Exercise 1 - Business Communication

The video presents a lecture on business communication in IT-BPM Industry, which is said to be no different from communication types employed in other industries. The resource person mentions four aspects of business communication that are common to all industries. They are the focus group discussions, personal interaction, coaching or mentoring, and sales representation. What sets the difference is the opportunity enjoyed by the IT-BPM Industry that is their having connection with more multi-cultural group, a kind of association that orients employees to make adjustments in their communication style as they understand that diversity in culture means differences in context. Thus, for the former to deliver the message comprehensibly to the target audience business communication fundamentals such as grammar, sentence construction, thought organization, thinking process (where answering the question is concerned) are employed. The industry’s main concern is on their manner of doing things for business in terms of communication.

For business communication to be effective certain standards in business communication skills must be met. IT-BPM adopts the Common European Framework (CEF), which requires 3 as acceptable basis of language proficiency, a bit lower than the 3.5 prerequisite of the industry. Proficiency in language is measured in terms of the person’s ability to converse both in oral and written aspects and to read in terms of business context. Context is very important in communication as this may bring either positive or negative effects to both the correspondent and the audience. So, to address context issues in business communication critical and analytical thinking, which are the key elements in business communication skills, are utilized. Also, thought organization, which enables the person to read, communicate and think in a language used in communication, is practiced to avoid misunderstanding or conflicts between parties involved.

As a whole, the lecturer imparts the idea that for one to effectively communicate proficiency in language both in oral and written aspects has to be attained. Further, adaptability and flexibility to the situation must be exercised especially where dealing with contacts from other culture is concerned. If the person happens to have not yet developed the required business communication skills, she advises the use of language in oral communication, which would give the person the opportunity to experience the employment of language in communication and to understand its nuances. Reading a lot for a wider vocabulary and active listening, which would benefit the individual understanding of the message without seeing the words or any visual material, are also recommended. These, should be all applied would bring about success not only to the person but to the industry as a whole.