Acquiring Business Communication Skills Necessary for Business Graduates - Term Paper Example

Acquiring Business Communication Skills Necessary for Business Graduates of the Business of the Concerned 21 June Executive Summary The salient purpose of this report is to appraise the undergraduate students as to the important types of general and business communication skills, and presenting to them the pragmatic relevance and importance of business communication skills. Further, this report extends recommendations as to how the undergraduate students can hone their business communication skills. These recommendations lay stress on acquiring the basics of communication, engaging in constant practice and a lifetime commitment to the goal of refining business communication skills. Table of Contents Executive Summary ..................................................................................... 2 1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................. 4 2.0 Discussion ................................................................................................ 4 2.1 General Communication Skills ................................................................... 4 2.2 Business Communication Skills ................................................................ 5 3.0 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 7 4.0 Recommendations ..................................................................................... 7 Reference List ................................................................................................. 10 1.0 Introduction It is a fact that the communication skills are imperative to success in business (Conrad & Newberry 2012, p. 112). However, when one delves on communication skills in the context of the business graduates, they need to realize that in the current time when the technology is poised to enhance the speed and urgency of business communication, business communication skills are expected to play a major role in influencing the career graphs of the future managers (Sigmar & Cooper 2011, p. S1). Thereby, this report intends to identify salient general communication skills and the form and scope they acquire in the arena of business communication, while proceeding to elaborate on the value of these communication skills and their role in the world of business. In the light of this analysis this report eventually facilitates recommendations aimed at helping the undergraduate students hone the specific business communication skills. 2.0 Discussion The undergraduate students do need to bear in mind that the discipline of business communication happens to be a subset of the general communication, and hence, the proficiency that the business students acquire in business communication happens to be a great extent subservient to their expertise in the general communication skills. Thereby it will be pragmatic to consider the salient general communication skills, before proceeding to introduce the business communication skills. 2.1 General Communication Skills Here are the predominant general communication skills and competencies: Verbal Communication- Verbal communication relies on the potency of the spoken word to convey meaning and content (Gallagher 2013, p. 58). They require the ability for using language in a clear, concise and straightforward manner Nonverbal Communication- It is a fact corroborated by many communication experts that nonverbal communication happens to be more important and complex aspect of communication (Gallagher 2013, p. 58). Nonverbal communication comprises of the use of body language and nonverbal cues in communication. Written Communication- Written communication is an aspect of communication that relies on the power of the written word to convey meaning and content (Turk & Kirkman, 1989). This requires a sound grip over proper grammar, vocabulary, and a professional mode of communication. 2.2 Business Communication Skills Considering the recent developments in the world of business media and technology, here are some of the important types of business communication skills. These skills primarily rely on a more professional and pragmatic usage of the general communication skills. Written Communication- This is an aspect of business communication that is imperative for the employees placed at all levels in organizations and may take diverse forms and formats, depending upon the nature and intent of the information being communicated (Conrad & Newberry 2012,, p. 116). The various forms of written business communications are e-mails, memos, general business correspondence, instant messages, reports, bulletins, employee manuals, etc. Public Speaking and Presentations- This requires the employees to address business audience and gatherings. This skill requires a grip over verbal communication, the ability to communicate non-verbally through body language, and lots of confidence (Conrad & Newberry 2012). Networking- This is an aspect of business that involves meeting people, interacting with the right people and establishing lasting and useful professional relationships (Conrad & Newberry 2012, p. 118). The developments in IT have further enhanced the scope of this mode of business communication. Social Media- This is an aspect of business communication that has been brought into existence by the recent developments in information technology. This requires the future business leaders to be able to communicate and interact with the colleagues, superiors, customers and stakeholders, using social media portals like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, MySpace, etc (Quint 2010, p. 5). 2.3 Practical Relevance and Importance of Business Communications Skills The students of business do need to understand that business communication tends to be an aspect of their course that does have a very high practical utility and scope and is something that will play a major role in determining the direction and altitude of their careers (Tourish & Hargie 2008, p. 57). For instance, written communication is an aspect of business communication that touches almost all the employees placed in professional scenarios, in business organizations. Proficiency in the written communication formats like emails, business correspondence, professional memos, job letters and resumes could play a decisive role in shaping the career of a student. Most of the managers and team leaders will certainly be required to give a speech or a business presentation at one time or other in their career (Sidwell 2002, p. 290. It may be appraising the employees regarding organizational goals and policies, or delivering a welcome speech to the new employees joining the organization. Besides, any employee without having the ability to position oneself and one’s business in a favourable scenario by networking with the industry leaders, suppliers, shareholders, consumers, could not progress much in life. Also, proficiency in social networking could readily enable a manager to communicate directly with the prospective consumer groups, thereby influencing their buying preferences and decisions. 3.0 Conclusion Thereby, the undergraduate students do need to understand that proficiency in business communication does happen to be a very important aspect of their future professional life. Just like good communication skills play an important part in enriching an individual’s general life, good business communication could go a long way in positively influencing the career graph of a business student. The undergraduate students can hone their business communication skills through instruction and practice, as business communication is but a specialized set of the general communication skills they have been using all their life. Having the right approach and the ability to catch and acquire the nuances of business communication could readily help an undergraduate student polish and refine the art of business communication. The good thing is that most of the business students do always have a measure of proficiency in varied aspects of general communication. Hence, adapting these proficiencies to the professional forms and formats of business communication is a task that is readily facilitated through practice and effort. 4.0 Recommendations In the light of the undertaken research, this report extends following recommendations to the undergraduate students with the objective of helping them develop various business communication skills: Students should make it a point to get a hold over the basics of communication (Garner 2013). Before proceeding to master business communication skills, the undergraduate students should try to gain an insight as to the factors that play an important role in refining the general communication skills. The proficiency in the salient aspects of general communication is bound to ease the task of acquiring and mastering business communication skills. Students should make it a point to actively engage in the tasks and assignments associated with the different modules of their course. Like any professional skill, business communication skills are something that is acquired through practice. Hence, the tasks associated with various course modules are designed to facilitate to the students the opportunities to practice and hone their business communication skills. Students should avail every opportunity to practice the various types of business communication skills, which they come across in their academic and general life (Garner 2013). For instance, activities like speaking at a social or family gathering, drafting a resume for a friend or a sibling, giving a presentation in a class, writing to the local congressman about an issue that they care about, are some of the practical ways, the students can practice and refine their business communication skills. Students should make it a point to refine and master such aspects of communication like grammar and vocabulary. A good hold over language, grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary will certainly endow them with an edge, when it comes to business communication (Garner 2013). It is a general knowledge that many a times people lag in business communication skills owing to a lack of confidence (Gallagher 2013, p. 29). Thereby, the students are advised that practicing the business communications skills, as and when they comes across an opportunity to do so is the best way to build confidence. Students should seriously consider the feedback extended by their colleagues and teachers regarding their general and business communication skills, and must do their best to improve their communication skills, in the light of such feedback. Though the appropriate courses will endow the undergraduate students with the theoretical aspects of business communication, yet, it is up to the personal initiative of the students, regarding the progress they make in mastering the delicate aspects of business communication like using the right tone and assertiveness while speaking, using the apt gestures and body language, being aware of and appropriately responding to the emotions and feelings of the people they communicate with (Gallagher 2013, p. 10). The students do need to keep in mind that mastering business communication is something that will require a lifelong commitment and practice. Reference List Conrad, D & Newberry, R 2012, ‘Identification and Instruction of Important Business Communication Skills for Graduate Business Education’, Journal of Education for Business, Vol. 87, no. 2, pp. 112-120. Gallagher, k 2013, Skills Development for Business and Management Students, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Garner, R 2013, ‘Give us a Job: How Graduates can Stand Out from the Crowd’, The Independent, 16 January, viewed 22 June 2013, . Quint, B 2010, ‘Searcher’s Voice: Long Thoughts: Big Dreams’, Searcher, July, p. 4. Sidwell, G 2002, ‘Face-to-Face Communication Still the Most Effective Method’, The Birmingham Post, 25 February, p. 29. Sigmar, LS & Cooper, TW 2011, ‘Incorporating Web-Assisted Instruction Into Business Communication Curriculum’, Academy of Educational Leadership Journal, Vol. 15, no. 1, pp. S1. Tourish, D & Hargie, O 2008, Key Issues in Organizational Communication, Routledge, London. Turk, C & Kirkman, J 1989, Effective Writing, E&FN Spon, London. 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