Business communication skills Description

Business communication is about more than simply speaking well.

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When most people think of successful businesspeople, they think of those who can make sales and sign accounts, have good finance skills and attention to skills and display stellar record-keeping abilities. However, some of the most important skills that a businessperson can have are communication skills. By communicating effectively, businesspeople can connect better with potential clients or customers. They can also lead teams, train workers and contribute to board meetings and other discussions.

Clarity and Conciseness

Whether writing or speaking, a businessperson with good communication skills knows how to get her point across clearly and concisely. She can fully explain all elements of her idea and use examples, analogies and evidence to help others completely understand the idea as well as make a good judgment on whether it is valid. Business operations are done quickly, so good business communicators need to be able to write an e-mail that gets a complex idea or request across quickly or to explain a concern to their managers clearly without a lot of beating around the bush.

Ability to Choose the Right Channel

According to Walden University, good business communicators need to know how to do more than speak and write clearly. In addition, they must also know how to choose the right communication method: phone calls, face-to-face meetings, text messages, emails and letters are all different communication channels for businesspeople. Choosing the wrong one can cause unnecessary confusion, according to Walden University. A wrong choice can also mean wasted time and money, especially if something that could have been taken care of via text is addressed face to face. Good communicators know the benefits and costs of each type of channel and how to choose among them for each audience.

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Flexibility

Different audiences, situations and purposes drastically change how business people communicate. The way that a businesswoman lets her boss know that there is a problem is likely much different than the way she tells her clients about the same issue. Effective business communicators must know how to analyze their audiences so that they know how they should disseminate information for each one. In addition, they also need to be able to communicate in a variety of different situations — to give good news the excitement it deserves and reassure customers when bad things happen. Walden University states that skilled communicators know their audiences and communicate effectively; they also understand the types of communication barriers that may exist and how to break through them.