Features of business communication

INTRODUCTION Improving the communication skills necessary for dealing with common business activities, including presentations, participating in meetings and negotiations, telephoning, writing letters and writing reports. (Umera-Okeke in Mable Chan Through studying business English, one can learn to communicate with people from all over the globe

the common spoken needs cover: phone conversations Presentations meetings(including virtual ones) Negotiations interviews socialising

and written ones cover : business correspondence for internal and external communication using instant messaging, email and letters business plans business proposals and persuasive communication the emerging use of social networking sites

In order to communicate effectively in the workplace for doing business we need to be equipped with: linguistic competence Sociolinguistic competence; discourse competence; and strategic competence.

To communicate effectively, it is not just language accuracy that is required but one’s understanding of appropriateness

BEING APPROPRIATE ALSO MEANS KNOWING WHAT THE TABOOS OF THE OTHER CULTURE ARE, WHAT POLITENESS INDICES ARE USED IN EACH CASE, WHAT THE POLITICALLY CORRECT TERM WOULD BE FOR SOMETHING, AND HOW A SPECIFIC ATTITUDE (AUTHORITY, FRIENDLINESS, COURTESY, IRONY) IS EXPRESSED.

features of business English to familiarise working professionals Don’t use the passive voice where you could use the active voice. If you can cut a word out, cut it out Don’t use a long word where a short word will do. Use familiar and common words.

Why should business English be concise and simple Why should business English be concise and simple? Why the above features? Being able to communicate effectively in the workplace makes you valued and helps you advance in your career.

BE SIMPLE Be cautious in using specialised technical terms in business communication. If you can use a specialised technical term to convey meaning in a precise way, please do. If not, use common and simple words readers are familiar with

BE CONCISE A sentence should contain no unnecessary words using the least number of words to convey the same meaning

Use the active voice with strong verbs Strong verbs liven up and tighten sentences. Verbs provide the momentum of writing and proper verb choice is very important in making your writing clear.

AVOID NOMINALISATION a noun phrase that has a systematic correspondence with a clausal predication which includes a head noun morphologically related to a corresponding verb

Positive senteces are easier to understand than negative sentences BE POSITIVE Positive senteces are easier to understand than negative sentences

USE PARALELLISM Parallelism reinforces grammatically equal elements, contributes to ease in reading, and provides clarity and rhythm