Office Communication
Office communication tests channels, formal and informal routes, barriers and listening. The answer should match the channel to the message and audience, then show how feedback closes the loop.
Core rules
- Formal channels follow the organisation chart: downward (instructions), upward (reports and grievances), horizontal (coordination) and diagonal (cross-department projects). Informal channels include the grapevine and social conversation.
- Oral channels suit urgency and discussion; written channels suit records, complex detail and formal approval; electronic channels suit speed and distance but need security and netiquette.
- Barriers are semantic (jargon, ambiguity), physical (noise, distance), psychological (prejudice, fear), organisational (too many levels, poor rules) and cultural.
- Effective listening: give attention, avoid interruption, note key facts, paraphrase, ask clarifying questions and give feedback.
Worked example
A dispatch delay must reach the warehouse immediately and be recorded. The supervisor telephones the warehouse and follows with an email confirming the revised date and consignment number. Reasoning: the phone gives speed, the email gives a record; the confirmation closes the communication loop and reduces later dispute.
Traps
- Do not say the grapevine is always harmful; it can reveal problems but must be verified.
- Do not confuse hearing with listening.
- Do not use a long written memo for an urgent safety warning.
- Do not ignore feedback; communication is not complete until understood.