Multimodal Business Communication

• The objective is to explain multimodal business communication and its application, elucidate the importance and relation of communication, visual information and storytelling in the business world/commerce, and explore various modes of communication.

Multimodal Business Communication

• Multimodal communication involves using a variety of methods such as verbal language, sign language, and augmentative alternative communication.
• Multimodal business communication uses various communication methods to convey messages in a business context.

E-commerce and Localization

• E-commerce, also known as electronic commerce, is buying and selling goods and services online (Internet).
• It relies on the information industry for computer hardware and software, database systems, telecommunications systems, marketing channels, and technological and social structures.
• It is a widely available and standardized way of transferring electronic information (including text and graphics).
• It has allowed organizations to move away from proprietary systems towards integrated, multiproduct, multi vendor access to electronic information products.
• Examples of globally known platforms are Amazon, Flipkart, Shopify, and Ebay.
• Local examples include Shopee, Lazada, Tiktok Shop, Shein, Food Panda, and Grab.

Types of E-Commerce

• Business to Business (B2B): Commerce between companies, accounting for about 80% of e-commerce.
• Business to Consumer (B2C): Customers gather information, purchase physical goods, or receive products electronically.
• Business to Government (B2G): Commerce between companies and the public sector, involving the use of the internet for public procurement, licensing, and government procedures.
• Consumer to Consumer (C2C): Private commerce between individual consumers such as buying an Ipod from someone on Ebay.
• Government to Consumer (G2C): Providing effective services to each citizen through a website.
• Government to Business (G2B): Government providing services or information to business organizations through a model website for auctions, tenders, and applications.

Advantages of E-Commerce

• Faster buying and selling procedures, easy product finding.
• Availability for buying or selling 24/7.
• Broader reach to customers without geographic limitations.
• Lower operational costs and improved service quality.
• No need for physical company setups.
• Easy business setup and management.
• Customers can easily select products from various providers without physical movement.

Disadvantages of E-Commerce

• Inability to physically examine products.
• Not everyone has internet access.
• Risk of credit card number theft.
• Mechanical failures can unpredictably affect processes.

Localization

• Localization adapts a product or content to fit a specific market or country, adjusting its functional properties to accommodate linguistic, cultural, political, and legal differences.
• Localization helps businesses expand into new international markets and grow.
• Localization is an important communication tool for promoting tourism and bridging cultures.
• It helps businesses break through barriers to entry in new markets, making products and services more accessible and culturally relevant to customers.
  • Software Localization
  • Product Localization
  • Website Localization
• Examples of companies who use localization strategies are Netflix, KFC, Nintendo, ASOS, and Airbnb.
• For effective localization; understand your target audience, involve local experts, prioritize quality, test and iterate, and leverage technology.

Information Design

• Information design is the presentation of information to promote efficient and effective understanding by arranging and displaying data in a clear, concise, and visually appealing manner.
• Information design combines communication design, data visualization, and user-centered design and helps readers understand data quickly through a clear and engaging format.
• Examples of information design in everyday life include recipes, instruction manuals, navigational guides, e-commerce websites, infographics, explainer videos, analytics reports, wayfinding signage, museum exhibits, and subtitles.
• Information design meets specific user needs or solves a problem and you can regularly find examples in instruction manuals, recipes, and opinion pieces.
• Information design processes information better and quicker and helps people meet their needs, solve problems, and understand matters with little frustration.

Principles of Effective Communication Design:

• Define the problem
• Provide clear structure to your information
• Provide clarity
• Provide simplicity
• Provide emphasis
• Provide cohesiveness

Information Design Process:

• Planning the information
• Planning the project
• Selecting content, organizing, designing pages or screens
• Drafting and testing
• Producing the final copy

Information Visualization

• Data visualization is used in different communicative situations across a wide range of media and is presented on websites, printed on newspapers, shared on social media feeds, and projected on public displays
• It objectively shows that facts, figures, or findings and gives the audience room to think about the piece or make up their mind.
• Static information graphics combine written language, photography, maps, two-dimensional illustrations, and diagrammatic elements.
• Non-interactive dynamic data visualizations are dynamic whose interpretation does not entail exploration, but constant composition.
• Interactive dynamic data visualization requires ergodic work (relating to the effort a user expends in interacting with computer-mediated texts) in the form of exploration and composition such as the use of world map-style representations, line graphs, and 3-D virtual building or town plan designs

Data vs Information

• Data Visualization centers on graphically representing raw data, embracing contextual details and intricate datasets and concentrates on visually representing data points.
• Information Visualization adopts a holistic approach, it considers the context for deeper comprehension and decision-making.
• Information visualization helps people understand data, make decisions, runs complicated data into easy-to-understand visuals for patterns and encourages individuals to interact with data, enhancing engagement and enabling deeper exploration and facilitates easier retention and recall of information.
• 7 processes transform complex data into easy-to-understand visuals
  • Data collection-gathering relevant data from diverse sources to form the basis for visualization.
  • Data analysis- examining and processing the collected data to identify patterns, trends, and insights.
  • Data preprocessing -cleaning and organizing the data to make it suitable for visualization.
  • Visual representation- choosing appropriate visualization techniques to represent data accurately and effectively
  • Interaction design- developing user-friendly interfaces that allow meaningful interaction with the visualized data.
  • Interpretation- enabling users to interpret and derive insights from the visualized information.
  • Evaluation - assessing the effectiveness of the visualization in conveying information and meeting objectives.
• Information design is not the same as data visualization though information design and data visualization are distinctive in their objectives and applications.
• Information design is a broader concept that helps organize and present information to improve communication in the bigger picture.
• Data visualization translates raw data into graphical representations.
• It extracts meaningful insights and patterns and focuses on visual elements to simplify data.
• Information visualization plays a pivotal role in business analytics and decision-making by transforming complex datasets into meaningful visual representations and enables businesses to understand trends and relationships that may not be easily discernible in raw data sets.
• Business analytics and Decision-Making uses visual elements such as charts, graphs, maps, and dashboards, and makes data sets into visual insights that are easier to understand, analyze, and communicate.

Storytelling in Business

• Business storytelling uses stories to make people care about your company, product, or project and take desired action.
• Storytelling is a natural form of communication that is used in every culture
• Mastering storytelling in business presentations can captivate your audience and leave a lasting impression because it creates an emotional connection, simplifies complex information, and makes it stand out.
  • Stories speak to your emotions
  • Storytelling can make your audience relate to the problems or issues you're presenting.
  • Stories build a stronger connection with your audience, making it easier to understand and support your ideas.
  • Shows the human side of your company.
  • It helps your audience understand complex information.
  • It makes your ideas memorable.
  • It enables you to stand out among your competitions and moves people to action.

Storytelling Techniques in business

1. Find authentic stories
2. Use narrative structures
3. Make your audience the real hero
4. Accentuate the presentation with visuals
5. Present characters, scenarios, and situations that are easy to relate to.
6. Dont sugar coat the story
7. Change the status quo

Ways to use storytelling in business

1. Quotes
2. Mini- stories
3. Metaphor, analogy
4. Fable
5. Anecdote
6. Humanization
7. Historical notes
8. Who I am story
9. Signature stories
10. Openings and closings

Storytelling Tips for business presentations

1. Understand your audience
2. Know your message
3. Ensure your story has a structure
4. Be authentic
5. Use a conversational tone
6. Remember the audience is the hero
7. Be visual
8. Make human and emotional connections
9. Sell your story, not your product