Business is all about communication. Whether it’s virtual or face-to-face, business thrives on the verbal exchanges that build relationships, make deals happen, and reduce misunderstandings. An excellent communicator is first and foremost an excellent brevitarian. In other words, accomplished business professionals have always known the following truism: Brevity is the wind beneath our business wings. The best way to be brief? Be clear. And, of course, clear communication is always, in every situation, the most meaningful.
What’s more, the way we say something—our tone and modulation—is key to it being understood in the way we want. Coupled with this are differences in how certain words and phrases are stressed, which again can convey meaning that is far removed from the basic comprehension of the words themselves. For example, when my mother used to say “It’s fine,” I knew from the way she said it that nothing was really okay. And when certain speakers deliver their “I love yous,” we don’t doubt that they mean it. Trust in what’s being said and by whom is often determined by the degree of “authenticity” in a person’s speech. Doorstop texts give us a quite nuanced “definition” of what just happened or what’s going on. But doorstop novels tell us about worlds that don’t and may never exist and do so with a degree of authority that we are somehow in the presence of “great art.”
The term “non-verbal communication” is used to describe the shared understanding that takes place between people through means other than spoken or written words. Also called “body language” or “gestures,” this is a highly natural and usually unconscious form of human communication that is quite different from verbal communication in several ways. Besides the obvious differences in types of signals sent, non-verbal communication is different from verbal communication in that it is more accepted across cultures.
Along with verbal cues, non-verbal communication has a huge part in delivering messages and shaping perceptions. Especially during face-to-face contact, it is important for people to be aware of the non-verbal cues they are giving, as these cues can have a much greater influence on communication than the actual spoken words. Eye contact, for example—or the lack thereof—can convey a great deal of meaning. When we keep our eyes on the people we are speaking to, it signals not only that we are focused on them but also that we have a certain level of confidence. On the other hand, when we don’t make eye contact, it can instantly cause people to question whether we are really interested in what they have to say. Similarly, our posture and body movements can say a lot about our emotions and feelings.
Non-verbal communication is more than just “talking with your hands.” It is a potent set of tools for signaling our feelings and intentions to others. When it comes to non-verbal cues, facial expressions are a very big part. We can use them to make others feel welcome, or we can use them to signal that we are not amused, for instance. Good communicators and, in particular, good leaders, are experts at interpreting all sorts of non-verbal cues.
Communication in written form
As our world becomes more and more digitalized, businesses are relying on written communication more than ever. From the most basic business e-mail and memo to longer reports and even company proposals, got-to-put-it-in-writing situations have proliferated, if anything, under e-mail’s easy push-to-anywhere capability. There are good reasons that straight writing rather than telling has become our norm, of course—you can communicate complicated stuff if you tell it right in prose, and you can recommend a good result as opposed to just saying that it happened.
Written communication is very important for grammar, punctuation, and spelling. If a person makes mistakes in their grammar or spelling, it can really damage the way a message is seen and taken. That is why proofreading and self-editing your work are so important. You want the documents you write to be polished and equally free of errors. Also, for some people, the style, and sometimes even the tone, of their writing may not suit the audience they are trying to reach.
