Communication

Question 1

Impact of Poor Communication

Answer 1

• Employees may become demotivated, leading to higher staff absenteeism.
• Employees may not understand the task and therefore wast time, leading to low productivity.
• Deadlines may be missed, which could result in reduced sales/profits.
• Employees may wrongly inform customers, leading to increased complaints.
• Poor customer service may damage the image of the company.
• Breakdown in relationships can occur between managers and staff, causing negativity, leading to high staff turnover. This can lead to increased costs in recruitment and training.

Question 2

E-mail
(Electronic communication)

Answer 2

• Allows for groups to be set up so e-mails can be sent quickly to groups of individuals at the same time.
• Documents can be attached for everyone to see.
• No guarantee that staff will check their e-mails when required.

Question 3

E-diary
(Electronic communication)

Answer 3

• Can invite possible meeting attendees at the same time, attendees can accept or decline immediately.
• Diaries can be checked before a date and time is chosen to ensure most people can attend a meeting before sending invitation.
• Meetings documentation can be attached to save on postage and speed, attendees are better informed and prepared for decision-making.
• The to-do list/tasks feature can be used to set meeting task deadlines and view progress.
• Recurring meetings can be entered.
• Reminders can be used to remind employees of meetings, reducing the chance of non-attendance.

Question 4

Social Media
(Electronic communication)

Answer 4

• Can be used to communicate with existing and potential customers.
• Can be used to alert customers of problems or issues, inform customers about offers or new products/services, post photos or videos and ask customers for feedback.
• Informal way of communication, messages have to be short and to the point.
• No guarantee that all messages and posts will be seen.
• Posts are visible to everyone so organisations have to be careful about what is said.

Question 5

Virtual Learning Environments (VLE)
(Electronic communication)

Answer 5

• Require users to log in to secure areas to access resources and tools to support their learning.
• Users can work through materials at their own pace before submitting for checking and marking.

Question 6

Instant Messaging (IM)
(Electronic communication)

Answer 6

• Can communicate in real time/instantly.
• Messages can be sent to anyone who is online at the same time and replies can be sent immediately.
• Two or more people can join in a conversation at the same time.
• Useful for colleagues to have a quick conversation when they are working on the same project but are located in different areas of the office.
• IM chat can be saved for future reference.

Question 7

OneDrive
(Electronic communication)

Answer 7

• Allows multiple users to share and update files.
• Allows team members to take responsibility for their own area of a task and then update the shared file when finished.

Question 8

Microsoft Teams
(Electronic communication)

Answer 8

• Allows teams to share files with one another, have discussions via instant messaging, arrange meetings and give each other feedback on tasks.
• It is also available as an app so can be accessed from anywhere with a mobile device.

Question 9

Presentations
(Face to face communication)

Answer 9

• Use of animation/graphics/embedded sound and video can hold attention, making it more interesting.
• Displaying information can aid understanding for attendees.
• Use of SmartArt/bullet points/designs/tables can avoid information overload.
• Ability to print slides in handout format for distribution, can also have space for audience to write additional notes.
• Notes space on slides can aid speaker.
• Presentation can be e-mailed to avoid intranet/online platforms for future reference.
• Slides can be timed/automated to avoid a presentation overrunning.

Question 10

Meetings
(Face to face communication)

Answer 10

• Allows people to gather together, usually in small groups, to share information and discuss ideas/strategies.
• Can be formal or informal.
• Formal meetings will have records kept of discussions (minutes) so that those who attended and those who were absent can review what was discussed and agreed.

Question 11

Letters
(Written communication)

Answer 11

• Used to send important and confidential information such as offers of employment, changes to a policy, or answering a complaint.
• Can be referred to at a later date which ensures information will not be forgotten.
• No guarantee people will read the information.

Question 12

Reports
(Written communication)

Answer 12

• Prepared internally to present research and findings on a particular issue.
• Provide a permanent record for future reference which staff can refer to when they want clarification.
• Often extensive and lengthy, employees may find language confusing and may not read the full report.

Question 13

Memos
(Written communication)

Answer 13

• Internal messages sent within the organisation.
• Used to send the same message/information to a group of individuals.
• Mainly used when attached to tasks for completion by staff.
• Not used as often now due to ICT.

Question 14

Posters
(Written communication)

Answer 14

• Cheap and easy way to communicate information to a large number of people.
• Displayed on walls or noticeboards to attract attention.
• Use key pieces of text and graphics to highlight key messages.
• People may ignore them and not look at them, meaning key messages may be missed.

Question 15

Audioconferencing
(Oral communication)

Answer 15

• A number of people can speak to each other at the same time from different locations.
• Useful if a face-to-face meeting is not needed.
• Cannot see body language/facial expressions/presentations/demonstrations.
• Can be difficult to organise due to time differences.
• Language barriers can pose problems.

Question 16

Telephone
(Oral communication)

Answer 16

• Use of mobile phones helps with instantaneous communication between employees.
• Allows easy accessibility as employees can answer whilst working away from office.
• Conversations may be forgotten, best used for communicating short pieces of information.

Question 17

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
(Oral communication)

Answer 17

• Allows conversations to take place anywhere in the world as long as there is an internet connection.
• Calls from PC to PC over the internet are free.
• Documents and pictures can be sent, data can be exchanged and 3-way calling can take place.
• Requires a reliable internet connection.
• Some calls may lag, delay or disappear altogether.

Question 18

Noise
(Barriers to communication)

Answer 18

• When the full message is not able to be heard due to a number of factors.
• External noise, work may be going on outside.
• People could be talking while a message is being delivered leading to distractions.

Question 19

Technical Issues
(Barriers to communication)

Answer 19

• There may be instances when connection error mean that you cannot communicate the message you wanted to.
• System crash or loss of signal can occur with mobile/video/audio conferencing.

Question 20

Jargon
(Barriers to communication)

Answer 20

• When there is too many complicated technical terms used in communication.
• Listeners begin to switch off as they have a lack of understanding of what is being communicated.

Question 21

Information Overload
(Barriers to communication)

Answer 21

• Giving an audience too much information at the one time can result in them switching off, meaning they may miss important information.
• Recipient can be tired and confused as a result.

Question 22

Language
(Barriers to communication)

Answer 22

• Speaker may have a strong accent and it may be hard to understand message enfin delivered in its entirety.
• There may be limited common language, especially if it is a multinationals meeting, cultural/ language barriers could result in attendees misunderstanding discussions.

Question 23

Lack of Interest
(Barriers to communication)

Answer 23

• The audience may not engage with the topic or presenter, leading to them being bored and not paying attention.

Question 24

Features of Reliable Sources of Information

Answer 24

• Up-to-date, information that is recent and current.
• Accurate, information that does not contain errors.
• Available, information that is easy to access quickly.
• Cost-effective, information where the benefits of having it outweigh the cost.
• Relevant, information that is suitable for the user/reader.
• Complete/sufficient, information that is complete and comprehensive but concise.
• Non-biased, information that is impartial and fair.