UNIT 1

Meaning and definition

Communication is the activity of conveying information. The word communication has been derived
from the Latin word ‘communis’, meaning to share. It basically involves a sender, a message and a
receiver.

The Communication is a two-way process wherein the message in the form of ideas, thoughts,
feelings, opinions is transmitted between two or more persons with the intent of creating a shared
understanding.

The purpose of the communication can be summed up into the following:

1. Flow of Information:

The relevant information must flow continuously from top to bottom and vice versa. The staff at all

levels must be kept informed about the organisational objectives and other developments taking place

in the organisation. A care should be taken that no one should be misinformed. The information

should reach the incumbent in the language he or she can understand better. The use of difficult words

should be avoided. The right information should reach the right person, at right time through the right

person.

2. Coordination:

It is through communication the efforts of all the staff working in the organisation can be coordinated

for the accomplishment of the organisational goals. The coordination of all personnel’s and their

efforts is the essence of management which can be attained through effective communication.

3. Learning Management Skills:

The communication facilitates flow of information, ideas, beliefs, perception, advice, opinion, orders

and instructions etc. both ways which enable the managers and other supervisory staff to learn

managerial skills through experience of others. The experience of the sender of the message gets

reflected in it which the person at the receiving end can learn by analyzing and understanding it.

4. Preparing People to Accept Change:

The proper and effective communication is an important tool in the hands of management of any

organisation to bring about overall change in the organisational policies, procedures and work style

and make the staff to accept and respond positively.

5. Developing Good Human Relations:

Managers and workers and other staff exchange their ideas, thoughts and perceptions with each other

through communication. This helps them to understand each other better. They realize the difficulties

faced by their colleagues at the workplace. This leads to promotion of good human relations in the

organisation.

6. Ideas of Subordinates Encouraged:

The communication facilitates inviting and encouraging the ideas from subordinates on certain
occasions on any task. This will develop creative thinking. Honoring subordinates’ ideas will further
motivate them for hard work and a sense of belonging to the organisation will be developed. It will
provide them with the encouragement to share information with their superiors without hesitation.
The managers must know the ideas, thoughts, comments, reactions and attitudes of their subordinates
and subordinates should know the same from the lowest level staff of their respective departments.

Communications Process

Communications is a continuous process which mainly involves three elements viz. sender, message, and
receiver. The elements involved in the communication process are explained below in detail:

1. Sender

The sender or the communicator generates the message and conveys it to the receiver. He is the source
and the one who starts the communication

2. Message

It is the idea, information, view, fact, feeling, etc. that is generated by the sender and is then intended to
be communicated further.

3. Encoding

The message generated by the sender is encoded symbolically such as in the form of words, pictures,
gestures, etc. before it is being conveyed.

4. Media

It is the manner in which the encoded message is transmitted. The message may be transmitted orally or
in writing. The medium of communication includes telephone, internet, post, fax, e-mail, etc. The choice
of medium is decided by the sender.

Learn more about Types of Communication here in detail.

5. Decoding
It is the process of converting the symbols encoded by the sender. After decoding the message is received
by the receiver.

6. Receiver

He is the person who is last in the chain and for whom the message was sent by the sender. Once the
receiver receives the message and understands it in proper perspective and acts according to the message,
only then the purpose of communication is successful.

7. Feedback

Once the receiver confirms to the sender that he has received the message and understood it, the process
of communication is complete.

8. Noise

It refers to any obstruction that is caused by the sender, message or receiver during the process of
communication. For example, bad telephone connection, faulty encoding, faulty decoding, inattentive
receiver, poor understanding of message due to prejudice or inappropriate gestures, etc.
Some of the important barriers to communication have been discussed below:
1. Physical Barriers:

A communication is a two-way process, distance between the sender and the receiver of the message

is an important barrier to communication. Noise and environmental factors also block

communication.

2. Personal Barriers:

Personal factors like difference in judgment, social values, inferiority complex, bias, attitude, pressure

of time, inability to communicate, etc. widen the psychological distance between the communicator

and the communicate. Credibility gap i.e., inconsistency between what one says and what one does,

also, acts as a barrier to communication.

3. Semantic or Language Barriers:

Semantic is the science of meaning. The same words and symbols carry different meanings to

different people. Difficulties in communication arise when the sender and the receiver of the message
use words or symbols in different senses. The meaning intended by the sender may be quite different

from the meaning followed by the receiver. People interpret the message in terms of their own

behaviour and experience. Sometimes, the language used by the sender may not at all be followed by

the receiver.

4. Status Barriers (Superior-Subordinate Relationship):

Status or position in the hierarchy of an organization is one of the fundamental barriers that obstructs

free flow of information. A superior may give only selected information to his subordinates so as to

maintain status differences. Subordinates, usually, tend to convey only those things which the

superiors would appreciate.

This creates distortion in upward communication. Such selective communication is also known as

filtering. Sometimes, “the superior feels that he cannot fully admit to his subordinates those problems,

conditions or results which may affect adversely on his ability and judgment. To do so would

undermine his position as a superior being in the formal organization.” This causes distortion in

downward communication. A subordinate may also feel reluctant to report his shortcomings or may

not seek clarification on instructions which are subject to different interpretations for fear of loss of

prestige in the eyes of the superior.

5. Organizational Structure Barriers:

Effective communication largely depends upon sound organizational structure. If the structure is

complex involving several layers of management, the breakdown or distortion in communication wall

arise. It is an established fact that every layer cuts off a bit of information. In the words of W.C.

Bennis, “Communication gets distorted particularly as it goes up the hierarchy.”

Moreover, information travelling through formal structure introduces rigidity and causes-delay

because of long lines of communication. Similarly, lack of instructions for further conveying

information to the subordinates and heavy pressure of work at certain levels of authority also act as

barriers to effective communication.

6. Barriers Due to Inadequate Attention:

Inadequate attention to the message makes communication less effective and the message is likely to

be misunderstood. Inattention may arise because of over business of the communicate or because of

the message being contrary to his expectations and beliefs. The simple failure to read notices, minutes

and reports is also a common feature.

Whatever be the reason, communication remains only a one-way process and there is no

understanding of the message, if the receiver pays little attention to the message. In the words of

Joseph Dooher. “Listening is the most neglected skill of communication.” “half listening is like racing

your engine with the gears in neutral. You use gasoline but you get nowhere.”

7. Premature Evaluation:

Some people have the tendency to form a judgment before listening to the entire message. This is

known as premature evaluation. As discussed in the previous point, “half-listening is like racing your

engine with the gears in neutral. You use gasoline but you get nowhere.” Premature evaluation

distorts understanding and acts as a barrier to effective communication.

8. Emotional Attitude:

Barriers may also arise due to emotional attitude because when emotions are strong, it is difficult to

know the frame of mind of other person or group. Emotional attitudes of both, the communicator as

well as the communicate, obstruct free flow of transmission and understanding of messages.

9. Resistance to Change:

It is a general tendency of human beings to stick to old and customary patterns of life. They may resist

change to maintain status quo. Thus, when new ideas are being communicated to introduce a change,

it is likely to be overlooked or even opposed. This resistance to change creates an important obstacle

to effective communication.

10. Barriers Due to Lack of Mutual Trust:

Communication means sharing of ideas in common. “When we communicate, we are trying to

establish a commonness.” Thus, one will freely transfer information and understanding with another

only when there is mutual trust between the two. When there is a lack of mutual trust between the
communicator and the communicate, the message is not followed. Credibility gaps, i.e., inconsistency

in saying and doing, also causes lack of mutual trust which acts as a basic obstacle to effective

communication.

TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
On the basis of the communication channels, types of communications are:

A. Verbal

B. Non-Verbal

C. Visual

Verbal

This involves the use of language and words for the purpose of passing on the intended message. In
general terms, Verbal Communication means communication in the form of spoken words only. But, in
the context of types of communication, verbal communication can be in the spoken or the written form.
Thus, the verbal form may be oral or written as discussed below.

 Written Communication: This kind of communication involves any kind of exchange of

information in the written form. For example, e-mails, texts, letters, reports, SMS, posts on social
media platforms, documents, handbooks, posters, flyers, etc.

 Oral Communication: This is the communication which employs the spoken word, either direct
or indirect as a communication channel. This verbal communication could be made on a channel
that passes information in only one form i.e. sound.
You could converse either face to face, or over the phone, or via voice notes or chat rooms, etc. It
all comes under the oral communication. This form of communication is an effective form.

Non-Verbal Communication

In this type of communication, messages are relayed without the transmission of words. The messages
here are wordless messages. This form of communication mainly aides verbal communication. It
supplements it with gestures, body language, symbols, and expressions.

Through these, one may communicate one’s mood, or opinion or even show a reaction to the messages
that are relaying. One’s non-verbal actions often set the tone for the dialogue. You can control and guide
the communication if you control and guide the non-verbal communication. Some of the modes of non-
verbal communication are:

Physical Non-verbal Communication

This is the sum total of the physically observable. For instance, hand gestures, body language, facial
expressions, the tone of one’s voice, posture, stance, touch, gaze, and others. Several researchers have
revealed that physical nonverbal communication constitutes about 55% of our daily communications.
These are subtle signals that are picked up as part of our biological wiring. For example, if you rest your
head on your palms, it will mean that you are very disappointed or angry. Similarly, other subtle hints
will convey your reaction to the presenter or your audience’s reaction to you.

Paralanguage
This is the art of reading between the lines. The main kind of such communication is done with the tone
of one’s voice. This kind of communication amounts to almost 38% of all the communication that we do
every day. Along with the tone of voice, the style of speaking, voice quality, stress, emotions, or
intonation serves the purpose of communication. And, these aspects are not verbal.

Aesthetic Communication
Art is an important means of communication. Through the paintings or other forms of art, an artist can
covey the strongest messages. Several times in the history of the world, art has been used as an effective
form of nonverbal communication.

Appearance
The first impression sets the tone. People will react to your appearance and this is a fact of life. Your
clothes, the color of the fabrics, etc. all determine the reaction of your audience.

Visual Communication

This is communication through visual aids like drawings, placards, presentations, and illustrations, etc.

Formal & Informal Communication

Apart from the above types, we have formal & informal types of communication. Formal communication
is of following types:

 Vertical: The information or data flows up and down the organizational structure.

 Horizontal: This is the communication between two similar levels of the organization.

 Diagonal: This is the communication across the cross-functional levels of employees from
various departments of the organization.
The other form is the informal or casual communication which is the general communication between
random people of the organizations.

Listening Process

For listening to be effective and meaningful, the process of listening should involve the following

steps.
Hearing

Hearing is the first essential step in the listening process and relates to the sensory perception of

sound. The listener further processes the perceived sound. For learning to be effective, hearing needs

to be done with attention and concentration.

Filtering

The next step involves sensing and filtering of heard sounds. The heard message is categorized as

wanted or unwanted, useful or useless. The unwanted message is discarded. In this step, the sense of

judgement of the individual comes into play, that is, the filtering process is subjective and a person

chooses to retain what makes sense to him.

Comprehending

The next level of listening consists of comprehending or understanding. The listener understands or

interprets what the speaker has tried to convey. This activity can be described as absorbing, grasping

or assimilating. In order to grasp the meaning of the message, the listener uses his knowledge,

experience, perception and cognitive power. The verbal and auditory message is coupled with non-

verbal communication to understand it.

Remembering

Remembering relates to a process whereby the assimilated message is stored in memory to facilitate

future recall. Remembering assumes significance because many times messages received are meant

not for immediate consideration but for future use.

Responding

For listening to be complete, a response is important. Responding to a message may take place at the

end of the communication, immediately after or later. When it is stored for future use, the response

may take place later. However, if there is a need to seek clarification or to empathize with the listener,
it may take place earlier. Responding may also take the form of prodding or prompting in order to

show that the message is being received and comprehended.