St.

Andrews Institute Of Technology And Management

BCA -3rd semester

Communication Skills

UNIT-1

INTRODUCTION TO BASICS OF COMMUNICATION

Meaning of communication:- communication is the flow of information and understanding from one
person to another at the same level or at different levels. It is a process which enables management to
allocate and supervise the work of the employees.

The word communication is derived from the latin word ‘communicare’ that means to share, to make
common, to impart, to participate, convey or transmit. As such communication may be defined as the
sharing or exchange of messages, facts, opinions, ideas or attitudes and emotions between a sender
(manager) and receiver (employees) or between two or more people. In other words communication is
the process through which two or more persons come to exchange ideas and understanding among
themselves.

DEFINITIONS
According to peter little “communication is the process by which information is transmitted between
individuals and/ or organizations so that an understanding response results.”

According to keith davis “communication is the process of passing the information and understanding
from one person to another. It is essentially a bridge between the people. By using the bridge, a person
can safely cross the river of understanding.”

According to John Adair “Communication is essentially the ability of one person to make contact with
another and make himself or herself understood.”

According to Louis A. allen, “communication is the sum total of all the things that a person does,when
he wants to create an understanding in the mind of another. It involves a systematic and continuous
process of telling, listening and understanding”.

FEATURES/ CHARACTERISTICS OF COMUNICATION

1. Universal- communication is universal phenomenon. All living creatures(human beings, birds,

beasts, etc) communicate through their own symbols and signs.
2. Communication is unavoidable – communication is always an existing and unavoidable
phenomenon. Not only facial expressions, positive gestures and other behavioral ways, even
silence also conveys a lot about the persons attitude.
3. Continuous process- it is not an art or event of time rather; it is a continuous process
incorporating various events and activities that interrelated are interdependent.
4. Two-way traffic- it is not complete unless, the receiver understands the message. To ensure that
the receiver has understood the message, there should be some sort of feedback. Thus, the
communication is two-way and not the one-way traffic.
5. Short-lived process- the process of communication is incomplete as soon as the message is
received and understood by the receiver in the right perspective; hence it is short lived process.
6. Needs proper understanding- There may be numerous media of communication but the main
purpose of conveying the message is a proper understanding of the message by the other party.
For this purpose, it should be clearly and concisely worded.
7. Leads achievement of the organizational objective- effective communication does this by
creating the sense of object orientation in the organization.
8. Dispels misunderstanding- in this sense, it provides clear understanding between persons and
thus, builds a bridge of companionship among people.

PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION
The process of communication refers to the transmission or passage of information or message
from the sender through a selected channel to the receiver overcoming barriers that affect its
pace. The different elements in the process of communication – Sender-Message-Encoding.

● Sender. The person delivering the message

● Receiver. The person getting the message
● Message: The information the sender is relaying to the receiver
● Communication channel: The method used to transmit a message
● Decoding: Interpreting the message, done by the receiver
● Feedback: When applicable, a response sent back to the sender

All communication tends to follow this framework, which provides detail on every step
of the process.

● Developing the Message -The sender starts the steps of communication by creating a message
they intend to send to an individual or group. They take time to craft the information they want
to transmit.
 ● Encoding the Message -With the information created, the sender translates it into a form that
can be transmitted to someone else. This involves making the information fit a format, such as
text or video.

● Selecting the Channel-The send picks the channel communication. It should be a channel that is
most appropriate for the intended audience. Examples include a social media post, video on
YouTube or blog entry on a website.

● Message Transmission-The sender then successfully transmits the message to the receiver.

● Decoding the Message -The receiver decodes the information received. For the best messaging,
the sender has attempted to place themselves in the shoes of the receiver and crafted a
message that the receiver will understand as the sender intended. This is the key to effective
communication, but senders do not know if they have achieved success until this step.

● Feedback -Senders learn the effectiveness of their message when receiving feedback. However,
in one-way communication, there’s no chance for the receiver to provide feedback. That’s
situation public relations and advertisers want to avoid.

BARRIERS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Communication is defined as the process by which information is exchanged between individuals

through a system of signs, symbols. The concept of communication involves a sender, a message and a
recipient.

The sender sends the message and the recipient is the receiver of the message. The process of
communication is never smooth as it is affected by the barriers of communication.
Barriers to effective communication can result in confusion which can lead to incorrect information being
conveyed or miscommunication which can lead to loss of business.
Following are some of the barriers to effective communication:
1. Semantic barriers
2. Psychological barriers
3. Organizational barriers
4. Cultural barriers
5. Physical barriers
6. Physiological barriers
Let us study in detail about the various types of barriers to effective communication.
SEMANTICS BARRIERS- Semantic barriers are also known as language barriers. These barriers are
caused due to improper communication between the sender and the receiver. The following instances of
semantic barriers can be witnessed in communication.
Poor quality of message: Message when communicated should be precise and easy to understand, that
makes it easy for the receiver to grasp the information conveyed.
Sometimes, due to the lack of clarity or complexity of the way of providing information from the sender,
there can be a case of semantic barriers.
For e.g. A manager is conversing in English to a group of workers who understand and speak Bengali. It
will create confusion among workers as they will not be able to understand what is being conveyed by
the manager.
Technical language: Language barriers also arise when the sender of the message is speaking in technical
terms while the receiver is unaware of the terms. It creates confusion and misunderstanding between
the sender and receiver by acting as a barrier to effective communication.
PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS: Psychological barriers play an important role in interpersonal
communication as the state of the mind of the sender or the receiver can make it difficult to understand
the information that is conveyed, which often leads to misunderstanding.
Here are some instances where psychological barriers to communication can be seen.
1. Premature evaluation of information by the receiver even before it is transmitted can lead to barriers
in communication, as it will create premature conclusion to the message, which withholds the original
message.
2. Inadequate attention from the receiver’s end at the time of communication can lead to barriers of
communication as the information conveyed by the sender is not properly received by the receiver.
3. When information is passed within multiple sources, the final information is distorted as the receivers
of the message are not able to retain everything that was conveyed. This can cause communication
barriers.
ORGANIZATIONAL BARRIERS: Organizational barriers are those barriers that are caused due to the
structure, rules and regulations present in the organization. The various types of barriers that can be
encountered due to superior subordinate relationships where the free flow of communication is not
possible.
Sometimes the complexity of organizational structure and multiple managers make it difficult to convey
information properly, and the information gets distorted leading to miscommunication.
CULTURAL BARRIERS: Cultural barriers are those that arise due to lack of similarities among the
different cultures across the world. A term that can be harmless in one culture can be regarded as slang
in another culture. Moreover, various beliefs can differ from one culture to another.
PHYSICAL BARRIERS: Physical barriers to communication are those that arise due to certain factors like
faulty equipment, noise, closed doors and cabins that cause the information sent from sender to receiver
to become distorted, which results in improper communication.
PHYSIOLOGICAL BARRIERS: Physiological barriers arise when a sender or the receiver of the
communication is not in a position to express or receive the message with clarity due to some
physiological issues like dyslexia, or nerve disorders that interfere with speech or hearing.

COMMUNICATION THEORIES AND MODELS

Shannon-Weaver Model of Communication: The Shannon-Weaver

Model of Communication, also known as the Shannon-Weaver Information Theory
Model, is a widely cited model used to explain how information is transmitted from a
 sender to a receiver in a communication system. This model was developed by Claude
Shannon and Warren Weaver in 1949. It provides a mathematical framework for
understanding communication processes and has been foundational in the field of
communication theory. The model consists of several key elements:

a) Sender: The sender is the person or entity who initiates the communication process.
They have a message or information they want to convey to the receiver.
b) Encoder: The encoder is responsible for converting the message into a format suitable
for transmission. This may involve encoding the message into words, symbols, or any
other form of communication.
c) Message: The message is the information or content that the sender wishes to
communicate to the receiver. It can be in the form of text, speech, data, or any other
medium.
d) Channel: The channel is the medium through which the message is transmitted. This
could be face-to-face communication, written text, radio waves, or any other means of
transmitting information.
e) Noise: Noise refers to any interference or distortion that can affect the clarity and
accuracy of the message during transmission. It can be external factors like physical
interference or internal factors like language barriers.
f) Decoder: The decoder is responsible for interpreting the message received from the
channel. Their role is to convert the encoded message back into a format that the
receiver can understand.
g) Receiver: The receiver is the person or entity for whom the message is intended. They
are the ultimate destination of the communication process and play a critical role in
understanding and responding to the message.
h) Feedback: Feedback is the response or reaction of the receiver to the message. It helps
the sender know whether the message was successfully understood and whether any
further communication is required.
i) Context: The context refers to the broader environment in which the communication
takes place. It includes factors such as the cultural, social, and psychological context that
can influence the interpretation of the message.

Berlo's Model of Communication: Developed by David Berlo, this model

emphasizes the importance of encoding and decoding in the communication process. It consists
of several elements: source, message, channel, receiver, and feedback. It emphasizes that
effective communication involves adapting the message to the receiver's level of understanding.

1. Schramm's Model of Communication: Wilbur Schramm's model emphasizes the mutual

sharing of information between sender and receiver. It depicts communication as a two-way
process, where both parties actively participate in encoding and decoding messages.
2. WESTLEY and MACLEAN model: