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“It’s not just about being better. It’s about being different. You need to give people a reason to choose your business” – Tom Abbott
Communication is what enables us to get our thoughts, views, and ideas across. It can be written or verbal. The need to share is the underlying propeller of communication, but several factors affect the quality of communication. Explaining the process of communication is not as easy as putting some words together. It requires astute handling to ensure clarity.
Using flowcharts is a great way to explain the process of communication, which is the prime objective of this exposition. Communication is more than just speaking. It encompasses the processes of active listening, listening to understand, providing feedback, and staying away from ambiguity to avoid miscommunication. For customer service, you can use interactive decision trees to deliver the right information to your customers.
A flowchart makes the process of communication effective
Very often, communication fails to be effective due to poor handling of the very process of communication. While a company may believe that it has done its job by sending out communiqués to its customers, what customers perceive may be entirely different. It can be disastrous to the success of its business. Therefore, it is important that communication is effective and with purpose.
A tool such as a flowchart diagram ensures that the process of communication proves to be a solid driving force between a company and its customers. Better communication means elevated understanding, which in turn can help to engage customers faster and in a more sustainable manner. A flowchart diagram is a graphical representation of a process, irrespective of the type of process and the complexity involved.
Flowcharts provide clarity in the process of communication
As mentioned, ambiguous communication can give rise to issues that may not have existed in the past or can make existing problems worse. What a business may be trying to convey could fall short of the understanding and or expectation of the customers, which is just one of the many obstacles in the process of communication. Not everyone can be an expert communicator.
By using flowchart diagrams to convey thoughts in a visual and simple manner, a company can save itself from several problems that arise from the possible adsorption and distortion of what is communicated. Using flowcharts ensures alacrity and clarity in the process of communication. It means that there is no gap between what the business would like to convey versus what it actually conveys. Very often, a business will fail to see the difference.
Using a flowchart to explain the communication process
Knowing what to convey and conveying exactly the same, is what the process of communication is all about. Putting down the expectations of this process in a visual format can have a significant and positive impact on communication quality. Flowcharts are a visual format to clearly and simply explain the process of communication.
Meaning what good and poor communication would look like, and how to avoid miscommunication. The fact is that the process of communication can break down at any point. At the communicator level or the receiver’s end. It can also be due to the channels through which communication may be taking place.
A flowchart makes the process of communication clear
By explaining the process of communication through flowcharts, even inexperienced communicators would be able to grasp the flaws and inefficiencies within their style of communicating. Sifting and maintaining clarity in all realms of the process of communication is a purposeful activity that flowcharts help to accomplish.
The fact is that within organizations, information and communication move across various levels and hierarchies. It in turn heightens the possibility of distortion and modification of the information. This could be true for both internal and external communication. In either case, the consequences could be completely contradictory to the initial intent.
It makes it hard to manipulate information
By using flowcharts to explain the process of communication, it becomes obligatory for the sender to refrain from manipulating the information to be communicated. The sender would have a blueprint of how communication should look and how it should flow. Therefore, the receiver is unable to filter the information to suit his or her need. In addition, even if the receiver was to pass on the knowledge, they would pass it exactly as it was intended. Without any additions of feelings, expressions, and prejudices. Explaining how the process of communication should be rids the process of selective perception. That is the needs, motivation, background, experience, interest, expectations, and other personal traits, would not have any bearing on the process.
Flowcharts explain each step of the process
The reason a simple yet powerful tool such as a flowchart diagram is required to explain the process of communication is that humans depend on communication. Those who are influenced by emotions. If personal perspectives and fluctuating emotions were to control communication, the results would be nothing but disastrous.
For example, when you receive a communiqué from a company if a customer is happy, the effect of the communication could be positive, and vice versa. Moods do not affect or guide communication. Understanding the sanctity of the process of communication is important for everyone. Flowcharts can easily and effectively explain each step of the process, thereby maintaining stability and objectivity.
You can mention timelines with flowcharts
Timing is also critical for communication as the persons involved in the communication of information from a business to its customers. With a flowchart, it will be possible to mention timelines and the effect each person involved in the dissemination of the information would have on the overall process of communication.
In addition, since the actual process would be graphically represented, even variables such as education, cultural background, age, etc would not alter the meaning or allow interpretations of what defines proper and effective communication. When there is a specific process, no external factors irrespective of how potent and obvious they may be would affect the quality of the process of communication.
Importance of using a flowchart in the process of communication
There are several uses/roles /purposes of communication, which boost the need for a structured and easy-to-understand process. By using a flowchart diagram, the uses of communication such as control, emotional expression, motivation, and information sharing remain stable. While the communiqués could reflect the actual feelings of the information originator, the manner it is conveyed can remain unaffected.
Hence, if the sender of the communiqué wishes to express annoyance or is trying to fulfill a social need, following the actual process of communication will convey exactly as required. By going through the steps/stages of communication put down on the flowchart, even a poor communicator would be able to get her or his point across.
Flowcharts provide effective communication
The need and urgency to communicate are unlikely to go away and especially from the organization’s point of view. Messing up communication that goes out to customers can be a fatal mistake. Using a flowchart that captures the essence of the process of communication will ensure that purposeful communication takes place. Both the receiver (company) and sender (customers/employees /other partners) find the fulfillment of a mutual need.
The Verdict
Communication between a company and its partners becomes mutually beneficial. It raises the level of interest and engagement. This, in turn, acts as a catalyst for the proliferation and advancement of further meaningful two-way communication. Ignoring the actual process of communication underestimates its importance. But, by using the simple, yet powerfully effective tool of a flowchart, anyone can succeed in becoming a proficient communicator.
