Unit 1 Managerial Communication

Introduction to Communication

Communication can be defined as “purposefully and actively exchanging

information between two or more people to convey or receive the intended
meanings through a shared system of signs and symbols”
Communication is as old as human civilization. Man used to communicate with his
fellow beings by means of sounds, signals, gestures when there was no language
developed. Minus communication, human society could not have been as it is
today. It is communication which has transformed mankind into the most
developed rational and prosperous group on the earth.

Communication is giving, receiving or exchanging ideas, data, information, signals

or messages through appropriate media, enabling individuals or groups to
persuade, to seek information, to give information or to express emotions.

Organizational communication establishes a pattern of formal communication

channels to carry information vertically and horizontally. To ensure efficient and
effective accomplishment of objectives, information is exchanged. Information is
passed upward from employees to supervisors and laterally to adjacent
departments
 Importance of communication
Good communication skills aids in all aspects of life – from professional life to
personal life and everything that falls in between. From a business standpoint, all
transactions result from communication. Good communication skills are essential
to allow others and yourself to understand information more accurately and
quickly.
A manager may be highly qualified and skilled but if he does not possess good
communication skills, all his ability becomes irrelevant. A manager must
communicate his directions effectively to the subordinates to get the work done
from them properly.
1. The Basis of Co-ordination
2. Fluent Working
3. The Basis of Decision Making
4. Increases Managerial Efficiency
5. Increases Cooperation and Organizational Peace
6. Boosts Morale of the Employees
7. Source of Information

The communication processes

The communication process refers to a series of actions or steps taken in order to

successfully communicate. It involves several components such as the sender of
the communication, the actual message being sent, the encoding of the message,
the receiver and the decoding of the message
The Communication is a two-way process wherein the message in the form of
ideas, thoughts, feelings, opinions is transmitted between two or more persons
with the intent of creating a shared understanding.

The communication is a dynamic process that begins with the conceptualizing of

ideas by the sender who then transmits the message through a channel to the
receiver, who in turn gives the feedback in the form of some message or signal
within the given time frame.

Sender: The sender or the communicator is the person who initiates the
conversation and has conceptualized the idea that he intends to convey it to
others.
Encoding: The sender begins with the encoding process wherein he uses certain
words or non-verbal methods such as symbols, signs, body gestures, etc. to
translate the information into a message. The sender’s knowledge, skills,
perception, background, competencies, etc. has a great impact on the success of
the message.
Message: Once the encoding is finished, the sender gets the message that he
intends to convey. The message can be written, oral, symbolic or non-verbal such
as body gestures, silence, sighs, sounds, etc. or any other signal that triggers the
response of a receiver.
Communication Channel: The Sender chooses the medium through which he
wants to convey his message to the recipient. It must be selected carefully in
order to make the message effective and correctly interpreted by the recipient.
The choice of medium depends on the interpersonal relationships between the
sender and the receiver and also on the urgency of the message being sent. Oral,
virtual, written, sound, gesture, etc. are some of the commonly used
communication mediums.
Receiver: The receiver is the person for whom the message is intended or
targeted. He tries to comprehend it in the best possible manner such that the
communication objective is attained. The degree to which the receiver decodes
the message depends on his knowledge of the subject matter, experience, trust
and relationship with the sender.
Decoding: Here, the receiver interprets the sender’s message and tries to
understand it in the best possible manner. An effective communication occurs
only if the receiver understands the message in exactly the same way as it was
intended by the sender.
Feedback: The Feedback is the final step of the process that ensures the receiver
has received the message and interpreted it correctly as it was intended by the
sender. It increases the effectiveness of the communication as it permits the
sender to know the efficacy of his message. The response of the receiver can be
verbal or non-verbal.
Noise
It refers to any obstruction that is caused by the sender, message or receiver
during the process of communication. For example, bad telephone connection,
faulty encoding, faulty decoding, inattentive receiver, poor understanding of
message due to prejudice or inappropriate gestures, etc.
 Barriers to Communication
Linguistic Barriers, Psychological Barriers, Interpersonal Barriers, Cultural Barriers,
Physical Barriers, Organizational Barriers

Overcoming the barriers

A barrier is any obstacle that prevents us from reaching our goal. Any hindrance
to communication stops the intended meaning of our message from reaching our
audience. The process of communication has multiple barriers. The intended
communique will often be disturbed and distorted leading to a condition of
misunderstanding and failure of communication. The Barriers to effective
communication could be of many types like linguistic, psychological, emotional,
physical, and cultural etc.

Linguistic Barriers
The language barrier is one of the main barriers that limit effective
communication. Language is the most commonly employed tool of
communication. The fact that each major region has its own language is one of
the Barriers to effective communication. Sometimes even a thick dialect may
render the communication ineffective. The languages of every two regions
changes within a few kilometers. Even in the same workplace, different
employees will have different linguistic skills. As a result, the communication
channels that span across the organization would be affected by this.
Thus keeping this barrier in mind, different considerations have to be made for
different employees. Some of them are very proficient in a certain language and
others will be ok with these languages.

Psychological Barriers
There are various mental and psychological issues that may be barriers to
effective communication. Some people have stage fear, speech disorders, phobia,
depression etc. All of these conditions are very difficult to manage sometimes and
will most certainly limit the ease of communication. The shrillness of
voice, dyslexia, etc are some examples of physiological barriers to effective
communication. However, these are not crucial because they can easily be
compensated and removed.

Interpersonal Barriers
An interpersonal barrier is something that prevents an effort to communicate
between two or more people. Stage fright, a language barrier, the state of
grieving, and a stroke involving the speech area
An intrapersonal conflict involves the self and/or selves being blocked by a
misconception, incorrect facts, a state of shame and/or delusions, anger that is
unresolved, prejudice, previous lack of success in communicating about a difficult
topic such as work performance, video game obsession, etc.
Lack of participation and open mindness leads to these barriers

Cultural Barriers

The world is getting more and more globalized, any large office may have people
from several parts of the world. Different cultures have a different meaning for
several basic values of society. Dressing, Religions or lack of them, food, drinks, pets,
and the general behaviour will change drastically from one culture to another.

Hence it is a must that we must take these different cultures into account while
communication. This is what we call being culturally appropriate. In many
multinational companies, special courses are offered at the orientation stages that
let people know about other cultures and how to be courteous and tolerant of
others.

Physical Barriers

Physical barrier is the environmental and natural condition that act as a barrier in
communication in sending message from sender to receiver. Organizational
environment or interior workspace design problems, technological problems and
noise are the parts of physical barriers. Disturbance in hearing due to thunders,
telephone call disconnection, problems in television reception, message not being
sent in chat, etc. are some examples of physical barriers of communication.
They are the most obvious barriers to effective communication. These barriers are
mostly easily removable in principle at least. They include barriers like noise,
closed doors, faulty equipment used for communication, closed cabins, etc.
Sometimes, in a large office, the physical separation between various employees
combined with faulty equipment may result in severe barriers to effective
communication.

Organizational Barriers
The Organizational Barriers refers to the hindrances in the flow of information
among the employees that might result in a commercial failure of an organization.
These barriers pertain to hierarchical factors—problems with structures or
systems in place in an organization, such as inefficient information systems, lack
of supervision or training, lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities, and other
deficiencies in organizational design which make it unclear and confusing to know
who to communicate with.
Examples
 1. Organizational Rules and Policies: 
2. Status or Hierarchical Positions in the Organization: 
3. Organizational Facilities: 
4. Complex Organizational Structure: 

Overcoming the barriers

Effective communication is vital to successful management. Therefore, each

individual should be familiar with several methods of overcoming communication
barriers and conducive to maximizing his success in communicating.

Ways to overcome these barriers of communication.

 1. Eliminating differences in perception: 
2. Use of Simple Language: 
3. Reduction and elimination of noise levels: 
4. Active Listening: 
5. Emotional State: 
6. Simple Organizational Structure: 
7. Avoid Information Overload: 
8. Give Constructive Feedback: 
9. Proper Media Selection: .
10.Flexibility in meeting the targets:

Listening Skills

Definition of Listening
Listening is defined as the learned skill, in which we can receive sounds through
ears, and transform them into meaningful messages. To put simply, it is the
process of diligently hearing and interpreting the meaning of words and
sentences spoken by the speaker, during the conversation.
Listening is a bit difficult, because it requires concentration and attention, and the
human mind is easily distracted. People use it as a technique to comprehend,
what is being said, through different verbal and non-verbal signs, i.e. how it is
being said? What type of words is used? Tone and pitch of voice, body language
and so on. Listening within the work context is the process by which you gain an
understanding of the needs, demands, and preferences of your stakeholders
through direct interaction. A stakeholder could be anyone from your boss, a
client, customer, co-worker, subordinate, upper management, board member,
interviewer, or job candidate.
 Defining hearing vs. listening
The definition of hearing has more to do with the physiological act of hearing
sounds than it does with making sense and connecting with the person who’s
talking to you.
Definition of Hearing
The natural ability or an inborn trait that allows us to recognize sound through
ears by catching vibrations is called the hearing. In simple terms, it is one of the
five senses; that makes us aware of the sound. It is an involuntary process,
whereby a person receives sound vibrations, continuously.
A normal human being’s hearing capability ranges from 20 to 20000 Hertz, called
as audio or sonic. Any frequency above and below the given range is known as
ultrasonic and infrasonic respectively.

Active listening,
Academic listening,
Listening for details –
Listening and note-taking,
Listening for sound contents of videos,
Listening to talks and descriptions,
Listening for meaning –
Listening to announcements (railway/ bus stations/ airport / stadium
announcement etc.)
Listening to Radio and Television
Listening to news programs,
 10 Commandments of listening

TEN COMMANDMENTS OF GOOD LISTENING

by Keith Davis
1. STOP TALKING.

You cannot listen if you are talking.

2. PUT THE TALKER AT EASE.
Help him feel that he is free to talk. This is often called a “permissive
environment.”
3. SHOW HIM THAT YOU WANT TO LISTEN.
Look and act interested. Do not read you mail while he talks. Listen to understand
rather than to reply.
4. REMOVE DISTRACTIONS.
Don’t doodle, tap, or shuffle papers. Will it be quieter if you shut the door?
5. EMPATHIZE WITH HIM.
Try to put yourself in his place so you can see his point of view.
6. BE PATIENT.
Allow plenty of time. Do not interrupt him. Don’t start for the door or walk away.
7. HOLD YOUR TEMPER.
An angry man gets the wrong meaning from words. “He who angers you,
conquers you.”
8. GO EASY ON ARGUMENT AND CRITISM.
This puts him on the defensive. He may “clam up” or get angry. Do not argue, “if
you win, you lose.”
9. ASK QUESTIONS.
This encourages him and shows you are listening. It helps to develop points
further.
10. STOP TALKING.
This is first and last, because all other commandments depend on it.
You just can’t do a good listening job while you are talking.

Barriers to Effective listening

There are many things that get in the way of listening and you should be aware of
these barriers, many of which are bad habits, in order to become a more effective
listener. Barriers and bad habits to effective listening can include:

Information Overload

Personal Concerns

Outside Distraction

Prejudice

Rate of Speech and Thought

Beliefs and attitudes

Lack of interest

Assumptions
 Importance of Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence, emotional quotient and emotional intelligence quotient, is
the capability of individuals to recognize their own emotions and those of others,
discern between different feelings, use emotional information to guide thinking
and behavior, and adjust emotions to adapt to environments
Emotional intelligence allows us to understand and manage your emotions in
order to self-motivate and to create positive social interactions; it's the first step
in realizing your true potential. The value and benefits of EI are vast in terms of
personal, academic, and professional success.
Emotional intelligence is the capacity to understand and manage your emotions.
The skills involved in emotional intelligence are self-awareness, self-regulation,
motivation, empathy, and social skills. 

Benefits of emotional intelligence in the workplace

 Predicting staff reactions to negative news and aptly preparing for this
 Effectively listening
 Providing effective communication
 Successfully managing difficult situations
 Recognizing potential mental health risks to staff
 Making employees feel comfortable in sharing ideas and concerns with you
 Remaining optimistic and having a positive attitude
  Gaining trust and loyalty quickly which subsequently increases staff
performance
 Being empathetic and compassionate towards staff and clients
 Remaining calm and handling pressure effectively
 Being open to positive and negative feedback
 Motivating yourself and your staff
 Resolving conflict fairly
 Influencing and inspiring staff which helps when trying to gain support for
future projects

Meaning of sentence

Meaning of sentence

A sentence is basically a connection between a noun (the subject) and a verb (the
predicate). The subject tells what the sentence is about, and the predicate tells
what the subject is doing or being. All of the other words in a sentence simply
modify the subject or the predicate. Sentences have different functions and
structures. A sentence is a set of words that is complete in itself, typically
containing a subject and predicate, conveying a statement, question, exclamation,
or command, and consisting of a main clause and sometimes one or more
subordinate clauses
Efficient communication requires a combination of different aspects of English.
One of the most important aspects of language is sentences. A sentence should
hold a certain meaning by itself. A combination of different sentences with
different thoughts will help you to pass certain information to the reader.
Effective sentences are key to good business communication. Effective sentences
ensure that communication is decoded correctly. Sentences that are concise and
precise enhance readability and comprehension.
A good sentence expresses a complete thought, and can clearly communicate an
idea. However, there are a variety of other components that contribute to good
sentence construction:

1. A good sentence is a complete sentence. A complete sentence requires a

subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought—also known as an
independent clause. This element of sentence structure can stand on its own,
expressing an idea without the need for additional information.
2. A good sentence conjures a particular mood. Especially when trying to appeal
to your reader’s sensibilities, proper use of emotion in your sentences can make
all the difference as to whether your audience feels what you want them to or
not. This is particularly useful in many business writing fields like copywriting and
marketing, where establishing an emotional connection with the reader can
address their wishes—or fears—and compel them to take action or buy into what
you’re selling.
3. A good sentence paints a picture. Using strong sensory imagery will create a
vivid image for your reader. It doesn’t provide too much information that insults
your audience’s imagination, but it gives enough detail that is necessary for the
message you are trying to send. A single sentence can become much more potent
when there is a powerful visual attached to it.
4. A good sentence has flow. How you word sentences dictates their pacing, and
the cadence of a good sentence should be unmarred by poor punctuation or
wordiness. A reader should not have to go back and re-read a sentence to
understand the idea behind it, it should be conveyed clearly and not convoluted
by complex diction

Tips for Writing Good Sentences

If you know how to write sentences, you’re on your way to writing good
sentences. There are many writing tips available for those looking to craft better
sentences:

1. Keep it simple
2. Use Clarity
3. Proper Paragraphs
4. Mind your grammar.
5. Properly punctuate.
6. Practice writing.

Classification of sentence based on Connotation

Language is fluid and full of nuance. Writers sculpt language with narrative
techniques to create complex ideas and deeper meanings. One of the best ways
to do this is through connotation, a literary device that refers to the selection of a
word or phrase for its suggested meaning instead of its literal one. It is the
difference between referring to an adult as “youthful” versus “childish”: the
definition of the words is the same, but the implied meaning is very different

Connotations can be either positive, negative, or neutral. Writers often use

different connotations to inject multiple layers of meaning into a word, phrase, or
passage. Take this sentence, for example: “The dog is thin.” It has neutral
connotations because it is simply a statement of fact. However, the same
sentence rewritten as “The dog is emaciated” has negative connotations: the
word “emaciated” implies the dog has a neglectful owner.

Types of Connotation in Writing

Writers often use connotation to create emotional associations that can be either
positive, negative, or neutral.

1. Positive connotation. Words that conjure a favorable emotional response. For

example, describing someone ambitious as a “go-getter” or someone who is lively
and curious as “youthful.”
2. Negative connotation. When a negative connotation is made, it presents the
person or thing in an unfavorable light. Using the examples above, the same
ambitious person might be described as an “overachiever,” while the curious
person might be referred to as “childish.”
3. Neutral connotation. This is when a word says what it means with a neutral
point of view, and no attached positive or negative connotation. The statement,
“He is ambitious” suggests a person works hard and strives to achieve, without
judgment on whether the ambition is a good or a bad thing.

Example
George Orwell, Animal Farm. In Orwell’s classic novel, animals are assigned roles
according to their societal connotations. For example, pigs are the authority
figures, while sheep are the unquestioning followers.
Types of sentences-
Assertive,
Interrogative,
Imperative,
Exclamatory
Operative

1)Assertive Sentence

An assertive sentence is a declaration of the claim. The word “assertive” alone

conveys the message of the statement. Facts, history, views, events, feelings, and
beliefs are all covered in one statement
Types of Assertive Sentences
There are two types of assertive sentences, which are:

Affirmative assertive sentence

Negative assertive sentence.

Affirmative Assertive Sentence

We utilize an affirmative tone in the affirmative assertive phrase.

Affirmative Assertive Sentences: Examples

There is no doubt in their minds that you will be taken seriously.
This is a stunning bird.
The Taj Mahal is one of India`s most popular tourist attractions.
By a margin of sixty runs, India triumphed in cricket.

Negative Assertive Sentence

A negative set of words is used in an assertive negative phrase. The opposite of a
positive set of words is a negative one. This ensemble conveys a negative vibe.

Negatively forceful statements like these might be used to make a point. Look at
this-
The pupils are not attending the Maths lesson.
When a dog barks, it does not mean it intends to attack.
I have no hatred towards anybody.

2) Interrogative Sentence

An interrogative sentence is a sentence that asks a question. Interrogative

sentences can be direct or indirect, begin with or without pronouns, and feature
yes/no interrogatives, alternative questions, or tag questions. Interrogative
sentences often start with interrogative pronouns and end with a question
mark.
Examples
"How did it get so late so soon?"
"Are my kids cute or do they make people uncomfortable?"
"Where do you want to go today?"
3) Imperative Sentence

An imperative sentence is a sentence that expresses a direct command, request,

invitations, warning, or instruction. Imperative sentences do not have a subject;
instead, a directive is given to an implied second person. The usual function
(job) of an imperative sentence is to give a command or instruction. It tells us to
do something. For example, the sentence “Wash the dinner plates” commands
the implied subject to wash the dishes
Examples
Watch your mouth, young man!
Go, and never use my towels again

(4) Exclamatory Sentence.

An exclamatory sentence, also known as an exclamation sentence or an
exclamative clause, is a statement that expresses strong emotion. Typically, in
English grammar, an exclamatory sentence ends with an exclamation mark. An
exclamatory sentence expresses excitement or emotion. It ends with an
exclamation mark. For example:
What a goal that was!
You were meant to be back yesterday!

5) Operative Sentences

The sentence which expresses a prayer, keen wish, curse etc. is called an
optative sentence. This kind of sentence generally starts with ‘may’ and ‘wish’.
Sometimes, ‘may’ remains hidden.
Examples of Optative Sentence:

May the king of Westeros live long!

Long live the king of Westeros.
May you two live long enough to see your grandchildren!
May God bless us all.

Structure of a sentence

The subject and predicate make up the two basic structural parts of any complete
sentence. In addition, there are other elements, contained within the subject or
predicate, that add meaning or detail. These elements include the direct object,
indirect object, and subject complement.

Sentence structure is how the basic grammatical elements (a subject, predicate,

and sometimes direct or indirect objects) of a sentence are put together. The
rules for how a sentence is constructed are simple but firm. These include the
necessity for a subject, predicate, and object (in that order) in every sentence.
Beyond that, we can add additional elements like prepositions and dependent
clauses. Advanced sentences can weave these elements together to create more
 and more complex structures. There are four types of sentence structure (listed
below).

Simple Sentence Structure

A simple sentence consists of one independent clause. (An independent clause
contains a subject and verb and expresses a complete thought.)

I like coffee.
Mary likes tea.
The earth goes round the sun.
Mary did not go to the party.
Compound Sentence Structure
A compound sentence is two (or more) independent clauses joined by a
conjunction or semicolon. Each of these clauses could form a sentence alone.

I like coffee and Mary likes tea.

Mary went to work but John went to the party.
Our car broke down; we came last.
There are seven coordinating conjunctions:

and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so

Complex Sentence Structure

A complex sentence consists of an independent clause plus a dependent clause.
(A dependent clause starts with a subordinating conjunction or a relative
pronoun, and contains a subject and verb, but does not express a complete
thought.)

We missed our plane because we were late.

Our dog barks when she hears a noise.
He left in a hurry after he got a phone call.
Do you know the man who is talking to Mary?
Here are some common subordinating conjunctions:
after, although, as, because, before, how, if, once, since, than, that, though, till,
until, when, where, whether, while
Here are the five basic relative pronouns:

that, which, who, whom, whose

Compound-Complex Sentence Structure

A compound-complex sentence consists of at least two independent clauses and
one or more dependent clauses.

John didn't come because he was ill so Mary was not happy.
He left in a hurry after he got a phone call but he came back five minutes later.

Grammar and its usage

Understanding and consistently following the basic English grammar rules will
help you speak and write English correctly and with minimal hesitation.

Grammar is a set of implicit rules that govern the formation of sentences. We may
have no explicit knowledge of these rules, but we obey them every time we speak
and use them every time we comprehend a sentence.
Usage is a set of explicit prescriptive rules that people impose on language in
order to separate socially acceptable grammatical sentences from others that are
not socially acceptable.
Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics:
Grammar is the system and structure of a language. It describes the parts of
speech and how they are used to craft meaningful sentences.
Usage refers to how a word or phrase is used and also describes vocabulary use.
Mechanics is the rules and conventions governing the technical aspects of written
language, including spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.Grammar, usage, and
mechanics are three inseparable aspects of language. They are essential tools in
writing, speaking, and understanding the English language correctly.

These three components help you develop a foundation to write confidently,

learn naturally and communicate clearly. They must be blended to make writing
clear and grammatically correct.
Basic Mechanics of Writing
1. Capitalization Rules
The first word in a sentence should begin with a capital letter.
Proper nouns such as people’s names and the names of specific places should
begin with a capital letter. e.g., Johnson, United Kingdom.
Capitalize the initials of names. e.g., James Godwin (J.P.)
The word I should always be capitalized.
Capitalize the first letter of days of the week and months of the year, e.g.,
February, Monday.
Titles of respect should begin with a capital letter. e.g., Dr. Mr. Prof.
2. Punctuation Rules
End a statement or a command with a period.
An exclamation mark should be used at the end of a firm command or to indicate
a feeling of excitement.
Use an apostrophe to join two words in a contraction or to form the possessive of
a noun. e.g., shouldn’t, Eddy’s.
A question mark should be used at the end of a sentence that poses a question.
Use a comma after an introductory word in a sentence and to separate items in a
list.
Basic Grammar Rules in Writing
A sentence must have a subject and a predicate to express a complete thought.
Avoid writing in the passive voice.
The subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number. If the subject is
singular, the verb must be singular.
Pay attention to homophones, words that sound the same, but have different
meanings and spellings.

Introduction to vocabulary

Vocabulary is denoted as “the group and collection of words that are known and
used by a particular person”. It can also be defined as “a list or collection of words
or phrases that are normally alphabetically arranged and defined or explained”.
Vocabulary is a vital part of lingual expression. A good knowledge of words helps
in an effective presentation of ideas, oral or written. It creates an impact on the
listeners/readers about the communicator as being a learned and erudite person.
Enhancing the word power is sought after by students and professionals alike as it
lends fluidity to words and convey the most appropriate idea that is in one's
mind. It also presents the difficulties and challenges of this aspect of language
learning and gives suggestions on how they can be overcome.
Vocabulary forms an integral part of the process of reading and readers’
comprehension. It refers to the words needed for communicating effectively. It
implies receptive vocabulary and expressive vocabulary. Receptive vocabulary
refers to the words that we hear and read while expressive vocabulary implies the
words that we speak and write. It is rightly said that without vocabulary, it is not
possible to convey anything. A broader idea of vocabulary is discussed below.
Finally, you can also classify vocabulary into the oral and written vocabulary. Oral
vocabulary consists of all the words you use while speaking and all the words you
understand while listening. Written vocabulary comprises of all the words that
you understand while reading and all the words that you use while writing what
you want to express.

Significance of improving vocabulary

Vocabulary is ultimately expression; having an extensive vocabulary will help you

express yourself clearly and communicate well with clarity, a linguistic vocabulary
is also identical to a thinking vocabulary meaning that you will be able to think
concise thoughts with precision. Although much of your vocabulary is built up
throughout childhood, it will certainly plateau once you leave education. In order
to keep the vocabulary in order and expand after this time it is advisable to read,
play word games or even set yourself goals to learn a new word each day.
Important points are:
1 It Improves Reading Comprehension. Research has shown that kids need to
understand 98% of the words they read to understand what they are reading.
Improving vocabulary skills will improve their understanding of novels and
textbooks.
2 It’s Important to Language Development. Individuals who develop a rich
vocabulary tend to be deeper thinkers, express themselves better and read more.
Improving language and literacy skills early in life will help them be more
successful academically and communicatively.

3 Communicating Ideas. Successful communication or “saying what you mean” is

dependent upon a good vocabulary base. Using the right words when talking,
makes you a more effective communicator.

4 Expressing Yourself in Writing. Having a good vocabulary to draw from can help
you write more effectively. Students need to use a more formal tone when
writing – not conversational language – and to do that, they need a richer
vocabulary to tap into those words we don’t use when we speak.

5 Occupational Success. Researcher Johnson O’Connor found that “a person’s

vocabulary level is the best single predictor of occupational success.”* Success in
the business place depends on your communication skills.

Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary

Individuals can adopt several ways to improve their vocabulary. A few important
ways to improve vocabulary are given here:

Develop a Reading Habit: Students can improve their vocabulary if they develop a
reading habit. It is easy to improve vocabulary when they come across new words
while reading a novel or a newspaper article. They can add new and unfamiliar
words to their list.
Dictionary and Thesaurus: Students can use online dictionaries and thesauruses
for improving vocabulary. They can find synonyms to the words that are far better
than the words used by them. Dictionaries can help students to learn about root
words, related words, and antonyms.

Word Games: Word games such as scrabble are useful for students to expand and
enhance their vocabulary. Students can note down the important words that they
learn while playing the game and can use them in their writing.

Flashcards: Students can use flashcards to learn different words. There are many
smartphone apps that can help students to make flashcards and they can make a
number of words everyday to increase their vocabulary.

Use new Words in Conversation: Students must try to use new words in their
conversation. They can use the words that they learn from reading or while
watching TV in their conversation to remember them.

Learning and exploring new words and then applying them in different contexts
improves your communication skills.

Follow these ideas to learn English vocabulary easily:

 Repeat the words many times.
 Put the words in separate groups.
 Visualize pictures and convert them into words.
 Test yourself by using words in speaking or writing practice.
Business Idioms, Types of collocation

Idioms
Idioms are groups of words that go together to form expressions. These
expressions are not easily guessed, as the words in the group alone don’t have
the same meaning as when in the group. For example, an idiom in Spanish is
“Tomar el pelo”. If we translate this literally it means to take the hair. Obviously,
this makes no sense at all. However, if we know the translation, which is, to pull
someone’s leg, then it obviously makes sense. Conversely, “to pull someone’s leg”
literally in Spanish translate to “Tirar la pierna de alguien”. As such, it is
impossible to understand the meaning of many idioms even though we know the
meaning of the individual words.

Strategies to learn business idioms

Right, we understand what idioms are, so now below I will give you some ideas of
how we can start to look for them. The easiest way is to look at them in terms of
categories. For example, if you know you are going into a negotiation with a
client, then take the time to research some typical idioms relating to negotiations.
You can easily incorporate this step into your negotiation preparation. If you have
an English coach then you can dedicate one of your sessions to working on
language in order to prepare for the negotiation.
Examples:
To find or reach common ground
To meet someone half way
A sticking point
To drive a hard bargain
Here we have listed four examples, you could obviously find more. However, I
recommend that you only start with a few expressions and try and incorporate
them into your negotiations. Once you feel comfortable using them, you could
start to research more.

Business English idioms, expressions, and phrases - examples

1. A long shot
This phrase comes from sports, like basketball for example when a player is trying
to shoot from a long distance. It means something unlikely to happen. With very
little chance of success.
Example: Getting a senior position in the corporation one day is a long shot, but if
you don’t try you’ll never find out if it’s possible.

2. Back to the drawing board

This expression means to start something again from the beginning because it’s
not working as you would have liked or expected.
Example: This project is not going as planned, let’s get back to the drawing board
and fix what’s going wrong.

3. To corner the market

To control enough quantity of a product or service that enables one to then
change the market price willingly. It can also mean to be the only one making or
providing a given product or service.
Example: Intel has pretty much cornered the market of microprocessors for
servers. Their direct competition, AMD, is a distant second.
4. Hands are tied
When you are unable to carry out any meaningful action because of regulations,
rules or other people with authority.
Example: I wish I could help you cut through all this red tape (another business
idiom meaning administrative procedures) but my hands are tied. My boss won’t
let me.

5. Up in the air
When things are highly uncertain when a decision has not been made yet.
Example: We were hoping to sign the contract by the end of the month, but there
are still too many things up in the air we need to deal with first.

6. To learn the ropes

To learn the basics of a profession, a specific task or activity.
Example: It took her a while to learn the ropes, but now she is confident and we
feel that we can count on her to manage her client portfolio effectively.

7. A learning curve
The process of learning, usually from trial and error. We often say that there can
be a steep learning curve, which means that one has to learn things quickly to
meet the requirements of a specific job.
Example: There was a steep learning curve when I started out trading stock
options, but I now feel like I’m finally getting the hang of it (another idiom which
means to master something).
What are collocations
All languages have collocations, they are basically a pair or group of words that
are often used together. Collocations sound natural to native speakers of a
language. However, they can be difficult for people learning to speak English,
especially when we translate. For example, Spanish speakers often confuse ¨Do¨
& ¨Make¨, this is because the verb hace = do & make. So, make a cake and do
your homework are easily confused.

There are 2 two types of collocations, strong collocations and weak collocations.
Strong collocations are words that go strongly together and there are no other
options. For example, take a photo. Here no other word will collocate with photo
and mean the same thing. However, we can catch or take the train and it still
means the same thing.

What is interesting to know is that many native speakers of English will accept
and understand collocation mistakes. So, collocations generally don’t impact
negatively on understanding. Their correct use makes you sound much more
fluent. In saying that, if you do say, “I did a few mistakes”. You will be perfectly
understood.
Types of collocation
Collocations are everywhere, so you need to start understanding what types of
collocations you can find out in the wild. Below I have listed the most common
ways to form a collocation. What is interesting though, is that collocations don’t
generally have a rule they just “sound” right. That is the point that we want to
reach with our understanding of collocations. We don’t want to be thinking about
rules, we just want them to feel natural.

adverb + adjective: seriously injured (NOT incredibly injured)

adjective + noun: strong coffee (NOT powerful coffee)

noun + noun: a stock option (NOT a stock choice)

noun + verb: a boss’s request (NOT a boss’s ask)

verb + noun: order food (NOT demand food)

verb + expression with preposition: burst into tears (NOT blow up in tears)

verb + adverb: remember vividly (NOT remember good)

Common Business Collocations with Examples

Learn useful expressions and collocations about business with example
sentences.
Annual turnover
The company had an annual turnover of new liturgy introduced in 2011.
Bear in mind
Bear in mind that the authors of these books also have agendas.
Break off negotiations
He said he decided almost immediately after the hijacking to break off
negotiations.
Cease trading
A company can cease trading and still be registered at Companies House.
Chair a meeting
He will also chair a meeting of the International Democratic Union.
Close a deal
I told her not to come back until she closed a deal.

Come to the point

It has come to the point where communication is relied on technology.