UNIT – I :

Communication – Meaning and Significance for Communication – Types

of Communication Media –Process of Communication – Barriers to
Communication - Principles of Effective Communication.

DEFINITION:

“Communication is an exchange of facts, ideas, opinions or emotions by two or

more persons.”
- W. H. Newman & C. F. Gummer.

“It is the process of passing information and understanding from one person
to another”

-Theo Haimann.

“Communication is the transmission and interchange of facts, ideas, feelings,

or course of action”.

- Leland Brown,

SIGNIFICANCE OF COMMUNICATION

1. Communication is a linking process of management. Communication is

the way managers conduct the managerial functions of planning,
organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling. Communication is the heart
of all organizations
2. Communication is the primary means by which people obtain and
exchange information. Decisions are often dependent upon the quality
and quantity of the information received. If the information on which a
decision is based is poor or incomplete, the decision will often be incorrect.
3. The most time‐consuming activity a manager engages in is
communication. Managers spend between 70 to 90 percent of their time
communicating with employees and other internal and external customers.

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4. Information and communication represent power in organizations.
An employee cannot do anything constructive in a work unit unless he or
she knows what is to be done, when the task is to be accomplished, and
who else is involved. The staff members who have this information become
centers of power.

MEDIA OF COMMUNICATION

I. Types of Professional Communication Media

1. Verbal Communication
A. Oral Communication
a. Face-to-face conversation
b. Telephone
c. Presentation
d. Public speech
e. Interview
f. Meeting
B. Written Communication
a. E-mails
b. Proposals
c. Reports
d. Brochures
2. Nonverbal Communication
a) Facial expression
b) Gestures
c) Body Language
d) Proximity
e) Touch
f) Personal appearance
g) Silence
II. Two Forms of Communication Media
1. Analog
2. Digital
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I. Types of Professional Communication Media

1. Verbal Communication

A. Oral Communication

Oral communication is communication through the means of speaking. It

happens when one is engaged in a conversation, talking to someone on the
telephone or through video calls, interviews, presentations, meetings, debates,
etc.

a. Face-to-face conversation

Oral communication is best effective when it is done face-to-face. This form of

communication ensures that there is no miscommunication or
misunderstanding. There is an immediate response from the listener.

b. Telephone

Communication through the telephone is a type of oral communication that

depends entirely on the voice without any physical presence. One has to have
clarity on their voice and speech to ensure passing the correct information.
This type of communication has more chance of miscommunication due to
connection issues. Also, confusion may arise because of similar-sounding
words like ‘I’ and ‘eye.’

c. Presentation

A presentation is a formal type of face-to-face oral communication.

Presentation is always based on a particular topic to deliver knowledge or
awareness to the audience for example a film. It is the responsibility of the one
who is presenting to convey information and communicate with the audience

d. Public speech

A public speech is oral communication that can be formal or informal. In a

public speech, the speaker has to address the audience. It may be for
entertainment, sharing ideas, inspiring, or encouraging people. Public speech
depends a lot on the public speaking skill of a person.

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e. Interview

An interview is a formal means of oral communication that takes place for

recruitment. In an interview, there could be a panel of people or a single
person interviewing a candidate. It is done to assess the candidate’s
knowledge and personality.

f. Meeting

A meeting involves more than two people. There is always a head who
presides over the meeting. It is held for a purpose to address an issue or pass
on some crucial piece of information. It is a type of formal oral communication
that is always backed by a written form of communication.

B. Written Communication

Written communication is a type of verbal communication that involves

written words. It involves the passing of messages, information, or data in a
written form. Generally, if used along with oral communication, it improves
the credibility of the matter discussed. It is easier when people have material
to read at their own expense of time. Given below are some of the forms of
written communication.

a. E-mails

In an organization, e-mail is the most common means of written

communication. Professionals use it to send documents, proposals, or
applications to their superiors, subordinates, or clients. E-mail is the most
effective way of communicating with clients or partners.

b. Proposals

A proposal from a business perspective is a written document drafted for an

upcoming project or a document for a client to obtain a specific job. For
example, before a company starts a campaign, one requires a written proposal
to have a clear idea of the process and outcome.

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c. Reports

Reports are a written document that narrates the specific function or

performance of business or employees activities. It is another type of written
form of formal communication. The report is essential because the employees
and the stakeholders can have a clear idea about the business activities
through it.

d. Brochures

Brochures are a written document that is an informative paper used as a

template, pamphlet, or leaflet. A brochure is used by the company to help sell
its product or services. It is a promotional written document used to inform
the customer about the company or its product.

Menu, research paper, form, and other related mediums are used to establish
links between send and receiver of a message.

2. Nonverbal Communication
a) Facial expression
b) Gestures
c) Body Language
d) Proximity
e) Touch
f) Personal appearance
g) Silence
II. Two Forms of Communication Media

1. Analog

Some of the common examples of analog media are conventional radios, land-
line telephones, VCRs, television transmissions, etc.

2. Digital

Common examples of digital media can be computer networking,

smartphones, computer-mediated communication, e-mail, website,
application, etc.

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PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION

1. Sender: 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.

2. 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.

3. Message: 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, sighs, sounds, etc. or any other signal
that triggers the response of a receiver.

4. Communication Channel: The Sender chooses the medium through which

he wants to convey his message to the recipient. It must be selected carefully
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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.

5. Receiver: 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.

6. 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.

7. Feedback: 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.

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BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

A. Physical barriers:

1. Noise:

Noise is quite often a barrier to communication in factories; oral

communication is rendered difficult by the loud noise of machines.

2. Time and distance:

Time and distance also act as barriers to the smooth flow of

communication .which telephone and telex facilities being easily available,
modern systems of communication have become fairly efficient.

B. Semantic barriers:

1. Interpretation of words:

Most of the communication is carried on through words, whether

spoken or written .but words are capable of communicating a variety of
meanings.

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2. Bypassed instructions:

Bypassing is said to have occurred if the sender and the receiver

of the message attribute different meanings to the same word or use different
words for the same meaning.

3. Denotations and connotations:

Words have two types of meaning; denotative and connotative

.the literal meaning of a word is called its denotative meaning.

C. Socio-psychological barriers

1. Attitudes and opinions:

Personal attitudes and opinions often act as barriers to

effective communication. If information agrees with our opinions and
attitudes, we tend to receive it favorably.

2. Emotions:

Emotional states of mind play an important role in the act of

communication. If the sender is perplexed, worried, excited, afraid, nervous,
his thinking will be blurred and he will not be able to organize his message
properly.

3. The closed mind:

A persons with a closed mind, is very difficult to communicate

with he is a man deeply ingrained prejudices and he is not prepared to
reconsider his opinions.

4. Status consciousness:

Status consciousness exists in every organization and is one of

the major barriers to effective communication.

5. The source of communication:

If the receiver has a suspicion about or prejudice against the

source of communication, there is likely to be a barrier to communication.
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6. Inattentiveness:

People often become inattentive while receiving a message, in

particular, if the message contains a new idea.

7. Faulty transmission:

A message is never communicated from one person to another in its

entirety.

8. Poor retention:

Poor retention of communication also acts a barrier, studies

show that employees retain only about so percent of the information
communicated to them.

9. Unsolicited communication:

Unsolicited communication has to face stronger barriers than

solicited communication.

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PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

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1. The principle of clarity: A message should be clear, free from distortion
and noise. A vague message is not only a barrier to creating effective
communication but also causes a delay in the communication process and this
is one of the most important principles of effective communication.

2. Principles of Brevity: A communication should be brief i.e. just necessary

and sufficient. Repetition and over-explanation are likely to destroy the actual
meaning and importance of the message. Moreover, the reader may feel
disturbed by receiving a long message.

3. The principle of Simplicity: A message should be given using simple and

familiar words. Vague and technical words should be avoided. Simple words
are easy to understand and help the receiver to respond quickly.

4. The principle of Timeliness: Communication is meant to serve a specific

purpose. If communication is made in time, communication becomes effective.
If it is made untimely then it may become useless.

5. The principle of Compass: The communication net should cover the whole
organization. The concerned people must know “What exactly they need and
“When they need it. And effective communication will serve such.

6. The principle of Integrity: Communication should consider the level of

people, principles & objectives of an organization to create a network or chain.
Such a network will provide a better field of internal and external
communication.

7. The principle of strategic use of Informal Organization: The most

effective communication results when managers use the informal
organization as complementary to formal communication, e.g. arranging
sports, cultural functions & dinners for the employees can be an informal
organization.

8. The principle of Feedback: To provide a message to the receiver is not

complete communication. The response from a receiver is essential. Therefore
feedback is required for communication to be effective.

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9. The principle of Alternativeness: Effective listening is important in
communication otherwise communication will be ineffective and useless.

10. The principle of language control: The sender should be careful in

selecting proper words and forming sentences, words and structured
sentences are the keys to making effective communication. You should see
also the principles of

TYPES TO COMMUNICATION

1. Upward communication:

Upward communication is the process by which company employees

communicate and share their thoughts and feedback with higher level
management.

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 Upward communication

2. Downward communication
Downward Communication flows from a top-level to a low level in an
organization is known as downward communication.

Downward communication

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4. Vertical communication

Vertical communication means that information is passed from one person to

the next according to a linear system based on their titles. This type of
communication is used when a company follows a hierarchical structure or
for important, sensitive information.

5. Horizontal communication

Horizontal communication (sometimes called 'lateral communication') is the

communication that occurs between people at the same level in an
organisation. When businesses are small, and you're all sat in the same room,
this communication is essentially the only form of communication.

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6. Grapevine communication

Grapevine communication is indirect and informal. Basically, it means

gleaning information from places other than the official source. Rumors, “he
said/she said” situations, gossip, and “games of telephone” are other terms
used to describe grapevine communication.

6. Consensus

The communication in which decisions are made after communication and

discussion with all group members is called consensus communication. In this
communication opinions of all group members are taken into consideration
and decisions are made.

Consensus

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