Why It Matters: Communicating in Business

Why learn to effectively communicate in business?

Business is about people. We exist to serve people with our products and services, to employ them and pay them to do work, to purchase the supplies and merchandise we need to operate. To be in business is to be surrounded by people who interact with you, who require something from you.

Communication is the connection between people. It could be a shared photograph or a hand-written letter, but as long as one person is sending a message and another person is understanding it, communication is happening.

A conference table with fourteen individuals seated around the table.

The successful professional builds and maintains relationships, completes tasks, directs teams, and expresses ideas via effective communication. To be successful you’ll need to be an effective communicator: you need to be understood.

Playwright George Bernard Shaw is quoted as saying, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” This module is the first step in dispelling the illusion. Here we will talk about the elements of communication—recognizing the pattern of good communication, the types of communication you’re likely to see in the workplace, and the kinds of tools you can use to effectively build your message, deliver it, and be understood by your audience.