Business Communication: Types And Characteristics

The labor society is made up of companies and entrepreneurs, freelancers, SMEs, retailers, multinationals, family businesses, etc. They all form a conglomerate in which there is a basic and fundamental tool. We are talking about business communication, today we will describe its types and characteristics.

At the business level, in addition to the organization, good internal communication will help all the parts of the company work together to achieve a common goal. On an external level, correct business communication is absolutely necessary and convenient , since it is the one that will be used with organizations, clients, suppliers, etc. The success or failure of a business will depend on it.

The importance of business communication

Since it is so extremely important, let’s see what exactly business communication is. It is a set of procedures carried out by the company to transmit and receive the information necessary for its proper functioning.

The transmission of information will take place in two ways. One internally, that is, among its members, managers, departments, employees, etc .; another externally, with all the external actors with whom it is necessary to have a relationship.

When there is good business communication at all levels, organizations function excellently, since everyone involved knows how to act at all times. This eliminates doubts, increases security, reduces errors, encourages motivation, interaction … Therefore, it improves productivity and solving problems in a satisfactory way for everyone.

Types of business communication

Just as not all organizations are identical and do not have the same needs, they do not use the same forms or channels of communication. There are different types, just as there are different entrepreneurs and companies.

Internal and external

It is the base and that is why it has been mentioned above. The internal is the one that occurs between all the members of the company and the different departments.

On the other hand, the external is the one that occurs with all the agents external to the company, financial institutions, clients, suppliers, public bodies, etc.

Ascending, descending and horizontal directions

In this case, it will be necessary to attend to the situation in the hierarchy that the sender and receiver have. In the case of the ascendant, the sender will be an employee and the receiver a superior, since the message goes vertically from bottom to top, according to the hierarchical order.

When the opposite event occurs, that is, it is the superior who communicates with the employee, it is when it is descending, since it goes vertically from top to bottom. The last case is different, which is the one that occurs between people who occupy the same order within the organization; for this reason it is called horizontal.

One-way and two-way

The bidirectional is the most common and the most used. At least two subjects, sender and receiver, intervene in it , and both interact in the exchange of communication.

On the other hand, when a superior sends an order, only the issuer acts, since there is no exchange between the two, for this reason it is called monodirectional.

Formal and informal

The last type is also very common and depends on who is interacting. It is formal when it is produced externally with agents from outside the company, especially official bodies, financial entities and external services, a more serious, respectful, legal, technical type of communication is usually used, etc.

On the other hand, when communication occurs between colleagues from the same company, it is usually more conversational and direct, since it is a more familiar environment. In this way, internally, the rules of protocol are usually relaxed.

Characteristics of business communication

The characteristics that define business communication are perfectly definable and are based on its correct use and the objectives that are pursued. Therefore, they will be established based on what is intended to be achieved in the organization.

However, there are objectives that must always be present, that are somehow transversal and independent of the context. One of them is that the communication must be clear enough for the recipient to understand. In fact, if this does not happen, the communication loses all its meaning. Finally, point out that the good emission and reception of the message always minimizes those misunderstandings that such a bad environment can generate in a company.