COMMUNICATION

Communication is the process of transfer and understanding of meaning. Communication has

significant functions of:
 Control
e.g., Employees communicating their grievances to their superiors and the superiors
eventually addressing their problems is a way communication performs the control function.
 Motivation
e.g., A superior providing feedback to his subordinate and telling him how he/she can
improve his performance.
 Emotional expression
e.g., employees are part of informal groups and use informal Communication to show their
feelings of satisfaction and frustration.
 Providing Information:
e.g., Communication offers employees the necessary information to achieve the
organization’s goals.

COMMUNICATION PROCESS:

The communication process includes the transfer of meaning from one person to another. The
sender encodes the message and passes it through a channel to the receiver, who then decodes
it.

 The sender refers to the person sending the message.

 The receiver refers to the person receiving the message.
 Channel is the medium through which the transfer of the message takes place.
 Encoding refers to the conversion of the thought into a symbolic form by the sender.
 Decoding refers to the transformation of the message understandably by the receiver.
 Noise refers to the communication barrier that hinders the communication process by
distorting the clarity of the message.
 Feedback is the degree of success in the transfer of messages as intended.

Example: A is talking to B about his health is a simple communication model which involves
The sender A encoding the thought of asking about B’s health by using symbols such as
words. He asks, “How’s your health?” This message is sent through the channel of Oral
Communication. B decodes the message by understanding that A wants to know about his
health and replies, “ I’m fine,” which acts as the feedback.

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

 Oral Communication: involves the transfer of messages orally.

Advantage: Rapid information transfer and feedback.

e.g.. Two people talking to each other is a form of oral Communication where both the
people are simultaneously senders and receivers of information due to the rapid transfer
and feedback through verbal Communication.

Disadvantage: Distortion of messages when it passes through several people.

e.,g. Suppose person A sends a message orally to person D through B and C. In that case,
there is a risk that the message will not be understood by Person D as A intended it to due
to the distortion which would take place as it passes through B and C as both of them will
appreciate the message differently and finally, it will be passed on over to D.

 Written Communication: includes emails, fax, letters, etc.

Advantage: It can be verified and is tangible. Record of Communication can be kept

messages that can be stored for an extended period.

e.g., While sending mails through the internet, we can always see the contents of the
emails sent in the sent folder.

Disadvantage: Consumes lots of time to convey information and the feedback

mechanism is late with sometimes no feedback at all.

e.g., After sending a message, we cannot be fully assured if the receiver opened the
letter and understood it the way we intended.

 Non Verbal communication: This type includes Communication through body

movement, facial expression, or physical distance to convey information.

Advantage: It complements a verbal message and takes less time to reach the
receiver.

e.g., Patting someone on their back while saying sorry is a form of non-verbal
Communication complementing a verbal message.

Disadvantage: It is vague and imprecise, due to which there can be a distortion of

information.

e.g., Non-verbal cues can’t be accurately classified, and thus there is difficulty in
understanding what a respective gesture can mean. Someone looking at their watch,
 again and again, would give the impression that they are in a hurry no matter what
they say.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

Electronic Communication refers to the Communication that is done through an

electronic medium such as emails, text messaging, etc.

 Emails: It uses the internet to transmit and receive text and documents. Messages can
be quickly written, stored, edited, and distributed to thousands of people. Still, there is
a risk of privacy, misinterpretation of the message, and the time-consuming nature of
mails.

 Text messaging: Electronic communication media where messages are sent and
received in real-time. Text Messaging is fast, but it cannot be used to send long
messages. There is also a risk of security as messages through text messaging can be
intercepted easily.

 Social Networking: Communication is done through social networking platforms

such as Facebook and LinkedIn. Research suggests that social networking will soon
replace Emails as the primary form of communication for more than 20% of business
users.

 Blogs: A Type of website where videos, pictures, descriptions of events, etc., are
regularly entered. An example of Twitter where such entries are termed as tweets.

 Video Conferencing: This refers to platforms that allow real-time Communication

with people located in different places. It helps in saving time and travel expenses.

Electronic communications have played a significant role for businesses to

communicate and conduct their activities during the current pandemic by using all the
above-mentioned electronic mediums. Apple and Samsung led its product launch
conferences through online platforms such as YouTube. Many Business firms,
educational institutions in India have been using platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft
Teams, and Google meets to conduct their activities. Usage of email providers such as
Gmail, Yahoo, and outlook has also increased. During the recent Presidential
Elections in the United States, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter played a significant
role in informing people about the election, giving them the latest updates. It was also
used to promote campaigns. Similarly, Businesses such as Apple have been using
social platforms to communicate their recent launches to the customers. Amazon and
Apple have formed their chat support, which is almost like Text Messaging used to
support their customers.

BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Barriers refer to specific things that can distort Communication.

 Filtering: Refers to the manipulation of information by the sender so that the receiver
sees it more favorably.

e.g., In order to please their boss, employees oftentimes filter information so that it
may be seen more favorably.

 Lying: Refers to the outright misinterpretation of information.

e.g., An employee deliberately denying his participation in a fraud.

 Emotions: Different emotions can lead to different interpretations of the same

message.

e.g., An employee not listening to the advice given by their superiors because of anger
and considering his superior too harsh.

 Language: Words can mean differently to different people based on their age and
context.

e.g., Talking about terms like KPI’s and deliverables, etc., to a high schooler is sure to
make them confused.

 Silence: Lack of communication can lead to withholding information or can be caused

due to a lack of information and acts as a barrier to effective communication.

e.g., Remaining silent over incidents such as corruption or misconduct will mean that
the higher management will not be able to take any action for the elimination of such
a problem.