WRITTEN By Anderson Joseph

(M0605)
COMMUNICATION 101
TYPES OF WRITTEN
COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION PROCESS
AND ITS BARRIERS
COMMUNICATION PROCESS
AND ITS BARRIERS
1. WHAT IS WRITTEN
COMMUNICATION
Written communication is the development and expression of ideas in writing.

Written communication first emerged through the use of pictographs. The pictograms were made in
stone, hence written communication was not yet mobile. Pictograms began to develop standardized
and simplified forms.
The next step occurred when writing began to appear on paper, papyrus, clay, wax, and other media
with common shared writing systems, leading to adaptable alphabets. Communication became mobile.
The final stage is characterized by the transfer of information through controlled waves of
electromagnetic radiation (i.e., radio, microwave, infrared) and other electronic signals.

Written communication has great significance in today’s business world. It is an innovative activity of
the mind.
Speech came before writing. But writing is more unique and formal than speech.
Effective writing involves careful choice of words, their organization in correct order in sentences
formation as well as cohesive composition of sentences.
1. ADVANTAGES OF
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
•Written communication helps in laying down apparent principles,
policies and rules for running of an organization.
•It is a permanent means of communication. Thus, it is useful where
record maintenance is required.
•It assists in proper delegation of responsibilities. While in case of oral
communication, it is impossible to fix and delegate responsibilities on
the grounds of speech as it can be taken back by the speaker or he
may refuse to acknowledge.
•Written communication is more precise and explicit. Effective written
communication develops and enhances an organization’s image.
•It provides reliable records and references. Legal defences can
depend upon written communication as it provides valid records.
1.DISADVANTAGES OF
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
•Written communication does not save upon the costs. It costs
huge in terms of stationery and the manpower employed in
writing/typing and delivering letters.
•Also, if the receivers of the written message are separated by
distance and if they need to clear their doubts, the response
is not spontaneous. Written communication is time-
consuming as the feedback is not immediate.
•Effective written communication requires great skills and
competencies in language and vocabulary use. Poor writing
skills and quality have a negative impact on organization’s
reputation.
2. TYPES OF WRITTEN
COMMUNICATION
Acade
mic

Busin Creativ
ess Type e

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Conte
Techni
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Copy
2. TYPES OF WRITTEN
COMMUNICATION
Academic Writing
Writing scientific ideas and research in simple, understandable
manner
Expertise/Knowledge in the specified field
Research paper, textbooks, journals

Business Writing
Formal and casual communication medium
Need to use a formal tone
Email, memos and notices. Project charter, Proposals, Business
Plans.
2. TYPES OF WRITTEN
COMMUNICATION
Creative Writing
Expression of writers inner thoughts and feelings
 Journalistic writing, Literature, Poems, Comics, Biographies
Need many things but creative is a must

Technical Writing
To simplify complex operations and technicalities
Need to be savvy in the particular field
Operation manuals, Product Catalogues, and How to guides.
2. TYPES OF WRITTEN
COMMUNICATION
Content/Copywriting
To promote and educate,
Need creativity and language skills,
Advertisements, Websites write up
3.THE COMMUNICATION
PROCESS
3.THE COMMUNICATION
PROCESS
1. Sender: The sender or the communicator is the person who
initiates the conversation and has conceptualized the idea that
he intends to convey it to others.
2. Encoding: The sender begins with the encoding process wherein
he uses certain words or non-verbal methods such as symbols,
signs, body gestures, etc. to translate the information into a
message. The sender’s knowledge, skills, perception,
background, competencies, etc. has a great impact on the
success of the message.
3. Message: Once the encoding is finished, the sender gets the
message that he intends to convey. The message can be written,
oral, symbolic or non-verbal such as body gestures, silence,
sighs, sounds, etc. or any other signal that triggers the response
of a receiver.
3.THE COMMUNICATION
PROCESS
4. Communication Channel: The Sender chooses the medium through
which he wants to convey his message to the recipient. It must be
selected carefully in order to make the message effective and correctly
interpreted by the recipient. The choice of medium depends on the
interpersonal relationships between the sender and the receiver and
also on the urgency of the message being sent. Oral, virtual, written,
sound, gesture, etc. are some of the commonly used communication
mediums.
5. Receiver: The receiver is the person for whom the message is intended
or targeted. He tries to comprehend it in the best possible manner such
that the communication objective is attained. The degree to which the
receiver decodes the message depends on his knowledge of the subject
matter, experience, trust and relationship with the sender.
6. Decoding: Here, the receiver interprets the sender’s message and tries
to understand it in the best possible manner. An effective
communication occurs only if the receiver understands the message in
exactly the same way as it was intended by the sender.
3.THE COMMUNICATION
PROCESS
7. Feedback: The Feedback is the final step of the process that
ensures the receiver has received the message and interpreted it
correctly as it was intended by the sender. It increases the
effectiveness of the communication as it permits the sender to
know the efficacy of his message. The response of the receiver
can be verbal or non-verbal.
8. Note: The Noise shows the barriers in communications. There
are chances when the message sent by the sender is not
received by the recipient.
4.BARRIERS IN
COMMUNICATION

Structu
re

Personal
BarrierPsychologi
s cal

Semant
ic
4.PERSONAL BARRIERS
Selective attention – Prioritizes his personal objectives and only
processes the part of information that fulfils his objectives
Lack of knowledge – communication process suffers if the sender
have insufficient knowledge about the subject matter.
Lack of Incentives – The receiver is not motivated to follow through
the communication process
Lack of Vocabulary – Often the communication is inefficient when
sender uses words that are alien to the receiver.
4.STRUCTURAL BARRIERS
Organizational rules/policies - Organizational common practices
may not be aligned with its rules/practices when it comes to
communications. Thus it may be difficult to establish an effective
medium for communication
Hierarchical positions – The status of the position or the power-
distance may hinder effective communication
Organizational facilities – Simply means the tools and means
available for communicating without barriers or loss of productivity
Complex Organizational System – The more levels of management,
and the more interdepartmental divisions, the harder it is to
establish an effective communication channel
4.SEMANTIC BARRIERS
Badly expressed – Words mispronounced/ Phrases that were
misused that may lead to misinterpretation of the receiver
Faulty translation/interpretation – Due to different knowledge levels
and different job requirements along the hierarchy, the
receiver/sender may communicate in the context they best relate
with, and this can lead to barrier in communication
Unclarified Assumptions – Sender may create vague assumptions
when communicating with receiver to ease his transmission, but
this isn’t acknowledged by the receiver.
Denotations and Connotations – Denotation occurs when sender
and receiver has different definitions for the same word.
Connotation is when an adjective/or qualitatively descriptive word
is interpreted differently by sender and receiver.
Technical Jargons – Knowledge workers often transmit information
4.PSYCHOLOGICAL
BARRIERS
Attention deficit – Receiver is pre occupied by other things and
can’t give his full attention to the subject
Premature evaluation – The tendency of the receiver to jump to
conclusions directly and form judgements without considering the
entire context
Poor retention – Refers to the capacity of the brain to retain or
store things in their memory, therefore much of the information is
lost.
Distrust : In case the sender fails to establish credibility which
leads the distrust of the receiver, then the receiver tends to derive
the negative from the communication process.
Emotional state : If the receiver is not in a good temperament then
he/she wouldn’t be able process the information being
communicated effectively.
HOW TO COMMUNICATE
EFFECTIVELY
The three most important component of written media is
Structure, Style, and Content
AIDA – (Grab) Attention, (Keep them) Interested, (Appeal to)
Desire, (Propose) Action
Rhetoric Triangle – The Writer, The Audience, The Context
Ethos – Building trust by establishing your credibility and authority
(Writer).
Pathos – Appealing to emotion by connecting with your audience
through their values and interests (Audience).
Logos – Appeal to intelligence with well-constructed and clearly
argued ideas (Context)
HOW TO IMPROVE BUSINESS
WRITING EFFECTIVENESS
1. Clarity of objective and statement of purpose
2. Tone selection – formal or informal
3. Simple, clear, objective writing. No suspense
4. Less is more. Leave out things that doesn’t contribute to the
statement of purpose
5. Use active sentences instead of passive for flow and simplicity
6. Proofread – Start from the end, and read out aloud. Use finger to
follow text as you read
STRUCTURING
 Clarify your thoughts and purpose
Is the layout clear and easy to follow?
 Identify the key points, facts and themes and arrange on logical
order
 Compose a strong introduction and ending
 Use short paragraphs and sentences to help key points to stand
out
Do headings stand out (e.g. are they in a larger font size)?
Does the introduction describe the subject, purpose and
summarise the content?
STYLE
How much information and detail is written ?
Does it look neat, and elegant? Is it concise, with an exact use of words and
economy of style? "If in doubt, cut it out!". Learn to be laconic!
Paragraphs of less than 10 lines are easier to read. Leave a blank line left
between paragraphs.
Are sentences too long? A sentence should contain just one idea.
Sentences with more than 30 words should normally be split.
Is the first sentence interesting, does it draw the reader in?
 Is the style suitable for the intended audience?
Use the active words where possible rather than the passive voice?
Have you kept wordy phrases to a minimum? Have you avoided repetition?
The Plain English Campaign recommends sans serif fonts such as this, as
clearer and easier to read than serif fonts.
CONTENT
Have you carefully checked the spelling and punctuation?
Have you thought through in advance what you want to say?
Have you a clear objective?
Have you listed the essential points you wish to make?
Have you made these points clearly?
Have you developed your argument in a logical way?
Have you allowed detail to obscure the main issues?
Is the content positive and constructive?
Have you shown an interest in the reader by writing with warmth, sensitivity
and friendliness?
Have you edited it through several revisions, honing the text until it is just
right?
Have you left it overnight if possible: your mind will assimilate it better and
you will come back with a fresh view.
CONCLUSION
The four basic premises of writing are clarity, brevity, simplicity,
and humanity ~William Zinsser
TYPES OF WRITTEN
COMMUNICATION
Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation
Structure, Style and Content
Formal writing can be stiff, humourless, and sometimes with a
little arrogance. It contains lots of articles and prepositions but few
I-words, and adverbs. Those who score highest in formal thinking
tend to be concerned with status and power and to be less self-
reflective. They drink and smoke less, tend to are more mentally
healthy, but also less honest. Older people tend to have more
formal writing.
Analytical writing is about making distinctions. Analytical writers
tend to do well academically, be more honest, and open to new
experiences. They read more and tend to be more introspective.
Narrative writers are storytellers. Narrative writing uses lots of
function words involving people, the past-tense and inclusive words
such as "with" and "together". These writers tend to have good
KENT RUBRIC FOR WRITTEN
COMMUNICATION
Context of and Purpose for Writing (Audience, Purpose and Circumstance)-
Demonstrates a thorough understanding of context, audience, and
purpose that is responsive to the assigned task(s) and focuses all
elements of the work
Content Development - Uses appropriate, relevant, and compelling
content to illustrate mastery of the subject, conveying the writer's
understanding, and shaping the whole work
Genre and Disciplinary Convention - Demonstrates detailed attention to
and successful execution of a wide range of conventions particular to a
specific discipline and/or writing task (s) including organization, content,
presentation, formatting, and stylistic choices
Sources and Evidence - Demonstrates skilful use of high quality, credible,
relevant sources to develop ideas that are appropriate for the discipline
and the genre of writing.
Control of Syntax and Mechanics - Uses graceful language that skilfully
communicates meaning to readers with clarity and fluency, and is virtually
error free.