Reasons Why Communication is Important in Business

Every aspect of a company or brand depends on it! 

From internal affairs to scouting for new business, interaction with another individual or party is a part of daily culture. Excellent business communication is crucial to maintain healthy workplace relations between the employer and employees. It is also just as necessary to create and maintain lasting relationships between company and clientele. 

Business communication skills include:

• Verbal communication over the phone or in-person
• Written communication via e-mail, chat, or text
• Collaborating and working with a team for a common goal
• Active listening and problem solving
• Networking and negotiating

It does not matter how big or small your company is; you will benefit from assessing how your business communicates internally and externally. Here are a few steps you can take to improve your business communication for success. 

Interaction with other human beings is fundamental in society and virtually unavoidable. Whether it be with your business partner, new employee, customer, even your business insurance provider, you must get your point across somehow to get to the next level. 

Effective communication in business is not only helpful, but it is essential for small business growth and stability. Despite its commonplace nature, many business owners overlook or mismanage this vital tool, which can potentially derail the entire operation. 

Revamp Business with New Ideas

What better way to grow a business than to do it organically and in-house? 

Ask employees what they think! If you give them opportunities to voice opinions, they will feel comfortable sharing thoughts, ideas, and information that will be beneficial to the team, clients, and the company and brand as a whole. 

Stay Organized

The critical function of a manager is to relay information from the higher-ups to their team. It could be as simple as a notice of a company-wide meeting or news on an upcoming project to get ready. 

If the manager doesn’t deliver the right information or doesn’t understand it himself,  it won’t take long for a total communication breakdown.

Make sure employees, as well as managers,  have all the information they need to coordinate with each other and different departments to accomplish shared goals efficiently. 

Now that You Know, It’s Time to Grow!

Effective business communication is the foundation of good business practice. 

If you execute your brand’s goals with good intentions, adequately relay what you expect out of employees, show customers you have solutions, you are well on your way to success. Just keep those lines of communications open, and your business will thrive.

Dynamics of Group Discussion and Communication Skills

What is a Group?

A group, in the context of organizational communication, is defined as a collection of individuals who interact with each other, accept expectations and obligations as members of the group and share a common identity. Group activities have certain advantages and disadvantages.

What Is a Discussion?

A discussion is understood as an activity of sitting and talking about a specific subject. The word ‘discuss’ has been derived from the latin root ‘discutere’, which means to shake or strike. Thus ‘discussion’ refers to thoroughly shaking up the subject, that is, examining it thoroughly to reach a conclusion.

What is a Group Discussion?

Group discussions are a very important aspect of group communication. Group discussions are a creative and dynamic activity which stimulates reflective thinking among the members. Group discussions may be defined as an activity in which a small number of persons meet face to face and exchange and share ideas freely or attempt to reach a decision on a common issue. Group discussions are unstructured and less formal compared to meetings or conferences wherein specific roles are assigned to the participants. In a group discussion, an individual’s thought process is influenced by the views and opinions of the other members. It also depends on where and in which direction the mood of the discussion moves. In a group discussion, each participant is free to speak his views. A successful discussion involves both listening and speaking.

Some of the salient features common to all group discussions are as follows:

(i)  Interface: A basic feature of group discussions is the interaction among the various members of the group. They see, hear and communicate with each other orally by paying attention to each other.

(ii)  Leader and Members: Group discussions are effective only when there is a group of members and a leader. The leader has to summarize facts and information, integrate them, stimulate thinking and agree to a unanimous solution of the problem. The members of the group become actively related to each other in their respective roles.

(iii)  Participation: The effectiveness and efficiency of a group discussion depend, to a large extent, upon the active participation of the members.

(iv) Interpersonal Attraction: Another characteristic feature of a group discussion is interpersonal attraction. As long as interaction continues, the likes, dislikes, behavior and temperament of members are known to each other. Among them, empathy develops and as such they share each others problems.

(v)  Pressure to Conform: In a group discussion, there is always an element of pressure to conform to norms. The pre-defined and established standards are always enforced and followed.

(vi)  Conflict: A conflict is a difference or disagreement among the members of the group, which often arise during deliberations and discussions. A conflict is inevitable and usually develops when alternative solutions are present. It can stimulate the members to find new solutions to the problem. Thus, conflict is not necessarily bad. But if it arises due to the political behavior of the members it will have dysfunctional consequences.

Purpose of Group Discussions:

(i)  To reach a solution on an issue of concern.

(ii)  To generate new ideas or new approaches to solving a problem.

(iii)  For selecting candidates after the written test for employment or for admission to educational institutes.

(iv) To provide us with an avenue to train ourselves in various interpersonal skills.

Hope this might help you give your best!!!

 

Crafting the Perfect VISUME (Video Resume)

Video resumes, sometimes called Visumé or Video CV, were first introduced in the 1980s for use and distribution via VHS tape, but the idea never took off beyond the video taping of interviews, so in an age where everything has become digitized, why not our CV?

A video resume is a great way to make a lasting first impression on a potential employer. Watching someone present their CV gives a better idea of their soft skills.

Following are a few pointers to keep in mind when making a Visume:

1. It is a good idea to try to keep the video short and to the point. A good video resume should hit the 60-120 seconds mark. Because if you go on for any longer, you might lose the attention of the person watching. And if it is any shorter, you might not say everything you mean to.
2. It is very important to try to avoid reading off a script, just speak as if you were talking to another person. Think of the camera as the interviewer, that should help you sound natural.
3. Preparing a script beforehand and rehearsing it helps in making a flawless video. 
4. It is important to ensure proper lighting & a plain background so that the video looks clear & neat.
5. Be clear, fluent & confident.
6. The video should be preferably recorded in a landscape mode.
7. Dress formally, consider it as your interview.
8. Use gestures, but not a lot.
9. Get feedback from family and friends, This will help in improving the Visume.
   

Keeping the above points in mind, I tried my best to create my Visume: