COMMUNICATION

It is the exchange and flow of information and ideas from one person to another; it
involves a sender transmitting an idea, information, or feeling to a receiver
Communication involves the spoken word as well as the nonverbal message, the
emotional state of people involved, and the cultural background of the message
(Fontaine & Fletcher, 2002).

Four Fundamentals of communication theory
1. Communication is perception
Receiver uses perception to receive the message.
Perception is experience, not logic.
Perception, we know, is not logic. It is experience.
This means, in the first place, that one always perceives a configuration. One
cannot perceive single specifics. They are always part of a total picture.
The silent language,* that is, the gestures, the tone of voice, the
environment altogether, not to mention the cultural and social referents,
cannot be dissociated from the spoken language. In fact, without them the
spoken word has no meaning and cannot communicate.

2. Communication is expectation.
We perceive, as a rule, what we expect to perceive. The unexpected may be
ignored, not heard or seen or misunderstand.
We see largely what we expect to see, and we hear largely what we expect to
hear.
What is truly important is that the unexpected is usually not received at all. It is
not seen or heard, but ignored. Or it is misunderstood, that is, mis-seen or mis-
heard as the expected.

3. Communication makes demands.
Communication always makes demands. It always demands that the recipient
become somebody, do something, believe something.
It always appeals to motivation. If, in other words, communication fits in with the
aspirations, the values, the purposes of the recipient, it is powerful. If it goes
against his aspirations, his values, his motivations, it is likely not to be received at
all or, at best, to be resisted.

4. Communication and information are different and indeed largely opposite.
Where communication is perception, information is logic.
Information isalways specific. We perceive a configuration in communications;
but we convey specific individual data in the information process.
Information presupposes communication. Information is always encoded. To be
received, the code must be known and understood by the recipient

Communication systems and lines of communications

1. Downward

From the superior to the subordinate .
Primarily directive and helps coordinate the activities of different levels .
Examples:
when the head nurse assigned a specific task to his/ her staff
letters
memos


2. Upward

encourage delegation of authority .
provides a means for motivating and satisfying personnel .
supervisor summarize information and passes it upward to the next level
Accurate upward communication effective in problem solving .
Examples:
Reports of progress from subordinates to management.
Complains
Suggestions

3. Lateral
Used in coordinating activities.
Happens between staff who are in the similar hierarchal level or
departmental level where in one does not have formal power over the other
Communication with other health care personnel.
Committees, conferences, and meetings facilitate horizontal communication
Examples:
communication between a manager of marketing department and manager in the
finance department
two supervisors have a discussion regarding staffing
head nurses talking about issues in their department

4. Diagonal
Between individuals or departments not on the same level of the hierarchy.
Informal in nature.
Multidirectional communication (all directions at the same times).
Examples:
Higher level management communicating to lower level management a shift in
organizational objectives, as well as the ensuing dialog about how best to
achieve the new goals.
Human Resource Manager is sending out information to an accounts officer in
the Accounting Department

Four Basic Principles of Communication

A. One cannot avoid communication

Because every behavior is a kind of communication, people who are aware of
each other are constantly communicating.
Any perceivable behavior, including the absence of action, has the potential to be
interpreted by other people as having some meaning.

B. Every communication has a content and relationship aspect, which is
called metacommunication.

Content is "what" is actually said, while relationship is "how" it is said (Griffin,
1997).
Example: By saying "What an idiot you are" could be influenced by the following
words "Just kidding", it could also be influenced by the relationship between the
communicators.
In the example given, the word "idiot" might be accepted quite happily from a close
friend, but convey an entirely different meaning in other circumstances.

C. A series of communications can be viewed as an uninterrupted series of
interchanges.

messages are not sent or received in a vacuum.
all have a history behind them, and a future ahead

D. All communication relationships are either symmetrical or
complementarydepending on whether the relationship of the partners is
based on differences or parity

Symmetrical
parties involved behave as equal from a power perspective.
persons involved are of equal status and position and neither is considered to be
superior to the other.
Complementary
means one of unequal power, such as boss-employee or leader-follower
relationship


References:

Whitehead D., Weiss S., Tappen R. (2007). Essentials of Nursing Leadership and
Management.

Curtis K., Ramsden C., Lord B. (2011) Emergency and Trauma Care for Nurses and
Paramedics.

http://bruce.graham.free.fr/literature/drucker.html