Business communication…What do you think of when you hear those words ?It is intended that this article will give an overview on  the mindset that may be neccesary in your business communication. As such this is one article in a series of many that will build on each other.

So what is business communication?

Is it what is said within the business from the CEO to the deputy CEO, or maybe even further down the ladder ?

Maybe it is how and what the business communicates to clients, customers, partners and suppliers ?

It could be about interactions between colleagues and team members or with the team leader.

There are so many different forms of communication in business

Including the electronic variety from computer to computer…. and then from the recipient to accounts perhaps.
There are so many different types of communication in business that for ease of understanding I will divide them broadly into two parts.

I will deal with the second type which is the delivery mechanisms such as hardware and software in future articles.
For now I wish to focus on the human or interpersonal aspect of communication.

The first is what is actually said and the meanings behind it. The meanings can be divided into two basic aspects.

What the sender of the message wanted to convey AND what was understood by the recipient.

You may be noticing a pattern, here which is that every communication has at least two aspects or parties to it. This is similar to contracts and there may well be as much  legal  weight and legal obligation attached to a communication as any other form of contract…

Assuming that you are the sender.

Your message must contain the correct information, formatted in a way that the recipient of your message can easily understand it.Your message should be clear and unambivalent so that there is no room for misinterpretation. All business communication should be carefully considered in the light of any effects on contracts already in place or any ongoing or planned  negotiations.

 Your business communication should also, ideally

contain a mechanism for clarifying anything that the recipient may be unclear on. An example of this is an FAQ ( frequently asked questions ) page on a website. It is not a given that your FAQ page will answer all of the queries that someone may have, so it is advisable to have other mechanisms in place such as a customer support freephone number as well.    

Whoever is on duty on these numbers should be well trained, polite and able to handle what may potentially be, difficult calls. You may wish to have a system in place whereby your customer support can pass calls outside of their expertise to a supervisor or even to a more senior person.

There must also be a system in place

for keeping records of all communications received. This should include times, dates and the names and contact details of all parties involved. It should also include information about who said what and this may also include the use of call recording software that is filed in an accessible system for later retrieval. In most instances this is probably excessive but you never know when an event will be escalated into a full blown dispute. The mindframe is one of ensuring that your business’s interests are protected.

As the sender you are responsible

for providing a clear and unequivocal message that cannot be misinterpreted and the means for clarifying it should there be any doubt. You are also responsible for protecting the interests of your employer, yourself or your company. Where neccesary take appropriate legal advice on the wording of documents or planned conversations as how something is said can drastically change it’s legal meaning or interpretation.

DISCLAIMER:

Please be aware that in no way does anything in this article constitute legal or business advice. You are advised to seek a professional legal opinion from your legal representative.
This article on business communication merely reflects what has worked for me over the last thirty years while running import companies, large construction projects and various other enterprises.