Communication

 In today’s turbulent environment, communication

is at the top of everyone’s needed-skills list.

 Effective communication, both within the

organization and with people outside the company,
is a major challenge and responsibility for
managers.
 vs.

 The ability to communicate is the

primary factor that distinguishes
human beings from animals. And
it is the ability to communicate
well that distinguishes one
individual from another. 
 What is
Communication?

 Process by which information is exchanged

and understood by two or more people,
usually with the intent to motivate or
influence behavior.
 The interpersonal transfer of information
and understanding from one person to
another
 A linked social process of sender, encoding, medium,
decoding, receiver, and feedback
 Communication is the sharing of
thoughts, feelings, messages and
information.
 It usually takes at least two people to
communicate. We might be the one
doing the sharing or we might be the
one on the receiving end. So,
communication means understanding
what others are saying and also being
understood when we are talking.
 Communication is the process
whereby speech, signs or actions
transmit information from one person
to another.
 It is a 2-way interaction between two
parties to transmit information and
mutual understanding between
themselves
Key Ingredients of
Communication

 Participants
 Common medium or language
 Transmission of some message or
information
 Understanding or interpretation of that
message
Functions of Communication
Basic Communication
Process
 Sender: The sender is the initiator of the message.

 Encoding: Encoding is the process of translating

the intended meaning into symbols (which includes
words and gestures).

 Message: The message is the encoding process

outcome, which consists of verbal and nonverbal
symbols that have been developed to convey
meaning to the receiver.
 Medium: It is the method used to convey
the message to the intended receiver (such
as by telephone, e-mail, reports). Factors to
consider when selecting a medium include
relative speed, cost, convenience,
intelligibility, timing, feedback options, and
documentation.

 Receiver: The receiver is the person with

whom the message is exchanged.
 Decoding: It is the process of translating the
symbols into the interpreted message. In effective
communication, the sender and receiver achieve a
common meaning.

 Noise: It is any factor in the communicating

process that interferes with exchanging messages
and achieving common meaning.

 Feedback: is the basic response of the receiver to

the interpreted message. During feedback, the
receiver becomes the sender. It also provides
preliminary information to the sender about the
success of the communication.
Dimensions of Communication

Downward

Diagonal/
Dimensions Upward
Crosswise

Horizontal/
Lateral
 Downward
Communication involves
people operating at higher
levels communicating with
those at lower levels.

 Upward
Communication involves
supplying information to
the upper levels about
what is happening at the
lower levels.
 Communication taking place between
persons who are subordinates working
under the same person or those who
are working on the same level is called
lateral communication.

 Diagonal communication includes

flow of information among persons at
different levels who have no direct
reporting relationships.
 Channels of
Communication

FORMAL INFORMAL
Formal Communication
 Means of communication normally controlled by managers or
people occupying similar positions in the organization.
 Eg. Exec.A Exec.B Exec.C
 Content of communication relates to organization’s activity.
 The messages are transmitted by the authorized ones, on
official channels which arrive to the ones who need to react
or take action.
 Adherence to formal system of authorities and
responsibilities and hierarchical structure.
 Informal Communication

 Communication arising out of al those channels of communication that

fall outside the formal channels is known as informal communication.

 Built around the social relationships of members of the organization.

 These are not officially sanctioned.

 Informal communication takes place due to the individual needs of the

members of an organization and subsists in every organization.

 Informal communication does not follow authority lines as in the case

of formal communication.

 It is also known as grapevine.

 What is a “Grapevine”???
 It is an informal channel of
communication.
 Called so because it stretches
throughout the organization in all
directions irrespective of the authority
levels.
 Such informal channels tend to
develop when individuals interacts
with other people in organization.
 Exists along with the formal channels
in the organization.
 Exists more at lower levels of
organizations.
Advantages of Grapevine

 Carries and spreads information

rapidly.
 Quick feedback can be obtained.
 The grapevine is a supplement in
those cases where formal
communication does not work.
 Renders psychological satisfaction.
 Disadvantages of Grapevine
 Less credible than formal channels.
 At times, partial information is carried and is
based on rumours.
 The grapevine may hamper the goodwill of the
organization as it may carry false negative
information.
 The productivity of employees may be hampered
as they spend more time talking rather than
working.
Formal vs. Informal
Communication
FORMAL INFORMAL
Formal channels are No line of authority is
followed. followed.
Generally in writing. Usually oral.
Responsibility can be Responsibility fixation
fixed. is difficult.
Formed to serve Formed to serve
organizational needs. personal needs.
Types of Communication

Communication

Non- Verbal
(communication by
Verbal (use of words to means of elements and
communicate) behaviors that are not
coded into words
 VERBAL
COMMUNICATION

WRITTEN ORAL
 Non-Verbal Communication

Kinesics/ Body Language

Paralanguage/ Para
(Facial expressions,
Linguistics (Speaking speed,
gestures, eye contact,
pitch variation, pause,
appearance, body posture,
volume variation, etc.)
etc.)
Facial Expressions Convey Emotions
Barriers to
communication
 Communication- Life blood of all business.
No communication, no business.

 A communication becomes successful only if the receiver

understands what the sender is truing to convey.

 When the message is not clearly understood, one should

understand that he is facing barrier to communication.

 Barriers to effective communication could cause roadblocks in

your professional and personal life and it could be one of the
major hurdles in achieving your professional goals.
 Various Communication barriers can be
stated as follows:
 Noise :

 Noise is unwanted sound.

 Primarily occurs at the transmission level.

 It is an interference that occurs in a

signal and prevents you from hearing
sounds properly.
 Example: sound of machines and engines
in a factory.
 Cultural Barriers :
 Cultural differences often cause
communication problems.
 Same set of words, symbols, phases,
may mean different things to people
from different countries and different
cultural backgrounds.
 Emotional Barriers :
 Encoding and decoding of messages
depends to quite some extent on one’s
emotional state at a particular time.
 Example: A message received when
one is angry is likely to be interpreted
in a very different manner than when
one is calm and composed.
 Semantic Problems:
 Communication is transmission of meanings.
 Problems arising out of transmission/
expression of meanings are called semantic
problems.
 Communication s based on words and
words are liable to be used in different
ways.
 It is important for the sender to encode the
message in such a way that the receiver
decodes it to get the intended meaning.
 There should be clarity, simplicity and
brevity to minimise chances of multiple
interpretations.
 Selective Perception :
 The receivers selectively see and hear
depending upon their needs,
motivations, background, experience
and other personal characteristics.
 Projection of own interests and
expectations into the communication
process.
 Filtering
 The sender manipulates information in
such a way that it will be seen more
favourably by the receiver.
 Example: a manager likes to tell his
boss what he feels his boss wants to
hear.
 Tendency of people at lower level to
condense and synthesize information.
 Result of filtering- the man the top
never gets objective information.
 Loss by Transmission:
 Messages/ information gets diluted or
and becomes less accurate, as it
passes from one person to another.

 Poor Retention:
 Human memory may not always retain
what is told to it.
 Poor Listening:
 At times, people are too much involved
in their own problems and pampering
their own egos.
 As a result they are really not
interested in the speaker.
 Major barrier to communication.
 Language Barriers :
 It is a figurative phrase used primarily
to indicate the difficulties faced when
people, who have no language in
common, attempt to communicate
with each other.
 Clarity of Purpose: We must make a careful
analysis of what exactly we wish to
communicate.

 Common set of Symbols: Encoding/ decoding

should be done with symbols that are familiar to
the sender and the receiver.

 Active Listening: Active or participative

listening is important, as effective communication
is a joint responsibility of both the sender and
the receiver.
 Politeness: Connection between what is
said and how it is said influences the
reaction of the receiver. Authority should be
exercised with grace. Politeness encourages
participative communication.

 Eliminate Noise: Effort must be made to

eliminate the element of noise that distorts
communication.
 Use Feedback: It will let the sender know
that whether the message has been rightly
understood by the receiver. It will reduce
misunderstandings and inaccuracies.

 Completeness: A message must be

complete leaving, as far as possible, no
scope for guesswork.

 Controlling Emotions: For effective

communication, emotions should be kept
under control.
 Conciseness: Completeness does not men
inclusion of unnecessary details or
diversions. Effective communication is
concise, crisp, clear and well focused.

 Proper use of body language: It is of

paramount importance, especially in oral
communication. There must be- good eye
contact with the person to whom we are
talking; hand/ feet movement must be
graceful; good body posture; etc.
 Avoiding connotations and
ambiguities: Semantic problems can be
solved by using simple language and
avoiding connotations.

 Socio-psychological aspect: the sender

and the receiver must make a conscious
effort to understand each other’s cultural
and socio-psychological background.

Golden Rule: “First Understand, then be

understood”