Say you work in the sales team of a large organization. You have a big presentation coming up for an important client where you will showcase the features of your new product. You ask the product team for some data but they don’t understand your questions and give you the wrong information. You only realize this halfway through the presentation, when you’re unable to answer the client’s questions. As a result, the client is less than impressed with your product.
Why do you think this happened? It was due to poor communication between your team and the product team. You can avoid this by strengthening organizational communication in your workplace.
Organizational communication is what gets things done in the workplace. There are many types of organizational communication based on the parties involved. Read on to find out more about them.
Business Organizations And Communication
Communication in an organization is crucial for disseminating important information and sharing updates. When different people work together in a team, they should all be on the same page. And when multiple teams work together, clear communication becomes even more important. It helps each team member keep track of project updates, exchange progress reports and monitor results.
Organizational communication helps businesses stay abreast of what’s happening. Here are the different types of organizational communication:
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Internal Communication
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External Communication
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Upward Communication
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Downward Communication
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Formal Communication
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Informal Communication
Let’s explore organizational communication with examples so you can get a better idea of how information is shared in a professional setting.
Examples Of Organizational Communication
Communication can be verbal or written, so you have to figure out when to use which medium. If you want to keep something on record, the best form of organizational communication is written communication like emails. But for quick and urgent updates, verbal communication is more suitable because you can get an immediate response from the other party.
Here are some common examples of communication in an organization:
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Status Update Meetings
These are the most important types of meetings because they require every team member to share how they’re getting along with their tasks. Status update meetings are held at regular intervals, incentivizing employees to complete their tasks on time. Meetings are effective for organizational communication. You can address queries, assign tasks and raise concerns about a project.
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Virtual Conferences
Today, most communication in an organization takes place online. Whether it’s virtual meetings or conferences, your laptop screen serves as the gateway to your team. Virtual conferences are a reliable medium to share information. With both video and audio control, you won’t feel too far away from your team. You can make presentations, brainstorm and share updates just as you would in the office.
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Written Communication
Apart from spoken communication, written communication is also used regularly in organizations. Emails, notes, memos, business reports, newsletters and manuals or decks comprise written communication. This is a reliable method when you want to store, archive and track information. It can help you keep everything in one place and share it with the rest of the team. Accessibility and reliability are two important advantages of written communication.
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Online Communication Channels
Platforms like Microsoft Teams and Google Meet are now increasingly sought-after for online communication. Many large corporations have internal organizational communication channels for privacy and security. You can instantly reach out to a coworker in a different department or team via these channels. Online chats are quick, informal and convenient.
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Presentations
Communication extends to how you exchange ideas, pitch to clients and conduct your business. Presentations are another important example of communication in the organization. Whether you prepare slides or written reports, presentations help you condense ideas into understandable and accessible chunks.
Effective communication helps you get your point across successfully. Learn how to communicate clearly with Harappa Education’s Speaking Effectively course. The course includes concepts like The Rule of Three and tips to control your volume, tone and pitch. The concepts and frameworks in the course will help you equip yourself with the right skills to communicate with your coworkers.
Explore topics such as What is Communication, Business Communication, Types of Communication, Channels of Communication & Horizontal Communication from Harappa Diaries and learn to effectively perceive, respond and interact with others.