Crossed Wires

Crossed Wires: internal and external communication

This free game is part of our Pearson Edexcel iGCSE Business (4BS1) course for exams in EXAM YEARS 2026-2029.

Internal and external communication

Internal communication is the sharing of information between people inside a business: employees, managers and departments. Team meetings, emails between colleagues, memos, the staff intranet and notice boards are all internal.

External communication is between the business and people outside it, such as customers, suppliers, banks and the government. Adverts, social media posts, orders sent to suppliers, loan applications and replies to complaints are all external.

In Crossed Wires, internal messages fly along teal arcs between VOLTRA's departments, and external messages fly along coral arcs to its customers, suppliers, bank, the government and an overseas partner.

Why good communication matters, and what goes wrong without it

Communication is effective when the message reaches the right person at the right time, is understood, and is acted on in the way the sender intended. For the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE (4BS1) you need to explain why this matters:

• Efficiency: staff understand their tasks, so work is done right first time and decisions are based on accurate information.
• Motivation: staff who are kept informed and listened to feel valued and involved.
• Lower costs and happier stakeholders: fewer mistakes, and stronger relationships with customers and suppliers.

Ineffective communication causes problems: demotivated staff (with more absence and staff turnover), mistakes, delays and inefficiency, higher costs, missed opportunities, lost sales and a damaged reputation. Every lost message in the game names the problem it caused, and lowers staff morale or VOLTRA's reputation.

Methods of communication, IT and their limitations

Businesses communicate verbally (meetings, phone calls, video calls), in writing (letters, emails, reports, notices) and visually (charts and pictures). IT has made communication faster and cheaper: email, instant messaging, video conferencing and social media reach people anywhere instantly, and messages are easy to store and find later.

Every method has limitations. Spoken messages leave no permanent record. Written messages may not be read, and feedback is slow. IT can crash, needs a good internet connection and trained staff, and can cause information overload. Golden channel calls in the game ask you to pick the best method for a real situation, such as confirming an order with a supplier or warning customers about a safety recall.

How barriers arise and how to remove them

A communication barrier is anything that stops a message being sent, received or understood. In the game, each barrier must be cleared with the right fix:

• Noise and distractions (loud machines, phone alerts): use a quiet room and cut distractions.
• Technology failures (crashes, poor internet, untrained staff): invest in reliable IT, maintain it and train staff.
• Jargon (technical words and acronyms): use plain language and explain terms.
• Information overload (too many emails): send fewer messages and flag what is urgent.
• Too many layers in the hierarchy (slow, distorted messages, staff afraid to speak up): remove layers and use an open-door policy.
• Lack of feedback (one-way messages): choose two-way methods and check understanding.
• Language differences: translate key messages or agree one shared business language.
• Cultural differences (customs, formality, body language): give staff cultural awareness training.

How to play Crossed Wires

VOLTRA, an electric bike maker, launches a new bike on Friday. Messages fly between its buildings in a 3D town, and Nia, VOLTRA's Head of Communications, explains each new barrier the first time it appears. When a barrier blocks a message, drag the right fix from the bottom of the screen onto it (or tap a fix, then the barrier) before the waiting message gives up. Clear a barrier before the message even reaches it for a bonus.

• Monday: a guided first day of internal communication. Watch one message arrive, then learn to clear noise and tech failures one at a time. It's practice, so you can't be fired.
• Tuesday: external communication arrives, with jargon, information overload and your first channel calls.
• Wednesday: VOLTRA grows, adding layers of management and one-way messages.
• Thursday: an overseas partner comes online, with language and cultural barriers, and some messages hit two barriers.
• Friday: launch day. Barriers stop showing their names, so you must spot each one from a clue, just like in an exam case study.

A two-question Comms Check follows every shift. If staff morale or reputation hits zero you're fired, but you can retry the shift. Build combos and climb from Intern to Communications Director.

Exam tips

• Always apply barriers to the business in the case study: a factory might have a noise barrier, while a business with overseas suppliers might face language and time zone barriers.
• When you explain a problem of poor communication, follow it through: for example, a late message slows decisions, so the business misses a deal with a new supplier.
• When you evaluate a method, give a benefit and a limitation, and say which matters most in that situation.
• Learn a way to remove each barrier, not just its name.