Communication in Business
Every organisation depends on the movement of information. Decisions get made, tasks get delegated, customers get served, and problems get flagged because someone communicated something to someone else. When that process breaks down, even a well-resourced business can lose time, money, and staff trust.
Communication is the exchange of information between people or organisations.
The process has five components:
- Sender: the person or group initiating the message
- Message: the information being conveyed
- Medium: the channel used to transmit the message (email, meeting, phone call, etc.)
- Receiver: the intended audience
- Feedback: the receiver's response, which confirms whether the message was understood
Communication flows in two directions inside any organisation. Internal communication connects people within the business: managers to staff, departments to departments. External communication connects the business to its stakeholders: customers, suppliers, investors, regulators.
The choice of medium and formality is a managerial decision. Getting it wrong wastes time at best and causes compliance failures at worst. A safety announcement delivered the same way as an office birthday invite is a problem waiting to happen.