We engage in one form of communication or another daily. We communicate with our family members at home, with our colleagues in the office, with classmates in school, and in other aspects of life. Apart from the most common and simple form of communication, which is verbal communication, there are various channels we use in communication. Technology has created faster and more channels for communication.
I recall in the early 90s before the internet became very common, we will write letters to our friends, family members and loved ones, I recall going to the post office to buy postal stamps and posting the letters. It was quite an interesting exercise then.
Regular day-to-day communication is different from business communication. Regular communications most times are not planned, not structured, no rule and in most cases do not make any significant impact. However, business communications are within the context of the business. Business communication is a skill. It is a very essential skill needed in every type of business. It is planned, structured, and based on reasoning.
Talking about reasoning, every business decision relies on rational thinking. this is applicable to how information is transmitted within the business. A lot of reasoning is applied to understand who the recipient of the information is, what we are communicating and how we want to communicate with the audience.
When we have good knowledge of the audience, we understand their disposition and their biases. This knowledge will inform what we want to communicate to them, and how it will be communicated.
Role of reasoning in Communication:
Understanding the audience enables us to filter the information we are passing on to the audience. Communicating only the relevant information that will add greater value to the audience. When we pass more information than necessary, we may lose the audience if what we are passing to them is of little or no relevance. It could also result in information overload which in the end impairs understanding and ease of decision making
Persuasive Communication:
This is the act of presenting arguments to motivate an audience to think, feel or act in the way the communication wants them to. Before now, I had always thought of persuasive communication as compelling one to believe in an argument, most time against the audience’s will or belief. This type is rather an authoritarian type of communication, which oftentimes result in chaos, serious drawback, and anarchy. Persuasive communication is a skill in communication that requires reasoning and mastery. In persuasive communication, the audience is convinced of the alternatives to the decision and sees reason to believe it as the best alternative. This type of communication skill is highly recommended for managers. Without persuasion, very little work will be done in an organization.
Business communication is a skill I will recommend should be introduced in high schools and compulsorily thought in the universities. It is very essential for effective communication in business.
communication no matter the medium is for a purpose. It could be to pass information to colleagues in the office, send reports to managers, make recommendations to business challenges, reach out to clients or even make publications on social media to promote your business or product. The communicator charged with this task does not just jump into writing a memo or giving a speech. The communicator has an image to protect. There is something at stake, which is dependent on how the information is received.
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