Introduction to Communication

By Rubeela Alam
What is communication?

Communication is an act of sharing information,

ideas, feelings and thoughts. These are conveyed by
using different mediums like speech, writing, signs,
symbols, gestures and behaviors.

Communication is a process which allows you to

exchange or transfer or convey meanings, news,
knowledge, messages, views and beliefs from one
individual or group to another through mutually
understood means.
Communication takes place when a person expresses and
shares his thoughts with another person. Until a person
has exchanged information, he hasn’t communicated it.

The word Communication is derived from a Latin word

Communis which means ‘common’ or ‘shared’. The word
communication belongs to the family of words like
communion, communism and community.

Communication is a two way process. It takes place

between at least two individuals, groups or communities
which share same meanings.
Communication takes place by having

- A Sender
- A Receiver
- The message to be sent.

Communication is sending and receiving information

between two or more people. The person sending the
message is referred to as the sender, while the person
receiving the information is called the receiver. The
information conveyed can include facts, ideas,
concepts, opinions, beliefs, attitudes, instructions and
even emotions.
In communication process, a sender(encoder)
encodes a message and then using a
medium/channel sends it to the receiver (decoder)
who decodes the message and after processing
information, sends back appropriate
feedback/reply using a medium/channel.

A successful communication takes place when the

message is received/interpreted the same way as
delivered/intended.
Kinds of communication

People communicate with each other in a number of ways that

depend upon the sender, receiver, message and its context in
which it is being sent. Choice of communication channel and your
style of communicating also affects communication. So, there are
variety of types of communication.

Communication takes place at different levels by different people.

 Verbal and Non-verbal communication
 Formal and informal communication
 Oral and Written communication
1- Verbal and non-verbal communication

Verbal communication

 The dictionary defines term verbal as ‘of words, in words,

expressed in words, oral spoken, said, voiced, vocal, uttered, or
written.’

It refers to the form of communication which requires or involves

verbal symbols/words for the transmission of message. Verbal
communication involves the use of verbal symbols that generally have
universal meanings (which are the same everywhere for everyone) for
all who are taking part in the process. Verbal symbols are the words
we speak or write. Thus, verbal communication can be both spoken or
written.
The communication in which the sender uses words, whether spoken
or written, to transmit the message to the receiver is known as
Verbal Communication.

It is the most effective form of communication that leads to the rapid

interchange of information and feedback.
There are fewer chances of misunderstanding as the communication
between parties is clear, i.e. the parties are using words for saying
anything.
For example, our name is a verbal symbol that represents us.
Democracy is a verbal symbol for a particular political system.

The communication can be done in two ways

(i) Oral – like face to face communication, lectures, phone calls,
seminars, etc.
(ii) Written – Letters, E- mail, SMS, etc.
Additionally, verbal communication is highly structured and uses formal
rules of grammar which conveys direct meaning. The way we use words,
i.e., verbal communication is one of the distinguishing characteristics of
our species. To create some meaning out of the words we need to follow
certain rules of particular language.

Language is the first thing that comes in mind when we hear the word
communication. But language is not confined to words only.
Non-verbal Communication
Communicating a message without using words or meaning of words,
is termed as non-verbal communication. In other words, non-verbal
communication is a word less communication.
Non-verbal communication involves the use of symbols other than the
written or spoken word, rather it covers other means of
communication such as gestures, body language, posture, behavior,
tone of voice, use of facial expressions. Although nonverbal symbols
have socially shared meanings, they have no formal structure or rules
of grammar.
Non-verbal languages consist of hidden messages; it is the cues, which
convey hints to the message. These messages are necessarily wordless
or non-verbal, conveyed through without words or meaning of words,
but conveyed through other media. Different experts and specialists
have classified non-verbal communication into various categories
according to different media which are used for such communication.
Types of Non-verbal communication

Chronemics: The use and role of time in communication is chronemics,

which speaks about the personality of the sender / receiver like
punctuality, the speed of response, etc.
Vocalics: The volume, tone of voice, pitch, volume, speed of speech used
by the sender for communicating a message to the receiver is known as
vocalics or paralanguage (not what you say but how you say it).
Haptics: The use of touch in communication is the expression of feelings
and emotions.
Kinesics: It is the study of the body language of a person, i.e., gestures,
postures, facial expressions, etc.
Proxemics: The distance maintained by a person while communicating
with others, communicates about the relationship of the person with
others like intimate, personal, social and public.
Artifacts: The appearance of a person speaks about his personality, i.e.
by way of clothing, carrying jewelery, lifestyle, etc. This kind of
communication is known as artifactual communication.
Key Differences Between Verbal and Nonverbal Communication
The following points explain the difference between verbal and non-verbal
communication in detail:

Nature: The use of words in communication is Verbal communication. The

communication which is based on signs, not on words is Non-verbal
communication.
Efficiency: There are very fewer chances of confusion in verbal communication
between the sender and receiver. Conversely, the chances of misunderstanding
and confusion in non-verbal communication are very much as the use of words
is not done.
Time: In verbal communication, the interchange of the message is very fast
which leads to rapid feedback. In opposition to this, the non-verbal
communication is based more on understanding which takes time and hence it
is comparatively slow.
Presence: In verbal communication, the presence of both the parties at the
place of communication is not necessary, as it can also be done if the parties are
at different locations. On the other hand, for an effective non-verbal
communication, both the parties must be there, at the time of communication.
Record: In verbal communication, the documentary evidence is maintained
if the communication is formal or written. But, there is no conclusive
evidence in case of non-verbal communication.

Meanings: In verbal communication, universal meanings are involved,

whereas in non-verbal social meanings are conveyed which may differ from
culture to culture.

Rules: Verbal communication follows a set of rules and patterns, i.e.,

grammar, sentence structures etc., whereas non- verbal communication
has no set rules and regulations.
2- Oral and Written Communication:

Oral communication

 The exchange of ideas, information and message through spoken

words is Oral Communication.
 Oral Communication is the oldest means of communication.
 It is majorly an informal means of communication which can either
take place in the form of direct conversation between two or more
persons like face to face communication, lectures,
meetings, seminars, group discussion, conferences, etc. or indirect
conversation, i.e. the form of communication in which a medium is
used for interchange of information like telephonic conversation,
video call, voice call, etc.
 Oral communication is majorly verbal but can also include non-verbal
patterns i.e. sender or receiver can notice nonverbal cues like the
body language, facial expression, tone of voice and pitch, frequency,
speed, volume, etc.
Written Communication

 The communication in which the message is transmitted to the

receiver in written text or printed form is known as Written
Communication.
 Written communication is verbal which requires various channels
for the transmission of the message like letters, e-mails, journals,
magazines, newspapers, text messages, reports, memos,
applications, etc.
 Written Communication is mostly used for formal means of
communication, which is used in schools, colleges, business world,
official purposes. etc.
Difference between oral and written communication

Nature: In oral communication, the sender transmits information to the

receiver through verbally speaking the message. The written communication
mode uses written or printed text for exchanging the information.
Literacy: The pre-condition in written communication is that the participants
must be literate/educated whereas there is no such condition in case of oral
communication.
Record: Evidences and proper records can be kept in Written Communication,
which is just opposite in the case of Oral Communication. Written
communication is considered to be more reliable because referring to the
message in the future is easy.
Speed: The transmission rate of message is faster in oral Communication than
in Written Communication.
Feedback: In oral communication, instant feedback is received from the
recipient whereas this process is time taking in Written Communication.
Revision: The revision is not possible in Oral Communication because words
once uttered cannot be reversed. On the other hand, written communication
allows you to revise or edit the original message whenever needed.
Efficiency: The chances of misinterpretation of the message are high in Oral
Communication and less in Written Communication.
Cost: Oral communication is economical and cost effective whereas written
communication is costly.
Style: Oral communication follows informal style of communication whereas
written communication is mostly used for formal means of communication.
Utterance vs. sentence

Utterance Sentence
Utterance comes from the word ‘utter’ A sentence is a collection of words
which simply means ‘to say’. Utterance grammatically bound together
is the smallest unit of speech. It can be which must include a subject,
anything you say, a sound, word , a verb,
group of words, a sentence, etc. object. (subject-verb-object)

Includes breaths, pauses, voice, tone,

pitch, stress, intonation etc. along with Includes words, clauses, phrases
words, clauses or phrases. only.

Utterance may or may not convey

complete sense, idea or thought. A sentence must convey a
complete sense, idea or thought.

Utterance exists in spoken only. A sentence exists in both written

(however they can be represented in or spoken.
written text.)
Formal Communication:
 Also termed as official communication, it is a type of
communication in which the sender follows a pre-defined channel
to transmit the information to the receiver is known as formal
communication.
The communication in which the procedure or flow of information is
already well-defined is termed as Formal Communication. The
communication follows a hierarchical chain of command which is
established by the organization itself. In general, this type of
communication is used exclusively in the workplace, and the
employees are bound to follow it while performing their duties.

Formal communication is mostly written e.g., Requests, commands,

orders, reports, memos, letters, applications, etc.
But sometimes it can be oral too e.g., interviews, presentations,
lectures, conference.
Types of formal communication.

1- Vertical communication: It takes place between higher authorities /

superiors and the subordinates/employees. Vertical communication is
divided into two types.
- Upward or Bottom-up: The communication in which the flow of
information goes from subordinate to superior authority.
For example, performance reports, applications, CVs etc.
- Downward or Top-down: The communication in which the flow
of information goes from superior to subordinate.
For example, instructional letters, circulars, memos, official mails,
handbooks etc.
2- Horizontal or Lateral: The communication between two/more
employees of different departments holding the same position or rank in
the organization. .
For example, communication between two/more teachers of different
departments of the same university.
OR communication between two/more managers of different
departments of the same organization. (sales manager with finance
manager)

3- Crosswise or Diagonal: The communication between the employees

of two different departments working at different levels/ holding
different positions.
For example, communication between teacher of one department and
coordinator of another department of the same university.
OR communication between manager of one department and the worker
of another department within the same organization.
Informal Communication:
 Most commonly known as grapevine, the type of communication in
which the sender does not follow any pre-defined channel to
transmit the information is known as informal communication.

This type of communication is very natural and relational as people

interact with each other about their professional life, personal life, and
other matters. This type of communication moves freely in all
directions.

Informal communication is majorly oral e.g., Sharing of feelings, casual

discussion, gossips, group discussions, conversations etc.
But sometimes can be written too e.g., text message or personal letter
or birthday card to a friend or relative.
Types of informal communication.

1-Single Strand Chain: The communication in which one person tells

something to another, who again says something to some other person
and the process goes on.

2- Cluster Chain: The communication in which one person tells

something to his close people, and then they pass the information to
their friends and the communication continues.
3- Probability Chain: The communication happens when a person
randomly chooses some people to pass on the information.

4- Gossip Chain: The communication starts when

a person passes information to a group of
people.
Difference Between Formal and Informal Communication

Nature: Formal communication is also known by the name of official

communication and follows a pre defined set of rules/procedure. Informal
Communication is also known by the name of grapevine and does not
follow a pre defined channel.

Direction: In formal communication, the information must follow a pre

defined chain of command. Conversely, the informal communication can
move freely in any direction.

Secrecy: In formal communication, full secrecy is maintained, but in the

case of informal communication maintenance of secrecy is a very tough
task.

Style: Formal communication is mostly written, whereas Informal

communication is mostly oral.
Time: Formal communication is time-consuming as opposed to
Informal communication, which is rapid and quick.

Reliable: Formal communication is more reliable than Informal

communication.

Source: Formal communication is designed by the organization.

Informal communication starts itself due to the urge of ‘human to talk’.

Record: In formal communication, the documentary evidence is

always available. On the other hand, in the case of informal
communication, the supporting documents are not available.