Business Communication It Counts!

Hello, my name is Johnny Brady and I am a junior at Penn State Beaver majoring in Business Management/Marketing. I’m from Aliquippa, Pa, and I graduated from Hopewell High School in 2013. Once I finished high school I decided to play soccer at Bethany College. After one semester I transferred to Penn State Beaver and was very happy with my choice. All my life communication has played a very important role. In the classroom I don’t say much, but outside of that, I really don’t stop talking. I have played soccer for 16 years and talking a lot is a big factor to the success of your team. This brings me my reasons as to why proper communication is necessary to a successful team in the workplace.

• Effective communication is defined as verbal speech or other methods of relaying information that get a point across.

Not all forms of communication are good. In a business meeting setting, the atmosphere can be very intimidating. An issue that I deal with is public speaking, and I am sure that I am not the only one. Poor public speaking is an easy way to show that you are unable to get your point across and it could cost your company money, or you your job. The art of effective communication is confidence. Confidence really is key. To be an effective communicator, you have to believe in yourself and what you are saying.

Social media is a relatively new form of communication in the world. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn are growing more and more popular each and every day. With these forms of social media growing, small and large companies are utilizing them as an advantageous way of promoting their business or idea. When I worked at my last job, Twitter was a very important tool in my companies advertising. It was a quick and easy way to show different deals and promotions to hundreds of people, and it made a big difference in our income. Using different forms of social media is a useful and highly effective way to reach out to people of all age groups.

From small family-owned companies, to global organizations, teamwork plays a massive factor to the success. If a team can work together it not only benefits themselves, but it also allows for the company to:

• improve office relationships
• be more efficient
• operate a more effective business

For myself and others, an easy way to relate to this would be to look at it from a sports perspective. In team sports, it is all about chemistry. Knowing how your teammates are thinking and being prepared to have their back no matter what is very important. Trust and confidence are key attributes to have in a successful team, and if a company can find that in their workers then I believe they have great potential.

Non-Verbal communication is something that could potentially make a problem out of nothing. Forms of non-verbal communication are:

• Facial Expressions
• Gestures
• Eye Contact
• Proxemics (personal space)
• Appearance

Each of these forms of non-verbal communication can be taken the “wrong way”. That is the problem with non-verbal communication. They are all easy ways to be judged and can determine if successful business may be carried out. To avoid these forms of communication, it would be smart to do research on how to act and conduct yourself in different business situations.

In nearly all first world companies, an increase in cultural diversity is a common happening. While there is mostly only advantages, I believe there may be some disadvantages too. The major disadvantage that I believe would be encountered is partially tied in with non-verbal communication. In different cultures there are different sets of ways as to how someone would like to be treated or looked at. In America, the golden rule is, “treat others how you would want to be treated.” However, after learning in class that this is not true for other cultures, I feel like that may cause problems. This is why I believe it is very important to be culturally aware in different countries. Respect can go a long way in the business world, and it can be very beneficial.

Gender and race discrimination is a nationally recognized issue that could potentially ruin a company’s image. It is an extremely touchy subject, and something that many people try to overlook. In the early 1900’s, the workplace mainly consisted of male workers, but in the 1920’s the law was passed that allowed working women equal employment opportunities. Now women play a vital role in each and every company. With a diverse workplace of different genders and races, it opens up the company to have a variety of viewpoints on different topics. Having more than one way of thinking benefits the company greatly. With two different genders working together, men and women can both relate to their own gender and broaden the company’s business targets.