Business communication: types, characteristics and common mistakes

We live in a society in which a large part of the labor market is configured based on the business environment. Be it large multinationals, SMEs, family businesses or even individual services, all of them must take into account that an essential element for its survival is coherence in the organization and communication between its parts in order to join forces and go towards a goal common.

In this sense, we can affirm that Business communication is one of the key elements when an organization, especially if it has a certain complexity, works properly and can adapt and survive. And it is about such communication that we are going to talk throughout this article.

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What is business communication?

Business communication is understood as the set of processes carried out by a company or part of it in order to make the company travel information, both internally between different departments or positions of the company and if we talk about the communication of the company with the Exterior.

It is important to bear in mind that, as a general rule, such communication does not only imply the ability to issue the information, but would also include the fact of receiving it: we are facing a mutual exchange of data.

Good business communication helps all members of the company to remain motivated and that their actions can be known, reducing the uncertainty of both workers and leaders regarding the state of the same. It also facilitates interaction and improves the work environment, in addition to improving productivity and allowing you to react more optimally to any eventuality.

General objectives

The objectives of business communication are easily understandable. Internally, on the one hand, it allows a coherent organization to be produced and the information and results obtained by its different departments or workers, as well as that the objectives and corporate vision of the company can be generated and transmitted.

Too facilitates understanding of what is expected of each worker, as well as the understanding of the realities that each of them must face. It also makes it easier for everyone to work in the same direction, and for them to learn new ways of carrying out their own responsibilities.

At the level of communication with the outside world, business communication is essential in order to contact the environment and generate a positive image of the company itself, as well as in order to analyze the target audience and assess their needs. It also allows you to learn to attract potential clients and assess the changes inherent to a dynamic society and fluid in which we live, something fundamental in order to anticipate and face possible difficulties and be able to adapt to the half.

In order for communication to be efficient, it is necessary for the company itself to create effective channels for it as well. as it enhances the transmission of information with its actions, generating means to communicate and in addition actively working so that there is no uncertainty regarding what is requested and sought within the organization.

It is also important to work on both formal and informal aspects, as well as assess the needs and thoughts of the different workers. Empathy is also essential, as well as good regulation and planning of communication mechanisms.

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Different types of business communication

Not all companies and organizations communicate in the same way, and there are different typologies and classifications of business communication based on various criteria.

1. Internal and external

The first of them is the one that establishes the distinction between internal and external communication, the first being the one that occurs between the different departments and workers of the company itself and the second is aimed at establishing communication with the half.

2. Bidirectional and monodirectional

Likewise, we can also find styles of business communication with a greater or lesser level of interactivity, being able to be found from the most common bidirectional communication in which sender and receiver interact and exchange information until monodirectional in which only one message is sent, generally from positions of power, to a recipient who has no option to reply.

3. Ascending, descending and horizontal

Within the internal business communication of an organization, we can find three main types in function of the point where the information starts and the position between the sender and the receiver of the same communication. We speak of downward communication when the communicative act is carried out from a sender with a higher position than that of the receiver.

When it is the subordinate who issues the message to his superior, we would speak of upward communication. In both cases we would be facing a type of vertical communication, that is, a communication in which the subjects who maintain the communicative act have an unequal relationship in terms of power (there is a hierarchy between them).

The other great type of communication is horizontal communication, which is established between individuals who have the same position and are at the same level of the hierarchy.

4. Formal and informal

Finally, it should be noted that in business communication we can find the existence of two different types of communication channels: the formal and the informal. In the first one, the technical aspects and those related to the tasks themselves are usually dealt with, being a type of respectful communication focused on reason and the company's objective.

In informal communication, however, more flexible and natural communications are usually established, fundamentally focused on interpersonal relationships and often being the one that has the greatest effect on work well-being. The latter varies greatly depending on who carries it out and can transcend the workplace, being difficult to control by the organization.

Possible threats to good communication

Maintaining efficient business communication is essential, but it is not easy. And it is that the existence of a high level of variability in the situations that may arise, as well as the existence of misunderstandings, misuses and difficulties in the communications typical of a company.

1. Lack of consistency

One of the factors that most influences whether the communication is truly useful is the credibility of the issuer and the consideration shown for with the receiver of the message An example of this may be the existence of dissonances between what is said and what is done, not maintaining the issuers a way of acting consistent with the messages issued.

The latter can happen in any of the company's workers, regardless of their hierarchical position or if they speak with a superior, subordinate or someone at the same level of the hierarchy, and generates serious repercussions for both the subject (which depending on the situation could end up being bad considered or even fired) as well as for the organization (generating a lower level of trust in the person and in case of having a high position even in the organization).

In the same way and for example in the case of large companies with a large number of departments, if there are divergences between authority or reference figures within the company probably a situation could arise in which the worker does not really know what leadership to follow, something that can generate frustration and mistrust.

Likewise, it is necessary to be very careful with the interpretability of the messages, since the existence of Ambivalence can lead to different departments or workers to interpret things opposite. What business communication seeks is precisely to guarantee an organization and internal coherence, so that messages unclear and with different interpretations can cause the appearance of uncertainty and doubts for the recipients of the message.

2. Lack of emotional connection

Another problem can be found in the way communication occurs. For example, in some organizations there may be a difficulty in generating a sense of bonding at an emotional level, which in workers can generate a lower commitment and productivity and in users a lack of interest and the search for other alternatives. It is necessary to value that everything that is done, and even what is not, is basically communicative.

Thus, not only the message itself is important but also the way it is transmitted: it is not the same nor does an email offer the same sensations as a face-to-face meeting or the search for a real contact.

3. Not understanding the context

It should also be valued adaptation to the current situation and social progress, as well as the particularities of the situation itself. For example, in an increasingly globalized society and in which new technologies allow immediate communication with a wide number of people at the same time, it may be necessary to analyze and invest in communication policies that take into account the power of social networks and how to correctly transmit the desired information, in addition to assessing contact with potential clients from other regions of the world.

Likewise, it is also necessary to assess the company's own situation in order not to undertake more than what they can cover, being necessary to take into account the situation of the whole of the company.

Another problem could be the content of the messages that are emitted: it is possible that although the communication exists, it does not transmit or does not convey the content that would need to be transmitted. It is possible that it focuses on rather supplementary aspects and ignores, for example, the orientation or the objectives that a certain position should have, or who take for granted the existence of knowledge that has never been made explicit.

4. Isolation and lack of communication

Finally, perhaps the most important problem that can be extrapolated from all the previous ones is the possibility that there is no true communication.

The clearest example is the stable and continuous use of one-way communication, which can generate a situation of stagnation and a lack of understanding of what is happening in the organization. Fortunately today it is the least used precisely because it is the least efficient and useful.

It is also possible that the different positions do not have the adequate mechanisms to get in touch even if their opinions were to be heard, there is less chance of feedback or even that different parts of the company do not have contact with each other. It is necessary to actively stimulate such interaction.