How you communicate reflects who you are and shapes perceptions in the business environment. Effective communication reflects personal and organisational strength, while poor communication exposes challenges. This distinction is crucial for establishing trust and credibility.
Communication, as a social science, examines how we use verbal, non-verbal, and mediated messages to construct, share, and interpret meaning. Though grounded in science, effective messaging requires artistry to adapt to ever-changing situations.
In today’s world, most people consider themselves communication experts. They are opinionated and, in many situations, present themselves as more knowledgeable than others. However, when applying knowledge, a gap remains between true expertise and the illusion fostered by the digital world.
One consequence of poor communication is unprofessionalism, which can involve being sneaky or even deceitful.
Real-life examples of poor communication include managers giving ambiguous tasks, employees failing to respond to emails, gatekeeping information, failing to respond to phone calls, or doing inappropriately. Leaving colleagues or clients ‘hanging’ for days suggests that they are not a priority, which can lead to perceptions of being irresponsible or careless. This is not an anomaly. It happens with such frequency that people feel that nothing works properly anymore. That applies to the banking industry, service departments, delivery services, law firms, and most businesses, both public and private.
Unprofessionalism is generally handled with a soft approach. Examples of justifications are "they don't know," "they need training," and "go to another provider."
In the economic landscape, the service industry holds significant weight and is projected to ignite robust competition among providers. Locally, poor business communication is a recognised challenge, particularly impacting customer experience, employee engagement, and organisational efficiency. It is often driven by a combination of educational gaps in employability skills, cultural differences in negotiation, and a lack of adoption of modern, customer-centric practices.
Services cannot be offered if there are no consumers. Simple as that. Providing quality service to ensure customer satisfaction, build trust, and enhance business success. Reliability, responsiveness, and assurance are the most influential quality dimensions that lead to customer satisfaction.
In today's tech-driven world, it's unreasonable for recent graduates – or experienced professionals - to be ignorant of the crucial roles of communication and customer service. A major issue arises when clients lack choices that align with their requirements and preferences.
Business communication aims to achieve organisational goals by emphasising human interaction, behaviour, and language in professional contexts. It is an interdisciplinary field that draws on sociology, psychology, and anthropology to understand, manage, and facilitate effective communication.
It's critical to distinguish between a "chip on the shoulder" and a lack of knowledge about workplace etiquette because the latter is an attitude issue and the former is a training issue.
Consider this... Without voters, elections cannot take place. Without inhabitants, there would be no cities. Workers and customers are essential to business, agriculture, and manufacturing. Even if a communicator uses the fool's gold metaphor to promote something that is actually worthless, job prospects will decrease if there are no consumers.
We need communicators who can connect with the clients’ values and needs. The ‘reasons’ behind actions are mostly missing, as if consumers or taxpayers have little value.
Communication holds the messenger. Organisations, whether public or private, function as social systems. It often navigates cultural nuances and understands how language influences professional interactions. No individual chip on the shoulder can trade the passion for the subject one is communicating. But adhering to working etiquette can significantly benefit any organisation.
In communication, there is always room for improvisation. It is problematic when instructions are unclear, absent, ambiguous, or when one is forced to read between the lines. Being tired of poor communication is a common frustration – and it shouldn’t be like this.
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