COMMUNICATION

 The word communication is derived from a Latin word ‘communis’’ which means
‘commonness’ or ‘to share or to participate’.
 A process of transmitting or conveying information to others.
 A process of exchanging verbal and non-verbal information between two or more people.
 A two-way process by which information is exchanged between or among individuals
through a common system of symbols, signs, and behavior.
 A two-way process of reaching mutual understanding, in which parties involved
exchange information, news, ideas and feelings.

Importance of Effective Communication

According to American Management Association, effective communication is an essential
element of achievement in every company, leader, manager, staff, and employee. An
organization whose people communicate effectively experiences fewer of the
misunderstandings that create friction between people, waste time, and cause mistakes.

TWO GOLDEN RULES TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY

• Organize thoughts in mind before sharing them with others.
• Communication is Collaborative, not Competitive

Seven C’s of Communication Principle

 Completeness  Clarity
 Conciseness  Correctness
 Consideration  Courtesy
 Concreteness

Key Principles of Ethical Communication

 Honesty  Commitment
 Openness to Other Views  Consensus Building

Messages are a collection of symbols that appear purposefully organized (meaningful) to

those sending or receiving them.

Eight elements that constitute the creation of a message

Source – where the message comes from; can be a person or organization
Encoding – the process by which a message is translated so it can be transmitted and
communicated to another party; how you compose your sentence as you communicate
Transmitting – the actual act of sending the message; either through the person’s vocal chords
and facial muscles complemented with hand gestures
Channels – technologies are the lines that enable the act of sending or transmitting
Decoding – the process by which the receiver translates the source’s thoughts and ideas so
they can have meaning
Receiver – the one who gets the message that was transmitted through the channels; can be
individual or organization
Feedback – the response generated by the message that was sent to the receiver; can either
be immediate or delayed
Barriers – the factors that inhibit the clarity and flow of communication; can be treated both
literally and figuratively; literally, a mechanical sound that is perhaps more resonant than the
message drowning it; figuratively, can refer to the resistance of the intended receiver to the
messages being sent to his/her direction

Types of Communication
 Verbal Communication
 Nonverbal Communication

Verbal Communication
 It refers to the form of communication in which message is transmitted verbally.
 Communication is done by word of mouth and a piece of writing.
 In verbal communication remember the acronym “KISS” (keep it short and simple).

Verbal Communication is divided into:

 Oral Communication
 Written Communication

Oral Communication
 In oral communication, Spoken words are used.
 It includes face-to-face conversations, speech, telephonic conversation, video, radio,
television, voice over internet.
 Communication is influenced by pitch, volume, speed and clarity of speaking.
 Advantages –
It brings quick feedback.
In a face-to-face conversation, by reading facial expression and body language one can
guess whether he/she should trust what’s being said or not.
 Disadvantages –
In face-to-face discussion, user is unable to deeply think about what he is delivering, so
this can be counted as a fault.

Written Communication
 In written communication, written signs or symbols are used to communicate.
 In written communication message can be transmitted via email, letter, report, memo etc.
 Written Communication is most common form of communication being used in business.
 Advantages –
Messages can be edited and revised
Written communication provides record and backup.
A written message enables receiver to fully understand it and send appropriate
feedback.
  Disadvantages –
Written communication doesn’t bring instant feedback. It takes more time in composing a
written message as compared to word-of-mouth and number of people struggle for
writing ability.

Nonverbal Communication
• Nonverbal communication is the sending or receiving of wordless messages. Such
as gesture, body language, posture, tone of voice or facial expressions, is called
nonverbal communication.
• Nonverbal communication is all about the body language of speaker.

Elements of Non-Verbal Communication

 Body Language – a kind of non-lexical communication where ideas or messages are
expressed using your body; your posture, gesture, facial expression, body language,
and everything you do are perhaps the most obvious in communicating messages
 Gestures – most usually hand or head movements that indicate a particular meaning
 Facial Expressions – executed using the facial muscles
 Eye contact – looking directly at your audience’s eyes
 Body stance – how you sit or stand in front of a person or an audience
 Proxemics – refers to the use of space to convey an idea or image; the use of space or
proximity is a significant indicator of how close or intimate we feel toward people. There
are four (4) proxemic zones according to Hall (1966):
 The Intimate Zone (0” – 1..5’)
 The Personal Zone (1.5 – 4’)
 The Social Zone (4’ – 12’)
 The Public Zone (12’ – infinity)
 Paralanguage – refers to the use of volume, tone, pitch, and rate of speaking
 Vocal Characterizers – include vocal aspect of the following actions: yawning,
whispering, yelling, laughing, smiling, crying, sneezing, sighing
 Vocal Qualifiers – include tone, tempo, rhythm, pitch, volume, intensity, and extent
 Vocal Segregates – include sounds like “uh-uh”, “mmm”, “uh” and even silent pauses
 Chronemics – an attitude of time which disclose information with others about status
and relationship
 Artifacts – refer to the things a person owns, use, wear, and even discard convey
message about such person; it includes your preference, taste, resources or lack of it to
convey meanings

Levels of Communication
• Intrapersonal Communication is communication that occurs in your own mind. It is the
basis of your feelings, biases, prejudices, and beliefs.
• Examples are when you make any kind of decision – what to eat or wear. When
you think about something – what you want to do on the weekend or when you
think about another person.
 • Interpersonal Communication is the communication between two people but can
involve more in informal conversations.
• Examples are when you are talking to your friends. A teacher and student
discussing an assignment. A patient and a doctor discussing a treatment. A
manager and a potential employee during an interview.
• Small Group Communication is communication within formal or informal groups or
teams. It is group interaction that results in decision making, problem solving and
discussion within an organization.
• Examples would be: A group planning a surprise birthday party for someone. A
team working together on a project.
• Public communication involves a speaker who seeks to inform, persuade or motivate
an audience.
• Examples are a teacher and a class of students. A preacher and a congregation.
A speaker and an assembly of people in the auditorium.
• Mass Communication is the electronic or print transmission of messages to the general
public. Outlets called mass media include things like radio, television, film, and printed
materials designed to reach large audiences.
• A television commercial. A magazine article. Hearing a song on the radio.
Books, Newspapers, Billboards. The key is that you are reaching a large amount
of people without it being face to face. Feedback is generally delayed with mass
communication.

Barriers in Communication
 Barrier – Reason behind an un-effective communication

Types of Communication Barrier
o Semantic Barrier
o Physical Barrier
o Emotional Barrier
o Personal Barrier
o Technological Barrier
o Cultural Barrier

 Semantic / Language Barrier

o Language problems
o Poor vocabulary
o Poor knowledge of grammar
o Poor pronunciation
o Poor handwriting

 Physical Barrier
1. Noise
 2. Poor Timing
3. Distance
4. Inadequate or overload of information

 Emotional Barrier
o Selective Perceptions
o Poor Listening
o Egotism
o Emotions

 Personal Barrier
 In Superiors
o Lack of Time
o Lack of Confidence
o Lack of Proper Communication Channel
 In Subordinates
o Unwillingness to Communicate
o Fear from Superior

 Technological Barrier
o Use of un-updated technology
o Lack of technological knowledge
o Technical noise
o Barriers at decoding stage

 Cultural Barrier
o Adopting to the behaviour of a group
o Religious beliefs
o Body language

How to overcome Communication Barriers

 Evaluate Feedback
 Improve listening skills
 Improve writing skills
 Clarify ideas before communication
 Put consideration
 Be aware of language, tone, and content