CHAPTER

Fundamentals of
Communication
Learning Objectives
After reading this
chapter, you will be able to
understand the importance of
communication in the professional world
familiarize yourself with the
features of successful
identify the various purposes for which communication professional communication
is used in
get acquainted with the different professional situations
understand the barriers in flows of communication in an organization
communication and ways to overcome these barriers

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Mr A.R. Bajaj is the Chairman of Mirch Masala Foods Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi. Since the
opening of its first
outlet in Delhi three years back, five more outlets of Mirch Masala
have come up in other cities. Customers
with a smile, entertained
walking in at a Mirch Masala outlet are received
food items listed in an
courteously, and explained the highlights of different
aesthetically-designed menu. Those who visit Mirch Masala
appreciate the courteous behaviour of the attending
so much willing to servë
staff."Everyone around seemed
you was how Mr Parsanna, who recently visited Mirch Masla,
quipped. On the other hand, Hot & Sweet Pvt. Ltd, which started almost four
years
back, is struggling hopelessly. Customers often
complain about the indifferent attitude
of waiters. They have named it Hot & Sweet but
nobody is sweet there and nothing is
served hot; waiters prefer to keep you waiting before
paying you any attention and
when they do, they speak to you as
though they were the bosses around! You feel so
unwelcomed there, said Mrs Suhasini Roy, who recently dined at Hot & Sweet.

What do you think is the fate of these two fancy food outlets? Would Mirch
Masala and Hot & Sweet move on their way to growth, success, and
popularity?
We seriously doubt it. It indeed is quite natural that Mirch Masala is growing but
Hot & Sweet seems on its way out.
Yes, we bclieve that with the passage of time, Mirch Masala is going to grow
owing to its good communication network within and outside the organization.
Hot & Sweet, on the other hand, is most likely to ebb away into anonymity due to0
lack of openness, motivation, and proper communication flow.
The case in discussion highlights the deterministic power of communication
in the professional world. In an age where one has to either communicate or
 Communication Skills
2
collapse, communication holds the key to the growth ofan organization. The system
that Tail
to recognize the need for an effective communication fails to stustain itself for a lonosime
Let us leam further why it is so.

1.2 COMMUNICATION-AN OVERVIEW

A blow with a word strikes deeper than a blow with a sword
Robert Burton
Living in an atomic world, we are well past an age when the blow of a sword would n
considerable threat to us. Today, verbal blows appear mightier than the physical ones No
just
that, words-both written and spoken have acqutred a significantly crucial and an alnme
almost
decisive force in contemporary times.
Essentially, ours is a society that moves on the wheels of communication. Particularhy in
the professional world, it is communication and its related skills that decide a person's reer
curve. The better one's communication skills, the higher are the chances for him/her to touch
the zenith of success. The poorer one's communication skills, the greater is the possibility of
not achieving one's goals.
Actually nothing happens in professional world without communication, though it is only
a means, and not the end. Still it is communication that propels the management process
serves as the lubricant for its smooth operation. It helps professionals in their five major
managerial tasks, namely planning, organizing, executing, staffing, and controling. Since every
organization is a social system that involves interaction among people working at different
levels, proper communication among them becomes necessary for achieving the goals of an
organization. In a way, it is communication that defines the existence of an organization in
contemporary times. When communication crumbles, the organized action comes to an end
Communication thus is vital to the survival, sustenance, and growth of an organization.
It is so because in a professional world, what professionals do most of the time is to com
municate. The necessity and importance of communication skills can be gauged from the fact
thatprofessionals spend nearly three-fourths of their working time in communicating their
ideas, views, and plans to others. Communication in the professional world occupies such a
pivotal position that there hardly exists an activity in the business and industry that does not re
quire communication to play any role. Consequently, the organization that disregards its impor-
tance cannot compete and survive in a demanding professional world that more than anything
clse demands its incumbents to be articulate, expressive, and communicative.
Understandably therefore, while selecting a new recruit, one of the first things that compa-
nies lookfor in an individualis the person's ability to communicate effectively with others. Our
communication skill thus has the potential to make or mar our fortune.
It is precisely to address this professional need that we need to master the various aspects or
communication skills. However, before we proceed further, let us make an effort to acquaint
ourselves with the other nuances of the term communication, starting with its definition, proc-
ess, and features.

1.3 DEFINITION OF COMMUNICATION

Communication, the buzz word in today's world, originates from the-Latim word cozumunico
orcommunicare, which means 'to share'.. Various researchers and analysts define the term
 Fundamentals of Communication

communication' in
their summe
up own way. Despite
espite their
their different it can he briefly
dittere versions,

information from one Cans

person to another
the transfer.ofideas, feelings. plans, messa
eftective only
eecve onh when t when iu gels he to another, Obviously however, eommunit ao
Obviously howe en
Let us desined
follows.
explore some of the
CSsentials aclonoLpOMMe
essentials of
of communication with
wun the help of the
discussion ma

1.4 PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION

Communication
To a receiver
is a
process whercby
via amedium. The receiverinformation
then
is encoded,
channelled, and sent er
back. All forms of decodes message and gives tnc
communtcation require a sender, athe d
channel, a message, a recc the
feedback that effectively winds up the process.
the receiver to have
an area of
Communication requires both the senac d an

stood with the help of communicative commonality. The process can be well
Fig. 1.1. under
However, Sometimes there occurs a
hindrance in the communication process
naise No1se
can be
defined as an unplanned interference in the communicationwhich is calied
the one that causes
hindrance to the transmission of the message (Fig 12). It mayenvironmept.
mainly
cur due to two
reasons: disturbance in the channel/medium and/or some kind of erTor in octhe
message sent.
Before we go further, it is
important for us to understand how general purpose commu-
nication differs from professional communication. Table 1.1
highlights the basic differences
between these two types.

TABLE 1.1 Differences between General and

ProfessionabCommunication
General Communication Professional Communication

Content Contains general message Contains a formal and professional message

Nature Informal in style and approach Mostly formal and objective
No set pattern of communication Follows a set pattern such as sequence of
Structure
elements in a report,
Method Mostly oral Both oral and written
Not always for a specific audience Always fora specifieaudiencee.gcustomers
Audience
banks, etc.

Does not normally involve the use of Frequentlyinvolves jargon, yraphic, etc. for
Language achieving the professional purposes
technical vocabulary,graphics,
etc.

PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
FEATURES OF SUCCESSFUL
5 it is quite important for us to get
communication matters a lot in the professional world,
Since communication.
features of successful professional
most important
acquainted with the indi-
process by which information istransmitted between
. Communication is a two-way them.
understanding may.develop.among
an
viduals and/or organizations so that
in an
interactions among persons
of meaningful
Communication is a continuous process in a desired way.
understood
2. perceived and
that results in meanings being the entire
communication
organization in
the sender keeps changing
the receiver and
3. The role of
activity.
 Communication Skills

Sender
Sender

Feedback
Feedback Message Message

Recelver Receiver

FIG. 1.1 The Communication Process FIG. 1.2 Noise Hinders Communication Process

4. Communication broadly includes both verbal-and.non-verbal forms. Therefore, it also in

cludes lip reading, finger-spelling, sign language, and body language used in face-to-face
communication.

5. It is a process which transmits and disseminates important ideas, thoughts, feelings. plans,
etc.
6. Communication skills are generally understood to be an art or technique of persuasion
through the use of oral, written, and non-verbal features.
1.6 IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
The following factors make communication indispensable in the world of business.

1.6.1 Growth
Due to the emergence of multinational companies, large business houses usually operate both
within and outside the country. The head office of a large corporate maintains a thorough and
up-to-date knowledge of the various activities at each of its branch offices. It keeps them well-
acquainted with the activities of all the centres, which in turn establishes a link among its var
ous branches and leads to the growth and smooth running of the entire business.

1.6.2 Complexity
This is an age of specialization and therefore, even in a single organization different activities,
such as planning, production, sales, stores, advertising, financing, accounts, welfare, etc., are
handled by different departments. If these
as well as with the
departments do not communicate with one another
management, there will be no coordination among them. For instance, when
production is fully geared up, stores may report shortage of raw materials.
department has to apprise the other departments regarding its constraints, Similarly, the finance
been the result of recent fluctuations in which might have
the market. In fact, all the
organization have to go hand in hand to achieve its departments and units of an
municating with one another. goals and for that, they need to keep com
1.6.3 Competitiveness
[tems of common
consumption, such as tea, cigarettes, soaps, blades,
in a dozen brands
today. Marketing research suggests that firms clothes, etc., are availabC
better. The better the which communicate better sSell
communication skills of a
ers he/she can
attract. salesperson, the larger the number of custom
Salesmanship is primarily an art of communication.
Besides, companies
 keep peting with one Fundamentals of Communication 5

curing a higher position another

in through
g adverti
h advertisements
the and other propagandist strategies
1.6.4 Harmony market. All this invo communication at every step.
Trade unions
believe in
rights and
dignity of the bargaining with the
and without a
proper
workers.
* The
management and insist
on
an organization. communicationnebetween
management
managemen and such
the two, no
unions share a delicate relation
harmony can De
P
1.6.5 Understanding and Cooperation
If there exists
good communication
about an between
what is
atmosphere of mutual trust and the management and
employees, it will
ill
expected of them can confidence. Only when the D
limitations. Through effectivethe management utilize their employees know
exauy
sense of communication, employees
potentialities and make up 10r
belongingness with the enterprise which get job satisfaction and
developa
ultimately helps the organization grow
1.7 PURPOSE OF PROFESSIONAL we
COMMUNICATION
Professional communication aims at
achieving the following objectives:
Advising However competent a
professional may be, he/she cannot have specialized knowl-
edge of all the branches such as licensing,
his/her job, he/she will have to seek taxation, publicity, engineering, etc. To succeed in
frequent advice. the
advised by the supervisory staff on how to go about Also, junior employees need to be
action with experts in the related areas
doing their jobs. A proper and timely inter-
helps the management take wise steps and grow.
Counselling Even an efficient employee may become slow and indifferent if he/she is fac-
ing personal problems at home. Such employees are encouraged to consult the counselling
department. Through efective communication, employees and workers share their concems,
ventilate their problems and thus are restored to their mental and physical health.
Giving orders Order is an authoritative communication. It is a directive to somebody, always
a subordinate, to do something, to modify or alter the course of something he/she is already
doing, or not to do something. Whatever be the nature and size of an organization, orders are
absolutely essential. Ordering without bullying, however, is an art that requires effective com-
munication skills.
of order in which the subordinate is
Providing instructions Instruction iis a particular type it. All
not only ordered for a particular job,
but als0 given guidance on how to go about doing
not be instructions. Regardless of the fact
that the
orders, but all orders need
instructions are communication is
issue orders, effectiveness in
to give instructions or
management intends
if the right impact is desired to be created.
mandatory c o m m u n i c a t i o n holds the
is crucial to all business, effective
Marketing Just as marketingthe entire of marketing rests on
communication, it is
Since function
key to marketing itself. getting through without effective
communication. Some-
its operations
hard to imagine any of right suggestions related
to its various
also for obtaining
hire consultants can be turned
down.
times companies
communicated, suggestions
If not properly
operational aspects.
6 Communication Skills

Persuading Persuasion may be defined as an effort to influence the attitudes, felinos

or
beliefs of others or to induce action based on that. Buyers have to be persuaded to buy nrod
ucts. In factories or offices, the lazy, the incompetent, and the disgruntled workers have tohe
persuaded to do their work. It is effective communication alone that can inspire indolentand
unintere_ted people and keep them persuaded towards achieving the common ohjectives of an
organization.
Giving warnings Ifemployees do not abide by the norms of the organization or violate rules,
it may become necessary to warn them. Warning is a forceful means of communication for it
caries with it a sense of urgency. Sensitive in nature, warnings need to be communicated well
so that impact is properly created and not exaggerated.
Raising morale Morale stands for the mental health of all individuals and hence is important
for the growth of an organization. Morale-to be maintained only through effective commu-
nication among professionals and hence within the organization-actually is a powerful and
intangible factor representing the sum of several qualities, such as courage, determination,
clarity, and confidence. It acts as a kind of lubricant among people, binds them with a sense of
togetherness, and impels them to work in cooperation with one another in the best interest of
their organization.
Staffing Communication is needed in the recruitment process to rope in potential employees
of merit to work for the enterprise. The recruits are told about the company's organizational
structure, its policies, and practices. This way, proper communication helps the new entrants
associate themselves with the organization and utilize their potential effectively. This also pro-
motes proper delegation of work among employees. Thus, in such situations too, communica-
tion helps in building a good image of an organization.
Projecting image Communication is of vital importance in projecting the image of an
enterprise in the social environment that is affected by the information which elite groups
and wider public have acquired about its goals, activities, and accomplishments. One can
hardly wonder at the meticulousness with which all the brochures, advertisements, notices,
announcements, and circulars-that are made public-are written and designed by the
organizations. Understandably, all important documents are ruthlessly revised and edited
linguistically until they help the organization achieve the objective of carving and retaining
a positive image.

Preparing advertisements No matter how good a product is, it cannot succeed without el-
fective advertising. Advertising is done through
Internet, pamphlets, cards, etc. Without effectivenewspapers, magazines, television, billboards,
vertisements and communication, persuasive and catchy ad-
publicity material can neither be conceived nor created to achieve the desireu
objective.
Making decisions Communication also has an
complex problems, and making accurate important function in solving both simple and
formance. If not decisions to
positively influence organ1zational
properly communicated, even a good decision pet
Getting feedback may sound like a bad slip.
The receiver's reaction
back the sender.
to the message is also a form of
to
Through this mechanism, companies know how much communicaton
opinion has been formed about their they sell, what public
Good companies also seek feedback product, and what the customers feel about their
with regard to the producs
satisfaction of the employees serving
 them It
helps them
achieve the Fundamentals of Communication
remove the
Thus, purpose within an unneces
cessary cobwebs arising out
the communication
receiver both in is likeorganization.
a
ills of of the hierarchy and
mun
unicating messagesday-to-day two-way
and
eetthat entails the relation
betweentthe sender and
is business
Having discussed ISthe formed betwe cc
us
discuss its between communication.
the ssender and
In this process, a
cycle of com
purpose
different forms. and importance the receiver.
of
1.8 DIFFERENT FORMS OF communicatiou he business world, let

Communication isCOMMUNI
generally
CATION
Verbal communication classified into the following types:
Oral communication
Written communication Interpersonal communication
Non-verbal communication Extrapersonal communication
Mass communication
.Intrapersonal communication Media communication
Figure 1.3 provides a
Let us skeletal view of
briefly get acquainted with professional
1.8.1 Verbal Communication
some of these communication.
varieties of
communication.
Since a
professional has to
tening to others besides spend a large amount of his/her
vehicle of reading and writing, most of the working time in speaking and lis-
communication. time he/she
Verbal communication This type of communication is termed as has to use language as a
thus stands both for the verbal communication.
munication process. It can further spoken and the written word
be divided into
oral and written used in the com-
Oral communication A communication.
face-to-face
oral communication. In this type of interaction between the sender and the receiver is called
sons who use
spoken language as acommunication,
medium of
there could be two or more
than two
make presentations, deliver communication. For instance, wheneverper-
or
simply interact with
speeches, participate in group discussions, we

somebody, appear for interviews,

we are involved in oral communication.
Written communication In this type of
transmit his/her messages. communication, the sender uses the written mode to
this category. Written
Reports, proposals, books, handbooks, letters, emails, etc. come in
communication is routinely
used for documentation purposes in business
and govenment organizations.

1.8.2 Non-verbal Communication

When a message is communicated without using
a word, the
process requires non-verbal
cues to transmitted and received. Non-verbal communication forms an
be
the world of professional communication. It can be further important part in
categorized into two parts-body
language and paralinguistic features. Body language involves aspects such as personal ap-
pearance, walk, gestures, facial expressions, hand movements, posture, and eye contact. The
paralinguistic features include a person's voice, volume, pitch, rate, pauses, articulation, voice
modulation, etc.
 Communication Skills

Communication

Types (Parties involved) Flow Means, kinds, manners,

forme
Intrapersonal Interpersonal Mass Extrapersonal

Vertical Horizontal Dlagonal Spiral

Linguistic Paralinguistic/vocalcues Extralinguistic Non-verbal Verbal

Kinesics Proxemics Chronemics Artefacts Haptics (Touch)

Oral
Written

Speeches Professional Seminars Meetings Group discussions (GD) Interviews

presentation

Letters Memos Minutes Reports

FIG. 1.3 Communication at a Glance

1.8.3 Intrapersonal Communication

This implies individual reflection,
contemplation, and meditation. So, whenever communica-
tion takes place within one's own self, it is termed as
intrapersonal communication. One exam-
ple of this form of communication is transcendental meditation. It is also believed that this
of communication type
encompasses communicating with the divine and with spirits in the form of
prayers and rites and rituals.

1.8.4 Interpersonal Communication

This is a direct, written, or oral
communication that occurs between two or more The
oral form of this type of persons.
communication, such as a
dialogue or a conversation between two
or more people, is personal and direct, and permits maximum interaction through words and
gestures.

1.8.5 Extrapersonal Communication

Communication does not take place
only among human
communicate with non-human beings. such observe carefully, we fhnd
that sometimes we do Ifwe
instance, whenever we command our entities, as animals, birds, etc. ror
our orders. pet dog or cat to sit, stand, or
Whenever we caress them or
go, they immediately follow
pat on their back for doing something good, they are
 elated and they start Fundamentals of Communication 9

communication. wagging their tails. This ype S

ofcommunication is known as extrapersonal
1.8.6 Mass Communication
This is
cinema,generally
television,identified with tools of
populace. This also radio, the lnternet, modern mass media, which include books, the press,
S

includes the etc. It IS a means

of conveying messages to an entire
1.8.7 Media Communication speeches delivered by a
prophet or pa leader.
It includes
communication
computer, cell that
takes
phones, LCD, video, place onl with the
means for all sorts of
oficial or television, etc. Of these,helpthe of electronic media, such as

RegardlesS of the personal communication.

type of
Internet has become
ue
a

continuing process that communication

other day-to-day keeps ticking all the time.involved, communication remains a ever
activity, such as breathing, It is as important to human life as is
1.9 COMMUNICATION NETWORK IN AN eating, and sleeping. our any

Communication serves as an ORGANIZATION

The success of instrument to
measure the success
ing through its organization is recognized by the
an
growth of or
quality and quantity of organization.
an

ever
personnel. In
before. Even a little today's business enterprises, information fiow-
informed about the smooth delay might cause a great information must flow faster than
loss. In large organizations, to keep oneseff
operation
lently in the market, it is essential of the various
for a departments and for
performing excel-
toknow and understand the professional,
different forms of
who plays a
key role in the
organization. organization,
communication that constitute the network in an
1.9.1 Different Types of Communication Flow
Communication in a professional
late, guide, and propel its flow. organization flows at different layers and levels which
The different regu-
are as follows: types of communication flow in an
organization
Horizontal
.Vertical

-
Upward
Downward

Crosswise
Spiral
The information flow in an
organization can be seen with the help of Fig. 14, which shows
the communication flow that streams in
various directions within an
tion may flow organization. Communica-
horizontally, i.e., among people of the same rank in an organization. This is for
better coordination among various
order to achieve the production
departments and for effective decision-making purposes. In
target for a particular month, the discussion held between the
production manager and the supply manager will certainly be a perfect instance of horizontal
communication. However, when the production manager
imparts certain instructions to the
workers and supervisors for the same purpose, it will be downward
communication. Here the
 Communication Skils

CEO

CFO COO CPO CMO

Operatlon Operatlon Operation Operation

Finance
Finance
Manager Manager Manager! Manager
Manager Manager

Production Production Production

Manager Manager II Manager Il

Legend:
Horizontal CEO=Chief Executive Officer
Executive Executive Executive CFO Chief Finance Officer
= Upward

= Downward
Co0 Chief Operations Officer
CPO =
Chief Production Officer

Executive
Executive Executive Crosswise (Diagonal) CMO-Chief MarketingOficer
Executive
FIG. 1.4 Information Flow in an Organization

to its subordinates. And in the same context, if the

information moves from the higher authority
regarding the present state of production, it will
supervisorreports to the production manager
be a of upward communication.
case
of new bonus and incentive scheme among all the
If the management circulates a copy
communication in the organization. Sometimes however
employees, it will be called spiral
who belong to different levels of hierarchy and who
communication flows between persons
This is used generally to quicken the information flow,
have no direct reporting relationships.
coordinate efforts for the achievement of organizational objectives.
improve understanding and
Such a movement of an information flow
is termed as diagonal communication.
also permeates the personal and professional lives
In organizations, informal communication
called grapevine. For instance, rumours
of employees. This informal flow of communication is
about the company's expansion, promotion of an employee, relations between two colleagues
create both
are some of the examples of grapevine. It flows in all directions. Grapevine may
negative and positive impact on the environment within an organization.

1.10 BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

If we look around carefully, we will see that there are people who never listen to others at meet
ings; quite a few of them write incomprehensible memos; some do not value other's opinions;
some others are unable to seek cooperation from their colleagues and subordinates. Moreover,
even a thoroughly prepared communicator commits mistakes, even though the errors are rarely
as frequent or as serious as the ones made by a careless communicator. All this happens because
communication received is not the same as communication sent. At times we discover that
 we could not
should follov
llow communicate
when faced successfully.
Fundamentals of Communication

1.
ldentify the with such Now, what should we do? Here are the steps that we
Find out its problem mmunicationshou
2. a
comr problem.
3. Select and cause.

ldentifying apply the best

problema alternative solution(s).
unication-related
nmunication
comn
is not
is problem is observe
casy itas
as
And negative bserve theappe
to only possible way to identify a com-
at
in comm
times, may feedback
feedback.
find thatindifferent, then welhave we
we or
If discover that the feedback of our
nmunication. there is
Thus, it means that more
look for the cause(s)
than
to
of the problem.
entrepreneur
to overcome them.
or as a to
one
one cause which
has led to the breakdown
communicate effectively in business-whether as an
company executive-we
The iact need to understand
s that as a un how barriers
operate and how
commun unication skills. professional, we need to constantly
communication. Primarily, all professionals need work towards developing
This can
ersand their only be to ove
done when they effectiv
overcome the barriers to
Let crippling impact on those are able to
identify the
effective
us
study the different
types
involved in the
process of
communication barr-
an organization. of barriers
that affect the communication
effectiveness of
1.10.1 Verbal Barriers communication in
More often than not,
most
simply because they feel people consider themselves to be good and
they can effective
of
communicating, yet it is not thespeak fluently. While speaking fluently is an communicators
speak fiuently and clearly, write only reaquirement. One important
should be able to listen
there well, and read in the effectively.
are some verbal
barriers such as verbal language(s) others are familiar with.
complex words and phrases. Whenever one attack, speaking loudly unnecessarily, and Thus, using
barriers are created. interrogates, criticizes,
Similarly, following reasons may create verbal
the or blames the
other, verbal
munication environment. hindrances in the com-
Lack of proper
planning To0 often, we find that people start
thinking planning. They do not clearly state the
or talking or writing without
of
purpose the This often
miscommunication or partial breakdown in the communication message. results in
process.
Selection of a wrong variety of
ent varieties of
language For various human interactions, we choose differ-
expressions. Imagine a lawyer his courtroom flaunting exploiting gambits and
his argumentative skills to convince his wife to give him a cup of tea! The chances are that he
won't get that! The reason is obvious: it is a
wrong variety of language chosen and hence it fails
to elicit the desired result. Because
of a wrong variety of language, even a strategy, otherwise
effective and useful, may fail miserably. In the convoluted world of communication, at times
it is the selection of a wrong variety of language that leads to failure as the speaker fails to get
the feedback of his/her own liking.
Badly encoded or wrongly decoded messages The sender may have clarity about the
message that is to be conveyed, but it may still not reach the receiver because the message
might have been improperly expressed. Choice of wrong words, absence of punctuation marks
or wrongly-timed pauses, poor organization of ideas,, use of unnecessary jargon, etc. bring
 Communication Skills
2
vagueness in the message. t is not
speaker may put ideas into just that the
Vour report
coherent andnd
downs
and rimerikal Thank you, erly worded expressions, it is at
times
even
prop
listeners who may contribute to the the
messy orld
of misinterpretation by coding the
a startlingly different way message in
Let consider the following situation
us

The Manager of Sieve Intermationals

refer to
the report submitted by his Aarketing
as bombastic. The young amateur
Trainee
with a limited vocabulary assumes from the employee
form of the word that it must mean
somethi
like fantastic and bursts into a grateful Thank
you very much, Sir! So a badly or wrongly de
Cruel Jokes that Badly
Encoded Messages Play on People. coded message can lead to a hilarious situation
involved.
for the onlookers but an embarrassing one for the people
Semantic gap or distortion might be deliberate or accidental, for example. an
Semantic gap
for less, raises the question, 'Less than what?" Is the product sol
advertisement saying, "We sell
a message such as this may have differ
or offered at a less price? Thus,
to less number of people about the real intenti
leave the recipient of the message wondering
ent connotations and may
the message sent and the message re.
whenever there is a gap between
of the message. Thus,
arisen due to the language employed and the way it has been interpreted
ceived, it might)
Ditterent particular situation in
people perceive a
Differences in perception of a message
means that all the people perceive single message in the
cannot a
different ways. This clearly
a dispute between a worker and his/her
same way. Consider
a situation wherein there occurs
asked to inquire into the matter. During investigation, it is very
superior and a third person is in the same way.
the superior will not recall the situation exactly
likely that both the worker and
levels are not the same. To overcome this problem, one
This is mainly because their perception
to verity the matter from different points
needs to communicate from various perspectives, try
of view, and then come to a conclusion.
should be very careful in the choice of words. It is
Similarly, in a business situation, one
words we utter are also open to a variety of inter-
because like many things in the world, the
instructs the general manager to find out
pretations. For instance, if the director of company
a

whether the company premises can afford to have "large parking

a space', the manager will not
be able to answer unless the director defines what
he means by "large parking space', specify-
character, nature and a
ing its area. Likewise, words such as good, bad, proper, inappropriate,
nature and can be interpreted in var
large number of other words are essentially subjective in
ous ways and hence need to be used carefully in order to avoid ambiguity in the message.

Variation in language Sometimes certain words and idiomatic expressions are culture spe
cific. If we do not use them appropriatelyin the cultural context, it might lead to
respective
miscommunication or non-communication. For instance, what is called sidewalk in the US, in

Britain it is called pavement, whereas in India, it is called platform. Similarly, it is qpartment

in the US, flat in Britain, and house in India. In the same way, we find in Britain to table a pro-
posal means to act on i, whereas in America it means to postpone.
 Ther
eretore, l Fundamentals of Communication
we use
sequently may lead tu
such
the eipressmn of
Sns indisecriminately, con-
breakdow it would lead to confusion and
1.10.2 Non-verbal Barriers
Apart from the
communicatiO
basie
on-verbal aspects tooaspeets
when
of
in order comnunicalo
icalion stated earlicr, one needs to keep in mind tnc
verbal and to be
Sometimes even non-verbal considered adept in communication skills. Moreover,
fiashing messages elash, rece
eceivers tend trust
iding eye contact cyes, rolling
avoid to the non-verbal messages.
may also causeg eyes,
cyes, qu
quick movements
eyebrows constantly
or
very slow moverment,
she has shared. suggests that thenon-verbal
m-verbal barriers to
effective communication. Raising
o
Bulging eyes leave the speaker is not convinced about the
arrogant. EVen when a audience alienated as the informanO sounds
her ousers,
he/she willpresenter keeps his/her hands or thumbs speaker unnecessa
Similarly, 1f some awkwardcertainly appear snobbish, scared, or constantly in the pocKets is/
in the smooth flow gestures are constantly deceptive to his/her audience.
of used by the speaker, these will
topic in greater detail.communication. Chapter 10 on non-verbal creae cks
communication deals win the
ue

1.10.3 Listening Barriers

Poor listening results in incomplete,
do not listen to others incorrect, and
properly and patiently becauseinconsistent responses. Sometimes peopie
rather than listening to others'
views, they
may just be waiting anxiously for the
keep quiet so that they may articulate speaker
to
their own
views. Experience
suggests that those who listen
to others with
dwindling attention fail to speak
properly as well. It is so because listening is the
mother of all speaking.
Listening requires concentration, patience,
and focus; the turbulence
characterizing a quin
tessential twenty-first century mind, however,
renders the whole task extremely
challenging.
And although we all pretend to listen to others
while sitting in a meeting or
attending some oral
presentation, we usually are occupied with the
idea of speaking at the earliest opportunity. It
Mobile Games: New-age Barrier to Effective Listening. is so because speaking is a human urge, while
listening is a compulsion. We all aspire to be
speakers but not necessarily all of us crave to be a listener. That is why, there are many speakers
but just a few listeners. Moreover, listeners interrupting the speakers or avoiding an eye contact
with them also causes barriers to effective listening.
Besides the above, the following reasons may also cause listening barriers in the communi-
cation environment:

Making the speaker feel as though he/she is wasting the listener's time
communication
Being distracted by something that is not part of the ongoing
Getting ahead of the speaker and completing his/her thoughts
 Communication Skills
14

set of
Topping the speaker's story with one's own examples
Forgetting what is being discussed
Asking too many questions for the sake ofprohing
These bariers have heen elaborately discussed in Chapter 9 on develop1ng effective listen

ing skills
ten
1.10.4 Miscellaneous Barriers
Besides the barriers discussed so far, there are other barriers too. For instance, an individual'
subjective viewpoint towards issues/people may lead to a breakdown of the communicatson
on a third party's viewpoint, or
process. Similarly, an emotional block or bias that is based on

hindrance in communication.
what onehas read/heard may also lead to a big
detailed discussion is provided:
Here are a few complex barriers for
which a

It is an undesirable human tendency to jump to hasty con-

Premature evaluation of message
what is being said or written, and generalize the ideas without
clusions, approve or disapprove
often leads to failure in communication because the listeners
being convinced. This tendency
without fully understanding its real essence. In business or-
and readers evaluate the message
are prone to hasty and
often miscalculated guess, which usually leaves
ganizations, beginners
somewhat bemused and grumbling.
their controlling officers
Information overload In
various organizations, the employees in the key positions get un-
with an information overload thus, they often tend to
restricted flow of information. Struggling
the information. For instance.
information unconsciously while processing
ignore the important which reverses the intended
miss the word 'not' in a message,
the person concerned might overload by simply escaping
that people respond to information
meaning. It is also observed authorities demand detailed documen-
for example, wherever
from the task of communication,
sometimes shirk the task and simply furnish
tation for procuring government contracts, people
unauthentic or incomplete information.
Inconsistent and unpredictable
behaviour of the superior leads
Distrust, threat and fear been punished for
to arousing distrust and fear among
the subordinates. If a subordinate has
his/her ideas however
facts in the past, he/she will not express
presenting unfavorable but true fear. Eventually, the communication
innovative and crucial theymay be due to real or imagined
process, in a scenario like this will break down.
affect people in differ-
Less time for orientation and for adjustment to change Changes
ent ways and it may take some time to adjust
to the implication of changes occurring regularly
communication situations indicate a need
both in our personal and professional worlds. Some
career adjustment, or status identification.
If the employees do not get suf.
for further training,
ficient time to adjust, alter, or prepare themselves to face the changes around them, it hampers
communication and can severely affect their performance in an organization.
firm received
Emotional reaction On his retirement day, a senior executive of a leading
many sincere tributes during a special dinner hosted
in his honour. When finally asked to speak,
with emo-
he got up from his seat, spoke a few words but could not continue. He was choked
create a
tion. Depending on the intensity of our emotions thus, our response or reaction may
barrier in communication. Emotions such as fear, suspicion, anger, and joy may act as hurdles
in making ourselves clear to ouraudience
 Fundamentals of Communication

ATtitude Human communication is all about sharing and conveying emo

nu attitudes. A stubborn attitude on the part of the listener or the speaker may lead to a failure
communication It is
oCOmmunication. a
well-known fact that we cannot learn Our
selves of our anything uniess p b
pre-conceived notions.
nstance, if your department has been ioined by an office superintendent who Tell ou
purchase
a0out how
manager prior to joining your
department, you may be genuineiy coneci ed
to cope with
such intractable or possibly
stubborn individuals. This concen on you
pre may nxate your mind and stop you from
Who
might feel like making amends recognizing opinions of the office superintenden
for his/her earlier mistakes.
S Thus, rigidity or preconceiv
ay hamper
may just indulge in a
the real
communication fow, and rather
barrage of expressions to keep each other genuine
than interaction, people
tual concern or engaged without sharing a mu
commitment.
1.11 SOME REMEDIES

Folowing are some of the ways to

our
personal and professional life: overcome the different types of barriers we confront both in
1. Send the data
only to the people who
2.
Emphasize the major ideas. require that.
3. Delete
unwanted details.
4. Maintain
5. Ensure
transparency in policy matters.
clarity in message and look for a
6. Understand
others' emotions. genuine feedback.
7. Understand other
cultures and language variations and
given context. use the appropriate variety in the
8. Make sure that
information overload does not affect the
adversely. communication environment
9. Maintain
openness and acknowledge that
regarding things. people have different
perceptions and views
10. Encourage innovative
ideas and views that
11. Listen
so
people do not unnecessarily live in fears.
attentively others.
to
12. Speak with
clarity and conviction.
To sum up, barriers which are caused due to
fear, ecstasy, joy, threat, etc. can
come by increasing self-awareness, careful listening, and a desire to share and easily be over-
build empathy
towards others. Moreover, by knowing more about the
receiver's background and the level of
knowledge or language proficiency, we can achieve the desired result in communication.

RECAPITULATION
.Communication refers to an exchange of information, Communication in business
ideas, feelings, and emotions.
usually involves inter
personal communication, communication between man-
The purpose of
communication is to get one's message agement and staff as well as other business contacts.
across toothers. This is a process that involves both There are different forms of communication that exist.
the sender of the message and the receiver. In fact, a These are known as verbal, non-verbal, interpersonal,
message is successful only when both the sender and intrapersonal, mass communication, media communi-
the receiver perceive it in the same way. cation, and extrapersonal communication.