Mukesh Chaturvedi - The Art and Science of Business Communication

P.D. CHATURVEDI

MUKESH CHATURVEDI

There are two types of text booksone that follows a given syllabus; the other that defines syllabus. This edition is an attempt to do the latter.

After having tested the first edition for over five years, and the second for over two, we were convinced that the book had established very well the pedagogyteaching of Business Communication by case method, but the question, What exactly to teach in Business Communication to make students corporate-ready? still remained incompletely answered. Thus, the third edition had taken a very different approach to the content of a Business Communication course.

This fourth edition of The Art and Science of Business Communication is an attempt to take the book to a higher level by including some topics that will make the book more useful for not only the regular MBA students, but also the practitioners. For example, the chapter Theatre Technique for Effective Communication and Personality Development provides a hands-on, step-by-step guide to a faculty for a structured and programmed application of one of the most modern pedagogical tools of communication. Another new chapter Communication for Effective Marketing has been developed largely from the point-of-view of marketing executives using the most realistic jargons and language for easy application.

But, most importantly, this edition, for the first time, brings out the Science of Business Communication alongside the Art. There are two facets of Communication: Skills and Effectiveness; and, they are, often, used interchangeably. That could be the reason why, more often than not, most of the authors talk about development of Skills; and, try to suggest that skills would automatically lead to effectiveness. This work, since the very first edition, has been propagating the idea that Skills and Effectiveness are two different and distinct levels of communication. Skill is the Art, and how we go about using these skills to achieve Effectiveness is the Science of communicationthe process, the reasoning, the rationale, and the logic. And, this understanding of the approach to result-oriented communications helps develop skills better. Precisely, this edition takes this perspective. This edition also re-organizes some of the parts for a more logical structure and flow of topics.

What is communication? Communication is what it doesbringing people together. How does it do that? By establishing a commonness among people. The message (the verbally/non-verbally developed idea), the medium (the carrier of the message), and the environment (the surroundings in which communication takes place) bring about this commonness, a situational relationship for a (common) purpose. This is how we would like to explain communis, the Latin origin of the word communication.

If communication is a social need for an individual, it is the lifeblood of an organization. If we, as individuals, communicate 70 per cent of our waking time, an organization communicates 90 per cent of its working time. If individuals communicate for their personal purpose, communication in an organization is for business purposes. Thus, communication plays a crucial role in an organization, bringing all aspects of the business togetheremployees, customers, suppliers, intermediaries, the public, and so on.

Working people communicate at three levelspersonal, social, and professional. We could also call these the three spheres of communication. We have a natural ability to adapt to the communication requirements of each of these spheres. However, with time, some of us become more and more fixed in our style of communication and tend to use the same style across the three spheres. What does our tendency to be flexible or rigid across the three spheres of communication depend on? Does it depend on how conscious we are at a particular level, and for how long? For example, if someone communicates more consciously for most of the time at the workplace, would they not become more formal in their style for the rest of the day and spheres as well?

Flexibility in our communication helps us adapt to the situational requirements faster, which results in efficient communication, and efficient communication translates into less time and effort in getting ready to communicate appropriately at a particular level. So, consciousness gives control, which, in turn, helps develop flexibility and makes our communication effective and efficient.

Our contention is that 90 per cent of us are not conscious of our communication 90 per cent of the time. And those of us who are conscious about our communication, are more conscious of what we communicate than how we communicate. Business Communication prepares students for effective communication at the workplace by focusing on how to communicate in business situationshow to recognize the techniques that help in communicating a message accurately, how to handle intercultural situations that require thoughtful communication, how to use appropriate words and an effective tone for writing effectively, and so on. The book helps students master the art of communication be learning to be more conscious of their communication and developing a flexible and effective communication style.

1. This edition incorporates two new chapters, Communication for Effective Marketing. These chapters have been included to keep pace with the evolving needs of corporates and the nature of business communication. Todays professionals need to work with clients and colleagues from different spheres. They require a more confident personality. They need to hone their marketing communication skills. The two new chapters discuss these issues in detail.
2. The fourth edition also carries many new cases included in the last edition, such as the ones on report writing, non-verbal communication, and negotiation skills.