communication literature , effective strategic communication is considered vital in communicating “t he contents of company strategy and important corporate decisions to key stakeholders, both internal and external .” 

Effective business communication improves talent retention

Effective communication systems improve talent retention by 450% according to a Work Institute retention report . Unsurprisingly, employees are more likely to stay longer at organizations that cultivate effective internal and external communication practices. This is especially true for teams nurturing effective internal team communication built on trust and joint collaborative effort.  

Effective business communication increases productivity

Clearly communicating to employees how their work impacts the larger goal can lead to 10% higher performance, Gartner reports . Moreover, Gartner also shares that more informed employees are more likely to outperform their less-informed peers by a staggering 77%. By installing effective business communication plans — that prioritize streamlined communication and collaboration — organizations are more likely to experience immense productivity returns. 

Effective business communication facilitates more constructive meetings

According to an HBR study , 71% of senior managers believe meetings are unproductive and inefficient. These numbers are potentially even larger nowadays due to the prevalence of remote communication which often lacks verbal and non-verbal cues. Remote communication, especially when it relies on written and audio methods, can lead to potential misunderstandings and miscommunication which largely affect the meeting’s effectiveness. As one of the key factors affecting the atmosphere and the outcomes of meetings, a change in communication practices can create more productive meeting scenarios . 

Effective business communication improves sales

Effective communication is the key driver of sales success. As revealed by a study on the role of communication skills for salesforce , clear task communication in teams and optimally developed presentation skills largely impact the success in reaching sales targets. 

Communication still plays a major role in sales, even in a digital environment that dictates different interactions, another study on ​​Salesperson communication effectiveness in a digital sales interaction reveals.

Effective business communication builds trust

According to Lexicon , over 80% of Americans cite effective communication as the key factor in building trust with their employers. At the same time, organizations lacking transparent and honest communication strategies are more likely to experience misunderstanding and mistrust and overall low employee morale that harms company culture. According to one Accountemps survey , 33% of HR managers link ineffective business communication to low employee morale, while 38% believe proper communication strategies are the most powerful means to tackle this problem.

🎓 Pumble Pro Tip  

For more on how to promote transparent communication in your organization, visit our blog post:

  • Transparent communication: why and how to embrace it at work

What are the types of business communication?

There are four main types of business communication in a typical organization:

  • Internal upward communication
  • Internal downward communication
  • Internal lateral communication
  • External communication

⬆️ Internal upward communication

Internal upward communication follows a bottom-up direction of communication. In other words, internal upward communication takes place each time a lower-level employee initiates a conversation with their superior. 

🔸 Example of internal upward communication

Christopher has recently started a new job as a remote video designer. He is experiencing some challenges in his work and decides to DM his team leader, Stella, and ask for more frequent check-ins. Stella responds by agreeing to Christopher’s request and suggests a video meeting to discuss the matter in more detail. Christopher agrees and thanks Stella. 

Upward communication in Pumble

⬇️ Internal downward communication 

Internal downward communication is a top-down communication flow that starts with the person at the highest hierarchical level and ends when the message reaches the lowest level employees. Downward communication is directive, instructional, and usually more immediate than internal upward communication.

🔸 Example of internal downward communication

Lena is a product manager at a software development company. After receiving a complaint from a client about a system malfunction, she notifies the team in a dedicated channel in Pumble. Neil, a development team leader, assigns Mari and Amelia (developers) to investigate and fix the problem. He mentions the two team members to make sure they get notified immediately. Mari replies to let everyone know they have received the message and are working on fixing the issue. 

Downward communication in Pumble

↔️ Internal lateral communication

Internal lateral communication refers to any type of interaction between individuals or groups belonging to the same hierarchical level in an organization. As opposed to the other two internal communication types, lateral communication is usually more immediate and less formal.

🔸 Example of internal lateral communication

Steve, Fiona, and Harry are part of the design team working on a new product series. They are using Pumble group chat to make quick plans. 

Lateral communication in Pumble

➡️ External communication

External communication refers to communication with third parties , outside of the organization. Third parties, in this case, can include the general public, clients, suppliers, partners, vendors, and consultants.

🔸 Example of external communication

Neil is a marketing manager in a team that uses Pumble as a default communication channel. Helen is a marketing analyst working as an outside consultant on the current marketing project. She communicates and collaborates with the in-house team using the guest role access in Pumble . 

Example of external communication in Pumble

What are the methods of business communication?

In a larger sense, business communication can be categorized into two main methods. In other words, every business communication takes place either in verbal or written form. 

In addition, depending on the business model an organization is currently operating in, we can make further categorization of both main methods into in-person and remote verbal or written communication.

When it comes to the effectiveness of each method of business communication, there are no universally applicable rules. It is largely determined by the specifics of each organization and the model in which it operates. However, there are several more commonly used methods of business communication. Let’s get a more in-depth analysis of each to help you determine the specific communication method your team needs.  

👩‍💼 👨‍💼 In-person meetings

Historically, in-person meetings have been the most common form of business communication. According to a Forbes survey , they are still considered the most favorable option. Namely, 84% of executives prefer in-person meetings, citing stronger relationship building and the ability to read non-verbal cues as the main reasons for their choice. 

Moreover, a more recent study by the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology reveals in-person communication is perceived as more reliable and trustworthy than communication over email. 

Although effective, face-to-face communication in meetings is not exactly feasible, especially in the largely remote-oriented business environment. Remote and hybrid organizations need to rely on other methods of business communication to keep their team connected and their operations flowing smoothly. 

👩‍💻 Video conferencing

As the closest equivalent to in-person meetings, video conferencing is another commonly used method of business communication. From remote-first to fully in-office organizations, every business carries out the majority of their business meetings over video conferencing systems. While on-site teams would resort to video for client and other third-party meetings, remote teams use video by default to facilitate more transparent and efficient communication and to strengthen team connection .

☎️ Phone and audio conferencing

Telephone and audio facilitate more productive meetings in remote and fast-paced business environments. Despite the lessened non-verbal content when compared to video, audio meetings still provide more accuracy than written business communication. During a phone conversation, for example, participants are given more opportunities to decipher the tone of voice of other participants and thus reach a better understanding and faster agreement than over traditional, written communication. 

📲 Web-based communication 

Online channels such as email and business messaging apps like Pumble have enabled more immediate and faster business communication and collaboration. This is especially beneficial for remote and teams operating across time zones that rely on asynchronous communication and collaboration to meet their business objectives. Email and instant messaging enable distributed teams to more effectively share information and files over private, one-on-one conversations, or with entire organizations or groups simultaneously.

Finance business using Pumble (business messaging app) as a web-based communication tool

📂 Written communication over shared files 

Presentations, official documents, and reports present an important method of (written) business communication applicable to virtually any business. Teams collaborate over shared files, comment on official documents, and use them as a reference for specific processes and activities. In addition, employees share reports and presentations during meetings or specific discussions. 

Written business communication methods allow organizations to document processes, collaborate more tightly, share ideas, and have more transparent and clear communication. As mentioned above, remote and teams working across time zones in particular benefit from keeping vital business information in writing. 

📝 Internal and external surveys 

Although commonly associated with external, customer feedback, surveys are also an important asset in internal communication. Employee surveys are generally carried out in the form of anonymous online questionnaires. Internal surveys are most commonly used to gather employee feedback on company policies and processes, but they also provide beneficial methods of assessing employee engagement, morale, and achievements. Conversely, external surveys serve to evaluate customer needs, satisfaction, engagement, or to perform market research. As SurveyMonkey finds, analyzing customer feedback improves a company’s chance of regarding themselves as successful by 33%. 

💬 Customer management  

Communication related to customer management activities is another important method of business communication largely applicable in a modern business environment. From live chat support and customer reviews to customer relationship management systems (CRMs), there are plenty of ways businesses are communicating with customers in an effort to enhance their experience. It’s safe to say that customer satisfaction is directly related to the effectiveness and the quality of your customer management communication. 

What methods of business communication does your team need?

When tasked with choosing the right communication methods for their team, organizations need to consider their unique needs and circumstances. There’s no single, universal solution that works for all business models and sizes.  

Depending on the industry and the business model you’re operating in, you can find some less popular methods perfectly suited for your team, while others, generally more common may not be very effective.

For example, video conferencing and email, although generally applicable, may not necessarily be the best fit for your remote team that relies on quick exchange and fast collaboration. Or, you may invest in a high-end CRM system, only to realize the majority of your customer management activities are carried out via phone or live chats. 

That being said, there’s still at least one universally applicable communication method the vast majority of organizations will find great use in. Web-based communication can be used across various business models and sizes both for internal and external communication, while other methods largely depend on the unique needs and models specific businesses operate in.  

Consider outlining your specific communication needs, preferences, as well as priorities and objectives, and measure them against the list of communication methods listed above to make sure you are making a well-informed decision. 

How to improve communication in business?

Improving your business communication brings immense rewards to your internal and external operations. 

So, how do you create a successful business communication strategy in your organization?

Let’s break down some most effective tips on how to improve communication in business. 

🔍 Assess the current state of your business communication and set goals

To successfully implement new communication plans and strategies, consider starting from the analysis of the current state of your business communication. This will help you identify any weak links and blocks to improve upon. It will also serve as a great basis for setting the right goals for your future business communication. 

The assessment may be time-consuming, but it will most certainly pay off in the long run, as it will help to guide your plan of action. 

For example, you may notice that your internal communication took a hit due to a transition to remote work. As a result, it may lack direction and transparency which are crucial for productive teamwork and overall team connectedness. 

Once you are able to identify the issues, you can start crafting a plan that addresses those exact pain points. In this case, the goal may include setting clear guidelines on the volume and quality of internal communication in addition to actionable points on how to put these into practice. 

🗣️ Identify key groups and analyze how they communicate with each other

Once you’ve analyzed the potential issues hindering your business communication as a whole, it’s time to take a more in-depth assessment of how core groups in your organization communicate. 

This step can help you identify more specific issues and thus, set more relevant goals and action plans. 

To get started, try to first define the key groups whose operations rely on efficient communication and information sharing. You can categorize these into different levels, including:

  • Horizontal groups — teams, units, or departments, e.g. marketing, design, sales, finance, human resources , etc.
  • Vertical groups — executives, managers, team leaders, team members.  
  • External groups — clients, partners, vendors, consultants, etc.

Once you identify key groups, analyze their interaction using relevant parameters such as feedback, reporting, frequency of communication, crisis communication , irrelevant conversations, and meetings, etc.

For horizontal groups, you can assess which people, teams, and groups rely on regular communication to support daily, weekly, or monthly operations. 

When it comes to vertical level communication, consider analyzing the quality and frequency of feedback, reporting, progress tracking, and approval.  

Similarly, external level communication can be analyzed by frequency and quality of customer and partner communication.

The insight gained through this analysis can help you determine the optimum volume of communication needed to better support different processes and teams. Moreover, it can help you make more informed decisions when it comes to choosing the right communication channels and tools. 

📞 Define relevant methods of communication

As we mentioned earlier, there are several commonly used communication methods. However, not all of them are necessarily relevant to every business. The choice largely depends on the type and the size of the business, along with the specific business communication goals you’re aiming to achieve. 

For example, if your goal is to improve your cross-department communication and collaboration , you could set a web-based method as a default one for quick exchange of information, files, and feedback between teams. 

At the same time, the communication methods also largely depend on the size and the business model organizations are operating in. In line with this, a small in-office team would opt for in-person internal meetings, and they would use web-based messaging for collaboration and external communication. However, a large, fully remote organization would have to rely on video conferencing as an alternative to face-to-face meetings, in addition to the web-based asynchronous collaboration.  

🔧 Apply the right tools

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to choosing the right tools to facilitate business communication. It takes defining your unique needs and measuring them against the available tools to find the solution that perfectly aligns with your business communication strategy and objectives.

That being said, there are still several generally applicable functionalities to look for in a communication tool regardless of your business size, work model, or unique preferences. User-friendly interface, maximum security, and features enabling productive collaboration are some of the features universally relevant to every organization looking to optimize and streamline their business communication. Here are some rules to follow when choosing and adopting the right business communication tools :

  • Use a centralized platform for emails and calendars to automatically sync availability and better manage communication and collaboration across your organization. Whichever your preference is in the battle of Google vs Outlook is completely fine as long as you make it universal for both calendar and emails. 
  • Store vital information and documents in the cloud with automatic backup to prevent losing critical data. 
  • Define some ground rules to have a consistent brand voice, tone, and chat etiquette across all communication channels. This will prevent potential misunderstandings and conflict from taking place, and ensure all teams are applying the principles of respectful communication in the workplace . 
  • Use a single business messaging tool company-wide. It’s very easy to fall into the miscommunication trap when one department uses Gmail Hangouts, while others are communicating over Pumble, for example.   
  • Look for multi-functional tools that facilitate streamlined collaboration . Features like file sharing, versatile messaging options, member availability, smart notifications, and seamless navigation provide more efficient communication and collaboration experience.

Pumble as a multi-functional business messaging tool

👩‍🏫 Identify and cultivate relevant business communication skills

In addition to fostering individual professional achievements and career advancement, business communication skills are equally beneficial in a larger, organizational sense. Companies that invest time and resources in improving communication skills in their workforce are more likely to experience higher employee performance, according to one TalentLMS survey . Understandably, higher employee performance and productivity lead to better overall business success. 

To help you better identify and perfect relevant business communication skills in your organization, let’s get a closer look at all the vital skills for effective business communication.  

Collaboration skills

Effective teamwork relies on effective communication between team members. To effectively collaborate, team members need to master the art of asking better questions at work , as well as learn how to solicit and give constructive feedback. Moreover, strong collaboration skills include being open to and considering different perspectives, along with providing support and encouragement to teammates. Creating space for the development of collaboration skills allows teams to work together more effectively and discover more efficient ways to reach organizational goals. 

Diplomacy skills

Diplomacy skills are a vital component that makes up effective business communication regardless of the industry your business operates in. From conflict resolution and problem-solving to communicating empathy and compassion, diplomacy skills are integral in managing professional interactions both internally and externally. Strong diplomatic skills facilitate better relationship-building in the workplace, improve job performance, and conflict resolution. 

At the same time, professionals with highly developed diplomacy skills are more successful in customer management and other public-facing roles. 

Well-developed diplomatic skills allow sales representatives and customer support professionals to better understand customer perspectives and needs and thus provide better solutions and support. 

Individually, professionals can seek more feedback and look for opportunities to practice their soft skills during regular workplace communication and collaboration. 

On a larger, organizational level, teams can organize workshops and enroll in courses that focus on developing emotional intelligence, analytical thinking, and conflict resolution to build a better diplomacy skill set.    

Negotiation skills

Although generally associated with winning new clients or business partners, negotiation skills are integral to several other business activities. Employees and managers are applying negotiation skills when discussing salaries or promotions, for example, while business owners rely on negotiation skills when communicating with investors. 

Subskills you can practice when building your negotiation communication skills include:

  • active listening
  • expectation management
  • adaptability

Unsurprisingly, the majority of the business communication skills are directly correlated which allows professionals and organizations to maximize their learning efforts.   

Presentation skills

The ability to capture the audience’s attention and convince them to consider your ideas or viewpoint is another important business skill that largely relies on effective communication. Strong presentation skills are instrumental in crafting and delivering captivating presentations to different business audiences. In addition to managers and executives that usually have more opportunities to practice their presentation skills, team members also require solid presentation skills to communicate their ideas to their team effectively. 

Mastering the presentation skills includes learning how to harness the power of verbal and nonverbal communication and present ideas using various visual and audio methods to make a strong impression on the audience. 

Presenting the information in a clear and engaging way is a skill worth developing as it affects plenty of business activities and processes starting from effective collaboration to acquiring clients and making sales.  

Public speaking skills

Similarly to the previous business communication skill, public speaking requires professionals to have a strong command of their verbal and non-verbal communication. A professional business environment demands a certain level of public speaking proficiency almost by default. From the moment we step into the professional environment and do our first job interview to delivering presentations and speaking at industry conferences, addressing investors or communities, most professionals are required to engage in some form of public speaking throughout their career. Strong public skills reflect in the ability to captivate the audience’s attention and create a connection through storytelling.    

Active listening skills

Another very important business communication skill that ties in with several others is the active listening skill. Active listeners are characterized by the ability to be patient and present in communication while paying close attention to details and nuances to avoid misunderstandings and reach a better understanding. This business communication skill supports better work relationships and fosters more productive collaboration, in addition to being one of the key components of negotiation.  

Business writing skills

The largest portion of modern business communication is carried out in writing. Even before the global transition to the remote work model, the effectiveness of business communication has been largely dependent on the business writing skills of the participants to get the right message across via emails, company memos, business messaging platforms, website copy, or social media posts. 

Organizations and individuals alike need to commit to improving their business writing skills to reduce misunderstandings, improve collaboration, ensure clear task communication, and facilitate better work relationships.

🎓 Pumble Pro Tip

To learn more about enhancing your business writing skills, be sure to read our blog post: 

  • How to improve your work message skills

Conflict resolution skills

The ability to communicate your way out of a crisis, conflicts, and stressful situations in general, showcases strong conflict resolution skills. Naturally, managers and team leaders are more interested in developing these particular skills. However, other team members can also largely benefit from learning how to manage stressful situations and communicate to find creative solutions for the issues at hand. 

Decision-making skills

As one of the business communication skills commonly related to leadership roles, good decision-making skills are key to successful goal-reaching both in terms of individual and organizational objectives. The ability to take an objective stand in critical conversations and quickly weigh out all the pros and cons and measure them against the main organizational goals and priorities is a skill that characterizes successful managers and leaders. The key to acquiring strong decision-making skills lies in applying a process that includes the following steps:

  • Defining the situation or the issue.
  • Identifying potential solutions or plans of action.
  • Outlining all the pros and cons of each plan.
  • Making the decision that best aligns with the previous steps and the overall goal.

To get a better insight on how to make better decisions remotely, be sure to check out our blog post:

  • The 4 models that solve the challenges of remote decision-making  

Nonverbal communication skills

Although the popular myth on the immense importance of nonverbal communication has been debunked by the more recent research on the basis of misinterpretation of the original research, nonverbal communication is still an important part of everyday and business communication. Nonverbal communication skills include specific body language cues we are using (intentionally or not) to convey our message. This includes everything from eye contact and facial expressions to our posture. 

Professionals who mastered the skill of nonverbal communication have more success in getting the right message across in conversations with clients, team meetings, or industry conferences. Understanding nonverbal communication principles allows communicators to better read and understand the feelings and opinions of other participants in the conversation by observing their body language and facial expressions. 

Feedback and input communication skills

Teams that foster constructive feedback in workplace communication are more likely to experience substantial benefits in organizational performance and commitment, a study finds. 

Moreover, constructive feedback is equally valuable to employees on a more individual level as it supports faster career advancement. In fact, according to a Harvard Business Report Study, 57% of employees prefer receiving constructive feedback over praise. 

To build strong feedback and input skills that drive collaboration and performance, organizations and individuals can consider working on trust-building, along with practicing honest, and respectful action-oriented feedback communication. 

🎓 Pumble Pro Tip 

You can read more on how to improve your constructive feedback communication, on our blog:

  • How to give constructive feedback when working remotely 

Delegation skills

Organizational management and leadership depend on strong delegation skills to effectively organize workload and strategically assign tasks for maximum productivity. However, delegation does not necessarily end with proper task assignments. Skillful delegators understand the importance of effectively communicating support and delivering relevant resources throughout the process.

📄 Document and share your business communication processes

While working to institute more effective business communication practices, organizations need to ensure everyone is getting access to strategies, procedures, resources, tools, and learning materials. Consider documenting your business communication processes and materials into one shared knowledge hub to serve as a checklist for new and existing employees to reference. Finally, share the document in a company-wide email, or pin it in a #general channel in your company team messaging app to make sure it stays accessible and top of mind with the entire organization.  

Wrapping up: The success of your organization depends on effective business communication 

Effective business communication drives collaboration, boosts productivity, and employee engagement. Ultimately, as the fuel behind all internal and external organizational activities, effective business communication is the cornerstone of organizational success. 

References :

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  • Bharadwaj, N., & Shipley, G. M. (2020, October). Salesperson Communication Effectiveness in a digital sales interaction . Industrial Marketing Management. Retrieved December 23, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7366081/
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Business Communication for Success

(39 reviews)

business communication skills introduction

Copyright Year: 2015

ISBN 13: 9781946135056

Publisher: University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing

Language: English

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business communication skills introduction

Reviewed by April Schofield, Senior Lecturer and Director, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 7/15/22

This is a very comprehensive textbook and includes over 600 pages of content. It includes the necessary components to help students communicate effectively in business environments. read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This is a very comprehensive textbook and includes over 600 pages of content. It includes the necessary components to help students communicate effectively in business environments.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The included content is very accurate. There are some areas that need updating to reflect the current business environment.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

Since the book was published in 2015, newer concepts are not addressed. For example, how to communicate effectively in virtual meetings or via social channels. The nature of how we communicate has significantly changed since 2015 so any business communication textbook that is older will have similar shortfalls. I do believe this content could be added in standalone sections or chapters.

Clarity rating: 5

The book is conversational and engaging. It is appropriate for an introductory level class and for students from various majors. I think all students could benefit from the communication concepts outlined in this book, not strictly business students.

Consistency rating: 5

The format and writing style are consistent throughout the entire book.

Modularity rating: 5

The book is easily broken up into smaller reading sections. I appreciated the questions to start each chapter, the reviews of important concepts, and the exercises at the end of each chapter. These could be used as classroom conversations, homework assignments, etc.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The early chapters are foundational (why communication is important, the science of language and communication), followed by "how to" chapters. The table of contents provides a robust overview of topics, beyond chapter titles.

Interface rating: 5

There are multiple formats available, including PDF, ebook, online, XML, and ODF. I reviewed both the PDF and ebook versions. The various sections in the table of contents are hyperlinked. I found both formats easy to navigate and did not experience any issues.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The book is well-written and I did not notice grammatical errors. This is very important for a book focused on communication!

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Intercultural and international communication is addressed throughout the book and an entire chapter is devoted to the topic.

Reviewed by Heather Leigh Maher, Adjunct Professor, City Colleges of Chicago on 5/31/22

While the book covers many essential topics in detail, others are less updated than is optimal and yet others are intermingled with other chapter headings, making them harder to find than I am used to in this type of textbook (such as more basic... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

While the book covers many essential topics in detail, others are less updated than is optimal and yet others are intermingled with other chapter headings, making them harder to find than I am used to in this type of textbook (such as more basic but important principles, such as audience analysis, which is scattered throughout several other chapters beyond the one titled as containing such information). Some ideas are basic, which is great to cover survey and more advanced courses, but I have a feeling I'd be having students read selections from several chapters for several topics I'm used to having more consolidated. While the table of contents is hyperlinked in the online and PDF versions, there is no index, which makes it tedious to identify every location relevant to a topic without extreme front-loading in course planning. Despite this, if it had more information on electronic elements that have changed the business landscape in the past 10 years or so, it might be worth doing the work--and maybe even supplementing missing items.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

It is accurate, but missing definitions for some jargon that may be hard for brand new business students, while including others when they probably aren't necessary. It seems to be biased only in that it seems to have a very specific student audience in mind, but I cannot for the life of me imagine actually meeting a student with that exact blend of needed and unneeded knowledge in one of my classes. Again, good if you like to customize your reading selections a great deal, but not as great if you're looking for a single text to fill the majority of your course content with only a smaller percentage of supplements from other sources.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 2

The book is already missing any significant content on how technology has massively changed business communication in the past 10 years, and while it mentions it indirectly (basically saying "it's affecting things") in several places, without at least one chapter dedicated to those changes, it seems both incomplete and very hard to update and revise.

Clarity rating: 4

Some jargon isn't given enough context to be clear for the range of learning levels the book attempts to cover (by my assessment), but the prose, while very heavy (minimal application of actual business writing principles in terms of white space and using visuals), is clear and well-edited.

Consistency rating: 2

The writing is consistent, but the level of assumed pre-existing knowledge is not consistent from chapter section to chapter section, or across chapters (some are much more consistent than others). The organizational structure is the weakest element of the book, as I mentioned with overlapping concepts discussed in multiple chapters that are not labeled in ways that would lead a reader--much less a student--to expect to find certain pieces of information in them.

Modularity rating: 2

As mentioned, there's overlap across chapters on topics, but not information, so you really need the whole thing. It's loosely organized into "Business Communication", "Business Writing", "Business Presentations", a bit on rhetoric, and then what feels like the author felt was "left over" in that they are important topics that didn't fit into the original outline? Maybe in a revision? I can only speculate. It also is quite prose-heavy without bread for illustrative graphics, which are always better received at the undergraduate level.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 1

One of my comments on "Modularity" is really the core commentary for me on this category, as the structure and organization looked excellent in the chapter titles, but the content proved they were a bit unfocused and, in some cases, misleading as relevant ideas were discussed in completely different sections: "...there's overlap across chapters on topics, but not information, so you really need the whole thing. It's loosely organized into "Business Communication", "Business Writing", "Business Presentations", a bit on rhetoric, and then what feels like the author felt was "left over" in that they are important topics that didn't fit into the original outline? Maybe in a revision? I can only speculate."

Interface rating: 4

The table of contents for the electronic PDF and the online version is all hyperlinked, which is great. The drop-down menus listing sub-sections in the chapters in the online version, is a bit clunky and unintuitive.

Well-edited.

Cultural Relevance rating: 2

All inter- and intra-cultural information in smushed into one of the chapters that feels like an afterthought or revision chapter added later. There is no integration of global business communication in any regular manner throughout the text, and exercises (which are weak in general) are very monocultural. It reads like a textbook for upper-middle class white students, written by one just a generation older. This is definitely an area where you'd need to go find another, *much* more detailed and specific source, especially for examples and possible homework exercises or group activities to put into action.

In general, I feel that this book is dated--not as much in content (but technology and non-American business knowledge and potential issues absolutely need a major addition with details and specific information), but in what it appears to emphasize. Perhaps the author was teaching several levels of skill across various classes and wanted one book that they could pick appropriate sections for all of them, or even just to save students even more money, but it reads as poorly organized and needing a major editorial structural overhaul (although I don't think modern editors even do that much work with authors any more). If you are willing to read the entire book, pretty much make your own index for how you want to organize your class, and don't mind supplementing close to half of your readings with outside sources, it could be extremely useful. However, you will definitely need to find the cultural and technological information elsewhere. I have survey-level students who have offered more specific and detailed information on both areas, but I do teach at an extremely diverse college system with many 1st, 1.5, and 2nd generation immigrants, as well as international students, which are excellent resources themselves in these areas.

Reviewed by Jessica Rick, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, University of Southern Indiana on 5/20/22

This book is a comprehensive look at business and professional communication. It covers almost everything I would cover in my business and professional communication class. I really like the chapter on intercultural and international business... read more

This book is a comprehensive look at business and professional communication. It covers almost everything I would cover in my business and professional communication class. I really like the chapter on intercultural and international business practices as those are two areas often not included in other books.

This book is accurate.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

I didn't find many errors, but the definitions and models of communication are outdated. I believe the author could have found more recent definitions, models, and conceptions of communication. I also would have liked to see more of a discussion of organizational communication concepts in business communication.

Students were able to read and understand the book and its contents.

The book uses consistent terms and structure throughout. Previous chapters provide a good scaffolding for later chapters.

Modularity rating: 4

This book is almost too comprehensive that it is hard to navigate. But I do like that I can mix and match different parts of the book to fit my schedule and class content.

Students were able to follow the organization of the book. The numbering system makes it easy for students to find what to read for each class period.

No issues with the interface of the textbook.

No issues with the grammar.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

Some of the examples could be updated to reflect a more nuanced understanding of a variety of perspectives. But overall, I was pleased with the cultural contexts discussed.

Reviewed by Susan Lantz, Teaching Associate Professor, West Virginia University on 4/25/22

The book is comprehensive. It definitely covers the basics. It covers areas of writing that I might not use for more advanced college writers, but would be absolutely vital for beginning college writers. read more

The book is comprehensive. It definitely covers the basics. It covers areas of writing that I might not use for more advanced college writers, but would be absolutely vital for beginning college writers.

The content was accurate. (Except for the page about web-search engines. . . which was outdated.)

For the most part, the authors/editors did a good job of avoiding language or references that were dated. They might want to revisit the page that lists "Some Examples of Internet Search Sites." They listed "Alta Vista" for example. . . which has since been taken over by Yahoo. They also list sites like dogpile, webcrawler, and The Encyclopedia Britannica. This information was pretty cutting edge in 2002, but times have changed.

The material was well-written, clear, and concise.

The text was internally consistent and easy to navigate. (This might change, though, according to formatting. I found the PDF easy to use, though.)

I was pleasantly pleased at how easy to the text was to read, divide, and excerpt.

The text was organized quite nicely. It was easy for me to find what I was looking for, and it followed a logical progression.

Navigation was no problem.

Grammar was fine. It was not (thankfully) overwritten.

I was very pleased to note that the text chose to discuss sensitive cultural issues in a very elegant manner.

Here's the thing about communication: The rules don't change much. Business Communication is all about getting the right information to the right person at the right time. What does change, is the technology we use to make it happen. It is nearly impossible to publish anything current that covers everything one needs to to about current methods of communicating using technology. The information is too "bleeding edge" and changes so quickly, that it would be out-dated almost immediately. The thing that this book does (and does very well) is stick to the basic rules of communication that don't change (with the exception of the search engine page.) Nearly every other section of the book sticks very firmly to the information that students need to know that does not change on a regular basis. The information about social media/videos/tiktok/instagram/facebook/YouTube/thenextbigthing is easily imporable from the web. This division makes it almost the perfect open educational resource.

Reviewed by Christina Wooten, Business Technology Faculty, Rogue Community College on 1/3/22

The material covered in the text is comprehensive as expected from a Business Communications text. Basics of Communication, Message, Audience, Writing, Types of Delivery, as well as three sections on different styles of presentation are included.... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

The material covered in the text is comprehensive as expected from a Business Communications text. Basics of Communication, Message, Audience, Writing, Types of Delivery, as well as three sections on different styles of presentation are included. This text does not have an index or glossary. The table of contents is thorough with chapter and section headings linked for easy navigation.

The text accurately portrays the topics covered. It appears to be overall an unbiased text. The content is, overall, error-free.

Overall, the text is up-to-date with technical information. There are some cultural points that may become outdated quickly (or could feel alienating to some students). For example, in "Demographic Traits" on page 86, there is a heavy focus on male/female as an example of a demographic trait. However, later in the same chapter, a lengthy discussion on "mutuality and non-judgmental-ism" ensues. Chapter 9 covers "up-to-date" communication methods used in the business arena very well. These include text, email, netiquette, memos, letters, proposals, reports, resume, and sales messages. Chapter 18 covers Intercultural Communication. My concern with this section is the references used are from 1958 and 2005. I feel strongly that there are more recent examples of references that could be used.

Clarity rating: 3

The text is written clearly with many bold faced words. There is no glossary or side-bar definitions, so the student would need to be informed to look the words up in a different dictionary.

The book is consistent in terminology, ideology, and framework throughout. The flow would be easy for a student to follow through a course.

The text is laid out in such a way that reading assignments could easily be created. Also, the text is broken up with exercises and images (most of which are relevant, clear, and correctly cited.) While some sections of the text do not have images, the blocks of text are broken up into nice sized sections with headings.

One change I would make if I were to use this text would be as follows: Chapter 18: Intercultural and International Business Communication is the next to last chapter in the book. I would place this far earlier (around the section where Sender/Receiver and Audience are discussed). This was the only place in the text where the material appeared (or felt) "out of order" for overall flow.

The links provided in the chapters and in the additional resources all work accurately. Images are clear and mostly related to text. There are two images that could be changed to a better image (one is the iceberg in Figure 3.4 the second is a clip art type image in Figure 9.6 which looks strangely out of place.

I did not notice any glaring grammar issues or errors.

I did not notice any examples that could be exclusive other than the gender example previously mentioned. There are several images which appear culturally inclusive.

The exercises though out the book (questions) are excellent starter questions for online discussion forums. The "Additional Resources" links at the conclusion of each chapter are excellent and offer the student (and instructor) many additional resources for class. There is no glossary or index for this text.

Reviewed by Steven Bookman, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Pace University on 6/23/21

The text covers all areas in addition to topics (e.g., ) not always covered. However, I wish some topics have more coverage (i.e., business modalities) while others have less. Overall, the this text is good for an introductory business writing... read more

The text covers all areas in addition to topics (e.g., ) not always covered. However, I wish some topics have more coverage (i.e., business modalities) while others have less. Overall, the this text is good for an introductory business writing course.

Content is accurate, error-free and unbiased.

The content is up-to-date. However, I wish the book was updated, so that it includes social media. Having said this, necessary updates would relatively easy and straightforward to implement. I had to bring in my own examples and case studies from other sources to supplement the text.

The author writes this text in a lucid, accessible prose, and provides adequate context for any jargon/technical terminology used.

The text is internally consistent in terms of terminology and framework.

The text is easily and readily divisible into smaller reading sections that can be assigned at different points within the course (i.e., enormous blocks of text without subheadings should be avoided).

The topics in the text are presented in a logical, clear fashion.

The text is free of significant interface issues, including navigation problems, distortion of images/charts, and any other display features that may distract or confuse the reader. There are a few options to read the book as well.

The text contains no grammatical errors.

The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way although there could be some text with diversity, as this is a big issue these days. In the book's defense, it can easily be updated since it was written in 2015.

Reviewed by Karen Gaines, Associate Professor, Kansas City Kansas Community College on 5/7/21

The book is pretty thorough with the topics that are covered. In fact, there are topics in the presentation sections that are not normally covered in the business communications textbooks that I currently use. The order in which the subjects are... read more

The book is pretty thorough with the topics that are covered. In fact, there are topics in the presentation sections that are not normally covered in the business communications textbooks that I currently use. The order in which the subjects are presented is different than what I have been used to, and wanted to know if there was a particular reason for some of the ordering of subject matter.

Information is accurate and free of errors and bias.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The information is relevant and timely. However, there should be more focus on virtual meetings, etiquette, how to productively run them, etc. and how to better engage others as there is less in-person interaction.

It was written in a clear and concise manner. The narrative was conversational and engaging.

Found the writing to be consistent throughout the book.

This book was easy to get to the specific information within each chapter with the use of subsections. Though there were some sections where they were text heavy, the use of the headings helped to break up the information into more visually appealing and practical hunks of information.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

It is easy to follow, but I am more used to having examples of writing styles (routine, persuasive, negative) grouped together earlier in the book.

This was an easy to navigate the book.

I did not see any grammatical errors.

The text is inclusive in its depiction of different groups of people.

Are there instructor resources available such as PowerPoints, more in-depth assignments, videos, and tests?

Reviewed by Terianne Brown, Lecturer, Hawaii Community College on 4/20/21

This is a thorough book but could benefit from certain chapters being expanded and others being condensed. read more

This is a thorough book but could benefit from certain chapters being expanded and others being condensed.

There are no issues with bias and no errors are evident.

There are a few references to outdated social media platforms, however, the text can be easily updated without taking away from the message of the contents.

The book uses appropriate language suitable for all readers.

The book has a consistent format. Headings and subheadings are standardized, as well as key terms being bolded.

The book can benefit by expanding the sections in Chapter 9 into individual chapters.

The book is well-organized and is easily followed.

Multiple interfaces are available and no immediate issues are evident. It was easy to Zoom into images in the online and digital pdf versions of the book.

There are no evident grammatical errors.

There are no direct references to specific races. The text does refer to race as something to consider in business communication but contains nothing culturally insensitive or offensive.

This is a well-written text that is well-suited for an Introductory to Business Communication course. The book could be improved by including more images and/or infographics to make it more interesting and less text-heavy.

Reviewed by Sharon McDermot, Business Adjunct, Northern Essex Community College on 3/18/21

The book is very comprehensive but I wish there were more coverage of business writing in different modalities. They do touch on texting and email but I think there needs to be more information on those subjects. The book does discuss business... read more

The book is very comprehensive but I wish there were more coverage of business writing in different modalities. They do touch on texting and email but I think there needs to be more information on those subjects. The book does discuss business presentations and audiences which is great. I would also like to see more real life exercises to use with students.

I did not see any inaccuracy.

This book was written in 2015. Many things have changed in business communication. I would like to see it updated to include the use of social media in business and how important that can be to the success of a business.

The book had good clarity.

The text was consistent with terminology and framework.

The text is easily broken up into smaller assignments and chapters.

The book can easily be arranged to prepare for a class using progression.

I did not see any interface issues nor did I have any problems with it.

The book does have chapters on intercultural communication which is great. I have been looking for that in an OER textbook.

If this book were revised to a more current date and included the social media aspect of business communication, I think it would be very useful. It does contain a lot of good information.

Reviewed by Dee Fretwell, Associate Professor, Southern Oregon University on 1/5/21

The subject is well covered for the introduction to Business Communication, with a gap in addressing very specific etiquette around professional communication via digital formats, such as emails, project management software, etc. until mid-way... read more

The subject is well covered for the introduction to Business Communication, with a gap in addressing very specific etiquette around professional communication via digital formats, such as emails, project management software, etc. until mid-way through the book.

Quite on point! I was impressed with the direct nature of the content and the broad audience types the curriculum was trying to reach.

Nicely written for readers of all ages from many backgrounds.

Clean, concise and grammatically on point.

Consistency rating: 4

I noted no inconsistencies.

Chapters were broken up nicely with graphics and such, allowing the reader to not fatigue as quickly as they might otherwise.

Pretty well done, with a request to begin examples of proper business writings earlier in the chapters.

Easy, clean and totally relevant.

Seemed appropriate to me!

Well done! Will likely use next term!!

Reviewed by Katherine Hatzis, Senior Lecturer II, University of Massachusetts Boston on 6/27/20

The book covers everything that one would want to teach in a business communication course. read more

The book covers everything that one would want to teach in a business communication course.

As far as I could tell the book is accurate and free of error and biases.

The book is up to date and it can be easily updated in the future.

The writing is clear and it does not use difficult language so this text would be appropriate for ESL or International business students as well.

I enjoyed the fact that the book used the same format throughout. It started with learning objectives and ended with takeaways and exercises.

The text was well divided into smaller sections which can help when assigning reading homework.

The book was well organized and straightforward. I like that it has a table of contents which helps with reading through the material.

The book's interface was fine. I just wished it was linked at the bottom of the page rather than having to constantly to go back to the main menu to go be able to move and read the next section or chapter. I had to keep going back to the main menu when I wanted to go to the next section of the same chapter. I think it would have been easier if it had a link at the end of the section that connected the next section.

I did not notice any grammar errors.

The book appears to be culturally neutral.

Overall it is a good general Business Communication textbook and it has a lot to offer. This is a textbook that I am going to incorporate into my courses. The only thing that I didn't like was navigating through the textbook.

Reviewed by Kathleen Berry, Adjunct Professor, Massasoit Community College on 6/23/20

The text covers all areas of the subject appropriately. read more

The text covers all areas of the subject appropriately.

I found very few typos. The information was clearly unbiased.

Although the book was updated last year, I think it could use a little updating in both photos and information.

Any jargon that may have been used was explained thoroughly.

The information is consistent. However, it is duplicated in many chapters.

Most of the book is strictly text with limited images.

The book is organized in a clear fashion. However, when I used it, I did teach out of order.

The text does not indicate any interface issues.

I did not find any grammatical errors.

I did not find any culturally offensive material.

I would have liked to see more information about diversity and inclusion in the textbook. The pre- and post- exercises in each chapter were beneficial. Students would have preferred a way to annotate the textbook when reading it.

Reviewed by Alison Schirone, Adjunct Faculty, Roxbury Community College on 6/4/20

I used this book for a recently business communications course. Generally speaking, the book had all the requisite basics of business communications. I added a few modules to address today's social mediums in more detail. A great free text,... read more

I used this book for a recently business communications course. Generally speaking, the book had all the requisite basics of business communications. I added a few modules to address today's social mediums in more detail. A great free text, would have loved to have some supporting materials; test modules, ppt slides.

Highly accurate, may be due for an update soon, just to bring things more current to how today's business communicators operate.

I studied business communications many moons ago. Some aspects of it have not changed since then; but we do have more social business communications mediums. The book can easily adapt to incorporation of more social communications mediums.

Appropriate for first year and beyond college students and community college students and/or management trainees.

Loved the questions prior to the start of the chapters; I often used them for class discussions and prompts. Good review of important aspects of each chapter. Good homework assignment ideas.

I mostly covered the chapters in order. Some I put more emphasis on; others I slid through speedily. For example, I did not spend as much time on International Business Communications.

Foundation chapters first; easy to apply those concepts to all other chapters that follow. I integrated some of the more current business communications tools like Linked In, resume building, and more in the writing sections. I had students who were preparing for the workplace so it was a practical diversion from the text.

Interface rating: 3

There were some useful bits that I wanted to use as handouts but the copying of those items were a bit fussy. Perhaps consider a collection of handouts/electronic worksheets?

I did not notice grammatical errors.

Ethnicity/race neutral. We had a great collection of people from diverse backgrounds in my course when I used this book, so we were able to apply some of the cultural communications ideas into discussion and assignment. I do think that perhaps some of the aspects of diversity could be updated to better reflect today's issues and people.

I did enjoy using it. I would have liked to see more updated business communications methods in use today, especially social mediums. I would have liked to see a workbook or case to be worked throughout the term. Slides would have been a plus! Overall, I enjoyed using it and it was my first OER text.

Reviewed by Adam Falik, Assistant Professor, SUNO on 4/27/20

The greatest asset of this book (and occasionally its weakness) is its attempt to be all encompassing. It definitely seeks comprehensiveness, to introduce a complete spectrum of business communication methodology. This is often effective. The... read more

The greatest asset of this book (and occasionally its weakness) is its attempt to be all encompassing. It definitely seeks comprehensiveness, to introduce a complete spectrum of business communication methodology. This is often effective. The book begins linguistically, introducing concepts of language and communication, shifts to audience and tone before touching upon actual writing. The move to presentation and group dynamics is in keeping with the wide-spectrum the book covers. Sometimes, though, this attempt at comprehensiveness results in the book being dilettantish. I am interested in this book as a textbook for a class in Professional and Technical Writing. My review should be seen through that lens.

Content is accurate enough, though sometimes thin. In Chapter 9: Business Writing in Action, for instance: What is provided is accurate, just somewhat inadequate. 9.2 covers Memos and Letters, but there are many types of business memos/letters. A more thorough exploration per section (instead of, for example, Section 6.3 Making an Argument then much later Section 17.2 Delivering a Negative News Message) would have been welcome. Again, the content is accurate, but it is necessary to hop, skip and jump around to make use of this book. Also, there is a serious lack of examples in this book. Show us some actual business letters, reports, etc. This is a serious deficiency.

This book needs updating to more thoroughly address evolutions in technologies. Business communications are (obviously) more digital than ever. It would be a service for this book to reflect more current communications, including how social media plays in the contemporary cultural and business landscape. As I write this review from the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Zoom and Skype meetings reign. Let’s see an exploration of these types of presentation environments.

The writing of this book is clear and accessible. There are, in fact, gems of writing to be found throughout. Section 4.4 Style in Written Communication, for instance. Here concepts of communication are clearly articulated enough to additionally demonstrate how writing inaccuracies leads to business miscommunications.

The book is consistent in its style, framework, and the rhythms of its language. It does, occasionally, repeat itself. Section 6.3 Making an Argument repeats itself (not just in ideas, but in complete pages) in Chapter 14.

There is a dependable structural modularity. A student can expect not only a clear, steady framework of Objectives, Takeaways and Exercises, but, most valuably, thorough chapter Reference sections.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 3

This is one of my chief issues with this book (besides the lack of practical workplace examples). The book is big and exploratory, but will require (for my purposes) a great deal of jumping around to make use of. I do not love its organization. Though it does build logically, many of its integral concepts are scattered throughout the book’s many chapters. The lack of index also weighs heavily.

Because this book requires a great deal of jumping around, I wish the interface was a little friendlier, more convenient. Internal, conceptual links would have been welcome. As certain ideas are linked (to inform, to persuade), internal links would have been appreciated. I often find myself having to scroll back to Contents.

This is a well-written and clear book without major grammatical issues.

Much like its technological relevancy, our culture shifts too quickly to give this book the highest marks. Though Chapter 18: Intercultural and International Business Communications is welcome, it does not address the truly identity-charged workplace atmosphere.

I will give this book a try for a Professional Writing class. I am curious to see what students make of it. I find it too expansive, its attempt to be all-encompassing creating qualitative and theoretical deficiencies, and its lack of actual workplace examples a serious deficit, but it does make easy access to core principles in accessible language. A final (negative) comment: The Exercises are often laughable. Their vagueness is connected to the book’s overall lack of practical workplace examples. If the student cannot see an example of how an actual business letter (for instance) is written, how can the book offer practical exercises that can be visualized? Though the book covers a great deal, an instructor had better be prepared to provide their own examples.

Reviewed by Megan Fitzmaurice, Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Texas at Arlington on 4/22/20

This textbook address written, oral, nonverbal and interpersonal communication at large. Many business communication textbooks focus solely on written and oral communication, so including these other dimensions brings an important nuance to this... read more

This textbook address written, oral, nonverbal and interpersonal communication at large. Many business communication textbooks focus solely on written and oral communication, so including these other dimensions brings an important nuance to this subject. It also includes the foundational chapters for some of the most common business communication assignments: writing preparation, composition, and revision, business, delivering negative news, team communication, business presentations, etc.

Note: no index or glossary is provided.

Overall, I found no major inaccuracies in the book’s content. Chapter 2’s discussion about the parts of a message though is quite confusing – it is hard to discern what type of messages it is referring to. At some points in the section it seems like they are discussing formal written communication and speeches, while at other times any general kind of message. It isn’t well connected to the rest of the chapter and the explanation is not thorough enough. In general, I think this chapter could better connect fundamental theories about language to the business sphere specifically.

Like any textbook, incorporating technological advancements is a double-edged sword. Ignoring it is foolish, but discussion surrounding specific technologies is often obsolete by the time the book is published. I thought they did a great job not making and part of the text centered on specific technologies, but focused on timeless business communication principles. This should keep the book up to date for sometime.

Some of the included discussion questions are a little outdated. While the content in this textbook is really strong, the included learning exercises and discussion prompts are less helpful. For example, chapter 2 begins with a vocab-matching exercise that includes words such as “phat,” “ player,” “hooptie,” etc.

The language used in this textbook is very accessible for undergraduate students from a wide range of academic backgrounds. It does not assume a student has taken a communication course before, so I think it would work for a general education course. It also ties in theories and vocabulary from many subsets of communication (rhetoric, organizational communication, interpersonal communication, etc.) so it could also be a good choice for classes directed at communication majors.

The chapters are all organized in parallel structure and engage the same terminology. Specifically, chapters 4-7 build on each other and provide a consistent vocabulary and framework through which to teach writing as a process, not a product.

Chapters 1-15 could easily be grouped into three modules: Introduction to Communication, Writing in Business Settings, and Speaking in Business Settings. Chapters 16-19 are a little bit of a grab-bag with regard to their topics. I would think Chapter 17: Negative News and Crisis Communication would be better placed after Chapter 14: Presentations to Persuade. I think having overarching modules would help learners better understand the skills and objectives to be learned through the textbook. Within each chapter though are very distinct sub-sections that do help with modularity, allowing you to easily break up a chapter's reading over the course of a week.

Chapters are well structured. Each one begins with a brief introduction, and then is followed by several subsections. Each subsection starts with clear learning objectives, followed by the main content, key takeaways, and then learning exercises. While acquiring images is a challenge for all open-source textbooks, this one seems particularly text heavy. More charts and diagrams would help with readability.

I read through the book using both a PDF on a computer screen. The text was clear and easy to read. One thing that would be helpful would be including page numbers with the internal hyperlinks – the PDF did not allow me to just click on the blue links that would take the reader to other parts of the textbook (i.e., “Note 2.1 “Introductory Exercises”).

Some charts and graphs are fuzzy, while others could be adjusted for better formatting. For example, the chart on pg. 60 has the last 1-2 letters of the word listed on the subsequent line for several entries. This same issue was not apparent when I looked through the chapter on UMN’s website, so it may be an issue limited to the PDF version of the book.

I was impressed that the hyperlinks to additional resources at the end of each chapter were still active. The book does provide a good number of articles and websites at the end of each chapter for review.

Very small issue, but the references at the end of the chapters need to be reformatted with a hanging indent and consistent margins. Otherwise, I found no glaring grammatical errors or typos.

The book does do a really good job of incorporating a diverse range of experiences and perspectives. The authors have successfully worked to provide a global perspective on business communication. Rather than just incorporating snippets or vignettes in a couple chapters, they actually have a whole chapter dedicated to intercultural and international communication. Moreover, diversity is not just conceived of in racial or ethnic terms, but the authors make sure to incorporate identity topics related to gender, sexuality, age, and disability as well.

Overall, I would definitely consider using this textbook in my Professional and Technical Communication course. The textbook covers all major aspects of business communication – writing, speaking, and team communication, in addition to other important elements like interpersonal communication and nonverbal communication. The book is accessible for an undergraduate audience and uses engaging and relatable examples throughout the text. Each chapter is well organized with distinct subsections which would give the instructor flexibility in how they wanted to assign the text. The drawbacks to using this text include a lack of supplemental teaching resources, minimal graphics in the text, and lackluster chapter exercises. Given students’ preference to learn through group interaction and discussion anyways, these are drawbacks easily made up for in the classroom.

Reviewed by Amanda Carpenter, Associate Professor, John Tyler Community College on 3/30/20

This text was exceptionally well written and very comprehensive. The author was very eloquent in the way that they explained the content. The text covered critical topics for business communication. The book includes learning resources and... read more

This text was exceptionally well written and very comprehensive. The author was very eloquent in the way that they explained the content. The text covered critical topics for business communication. The book includes learning resources and activities included. An index or glossary would have been beneficial to the reader.

The text was timely and accurately overviewed of jobs in communication as well as an overview of business norms.

The content of the text is still relevant today. The text could benefit from a section related to social media usage for businesses. The digital age requires this for those in business communications.

The book was well-written and concise. I was unable to get the search option to work on my Kindle.

I found no inconsistencies in the textbook.

This text is easy to sort into modules for course instruction. I could use the groupings of this text in my course.

Overall, the text was well organized and flowed well.

I had issues using the search option within Kindle with this text. It would be great if that function could be enabled.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

The text was well written, and I found no grammatical errors.

The text is culturally relevant and would be very useful in business communication courses.

This text is an excellent resource for communications instructors.

Reviewed by Miriam Gershow, Senior Instructor II, University of Oregon on 6/6/19

Covers a broad array of business communication topics, from foundations of language, audience and rhetoric to common types of written and verbal business communications. read more

Covers a broad array of business communication topics, from foundations of language, audience and rhetoric to common types of written and verbal business communications.

Does an accurate job describing norms and responsibilities for different types of business communication tasks.

The real challenge is to stay up to date with technology. References to MySpace and parenthetical explanations of terms such as LOL date the information.

The prose is accessible and clear. Many of the Learning Objectives and Key Takeaways suggest an introductory-level rather than upper-level course.

The framework is clear and consistent throughout.

In considering this text for a Business Writing course, there are clearly chapters and sections that can be parted out for that purpose alone.

As with the consistency, the organization of material is intuitive, clear, and a strength of this text.

I read this book on two different devices, and the interface was clear on both.

No notable errors.

I was glad to see that inter- and intra-cultural communication was addressed throughout the book, not relegated only to the second-to-last chapter.

Reviewed by Shawn Gilmore, Senior Lecturer, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on 5/14/19

The text descriptively covers nearly all the requisite topics and subtopics under the banner "business communication," as well as a number of related rhetorical and conceptual approaches that are fairly typical in the field. The text is divided... read more

The text descriptively covers nearly all the requisite topics and subtopics under the banner "business communication," as well as a number of related rhetorical and conceptual approaches that are fairly typical in the field. The text is divided into fairly compartmentalized chapters, which could be selectively assigned, but this leads to some issues of repetition across the full book, as well as some difficulty finding specific material. The text does not contain an index, though the table of contents is good, and the full text is searchable.

Most of the descriptive material is quite good, succinct, and explanatory, making it pretty easy to follow. The prose is fairly conversational, which makes some of it dated (slang from the mid-2000s, for example), but allows for the conceptual and practical material to shine. Most of the content appears clear and accurate, if sometimes selective.

Some aspects of the text are dated by their cultural and technological references--this is a perennial issue for texts that describe how to use specific software, document types and methods, etc. None of these passages seemed debilitating, and could likely be avoided by assigning chapters or sections selectively across the text.

The text is clearly written throughout, relying on a few pages of prose per section, which are well-segmented, and followed by "key takeaway" boxes and exercises. Jargon is used selectively and well-explained.

The text is presented in a consistent fashion, but varies in terms of depth and type. The sections on business communication and approaches are clearest and most consistent. Those on rhetorical approaches and issues vary from rhetorical theory to interpersonal analysis and considerations, which makes them feel a bit more scattered.

The text is quite modular, and selections or chapters could easily be grouped for different teaching purposes/approaches.

The text takes nearly a hundred pages to really get to writing and communication specifics, and it is not entirely clear why some (of the 19) chapters appear where they do. This might be to allow individual instructors a good deal of flexibility, but it also might leave some a bit at sea.

This might be the text's weakest point. The text is well-formatted and presented, but it is a lot of repetitive-looking material, with little breaking up the few formatting and interface choices that have been made. This is alleviated in other texts by the inclusion of example documents--which are very rare here--or by varying page layouts. Students and instructors alike might find it hard to parse some of the more visually-similar passages, though there are some tables and images periodically that help.

There were no significant or glaring grammatical issues.

Efforts seem to have been made to include a variety of cultural inclusion as appropriate. However, this text might need more framing for students for whom English is not their primary language, or who have been educated in other systems/backgrounds.

This is an easy text to recommend for more experienced instructors, as they may have assignments, exercises, and example documents already at hand. However, glaringly, this textbook doesn't quite have enough material to be as comprehensive as I would have liked, though it does include exercises after each section. This may depend on the other course materials already in play, and the text would serve very well in most business writing courses, given the right conditions.

Reviewed by Bonnie Buchanan, Associate Professor, OhioLink on 3/28/19

From A to Z, the main communication topics and concepts are covered in this text. From the basics of the communications model to group work effectiveness, this book has the components to teach students important skills they will need in the... read more

From A to Z, the main communication topics and concepts are covered in this text. From the basics of the communications model to group work effectiveness, this book has the components to teach students important skills they will need in the business environment.

I was not able to find inaccurate information, based upon my background and ares of expertise. Information was accurate, supported and relevant to the subject.

Business communications, different speeches with different areas of focus and team work skills will always be relevant. Didn't see enough information on distance/telecommuting and communicating via video.

The text was written in a very straight-forward fashion and should be easily understood by most college students.

The activities and assignments found in each chapter are great and easy for students to quickly find. They are consistent among each chapter and offer relevant activities to reinforce learning. The text chapters were consistent in their layout, form and function.

Well-organized, easy to navigate and aligned with chapter objectives in a consistent fashion.

Topics are well-presented and done so in a logical format/layout. The topics/chapters flow nicely from one to the next.

I found all links working properly and all images used supported the subject and topics in the text.

Well-written, concise and succinct text. Free of major grammatical errors.

I did not find the text offensive or insensitive and found it to include a variety of examples so that no one group might feel excluded or offended.

I really enjoyed reviewing this text and think that countless students can benefit from the information and concepts it contains. From the basics, to targeted speech formats, all areas vital to good business communication skills are covered. I would have liked to have seen a formal proposal chapter, but overall, I would recommend this book for business programs and courses that want to engage students and teach them important skills vital to their success.

Reviewed by Cara Chang, Instructor, Leeward Community College on 2/10/19

This textbook was comprehensive in the sense that it covers broad concepts in communication and then narrows down specifically to business writing and oral communication. This semester, when I used part of this textbook for my business writing... read more

This textbook was comprehensive in the sense that it covers broad concepts in communication and then narrows down specifically to business writing and oral communication. This semester, when I used part of this textbook for my business writing class, I had to find and create more examples for my students to view and analyze. Though the content in this text is good, I wish more examples were given in this textbook.

Furthermore, though this textbook does explain how to write a resume, memo, letter, business proposal, and report, it does not include any information on how to improve writing style or mechanics. If my students needed help with grammar, they would need to consult other resources for this.

There wasn’t an index or glossary, but there was a Table of Contents, which made it easy to navigate.

This text was unbiased and free from error. It covered a range of topics in a consistent manner.

I do think the information in this text is relevant. However, I did wish there were sections on other types of business writing. In my classes, I had my students create a website and blog, which to me, are important parts of business writing. Chapter 9, which shows Business Writing in Action covers other parts of business writing, which I taught and assigned to my students, but I also told students that blogging and creating a website are also important parts of maintaining a business. In this digital age, more topics related to online writing is necessary. It would be an easy addition.

The text is written in lucid, accessible prose. It would be appropriate for many different audiences: a business writing class, an oral communication class, etc.

This text was consistent in terminology and framework.

When teaching with this text, I had an easy time breaking up information and chunking it into sections that made it easy for my students to digest. I was also able to breakup information and organize in a way that best fit the flow and schedule of my teaching. The Table of Contents/headings made it easy to see how the text is organized, so anyone who wants to jump around and customize their teaching is able to.

The structure of the text is presented in a logical and clear fashion. It begins by explaining what effective business communication is and then moves to identifying what effective business writing looks like. Next, the text explains how to write different forms of business writing, clarifies different presentation strategies, and explores group communication.

This book is easy to navigate with clear headings. There was no problems accessing the text and viewing the images.

I did not notice any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

The book is not insensitive or offensive to any cultures, but it does not have many references to various races, cultures, etc. Incorporating different examples could be especially important in the International and Intercultural Business Communication chapter.

The main page states that the textbook is available in multiple formats, but I was only able to access it as a Pressbook and as a PDF. I do feel that more images and media can be added.

Reviewed by Kara Wicklund, Instructor, Lead Instructional Designer, Bethel University on 11/13/18

This book covers almost of all the topics I need to cover in my Business Communication course. The index is clear and easy to navigate, and the chapters are clearly labeled. read more

This book covers almost of all the topics I need to cover in my Business Communication course. The index is clear and easy to navigate, and the chapters are clearly labeled.

This textbook is error-free and accurate. It handles informative text with clarity and analyzes communication problems by applying concepts, without leaning too much on a specific bias.

The content in this text is specific and clear, and it it up-to-date. It is general enough, however, that it should remain generally relevant for several years. Some sections discuss the use of written and/or electronic communication, noting the prevalence (in percentages) of these communication forms in certain settings. These details may change or become outdated over time, but the general topic will likely remain relevant.

The clarity of this text is one of its strongest features. New vocabulary works are typed in bold and defined as well as supported with examples and/or cases to illustrate their context. Paragraphs are well-structured and easy to read, and sentence flow is easy for readers.

The text adheres to the same structure throughout each chapter. Concepts are referred to and applied in consistent ways throughout the text.

Modularity is another great strength of this text. It is easy to assign chapters and sections out of order, avoid a section, or substitute a section for another resource due to the self-sufficiency of the sections. Sections generally begin, develop, and wrap up concepts clearly within each section so students don't need to rely on other chapters/sections in the text to further explain the topic.

While I did not utilize the sections in this book the way the chapters are organized, they do seem organized overall in a logical fashion. Within the chapters, the information is laid out in a clear manner. Typically the chapters begin with basic concepts and vocabulary and then proceed to application. In some chapters, there are cases for students to read about, as well. This progression seems very effective for readers.

This book is very easy to navigate. The chapters are easy to locate and the images and text display well on screens.

There were no grammatical errors in this text.

This text has a strong focus toward the end of the book on culture and communication. In addition to handing interpersonal communication dynamics, the book includes a chapter regarding Intercultural and International Business Communication. This chapter explores cultural characteristics of communication and how these characteristics impact communication, both personally and in the workplace.

Reviewed by George Boone, Visiting Assistant Professor, Augustana College on 11/13/18

Overall, the book covers a wide range of topics. However, it offers breadth over depth, which is fine for an introductory business communication course. It lacks an index section, however, so unless your students know how to search a PDF for... read more

Overall, the book covers a wide range of topics. However, it offers breadth over depth, which is fine for an introductory business communication course. It lacks an index section, however, so unless your students know how to search a PDF for information, they might run into trouble searching for specific information.

The book provided very accurate overviews of different theories and positions on communication.

The book had multiple examples, although some of the references might feel a bit dated for our students (ie. the Bush examples, for instance). However, the author could easily update the examples with more recent events.

The book was very clear and easy to understand.

The book has the strong ability to present multiple ideas relevant to business communication (and its underlying communication research) without getting lost in the theoretical differences that might go along with these different perspectives. Ultimately, those looking for a deeper theoretical look at the book will need to look elsewhere. More pragmatically oriented classes, however, will benefit from this instructional approach.

The book has nice chapter and section breakdowns with clear headings and effective demarcations.

The book needs a bit more explicit logic to chapter order. As a reader, I do not have a clear sense as to why chapters appear in a particular order. Perhaps overall chapter groups or headings might help resolve this issue.

The interface for the book has no issues that I noticed.

I did not notice any grammar issues.

I did not notice any particularly offensive texts or ideas.

Overall, the book provides a strong and pragmatic approach to communication in business and workplace contexts. I would gladly adopt it as a general text for a low-level 100 or 200 level course. Teachers looking for more in depth analysis of studies or more theory-driven analysis, however, might find the book lacking.

Reviewed by Jason Harper, Senior Lecturer and International Coordinator, Fort Hays State University on 11/12/18

The contents do offer instructors a comprehensive list of key writing areas that should be covered in a college writing class. For example, it includes topics like writing styles, active reading, writing a summary, and assessing writing situations... read more

The contents do offer instructors a comprehensive list of key writing areas that should be covered in a college writing class. For example, it includes topics like writing styles, active reading, writing a summary, and assessing writing situations to more practical areas like conventions, revision, and checklists. It also includes discussions on common challenges for multilingual and ESL writers from diverse backgrounds. Perhaps an instructor might see these as good guideposts, yet this reviewer believes that supplemental materials will be needed for a more in-depth and detailed coverage of these areas. Overall, the text is useful as a starting point for teaching to her/his strengths and contexts.

One of the outstanding strengths that this textbook offers is its lack of bias. The coverage given to the writing process and its practices is also particularly good -- something not often included in business communication-related texts.

Coverage of text messages, E-mail, and how social customs influence the ways we interact with each other in the online environment will not be difficult to update, as these norms and mores are changing by the minute. As these change, this textbook can still apply as strong beginning points for discussion in class.

Overall, a detailed process of business communication is shown in readable and clear style. Vocabulary and terminology is covered and there are avenues for instructors to add on.

Business Communication for Success is a consistent collection of significant skill sets accented by "Key Takeaways" that correlate well with the topic at hand. The book’s use of multiple sub-chapters helps to make the textbook much more detailed. While at times the bland blocks of content may render the page a bore, the instructor can breathe life into what is considered by many to be a dull subject. The creators' knowledge of the topic is obvious throughout the book. The credibility of the content is strengthened by the consistency.

The orderliness of the book conforms to an academic curriculum. While the chapters create neat packages, some skills to be taught can be better covered by the instructor creating additions to the chapter or by adding additional sections. Overall, the textbook provides well-organized material and content, which is held well by clear chapter numbers.

The organization of the book lends itself well to the study of business communication. Each chapter is broken down into sections, which typically fit logically into the topic of the chapter. All chapters are composed of several defining parts that maintain a sense of continuity throughout the volume. The Key Takeaways" sections leads refers well back to the introduction and the chapter goals.

With so few graphics in the book overall, display features are subsequently not so much of an issue. Within the text of the chapter, there are at times photo boxes that assist the learner in understanding particular points. Unfortunately, the open-sourced photos may also confuse readers when they are not as well-paired as a paid photo might have been. Navigation is not at all difficult, as the chapters are clearly segmented and there is a drop-down "Contents" bar for finding other sections fast. However, the textbook's overall appearance is quite bland.

It's refreshing to see a textbook so carefully edited. Once a textbook is provided to students, a certain expectation of correctness and clarity is expected, and cleanly edited chapters must be in place when teaching the units and individual lessons. This does not mean that the opportunity for learning about errors is lost -- even the cleanest of texts might still contain a hiccup here or there. Yet, with the goal being teaching toward the learning needs of the students in our classrooms, we educators need to set good examples for those educational needs and show, not tell, good grammar, without losing sight of the end goal.

Chapter 18 is pretty in-depth about the intercultural/international aspect. While certainly not comprehensive, variety of races, ethnicity, and backgrounds is addressed in general terms in Chapter 18 as strong beginning points for discussion in class. As stated as a Key Takeaway in 18.3, "All cultures have characteristics such as initiations, traditions, history, values and principles, purpose, symbols, and boundaries," and the instructor could certainly work with the class to develop how this applies or cold apply in different contexts.

Reviewed by Margarette Connor, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Lehman College/CUNY on 6/19/18

This text covers all the areas I would want to cover in my 300-level business writing class, including non-verbal communications and international communications, two topics I find are often underrepresented in many texts. Very clear and... read more

This text covers all the areas I would want to cover in my 300-level business writing class, including non-verbal communications and international communications, two topics I find are often underrepresented in many texts. Very clear and comprehensive table of contents facilitates use.

I've read a good portion of the book and find it accurate and error-free. Excellent quality.

I have been teaching business writing for over 20 years, and while the methods of communication have changed, how we write hasn't really. This book is certainly up to date, but not so much so that it will be obsolete within the next few years.

I would have liked to have seen a little more on online writing--blogs, websites, digital white papers--because while we can always upload a PDF of a traditional report to a website, many Millenials read differently and have different expectations of what they will read on the internet. This might be my personal soapbox, though, and the materials here can be easily adapted.

I very much like the writing in this book as I find it clear and to the point, much more so than the text I had been previously using. I think my students will find this more accessible. My students are mostly junior or senior business majors, and while there is jargon in the text, by this point, this is part of my students' professional vocabulary, so nothing that I find alienating for students.

Many of my students like pared down yet comprehensive texts, and I think they'd like this. They don't like to "waste" time with "unnecessary" material.

Very good job with consistency.

The modularity of the text is very well done. As I was reading it, I had the feeling that my students would find this easier to access than our current text. I can already see the course syllabus falling into place. Although I see myself changing the order of the text, I think jumping through the book will be quite easy.

The flow of the chapters is clear and logical, and while I'd change things, isn't that what we do as professors? I've never used a text book as if it were a novel.

Clear, easy to use. I've used other online texts, and I found this one to be very user friendly.

I am a stickler for grammar, and I found no errors in my reading. That's sadly rare!

There was nothing culturally insensitive or offensive in the parts of the text I read, which was much.

I am definitely adopting this book for my business writing course next term. It has everything my students need from a text at a price they can afford. That has been a problem for many. I actually like this text better as I think it's clearer and easier to follow. Excellent choice for an upper level business writing course.

Reviewed by Shannon Breske, Assistant Teaching Professor, University of Missouri on 6/19/18

Business Communication for Success provides an overview of the main areas of communication and highlights additional resources at the end of each chapter. When reviewing other texts, this text is consistent with topic areas covered. The text is... read more

Business Communication for Success provides an overview of the main areas of communication and highlights additional resources at the end of each chapter. When reviewing other texts, this text is consistent with topic areas covered. The text is organized well and can be navigated seamlessly with how each section is labeled. Students found this text easy to use, comprehend, and then able to apply knowledge to their assignments and in-class work.

Content is accurate. Consistent topics covered in Business Communication in Success text compared to other Business Communication texts. Some references, activities, and examples could be updated to provide a more inclusive tone.

The text is up to date but could include more details on how to communicate using social media platforms as well as customer relationship management (CRM) software. Could add the importance of how to successfully develop a communication plan using CRM.

Easy to read, understand, and apply. Students found it easy to read the chapters and comprehend.

The text is consistent with other texts and current literature. Liked how the earlier concepts are built upon in later chapters.

The text covers a lot of information however it is easily divided into subsections and does a nice job highlighting the important pieces in each area. Organized extremely well and easy to navigate through the online text.

Great job on the organization of the text. Found it clear and logical.

The interface is basic but functional and meets the needs of the user.

Well written. I did not find any grammatical errors.

Some references, activities, and examples could be updated to provide a more inclusive tone.

Great text! I use for 400+ students in an introductory course, and it is a great option. I supplemented additional information for class materials but overall extremely satisfied with text.

Reviewed by Alicia Edwards, Adjunct Professor, Business Management, Marketing and Communications, Northern Virginia Community College, Annadale Campus on 6/20/17

I was definitely impressed with the comprehensiveness Business Communication for Success. For every concept of the author introduced, he gave context, the why and if needed consequences if the conventions are not heeded. While there is not a... read more

I was definitely impressed with the comprehensiveness Business Communication for Success. For every concept of the author introduced, he gave context, the why and if needed consequences if the conventions are not heeded. While there is not a glossary or an index, he does provide additional resources after each chapter.

Each chapter is effectively mapped out with subheadings so you could easily find the topic that you need. Because of this attention to detail, I can envision this book being an excellent resource for an entry level junior manager or a refresher for a seasoned professional as their communication needs evolve throughout their career.

In general, I felt that the author did pretty balanced job of avoiding stereotypes and clichés. He used a variety of quotes from people with origins in all parts of the world and historical periods.

I was disappointed with the slang used in Chapter 2's introductory exercises. The words used were outdated at the least and mildly offensive. All 10 examples of page 35, appeared to be derived from African American slang...certainly not inclusive. The population that attends NOVACC are very diverse culturally and linguistically so this would not go over well.

This book was written in 2010 and focused more on written and verbal communication. Social media is not addressed but text, email, and netiquette were briefly touched upon. The information is still current and accurate but clearly lends itself to frequent updates. Since the bulk of business communication is online now, I would like to see at least full chapter dedicated to texting, email and internet communication. The way the book is laid out, this could be can easy addition.

Social Media is now an integral part of business communication internally and externally but it is STILL treated as an afterthought or footnote in academia. While not every platform is mainstream, the ones that are increasingly used in professional settings certainly need to be taught at the collegiate level in a comprehensive manner. LinkedIN, Twitter, Instagram and to some extent Pinterest have proven their marketing prowess and are structured enough to teach the business applications.

The concepts that text introduces are consistent within each chapter and throughout the book as a whole. Other than expanding on email/text and internet communications and including social media, I did not see any gaps in knowledge.

Since I did read the book on Apple device, Apple has built in technology that is helpful. For example, the book reference Aristotle and his concept of "ethos". While I knew he was from ancient Greece, I used the lookup feature on his name to fill in the historical timeframe that helped me fully understand what may have shaped his views. The look-up feature took me to several books, wesbites and a Wikipedia page.

Each chapter is effectively mapped out with subheadings so you could easily find the topic that you need. Because of this attention to detail, I can envision this book being an excellent resource for an entry level junior manager or a refresher for a seasoned professional as their communications needs evolve throughout their career.

While the book flows well from start to finish, the chapters and subheading are very specific and are quickly referencable. I read the book on my Ipad and I easily bookmarked pages when and highlight notes as needed. Each section can be understood independently, I didn't find myself having to reference previous chapters to make sense to the current one.

I downloaded the entire book as a PDF. It would be nice to have the option to download sections as needed.

The interface is very basic but effective. I read the book on my Ipad within the iBooks platform. I quickly find the section I wanted and go straight to whatever page I wanted. There are a lot of links to internet sites, I referenced quite a few and they seemed to load up quickly.

The charts and pictures that are included are without distortions. However, I would like to see more videos and visuals. Since readers will most likely reference this book from a laptop/phone or tablet, the assumption is that they would be able to seamlessly go from reading the material to answering the discussions via BlackBoard or whatever learning software their school adopts.

The author took the time to edit very well. I didn't see any glaring errors of any kind.

In general, I felt that the author did pretty balanced job of avoiding stereotypes and clichés. He used a variety of quotes from people with origins in all parts of the world and historical periods. I was disappointed with the slang used in Chapter 2's introductory exercises. The words used were outdated at the least and mildly offensive. All 10 examples of page 35, appeared to be derived from African American slang...certainly not inclusive. The population that attends NOVACC are very diverse culturally and linguistically so this would not go over well. Since slang and pop culture are moving targets, I would have eliminated that exercise completely and let the students self-direct this exercise by sharing slang words in their own language with the class. I would further reinforce the exercise by letting students that speak the same language but are from different countries share words that differ within their culture. I would also have them give examples of how they would speak around their peers, parents, and elders to drill down appropriateness and context.

The concepts that text introduces are consistent within each chapter and throughout the book as a whole. Other than expanding on email/text and internet communications and including social media, I did not see any gaps in knowledge. This book was written in 2010 and focused more on written and verbal communication. Social media is not addressed but text, email, and netiquette were briefly touched upon. The information is still current and accurate but clearly lends itself to frequent updates. Since the bulk of business communication is online now, I would like to see at least full chapter dedicated to texting, email and internet communication. The way the book is laid out, this could be can easy addition.

Social Media is now an integral part of business communication internally and externally but it is STILL treated as an afterthought or footnote in academia. While not every platform is mainstream, the ones that are increasingly used in professional settings certainly need to be taught at the collegiate level in a comprehensive manner. LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and to some extent Pinterest have proven their marketing prowess and are structured enough to teach the basic business applications.

Since readers will most likely reference this book from a laptop/phone or tablet, the assumption is that they would be able to seamlessly go from reading the material to answering the discussions via BlackBoard or whatever learning software their school adopts.

In general, I felt that the author did a pretty balanced job of avoiding stereotypes and clichés. He used a variety of quotes from people with origins in all parts of the world and historical periods.

I was disappointed with the slang used in Chapter 2's introductory exercises. The words used were outdated at the least and mildly offensive. All 10 examples of page 35, appeared to be derived from African American slang...certainly not inclusive. The population that attends NOVACC are very diverse culturally and linguistically so this would not go over well. Since slang and pop culture are moving targets, I would have eliminated that exercise completely and let the students self-direct this exercise by sharing slang words in their own language with the class. I would further reinforce the exercise by letting students that speak the same language but are from different countries share words that differ within their culture. I would also have them give examples of how they would speak around their peers, parents, and elders to drill down appropriateness and context.

Reviewed by Brandi Quesenberry, Advanced Instructor, Virginia Tech on 6/20/17

Solid overview of foundations of business communication. I would prefer a more advanced textbook but this text works well for a lower level or introductory course. Broad overview of both written and oral communication considerations and best... read more

Solid overview of foundations of business communication. I would prefer a more advanced textbook but this text works well for a lower level or introductory course. Broad overview of both written and oral communication considerations and best practices.

Content is correct and consistent with other texts.

Due to nature of subject matter, some references will become outdated. Overall examples are current and helpful. Technology references can be easily updated due to formatting and section headings.

Clear language, easy to read, relevant examples.

Accurate use of terminology and framework.

Divided well. Only complaint is the redundancy of information across multiple chapters.

I would prefer oral communication chapters to come before written communication. Overall, flowed well.

Well written.

Relevant and diverse examples. Good discussion of cultural differences in business setting.

Good choice for an introductory business communication class.

Reviewed by Catherine Wright, Associate Professor, George Mason University on 6/20/17

It covers too many areas, would need to be "chunked" into smaller clusters. It tries to do too much for one text. read more

It covers too many areas, would need to be "chunked" into smaller clusters. It tries to do too much for one text.

I found it to be accurate.

I found it to be relevant. Since the format of Open Textbooks allows for things to be quickly updated, anything the authors found in need could be easily changed.

The overall writing in the text is great. Easy to read, easy to digest, easy to follow. It’s not taxing and presents information in a way that will engage the reader. The style is casual and informative. I found it inviting and I believe that students will want to read the chapters assigned.

I found it to be consistent with current literature and other texts.

It tries to cover too much in one text and would absolutely need to be made into modules.

Overall the organization is fine. The structure of the book in its entirety is too grand. It could/should be no less than three books.

I was easily able to gather information. I found no issues with this book.

so far, so good ;o)

This appeared to be fine too. I had no complaints.

The scope of the book, however is too broad. I would not use it for any Business Communication class that I personally taught.

The reason for this is that it focuses on several areas, which could not be adequately covered, or covered well, in one semester. I believe you would be able to do all of it at a very cursory level and none of it well in order to produce informed and prepared students. It really doesn’t cover “business.”

My recommendations for application follow: Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 could easily be one full semester, as they focus on writing. Chapters 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 are another semester, as they focus on public speaking. Chapters 16, 17, 18, and 19 are individually entire courses and almost seem extraneous here.

Part of what appeals to me about Open Textbook Library is the opportunity to take a text offered and to adjust it to make it something you could use in you class. This book has the potential to do so if the teacher reduces the number of chapters assigned during a semester. Rather than trying to do everything adequately, teachers would need to focus on only a few chapters to use this book well.

Reviewed by Rathin Basu, Professor, Ferrum College on 2/8/17

The text is quite comprehensive in its coverage of the key (and standard) topics and compares favorably with the very well known and widely used conventional text that I have been using in my Business Communications class, as well as others that I... read more

The text is quite comprehensive in its coverage of the key (and standard) topics and compares favorably with the very well known and widely used conventional text that I have been using in my Business Communications class, as well as others that I have used or reviewed in instructing the subject over the past 20 years. The sequence of the topics is somewhat different from some of the conventional texts but, over all, the content covers all aspects expected in this subject area. However, some of the important and fast developing and changing areas of communication which have developed in recent times (e.g. social media) and their models, challenges and impacts might have been included. They would also need to be discussed in the context of ethical communication as well. Another topic of importance that needed discussion is communication relating to applying for a job and preparing for interviews. A third aspect that I cover in my Business Communication class is formal business report writing, and this would need more coverage and even a chapter devoted to it. Despite these gaps, which are common to most current texts though, it generally covers the standard and essential areas of the subject well. It would have been useful, especially in an introductory text such as this, to have had a comprehensive index.

The content, in terms of the concepts and theories of communication, and the explanations and examples presented, is accurate and supported by citation of relevant and relatively recent sources. In addition, some of the seminal publications which may not be as recent but are essential sources are also referenced. There is no suggestion of any bias in the discussion and presentation of ideas and perspectives. It would have been helpful to have used colors or fonts in such a way that embedded active links could be clearly distinguished from highlighted terms. Also, if what might be more completely addressed is considered under this item, then inclusion of some of the most current, dynamic and important aspects of developments in communication especially relating to technology and society might be included.

Since the concepts and theories discussed are, in general fundamental ones, these aspects are not likely to require short-term changes. The examples used are also ones that are not limited in time or context and hence less susceptible to change. However, this does mean that some of the more dynamic areas of communication such as technology, social media, virtual teams might have been covered in greater depth given their increasingly important roles in communication. This is possibly the most important area that has been most dynamic in recent years and would need updating, when included. In addition, recent case studies of specific firms and incidents are one aspect that would be found in publisher based texts that open texts, by their nature, must sacrifice.

I found the very accessible prose and the personal and informal tone to be a particular strength of the book. Terms and jargon are explained with appropriate examples which students are generally likely to be able to relate to. In addition, not making this a reference text and overwhelming the undergraduate student with too many examples and too much detail has added to the clarity and relevance for the intended audience. The inclusion of pithy quotes, short exercises after each section, and sections and chapters which are not too long have also enhanced clarity and readability.

The text is internally consistent in terms of its tone, explanations, audience, and structure. In addition, the exercises have a consistency in framework and resulting time required to do them. The approach of starting sections with some questions which are then addressed with examples and explanations makes for an engaging, more Socratic and less pedantic method.

I found the breakdown of the topics into chapters and the chapters into sections, both of which are in sizes manageable for students, to be a strength of the text. This is contrast to many available texts which have long chapters which are dense with content, much of which is too much detail for an undergraduate course. The relatively short modules also suggested several possible ways in which I could smoothly reorganize them and use them in a class without making the sequence seem disjointed. The text draws in outside sources rather than being self-referential.

The organization of the text is something that I usually find to be one that I do not stick to, even with private market texts. The organization of the current text is also one that I would change to suit the particular circumstances of my students and institutional facilities (such as availability of the career center for mock interviews as part of course). However, with digital texts, I have had no difficulty in making the changes and even rearranging the chapters as needed.

In general, the book has no interface issues that I encountered, except the one that I found the use of the brown font for both terms (which were not live links) as well as live links was confusing. It would be helpful to have the standard blue font for the live links to distinguish them.

The book shows an appreciation of diversity and inclusion of various perspectives. Given the nature of the subject matter, which calls for discussion of various cultural perspectives, this is done in an interesting way that encourages exploration. It is particularly interesting that the cultural aspects are not confined to the standard understanding of the scope of such differences (such as races, ethnicities and nationalities) but also includes artifacts and examples which students can relate to and demonstrate that cultural differences can also be local, inter-generational, etc.

I found the text to be very readable, engaging and interesting and one that I am considering adopting. I would need to draw in some current case studies that involve relevant aspects of communication as well as introduce the topics of career related planning and communication (resume, cover-letter, job-related interviews and interviewing, follow-up), as well as formal business report writing.

Reviewed by Carrie Gay, Adjunct Professor, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, Richmond, VA on 2/8/17

This book is very comprehensive. Contains an vast array of business communication principles applicable to today's business environment. However, there is no index or glossary which makes the book somewhat ineffective for quick reference points. read more

This book is very comprehensive. Contains an vast array of business communication principles applicable to today's business environment. However, there is no index or glossary which makes the book somewhat ineffective for quick reference points.

I found the content of the chapters accurate and up-to-date. No grammatical errors were found. Material appears unbiased with prejudice.

Once again, the material is up-to-date. I enjoyed the introductory exercises and the learning objectives presented in each section. Students know exactly what to expect in each chapter. Easy to read and comprehend.

The text is well written, easy to understand. Technical terminology was comprehendable and use of jargon was acceptable. No errors detected.

The book is consistent in its chapter presentations. I appreciated the resources presented after each chapter. Great sources of additional information if the student is interested in searching for it.

The sections were easy to read and were divided adequately. Subunits could be reorganized and realigned if need be without too much effort. Readers should still be able to follow printed material even if it has been rearranged.

This appeared to be the weakest part of the book...the chapter arrangements. I believed the last chapter of the book, Chapter 19, could have appeared somewhat earlier in the book. I compared this book to a couple of others I have seen in recent years and the flow was "off." I still say good material presented throughout, however.

Very few graphics presented in the book overall. I clicked on several Web sites and had no interface/nor navigation issues.

I found no grammatical errors during my first reading of the material which speaks well of the book and the authors/proofreaders. Well written sentences and paragraph structure.

I did not find the book culturally insensitive in any way. I asked three students of Asian, Hispanic, and African-American descent to read Chapter 18, Intercultural Communication--none were offended.

Again, I believe the book requires an index or glossary. These would make word or phrase searches less time-consuming. Perhaps review the table of contents for chapter rearrangements too.

Reviewed by Bonnie Yarbrough, Lecturer, University of North Carolina at Greensboro on 12/5/16

This text covers all areas of the subject appropriately and provides a good Table of Contents. At roughly 600 pages, coverage of the subject matter is extensive. There is no glossary, however, and the index is less comprehensive than I would have... read more

This text covers all areas of the subject appropriately and provides a good Table of Contents. At roughly 600 pages, coverage of the subject matter is extensive. There is no glossary, however, and the index is less comprehensive than I would have liked.

The text has been updated (2015) from the first edition. In subject matter, the text is accurate, although there are occasional mechanical errors and typos that should have been caught.

The content is up to date, but will need to keep pace with evolving technology over each year. For example, the chapter containing a long discussion of mobile communication messages will need revision next year to accommodate changes in the marketplace and in the workplace. Some of the information here is basic, almost elementary, when measured against other more specialized texts. Still, it should be easy to update; discussions could be accommodated for individual audiences.

The text is extremely clear and compelling in its discussions of the material. Each area of the field is covered substantively and with effective examples.

Consistent in its terminology and organization. Concepts introduced early in the text and followed up in later sections of the book and built upon.

This text is already divided into small reading sections and each is numbered in a clear way, manageable online. The headings are descriptive and each section has numerous graphics, video links, and "key takeaways" that provide an ongoing summary of the material covered.

The organization raised some questions. There are several chapters that could be re-arranged or collapsed and presented in a different order. "Organization and Outlines," for example, is presented long after "Revising" and "Presenting" writing.

I ran across a couple of problems with connectivity or dead links.

This is a text about business communication; the grammar is accurate and contains no errors.

The text makes a point of being culturally inclusive, particularly since that is so important in business today. The examples are relevant and illustrative--compelling.

I would recommend this text for a course particularly in oral business communication--although it also covers writing. It has numerous helpful exercises in each chapter and ideas for further exploration of the subject matter. I didn't see any options for text banks, however; I would have liked to have additional resources for quizzes.

Reviewed by Joy Koesten, Lecturer, University of Kansas on 8/21/16

This textbook is very comprehensive, both in breath and depth. I would have like more information regarding how to facilitate a meeting, ethical communication, and organizational culture. The topics were well selected, though formal speaking... read more

This textbook is very comprehensive, both in breath and depth. I would have like more information regarding how to facilitate a meeting, ethical communication, and organizational culture. The topics were well selected, though formal speaking always seems out of place in a business communication text. While some may need to make formal presentations, the majority of workers do not. It's more likely they will need to hone their interpersonal skills and how to speak up in a group.

I did not find an index or glossary, which would have been nice.

I think some might find the use of an egalitarian approach to be biased, but not me. Otherwise, I thought the book was well written, error free and unbiased.

I think the content is relevant and up to date. I'm seems updates would be easy and straightforward.

Very clearly written. I liked that key terms were highlighted. I thought the highlighted terms were linked to a glossary, but that wasn't the case. I downloaded it in KIndle, so maybe that was the problem.

I didn't find any inconsistencies in the text.

It seems this text could easily be divided into units or sections as needed. That is what I plan to do, so I hope that this is the case.

The presentations n section seemed out of place to me. But, otherwise the organization worked fine.

the only navigation issue I ran into was when I went back and forth to the table of contents. I always had to start at the top of the table for f contents and scroll all the way to the most recent chapter. Otherwise, I was not distracted by anything else.

Well written. No grammatical errors were found.

I didn't encounter anything in the text offensive, though I don't recall an emphasis on multiculturalism or a variety of races dipicted in the visuals. There weren't a lot of photos in the book.

I am very likely to use a good portion of this text in an upcoming course.

Reviewed by Sally Stanton, Senior Lecturer, UW-Milwaukee on 8/21/16

Comparable to most business communication texts available commercially. Coverage seems to be missing of social media as business communication (mentioned as a communication channel but not otherwise addressed specifically) and of how to... read more

Comparable to most business communication texts available commercially.

Coverage seems to be missing of social media as business communication (mentioned as a communication channel but not otherwise addressed specifically) and of how to cite/attribute sources in writing and speaking (styles and methods)

No index or glossary that I could locate in the e-pub version reviewed.

Appears to be accurate, error-free, and unbiased.

Some of the communication theories seem rather outdated, given the undeniable role of social media in the digital marketplace and the instant, global nature of communication in 2016. Thus, the text does not seem to reflect the significant need for theories and approaches that address the ability of today's customers, shareholders, competitors, etc. to immediately influence businesses through immediate and very public forms of communication. A bad review on Yelp! or Trip Advisor requires thoughtful handling; organizational communications strategies for dealing with such scenarios should be presented, along with relevant theory or/or research from the professional literature on online business communication. It's no longer enough to just "understand" your audience - business communicators now have a very much two-way, real-time relationship with them.

The topics of social media and managing interactive stakeholder communication could perhaps be added in Chapter 3 or Chapter 16.

Coverage of organizational communications theory and strategies is woven into much of the text but not in an explicit way - the focus is more on developing the individual's own strategy. When that conflicts with organizational strategy, what then?

Detailed coverage of ethics/ethical communication is limited and somewhat difficult to locate (especially since there is no index or glossary) - the chapter devoted to it is very short and lacks sufficient grounding in the professional literature.

Clear and conversational, easy to read.

Consistency rating: 3

It is definitely a broad, general overview of the subject matter. In the first three chapters it covers terms and theories common to both writing and speaking, and then devotes six chapters specifically to each. I would prefer to have chapters 16-19 at the beginning of the text along with chapters 1-3, as these topics equally relate to both writing and speaking, and are very timely - specifically intercultural communication and crisis communication. (Unfortunately topics presented at the end of the text/semester often get short shrift from students, or are cut because they don't fit easily in a 15-week semester. The framework would then proceed more logically from the general to the specific.

Modularity is very good; subheadings are used frequently to break up text, especially for online readers. I was surprised not to find hypertext links other than those in the citations - but I suppose that would make it difficult to publish in multiple formats, and managing broken links would be a nightmare.

An index/glossary would be a very strong addition.

As mentioned previously, I would prefer to have chapters 16-19 at the beginning of the text along with chapters 1-3, as these topics equally relate to both writing and speaking, and are very timely - specifically intercultural communication and crisis communication.

Serviceable interface, but it didn't particularly wow me. Use of grayed lines on charts makes it hard to see, especially on a smaller digital device (let's face it, students read books on their phones and iPads). Still it seems like it would be easily customized, which is a plus.

I understand that copyright issues prevent the use of the many photographic images found in commercial texts, but I find the lack of images is one downfall of using this kind of digital text. Students seem to read increasingly less, or if they do, don't comprehend well information presented only in lengthy textual form. Meaningful images can enhance understanding.

No problems found. Conversational tone makes it accessible.

Good specific coverage of intercultural communication, although as I mentioned before, this should come earlier in the text given how critical this topic has become in a globalized economy. Examples used seem to be quite diverse and appear throughout the text, not just in the specific chapter on intercultural communication. More examples of intercultural business writing would be helpful, though.

Overall, it seems to be a useful secondary text, or one used to provide additional coverage of specific topics, rather than as a primary text. However, it is difficult to find a textbook that provides both sufficient breadth and depth of coverage whether open-source or not. So, if you are interested in "slicing and dicing" content to fit your curriculum, this text would be a good place to start.

Reviewed by Eric Dodson, Instructor of ESOL, Portland State University on 1/7/16

This book includes a review of sentence grammar, paragraph structure, process writing, rhetorical styles, principles of judging sources, and business genre forms. The grammar sections provide a backbone; generally good examples provided. The... read more

This book includes a review of sentence grammar, paragraph structure, process writing, rhetorical styles, principles of judging sources, and business genre forms. The grammar sections provide a backbone; generally good examples provided. The individual grammar points require supplementary material for review of more examples and grammar-focused exercises. However, there are some exercises that marry both grammar and business writing functions.

The grammar points and exercises that I browsed were accurate. Rare typos.

Business norms may change, but the main focus is on underlying writing and rhetorical competency, and any updates will be relatively easy and straightforward to implement.

Some of the grammar for native speakers seems to be targeted for students who know some grammar terms, but do not know others. For example, the term “clause” is given a rough definition, but later the term “phrase” is used without a clear definition, in the context of “prepositional phrase.”

When discussing the specific genre of business writing (Ch. 10), the text often focuses on academic writing demands. Some sections are really focused on overall rhetorical styles and classical rhetoric, with a bit of business window dressing.

\The text is organized and composed in a perfect way for picking-and-choosing chapters or sections. Important concepts that are shared by several chapters (sentence fragments, for example) are generally introduced and explained in each chapter they appear in (though with different levels of detail, depending on the chapter).

No table of contents in the document, and correspondingly, no hyperlinks between sections. The first chapter’s grammar review and the second, punctuation, offer the chance to review a wide range of sentence grammar topics, but the topics are not ordered in a sequentially logical way. For example, adjectives and adverbs are tackled after sentence fragments and other sentence-level errors (which are unanalyzable if readers do not understand basic word-level grammar). The third chapter on word choices has a similar issue.

Some editing exercises are single-spaced, which makes them very difficult to correct via pen-and-paper. Example writing often is not clearly labeled or differentiated from the main text.

Rare omitted words or punctuation (e.g., p. 141). Otherwise clear and accurate.

Occasional glimpses of a multi-cultural reality via examples or use of names from different backgrounds. However, the focus is on (presumably) North American business English demands. The only issue with this is that this is not explicitly explained, and learners would need supplemental materials in order to raise awareness of the existence of different genre expectations internationally.

This work would offer a good set of resources for introductory university student writing courses or business English for speakers of other languages. For example, Chapter 3 has a welcome list of commonly confused words. However, this work would likely be most useful as a teacher planning supplement or to provide readings/exercises on specific topics. Much of the grammatical information, including the chapter for ESL students, does not offer much application to business contexts. For example, there is a review of the concept of idioms, and some example idioms, but not commentary on how students should use them in writing, or if they should use them at all. For the presentation of grammar and mechanics, I would supplement with more genre-specific projects, but the succinct and broad overview of grammar makes a good basic resource.

Reviewed by Judy Boozer, Business Faculty/AOP Program Lead, Lane Communicty College on 1/7/16

The book is comprehensive in regards to business communication, but it lacks a table of contents, index, or glossary for ease in finding the concepts presented in it. read more

The book is comprehensive in regards to business communication, but it lacks a table of contents, index, or glossary for ease in finding the concepts presented in it.

Content Accuracy rating: 3

This book has a few errors throughout--spaces missing between words, inconsistent formatting, lack of first line indents for paragraphs, etc. The content does appear for the most part to be unbiased and often gives both sides of concepts/views of proper communication.

Because paragraphs are not indented, it makes it extremely hard to see where paragraphs begin and end.

Content is relevant to today's world, but it lacks some of the more current digital communication options available to us. This would be easy to add.

The clarity of the book is quite good. The author has done a good job of explaining all content, especially if new or unusual terminology is used.

Each chapter in this text has been organized the same way. Although it is nice to be consistent, it almost makes it boring. A list of terms used in each chapter would be helpful.

As mentioned before, there is also inconcistency with the formatting of the contents of this book.

Modularity rating: 3

The book is clearly organized by chapter content and then by objectives within each chapter's topic(s). There are times, however, when few side headings are used, which makes it difficult to comprehend the material presented.

The topics are presented in a logical manner, and they often refer to previous topics as the reader progresses through the book.

There are no interface issues, except that there is not much to excite the reader into reading. There are very few graphics, tables, charts, used. A text only book is difficult to read and comprehend.

I find almost no grammatical errors. (necessary for a book on business communication)

The book is not insensitive or offense to any cultures, but it does lack too many references to various races, cultures, etc.

This book has a wealth of information with resources provided, but it lacks those elements that appeal to those learners that require more than just reading text in order to learn a topic. There are a wealth of exercises at the end of each lesson that students can complete to gain competency in the chapter's concept(s).

Reviewed by Carolina Selva, Adjunct Faculty, BA and MSD, Portland Community College on 1/7/16

Extremely comprehensive. Covers all critical areas of business communication including electronic messages, team communication, presentation skills, and even "language." Learning resources such as exercises and activities are included - many of... read more

Extremely comprehensive. Covers all critical areas of business communication including electronic messages, team communication, presentation skills, and even "language." Learning resources such as exercises and activities are included - many of them quite useful and very relevant to the material.

Accurate and timely as of the date of publishing (2010). Good blend of theoretical and practical applications bolsters credibility. I found no errors or hints of bias.

Relevant in today's dynamic business environment. Many of the principles are (almost) timeless, but the book also includes chapters on newer dynamics of communication in the current climate. These chapters (specifically the last two - on intercultural communication and teamwork) may require more review/updating in coming years than much of the other material.

Clear and to the point - as business writing should be.

Very consistent tone and voice throughout.

Absolutely divisable into specific modules in order to assign at different points. I envisioned using this text in my current Business Communication course and thus assigning chapters out of order and it would work with no problems whatsoever.

Organization/structure is logical. If I were to assign chapters in sequential order, flow would be no problem here. As mentioned in the section on modularity, however, the chapters could stand on their own provided context was present.

Good interface and easy navigation. Some of the graphical elements were not as sharp as others, and some were a bit small. Overall, the book seemed text-heavy and could use visual elements (such as white space and/or more graphics/images) throughout.

No grammatical errors - good modeling of grammar usage.

No cultural insensitivities were perceived. I was impressed with the section on intercultural communication.

Reviewed by Gail Emily Fey, Ph.D., Lecturer, Eller College of Management, University of Arizona on 6/10/15

At nearly 800 pages, the text is immensely comprehensive. It includes both pre- and post-lesson exercises. Some of the exercises seem a bit “silly”; and the author seems to prefer “fives and sixes” for just about every exercise. Still, because... read more

At nearly 800 pages, the text is immensely comprehensive. It includes both pre- and post-lesson exercises. Some of the exercises seem a bit “silly”; and the author seems to prefer “fives and sixes” for just about every exercise. Still, because many options are offered, the instructor or learner would be free to find something appropropriate.

One especially interesting section was LANGUAGE. It was thorough enough to get the main points across but not SO deep as to be offputting to those not into linguistics. Language seems to be a topic that is often eliminated or minimized in other business communication texts.

The author includes references at the end of each chapter. Moreover, the author’s brief bio makes it clear that he has expertise in the subject of Speech and Communication. That ethos lends credibility to the text.

The overarching principles of business writing (clarity, knowing audience, understanding context, bottom line on top, concision) are not likely to change any time soon. The last 2 chapters (intercultural and teamwork) are especially relevant for the near future. According to the SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) “Changing demographics, relocation patterns and the globalization of business will be among the key trends influencing the workplace in the next five to 10 years.”

Fine job of clear writing. The author does a good job of modeling clear writing... necessary for business writers.

Since one individual authored the entire text, it has a consistent voice and tone.

Yes, the chapters can be individual modules for study.

However, as indicated below under my structural comments, really the modules are “Writing”, “Presentations”, and “Context”.

The structure can be thought of as comprising 3 parts: Background, Writing, Context. The author might consider 3 overarching headers under which to place the current chapter titles (e.g., “Writing” is the high-level category; then “Revising your Writing” would go under it. Similarly, “Context” would be the high-level category with “Intercultural and International” under it.).

The inclusion of “key takeaway” would be re-enforcing to students… especially those who read words but are not so good at making meaning of those words.

As much as I appreciated the Language section, its title of “Delivering your message” seems misleading. That title implies presentation/writing techniques. Why not entitle it simply “Using Language”?

No grammatical errors that this reviewer noticed.

Yes, absolutely. For the 21st century worker (in ANY discipline, but especially in business), communication is crucial. Warren Buffet stated that he thinks “The most valuable investment that you can make in yourself is to improve your ability to communicate. ‘Communication is enormously important; oral and written,’ said Buffett.” (Lukas Partners, posting on 3-2014, http://www.lukaspartners.com/communication-important-says-warren-buffett/).

One area that could be improved is that of visual design. The version I reviewed had next-to-no graphics. Quite possibly the no-graphics approach was an effort to prevent the book from becoming even longer.

Another formatting item that this reviewer found annoying was the omission of extra line space between paragraphs. I would vote for single line spacing within paragraphs and double line spacing between para’s to signal the reader a new paragraph was beginning.

Reviewed by Brandy A. Brown, Assistant Professor, University of Arizona on 6/10/15

I integrated this book as a supplement in a Psychology of Leadership course. Communication is such an essential leadership skill and myself and a fellow Associate Professor teaching this course found that student's skills in that area were... read more

I integrated this book as a supplement in a Psychology of Leadership course. Communication is such an essential leadership skill and myself and a fellow Associate Professor teaching this course found that student's skills in that area were deficient.

One of my criticisms of the majority of open texts is that they do tend to fall out of date. This text uses a very simple communication model and doesn't provide additional information or models which would apply better to virtual teams and their communication.

This text is comprehensive enough to actually be used for a full business or professional communication course - several of my students chose to explore the entire book despite only being assigned specific chapters because they found it relevant and helpful to their lives, not just to their coursework.

For the majority of my students this was appropriate for their current level of knowledge. Nothing struck me as inaccurate, there were research bases for the material, however, my criticism of a lack of additional models and examples which would better apply to current prevalent business communications is appropriate for this as well (e.g. virtual distributed teams). Those would be expected in a publisher supported text.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this text does feel slightly limited (only one model of communication) and behind the current communication trends (virtual teams). Previous reviewer, Dr. Emery, said it perfectly, '....I'd like to see a deeper grounding in persausion, organizational communication, and business discourse."

Students found the text very clear, including my Japanese native student who struggles with English quite a bit. Another student remarked that it was an enjoyable read and that they at times found it funny. Those are quite the complement for a textbook.

The book felt like it was almost two separate books put together - which is part of why it can be considered so comprehensive. There were chapters focused on descriptions and definitions and lists, but then some which were very applied and focused on specific communications. I was able to assign these together (something I will address under modularity), but the book could have a better flow and be more narrow, given the focus of the title.

As noted under consistency the text can easily be mixed together, which is very important given the differences in certain types of chapters (list/definition chapters vs. actual applied writing chapters). I chose to assign only the chapters I felt were most relevant to the topics of leadership communication, but allowed students to do the others and provided quizzes they could complete for bonus points. They loved that approach, and how well it worked speaks to the appeal and flexibility of the text.

I did not follow the organization or structure of the text as it was in any way, that was the only challenge I found with using this text. While it was 'modular' based on the definition provided here and I did like the structure and flow of individual chapters, remixing the text was difficult and required students to find their own places in a Word document or PDF version which displayed differently than mine usually. If it were to be posted on a platform that made that easier to do that would be a large improvement.

Students registered no complaints, and overall I have no major issues with it. Nothing is distracting or confusing, but I also wouldn't rate it high on engagement (visuals are different in different formats and sometimes have issues with clarity). Students (and I) appreciated the chapter structure and outlines, but again the format to interact with the text (Word or PDF unless I find my own method to host or remix it) was limiting and not necessarily ADA compliant in the current formats.

Students commented on the accessibility of the tone, and I have found no errors.

Students in my program are often multicultural, they and I had no issues with the text. However, I am always looking for more examples to help them see the differences in cultures and how to handle communication in those instances.

This textbook saved my students and I from two large issues: 1) needing to deal with a difficult enrollment and grading interface process on another website, and 2) paying for the additional materials needed in this course on top of our current required items (which I am not able to break free from currently). It reduced both friction with our course materials and my need to be technical support, while increasing engagement through allowing students choices and the ability to pursue additional knowledge on their own. That is why texts like this one matter so very much. Many of my students struggle financially, and the option to enable them to learn more without adding any financial burden is invaluable.

Reviewed by Daniel Emery, Associate Professor of Business Communication, University of Oklahoma on 1/12/15

The book is exceptionally comprehensive, comparable to other large omnibus collections for business communication. The book would be suitable for business communication courses or business and professional speaking. It's arrangement and scope of... read more

The book is exceptionally comprehensive, comparable to other large omnibus collections for business communication. The book would be suitable for business communication courses or business and professional speaking. It's arrangement and scope of coverage are comparable to the largest for profit books used in the field.

I would describe the content as accurate and a good portion of the material presented had a clear basis in writing research. I find the author's sender/message/receiver model for communication somewhat dated theoretically, but that is also my critique of most textbooks in the area. In later chapters, the book could stand more examples from professional contexts and would benefit from thorough research in the business communication literature. I wouldn't call it inaccurate, but I find it underdeveloped.

Several of the examples and allusions are recent and relevant, but the development of the content is not what I would hope for developing a state of the art introduction to the field. It's no worse than the majority of books in the area, but I wish it were better. Specifically, I think the communication generalist approach of the text makes it somewhat accessible for a wide variety of instructors, but I'd like to see a deeper grounding in persuasion, organizational communication, and business discourse.

Very clear and often clever.

I would describe the book as somewhat over broad in its lexicon. Part of the issue may be with arrangement, but the opening chapters were rife with lists and redefinition of common terms. One of the challenges of working in Communication as a field is that much of our content is taken for granted or treated as common sense. A narrower focus and an emphasis on key ideas would be very helpful. An adopter of the book might do well to adopt the elements on communication or language, but probably not both to keep the content clear.

It looks very good to me. One of the things I appreciated most was that the elements of the book I think were strongest could be realigned and revised with relative ease. The volume tries to be an "everything book" in many ways, so the opportunity to cut and remix is its most useful property. Facutly who use the giant comprehensive industry standard books end up excising a ton of content anyway.

The weakest chapters of the book were those that discussed research in business writing. I'd recommend that the aothor consult with a buisiness librarian who migh offer a more comprehensive and effective review of sources of business information. Those modules should be much stronger.

The organizational strategy makes sense, but it isn't how I might prefer the book to be laid out. The opportunity to cut material would be an advantage here.

Textually, the book is solid. I appreciate the typographic choices and the chapter outlines are very clear and straightforward. The visuals are less effective, as the are occasionally too small and somewhat unfocused. The choice to use gray text boxes or filters over sample documents was a poor one.

Unsurprisingly, it's very good. I appreciated the converstional tone.

The book makes frequent mention of inrercultural issues in business communication, which is absolutely relevant to the globalized marketplace of today's graduates. Additional examples of itnernational correspondence would be potentially invaluable, even amid the chapters on genres.

I deeply appreciate McLean's Business Communication for Success as the first truly effective and customizable open source text in our area. The coverage of the book equals or exceeds that of the majority of the books available from publishers, and the exercises and activities are appropriate to a wide variety of teaching circumstances and environments. For an instructor or program looking for a low cost option for students, the content and customizability of this book is a welcome starting point regardless of the disciplinary or curricular home of a business communication course.

Table of Contents

  • Chapter 1: Effective Business Communication
  • Chapter 2: Delivering Your Message
  • Chapter 3: Understanding Your Audience
  • Chapter 4: Effective Business Writing
  • Chapter 5: Writing Preparation
  • Chapter 6: Writing
  • Chapter 7: Revising and Presenting Your Writing
  • Chapter 8: Feedback in the Writing Process
  • Chapter 9: Business Writing in Action
  • Chapter 10: Developing Business Presentations
  • Chapter 11: Nonverbal Delivery
  • Chapter 12: Organization and Outlines
  • Chapter 13: Presentations to Inform
  • Chapter 14: Presentations to Persuade
  • Chapter 15: Business Presentations in Action
  • Chapter 16: Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Business Communication
  • Chapter 17: Negative News and Crisis Communication
  • Chapter 18: Intercultural and International Business Communication
  • Chapter 19: Group Communication, Teamwork, and Leadership

Ancillary Material

About the book.

Business Communication for Success (BCS) provides a comprehensive, integrated approach to the study and application of written and oral business communication to serve both student and professor.

This series features chapters with the following elements:

  • Learning Objectives
  • Introductory Exercises
  • Clear expectations, relevant background, and important theories
  • Practical, real-world examples
  • Key Takeaways or quick internal summaries
  • Key terms that are easily identified
  • In-chapter assignments
  • Postchapter assessments linked to objectives and skills acquisition

Each chapter is self-contained, allowing for mix-and-match flexibility and custom or course-specific design. Each chapter focuses on clear objectives and skill demonstrations that can be easily linked to your syllabus and state or federal requirements. Supported by internal and external assessments, each chapter features time-saving and learning-enhancement support for instructors and students.

BCS is designed to help students identify important information, reinforce for retention, and demonstrate mastery with a clear outcome product.

The text has three content categories:

  • Foundations
  • Process and products

The first three chapters form the core foundation for the study of oral and written business communication. The next sequence of chapters focus on the process of writing, then oral performance with an emphasis on results. The final sequence focuses on contexts where business communication occurs, from interpersonal to intercultural, from groups to leadership.

In each of the process and product chapter sequences, the chapters follow a natural flow, from prewriting to revision, from preparation for a presentation to performance. Each sequence comes together in a concluding chapter that focuses on action—where we apply the skills and techniques of written or oral communication in business, from writing a letter to presenting a sales speech. These performances not only serve to reinforce real-world applications but also may serve as course assessments.

This text has been used in classes at: Ohio University, Miami University – Oxford, Kent State University – Salem Campus, Cuyahoga Community College – West, University of Toledo, Cuyahoga Community College – District, Northern Arizona University, Gateway Community College, University of Arizona, Arizona Western College, Boise State University,Western Governors University, Doane College, Mcpherson College, University of Nebraska Med Center, Suny Fredonia, State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome, Trinidad State Junior College, University of Delaware, Brenau University, Brewton-Parker College, Loras College, Kapiolani Community College, Muscatine Community College, Greenville College, University of Illinois – Chicago, Millikin University, Rockland Community College, Cornell University, National-Louis University – Lisle, St. Gregory's University, University of Southern Indiana, Missouri State University – W Plains, Bucks County Community College – Newton, Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Pulaski Technical College, Temple University, Dixie State College of Utah, Averett University, Virginia Polytech Institute, Fond Du Lac Tribal Community College, Lipscomb University, Edgewood College, University of Wisconsin – Stout, Wisconsin Lutheran College, Virginia State University, North Georgia Technical College – Blairsville, Paradise Valley Community College, Fordham University – Lincoln Center, New England College of Business/Finance, Eastern New Mexico University, University of Alabama, Albertus Magnus College, Pepperdine University, Fullerton College, Santa Ana College, Miracosta College – Oceanside, San Jose State University, De Anza College, University of The Southwest, Florida Institute of Technology, Forida State University, Dean College, California State University, University of Massachusetts, Suffolk University, Stevenson University, Worcester State College, University of Maryland, Clover Park Technical College, Minnesota State University – Moorhead, College of St. Scholastica, Ferris State University, Concordia University, Southern New Hampshire University, Lower Columbia College, University of North Carolina – Greensboro, Rockingham Community College, Stanly Community College, Wayland Baptist University, Bunker Hill Community College, Salve Regina University, University of The Incarnate Word, St. Mary's University, University of Rhode Island, Texarkana College, Renton Technical College, Tarleton State University, Wayland Baptist University – Plainview, University of Houston, Stephen F. Austin State University, Bates Technical College, Chabot College, Bakersfield College, Azusa Pacific University, University of Houston – Downtown, California Southern University, Miracosta College, American Public University, American Public University System, Huntington Junior College, Flat World Knowledge University, Jackson Senior High School, Holmes High School, Dlielc, Clintondale High School, American University in Kosovo in Conjunction with Rochester Institute of Technology, Southeast Lauderdale High School, Benedict Business Hotel Management School, University of the People, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, New England School of English, Comsats Institute of Information Technology, Wayland Baptist University – Anchorage, Volcano Vista High School, Wayland Baptist University – San Antonio, Morrill High School, North Island College – B Campus, Seneca College, APOU, University of North Carolina – Greensboro, Southern New Hampshire University, University of Maryland University College, Harrisburg High School

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BUS210: Business Communication

Course introduction.

  • Time: 33 hours
  • College Credit Recommended ($25 Proctor Fee) -->
  • Free Certificate

Effective communication skills are a prerequisite for succeeding in business. Communication tools and activities connect people within and beyond the organization in order to establish the business' place in the corporate community and the social community, and as a result, that communication needs to be consistent, effective, and customized for the business to prosper.

Course Syllabus

First, read the course syllabus. Then, enroll in the course by clicking "Enroll me". Click Unit 1 to read its introduction and learning outcomes. You will then see the learning materials and instructions on how to use them.

business communication skills introduction

Unit 1: Introduction to Business Communication

Communication is an important part of your self-concept. This unit will help you solve problems by understanding yourself and others and recognizing the role you play as communicator. You will learn about different models of the communication process, as well as the most widely-recognized elements of those processes. You will also learn to recognize the audience-based contexts of communication and discover the challenges of framing business communication in an ethical and effective manner.

Completing this unit should take you approximately 4 hours.

Unit 2: Delivering Your Message

This unit focuses on importance of delivering your message, and examines how language can improve and diminish the effectiveness of business communications. Language plays a significant role in how you perceive and interact with the world as well as how culture, language, education, gender, race, and ethnicity all influence this dynamic process. Throughout this unit, you will discover ways to avoid miscommunication and also identify constructive ways to deliver an accurate message to a targeted audience.

Completing this unit should take you approximately 6 hours.

Unit 3: Understanding Your Audience

Your self-awareness influences your effectiveness as a communicator, as does how others  view you. Since people select, organize, and interpret words and ideas in many different ways, audience analysis is a vital part of crafting meaningful messages. In this unit, you will learn how to analyze yourself and your audience to maximize your communication effectiveness.

Unit 4: Effective Business Writing

This unit will discuss writing in business context, and how effective writing compares with effective speaking. Successful writing develops from good habits like reading, targeted writing practice, and critical thinking, and is characterized by the use of rhetorical and cognitive strategies. In this unit, you will learn how to apply appropriate styles and ethical principles in business writing contexts while recognizing the kinds of barriers that can challenge communication objectives and outcomes. You will also explore the different ways that writing skills are applied and how to write effective documents.

Unit 5: Developing and Delivering Effective Presentations

This unit will teach you how to create effective, ethical, and persuasive speeches. You will examine potential obstacles that can impede communication, and explore the ways you can use your presentation skills in business situations.

Completing this unit should take you approximately 9 hours.

Unit 6: Negative News and Crisis Communication

Clear and concise communication takes on increased importance in times of crisis. This unit will cover effective ways to deliver negative messages, including the standard process of presenting a buffer or cushion statement, an explanation, the negative news itself, and then a redirecting statement, and you will appreciate how eliciting negative news through feedback is an important way to avoid problems. Every organization should have a crisis communication plan, and this unit will teach you the elements of a crisis plan and how to manage press conferences.

Completing this unit should take you approximately 3 hours.

Unit 7: Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Communication

This unit will ask you to examine your self-concept – how you communicate with yourself. You will also examine how you communicate with others – your interpersonal communication habits – and learn how those characteristics can be explained by social penetration theory and predicted by rituals associated with human interaction and conversation. Effective communication can improve how individuals handle disagreements and misunderstandings.

Unit 8: Intercultural and International Communication

Because business is now truly international, you need to be prepared for when your role as a business communicator crosses cultures, languages, value and legal systems, and borders. This unit will explain the cultural characteristics that typify the business world, and review the effects of intercultural communication on management styles and the global marketplace.

Unit 9: Group Communication, Teamwork, and Leadership

This unit will examine the differences between a group and a team, and cover the lifecycles, member roles, and problem-solving characteristics of both units. It will also discuss the standard practices associated with business meetings, and how leadership styles impact teamwork and group outcomes.

Study Guide

This study guide will help you get ready for the final exam. It discusses the key topics in each unit, walks through the learning outcomes, and lists important vocabulary. It is not meant to replace the course materials!

business communication skills introduction

Course Feedback Survey

Please take a few minutes to give us feedback about this course. We appreciate your feedback, whether you completed the whole course or even just a few resources. Your feedback will help us make our courses better, and we use your feedback each time we make updates to our courses.

If you come across any urgent problems, email [email protected].

business communication skills introduction

Certificate Final Exam

Take this exam if you want to earn a free Course Completion Certificate.

To receive a free Course Completion Certificate, you will need to earn a grade of 70% or higher on this final exam. Your grade for the exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. If you do not pass the exam on your first try, you can take it again as many times as you want, with a 7-day waiting period between each attempt.

Once you pass this final exam, you will be awarded a free Course Completion Certificate .

business communication skills introduction

Saylor Direct Credit

Take this exam if you want to earn college credit for this course . This course is eligible for college credit through Saylor Academy's Saylor Direct Credit Program .

The Saylor Direct Credit Final Exam requires a proctoring fee of $5 . To pass this course and earn a Credly Badge and official transcript , you will need to earn a grade of 70% or higher on the Saylor Direct Credit Final Exam. Your grade for this exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. If you do not pass the exam on your first try, you can take it again a maximum of 3 times , with a 14-day waiting period between each attempt.

We are partnering with SmarterProctoring to help make the proctoring fee more affordable. We will be recording you, your screen, and the audio in your room during the exam. This is an automated proctoring service, but no decisions are automated; recordings are only viewed by our staff with the purpose of making sure it is you taking the exam and verifying any questions about exam integrity. We understand that there are challenges with learning at home - we won't invalidate your exam just because your child ran into the room!

Requirements:

  • Desktop Computer
  • Chrome (v74+)
  • Webcam + Microphone
  • 1mbps+ Internet Connection

Once you pass this final exam, you will be awarded a Credly Badge and can request an official transcript .

Saylor Direct Credit Exam

This exam is part of the Saylor Direct College Credit program. Before attempting this exam, review the Saylor Direct Credit page for complete requirements.

Essential exam information:

  • You must take this exam with our automated proctor. If you cannot, please contact us to request an override.
  • The automated proctoring session will cost $5 .
  • This is a closed-book, closed-notes exam (see allowed resources below).
  • You will have two (2) hours to complete this exam.
  • You have up to 3 attempts, but you must wait 14 days between consecutive attempts of this exam.
  • The passing grade is 70% or higher.
  • This exam consists of 57 multiple-choice questions.

Some details about taking your exam:

  • Exam questions are distributed across multiple pages.
  • Exam questions will have several plausible options; be sure to pick the answer that best satisfies each part of the question.
  • Your answers are saved each time you move to another page within the exam.
  • You can answer the questions in any order.
  • You can go directly to any question by clicking its number in the navigation panel.
  • You can flag a question to remind yourself to return to it later.
  • You will receive your grade as soon as you submit your answers.

Allowed resources:

Gather these resources before you start your exam.

  • Blank paper

What should I do before my exam?

  • Gather these before you start your exam:
  •   A photo I.D. to show before your exam.
  •   A credit card to pay the automated proctoring fee.
  •   (optional) Blank paper and pencil.
  •   (optional) A glass of water.
  • Make sure your work area is well-lit and your face is visible.
  • We will be recording your screen, so close any extra tabs!
  • Disconnect any extra monitors attached to your computer.
  • You will have up to two (2) hours to complete your exam. Try to make sure you won't be interrupted during that time!
  • You will require at least 1mbps of internet bandwidth. Ask others sharing your connection not to stream during your exam.
  • Take a deep breath; you got this!

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What are Communication Skills? A Comprehensive Guide

Unveiling the Art of Communication Skills: Dive into the essence of what they are, how to enhance them, and why they're crucial. Explore real-life examples, tips for effective communication, and their significance in job interviews. This journey equips you with the knowledge to excel in the world of communication.

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Table of Contents

1) What are Communication Skills?  

2) How to improve your Communication Skills? 

3) Why do you require Communication Skills?  

4) Examples of Communication Skills  

5)  How to communicate effectively?  

6) Communication Skills in job interviews 

7) Conclusion  

What are Communication Skills?  

Communication Skills are the abilities and techniques used to exchange information, ideas, and feelings effectively. It involves expressing yourself clearly, listening actively, understanding non-verbal cues, and adapting communication to different situations. Strong Communication Skills enable individuals to build positive relationships, collaborate effectively, resolve conflicts, and convey messages with impact .   

Communication Skills encompass verbal and non-verbal communication and proficiency in various digital platforms like email and social media. By enhancing your Communication Skills, you can better understand others, work together successfully, and quickly achieve your business goals. For example, when you share your thoughts on a topic, you want to be persuasive and make an impact. Keeping others updated on project progress is essential for transparency and keeping everyone in the loop. It's also helpful to express your feelings in a respectful way to create a positive work environment.   

Points to consider:  

a) Business Communication isn't limited to face-to-face or phone conversations. 

b) Being comfortable with digital tools like Social Media and Email is essential for effective remote collaboration and networking.   

c) Good business communication involves listening, observing, and understanding others. It builds trust, improves teamwork, and leads to successful negotiations.

Learn real-world Communication Skills that can be applied in the organisation by registering for our Communication Skills Training . Register now! 

How to improve your Communication Skills? 

The following tips will tell you all about How to Improve Your Communication Skills. 

Consider your audience 

Effective Communication begins with understanding your audience. Take the time to assess who you are communicating with. Consider their background, expertise, interests, and expectations. Whether you are speaking to a colleague, a client, or a group of employees, tailoring your message to align with their needs and preferences is crucial. By doing so, you can ensure that your message resonates more effectively and is more likely to be well-received. 

Think about the most effective way to convey your message  

Communication is not one-size-fits-all. Different situations call for different approaches. Reflect on the message you want to convey and the context in which you are communicating. Should you send an email, schedule a face-to-face meeting, or pick up the phone? Consider the urgency of the message, the complexity of the topic, and the preferences of your audience. Choosing the right communication channel and style enhances the chances of your message being understood and acted upon. 

Encourage participation 

Effective Communication is a dialogue, not a monologue. Encourage participation by creating an open and inclusive atmosphere. Invite questions, feedback, and input from others. Actively listen to their responses, showing that you value their perspective. When people feel heard and included, they are more likely to engage with your message and contribute meaningfully to the conversation. This participatory approach can lead to better collaboration and problem-solving. 

Leverage face-to-face contact 

While digital communication tools offer convenience, there's no substitute for face-to-face interactions when it comes to building trust and conveying complex messages. Whenever possible, engage in in-person conversations, especially for important or sensitive topics. Being physically present allows you to pick up on cues like body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions, which can provide valuable context and enhance understanding. 

Make eye contact 

Eye contact is a powerful non-verbal communication tool. When you maintain appropriate eye contact during a conversation, you signal to the other person that you are engaged, focused, and attentive. It conveys confidence and sincerity, helping to establish a connection. However, be mindful not to overdo it, as overly intense or prolonged eye contact can make others uncomfortable. Striking the right balance is key. 

Recognise non-verbal cues 

Effective Communication goes beyond words. Pay attention to non-verbal cues, such as body language, facial expressions, and gestures. These subtle signals can provide valuable insights into the emotions and reactions of others. Being attuned to these cues allows you to adjust your communication approach in real-time. For instance, if someone appears confused, you can offer clarification, and if they seem agitated, you can take a more empathetic and soothing tone. 

Reduce interruptions 

To ensure that your message is received and understood, it's important to minimise distractions and interruptions during conversations. Give your full attention to the person you are communicating with. This not only demonstrates respect for their time and ideas but also promotes a more focused and productive exchange of information. Turn off notifications on your devices, close unnecessary tabs or documents, and create an environment conducive to meaningful Communication. By doing so, you create a space where ideas can flow freely and without disruption. 

Effective Communication Skills

Why do you require Communication Skills ?

Communication Skills are necessary because they help us effectively share information, understand others, and build connections. They play a vital role in professional relationships, education, and work. Good Communication enables clear expression, active listening, and collaboration. It improves understanding, resolves conflicts and enhances leadership. Developing Communication Skills leads to successful interactions and achieving goals in your professional career. Let’s dive deeper to know why Communication Skills are so important:  

Effective Communication

Improve relationships  

When we communicate effectively, we can express our thoughts, feelings, and needs clearly, leading to better understanding and connection with others. It helps to resolve conflicts, build trust, and strengthen bonds. Effective Communication also promotes empathy, active listening, and the ability to respond constructively, all of which contribute to better  relationships.   

Strong  Communication Skills are crucial for maintaining positive relationships with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders. It facilitates collaboration, builds trust, and enhances teamwork, ultimately leading to improved productivity and success in the workplace. 

Maximise workplace benefits  

Communication Skills are highly valued in the professional world. Effective communication allows for efficient coordination, clear instructions, and the smooth flow of information within a team or organisation. It helps to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, and costly errors. Additionally, good communication fosters a positive work environment, boosts morale, and enhances employee engagement and satisfaction. 

Effective Communication is essential for delivering impactful presentations, conducting successful meetings, negotiating deals, and providing constructive feedback. It also helps resolve conflicts and manage challenging conversations, enabling better teamwork and overall organisational success. 

Increase self - confidence  

Practical Communication Skills in business can increase self-confidence by enabling individuals to express themselves, deliver impactful speeches, assert their needs, build professional relationships, and confidently handle challenging situations. Excellent Communication Skills enhance self-confidence, professional networking, and career advancement opportunities. They enable individuals to convey ideas, influence others, and showcase expertise, leading to greater recognition and success. 

Master the art of effective communication with our Effective Communication Skills   Sign up now!  

Boosting customer loyalty  

Effective Communication Skills play an essential role in building and maintaining strong customer relationships. Businesses can enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty by actively listening to customer needs, addressing their concerns promptly, and providing clear and empathetic communication. This improves business relations, positive word-of-mouth referrals, and long-term success. 

Navigating cross-cultural communication  

In today's global business landscape, cross-cultural Communication Skills are increasingly valuable. Understanding cultural gaps, adapting communication styles, and respecting diverse perspectives are essential for successful international collaborations and negotiations. Businesses prioritising cross-cultural Communication Skills gain a competitive edge in the global marketplace. 

Learn how to implement effective strategies to improve cross-cultural Communication Skills with our Cross Cultural Communications Training   Join today!  

Usage of digital communication platforms  

As digital communication continues to evolve, proficiency in leveraging digital platforms is crucial. Business Communication Skills extend beyond traditional methods to encompass email, social media, video conferencing, and virtual collaboration tools. Mastering these channels enables effective remote communication, virtual team collaboration, and broader reach to a global audience.  

Effective communication resolves crisis  

During times of crisis or uncertainty, businesses must communicate effectively to maintain trust and confidence. Crisis Communication Skills involve timely and transparent communication, empathetic messaging, and proactive management of stakeholders' concerns. Businesses that handle crises with clear and empathetic communication can mitigate reputational damage and maintain stakeholder trust. 

Master the art of Effective Communication with our Effective Communication Skills Course .Sign up now! 

Examples of Communication Skills

When applying for a job, showcasing the Communication Skills that recruiters value in your cover letter and resume is essential. These skills are also crucial to demonstrate during your job interview. Here are some examples of Communication Skills and what they include:

a) Active listening: Active listening means focusing entirely on and understanding what others say. It involves giving your undivided attention, asking clarifying questions, and providing verbal and non-verbal feedback to show you are engaged. For example, during a team meeting, actively listening would involve maintaining eye contact, nodding in agreement, and paraphrasing what others have said to demonstrate understanding. 

b)  Non-verbal Communication: Non-verbal Communication refers to the messages conveyed through gestures, facial expressions, and body language. It plays a vital role in how others perceive and interpret your communication. For example, maintaining an open and confident posture, smiling, and using appropriate hand gestures can enhance communication effectiveness. 

c)  Respectful Communication: Respectful Communication include s treating others with dignity, courtesy, and consideration. It involves valuing diverse perspectives and opinions, even when they differ from your own. Respecting others' ideas creates a positive and inclusive work environment. During an interview or in your cover letter, emphasising your ability to actively listen, appreciate differing viewpoints, and provide constructive feedback demonstrates respectful communication. 

d)  Constructive feedback: Giving and taking constructive feedback is crucial for personal and professional growth. It involves providing specific and actionable suggestions to help others improve. Being open to feedback and responding positively also showcases your willingness to learn and grow. In an interview, you can highlight instances where you have given or received constructive feedback, emphasising its generated positive outcomes.   

e)  Clear and effective expression: Clear communication is essential for accurately conveying ideas and information. It involves articulating thoughts clearly, using appropriate language and tone, and structuring your message concisely and organised. In your cover letter, resume, and interview responses, focus on showcasing your ability to express yourself effectively, using simple and concise language that is easy to understand.   

Continuous feedback

How to communicate effectively?  

In various work situations, you will employ different Communication Skills . However, there are a few simple ways to become an effective communicator in the workplace:  

a) Be clear and concise: To ensure easy and effective communication, make your message short using concise language. Avoid lengthy and detailed sentences, focusing instead on the core meaning of your message. While providing context can be helpful, prioritise sharing the essential information to effectively convey your idea, instruction, or message. 

b) Practice empathy: Understanding your colleagues' feelings, ideas, and goals can enhance communication. For instance, empathise with their concerns or hesitations when seeking assistance from other departments for a project. By considering their perspective, you can position your message to address their apprehensions and foster cooperation. 

c) Assert yourself respectfully: Sometimes, it's necessary to be assertive in the workplace to achieve your goals, such as asking for a raise, pursuing project opportunities, or expressing disagreement with an unfavourable idea. Present your thoughts with confidence while maintaining respect in conversations. Use an even tone and provide sound reasons for your assertions to increase the likelihood of others being receptive to your ideas. 

d) Maintain calmness and consistency: When faced with disagreements or conflicts, it's crucial to remain calm and composed during communication. Avoid letting emotions dictate your interactions. Be mindful of your body language, refraining from crossing your arms or displaying negative gestures. Consistently maintain a neutral tone of voice and body language to facilitate peaceful and productive resolutions. 

e) Pay attention to body language: Body language plays a significant role in workplace communication. Pay close attention to the non-verbal cues expressed through others' facial expressions and body movements. Equally important is being mindful of your body language and the unintentional messages it may convey. By understanding and using body language effectively, you can enhance the overall effectiveness of your communication.

Communication Skills for job interviews 

In a job interview, make sure to actively listen to the person speaking to you. Make sure to sit straight and make eye contact with the interviewers whenever you are speaking. Remember to speak confidently, be positive, make eye contact and smile. 

Almost everything you do, both in terms of the job interview as well as in life, can be seen as a form of communication. By correctly identifying and assessing your strengths and weaknesses and practising good communication habits, you can enhance your Communication Skills to a great extent.  

Conclusion  

To sum it up, e ffective Communication Skills are the key to building connections, fostering collaboration, and achieving success. Effective Communication promotes teamwork, collaboration, and problem-solving, improving productivity and positive outcomes. Improving your Communication Skills for personal and professional growth will help you explore better employment prospects and career options.  

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1.1 Introduction

Communication is an activity, skill, and art that incorporates lessons learned across a wide spectrum of human knowledge. Perhaps the most time-honoured form of communication is storytelling. We’ve told each other stories for ages to help make sense of our world, anticipate the future, and certainly to entertain ourselves. The art of storytelling draws on your understanding of yourself, your message, and how you communicate it to an audience that is simultaneously communicating back to you. Your anticipation, reaction, and adaptation to the process will determine how successfully you are able to communicate. You were not born knowing how to write or even how to talk—but in the process of growing up, you have undoubtedly learned how to tell, and how not tell, a story out loud and in writing.

Effective communication takes preparation, practice, and persistence. There are many ways to learn communication skills; the school of experience, or “hard knocks,” is one of them. But in the business environment, a “knock” (or lesson learned) may come at the expense of your credibility through a blown presentation to a client. The classroom environment, with a compilation of information and resources such as a text, can offer you a trial run where you get to try out new ideas and skills before you have to use them to communicate effectively to make a sale or form a new partnership. Listening to yourself, or perhaps the comments of others may help you reflect on new ways to present or perceive, thoughts, ideas and concepts. The net result is your growth; ultimately your ability to communicate in business will improve, opening more doors than you might anticipate.

Defining Communication

Many theories have been proposed to describe, predict, and understand the behaviours and phenomena of which communication consists. When it comes to communicating in business, we are often less interested in theory than in making sure our communications generate the desired results. But in order to achieve results, it can be valuable to understand what communication is and how it works. All communication is composed of three parts that make a whole: sharing, understanding, and meaning.

Sharing  means doing something together with one or more person(s). In communication, sharing occurs when you convey thoughts, feelings, ideas, or insights to others. You also share with yourself (a process called intrapersonal communication) when you bring ideas to consciousness, ponder how you feel about something, figure out the solution to a problem, or have a classic “Aha!” moment when something becomes clear.

The second keyword is understanding . “To understand is to perceive, to interpret, and to relate our perception and interpretation to what we already know.” (McLean, 2003) Understanding the words and the concepts or objects they refer to is an important part of the communication process.

Finally,  meaning  is what you share through communication. For example, by looking at the context of a word, and by asking questions, you can discover the shared meaning of the word and better understand the message.

Types of Communication

The video below reviews the types of communication: interpersonal, written, verbal or oral and nonverbal communication.

  • Interpersonal communication is any message exchanged between two or more people.
  • Written communication is any message using the written word.
  • Verbal, or oral, communication is any message conveyed through speech.
  • Nonverbal communication is any message inferred through observation of another person.

Fundamentals of Business Communication Revised (2022) by Venecia Williams & Nia Sonja is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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1.9: Introduction to Effective Communication in Business

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What you’ll learn to do: Discuss the importance of effective communication in business

Communication happens when all parties are engaged in uncovering and understanding the meaning behind the words. It’s not something that one person does alone. But when you, as a business professional, make your contribution to the uncovering and understanding process, you should strive to be:

  • Understanding of Audience Knowledge

These are the seven pillars, or principles, of business communication. If you open your mouth, put pen to paper, or pick up a camera to make a video, you should be striving to create a message that meets these criteria.

Why? Well, the point of communication is not to talk. It’s to be understood. When your team understands you, they deliver results. When your customers understand you, they buy. When your manager understands you, she advocates for you and supports you in your career.

This module will talk about the benefits of effective business communication and how, using the principles above, you can improve your communication skills and be more successful in business.

  • Introduction to Effective Communication in Business. Authored by : Freedom Learning Group. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution

Communication skills are an important factor in business decisions and a driver of successful business outcomes. It’s not surprising, then, that good communication often tops the list of skills employers look for, no matter the job or industry. How well you communicate affects everything, from small interactions with coworkers to the closing of large deals. And it’s a critical skill area for leaders.

In the tech industry, when we think about skill development, better communication probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind, but in fact it’s crucial to everything we do in IBM IT infrastructure to help clients conquer demanding workloads and achieve success in their domains. IBM is a company built around the core values of dedication to every client’s success, innovation that matters — for our company and for the world, and trust and personal responsibility in all relationships. Good communication is at the heart of those values, and it’s needed at every level of our business.

Leadership is about human interaction, and that’s why communication is key. We work with human beings and look to mobilize a group of people together to collectively accomplish a mission or task. In everyday professional interactions — from meetings to sales opportunities to client technical engagements — stakeholders come together with different priorities, needs and interests. Good communication can help us take all those varied interests into account and make decisions that best serve our collective goals. We succeed when we listen well, offer valuable insights and make space for all voices to be heard.

Top communication skills for leaders

Be authentic. When a leader communicates with a team, it’s crucial to build conditions of trust. Building trust can bring an organization together and help teams move forward together. The conditions of trust are grounded in communication — be respectful, selfless, empathetic and clear. Provide a sense of purpose, fight for your people and do all of this with high ethical standards.

Listen more than you talk. Listening is a valuable skill to practice with colleagues and business associates as well as in personal relationships. Reflective listening refers to the ability to listen to someone and then reflect back that person’s point of view. It helps confirm what has been said and correct any miscommunications. In any situation where you’re trying to achieve shared goals, this kind of purposeful listening can facilitate mutual understanding and better outcomes.

Speak with purpose and add value to conversations.  When it’s your turn to speak, offer thoughtful, prepared, well-organized, concise verbal communications. We’ve all been in meetings where some individuals talked too much or spoke without really adding value. Everyone can contribute to more thoughtful exchanges by thinking ahead, coming to meetings prepared and speaking only when we have something of value to add.

Make room for diverse voices. It’s well established that diversity boosts innovation and financial results . Throughout its history, IBM has been committed to including diverse voices at the table and has been recognized for its leadership in accelerating progress for women in the workplace, for example. (The team I lead is likewise committed to advancing gender equality .) Effective communication in a business requires making space for all voices to be heard — not just those with the most power.

The business payoff

Better communication produces more thoughtful insights into our pressing challenges, which in turn leads to better product engineering, strong technical engagements and more satisfied clients. When we apply these communication skills in interactions with customers, we no longer have to rely on data alone and can instead enable shared value creation that benefits everyone.

IBM IT infrastructure provides the foundation for many of the world’s largest companies, from top global banks to supercomputing centers for research. IBM servers, storage and software are designed to help these organizations conquer challenging workloads and extend the value of their existing investments. We empower clients by understanding their needs and serving as trusted advisors — and that begins and ends with effective communication. This is how we lead.

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  • Business Communication Introduction

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Business communication skills are a lot more than the usual conversation abilities. Here, the point of interest is not only the effectiveness or efficiency of verbal exchange but also the capacity of the communicator to get the process done effortlessly, which can determine the mettle of his or her commercial enterprise business.

Characteristics of Useful Communication Skill 

Effective communication is the bloodline of any commercial enterprise as it is also one of the essential features of business communication. Even a mild misunderstanding can cause a financial disaster. A business is dependent on a robust verbal exchange. Much research has stressed the importance of efficiently communicating one's emotions, which is an essential feature of a social structure. Therefore, the importance of communication skills in business is to recognize the diverse traits of strong communiqué that must qualify our speaking skills and approaches. Thus a varied set of skills are essential when it comes to understanding the features of business communication.

Completeness 

It is one of the necessary factors that you will come across in the introduction to communication skills chapters. Communications should always be complete, i.e. the receiver gets all the information they need. A perfect message reduces the need for follow-up questions and smoothens the communication process. This is why you must understand the importance of communication skills in business.

The primary features of business communication are that the communicator must state the message clearly. The sentences should be brief and straightforward so that the listener can comprehend easily. We ought to decide upon the energetic voice over passive voice. If we should bring numerous messages, it's handy if it is separated into bulleted points.

Another critical aspect of the introduction to communication skills is time. It is also a crucial parameter in communications. While delivering the message, the process could take an extended period, the crux of the document or the message may be lost altogether. Lengthy conversations are boring and averted, utilizing the most. Thus, persuasive communication must be concise.

In the introduction to communication skills chapter, you will also learn how to be concrete. Whatever message or information or facts are present in your conversation, it needs to be nicely-footed. The arguments must consist of facts that certainly back it up. A solid argument is always smooth to apprehend. It also plays an essential part in learning more business communication and ethics.

While you are imparting your verbal exchange, you want to be coherent. You want to recognize what is going in which and what comes while. The key to a coherent write-up is a nicely-planned, logical, and sequential presentation of the records. The main thoughts must be differentiable, and they must comply with each other in a way that is a by-product of a few guidelines.

Experts believe that business communication skills will have a few degrees of formal flavour. The presenter ought to attempt to be sincere, respectful, considerate, positive, open and polite with the receiver of the statistics. When supplemented with the right care and kindness, the message will reach out to the audience. A rude presenter will have no target even if the message he promises is utterly compelling and vital. Offensive words can eliminate certain factions of people. You must take adequate care to no longer be racist or misogynist or another horrific influence on the audience. Even while using humour, you have to be cautious that you aren't thoughtless or cruel to all of us.

Consideration

Effective communication considers the receiver's background and point of view. If the message sounds disrespectful, the receiver's emotional reaction might affect the perception of the message. Using augmentations and examples relevant to their experience makes it easier for them to process the contents.

Importance of Verbal Exchange

The basis of coordination.

The supervisor explains to the personnel the organizational goals, modes in their success and interpersonal relationships. This offers coordination between various employees and additional departments. For this reason, communications act as a foundation for coordination in the organization.

Fluent Running

A manager coordinates the human and physical factors of an enterprise to run it quickly and effectively. This coordination is not viable without proper communication.

The Idea of Decision Making

Proper communiqué provides statistics to the supervisor; this is useful for decision making. No choices can be taken in the absence of facts. For this reason, communiqué is the basis for making the right selections.

Will Increase Managerial Performance

The manager conveys the targets and problems commands and allocates jobs to the subordinates. All of those components involve communication. Accordingly, communiqué is vital for the quick and powerful performance of the managers and the entire organization.

Increases Cooperation and Organizational Peace

The two-way conversation procedure promotes co-operation and mutual understanding amongst the employees and additionally, among them and the management. This results in much less friction and therefore leads to commercial peace in the manufacturing facility and operations.

Boosts Morale of the Employees

Proper communiqué facilitates the employees to modify their physical and social aspects of labour. It additionally improves top human family members in the enterprise. An efficient system of verbal exchange allows the management to inspire, affect and fulfil the subordinates, which in turn enhances their morale and keeps them prompted.

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FAQs on Business Communication Introduction

Q1. Explain “Concise” with an Example?

Ans: People more often tend to write down four sentences during a place where they might have ended the message in 2 sentences. This wastes a lot of time of the sender and, therefore, the receiver and successively limits their productivity too. Furthermore, try not to add fillers like ‘I mean,’ ‘sort of,’ ‘for instance,’ ‘basically,’ etc. Your message must be accurate to the purpose. Here is an example of a nasty email that might come in your business communication skills exam questions:

Bad Example:

I think we'd like to speak about the CSR campaign; I mean the one we'd like to try to as a quarterly exercise. I feel it's an excellent way of enhancing our brand image. It might just be a visit to an orphanage, but we will kind of do other things too. For example, we could take the youngsters out for a brief trip to a nearby park or zoo. Allow us to sit and talk tomorrow.

The mail is filled with fillers and extended phrases wherein she could have finished the email in only two sentences, like the one below.

Good Example:

I need to debate the quarterly CSR campaign with you. Allow us to take the youngsters out this time to a nearby park or zoo rather than just visit them. This may help enhance our brand image. We’ll talk intimately tomorrow.

Q2 What are the Kinds of Communication Skills?

Ans: Here are the four primary categories:

Verbal communication is the most elementary element of human life. Without proper verbal communication, it might be challenging to interact with seniors and colleagues at the workplace. You will be unable to interact appropriately with clients and associates while working for somebody or doing your own business. Further, verbal communication skill is essential in protecting ourselves. Using speech, we will alert others or get warned of any impending danger or disaster. Verbal communication plays an essential part in building or breaking human relationships.

2. Nonverbal

Nonverbal communication uses visual communication, gestures and facial expressions to convey information to others. It is often used both intentionally and unintentionally. Nonverbal communication is useful when trying to know others’ thoughts and feelings.

The main element of the business has the right communication channels. Even a receipt or invoice issued by a store is often considered written communication: It provides information about what you purchased and how much money it cost. Excellent written language skills are vital for each work. They permit you to speak within the office or with external entities.

It is a type of communication that is made through visualizations. This includes drawings, presentations, and beautiful illustrations, etc. 

Q3. How Should You Communicate Effectively to Make Sure that the Other Person Completely Understands Your Theory?

Ans: Business Communication means speaking about your ideas to the people within your organization confidently. Here are some effective ways to communicate effectively within your organization:

You must be vigilant when you are communicating with your clients and colleagues. Then you are interacting with your colleagues and clients, you should not interrupt them. Try to find out a solution to avoid any conflicts.

When someone is talking to you negatively, try not to indulge in a conversation with them. Make sure to avoid these assertively.

Explain your ideas to your colleagues confidently. It becomes easier when your talks are brief and precise.

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2 Introduction to Communication

What is communication, learning objectives.

Upon completing this chapter | module, you should be able to:

  • describe the communication process and the eight elements of communication listed.
  • categorize given premises as one of the eight elements of communication.

Think about communication in your daily life. When you make a phone call, send a text message, or like a post on Facebook, what is the purpose of that activity? Have you ever felt confused by what someone is telling you or argued over a misunderstood email? The underlying issue may very well be a communication deficiency.

There are many current models and theories that explain, plan, and predict communication processes and their successes or failures. In the workplace, we might be more concerned about practical knowledge and skills than theory. However, good practice is built on a solid foundation of understanding and skill. For this reason this module will help you develop foundational skills in key areas of communication, with a focus on applying theory and providing opportunities for practice.

Defining Communication

The word communication is derived from a Latin word meaning “to share.” Communication can be defined as “purposefully and actively exchanging information between two or more people to convey or receive the intended meanings through a shared system of signs and (symbols)” (“Communication,” 2015, para. 1).

Let us break this definition down by way of example. Imagine you are in a coffee shop with a friend, and they are telling you a story about the first goal they scored in hockey as a child. What images come to mind as you hear their story? Is your friend using words you understand to describe the situation? Are they speaking in long, complicated sentences or short, descriptive sentences? Are they leaning back in their chair and speaking calmly, or can you tell they are excited? Are they using words to describe the events leading up to their big goal, or did they draw a diagram of the rink and positions of the players on a napkin? Did your friend pause and wait for you to to comment throughout their story or just blast right through? Did you have trouble hearing your friend at any point in the story because other people were talking or because the milk steamer in the coffee shop was whistling?

All of these questions directly relate to the considerations for communication in this module:

  • Analyzing the Audience
  • Choosing a Communications Channel
  • Using Plain Language
  • Using Visual Aids
  • Evaluating Communication via Feedback

Before we examine each of these considerations in more detail, we should consider the elements of the communication process.

business communication skills introduction

The communication process includes the steps we take in order to ensure we have succeeded in communicating. The communication process comprises essential and interconnected elements detailed in the figure above. We will continue to reflect on the story of your friend in the coffee shop to explore each element in detail.

Source: The source comes up with an idea and sends a message in order to share information with others. The source could be one other person or a group of people. In our example above, your friend is trying to share the events leading up to their first hockey goal and, likely, the feelings they had at the time as well.

Message: The message is the information or subject matter the source is intending to share. The information may be an opinion, feelings, instructions, requests, or suggestions. In our example above, your friend identified information worth sharing, maybe the size of one of the defence players on the other team, in order to help you visualize the situation.

Channels: The source may encode information in the form of words, images, sounds, body language, etc. There are many definitions and categories of communication channels to describe their role in the communication process. This module identifies  the following channels: verbal, non-verbal, written, and digital. In our example above, your friends might make sounds or use body language in addition to their words to emphasize specific bits of information. For example, when describing a large defence player on the other team, they may extend their arms to explain the height or girth of the other team’s defence player.

Receiver: The receiver is the person for whom the message is intended. This person is charged with decoding the message in an attempt to understand the intentions of the source. In our example above, you as the receiver may understand the overall concept of your friend scoring a goal in hockey and can envision the techniques your friend used. However, there may also be some information you do not understand—such as a certain term—or perhaps your friend describes some events in a confusing order. One thing the receiver might try is to provide some kind of feedback to communicate back to the source that the communication did not achieve full understanding and that the source should try again.

Environment: The environment is the physical and psychological space in which the communication is happening (Mclean, 2005). It might also describe if the space is formal or informal. In our example above, it is the coffee shop you and your friend are visiting in.

Context: The context is the setting, scene, and psychological and psychosocial expectations of the source and the receiver(s) (McLean, 2005). This is strongly linked to expectations of those who are sending the message and those who are receiving the message. In our example above, you might expect natural pauses in your friend’s storytelling that will allow you to confirm your understanding or ask a question.

Interference: There are many kinds of interference (also called “noise”) that inhibit effective communication. Interference may include poor audio quality or too much sound, poor image quality, too much or too little light, attention, etc. In our working example, the coffee shop might be quite busy and thus very loud. You would have trouble hearing your friend clearly, which in turn might cause you to miss a critical word or phrase important to the story.

Those involved in the communication process move fluidly between each of these eight elements until the process ends.

Key Takeaways and Check Ins

Now that we have defined communication and described a communication process, let’s consider communication skills that are foundational to communicating effectively.

Learning highlights

  • The goal of the communication process is to share meaning between a source and a receiver.
  • There are eight essential elements in the communication process: source, message, channel, receiver, feedback, environment, context, and interference.

Check Your Understanding

McLean, S. (2005). The basics of interpersonal communication . Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Communicatio n. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication .

Professional Communications Copyright © by Olds College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Business Communication – Introduction Notes

Business Communication is the ability of a group of individuals to speak the same language internally and externally towards business promotion. Business communication is one of the most important tool for an organization to succeed in a professional manner. Communication that takes place in an organization between its employees and management team is crucial to business growth and must reflect a common goal towards which every member of the organization is working. This common goal gets permeated into every Employee’s role through set of communication like vision, mission , business objectives , financial Goals etc. Thus, it is of paramount importance to comprehend the real contribution of Business Communication to organizational growth. This understanding will pave way to groom oneself on the various aspects of communication making it an effective one in the longer run.

What is Communication?

The word communication comes from a Latin word ‘communicare ’ which means to ‘share’ or ‘participate’ . 

Communication is the process by which we exchange meanings, facts, ideas, opinions or emotions with other people. It is the art of exchanging opinions, thoughts, facts and ideas in an emphatic manner so that the person at the other end receives and understands the subject matter involved clearly and perceives it in the same way it was intended by the sender.

According to Peter Little, “Communication is the process by which information is transmitted between individuals and/or organizations, so that it results in an understanding response.”

Business Communication has become an absolute requirement for all organizations for various reasons, such as:

  • It acts as the basis of organizational growth in terms of human and public relations
  • It widens the outlook of people making them understand the business scenario from a broader perspective
  • Business Communication enhances the overall relationship maintenance capabilities of the organization
  • It empowers the organization to handle public relations in an effective manner
  • It increases personal productivity and confidence of all in the organization by multi-fold levels

Objectives of Business Communication

  • To provide the right information to the right person at the right time so business processes are on track at all points of time
  • To seek as well as offer advice to the needy at the right time in the right manner so business processes continue in a hassle free manner
  • To counsel people on issues that will enable smooth flow of activities through positive relationships
  • To issue the right kind of instructions to appropriate levels of management
  • To emphasize discipline and systematic approach across all levels in the organization
  • To foster upward communication which contributes in improving the morale levels of Employees, across all levels in the organization.
  • To keep all concerned parties well informed about the organizational policies and principles. This will motivate every employee to participate in the developmental activities aimed towards achieving business objectives

Importance of Business Communication

  • Business Communication is an indispensable component of all management functions. Motivating, supervising, directing and planning all require effective communication.
  • It links superiors to subordinates and fosters mutual understanding among them
  • It is a two way communication system that stimulates initiative and creativity among subordinates
  • Effective business communication eliminates the possibility of misunderstanding, thereby leading to job satisfaction and increased morale of employees and results in sound human relations within an organization
  • Effective communication is necessary to build meaningful relationships between management and workers that aids in growth of manpower and trade unions
  • Business Communication helps in maintaining public relations by creating and projecting a positive image of the organization to the customers, government, suppliers etc.
  • It aids in motivating the employees and boosting their morale by fostering a positive attitude and inspiring people in an organization
  • Business Communication is imperative for effective decision making

Communication Process

Communication is a systematic and continuous process of telling, listening and understanding. It involves a sender, the transmission of a message through a selected channel/medium and a receiver. It is a two way communication process concerned with sharing and understanding information in an effective manner.

Communication Process

(1) Source/Sender – The Sender/Source is the origin of the idea or message. It may be an individual or a group. The sender conceives the idea, prepares the message, selects the channel and transmits the message to the receiver.

(2) Message – It is any signal that triggers a response from the receiver. It may be a verbal (written or spoken) or nonverbal (body language, silence, appearance, sound, sign etc.).

(3) Encoding – Translation of an idea into a message appropriate for transmission by the source/sender is called encoding. While encoding a message, one must consider –

  • What contents to include?
  • How will the receiver interpret it?
  • How it may affect one`s relationship?

(4) Channel – Channel refers to the means through which the message travels from the sender to the receiver. The channel maybe mass media such as T.V., newspaper, radio or interpersonal channel such as telephone, email, correspondence etc. Selection of a channel depends upon:

  • The message to be communicated
  • Importance of the message
  • Number of receivers
  • Availability of channel
  • Cost and effectiveness of channel

(5) Receiver – It may be an individual or a group of individuals for whom the message is intended.

(6) Decoding – It refers to the process through which a receiver translates the encoded message, symbols etc. understands it and interprets it to from certain meaning.

(7) Feedback – It is the reaction or response of the receiver to the message sent by the sender. The response can be based upon a clear interpretation of the message or on a misunderstood or misinterpreted message.

Features of Communication

(1) Communication is a Science

Communication is basically more of a science than just a mere skill set. Effective communication skills involve use of:

  • Psychology – Deals with personality, attitudes and temperament, perception levels and persuasion skills
  • Anthropology – This aspect deals with Body language which plays a crucial role in effective communication
  • Sociology – Deals with larger number of diversified population and their opinions

(2) Communication is a give and take Process

Any communication is effective only when it is understood in the appropriate manner by the receiver as intended by the sender. It can be referred as a two way process in which both the ways namely conveying and receiving is perfect.

(3) Common goal makes communication successful

Communications become highly effective when goals and targets to be achieved are clearly understood by both the communicator and the receiver. Thus communication is termed as a goal oriented process when it comes to organization management.

(4) Communication is a continuous process

Effective communication is an ongoing process of telling, listening and understanding.

(5) Communication is an active process

Communication is an active process that changes with the changing environment and mindset of people.

(6) Communication has no boundaries

In a typical business scenario, Communication does not have any boundaries or limits. Communication prevails at the lower levels in the organizations as much as it is spread across middle and top management levels.

(7) Communication is incomplete without a receiver

Communication requires at least two human beings. The two people involved in communication are the communicator and the receiver. Without a receiver, nothing gets communicated by the communicator.

(8) Communication elicits reactions and responses

Effective communication is one that elicits appropriate reactions and responses in people at the receiving end. When the communicator has effective persuasion skills the receiver gets influenced, eliciting a desired response. A good communicator is one who is able to deliver information sought by the receivers.

(9) Communication has multiple purposes

Different types of communication are carried out for achieving various kinds of purposes. While some communication aim at solving problems, some are carried out to enable uninterrupted workflow. Communication is used as a tool to share information as well as for the purpose of socializing.

(10) Communication happens in multi-fold ways

Communication is that aspect of sharing information which does not depend on any single medium. For instance, communication does not solely depend on expressions through words in oral or written form alone. The gestures we make, the symbols we use to communicate certain ideas and facts and the sign language used to show emotions, all are part of communication. Many a times, signs, symbols and gestures communicate the intended message more clearly than words.

Contribution of Effective Business Communication to Organizational growth

(1) Boosts morale and acts as a Motivator

Strong communication skills act as a morale booster in a typical business environment . Organizations with people who have good communication skills foster the best climate for business achieving business prosperity in every possible manner.

(2) Rapid advancements in terms of technology

Effective communication skills act as direct pointers to technological advancements in organizations. Be it the understanding of the technology or introducing the same for business development, effective communication skills is of paramount importance.

(3) Handling the labour force in an effective manner

When it comes to typical Industrial scenario, handling the laborers in a satisfying manner and conflict management through effective communication skills becomes mandatory. Effective communications skills act as the basis of negotiation skills, convincing skills which in turn help an organization to handle Trade Union demands and conflicts in a professional manner

(4) Handling relationships in a matured manner

Effective communication skills helps in managing relationships in a friendly and successful manner. Be it peer to peer communication or top to bottom interactions, appropriate skill sets related to communication help in fostering relationships in organizations.

(5) Understanding the behavioral and psychological aspects of humans

Effective communication skills help employees as well as the Management teams to understand each other. When people are handled based on their behavioral capabilities and psychological aspects, the interactions and outputs from the same are developmental.

(6) Customer handling and branding activities

In today’s competitive business environment, organization development depends mainly on the effectiveness of Branding and Marketing activities . All organizations with astounding communication skills succeed in reaching to their customers through their marketing communication skills.

(7) Maintaining effective Public Relations

Communication plays a crucial role in maintaining Public relations that encompasses interactions with vendors, Government Agencies, Suppliers and many other groups that are involved in business activities.

Modes of Communication

Communication between people can take place through different means. The basic means of communication are Verbal and Non-verbal.

Verbal Communication can be divided in to two categories:

  • Oral Communication
  • Written Communication

Non-Verbal Communication can be divided in to two categories:

  • Sign Language
  • Body Language

Sign Language under non-verbal communication can be further divided into Audio Signs and Visual Signs.

The term Verbal Communication refers to all communication that uses words to express what people want to express. Verbal Communication can be either in spoken or in written form.

While Non-verbal communication refers to communication that takes place through use of body language, audio and visual signals.

Channels of Communication

Irrespective of the mode, communication happens through different channels. There are usually formal channel and informal channel of communication.

Formal communication , as the very name represents, takes place between superiors and their reporting staff in organizations or the organization and its customers in a formal manner. Formal communication involves fixed standards and guidelines which have to followed in order to communicate a message.

Informal Communication has no fixed standards or guidelines but happens in a haphazard manner in organizations. Informal Communication prevails more in the middle and lower rings of the organizations.

Types of Communication

Based on the nature and flow of Communication, it can be divided into three types namely Upward Communication, Downward Communication and Horizontal Communication.

Upward Communication is the concept of new age Management and is also termed as Upstream Communication. When the employees down below are able communicate about their grievances and complaints to their higher ups, it is termed as Upward Communication.

Horizontal Communication can said to be the backbone of organizations. Also termed as Lateral Communication, this type of communication happens between heads of the Department who are in decision making capacities.

Downward Communication happens from the top level to the bottom level employees. Announcing policy changes from time to time, modifications in strategies and other employee related communication falls in this category.

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Business Communication: Definition, Types, Examples, Importance, Methods, Functions

Introduction, definitions.

Different scholars have given different definitions of Business Communication. Few of them are mentioned below:

According to Ricks and Gow defined Business Communication as a system that is responsible to affect change throughout the whole organization.

According to W.H. Business Communication is exchanging business-related different views, ideas, and news within the related parties.

Prof. J. Haste stated that when the communication occurs between either two or more than two business people for the purpose of effective organization and administration of business then it is considered as Business Communication.

Effective business communication is the way employees and management communicate to achieve organizational goals. The objective is to improve organizational efficiency by reducing mistakes. Business Communication includes different aspects like marketing, public relations, customer relations, corporate and interpersonal communication, etc. Basic elements of Business communication:

  • Business information

The above elements indicate business communication as a process in which information or news related to business is exchanged between different business parties like customers, suppliers, business clients, employees, etc. for the purpose of effective administration of the business.

Moreover, it involves a regular flow of information and feedback is considered as a crucial and important aspect of business communication. Due to different levels of hierarchy and involvement of a huge number of people, business communication plays an important role in different management functions i.e. planning, coordinating, organizing, directing, and controlling.

Types of Business Communication along with Examples

There are 4 main types of business communication in any organization or business i.e.

1. Internal Business Communication

Internal Business Communication means communication that occurs within the members of the organization. This communication includes both formal and informal communication. Also, different departments that transmit communication by different means to employees come under internal communication. Internal communication should be effective as it is a vital source of viewing and representing organizational issues. Effective internal business communication may increase job satisfaction level, productivity, the efficiency of employees by decreasing their turnover and grievances and helps in increasing profits.

We’ve thoroughly explained the Internal Business Communication in a separate article here ➡️ https://studiousguy.com/internal-communication/

It is further categorized as internal (upward) communication and internal (downward) communication.

a. Internal (Upward) Communication: This type of internal communication involves the bottom to the top management approach. Here, the information flows from subordinates to managers or any person that is on the upper in the hierarchy level.

For example, employees of the HR department of an organization prepare an attrition report and communicate the same to the HR Manager. The attrition report consists of information on the monthly or annual employee turnover of an organization and reasons for the same. This helps the HR Manager to understand the cause of attrition and to take corrective measures on time to reduce employee turnover.

The characteristics of upward internal business communication include:

  • It includes bottom to top approach i.e. subordinates to superiors.
  • Its nature is participative.
  • The main purpose is to provide timely feedback, suggestions, making requests, escalating any issues or concerns, etc. to superiors.
  • The flow of the information is from the lower level to the upper level.

b. Internal (Downward) Communication: In downward communication, the information flows from the top-level management to the employees in an organization. This information is related to passing on instructions to subordinates or employees to do their respective tasks. Downward communication is being used by managers to communicate different goals, procedures and policies, guidelines, decisions, instructions, etc. to their subordinates.

The process of downward communication in business includes passing on messages from the top level to the lower level through the chain of hierarchy. This type of communication can be in oral or written form. The written form includes different notices, manuals, news display in electronic form, etc. whereas, the oral form of downward communication includes different face-to-face conversations, telephonic communication, meetings, etc .

For example, the top-level management may instruct managers of different departments on certain new rules and regulations in the work area that need to be carried out in routine activities of different departments. Like there may be a change in the office working hours or office timings by the management and the same is communicated to employees by circular or notice or through the e-mail system.

The characteristics of downward internal business communication include:

  • It includes top to bottom approach i.e. superiors to subordinates.
  • Its nature is directive.
  • Main purpose is to communicate organizational objective, plans and procedures, instructions, etc. to subordinates.
  • The flow of the information is from the upper level to the lower level.

2. Horizontal/Lateral Business Communication

Lateral or horizontal communication is related to communication among co-workers i.e. either verbal communication or written communication. This may include inter-departmental communication or communication between cross-departments and can be between people of the same or similar rank in a company. This is a crucial communication to achieve the desired results. So, this communication happens among employees having an equal hierarchy level. To achieve the functional effectiveness of different organizational units, horizontal or lateral communication is required for seeking mutual cooperation and mutual help.

For example, the Marketing head of an organization is supposed to communicate about market trends, customer needs and expectations, product demand scenario, etc. to a production head for production of products accordingly.

Similarly, the HR manager of an organization works with different department heads for different functioning like hiring, training needs of employees, performance appraisals, welfare activities, etc.

3. External Business Communication

Communication with people who are external to the organization is known as external business communication. These people can be customers or shareholders or suppliers or partners or regulatory bodies, etc.

We’ve thoroughly explained the External Business Communication in a separate article here ➡️ https://studiousguy.com/external-communication/

For example , the purchase department supervisor may communicate with vendors for purchase quotations of raw-material and similarly, the sales department communicates with customers for sales of goods or services.

External communication facilitates increasing sales volume, effective operations, an increase in profits of organization, etc. This ultimately results in increasing corporate image, goodwill and overall performance of the organization by achieving its goals and customer satisfaction.

Importance of Business Communication

Importance of business communication in an organization can be seen in the below points:

1. Helps in increasing productivity: Effective business communication increases the productivity of staff by boosting up teamwork. It creates a trustworthy and understanding environment among employers and employees. Effective communication is related to cooperating with employees and understanding their needs and desires. By doing so, employees are able to accomplish their tasks more effectively and efficiently. Also, the scope of doing mistakes or errors during their work minimizes due to effective communication.

2. Helps in increasing customers: Customers are an important part of any business and effective business communication can facilitate in attracting new customers and retain the current customers. A well-defined marketing strategy and public relations campaign run by an organization generates the interest of customers in its goods or services and helps in building the corporate image in customers.

3. Enhances business partnerships: Business Communication also improves partnerships in business. It plays a significant role in dealing with external business clients or vendors. Vendors may be required to communicate on products regularly for improvements. Also, an effective and harmonious relationship with other businesses determines the further success of an organization. A business unit that has developed its image as an entity for easy partnership through its effective communication can attract other business units for forming business relationships with them.

4. Facilitates innovations in business: Effective business communication helps in business innovations as well as it facilitates employees to convey their ideas and suggestions openly. Similarly, at the time of launching any new product in the market, effective communication ensures the performance of the sales team, market acceptance of the product, fast delivery of products in the market, etc.

5. Information exchange: Business communication is required by an organization for exchanging information with internal and external stakeholders. This helps in achieving its goals effectively.

6. Preparation of plans and policies: Through effective business communication, organizations can make their plans and policies properly. Relevant information is required for preparing these plans and policies. Through communication, different managers source information through reliable channels.

7. Execution or implementation of plans and policies: To implement or execute the prepared policies and plans in a timely manner, managers are supposed to communicate these throughout the organization. Through effective communication, they are able to disseminate plans and policies to the internal and external stakeholders.

8. Boost the efficiency of employees: Effective business communication plays a key role in increasing the efficiency of staff. Through communication, different plans and policies, critical issues, goals of an organization, etc. are described to employees that enhance their knowledge and make them efficient to do their tasks effectively.

9. Goals achievement: Through effective business communication employees become attentive and productive in doing their jobs that result in the timely accomplishment of their tasks and easy goals attainment.

10. Helps in solving problems or issues: Through different communication channels, managers get information about different routine and non-routine issues and based upon that they can take required actions to sort out those issues.

11. Facilitates decision-making: Effective decisions require up-to-date information. Using effective communication, managers can acquire information from different sources and can utilize it for making correct decisions.

12. Improves worker-management industrial relations: In the workplace, workers and management have an industrial relation. The success of any business depends upon the healthy industrial relation. Business communication plays a significant role in maintaining harmony in this.

13. Helps in brand and product/service promotions: In today’s competitive business environment, lots of companies offer similar kinds of products or services. To sell their products in a good manner, businesses need better communication to promote products and services in an effective way.

14. Reduces chances of conflicts: Through effective communication different business parties can exchange information in a smooth way. This results in fewer conflicts, controversies, arguments between them.

15. Increases employee satisfaction level:

Effective communication which is fair and smooth creates better mutual bonding and the understanding between employees and management. This helps in increasing the satisfaction level among employees who put their maximum efforts to achieve the goals.

16. Increases employee loyalty: Through effective business communication, employees are well informed about their performance from time to time. Also, employees get appreciation, rewards in both monetary and non-monetary terms for their better performance. This enhances their loyalty towards the organization.

17. Enhances efficiency of managers and leads to effective leadership: Effective business communication leads to an increase in the operational efficiency of managers. With the help of fair communication, managers can perform different managerial functions like planning, directing, organizing, controlling, etc. smoothly. Moreover, if communication is effective then only effective leadership can be taken place. For qualitative leadership activities, a proper and smooth system of communication in business is essential.

18. Proper functioning of different departments: If information is shared smoothly and effectively in inter-departments and intra-departments then different departments of any business like accounts, finance, purchase, operations, HR, IT, and production, etc. can do their tasks more accurately and timely.

Business Communication Methods

Different methods of communicating in a business are as below:

1. In-person (Face-to-Face) Business Communication: In-person communication is the most common and preferred method of business communication. As it is generally in the form of meetings or conferences which is face to face communication format. This requires refined in-person skills. This method also includes non-verbal communication i.e. body language. While having a conversation between two or more people in business, body language like gestures, facial expression, etc. also play a vital role in communicating a person’s attitude towards others.

Good listening skills are also an element in better in-person communication. Most of the business communication includes listening skills to understand fast discussions.

3. Web conferencing: In the web conferencing method of business communication, the internet is being used for communication in meetings, conferences, presentations, seminars, and imparting training. It includes features like sharing of files, screens, real-time chatting, recording, etc. This can be considered as the most effective way of interacting with people sitting at different locations. Web conferencing is done by using the phone (teleconferencing) or video equipment (videoconferencing).

Workplaces also opt for the teleconferencing method of business communication. If it’s not feasible for people of an organization or business to attend a physical meeting or conference then communicating through telephone conferencing is an effective method. This also saves travel expenses as people who often require extensive traveling for business purposes so they can communicate through teleconference by sitting in their office.

Videoconferencing is also similar to teleconferencing except in videoconferencing one can see the people whom to communicate with. This requires video conferencing equipment that is arranged by the IT department of a business.

5. Other methods: There are other business communication methods like an instant messaging system. This technology is easy to use as one can easily connect with people while working offsite and have conversations without waiting so long.

Business Communication Functions

1. Communicating job functions to employees: Informing about assigned job roles is a crucial key function of business communication. Team members having clarity on expected job tasks and how they can contribute to achieving objectives of the organization by fulfilling their job functions, they can contribute more to the completion of their assigned tasks. In the absence of clarity of their roles, employees might not be able to complete their work as expected.

2. Providing adequate feedback: Providing timely and accurate feedback to employees and customers is also an important function of business communication. The performance of employees can be enhanced by providing regular feedback to them regarding their work performance and competencies. This helps them to understand their current skill set, strengths and also they can fill any gap in case of any shortage of required skills. Regular feedback from customers and other stakeholders on products and services of business facilitates the improvement in the production process and quality.

Different informative communication lies in an organization like job descriptions, assigned targets to achieve, performance management, etc.

3. Convincing clients: Business communication is also often used to convince prospective customers, clients and business partners in order to finish a business deal or transaction. This type of communication can be in both oral and written form like a Sales Officer may convince a client on phone call or in written form i.e. providing a mass advertisement in magazine or newspaper for a new product launch or exciting offers on existing products. Both credibility and emotions are an important element of this function of communication. Moreover, this type of communication can be utilized in PR (public relations) activities and to build the organization’s brand image.

4. Employee motivation for better decision-making: Communication in businesses is used in a strategic form to enhance the decision-making capability of employees related to their daily activities and for their long-term objectives related to the business. Like if performance-based bonuses or incentives are communicated among employees effectively then it motivates employees to contribute to the organization’s growth more efficiently and they can achieve their work expectations in a timely manner.

5. Building social bonds: Communication has a critical role in supporting employees to build a social circle or bond. Some organizations have an open culture or work environment in which employees from all levels can communicate with each other and their superiors freely. Other organizations prefer to follow a hierarchy or chain of command in communication.

When employees have a social bond with people whom they work with like their colleagues, supervisors, clients, etc., then their job efficiency improves as the team spirit increases.

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Business communication is always evolving. With these courses and certification program, you can upskill for 2024

Group of co-workers has a discussion around a conference table

If you ask almost any professional about the most important hard skills, communication is almost always top of the list. 

The ability to discuss strategy, goals, and solutions with others is paramount to any business; communication can truly be the make or break for companies small and large. Millions of dollars can be lost each year because of inadequate communication.

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UNC Kenan-Flagler's #1-ranked online MBA

For these reasons, communication skills remain highly desired. Digital communication skills are the second most in-demand technical skill and communication more broadly—including written, oral, and presentation—remains among the top soft skills sought after by companies, according to Wiley’s Closing the Skills Gap 2023 report .

And with the workplace looking a lot different than it did just five years ago—with more remote work and AI integration, for example—the best ways to communicate are also changing.

“Skills today can generally get outmoded in about three to five years and so that means that we need to upskill really often,” says Angie Kamath, dean of the NYU School of Professional Studies .

Changing communication dynamics

One way to get ahead of the curve is to explore business communication courses. While they previously focused more on writing professional emails, completing research reports, creating effective presentations, today, the area has shifted to focus more deeply on data analytics, customer communication, social impact, and social media, Kamath notes.

Social media in particular has created new opportunities for businesses to sell products. According to Pew Research Center , 3 in 10 adult social media users have purchased a product after seeing it on social media—with the number rising if it is mentioned by a content creator they follow.

Because this shift is so broad and impactful, Kamath says integrated marketing has become the most popular master’s program that NYU’s professional studies school offers. For those who work deeply in the marketing and communications space—upskilling via a graduate program could be a great opportunity. 

For others, completing a certification program or even simply taking a one-off communication course could be a great way to learn the most up-to-date practices—especially in the wake of new technology.

“So, we often try to help people understand how to use technology—flavor of the month or flavor for year is AI—but how to use technology to enhance what you’re doing from a communications standpoint,” Kamath tells Fortune .

At the same time, there are also human dynamics that have changed in the workforce, including around gender, diversity, aging, hybridity, and Gen Z. Therefore, in part, exiting your algorithm is critically important to learning new ideas and having conversation, Kamath says.

“Whether it’s in our job life or work life or personal life like social media, is sucking us in,” she adds. “We get to be in our echo chamber because the algorithm is telling us what to consume.”

Her advice is to find an offering that best addresses your interests and learning desires within three large skill buckets: human, business-enabling, and technical. A course may be able to touch on all three or focus deeply on one subject. 

The good news is that there are a variety of program lengths, costs, requirements, and focuses, and while certificates are offered, you can also choose to just enroll in individual courses. Ultimately, it is most important to choose one that best fits into your modern career goals as well as personal circumstances. 

Fortune has laid out some of the offerings on the market for you to upskill in the world of business communication. 

Duke Continuing Studies Program: Business Communication Certificate

Requirements: 2 courses to gain certification

Cost: $145 per course; $250 for package

Format : Online

Timeline: 10–20 hours to complete entire package

Course examples : Effective Business Writing; Effective Presentations; Communicating Collaboratively

eCornell: Business Communication Certificate Program

Cost: $3,900

Timeline: 3 months

Course examples : Cross-Cultural Communication; Persuasive Writing; Impactful Unscripted Communication

Harvard Extension School: Business Communications Graduate Certificate

Requirements: Take 3 business communication courses to gain certification

Cost: $9,660 ($3,220/course)

Format : Online or in-person

Timeline: Within three years

Course examples : Information Technology Finance and Communications; Grant Proposal Writing; Negotiation and Organizational Conflict Resolution

Johns Hopkins Carey Business School: Executive Certificate in Business Communication

Requirements: Take 3 18-hour courses to gain certification

Cost: $11,400 ($3,800/course)

Timeline: Self-determined

Course examples: Interpersonal Communication & Conflict Management; Written and Visual Communication; Public Speaking for Professionals

NYU School of Professional Studies: Certificate in Professional Writing and Communications

Requirements: 3 core courses + 3 electives to gain certification

Cost: ~$5,400 ($799–$999/course)

Format : Online; instructor-led or self-paced options

Course examples: Digital Communication in a Changing Workplace; Persuading in Business: Leadership, Public Speaking, and Executive Communication; Strategic Communications and Corporate Storytelling

UCLA Extension: Business Communications Certificate

Requirements: Complete 7 courses (5 required + 2 electives)

Cost : ~$6,700 (includes fee, tuition, program materials)

Course examples: The Dynamics of Interpersonal Communication; Crisis Management and Communications: Safeguarding Image and Viability; Best Practices in Social Media for the Communications Professional

University of Colorado—Boulder: Effective Communication: Writing, Design, and Presentation Specialization

Requirements: 4 course series

Cost : $49/month

Timeline: 2 months (10 hours/week)

Course examples: Business Writing; Graphic Design; Successful PresentationBeyond these examples, platforms like Udemy , Coursera, and edX offer a variety of course offerings in the business communication space. 

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Introduction to Business Communication – Purpose of Communication

Introduction to Business Communication – Purpose of Communication

What is Communication?

Communication is such a vital part of each of us that it contributes heavily to the success or failure of every human activity. People can’t live alone. This universal truth signifies that people must have the companion.

One of the main reasons for having a companion is that people want to express themselves and whenever we express something to someone, it is called communication.

What is Business Communication?

Business communication may be defined as, the passing of information message or news within or outside the company for the financial benefit of the organization.

To elaborate, communication is the process through which an idea, opinion, or information is transferred to others.

It is a passive process of exchanging idea, meaning, message, feeling, emotion, or understanding from one mindset to another mindset, this may include the use of various aids for exchange process.

Purpose of Communication

It is hard to name a human activity in which communication does not play a significant role, and this holds true for an organization in which people assemble to achieve their common objectives through their coordinated efforts.

A lot of communication among organizational members is required to achieve the corporate goals. Therefore, understanding of communication and how it can be made efficient is important for managers.

There is a different kind of organizations or business entities, for example, organizations having a business only within the country and companies which are multinationals. However, the process, method, types, the principle remains almost same with those of general communication. The primary difference lies in their area of application.

Chapter 1: Communicating in Business

Introduction to ethics in business communication, what you’ll learn to do: discuss the importance of ethical communication.

As business practices become more transparent and the people behind those businesses become more public, customers and patrons begin to expect more from these businesses. It’s no longer a faceless corporation trudging along making a profit and paying their investors. Because of this, in order to be successful in today’s environment, a company has to be socially conscious and to behave ethically.

That’s a trend whose thread is woven into every aspect of business, and that’s not a bad thing. Communicators should absolutely be cultivating a level of trust and integrity in each of their messages. They should be socially conscious and inclusive in their communications. It’s what audiences expect and, frankly, what they should have.

In this module we’ll take a look at the guidelines for ethical communication and how they apply to verbal, written and online communications.

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  • Introduction to Ethics in Business Communication. Authored by : Freedom Learning Group. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution

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Transferable Skills

Introduction.

Even though a job ad might not ask specifically for someone who knows how to book solo gigs at local coffeehouses, your exact work experience can nevertheless be applicable to a wide range of jobs, and it’s valuable to employers in search of someone with numerous general abilities. Don’t sell yourself short: analyze each ad to see how and where your skills fit and then tailor both your résumé  and your  cover letter  to suit the ad.

Skills Listed in Ads

Teamwork, positive attitude, or ability to work with a variety of personalities.

Your relevant work experience could read this way:

  • Satisfied client requests under tight deadlines (customer service worker at a busy mobile phone retailer)
  • Ensured prompt, professional service to a wide variety of customers in a fast-paced team environment (sandwich shop worker)
  • Resolved customer complaints quickly and politely (retail sales cashier)
  • Researched answers to client questions and requests (tech support)

Interpersonal Skills

Your extracurricular experience could read this way:

  • Interacted with a diverse population at art shows, fairs, and exhibitions across Illinois (4H leader)
  • Collected signatures to increase the mailing list to 5,000 members (political activist)

Problem Solving, Analytical Skills, or Creative Skills

Your experience with class projects could read this way:

  • Developed a synthetic ear simulator for surgical training in a graduate entrepreneurship seminar
  • Collaborated with gallery interpretation manager to develop new ways for docents and other staff members to educate and interact with visitors to galleries
  • Designed a plan to control flooding and redistribute stream water to farmland in an advanced urban planning course

Organizational Skills

Your relevant student leadership or ensemble experience could read this way:

  • Organized the annual Chicago tour, which included visits to six different architecture firms (student architecture group leader)
  • Scheduled all rehearsals and events (summer theatre company assistant)
  • Served as the director for a six-person jazz ensemble (band leader)
  • Organized travel and logistics, assessed equipment needs, and handled transportation of large equipment (events manager)
  • Booked performances for an ensemble (road manager)

Communication or Marketing Skills

Your relevant student leadership or work experience could read this way:

  • Managed communications between the organization, members, and faculty by sending weekly email messages and updating the all-school calendar (student organization secretary)
  • Promoted exhibitions and events (public relations manager)
  • Created and maintained a WordPress website and Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook accounts (personal art sales)
  • Managed mailing lists with MailChimp (theatre company assistant)
  • Developed flyers and posters with Adobe InDesign (student dance group organizer)

Sales Analysis or Market Analysis

Your relevant coursework could read this way:

  • Conducted competitive benchmarking for a new hybrid Honda model in an industrial design course
  • Researched target audience, prices, and future generations for organic cotton socks in an advertising course

Financial Skills, Business Experience, Fundraising Experience, or Entrepreneurial Experience

Your work experience could read this way:

  • Set and negotiated prices, tracked expenses and supplies, and managed local and self-employment taxes (private art sales)
  • Arranged payment for spaces in galleries and venues (private art sales)
  • Wrote and secured grant proposals for three public art installations (development assistant)
  • Secured in-kind donations for Urbana Public Arts events (arts intern)
  • Kept books and records, managed accounts, and collected payments (private dance studio manager)
  • Negotiated contracts, fees, and payroll (summer theatre company business intern)

Public Speaking Skills

Your conference experience and related coursework could read this way:

  • Gave demos, lectures, and workshops (bodywork conference participant)
  • Led an “Arts at the Market” workshop on silk-screening techniques to approximately 30 participants of all ages as part of the City of Urbana Public Arts Program (teaching)
  • Presented a plan for restructuring the electrical system of a major metropolitan area to conserve energy (capstone project in solar energy)

Contact Info

If you’re looking for more guidance, set up an appointment with The Career Center  to get personalized assistance and information on other campus resources. And don’t hesitate to contact FAA Career Services ( [email protected] ) with questions about your professional goals.

IMAGES

  1. The Royal Alberta College and IBM

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  2. What Are Some Of The Ways To Improve Business Communication Skills

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  3. PPT

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  4. Understanding Different Types of Business Communication: Which One

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  5. 10 Must-Have Communication Skills for Business Success

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  6. free powerpoint presentation on effective communication skills

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VIDEO

  1. Objectives of business communication /business communication

  2. BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

  3. The communication process (BCS @NAISHAACADEMY )

  4. Business Communication Skills (BCS @NAISHAACADEMY )

  5. MASTERY IN COMMUNICATION

  6. Meetings and types of meetings//Business communication skills (@NAISHAACADEMY )

COMMENTS

  1. Essential Business Communication Skills: Definitions and Examples

    Communication skills in business are essential for supporting team collaboration, giving and receiving clear feedback and encouraging creativity. Using your business communication skills effectively can show your employer how you interact with others, initiate activities and achieve results. Related: Your Guide to Business Communications.

  2. A Beginner's Guide to Business Communication

    Table of Contents What is business communication? What is effective business communication? Effective business communication examples Why is effective business communication important? Effective business communication facilitates the preparation of plans and proposals Effective business communication helps present and discuss ideas

  3. Important Communication Skills and How to Improve Them

    Communication skills are essential, especially in the workplace, because they can: Improve your relationships with your manager and coworkers. Build connections with customers. Help you convey your point quickly and clearly. Enhance your professional image. Encourage active listening and open-mindedness.

  4. Business Communication for Success

    About the Book. Business Communication for Success (BCS) provides a comprehensive, integrated approach to the study and application of written and oral business communication to serve both student and professor. This series features chapters with the following elements: Learning Objectives. Introductory Exercises.

  5. BUS210: Business Communication

    Unit 1: Introduction to Business Communication Communication is an important part of your self-concept. This unit will help you solve problems by understanding yourself and others and recognizing the role you play as communicator.

  6. Business communication

    Business communication is communication that is intended to help a business achieve a fundamental goal, through information sharing between employees as well as people outside the company.

  7. Communication Skills: Explained with Examples and Definitions

    This blog will help you discover the power of Communication Skills, improve your skills, and excel in your career with practical examples. 01344203999 - Available 24/7. Courses . Resources; ... Business Communication Skills extend beyond traditional methods to encompass email, social media, video conferencing, and virtual collaboration tools. ...

  8. Chapter 1: Effective Business Communication

    Effective communication takes preparation, practice, and persistence. There are many ways to learn communication skills; the school of experience, or "hard knocks," is one of them. But in the business environment, a "knock" (or lesson learned) may come at the expense of your credibility through a blown presentation to a client.

  9. 1.1 Introduction

    1.1 Introduction. Communication is an activity, skill, and art that incorporates lessons learned across a wide spectrum of human knowledge. Perhaps the most time-honoured form of communication is storytelling. We've told each other stories for ages to help make sense of our world, anticipate the future, and certainly to entertain ourselves.

  10. 1.9: Introduction to Effective Communication in Business

    Clear. Concise. Objective. Consistent. Complete. Relevant. Understanding of Audience Knowledge. These are the seven pillars, or principles, of business communication. If you open your mouth, put pen to paper, or pick up a camera to make a video, you should be striving to create a message that meets these criteria.

  11. Introduction to Effective Communication in Business

    Introduction to Effective Communication in Business What you'll learn to do: Discuss the importance of effective communication in business Communication happens when all parties are engaged in uncovering and understanding meaning.

  12. Communication skills for business leadership and success

    The conditions of trust are grounded in communication — be respectful, selfless, empathetic and clear. Provide a sense of purpose, fight for your people and do all of this with high ethical standards. Listen more than you talk. Listening is a valuable skill to practice with colleagues and business associates as well as in personal relationships.

  13. Introduction

    Chapter 1: Professional Business Communication 1 Introduction Communication is the process of understanding and sharing meaning (Pearson & Nelson, 2000). It's an activity, skill, and art that incorporates lessons learned across a wide spectrum of human knowledge.

  14. PDF AN INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION SKILLS

    This book, An Introduction to Communication Skills, is the first in the series. It starts by explaining more about the theory and nature of communication, then moves on to discuss effective spoken communication, the importance of body language and other aspects of non-verbal communication,

  15. Introduction to Business Communication

    Business Communication supports the high standard of business communication that is relevant to today's modernized workplace. While staying true to its tradition, the 13th edition vastly streamlines and updates the chapter content and organization, making the text more elegant and usable. The text…. Learn More.

  16. Business Communication Introduction

    Business Communication Introduction Commerce Business Communication Introduction Last updated date: 11th Feb 2024 • Total views: 375.9k • Views today: 11.75k Download PDF NCERT Solutions CBSE CBSE Study Material Textbook Solutions CBSE Notes Business communication skills are a lot more than the usual conversation abilities.

  17. Introduction to Communication

    Defining Communication. The word communication is derived from a Latin word meaning "to share.". Communication can be defined as "purposefully and actively exchanging information between two or more people to convey or receive the intended meanings through a shared system of signs and (symbols)" ("Communication," 2015, para. 1).

  18. Business Communication

    Business Communication is the ability of a group of individuals to speak the same language internally and externally towards business promotion. Business communication is one of the most important tool for an organization to succeed in a professional manner.

  19. Introduction to Methods of Communication

    He might respond, "Yeah, sure.". But depending on the tone of his voice and his body language, you might not believe him. Listening and nonverbal cues affect communication as much as the written or spoken word. In this section, we're going to learn how to use listening, verbal communication, and nonverbal communication to your advantage ...

  20. 9 Most Important Business Communication Skills

    Another "soft skill," successful interpersonal communication allows employees to find common ground, display empathy and build bonds with one another. Interpersonal communication means connecting on more than business level, but a personal level as well. Teamwork skills: Effectively communicating with others who may have different opinions ...

  21. Business Communication Skills

    Build a Solid Foundation in Business Communication: Explore the fundamental principles of effective business communication in Lesson 1, setting the stage for a journey towards mastery. Master the Art of Persuasive Communication: Delve into the art of persuasion and influence in Lesson 2, learning to craft messages that captivate and drive ...

  22. Business Communication: Definition, Types, Examples, Importance

    Introduction Communication is an essential element in the success of any business. The process of transferring information from one person to another, within and outside the business environment, is termed as 'Business Communication.'

  23. These business communication courses can help grow in-demand skills for

    Digital communication skills are the second most in-demand technical skill and communication more broadly—including written, oral, and presentation—remains among the top soft skills sought ...

  24. Introduction to Business Communication

    Business communication may be defined as, the passing of information message or news within or outside the company for the financial benefit of the organization. To elaborate, communication is the process through which an idea, opinion, or information is transferred to others. It is a passive process of exchanging idea, meaning, message ...

  25. Introduction to Ethics in Business Communication

    Introduction to Ethics in Business Communication | Business Communication Skills for Managers Introduction to Ethics in Business Communication What you'll learn to do: Discuss the importance of ethical communication

  26. Transferable Skills

    Communication or Marketing Skills. Your relevant student leadership or work experience could read this way: Managed communications between the organization, members, and faculty by sending weekly email messages and updating the all-school calendar (student organization secretary) Promoted exhibitions and events (public relations manager)