Operational communication is basically considered as the daily interaction between departments and functional processes in the workplace within an organization.
For operational communication to be effective and ensure that there is profitability within the organization; there needs to be a balance between directness and indirectness. Based on speech acts, directness is explained as harmonizing speech act with the natural grammatical structure. Using directness in operational communication basically means that statements are easily recognizable and can be understood at face value. The use of directness in operational communication is desirable because it results in the easy interpretation of statements. Direct commands or statements sometimes sound like bossing people around since this directness requires a good knowledge of the situation. When stating an opinion during operational communication may seem like an insult particularly if the hearer views you as being lower in the social or organizational hierarchy.
Examples of the use of directness in operational communication can include statements like "Where is the file?" Or "Give me that pen!" It's important to note that asking direct questions or issuing commands to people you're not that close with would result in the hearer feeling that you're intrusive or rude. In such situations, these hearers tend to be rude by giving a direct answer since they feel that you are intrusive or rude to them.
While directness in operational communication results in easy interpretation of statements which in turn prevents delays in the operational processes, its use is not appropriate in certain cases.
This is because politeness necessitates that the increase in social distance needs the use of more indirectness in communication ("Directness v. Indirectness" par, 9). In such cases, indirectness in operational communication may be appropriate in order for hearers not to feel that the speaker is rude to them. Therefore, indirectness in operational...
This is due to the fact that people have different levels of directness tolerance and it's necessary for a speaker to be on the polite side until they know the limit of directness tolerance.
An example of indirectness in operational communication especially in a response to a request can be "I'm leaving for a meeting in just a moment." In most cases, the impact of the use of indirectness in operational communication is dependent on tone of voice, gestures and eye contact. When sending information in operational communication, the speaker should be aware of the situation at hand in order to know whether to use directness or indirectness. This is because of the fact each of these is appropriate to specific situations and can lead to operational miscommunication when applied inappropriately.
Conclusion:
The use and phenomenal growth of email messages is largely attributed to the numerous advantages that are associated with emails such as cost-effectiveness, instant delivery of information and universal capabilities. While the use of directness in operational communication is for the purpose of creating closeness and facilitating easy interpretation of messages, indirectness is used based on the distance and boundaries that hearers need.
Works Cited:
"Directness vs. Indirectness: Speech Acts." Insightings. WordPress.com., 14 Jan. 2009. Web. 13 May 2011. .
"EMAIL: What to Do When You Can't Send or Receive Messages." Interface Technologies: Windows Solutions - Email Solutions. Interface Technologies. Web. 13 May 2011. .
Gibson, David. "Email Security Risks and How To Reduce Them." David Gibson & Associates, LLC. Davidgibson.com, 16 May 2002. Web. 13 May 2011. .
Harrison, Kim. "How You Can Use Better Communication to Improve Operational Performance." Cutting Edge PR: Ideas and Inofrmation to Boost Your PR Career. Cutting Edge PR. Web. 13 May 2011. .
