Business Communication

Q-1As a speaker you are addressing a group of people. What could be the possible barriersin this communication?Ans-1Barriers to Communication Communication fails when the message received is not identical to the message that is sent. Several factors could interfere with the exchange of messages. Physical noise Distracting sounds, poor acoustics, or just information overload could interfere with the listening process. Physiological noise Hearing or other disabilities, fatigue, or physical illness could come in the way of both speaking and listening. Psychological noise Sometimes emotions within the sender or receiver such as preoccupations, hostility, fear or lack of interest could interfere the speaking or listening process.There are many other barriers to communication, an understanding and analysis of which are needed before coming up with ways to eliminate or minimize them.

Environmental barriers An environmental barrier is the same as physical noise, which could be in the form of distracting sounds, an overcrowded room, poor facilities and acoustics, all of which may hinder the ability to listen to and understand the message. Individual barriers A major barrier to interpersonal communication is a tendency to judge, evaluate, approve, or disapprove the views of another person. This happens particularly in situations where we have strong feelings about something. In such cases, we tend to block out the communication and form our own view points.Organizational barriers In organizations that are too hierarchical, that is, where there are multiple layers, messages may have to pass through many levels before they finally reach the receiver. Each level may add to, modify or completely change the message, so much so that it becomes distorted by the time it reaches the intended receiver. In other words, there is likely to be loss of meaning and the message may not reach the receiver in the same way as it was intended by the sender. This means that each department in an organisation functions in isolation and there is no co-ordination or communication between them. Channel barriers In the earlier section, it was pointed out that communication can fail due to any of the different elements going wrong. Wrong choice of channel is one of the main barriers to communication. Using a wrong medium of advertising, or conveying a message orally when a written letter would be more appropriate, are examples. Linguistic and cultural barriers When the sender of the message uses a language that the receiver does not understand, the communication will not succeed.Linguistic barriers may also occur in cross-cultural advertising and distort communication, when translating campaigns or slogans literally from one language to another. For example, Pepsis slogan Come Alive with Pepsi, when translated into Chinese, read Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave. Semantic barriers The word semantics refers to the meaning of words and the way in which they are used. For example, different words may have different meanings in different cultures. Failure to take this into consideration could lead to serious blunders. Non-verbal barriers This refers to the non-verbal communication that goes with a particular message. Non-verbal communication includes tone of voice, body language such as gestures and facial expressions, etc if the tone of voice and body language are negative, the communication will fail, however positive the spoken and written message.

Q-2 What is the importance of Kinesics and Proxemics in communication? Explain withexamples.Ans-2 Kinesics is the most often studied and important area of non-verbal communication and refers to body movements of any kind. Different body movements can express inner states of emotion. The different body movements are:Facial expressions Facial expressions can convey feelings of surprise, happiness, anger and sadness. If you meet a long lost friend and say I am very happy to meet you again, but with a sad facial expression, it conveys the exact opposite meaning.Eye movements The eye movements such as wide open pupils express feelings of surprise, excitement or even fear. The importance of eye contact with ones audience was pointed out earlier.Gestures The gestures such as movement of the hands while giving a lecture or presentation indicates a high level of involvement in what you are saying.Head movements The head movements like nodding the head can convey interest, appreciation, agreement or understanding.Posture Posture, refers to carriage or attitude. Our posture can indicate our feelings. In formal settings such as job interviews or classroom settings, it is essential that you maintain an erect posture to convey that you are attentive,Physical appearance Our outward appearance, including the way we dress and the jewellery and make-up that we wear can convey an impression of formality or informality. Proxemics Proxemics is derived from the word proximity or closeness and is the communication term for personal space and distance. The space and distance which we choose to keep from people is also part of non-verbal communication. Each of us has our own inner and outer circles, which differ for different people. The different types of spaces are as follows:Intimate space Our inner most circle is an intimate space, into which we generally admit only select people such as family and close friends.Personal space A personal space might include other friends and colleagues or co-workers. The intimate and personal spaces involve communication of an informal nature.Social and public space The social and public space includes official or workplace relationships, where the communication is of a more formal nature. In a business context, it is more relevant to understand the concept of the following spaces: Fixed space Fixed space means that the physical features of the work environment such as furniture, room size and seating arrangement are permanent. This conveys an impression of formality.Semi-fixed space Semi-fixed space means that certain elements of the environment can be changed. For example, changing the seating arrangement conveys an impression of informality.

Q-3 What are the steps in making oral business presentation?Ans-3 Steps in making oral presentations: Indicates that oral presentations can range from simple to more complex ones, each with a different purpose. Irrespective of the nature of the presentation can be followed for planning and preparing an oral presentation.Let us now study each of these steps in detail. 1. Definition of the purpose of the presentation : Before preparing for the presentation, it is important to be clear on the goal of the presentation. A statement of purpose, expressing what you want to achieve through the presentation must be framed, so that it becomes easy to measure whether the goal has been accomplished or not.2. Development of the key idea: The key idea of a presentation is a statement that expresses the main message to be conveyed to the audience. It is different from a statement of purpose, which is generally meant for the presenter. The key idea is for the audience and it is stated at the beginning of the presentation. 3. Audience analysis: Making a good presentation alone is not enough. It also has to be tailored to your listeners in such a way that they understand and appreciate it.4. Analysis of yourself as a speaker: Apart from analyzing your audience, you also need to do a self-analysis to determine your own purpose of making the presentation, your level of knowledge on the subject and your feelings about the subject. As explained earlier, a clear statement of the specific purpose of the presentation must be developed. If you have a choice of subject, it is always better to speak on a subject on which you are an authority.5. Analysis of the circumstances: This includes taking into consideration any limitations of infrastructure, time and context that might affect your presentation.6. Preparation of outline: Once the initial groundwork is done, you must develop an outline of your presentation.7. Collection of information and material: Once the outline of the presentation is developed, you can start gathering the relevant material. This is a time consuming process and requires a fair amount of research. The information can generally be gathered from existing sources such as company resource or data, magazines, newspapers and the Internet.8. Organisation of the body: The body of the presentation must always be prepared before the introduction. Organizing the body consists in identifying the key points that support your main idea and then selecting an organizational plan to develop these key points.9. Planning the introduction: Since the introduction is where you make the first impression, it must be planned with care. It must take up between 10 and 15 percent of your total speaking time. At the outset, you need to try and establish your credibility, by showing that you are qualified to speak on the subject of the presentation.10. Planning the conclusion: The review is essentially a reinforcement of the key idea and a summary of the main points. The main points can be enumerated, as in the outline of the presentation. The closing statement must be as strong as your opening statement, so that your audience will remember the presentation. Therefore, the same techniques used to capture audience attention may also be used to prepare a good closing statement.11. Selection of a delivery style: Once your presentation is adequately prepared in terms of content, you also need to ensure that it will be delivered effectively, by selecting an appropriate style of delivery.

Q-4 Imagine a new product from kids apparel industry. Write a persuasive letter to customers, persuading them to buy your companys product.

Ans-4

LET US SUPPOSE Abc COMPANY ORGANISES A LAUCH A NEW PRODUCT UNDER THE NAME OF KARROT KIDS BOYS COTTON LONG RICH SLEEVES TEES. THE COMPANY INTENDS TO MARKET THIS NEW PRODUCT THROUGH POST TO SOME OF ITS PROMINENT CUSTOMERS. 5 ,JUNE, 2015

Marketing managerAbc Pvt. Ltd,25 airport RdBangalore~560001

Dear sir/madam, sub - LANUCH OF KARROT KIDS BOYS COTTON LONG RICH SLEEVES TEES.

Keeping in view upcoming summers company has designed a unique product for your kids under the name of KARROT KIDS BOYS COTTON LONG RICH LEEVES tees (t-shirt) which is purely a cotton product to keep the skin of child dry and makes him feel cold all the time .

Moreover the t-shirt is launched in light colors to prevent your child from the scorching heat of sunlight if the kid went out in sunlight. The company has designed colorful shirts engraved with generally featured cartoon for the likings of the kids. on t-shirt many types of cartoon for regarding to the kids like Angry bird, Doorman, Choate beam etc. kids are more attract this types of t-shirt and they went to wear this type of clothes just because of cartoons they are more happy when they are wearing cartoon t-shirts and they want like this clothes.

The fabric used is flexible to stretch to cater to the needs of different age groups. as if your child is a bit healthy as per his /her age it can fix to their body well. Apart from this the price of the cotton rich T-shirt is in your range starting from merely 99- 299. The segmentation in price is purely on the basis of age groups not quality as the quality is same. In light of above features you are requested to kindly ponder your precious time to ABC ltd product under the name of KARROT KIDS BOYS COTTON LONG RICH SLEEVES.

Yours Faithfully

GARIMA GUPTA

Merion prays JonesChairman.abcAbc Pvt. Ltd.Bangalore 560045Phone:00 44 (0) 292087801Website: www.gbfc.in

Q-5 You are going to face a job interview for the post of Manager-operations. Whichaspects you will keep in mind while facing the interview?

Ans-5 During the job interview: Once you have gone through the preparation stage, you are ready to face the actual interview. This is the most important stage of the job application process, during which attention should be paid to the following aspects:

Opening formalities Since it is important to create a good first impression, the way you greet and introduce yourself is important. Using the name of the interviewer correctly, giving a firm handshake, waiting till you are asked to be seated and sitting with an erect posture are common courtesies that should be observed to project a good image.Non-verbal communication Apart from a firm handshake and erect posture, your non-verbal behavior should indicate that you are confident and attentive to what the interviewer is saying. Direct eye contact, facial gestures and nodding to show that you are listening are all important aspects of non-verbal communication that should be observed during the interview.Group interviews A group interview is one where a panel of interviewers a single applicant. The group may comprise people from different functional areas in the organisation, such as HR, Marketing and Finance.Two-way interview Although the applicants task is primarily to listen and the interviewers job is primarily to ask questions, it is in the hands of the applicant to make the communication a two-way process.Honesty and humility It is important to be honest and to avoid giving vague answers or beating around the bush, if you do not know the answer to a particular question. Employers appreciate honesty, rather than over-smart answers.Positive answers Do not speak ill of your previous employers. If asked about your previous experiences, you may give honest feedback, but you should do so tactfully. Your answers should always end on a positive note. Salary discussion Any discussion on salary should be initiated by the interviewer and not by the interviewee, especially during the initial interview. When asked about your salary expectations, you should indicate a range, rather than a specific figure.Closing the interview How you close the interview is as important as how you open it. Normally, the interviewer gives a signal when the interview is over, either through body language, or by making a comment on the next step for action. At this point, you must thank the interviewer, give another firm handshake and say that you look forward to hearing from the company soon.

Q-6Write short notes on:a) Skimmingb) NoticesAns-6 Skimming Let us say that you are a student of management and as suggested by your professor, you need to buy a reference text book for writing a paper on Investment Management or Quality Management. You go to a book store and see a rack full of books, with the same title, but different authors. You do not have time to read the pages before deciding on buying the book. Therefore, you quickly go through the contents, title page and the blurb. By now, you have decided to buy one book. This type of reading that you do in the book store is known as skimming. Thus, skimming may be defined as looking over a text/book quickly, in order to get a general or superficial idea of the content. Skimming is usually done to grasp main ideas and to review the material by skipping the details.

Notices generally contain information or announcements that are meant for all the employees of an organisation. For example, a list of declared holidays for a calendar year is a notice, as the information is relevant to all employees. The common purposes of using a notice in business communication are to:

Invite for a meeting

Inform a new rule/regulation to be initiated or formulated

Inform about an event to be held

A notice is therefore a legal document that has to be put up on an official notice or bulletin board.

Notices are read by a large number of people and can also be used as evidence in court cases. Therefore, care must be taken when writing them. They have to be worded very precisely and clearly, to make sure that there is no ambiguity. They must also be brief and to the point. The tone must be firm, but not offensive and arrogant. Depending on the type of notice, the duration of display of a notice is specified under various legal provisions.