1

UNIT-1
COMMUNICATION

“The art of communication is the language of leadership”.

Jamea Humes

The word communication is originated from a Latin word “communis”

which means share. Therefore, communication is a process of exchanging
and sharing information, ideas, thoughts, feeling and emotions through
speech signals, writing, attitude or behavior.

1.1 DEFINITIONS:
Communication is a process by which information is exchanged
between individuals through a common system of symbols and signs
of behavior.(Webster's Dictionary).
Communication is interchange of thoughts, opinions or information by
speech, writing or signs. (Robert Andersion,United States Army
officer).
According to Julia Wood (2004), communication is “a systemic
process in which individuals interact with and through symbols to
create and interpret meanings.”
Keith Davis considers Communication as a process of passing
information and understanding from one person to another. .
William Newman and Charles Summer state that Communication is
an exchange of ideas, facts, opinions or emotions of two or more
persons.

1.2 IMPORTANC OF COMMUNICATION

Strengthening Relationships
Building a rapport with someone comes from talking and listening.
When you know each other and discover similarities, your
relationship can be built on a more solid foundation. This applies to
anything in life: clients, friends, relatives,customers and more.
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Relieving Stress
Whenever you are feeling overwhelmed, it’s a great relief to get
things off your chest by discussing your problems with friends. This
discussion also helps you to see your own as well as others problems
from new perspective.
Increasing Confidence
When people value what you say, your self-esteem naturally
increases. Communicating clearly means that people will be more apt
to listen to you.
Innate Happiness
With better upward mobility in the workplace, stronger relationships,
lower stress, and increased self-esteem, you should find yourself
happier all around.
Effecctive Communication is 20% what youknow
and 80% how you feel about what you know.

1.3 BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Definitions of business communication
Business communication is a process which involves the
transmission and accurate replication of ideas ensured by feedback for
the purpose of electing actions which will accomplish organizational
goals. William Scott
The exchange of ideas, news and views in connection with the
business among the related parties is called business communication.
W. Hume. Meaning
Business communication is the expression, channeling, receiving and
interchanging of ideas in commerce and industry. Brennan in the
opinion of Prof. W.Hitcher.
“The exchange of ideas, news and views in connection with the
business among the related parties is called business communication.”
According to Prof. J. Haste, “Communication occurred between two
or more businessmen for organizing and administering business
efficiently is called business communication.”
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According to S. Brennan, “Business communication is the

expression, channeling, receiving and interchanging of ideas in
commerce and industry. The transmission of information happens
within the business environment. The information may be transmitted
-sent and received – between or among individuals”.
William Scott defined, “Organizational communication is a process
which involves the transmission and accurate replication of ideas
ensured by feedback for the purpose of electing actions which will
accomplish organizational goals.”
“You can have all the great ideas in the world and if you cannot
communicate, nobody will hear them.” - Kara Blackburn

1.4 EFFECTIVE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Effective communication by business managers facilitates information
sharing between company employees and can substantially contribute
to its commercial success.
As it is said by Nitin Nohria “Communication is a real work of
leadership”
According to the Brain Tracy,
“Your ability to communicate with others will account for fully
85% of your success in your business and in your life.”

1.5 IMPORTANCE OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Business communication occurs between two or more parties to
exchange business related information. The success of a business
depends on the efficacy of business communication. For this,
communication is regarded as the lifeblood of business. Researches
spanning several decades have consistently categorized
communication skills as vital for managers as mostly managers spend
75% to 80% of their time engaged in some form of written or oral
communication. Often termed as soft skill, communication in the
business organizations provides the link between core functions.
The role or importance of business communication is discussed
below:
• Exchanging information: Communication is mainly the exchange of
information between two or more parties. Through communication,
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organizations exchange information with internal and external parties.

Communication also brings dynamism in organizational activities and
helps in attaining goals.
• Preparing plans and policies: Communication helps in preparing
organizational plans and policies. Realistic plans and policies require
adequate and relevant information. The managers collect required
information from reliable sources through effective communication.
• Execution of plans and plaices: For timely implementation of plans
and policies, managers must disseminate those in the whole
organization. In order to disseminate the plans Aand policies to the
internal and external parties, managers rely on communication.
• Increasing employee’s efficiency: Communication also helps in
increasing the efficiency of employees. With the help of
communication, organizational objectives, plans, policies, rules,
directives and other complex matters are explained to the employees
that broaden their efficiency and productivity.
• Achieving goals: Effective communication helps the employees at all
levels to be conscious and attentive. It ensures timely accomplishment
of jobs and easy achievement of goals.
• Solving problems: Through various communication channels, the
managers can be informed of various routine and non-time problems
of the organization and accordingly, they take the necessary actions to
solve the problems.
• Making decisions: Making timely decisions requires updated
information. Through effective communication, managers can collect
information from different corners and can make the right decisions
confidently.
• Improving industrial relation: Industrial relation is the relation
between workers and management in the workplace. Good industrial
relation is always desired for business success. Communication plays
a vital role in creating and maintaining good industrial relation.
• Publicity of goods and services: In the modern age, business is
becoming highly competitive. Almost very competing manufacturer
produces products of common consumption. However, all of them
cannot sell equally well. The organization that can communicate
better, can also sell better.
• Removing controversies: Effective communication allows smooth
flow of information among various parties involved in the negotiation
or transaction. As a result, conflicts, controversies and disagreements
can be resolved easily.
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• Enhancing employee satisfaction: If there is free and fair flow of

information in the organization, it will certainly bring mutual
understanding between management and workers. Such understanding
enhances the satisfaction of employees.
• Enhancing loyalty: Effective communication helps the managers to
be aware of the performance of their subordinates. In such a situation,
the subordinates try to show their good performance. Later on, if
management praises their performance, it will enhance employees’
loyalty and morale.

1.6 COMPONENTS OF COMMUNICATION:

The most basic and essential components of communication include:
1 Context
2 Sender or Encoder
3 Encoding
4 Channel/medium of communication
5 Receiver or Decoder
6 Decoding
7 Noise/Barriers
8 Feedback
1.7 PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION
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 Context: It is the background, circumstances or reference which

becomes the reason to initiate some communication or action. It
provides a solid reason for effective communications. Context
provides a platform to plan, design and initiates some action or
communication process. It includes culture, country, companies and
organization.
 Sender (Encoder): The sender or the communicator is the person
who initiates the conversation and has conceptualized the idea that he
intends to convey it to others.
 Encoding: The sender begins with the encoding process wherein he
uses certain words or non-verbal methods such as symbols, signs,
body gestures, etc. to translate the information into a message. The
sender’s knowledge, skills, perception, background, competencies,
etc. has a great impact on the success of the message.
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 Message (code): Once the encoding is finished, the sender gets the
message that he intends to convey. The message can be written, oral,
symbolic or non-verbal such as body gestures, silence, signs, sounds,
etc. or any other signal that triggers the response of a receiver.
 Communication Channel/Medium: The Sender chooses the medium
through which he wants to convey his message to the recipient. It
must be selected carefully in order to make the message effective and
correctly interpreted by the recipient. The choice of medium depends
on the interpersonal relationships between the sender and the receiver
and also on the urgency of the message being sent. Oral, virtual,
written, sound, gesture, etc. are some of the commonly used
communication mediums.
 Receiver (Decoder): The receiver is the person for whom the
message is intended or targeted. He tries to comprehend it in the best
possible manner such that the communication objective is attained.
The degree to which the receiver decodes the message depends on his
knowledge of the subject matter, experience, trust and relationship
with the sender.
 Decoding: Here, the receiver interprets the sender’s message and tries
to understand it in the best possible manner. An effective
communication occurs only if the receiver understands the message in
exactly the same way as it was intended by the sender.
 Feedback/Response: The Feedback is the final step of the process
that ensures the receiver has received the message and interpreted it
correctly as it was intended by the sender. It increases the
effectiveness of the communication as it permits the sender to know
the efficacy of his message. The response of the receiver can be verbal
or non-verbal.
 Noise: It shows the barriers to communication. There are chances that
when the message sent by the sender is not received by the recipient
or remained incomplete.

1.8 BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

A----Organizational barriers
• The barriers that generate from or within the organization are known
as organizational barriers. These may be of the following types:
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Negative organizational climate:

The main aspect of organizational climate that acts as communication
barrier is the negative attitude of top management. Negative attitude
of top management discourages communication initiative of the
employees.
Absence of communication policy:
Well-designed communication policy encourages communication in
the organization. In the absence of such policies, employees hesitate
to communicate.
Excessive authority layers:
Excessive authority layers acts as a severe impediment to successful
communication. In the case of excessive authority layers, information
reaches to its final destination passing through several hierarchical
levels. As a result, information may be distorted or lost. Excessive
authority layers also causes delay in communication.
Filtering:
Filtering implies willful distortion of information. This problem
usually arises in both upward and downward communication. In
upward communication, employees tend to pass only those messages
that create positive impression about them and in downward
communication the higher authority passes down only that
information which would be in their benefit.
B--Individual Barriers
Differences in personality:
Personality is the set of attributes that define a person. Every person
holds a distinct personality. This individual nature of personality acts
as barrier to communication.
Perceptual differences:
Perception is the unique way in which people respond or interpret an
object or event. Difference in perception is a very common problem in
effective communication.
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Abstracting
When we receive a message, we usually concentrate on some
particular or relevant details and neglect others. This process of
looking for relevant information and omitting less important thing is
called abstracting
Inferring
The process of making conclusions on the basis of assumption and
observation is called inferring which a barrier to communication
becomes.
Fear:
Fear of reprisal or attack, fear of criticism for knowing very little etc.
may create problem in communication.
Stereotyping:
Stereotyping is generalizing about a class of people or events that is
widely held by a given culture. In case of stereotyping, people develop
communication statements and mindsets about others. This orientation
exposes itself in such statements and mindsets. For example, “All
used car salesmen are dishonest,” or “All foreign recruiting agents are
liars.” Such all-inclusive perceptions not only are seldom correct but
they also block mental activity that is necessary for successful
communication.
Halo Effect:
The halo effect is the tendency to use a general impression based on
one or a few characteristics to judge other characteristics of that same
individual. For example, a manger might identify one trait of an
employee, such as an excellent attendance record, and perceive that
the employee’s productivity and quality of work must also be
outstanding.
Inattention:
Sometimes communication does not reach due to the inattention of
the receiver. Such inattention may result from business, lack of
interest about subject, suffering from disease, any psychological,
physiological or family problem etc.
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C- Language or Semantic Barrier

• A common barrier to effective communication is semantic distortion,
which can be deliberate or accidental. Semantic problem arises when
words and symbols have different meanings for different people that
lead to a misunderstanding. For examples, an advertisement states,
“we sell for less.” It is ambiguous and raises the question: less than
what or less means what? In another case, during meeting, a male
colleague said to one of his female colleague, “Why don’t you dye
it?” meaning her hair. The female colleague thought he said, “Why
don’t you diet?” she did not speak to him for a month. Semantic
barrier presents difficult challenge when people from different
cultures communicate with each other.
• Convention of meaning
For effective communication sender and receiver should have the
same meaning of the message.
• Denotations
The dictionary definition of a word is called denotation. Denotations
do not indicate negative or positive qualities. The words like pen,
chair, college, book, etc. only have denotative meaning. The receiver
only gets the same idea what the sender wants to convey.
• Connotations
Some words have additional or secondary meaning other than their
dictionary definitions.These secondary meaning are known as
connotations. These meaning arise due to personal feelings or
reactions for example the word man is denotative whereas father,
prophet brother are connotative.
• Euphemism
Euphemism is an art of saying direct, serious and unpleasant things in
a pleasant and gentle way. For example, “perhaps you have forgotten”
is a euphemism for “you are a liar”. Similarly pass away is
euphemism for dead or died.
D- Emotional Barriers
Emotional barriers are mental walls that keep you reserve from openly
communicating your thoughts and feelings to others. They prevent
you from being yourself and living your life to the fullest. Individuals
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with emotional barriers tend to be extremely reserved, cautious, and

insecure and complexed. As a result, they may find it challenging to
effectively express themselves – whether it’s through their work or
through interpersonal communication. Emotional barriers can be
tough to overcome, but are necessary to put aside to engage in
conversation. We are often taught to fear the words coming out of our
mouth. Overcoming this fear is necessary.
“Anything you say can and will be used against you”
Lack of credibility and Trust
• If the receiver doesn’t trust the sender, he will view the message
itself with skepticism or suspicion.
• If the sender is trustworthy, the receiver will likely believe the
message despite her personal opinions about that subject.
E- Psychological Barriers

F- Personal Barriers
It involves the following aspects of attitude or behavior:
Lack of confidence
Introversion or shyness
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Monologue or self- talk

Cultural differences
Lack of objectivity
Discomfort in sensitive issues
Information overloaded:
When information becomes more than that can be received at a
particular time by the receiver, then effective communication fails.
The receiver does not has the capacity to get all the information
and can miss some important points or misinterpret the meaning of the
whole message altogether. The message will not get the desired
outcome causing the communication in effective and acts as a barrier.
Work overload and information duplication also help to cause physical
communication barrier.
G- Physiological Barriers
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H- Semantic and Attitudinal Barriers

1.9 MESSAGE CONGRUENCY

Messages are conveyed in a wide range of ways, not just by our
words. Any conflict between all these messages which are being
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conveyed simultaneously by different means will make it much more

difficult to get your message across successfully.
Congruent communication is a pattern in which the person sends the
same message on both verbal and nonverbal levels.
To ensure that your message is being conveyed clearly and
consistently, check for congruency between any of the following
aspects of your business which might be applicable in a situation:
 words
 actions
 Interviews
 Gestures ,postures and body language
 tone of voice
 facial expressions
 attitudes
Improve your congruence
 Be as honest as you can as often as you can
 Think about how you are going to say it was well as what you
are going to say
 Seek out a trustworthy coach or mentor to give you accurate
and specific feedback.
 Speak more slowly and clearly
 Make sufficient eye contact with your audience
 Nonverbal communication is the transmission of information
in addition to words in a communication to an audience or
receiver of the communication content.

1.10 NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Nonverbal communication is conveying meaning or expressing
feelings consciously or subconsciously through means other than
words. In a direct conversation between two individuals, up to 65
percent of the social meaning is sent through nonverbal means such as
hand gestures, rolling the eyes, nodding the head, or looking away
 UNIT -I COMMUNICATION 15

while someone is speaking. How often have you experienced talking

with someone who says they're listening even though they're watching
television? Or having someone say they agree to something while
shaking their head in disagreement? Conversely, have you
experienced empathy from someone as evidenced by (heir nodding in
support rather than sharing their agreement with you verbally? We
often communicate nonverbally in ways that contradict what we're
saying verbally. Nonverbal messages are often sent subconsciously,
leading others to believe that they hold more of the true meaning than
the verbal message.13 Nonverbal communication is powerful. It is
important to understand first how we communicate nonverbally, and
then how to interpret correctly nonverbal messages that others send us.
The communication process involves much more than the spoken
word. Key is sending verbal messages congruent with our nonverbal
signals: Do they reinforce the message? Or do they contradict the
intended message and confuse the receiver? For example, a boss who
says he or she loves your ideas while rolling his or her eyes would lead
you to believe that the boss might lack confidence in your suggestions.
There are several ways in which we communicate nonverbally. By
increasing awareness of your own tendencies to communicate
nonverbally, as well as the potential meaning of others' nonverbal
communication, you can increase confidence in your ability to
communicate effectively.
 The sender conveys nonverbal information to a receiver by
means of the following methods.
 Kinesics
 Facial expression
 Head
 Eye gaze
 Gestures
 Postures
 Shape of body
 Environment
 Haptics
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 Proximics
Kinesics:
The word kinesics comes from the root word kinesis, which means
“movement,” and refers to the study of hand, arm, body, and face
movements. Kinesics involves body movement, gestures, and posture.
This includes eye contact, leaning, and body positioning. For example,
we tend to use eye contact to provide information, express interest or
intimacy, or facilitate the accomplishment of tasks. Many gestures are
passed from one generation to the next without conscious effort. The
way your dad looked at you when you did something wrong may be
echoed in your behavior toward others. Check yourself and ask for
feedback if you think others may find your gestures offensive. In
addition, there are differences—some small, some vast—in the use,
acceptability, and interpretation of gestures in other cultures. As said
before, it is important to know your audience.
 Specifically, this section will outline the use of gestures, head
movements and posture, eye contact, and facial expressions as
nonverbal communication.
 Facial expression: Human faces are incredibly expressive
including the eyes, eyebrows, mouth, and any other
movement. Emotions such as anger, happiness, hurt, disgust,
confusion, and boredom are all easily expressed with facial
movements.
 Posture: How you carry yourself including bearing, stance,
rigidity, uprightness. Whether you are leaning back
comfortably, sitting rigidly on the edge of your seat, or
leaning back with your eyes closed, you convey a message
via your posture and positioning.
 Eye contact: People often attribute trustworthiness to people
who speak while maintaining good eye contact and vice
versa. Eye contact is also used to convey interest and
emotions, and to promote rapport with the receiver of the
message. It is also used to feign interest, mislead, and fake
interest.
 Gestures: Especially hand gestures are rich conveyors of
communication. They punctuate the spoken word and add
meaning. Less conscious gestures such as scratching your
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nose, stroking your hair, tugging on your clothes, placing

your hands on your hips, and waving communicate messages
advertently or inadvertently.
 Signs: Signs and other articles graphs, pictures or symbols are
considered a form of nonverbal communication.
 Personal Appearance, Objects, and Artifacts: These are types
of nonverbal communication we use in relation to our bodies
and surroundings to communicate meaning to others.
Consider your preferences for hair-style, clothing, jewelry,
and automobiles, as well the way you maintain your body.
Your choices express meanings to those around you about
what you value and the image you wish to put forth. As with
most communication, our choices for personal appearance,
objects, and artifacts occur within cultural contexts, and are
interpreted in light of these contexts. Clothing and other
appurtenances such as briefcases, safety glasses, and so forth:
Types of clothing and your appearance send powerful
nonverbal messages. Some of the messages are intentional as
when the employee wears a shirt with her favorite athletic
team emblazoned on the back or the employee who wears a
conservative, business-like suit every day.
 But, people may send other messages unintentionally without
realizing the impact of their message on the receiver. The
wearer of the conservative suits may appear unapproachable
when that was not his intention. He just wanted to appear
ready for business, trustworthy, and dependable.
 Office décor: At work, how you decorate your office also
sends messages to employees who enter. Where you place
your desk, the distance between your seat and those of
visitors, whether furniture separates you from coworkers all
speak powerfully and nonverbally.
Para linguistics: Para linguistics is vocal communication which
separate from the actual words used and includes such factors as
inflection, pitch, pacing, pauses, and loudness. It is a form of
nonverbal communication which is useful for telephone and in-person
interaction.
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Refers to the tone of voice, volume, pitch, or speech rate. Is the sender
using a strong, loud tone of voice or is he or she soft-spoken or timid in
making an announcement? It is important to check both your message
and how you deliver it to ensure that the receiver will interpret and
respond to it as intended. The same message can have very different
meanings depending on which words are emphasized. For example,
■ Where is your mother? might be used when another adult is
helping a child locate his or her mother.
■ Where is your mother? might be said by a child's classmate at the
start of the annual May Day parade.
■ Where is your mother? might be said by a neighbor staring
alternatively between her newly broken window and a child
wearing a baseball glove.
 Touch: Touch is a powerful method of nonverbal
communication. A pat on the back, a hug, a person reaching
out to touch your hand in sympathy communicates with or
without any accompanying words.
. Environment
It refers to the layout of the space or room, lighting, color scheme,
noise, decorations, and so on. The way in which you arrange your
office may send a message to subordinates that may denote invitation
or seclusion. For example, arranging your desk with your back to the
door sends a very different message than arranging your desk facing
the door. Also, placing chairs on the other side of your desk, facing
you, places a barrier—figuratively and literally—between you and
your co-workers. If you want to send a more egalitarian message,
arrange your chairs next to your desk, or sit around a table with chairs
when speaking with your employees or associates.
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Chronemics
This study of how human beings use and structure time. Are you
always late, early, right on time? What is the message you're sending,
and how do your superiors, peers, or subordinates perceive it? If you
are always late to meetings, what do others interpret about this
behavior? What if you're always early? Is what your actions are
communicating the message you intended to send? Again, there are
cultural differences in how chronemics plays out in communication. Be
aware of these differences to ensure mutual understanding.
Proxemics
It is the study of what you communicate by the way you use
interpersonal space. Just as your use of physical space in your office
telegraphs a message to the receiver, so does the space that you
surround yourself with when working or communicating. Most North
Americans prefer about 18 inches of space around their physical
person when communicating with others. Anything closer is viewed
as too close and, especially in a work setting, too intimate
According to anthropologist Edward T. Hall, we unconsciously use
different distances or zones to communicate and interact with others.''1
You may notice that when talking to a close friend, you stand very
near—perhaps a foot or less away. Conversely, when you go to the
beach, you are more likely to look for a spot that is 10 or more feet
from the next occupied space. How closely we stand to others with
whom we communicate has a powerful effect on how we regard others
and how we respond to them. For example, Americans prefer a "safe
zone" when interacting with others, a space of a couple of feet or more.
By contrast, many people in Latin American countries stand quite
close and often touch those with whom they speak—in personal and
even business conversations.
Haptics
Haptics is tactile communication which refers to the use of touch.
Touch can provide a strong nonverbal cue. Individuals tend to touch
those they like or those with whom they have a close association, such
as when a friend puts her arm over her friend's shoulder to express
warmth and encouragement. Other types of touch can indicate varying
degrees of aggression, such as pointing a finger or smacking another's
hand. Touch-based communication varies depending upon the type of
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relationships, including functional/professional (dental examination,

haircut), social/polite (handshake), friendship/warmth (clap on the
back), and love/intimacy (kisses and hugs).

The old saying, "Actions speak louder than words" holds true.
Nonverbal messages tend to be ambiguous, so they may still need
verbal clarification. Silence is probably one of the most misunderstood
forms of nonverbal communication. Imagine you arc at a team meeting
and a major decision is about to be ratified. Some members vocalize
their agreement while others remain silent. Are they in agreement, still
thinking, bored, angry, tired, disinterested, or daydreaming?
Interpreting nonverbal messages is a complex task; there is not one
universal interpretation for each gesture or response. Before you
interpret a nonverbal message, ask clarifying questions or get a verbal
response to ensure a correct interpretation.

Nonverbal Behavior Common Interpretation

Darting eyes Lying, bored, distracted,

uninterested

Crossed arms Closed to other's opinion,

defensive

Tapping fingers Impatient, nervous

Body lean (forward) Interest, paying attention

Rubbing hands Anticipation

Chin rub Disbelief

Hands on hips Anger, frustration

Steepling fingers Authority, superiority

Rubbing nose Lying, doubt

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Quiet voice Uncertainty, shyness, scared

Raised eyebrow Amazement, disbelief

Why Nonverbal Communication Matters

 Used in conjunction with the verbal communication of words,
nonverbal communication helps you relay messages that are
clearly understood by your intended receivers. You can
punctuate, reinforce, emphasize, and enliven your
communication with any of the above methods of nonverbal
communication.
 As a useful tool, you should consciously use nonverbal
communication to make certain that you are communicating
your intended message as effectively aspossible. Shared
meaning is the desired outcome in any communication and
nonverbal communication helps to create shared meaning.
 But, you also need to maintain the awareness that how you
communicate nonverbally can mean one thing to you but
convey a completely different message to the receiver of your
communication. For example, a young fundraiser had the
habit of arriving for a meeting with his boss by spreading
himself physically over a large space at the table.This
presence plus his habit of placing his briefcase and his water
bottle on both sides of him on the table nonplussed his boss.
The employee was getting comfortablebut his boss perceived
his presence as an invasion of his space.This was harmful to
their relationship especially as the employee also had the
habit of leaning across the table when he intensely expressed
opinions. This made his boss, despite the fact that the boss
had all of the power organizationally, exceptionally
uncomfortable.
When Nonverbal and Verbal Communication Don't Match
 When a mismatch exists between what you are stating
verbally and the nonverbal signals you are sending, the
nonverbal communication is believed by your receivers.
 For example, when an employee tells you that everything is
fine, but everything about his tone, facial expression, body
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posture, and failure to smile are incongruent, you don’t

believe the words.
 Consequently, if your nonverbal communication is going to
serve you well as a tool to improve your overall
communication, you need to develop awareness about
matching your nonverbal communication to your words.
When Nonverbal Communication Matters
 For good or ill, nonverbal communication can help you or
haunt you. Most significantly, recognize the power it has to
affect the outcomes of your communication. Whether you are
speaking to the whole company at a company meeting,
chatting with a coworker on the phone, or talking to your boss
in her office, nonverbal communication affects the
interaction.
 Nonverbal communication is also powerful in your day-to-
day meetings with coworkers and your passing interactions in
the halls of your workplace. It's significant at your lunches
either in or outside of your organization.
 Finally, recognize the power of your nonverbal
communication with your company stakeholders, your clients
or customers, your vendors, and your professional associates.
Matching your nonverbal communication to your spoken
words will make them trust you.
 You can practice and manage your nonverbal communication
to convey your messages more effectively.
1.11 PRINCIPLES OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
OR
7C’s of Communication
We communicate all day long; at home, at work, with our next-
door neighbor and at the sports club. We communicate verbally,
non-verbally and in writing. Unfortunately, the message does not
always come across as unattended. NOISE! This can lead to
miscommunication and (small) misunderstanding or the wrong
impression.
 UNIT -I COMMUNICATION 23

The 7 C’s of effective communication, also known as the seven

principles of communication are a useful way to ensure good
and business communication. The 7 C’s of Effective
Communication provide a useful check list as a result of which
both written and verbal communication pass off in a clear, plain,
target group-oriented and well-structured manner.
Importance of effective Communication first appeared in business,
where time is precious and there is no room for mistakes done out
of misinformation. The 7C’s stand for seven essential principles of
communication which start with the letter C. Each one of 7C’s
represents a requirement that the message should be effective.
Applying these principles to our communication ensures that our
message will be in sync with the recipient’s understanding and free
from ballast. If the communication is ineffective, the main message
of our work will be obscured or lost. You risk missing
opportunities to be cited or invited for collaboration.
Principle of Courtesy : Stepping Into Audience’s Shoes
Courteous message is written from the viewpoint of the audience.
However, it is also a way of showing respect. Courtesy is
interconnected with the principle of completeness.
While communicating, we must create friendliness with all those to
whom we send message. Friendliness is inseparable from courtesy
and Courtesy demands a considerate and friendly behavior toward
others. There is a popular proverb regarding courtesy “Courtesy
costs nothing but wins everything” The communicating parties
should always keep this in mind. The following principles may help
to promote courtesy:
 Answer the message promptly
 Omit irritating expressions
 Apologize sincerely for an omission or mistake
 Thank generously for a favor
Principle of Completeness: No Necessary Information is Missing
A complete message should convey all facts required by the
audience. In interdisciplinary research, for example, your reviewers
might be from another scientific field. It is therefore wise to include
24 UNIT-I COMMUNICATION

more general information than you normally would if you write a

letter within your narrow expertise. On the other hand, there is no
possibility for corrections or follow-up in the revision process of
project proposals. You thus need to ensure that reviewers or readers
have all the facts at hand if you wish that your project is
convincing.
Completeness is interconnected with the principles
of clarity and courtesy. Completeness of facts is extremely
necessary in Business Communication. Incomplete
communication can irritate the reader and it can also lead the
receiver to misinterpret the message. So, a message should be
organized in such a way that the receiver can understand its
meaning easily and properly.
The sender of a message must be aware of 5Ws:
 Who is the receiver of the message?
 What does the message contain?
 Where the receiver is to be reached?
 When the receiver is to be reached?
 Why the sender is sending the message?
Principle of Conciseness: Get to the Point
Conciseness means forming your message with minimum number
of words possible without invalidating the other 6 C’s. Avoid
wordiness, repetition, and filler words or phrases. Concise message
is also more appealing and comprehensible, and will save time both
to you and your audience. Conciseness is interconnected with the
principles of concreteness and consideration.
Brevity in expression effectively wins the attention of the reader.
A message should be as long or as short as is necessary to tell the
story effectively. A message must include everything necessary and
at the same time exclude anything unnecessary. Sometimes a two
page message may seem short, while a ten line message may seem
too long. The following four rules may help to achieve conciseness
in the message:
 Include only relevant facts
 UNIT -I COMMUNICATION 25

 Avoid repetition
 Avoid trite and wordy expression
 Organize the message well
However, conciseness must not be attained at the cost of principles
of Business completeness or clarity.
Principle of Clarity: Simplicity and Organization
Clarity is best achieved through short, simple but in fluent
sentences and paragraphs. Each paragraph should describe only one
idea, and paragraphs should be organized from the big picture at
the beginning to greater detail towards the end. The last sentence in
a paragraph should indicate the information in the next paragraph.
Appropriate idea flow ensures that the readers are exposed to right
information at the right time, especially if they are not from your
immediate field. Clarity is interconnected with the principle
of completeness and concreteness. The idea or thought that the
sender wants to transmit must be clear enough to be understood by
the receiver. In Written Business Communication the clarity of
thought and the clarity of expression are of two important things. It
is also important in oral and non-verbal messages. For clarity, the
following guidelines can be followed:
 Select short, familiar and easy words
 Avoid ambiguous words and jargons
 Use short and effective sentence and paragraphs
 Avoid excessive use of infinitive
 Put appropriate examples, illustration and visual aids where
applicable
Principle of Concreteness: Specific Instead of Generalizations
Concrete message is like a factsheet put to words. Avoid also
vague words and words with multiple meanings, such as in the
future or, quickly, etc. Concreteness diminishes the need to guess
the meaning and the possibility of misinterpretation. Concreteness
is interconnected with the principles
of clarity, conciseness and consideration.
26 UNIT-I COMMUNICATION

Concreteness means being specific, definite and vivid rather than

vague and general. The message must be concrete or exact so that
the receiver can read it easily or hear clearly. Anything interfering
the information should be avoided. There might be fairness,
openness and straightness in communicating the message with the
intended parties.
The following guidelines can help writing concrete message:
 Use specific facts and figures
 Use action or active verb
 Select vivid, lively and handsome words
 Tell exactly what you want to explain
 Avoid irrelevant information
Principle of Correctness: Facts & Proofreading
Correctness refers to both factual and linguistic accuracy. All the
information you provide needs to stem from valid, reliable, and
credible sources that can be located. This is the reason why
Wikipedia is not accepted as an information source for scientific
publications. Correctness is fundamental in research paper
discussions, where your claims need to be supported with facts
and figures from your results. Finally, we should always check
your writing for typing, spelling, and grammatical errors. If
English is not our mother tongue, it is wise to consult professional
language editing services.
Correctness is interconnected with the principle of consideration.
The fact of the message might be in correct language. Any
incorrect or partial Business Communication or message may lead
the receiver misinterpret the message. Before transmitting any
message, the transmitter might be sure that it contains correct
facts, it is transmitted at the correct time and it is of correct style.
Any mistake in the subject matter of Business Communication not
only creates confusion in the mind of the receiver but also distorts
the objectives of Business Communication.
In fact, you should not send any message unless you are
absolutely sure of its correctness and if you are not sure about it,
 UNIT -I COMMUNICATION 27

you should verify it immediately. For correctness, keep the

following suggestions in mind:
 Check your message or writing from grammatical and linguistic
viewpoints
 Use none discriminatory words like chair person, police officer,
sales person, camera operator instead of sexist words
 Check accuracy of figures, facts and words
 Send your message at the correct time
 Send your message in the correct style.
Principle of Consideration: You Attitude
Consideration means preparing every message keeping the
receiver in mind. While encoding the message the sender should
try to put himself in the place of the receiver. The desires,
problems, emotions, feelings and possible reactions of the receiver
should be considered duly. Give the receiver’s situations highest
priority while drafting message. Follow the rules mentioned below
to ensure consideration to your audience:
 Use “You view point” instead of “I” or “We point of view”
 Avoid insensitive you like, you have failed to
 Show reader benefit or interest
 Emphasize on positive, pleasant facts
 Write only what you honestly feel to be correct
1.12 ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
TYPES AND LEVELS
Communication is the process that involves the transmission and
accurate replication of ideas ensured by feedback for the purpose
of eliciting action which will accomplish organizational goals.
William Scott
1.13 INTRODUCTION
Communication in an organization has two aspects:
1. Smooth flow of communication between the employees of an
28 UNIT-I COMMUNICATION

organization to promote harmonious relationship.

2. Team spirit and the use of technology to ensure movement of
communication from a department or an office to the other and
from one city to another.
Levels / types of communication
An organization is a body of persons working for a well defined
goal. To achieve the goal, each member has to be in touch with the
other. In an organization, there are three types of communication
that are prevalent.
The communication between the management and the employees
is characterized as Vertical communication. It can be downward
communication, that is from top to bottom (from management to
the employees) or upward communication that is from
employees to management.
Another type of communication is called lateral or horizontal.
This takes place between peers of the department.
Diagonal communication takes place between members of other
departments with all levels of employees and employees.
The two-way communication is necessary to keep the organization
in a solid state. More downward communication creates problems
in an organization. Though, the workers should be given a chance
to air their feelings and thoughts and sometimes their feedback
goes a long way in the development and progress of an
organization.
• Downward Channel of Communication
• Upward Channel of Communication
• Horizontal Channel of Communication
• Grapevine
• Consensus
• Diagonal communication
• Oral communication
 UNIT -I COMMUNICATION 29

• Telephone conversation
• Interviews
• Presentations
• Voice-mail
• Teleconferencing
• Written communication
• E-mail
• Memoranda
• Letters
• Reports and papers
• Graphic communication
• Tables
• Maps
• Corporate Communication process
• Challenges to the Practice of Corporate Communication
• Functions of Corporate Communication
• Organization Barriers to Communication
• Conclusion
1.14 DOWNWARD CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION
In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths.
-The Holy Bible, Proverbs 3:6
The channels of communication refer to the formal and informal
ways of communicating with other people. Every business house
maintains the internal as also the external communication. The
internal communication refers to the sending of or receiving of
messages within the organization.
The external communication, on the other hand, refers to the
30 UNIT-I COMMUNICATION

sending and receiving of messages from banks, government offices,

insurance agencies, customers, experts, other business houses etc.
For both the types of communication, the organization will build up
its communication system. For this, a hierarchy of offices is set
up, and authorities, clerks, operators provide a context for all kinds
of communication, in an organization, and the Board of Directors
will decide the policy matters. The information about it will be
passed on to the Managing Director, who will put those polices in
execution. He will issue directives to the assistant departmental
managers.
The supervisors will receive instructions from the assistant
managers. They will pass on the relevant information to their
subordinate clerks or to the operators, who will execute the orders.
This formal communication is one in which information is
communicated through hierarchical lines of authority. Further,
formal communication puts the responsibility on those who
communicate internally not to by-pass the authority.
Below we discuss all these channels one by one:
Downward communication, as the name suggests, moves from the
top person in the hierarchy to the person, who will execute the
instructions.
The management or the supervisors communicate with the
subordinates who organize, coordinate and direct the operational
aspects of the organization.
Oral media plays more important role in this type of
communication, such as verbal orders, or face to face
communication or holding of meetings, telephone calls, speeches
etc. Alternative media of communication are letters, circulars,
memos, company journals video and audio recordings.
The purpose of downward communication
The purpose of downward communication is multi-fold:
 To acquaint the employees with the policies, procedures,
rules and regulations of the company.
 UNIT -I COMMUNICATION 31

 To motivate the employees to work with sincerity,

punctuality, honesty, neatness and thoroughness.
 To check, assess and appreciate the performance of the
employees.
 To inculcate the spirit of team work in those who are not
quite co-operative and friendly with their team-mates.
 To help a worker whose understanding of the work is
inadequate.
 Lastly to reprimand or warn an employee who is neglecting
his work.
Limitations of Downward communication
Downward communication has its own limitations. The passing of
the message is delayed in procedural tangle. The message gets
distorted because it has to pass through various channels.
Sometimes there is message overload because the same message is
conveyed again and again through various channels. Lastly, the
message passed on is incomplete resulting in erroneous and
unsatisfactory performance on the part of the employees.

1.15 UPWARD CHANNEL OF COMMUNICATION

Earlier most business organizations showed very little tolerance for
the ideas and thoughts of their employees. But in the changed
scenario, they have realized the importance of upward
communication. Upward communication refers to the
communication between employees and management. Management
has started encouraging this kind of communication because upward
communication has advantages for both the management and the
employees. Below we discuss it in great detail:
Advantages for the Employees
1. Employees can express their frustrations that are result of their
suppressed feelings.
2. They can express their problems, grievances, needs and
requirements.
32 UNIT-I COMMUNICATION

3. They can give suggestion for about productivity, quality control,

profits, costs, sales, research, new schemes, inventions etc., which
go a long way in improving the company.
4. Employees develop a sense of participation when they are given a
chance to interact with the management.
Advantages for the Management
1. The management can find solutions to the problems and grievances
of the employees and this will create a good relationship and an
ambience in the organization.
2. On the basis of the suggestions given by the employees, the
management can take sound decisions about the enhancement of
productivity in the company.
3. The management can issue new directives about the procedures to
be adopted by the employees.
What methods should be employed for upward
communication?
• Frequent meetings between management and employees give a
chance to talk about employees suggestions and the worth
management directives.
• By encouraging employees to talk about their problems, the
management can earn their trust. Management can follow the
method of counseling and thought that can get more
information about the organization.
• The management should follow open-door policy to encourage
employees to talk about their problems freely.
• Management should write letters and encourage them to reply
• Social gatherings and group events can be organized to
encourage spontaneous information from the employees.
• Employees be encouraged to submit reports about the process
of their work.
• Suggestion boxes can be kept and the employees are
 UNIT -I COMMUNICATION 33

encouraged to submit their suggestions without fear.

Problems of upward communication.
If the management does not take any positive action on the upward
communication, it remains useless. There is a tendency among the
employees to hide unfavourable facts from the management because
they believe that the surest way to succeed in an organization is to
agree with the boss. Since the channel of communication is very
long, the upward communication gets delayed, distorted and filtered.
Sometimes the subordinate staff gets so bold as to bypass the
superiors which makes superior officers suspicious about them.
Sometimes the superior gives partial attention to what the
subordinate says resulting in their poor relationship. Lastly, it is very
difficult for the subordinates to communicate criticisms of the
superior and the management.
1.16 HORIZONTAL CHANNEL OF COMMUNICATION
Horizontal communication refers to the communication that takes
place between and among people who are from the same level of
hierarchy. In other words, it takes place between/among the peers.
It is also called lateral communication. When it takes place
interdepartmentally, it is called diagonal communication.
As we know, present times are the times of specialization. Even in
the same department, there are different units looking after
different aspects of a particular job. In such a situation, integration
and coordination between different units becomes necessary. This
can be achieved through horizontal communication. If the head of
the sales department has to give an exact date of delivery to a
client, he/she cannot do it unless he/she gets in touch with the
packaging and transportation departments.
In many business houses, any other kind of communication except
downward communication is prevalent. They simply believe in
directives, orders or warnings. They discourage lateral
communication fearing it may lead to the formation of unions
posing potential threat to the organization. But they too have started
realizing that horizontal communication plays an important role in
checking the interdepartmental rivalries arising out of slanting,
34 UNIT-I COMMUNICATION

misconceptions, distortion of message, misunderstanding or by lack

of understanding. Horizontal communication may also facilitate the
process of problem solving and promote friendly and cooperative
spirit among the employees of the organization.
• Telephone and Face Communication: Telephone conversation
and face to face conversation are frequent means of horizontal
conversation. Sometimes one feels that face conversation is better
because telephone conversation lacks gestures and facial
expressions. This can be partly compensated by voice modulation.
• Meetings: Meetings are of two types: Standing committee meetings
and ad hoc committee meetings. Meetings are called with a
particular purpose and a fixed agenda. Meetings not only thrash out
problems and co-ordinate and integrate the interdepartmental work
but also promote team spirit, co-operation and friendliness between
heads of different departments.
• Letters and memos can also be used for horizontal
communication.
1.17 GRAPEVINE
As we said above every organization has a systematic formal
channel of communication. Along with that, it also has informal
channel of communication called grapevine.
This informal communication is neither written nor documented. It
is not pre-planned. It follows no rules or regulations. It has no fixed
agenda. It is called grapevine because it spreads like a grapevine.
Below, we discuss more details about the grapevine.
Importance of Grapevine
The grapevine fulfills the physiological and social needs of the
employees. Man is a social animal. Employees have an urge to mix
up with their fellow workers, discuss their anxiety, Frustrations and
job related problems with them quite informally. This gives them
an emotional relief and promotes a felling of solidarity and unity.
Limitations of the grapevine
The grapevine is not free from errors. The messaged spread by the
 UNIT -I COMMUNICATION 35

grapevine is incomplete baseless, imaginary, and non-factual is

some cases. It may damage the reputation and productivity of the
organization.
The use of the grapevine
Though the grapevine has its negative aspect, the management
instead of suppressing it should use it as a barometer of public
opinion and a source of outlet of the employees, frustration and dry
to quell the remour and disinformation by letting everybody know
about the rules, regulations and policies of the organization.

EXERCISE
Q.No.1 What is communications? Write a detailed note on the importance
of business communication.

Q.No.2 “Communication is the life blood of an organization” Justify this

statement.

Q.No.3 “The ability to communicate effectively leads to professional

excellence..Comments on this statement.

Q.No.4 Effective business communication is a key to success. Write either

in favour of this statement or against it.

Q.No.5 A proper flow of communication between employees and

management is a key to successful working in an organization.
Comment on this statement.

Q.No.6 Discuss various levels of communication in organizations.

Q.No.7 All levels of communication have advantages and disadvantages .

Discuss

Q.No.8 Discuss the process of communication. What are the different

elements in communication.

Q.No.9 Define non-verbal communication. What are the various types of

non verbal communication.
36 UNIT-I COMMUNICATION

Q.No.10 Non-verbal communication is equally important to verbal

communication. Comment on this statement.

Q.No.11 What are the expected barriers to effective communication? How

can those barrier be overcome?.

Q.No.12 What are the principles or 7Cs of effective business

communication.