The importance of communication cannot be overstated, as “wherever life exists, communication exists too”. Being derived from a Latin word ‘Communicare’ the word Communication refers to the act of ‘sharing’. In general, Communication is a phenomenon that includes the process of transmitting information, thoughts, ideas, and emotions from one person to another; thereby it touches every aspect of human interaction and contributes to the success of individuals, relationships, and organizations.
Since beginning, communication hold its own importance in uplifting personal and professional life, however with evolving trends of corporate world today we are witnessing the true potential of it. With each change taking place in the corporate world, communication proves itself as an important tool in simplifying corporate affairs. And, mastering communication has never been this important as today we do spend 70–80 percent of working time on some kind of communication (reading, writing, and listening to our co-workers). Hence, it is considerable that good communication is a ticket to success.
In a conversation with Women Entrepreneur magazine, Anuroopa, shres her insights on various aspects pertaining to the importance of communication. Below are the excerpts from the exclusive interview.
How do communication strategies help organizations to communicate with target audiences to achieve specific goals and objectives?
Communication strategy is a plan that helps organizations effectively communicate with their target audience. It not only provides a framework and direction for delivering messages and engaging the audience but also aligns the organization's goals and objectives.A good communication strategy starts by identifying the target audience. This involves understanding their demographics, interests, needs, and preferences. Post identifying the audience, organizations can tailor their messages and choose appropriate communication channels to effectively reach and engage with them. Also, in times crises or sensitive situations, a communication strategy provides a roadmap for addressing and communicating with the target audience effectively. It helps organizations handle and mitigate the impact of crises by providing clear guidelines on managing communication channels, disseminating accurate information, and addressing concerns promptly.
Moreover, by implementing a well-defined communication strategy, organizations can optimize their efforts to reach and engage their target audience effectively. It helps them to deliver compelling messages, foster relationships, and achieve their communication goals in a way that resonates with their intended recipients.
In your opinion, how can communication strategies be used to effectively align global teams with corporate objectives?
Communication is about the exchange of information between two or more people. And, in any organization irrespective of size and revenue, employees need to communicate with one another to achieve the desired outcomes. When it comes to team communication, the purpose of interaction among the members is to share information that is essential for achieving common organizational goals. Moreover, good communication makes it easy for team members to coordinate with one another effectively. The last decade has witnessed business communication technology evolve dramatically. Tools and communication trends have shifted away from email and landed on personable, targeted ways to reach employees. It’s important to recognize these communication trends for companies to gear-up and thrive in extremely competitive world.
What are the current corporate communication trends in the business world?
Modern Intranet: The Intranet, or a digital workplace is the number one business communication tool that thriving organizations rely on. From activity streams, notifications, and likes and comments, to blogs, wikis, and collaboration tools, today’s intranet is people-centric with social features that users are familiar with. According to a study, 85 percent of companies have an intranet or employee hub of some kind. This trend has been fuelled by the benefits of social media, advancing mobile devices, and the rise of remote work. A modern intranet places communications, documents, and people in an always-accessible place. Also, it offers a more convenient way to communicate — everybody can communicate and share ideas from anywhere, while contributing to the company culture and feeling like a community.
Modern Digital Workspaces: With successful organizations realizing that team collaboration is central to productivity; intuitive collaborative digital workspaces are becoming a top business communication trend. Equipped with a robust set of knowledge management tools, co-editing documents, sharing ideas, delegating tasks and finding information it empower employees to work like they’re in the same room . It’s become a must-have feature for many businesses, because teams who work in the same building, or miles apart, need workspaces to track progress, centralize content and people, and eliminate unnecessary tasks that bottleneck workflows.
Unified Communications: Another business communication trend to watch for is unified communications. By tying together three-way communications - leaders to employees, employees to leaders, and employees with each other; a unified communication system reduces infrastructure costs and centralizes features for a more responsive experience. It makes everyone’s life simpler and enables management to quickly see when employees are available. This includes chat services, phone and video conferencing, messaging, and feedback and commenting systems. Employees also receive information relevant to them, which eliminates confusion and provides a consistent user interface and experience across a range of devices and media types.
