Communication in business encompasses every aspect. It doesn’t limit itself to internal employee communication or external brand communication. The way we talk to people around us largely comes out of our natural habituated style. Seldom do we pause and analyse our communication with others. However cliche the term might sound, communication rules every business and we have to be conscious. It is a core business requirement and must be managed at all levels in order to ensure smooth flow of information up and down the hierarchy within as well as with the outside world.
There can be both – Downward and Upward Communication within an organisation. Downward communication, which is the more prevalent one is when instructions and information flow from the senior hierarchy
downwards to the team. Upward communication comprises information flow from the team members to the senior hierarchy levels. This could be in the form of ideas, issues, grievances, appeals, requests and so on. In organisations, apart from upward and downward communication, there is lateral communication as well. That is not dependant on hierarchy and happens across levels. Whatever the form of communication is, there always needs to be a strategy in place. When people communicate openly and honestly, there is transparency, trust and clarity. There are innumerable benefits of defining a communication strategy within an organisation. It helps to improve the overall productivity of the organisation and creates an environment of positivity around.
Communication is not always limited to the confines of a company. We communicate with customers, vendors, suppliers, other businesses, communities and so on. Whenever we talk with stakeholders outside the organisation, we are representing our brand and creating an identity for the same. Not only that, we are also managing customer relationships, giving and receiving feedback and much more. Hence, there needs to be a consistency in our language, thoughts and expressions.
If you just communicate you can get by. But if you communicate skillfully, you can work miracles.
Jim Rohn