INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS

COMMUNICATION
MBA
Unit 1
What is Communication?
Communication is a Latin word which means
“to share”.
The English term 'Communication' has been
evolved from Latin language.
'Communis and communicare' are two Latin
words related to the word communication.
Communis is noun word, which means
common, sharing. Similarly, communicare is a
verb, which means 'make something common'.
In other words, the transmission and
interaction of facts, ideas, opinions, feelings or
attitudes.
Contd..
Communication is a two-way process which
involves transferring of information or
messages from one person or group to
another.
This process goes on and includes a
minimum of one sender and receiver to
pass on the messages.
These messages can either be any ideas,
imagination, emotions, or thoughts.
Characteristics of Effective Communication

 Clear - main ideas easily identified and understood

 Concise - gets to the point without using unneeded
words or images
 Concrete - includes specific examples or explanations
 Coherent - information presented in a logical sequence
 Complete - enough information so the audience can
understand
 Courteous - polite, professional tone
 Correct - in information, word choice, and grammar
 Listening for Understanding
 Focus and Attention
 Emotional Awareness and Control
 Classification of
Communication
Formal Communication
Informal Communication
This classification is based on channels of
communication.
The channel of communication refers to the
path through which the information is
transmitted
Formal Communication

Formal communication refers to the official

communication which follows the formal channel.
Formal channels are the paths of communication
that are institutionally determined, that is, they
are established by the organization.
This communication follows the scalar chain of
command.
Formal communication can be oral or written,
Oral communication can take the form of
interviews, meetings, presentations, and so on.
Written communication can take the form of
notes, memos, letters, reports, and so on
Formal communication can be further classified into the following

Downward communication : it refers to

communication from top-level managers to middle or
lower-level managers. It travels through senior
executives to junior level functionaries, from the
controlling office to the branch, from the head of the
division to the head of the unit.
Upward communication: It refers to communication
from lower-level managers to top-level managers. Any
communication that moves from employees to
supervisors, supervisors to managers, managers to
executives, regional manager to general manager and
so on, maybe categorized as upward communication
Contd..
Horizontal or Lateral communication:
Lateral communication generally takes place
in an organization and is neither upward nor
downward. It proceeds in a horizontal
manner and takes place among equals and at
peer level.
Interactive communication: Interactive
communication is essentially a two-way
process. It takes place through meetings,
conferences, teleconferencing, multimedia
presentations, group discussions, and other
such active two-way exchanges.
Informal Communication

Informal communication refers to

communication between individuals and
groups, which does not fallow the official
recognized channel is a result of social
interaction among the various members of
the organization.
The transfer of information may be related
to work or other matters and it cuts across
official lines of communication.
Purpose of communication
1. Flow of Information:
 The relevant information must flow continuously from top to bottom
and vice versa.
 The staff at all levels must be kept informed about the
organizational objectives and other developments taking place in
the organization.
 A care should be taken that no one should be misinformed. The
information should reach the incumbent in the language he or she
can understand better.
 The use of difficult words should be avoided. The right information
should reach the right person, at right time through the right person.
2. Coordination:
 It is through communication the efforts of all the staff working in the
organization can be coordinated for the accomplishment of the
organizational goals.
 The coordination of all personnel's and their efforts is the essence of
management which can be attained through effective communication.
Purpose of communication
3. Learning Management Skills:
 The communication facilitates flow of information, ideas,
beliefs, perception, advice, opinion, orders and instructions
etc. both ways which enable the managers and other
supervisory staff to learn managerial skills through
experience of others.
 The experience of the sender of the message gets reflected
in it which the person at the receiving end can learn by
analyzing and understanding it.
4. Preparing People to Accept Change:
 The proper and effective communication is an important
tool in the hands of management of any organization to
bring about overall change in the organizational policies,
procedures and work style and make the staff to accept and
respond positively.
Purpose of communication
5. Developing Good Human Relations:
 Managers and workers and other staff exchange their ideas, thoughts
and perceptions with each other through communication.
 This helps them to understand each other better. They realize the
difficulties faced by their colleagues at the workplace.
 This leads to promotion of good human relations in the organisation.
6. Ideas of Subordinates Encouraged:
 The communication facilitates inviting and encouraging the ideas
from subordinates on certain occasions on any task.
 This will develop creative thinking. Honoring subordinates' ideas will
further motivate them for hard work and a sense of belonging to the
organization will be developed. It will provide them with the
encouragement to share information with their superiors without
hesitation.
 The managers must know the ideas, thoughts, comments, reactions
and attitudes of their subordinates and subordinates should know the
same from the lowest level staff of their respective departments.
Process of communication
Sender:
 The sender initiates the communication process by
formulating and encoding a message The message
represents the information or ideas that the sender
intends to communicate to the receiver.
 The sender's goal is to convey the message clearly
and effectively to achieve specific objectives.
Message:
 The message is the content or information being
transmitted by the sender.
 It can be verbal (spoken or written words), nonverbal
(gestures, facial expressions, body language) visual
(images graphs symbols), or auditory (sounds, tones)
 The message is structured and framed by the sender
to ensure it is comprehensible and relevant to the
receiver.
Encoding:
 Encoding is the process of translating thoughts, ideas, or
feelings into a symbolic form (words, gestures. symbols)
that can be understood by the receiver.
 It involves selecting appropriate words, organizing
information, and applying cultural and contextual
considerations to effectively convey the Intended message
Channel:
 The channel is the medium through which the encoded
message is transmitted from the sender to the receiver.
 Channels can be verbel (face-to-face conversations, phone
calls), written (letters emaills) visual charts presentations),
of digital (social media, video conferencing).
 The choice of channel influences how the message is
perceived interpreted, and responded to by the receiver.
Receiver:
 The receiver is the individual or group for whom the
message is intended.
 They decode the message by Interpreting its content,
meaning, and context based on their knowledge,
experiences, attitudes, and cultural background.
 Effective communication requires that the receiver
accurately understands the sender's intended message.
Decoding:
 Decoding is the process by which the receiver interprets
and assigns meaning to the message received from the
sender.
 It involves extracting information, making sense of the
message, and relating it to one's own knowledge and
understanding. Decoding is influenced by the receiver's
perceptions, biases, emotions, and previous experiences.