Technology & Business Communication

An Overview of Major Shifts in Communication

Technology is changing business communication by connecting everyone from anywhere at any time. With the internet, documents can be sent and received any time of day whereas before the internet, documents needed to be delivered by mail so business hours, weekends and holidays would have to be taken into consideration when determining whether or not a document would be delivered on time. Cell phones are another example of technology changing business communication. Before cell phones, a person was tied to their desk if a call was expected and if someone called them after business hours, the message may not be received until the next day. Now with cell phones, people can be reached regarding business at any time of day and anywhere so long as there is a cell phone signal. People must now make an effort to separate their business lives from their personal lives because they can no longer simply keep work at the office because the office has become mobile (Camillo, 2012).

A major impact on communication that has resulted from mobile technology is the result of texting and other electronic communications mediums. These mediums are often utilized and as a result of convenience, language is used which is often toneless and abbreviated. The issue with this type of language use is that it can create miscommunications between people. Technology has created this issue and the solution has not been easy to implement because people are unaware of the implications of messages written in this manner (Camillo, 2012).

One major change that technology has brought about is the globalization process. For business, communications can now take place globally allowing for more efficient management of foreign entities. This communication advancement has allowed businesses to flourish across the globe that were once trapped in specific countries.

With technological advances, the globalization that has resulted and having a mix of employees from different cultural backgrounds, it is important for a business manager to adapt oral and written communication for cross-cultural communication purposes. Business managers can adapt oral and written communication for cross-cultural purposes by using the language necessary while also taking into account paralanguage, which is how something is said. A document or speech can be translated into the language needed, but it is important to remember where the emphasis is placed in the document or speech because it can change the overall message dramatically. For example, translating “We need your help” without any emphasis could be received as a general message of needing help, but emphasizing ‘your’ would give special importance to the audience that it is your help we need, not anyone else’s. International businesses also provide training to employees for language and for how to act when overseas in various cultures. It should be noted that this is an important aspect of communication in business as the globalization process continues to create diversity in the workplace. The need to understand cultural language differences will be imperative to maintaining and improving productive and efficient work environments (Camillo, 2012). This requires an unprecedented level of transparency and application of communication strategies in order to resolve conflict in the workplace.

References

Camillo, A. (2012). Managerial Communication: Applying the latest communication techniques and strategies to avoid conflicts and promote a transparent and effective working relationship. The Complete guide to strategic Service Management, 231–232.

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