Com/285 Week 3 Business Communication Trends

Business Communication Trends Paper

University Of Phoenix
Business Communications
COM/285

July 07, 2010

Business Communication Trends Paper In today’s business environment, effective business communication is a necessary component of achieving results. Technology has improved so much that the postage stamp is rarely used to communicate in business. Gone are the days of fiber optics, now, a simple e-mail, and customers, clients and employee are notified within a mere second. From morning production meetings, e-mails, and phone calls, I have one purpose as a Manager; to bring everyone on the same path to achieve the same objective through effective communication. Managers need to have a clear set goal, and explain why
it is important to be successful. One of my first tasks at work is to check and respond to my e-mail. Face-to-face is a preferred method of communication in my workplace. E-mail is second. E-mail is vital when information needs to be communicated as soon as possible if telephones cannot be used. However, reviewing too many e-mails can sometimes hinder production. IDC, a research consulting firm, estimates 84 billion e-mails are sent daily (Hunt, 2010, p. 1). Another downside to email is the ability to highlight certain critical points. Finding the right words to reinforce a topic can be challenging. How does the receiver of the e-mail know what is important and what isn’t. A trend I noticed with a previous employer was the use of video conferences and “Go-To Meetings.” The video conference is good because it gives everyone in attendance the face-to-face feeling of a normal conversation even when the person is a thousand miles away.
The latter is used in conjunction with the video conference if you have files or PowerPoint presentations to share. Both of these tools enhance management’s ability to communicate effectively. Effective communication leads to increased productivity and profits. Communication consultants TJ Larkin and Sandar Larkin state that “communication should have one goal: improving performance. It should change the way employees do their jobs.” (Nelton, 1995, p. 1) These tools also work for training purposes. Companies can save hundreds of dollars using these two methods for training, especially if the trainer is out of state. The Company no longer has to fly out a trainer, pay for their hotel and other living expenses or vice versa. This doesn’t work if the training is hands-on and you can save more money using one of these methods of
communication. Another type of communication my previous employer used was web-based tracking of pharmaceuticals.
If a customer placed an order of high risk expensive pharmaceuticals, the shipping department would place a tracking sensor in the shipment. The customer would be assigned a log-on and password for the website and each individual shipment would have a sensor identification number assigned to it so the customer could follow the shipment in real-time. This is useful for security purposes as well. We could give the number to the DEA or local law enforcement so they could track the package. Communication is an important aspect of a business. Having an effective communication system in place will improve the overall relationship with the employees, clients and vendors. Businesses need to stay on top of current trends of communication to ensure that they are at the forefront of the business community.
References
Hunt, J. (2010). Current Trends in Business Communications. Retrieved July 1, 2010, from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2989018/current_trends_in_business_communications.html?cat=3
Nelton, S. (1995). Face to face: by communicating the old-fashioned way - through talking and listening to customers and employees - companies are achieving new goals. Retrieved July 1, 2010, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1154/is_n11_v83/ai_17405442/?tag=rbxcra.2.a.22