METHODS OF COMMUNICATION

Messages cannot be directly sent from the mind of the sender to the mind of the receiver.
Hence some method is needed.
Verbal and Non-Verbal to different methods of communication.

Verbal Communication:

→ Any communication that makes use of words, whether written or spoken can be said to be
verbal communication.

Oral Communication:
→When we communicate with the help of spoken word, we call it 'oral communication'.

→Meetings, Conferences, Interviews, Training Sessions, speeches, Addressing Public,

announcement, telephone talks, radio broadcast, etc. are examples of oral communication.

→ It offers immediate feedback and helps in making decisions.

→ It saves time and cost.

→ It is also flexible to allow changes in the decisions.

→ It is effective in problem-solving. Many conflicts, disputes and differences can be solved by

talking.

Written Communication:

→Written communication is a type of verbal communication.

→ Writing is the expression of human language by means of visible signs.

→Before the invention of modern electronic devices, letter-writing was considered the only
reliable means of communication.

→Telegrams, Magazines, Newspapers, Booklets, Advertisements, etc are examples of

written communication.

→It provides permanent records.

 →It is more formal in nature.

→ Information can be circulated or spreaded widely with the help of printing machines.

→ It can be understood better as the reader can take his own time to understand and go
through it as many times as possible.

→ Messages of legal and financial documents are always in written form.

→ It is more occurant than oral communication.

Non-Verbal Communication:

Facial Expressions: Facial expressions communicate emotions. Researchers have discovered

that people from all over the world, even if they speak different languages, they use a common
pattern of facial expressions to show expressions.

Eg:- Raising Eyebrows, Smiling, etc.

→ Expressions are better indicators of meaning behind the message than the words.

→ Facial expressions that accompany conversation have a very important role to play.

→ It provides additional non-verbal information that enhances and changes the message and
also provides feedback.

Eye Contact: The major feature of social communication is high contact. It is very powerful. It is
a very important aspect of non-verbal communication and frequency of Eye contact may
suggest interest or boredom.

→ Eye contact develops trust and improve relationships.

Gestures: It means movement of the body or body parts, which is also used to show emotions.
It is the moment of hand or head to indicate an idea or feelings.

Eg:- Thumbs Up, Moving head up or down/ left or right.

→ It becomes important when two people do not know a common language.

Silence: We can also communicate with silence. When we are full of emotions, we can not
speak. Then silence is the best communicator. Every good speaker knows the importance of
pausing between words and sentences. It also shows respect. A VIP enters the room and
people become silent, it shows respect.
Channels of Communication

Channels of Communication can be broadly divided into two types, internal and External.

INTERNAL COMMUNICATION: Internal Communication Channels are the different mediums

that connect your employees to your business & each other. These Channels facilitate
information sharing in all its forms.
Internal Communication can be of two types, formal communication & informal communication.
These are two dynamic systems of communications in any organization.

The four factors which determine the information of communication are :-

I. The size and the structure of the organization.

II. How much competition or conflict the organization has with its external
environment?
III. How much internal support and unity does it have?
IV. How stable is the internal and External environment?

Downward Communication: When the leaders and managers share information with the lower
level employee, it is called download or top-down communication. This communication flow is
used by managers to transmit work-related information to the employees at a lower level.

It includes:
I. Instructions about specific tasks.
II. Information about practices and procedures followed by the organization.
III. Feedback about performance.
IV. Information about the goals of the organization.
Upward Communication: Regularly Reporting systems exists in all organizations which follow
the upward communication. Periodical meetings Individuals and groups are arranged
systematically based on this communication structure.

Upward communication helps subordinates to communicate their views to upper management.

It supports innovative ideas and suggestions from the juniors.

Horizontal Communication: When communication takes place between 2 or more persons who
are working at the same level, it is known as horizontal communication. This type of
communication is found during the committee, meeting or conferences.
Diagonal Communication: It is an exchange of information between the persons at different
levels across departmental lines. This type of communication is used to spread information at
different levels of an organization to improve understanding and coordination so as to achieve
common organizational objectives.

Concensus Communication:

1. Centralized Network: It is a very common network within a business where several levels
of authorities and management are involved.

a. Chain: Information is sent from the management to employees in a downward

Flow or an upward flow, but passing through various similar levels of people
working in an organization. This occurs as a set sequence of communication and
is a centralized structure.
b. Y-Network: It follows the formal chain of authority where the upward and
downward type of communication takes place.

c. Wheel: In this network, information flows through the sender who is at the center
of the wheel. Members of the group cannot communicate with each other.
2. Decentralized Network:

a. Cycle: The cycle network is similar to a chain network except the information flows in a
circular form. A member cannot communicate simultaneously with other members
together but can communicate with a member that is next to him. Eg:- 'A' cannot
communicate simultaneously with 'H' or 'B' together. But can communicate to 'C' and for
that he has to pass information from 'B' to 'C'.

b. All Channel Network (Star): All the individuals in this network communicate with each
other freely, permanently and regularly. Is used in small organizations.
● INTERNAL COMMUNICATION (INFORMAL/GRAPEVINE)

→ Any communication that takes place without following the formal channels of
communication is said to be informal communication. The informal communication is
often referred to as 'grapevine' as it spreads throughout the organization in all direction
without any regards to the level of authority.

→ The informal communication spreads rapidly and often gets distorted and it is very
difficult to detect the source of such communication. It also leads to rumors which are not
true. People's behavior is often affected by rumors and informal discussions which
sometimes may hamper the work environment.

→ However, sometimes these channels may be helpful as they carry information rapidly
and therefore may be useful to the manager at times. Informal channels are also used by
the manager to transmit information. In order to know thr reaction of his/her
subordinates.

● Types of Grapevine:

1. Chain: In this network, each person communicates with the other in a sequence.
2. Gossip: In this type of network, each person communicates with all the other
persons on a non-selective basis.

3. Probability: In this network, the individual communicates randomly with other

individuals.

4. Cluster: In this network, the individual communicates with only those people
whom he trusts. Out of these 4 types of networ, the cluster network is the most
popular in organizations.