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What are the three management skills?
Leadership, motivation and communication
Why is communication?
The transfer of information from one person to another
What does communication involve?
The sender turning an idea into a message and then sending it through a medium to the receiver, who must interpret the message and act upon it
What are the two main types of communications?
Internal and external
What is internal communication?
The communication between two or more people who are all inside the same business
What are some methods of internal communication?
Meeting, memo, internal phone, suggestion box, email, intercom, notice board, pager, face-to-face conversations, internal newsletter
What are the three types of internal communication?
Upward, downward and horizontal
What is upward communication?
When a message is transferred from a lower to a higher level in an organisation
What is an example of upwards communication?
Employees give information to, ask questions of and make suggestions to management
What is downward communication?
When a message is transferred from a higher to a lower level in an organisation
What is an example of downwards communication?
Managers give orders, advice as training to employees
What is horizontal communication?
When a message is transferred between people at the same level in an organisation
What is an example of horizontal communication?
The marketing director and finance director meet to discuss the next year’s advertising budget
What is external communication?
Communication between the business and other people outside the business
What are some methods of external communication?
Telephone, email, letter, internet, press conference, videoconferencing
What are some examples of external communication?
Communication to banks, suppliers, customers, the government and public relations
What are some examples of written communication?
Memo, letter, report, email, business documents, etc.
What are some advantages of written communication?
It provides a permanent record, and therefore proof of communication
The message can be reread in order to be understood better
Technology can make written communication very fast
What are some disadvantages of written communication?
Feedback is slower
There is a risk of information overload, making it difficult for the reader to understand the message
What are some examples of oral communication?
Meetings, face-to-face conversations, videoconferencing, intercom, telephone, conference, etc.
What are some advantages of oral communication?
It is quick, as you can get instant responses from the receiver
Any problems in understanding can be easily explained immediately
It is personal, and therefore good for reaching an agreement
It allows emotion and body language to be communicated
What are some disadvantages of oral communication?
There is no record of the message, and therefore no proof it took place
The message may not be prepared in advance and may come out wrong
The receiver may not be listening to the message and miss it
What are some examples of visual communication?
Bar charts, pie charts, pictograms, line graphs, breakeven charts, etc.
What are some advantages of visual communication?
It is useful for analysing statistics
It can make communication clearer as pictures are generally easier to understand and remember
What is a disadvantage of visual communication?
It is usually not sufficient on its own and needs another method of communication to accompany it in order to be understood fully
What is memo short for?
Memorandum
What is a memo?
A brief note form one person to another in the business
What is a business letter?
A letter that is laid out in a formal and professional way
Why might a manager write or request a report?
To give information to people about a specific topic
To investigate an incident, find out why and how it happened
To come up with solutions to a particular problem
To investigate the impact of decisions
To convince the reader to adopt a particular course of action
What are the headings used in a business report?
Title, table of contents, executive summary, terms of reference, findings, conclusions and recommendations, appendices and bibliography
What does the title set out in a business report?
The objective of the report
What is the table of contents in a business report?
A list of the sections of the report and the page number where it can be found
What does the executive summary do on a business report?
Briefly points out the major findings and conclusions of the report
What do the terms of reference do in a business report?
Set out the issues that the report writer was asked to investigate and the instructions given on how to carry out the investigation
What does the findings set out in a business report?
The basic facts that were discovered by the report writer
What do the conclusions and recommendations set out in a business report?
The reasons for the event and what actions should now be taken
What do the appendices contain in a business report?
Extra, more detailed information, such as statistics
What does the bibliography set out in a business report?
All the sources of information used by the report writer
What is the most important type of oral communication in business?
Meetings
What is a meeting?
When two or more people come together for the purpose of discussing a predetermined topic and making decisions
What does AGM stand for?
Annual General Meeting
What does EGM stand for?
Extraordinary General Meeting
What are the four main types of business meetings?
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM)
Statutory meeting
Board meeting
What is an Annual General Meeting?
A meeting the company must hold every year by law, where the directors inform the shareholders how the business is doing
What is an Extraordinary General Meeting?
A meeting that is usually called on short notice and deals with an urgent matter
What is a statutory meeting?
The very first meeting of the shareholders of the company, required by law, where the shareholders receive information about the setting up of the business
What is a board meeting?
A meeting of the board of directors who run the company, and make the major decisions and set goals
How often is an AGM held?
Every year
How often is a statutory meeting held?
Only once when the business is being set up
How often is a board meeting held?
Usually every month
What are the purposes/advantages of meetings?
To solve problems
To make better decisions and generate ideas
To save time
How do meetings help solve problems?
Both parties can build a rapport and a relationship with each other, with the personal nature making it easier to reach an agreement
How do meetings help make better decisions and generate ideas?
Each person brings their own experience and knowledge, allowing them to add onto the ideas of others
What is it called when people build onto others ideas?
Brainstorming
What does brainstorming lead to?
Better decisions and ideas than one person would make on their own
How do meetings help save time?
Instead of telling people information individually, they can be brought together as a group and all be told at the same time
What are the essential elements of meetings?
The meeting must be well planed in advance
A notice and agenda must be sent out in plenty of time
A chairperson and secretary must be present
The chairperson must ensure the quorum is present before starting
Minutes of the meeting must be kept
What is a notice in terms of meetings?
A written invitation to people to come to the meeting
What does a notice include?
The date, time and venue of the meeting
What does an agenda always start with?
The minutes of the last meeting
What does an agenda always end with?
Any Other Business (AOB)
Why is an agenda important?
It lets people know what the meeting is about so that those interested will attend
It allows people to prepare what to say in advance
It ensures the most important work is covered first and the meeting doesn’t get sidetracked
What does AOB stand for?
Any Other Business
What is a quorum in terms of meetings?
The minimum number of people that must be present before the meeting can start
Why is a quorum important?
To stop decisions being made by a minority
To ensure that topics are fully discussed by a range of people
What are the minutes in terms of meetings?
A summarised written record of what happened at the meeting
Who records the minutes of a meeting?
The secretary
What are the functions of the chairperson during meetings?
To make sure the quorum is present
To open the meeting
To maintain proper order and ensure the standing orders are obeyed
To calm for votes when required
To have the casting vote when the vote is tied
To close the meeting when it’s over
What are standing orders?
The rules for conducting the meeting
What is a casting vote?
If the vote is tied, the casting vote decides which side is the winner
What are the four characteristics of a good chairperson?
Impartial
Tactful
Speak clearly
Know the rules
What does it mean if the chairperson is imperial?
They are unbiased and fair to all sides
What does it mean if the chairperson is tactful?
They need to be pleasant but firm; prevent people from taking over the discussion
Why must the chairperson speak clearly?
So that everyone can understand and hear them
Why must the chairperson know the rules?
So that if an issue arises, thy know how to handle it according to the rules
What are the functions of the secretary in a meeting?
To organise the venue, facilities and equipment needed
To send out the notice and agenda to people in plenty of time
To record the minutes of the meeting
To read out the minutes from the previous meeting
To deal with all the correspondence from the meeting
To advise and assist the chairperson
What are the characteristics of a good secretary?
Good organiser, good writer and a good summariser
Why must the secretary be a good organiser?
They need to book a venue, organise facilities, send out the notice and agenda, etc.
Why must the secretary be a good writer?
They need to write up the notice and agenda, take the minutes and deal with the correspondence. They must be able to write well so that everyone can understand what is written
Why must the secretary be a good summariser?
They need to take the minutes concisely and make them easy to understand for those that missed the meeting
What are bar charts good at showing?
The relative sizes of things
What are pie charts good at showing?
Fractions and percentages
How do pictograms represent information?
As pictures
What are pictograms good at showing?
The different sizes of the items in question
What are line graphs used to show?
How the value of an item changes over time
What factors should be considered when choosing a method of communication?
Cost, urgency of the message, need for confidentiality, nature of the message and legal requirements
Why must cost be considered when choosing a method of communication?
So the business can keep the costa down
What is a cost effective method of communication?
Why must the urgency of the message be considered when choosing a method of communication?
If the message is urgent the quickest method possible must be used
What is a fast method of communication for urgent situations?
Telephone
Why must need for confidentiality be considered when choosing a method of communication?
If the message is private, a confidential form of communication must be used
What is a confidential method of communication?
Face-to-face conversations
Why must the nature of the message be considered when choosing a method of communication?
The contents of the message can determine the best method of communication
Why must legal requirement be considered when choosing a method of communication?
The law may determine the method of communication that must be used
How may the law determine the method of communication used?
A legal contract/document for buying a house must be written so there is proof of the agreement
What are some barriers to effective communication?
Language, information overload, prejudice, timing, poor listening skills and lack of trust
How is language a barrier to effective communication?
If the sender uses complicated words or jargon that the receiver doesn’t understand, the receiver may not know what the sender is taking about
What is jargon?
Technical language that others may not understand
How can language be overcome as a barrier to effective communication?
By using clear, simple language appropriate to the receiver
How is information overload a barrier to effective communication?
Too much information can result in the receiver not being able to process all of the information
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