Communication serves four major functions within a group or organization:

1-Control – communication acts to control member behavior in several ways. Organization have
authority hierarchies and formal guidelines that employees are required to follow
2-Motivation – communication fosters motivation by clarifying to employees what is to be done, how well they
are doing, and what can be done to improve performance.
3-Emotional expression – communication, provides a release for the emotional expression of feelings and for
fulfillment of social needs
4-Information – it provides the information that individuals and groups need to make decisions by transmitting
the data to identify and evaluate alternative choices.

The term communication is freely used by everyone in modern society, including members of the general public, scholars
and management practitioners. Communication is defined as the interaction, giving and taking of information,sending and
receiving of messages through verbal and non verbal means.

Functions of communication varies as one must determine the function of the communication. Known as the primary
function and in certain circumstances the situation or position may have one, two or three other secondary functions.For
example,informing,controlling,persuading and co-ordinating.

Inform functions: An organization needs a vast amount of information to function and operate a business. The top
management would require timely and accurate information for the various departments to make effective decisions.

Control functions: The management of any organization will always have plans with long, medium or long term objectives
for the months and years ahead. To achieve these objectives, the daily & monthly activities must proceed as planned in
order to achieve the objectives for the period.

Persuading functions: Persuasion usually involves the ‘selling’ of an idea, product or services to a person or group.
Persuasive words or actions, there is a better chance of the person or group accepting it. Will result in voluntary
compliance.

Co-ordinating functions: Every employee plays a part in controlling inputs, outputs, job scope and head count. Has to be
well-coordinated.

In Any form of communication, there is a sender and receiver of the message. The question of whether the message is
sent and how the message is received is of vital importance in communication. Communication is successful only when
the receiver receives the intended message of the sender.

SENDER ---> ENDCODING ---> MESSAGE ---> DECODE ---> RECEIVER ---> FEEDBACK

The above is the communication process which has to be repeated until both parties finish expressing themselves.
First,the sender has an idea then he/she transforms the idea into a message.After which he/she transmits the message
and he reciever gets the message.The receiver then interprets the message (decoding) which in turn reacts and sends
feedback to the sender.

In conclusion, there are many functions and characteristics of communication and the above listed are just some of them.
COMMUNICATIVE FUNCTIONS OR PURPOSES
OF COMMUNICATION
Communicative Functions or Purposes of
Communication
Contributed by Beverly Vicker, CCC-SLP

There are many different classification systems available for looking at the purposeful uses of communication.
Models are primarily of interest to researchers and professionals within the field of speech language pathology.
This article, however, is a hybrid listing of aspects of communication that are especially important to assess and
track with children/students with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The article is designed to give a basic
orientation to people outside of the speech pathology profession because these are the people who will spend
more time with the child than the speech pathologist. Awareness of what to observe can contribute volumes to
the development and implementation of a program for a child with ASD. No one person has to feel that he or
she must master all the information and become an expert observer or data taker. Everyone is part of a team and
the objective is to have a variety of observations that will help develop a more comprehensive picture of a
child’s skills.

Intentionality
Before looking at types or purposes of messages from the child, it will be important to observe and understand
about how intentional the child’s daily communication is. By intentional is meant:

 Does the child EVER deliberately signal a message to others? It is easier to answer this question if the child
engages in very direct, observable behavior. For example, does he look toward people, even briefly, before
signing, pointing, gesturing or saying something? He could also take someone to the location of the item that he
wants. If he seems vaguely aware of the other person who needs the message, however, he may still be
intentional. Even if he is not looking directly at the person, he may have used peripheral vision to check if
someone is around. More observations might be needed in case of the latter.
 Do the adults and other children in the child’s life predominately need to observe what he is doing and make a
guess at what he may or may not want? This means the communication partner does all the work and has to learn
to “read” the situation. This is not intentional communication since it is not deliberately signaled to someone.
 What percentage of the child’s messages each day are intentional?
 Is there any pattern to the types of messages that are intentional vs. non-intentional?
 Is the child more or less intentional with specific people, in specific locations, within specific activities, or at
specific times of the day?

Examples of Intentional (I) vs. Non-intentional (N) Communication:

 (I) Jake sees that the teacher has a new toy on the table. He goes to the table, looks briefly at her, she says “try it”
and he grabs it.
 (N) Tim sees the new toy on the table and goes and grabs it.
 (I) Jake takes his teacher by the hand, walks to the cupboard, and points upward. (the teacher knows his favorite
toy is kept in that cupboard).
 (N) Tim wanders around the room and goes over to tug at the handles of the cabinet; he does nothing to indicate
he needs help; he is determined to meet his own need of getting a specific toy.
 (I) Jake gives a “break” card to his teacher to request some down time.
 (N) Tim screams and throws things after an intense morning; his teacher thinks he needs a break and directs him
to a quiet corner of the room.
 Means of Communication
The child will have to use some way of sending others a message. It does not mean the messages are always
clear or there is no guessing. The intentional messages are deliberately targeted for someone whereas non-
intentional are not. Things to observe and share include the following:

 How does the child communicate intentionally? (see list that follows)
 What form or means of communication is used when the message is non-intentional (e.g., a teacher, aide or parent
notices a behavior pattern, attaches meaning to it, and goes to intervene or take action)?
 Does he or she use one intentional/non-intentional means more than others? What else is used? (It is good to have
a variety of ways of communicating).
 Are any intentional/non-intentional means more effective than others?
 What are the least effective intentional/non-intentional means used?
 Does he vary the intentional/non-intentional means by person, situation, or location?

Various Means of Communication and Examples

 Vocalizations—sounds, grunts, unintelligible speech, shouts
 Understandable appropriate speech or echolalia (repetition of the words of others)
 Behavioral—pacing, self injurious behavior, picking at sores, stripping off clothes, aggression
 Body language—facial expression, going limp or rigid
 Gestures such as a yes/no headshake, point, push away, or made-up gestures
 Sign language—whether correctly signed or not
 Communication display or single picture/words—a point to, or exchange of picture, or word card
 Communication device—electronic display that produces voice output or not
 Handwriting or computer typed messages

Examples of Intentional (I) and Non-Intentional (N) + Means of Communication

 (I) Signs “help” as he looks toward aide.

 (N) Signs “help” when no one is in the room; does not look around for a person.
 (I) Gives picture card to teacher in order to get popcorn.
 (N) Flips picture card in repetitive manner, discards it, and reaches for popcorn.
 (I) Presses button of electronic communication device with voice output to request puzzle. Looks toward teacher
and walks to help self since no indication that this was not OK.
 (N) Presses button repeatedly on an electronic communication device and fixates on the action. After playing with
it, he tires, and gets up to go get something else.

Purposes of Communication.
The topic of purpose can be looked at in two ways. First, what does the child accomplish by communicating a
message TO others through some form of communication and secondly, how does he respond to the same
purposeful message when provided to him FROM others? So, for example, can a child request an object? What
happens if a person requests an object from him? While the second question is important, this article will only
focus on the first question (i.e., the impact of the child’s messages TO others).

It may be easier for the non-speech pathology person to have noted the characteristics of intentionality and
means of communication before addressing the element of purpose. Sometimes the purposes are very obvious
and other times, it may take trial and error and/or consultation with others, to figure out the exact message.
The following two categories are not inclusive of every purpose for communication. They basically reflect the
common types of communication that are part of a repertoire of a young child under the age of five. A few other
references at the end can be used to add more detail. It is important to know what communicative purposes a
child with ASD is using so new purposes can be taught. While requesting objects is the frequent goal of early
intervention programs, requesting is not the primary function expressed during conversations. Expansion of the
child’s repertoire of purposes can occur while teaching use of some of the means of communication outlined in
the previous section.

Group # 1: Overall Purpose—Regulation

When communication is used for regulation, there are two elements: 1) the child is interested in meeting his
needs, and 2) he will attempt to regulate the actions of others to help him meet his needs or to help keep himself
in his personal comfort zone. In the latter instance, he may protest violations of his routines, lack of information
about pending changes of activities, refusing tasks that he considers difficult or boring, and so forth.

The teacher/parent/or whomever will want to observe things such as: 1) What outcome is the child trying to
achieve? 2) Did he initiate the action or did someone cue or prompt him; if so, how much prompting was
needed, and 3) Did he achieve his desired outcome? Examples of often desired outcome include:

Purpose or Desired Outcome—

Example of Regulation
Regulation of Others

Desires cheese. Stands by refrigerator and

Wants tangible object.
unconsciously assumes Mom will know his desire.

Wants action, event, or activity. Wants push on swing. Signs “more.”

Wants attention. Wants help. Turns person’s face to him.

Wants approval to go watch TV; holds up the remote

Wants permission.
for 1 second.

Wants information. Wants to know if time to go home. Gets jacket ready.

Wants reason/clarification. “Why no grandma?” Bites self; screams.

Wants stop/avoid/refuse. “No blue shirt.” Hits, screams.

Commands, directs, demands any of

“Jon-Jon go.” (away from me). Pushes child away.
the above.

Group # 2 Social Interaction—shared attention with others

In this second category, the child is not acting solely to meet his own needs. There is a social aspect and an
interactive component rather than a controlling component. The interaction can be initiated by the child with
ASD or by another adult or peer.
 Purpose or Desired Outcome- Example of Social Interaction/
Social Shared Attention

Calling Says, “Mom” to get her attention.

Greeting Says “Hi” or waves to neighbor.

Requests interaction/interactive Hits peer so he might chase the child with ASD (i.e., bid for
activity chase game).

Comment/statement Says “hot” to Mom as he touches his car-seat.

Naming (if not for personal Says “Mario” to parent when he sees familiar Wii game in
enjoyment) store.

Tells teacher “Sara hurt” so teacher can provide assistance to

Provides information/report
the child who is crying.

Agree Gives positive head shake when asked if he likes cheese.

Says “Sad. No more Grandma” as Dad helps him get into his
Express feelings
car-seat after her funeral.

Social routines Says “Thank you” when given an apple to eat.

Points in a direction when Mom asks “Where’s your

Answers question
brother?”

Assertiveness Says “Mine” when peer attempts to grab his toy.

Says “Uh-oh.” or “Oh, no!” to his teacher when he drops his

Exclamation
pencil for the 10th time.

Pulling it all together—Intention + Means + Function

The following examples show how situations will involve all three categories of intent, means used for
communication, and the function of the message.
 Function of
Observation Intentional Means
Message

Holds crotch and says “Teacher” until told

yes speech + gesture Wants permission.
OK to proceed to the bathroom.

Begins to throw things when told Mom will Protests change;

no behavioral
be late for pickup today. needs information.

Announces “trick or treat” as he wanders

yes echolalia Wants Candy.
over to the candy dish.

Jumps up and down with excitement no behavioral Expresses emotion.

Gives his aide a picture of a book using communication Wants activity-

yes
Picture Exchange (PECS). book reading.

Says, “What’s your name?” and other

Wants interaction,
questions of stranger; this routine occurs yes speech routine
not information.
frequently.

Summary
This article is an introduction to understanding the notion of purposes of communication. As described in detail,
there are three main aspects to consider: Is the message directed to someone or not? What means of
communication is used? What might be the function of the message? The functions listed above do not follow a
particular model but represent borrowing from several sources. The functions reflect types of communication
found in children under five years of age. More sophisticated categories and descriptors can be used to describe
the functions of the communication of children older than five. It will be important to consider if the child
initiates the functions listed. The listing is not meant to be a comprehensive checklist for readers of this article.
Instead it can provide the framework from which to work with others who are looking at expressive
communication skills and provide guidance for observations by a variety of team and family members.

Have you ever listened to someone who had a blank expression? When their words said one thing,
but their expression didn’t correlate with the sentiment? Perhaps they gave you a compliment but
their face remained cold?
If so, how did you feel? Did you trust what they said? Even babies become wary of their mothers
when their words are delivered with an unresponsive expression, which may even lead to
withdrawal (Tronik. E et al 1978).
Emotional expressions are necessary to enhance messages, to convey authenticity and to develop
trust. How we interact with people will determine how they will respond to us and we can control
this when we are aware of how we come across with non-verbal communication such as facial
expressions.
A simple comment or throwaway remark can do a lot of damage if delivered with a pre-occupied
face that is thinking about an unrelated problem or task.
This topic is even more important when interacting in our global economy. When speaking with
people who speak different languages our expressions are vital for effective communication.
Pioneering American psychologist Paul Ekman (1993) famously noted that it is now widely
accepted that people can reliably discriminate between six different classes of facial expression:
happy, sad, angry, surprised, afraid and disgust. This ability is said to transcend cultural or
linguistic barriers, therefore these facial expression are not culturally specific, even when taking
into account social norms of emotional responses.
Consequently, we can feel secure in the knowledge that these basic six expressions will be
translated as intended.
Back on home ground however, we must not be complacent. From shareholders to customers and
all those in between, it is wise to be fully engaged when speaking to everyone to pre-empt
misunderstanding and a huge amount of angst.

Communication serves four vital functions in society. Roy summarized these functions as follows (39):

Functions of Communication
i) Information function:

The basic requirement of adapting and adjusting oneself to the environment is information. There must be some
information about what is going on in the environment which concerns the people. The receiving or giving of
information underlines all communication functions, either directly or indirectly.

ii) Command or instructive function:

Those who are hierarchically superior in the family, society or organization, often initiate communication either for
the purpose of informing their subordinates or for the purpose of telling them, what to do, how to do when to do etc.

The command and instructive functions of communication are more observable in formal organizations than in
informal organizations.

iii) Influence or persuasive function:

According to Berlo (1960), the sole purpose of communication is to influence people. Persuasive function of
communication i.e. to induce people is extremely important for extension in changing their behaviour in the
desirable direction.

iv) Integrative function:

A major function of communication is integration or of continuously offsetting any disintegration at the

interpersonal or at the organizational level. This helps in maintaining individual, societal or organizational stability
and identity.