Communication is broadly classified as verbal and non-verbal.

(formal and informal)

(a) Verbal communication: The verbal form of communication is conducted with use of words. It is of two types written communication and oral communication. The written communication is conducted through written words while the oral communication is conducted through spoken words. The main advantage of the written communication is that it serves as a record and is taken more seriously than the oral communication. Another advantage is that a written communication can be made more effectively by revising its draft two-three times. But, the problem with the written communication is that a good number of employees in an organization mat not bother to read it or may not have enough time to go through it. As a result, they may miss important information. (b) Non-verbal communication: Communication is not just the art and skill of language and oratory, as it is normally perceived to be, because words or verbal communication constitutes a relatively smaller part of the overall communication. It is now an established fact that over 70 percent of the interpersonal communication is non-verbal. Non-verbal communication refers to the tools other than the words that are employed (consciously and unconsciously) by the sender to communicate ideas and thoughts to the receiver of message. It is conducted as gestures, body language, sitting and standing postures, touch, etc. Unfortunately, non-verbal communication has not received the desired importance. The receiver is generally keen to comprehend the non-verbal communication to decipher the true attitudes and motives of the sender that might not have been directly articulated by the sender. Although people generally consider the verbal part as the communication, nonverbal communication is equally vital because it conveys a much larger part of the overall communication in comparison to verbal communication. It must be remembered that words, gestures and body language that are generally perceived to be communication are merely the tools of communication. These are in essence the codes that have been developed over the centuries to convey the meaning and understanding of the senders message to its receiver. Unfortunately the tools of communication have been misunderstood to be equivalent to communication. The implication of this misunderstanding is that all the efforts to develop communication skills are not directed at the essence of communication (meaning and understanding) but not the tools that facilitate

communication between two persons. A communication proves to be really effective if the following conditions associated with its sending and receiving are satisfied. (i) The receiver receives the same message as it was sent by the sender (ii) The receiver understands the message in the same way as was intended by the sender (iii) If the receiver agrees with the message, he/she feels encouraged and empowered to act upon it. If the receiver is not in agreement with the message, he/she feels encouraged and empowered to freely express his/her views (iv) The sender of the message is also open-minded to listen to and act upon the feedback or response of the receiver if he/she finds merit in it (v) This cycle goes on with open-mindness of both the parties till an agreement is reached to their mutual satisfaction DIFFERENT FORMS OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION Organizational communication represents an exchange of information by an individual or a group within a collective establishment for the achievement of a common set goals and objectives. On the basis of its flow and direction communication takes four forms: upwards, downward, lateral and grapevine. (a) Downward Communication: This type of communication originates from the superior and is intended for the subordinates down the chain of command in an organization. It includes sharing of organizations mission, values, strategies, goals, objectives, latest rules and regulation, and individual job description, task explanations, procedure, instructions, etc.