Different Forms of Communication in Business

Communication is a process which is a must for exchange of useful information between two individuals. In fact, it is the best way of learning new things that are important for business development in all kinds of organizations. It is possible to communicate with the other person in multiple ways and modern-day employees working in diverse sectors need to be fully aware of these ways of improving the overall way of functioning of their firm. Given in the next section are some of the different forms of communication in business which are globally used.

Main Types of Business Communication

Internal Communication
Internal communication is the type of communication in which interaction takes place within a corporate house. There are formal as well as informal channels of internal communication. Upward communication, downward communication and horizontal communication are considered to the major types of internal communication.

Upward communication
In upward communication, the information is passed on from the junior level employees to the management of the company. This enables the employees to participate in the company's business and policies and give their valuable inputs. This kind of communication can help the employees gain confidence, and understand the functioning of the organization better.

Downward Communication
On the contrary, in downward communication, the flow of information is from the top-level management to the subordinates. This type of communication enables the organization benefit from the managerial expertise and experience of the top level management. However, the management should make sure that downward communication does not take away the employees freedom of expressing their views on certain aspects. So, giving some powers to the employees in spite of having downward communication is essential for growth of the organization.

Horizontal Communication
In the case of horizontal communication, we see an interaction and collaboration between people employed at the similar posts or communication between to departments or sections. This helps them get their queries solved and gain knowledge from their colleagues. Interaction between workers must be promoted by the top management for exchange of ideas and new concepts.

External communication
External communication is when the company employees or officials get in touch with people outside the organization for the purpose of business expansion. The main advantage of such type of communication is that the management gets to know what are the expectations of the customers/clients in the market, and what the competitors are offering. With this information, the existing product range can be improved and new products can be developed and introduced.

Communication by Letters
Letter communication is a widely used technique to communicate with the outsiders. This makes the outsiders understand the points which the company management wishes to convey easily. Moreover, the company can have a copy of the letters with them as a proof of communication with outsiders.

Seminars and Exhibitions
The use of information or promotional seminars and exhibitions is one of the best modes of external communication. Seminars can help the organization display their products and have the company representatives explain their use to the customers in detail. This can help in solving any kinds of doubt which the consumers might have about the company's products.

E-mails
E-mails are yet another effective way of external communication in this age of advanced technology. E-mails can help us instantly reach out to several people at a time over long distances, and create awareness about the products and services of the company.

Meetings
For the listed entities, meetings and conferences with shareholders and stake holders can be the best ways of external communication that can bring in more business for the company. Meetings are the place where all points regarding the company fundamentals and expansion plans can be fully discussed with the outside parties like creditors.

The agencies with which the company gets in touch can include the government, common public and media. Posters, telegrams, proposals and fax are also considered to be the main elements of external communication.

Communication Methods for Organizations

Verbal Communication
No other communication method can replace verbal communication because of the high degree of impact it can create on an audience. Sounds, words, speaking and language are the main components of verbal communication. Public speaking is believed to be the most efficient form of verbal communication as it can help us interact with several people at a time. However, to make verbal communication successful in business, one needs to put in efforts and train himself/herself to meet the high industry standards.

Written Communication
Written communication is one of the most widely used and popular ways of communicating from ages. A person can communicate with others in the 'written' form with the help of letters, proposals, reports or memos. This is one of those types of business communication in which the person who sends written documents can have a copy of them with him as a proof that he had communicated the same with the other person.

Visual Communication
While we talk about the different forms of communication in business, we cannot sideline visual communication. Photographs, signs, symbols, designs are the best ways of visual communication. Among the electronic forms of visual communication, video clips, television and video conferencing are the main ones.

So, this was all about the different forms of communication in business. In this competitive age, where every business house is trying its level best to get more orders from customers, inventing new forms of communication in business is essential. So, hoping that you will try to use the methods of communication well, I would like to sign off here. Good luck!