CHAPTER ONE

AN OVER VIEW OF COMMUNICATION

1.1. Introduction
Communication is every thing that may seem a rather direct and influential statement. But think
about it for a moment, most of our needs and indeed most of what makes us human has
communication at its root. Human needs for love and affection come about as a result of
communication, for example between parent and child, caring is communicated through words
and actions. So, we are socialized and educated through a communication process.

The ability to communicate effectively is one of the most important skills you have to develop.
How well you inform, influence and persuade others will help determine the progress you make
in your career. Research with executive and college graduates reveals that effective
communication ranks at the top of the skills necessary to succeed in business. Your employer
will expect you to be competent in your professional field. Your ability to demonstrate and
communicate that competence will determine whether you are effective at you job as well as
whether you receive salary increase and earn promotion.

1.2. Definition of communication

Despite its wide spread usage, very few members of the general public and not a great many
more management people can precisely define the term. The term ‘communication’ is derived
from the Latin word ‘communis’ which means “common”. For instance, when Mr.X effects a
communication of his ideas with Mrs.y, he establishes a common ground for understanding with
Mrs.y. In other words; Communication is an act of imparting ideas and making oneself
understood by others. Communication is the act of inducing others to interpret idea in the
manner the speaker or the writer intends it to be done. Thus, communication literally means’
sharing of ideas in common’. In business management, ideas, objectives, instructions,
suggestions etc have to be exchanged among the managerial staff for the purpose of planning and
executing the business policies. Communication includes proper understanding of the message,
its acceptance and action on it.

Communication may also be defined as the giving and receiving or exchanging of information,
opinion, or ideas by writing, speech or visual means or any combination of the three so that the
material communicated is completely understood by every one concerned.

According to the above definition and the original meaning of the term the primary objective of
communication is the creation of common understanding between people. When individuals
communicate, they try to establish a common understanding between or among themselves.
Business communication is therefore, the process of establishing a common understanding
between or among peoples within a business environment.

It should be clear from what has been said above that in business, communication is not merely
sending or receiving message. It is much more than that. In general, communication is a
purposeful process through which people share message (ideas, feelings, thoughts, experience,
skills, information etc) through the transformation of symbolic messages.

1.3. Nature of communication

Taking the primary definition of communication by various scholars one can come up with some
conclusion about the nature of communication. These are;

 Communication is a process-Means it is a process of interaction through which two or

more persons exchange ideas among them. Communication is beyond a simple process of
talking or writing, it is not also something which can be kept separate from other areas of
activity. Our internal communication and our exchanges with others are always ongoing.
Consider your communication with a hiring manager who is filling a position you are
interested in. Once you get the job, your interaction with members of the organization
will evolve as you become part of a team in the organization.
 Communication involves people-Humans are social beings and spend much of their
time together with communication. We first learn to communicate in a social setting,
usually with parents and relatives and through out life much of our time is spent in a
social communication.
 Communication is a two way process-In communication all persons are engaged in
sending and receiving messages simultaneously, that is communication is two way
functions. In other words communication involves a reciprocal exchange of information.
The process of communication necessitates that there should be a speaker and active
receiver. Unless and until there is a proper coordination between the sender and receiver,
it can negatively affect the effectiveness of the communication process.
 Communication is symbolic-When we communicate, we use a series of symbols that
comprise our messages and help to share meaning. A symbol is a type of sign that has no
natural connections to the idea, word, or object it represents rather it is a learned code.
Our learned symbols allow us to design messages that others can interpret based on our
shared experience with certain verbal and visual symbols. On the other hand,
Misunderstanding can occur because different people sometimes attach different
meanings to the same symbols, especially if they bring different context to the symbols.
 Communication is dynamic-Communication changes continuously. Every
communication event stems from a series of past events that produce a series of new
ones. Thus communication is affected by prior attitudes, planned thoughts, people
(audience) etc. Therefore; communication is a dynamic phenomenon without beginning
and ending in a two way response and reaction manner.
1.4. The role and importance of communication

The importance of communication cannot be overstressed. Just as communication is vital to our

existence in civilized society, it is essential to the functioning of organizations our society has
produced. As much communication is important for both the individual and organizational level.

1.4.1. Communication from the individual aspect

For the individual communication serves three purposes: job success, meeting social obligations,
and personal satisfaction. The two key factors for one’s job success are technical ability and
communication skills, which are complementary to each other. In meeting social obligations, it is
through communication that a person learns to adjust to his/herself., other people and or the
environment.

1.4.2. Communication from the organization aspect

In fact, we could go so far to say that organizations exist through communication. As Herbert
Simon has expressed it, “without communication there can be no organization, for there is no
possibility then of the group influencing the behavior of the individual”. Without communication
there is no likelihood of coordinated effort. Generally communication serves the following
purposes for the internal functioning of an organization.

 Aids in establishing and achieving the goals of the firm.

 Facilitates designing of plans for the achievement of goals.
 Helps managers to select, develop and apprise members of the organization.
 Enables managers to direct, motivate and create a climate in which people want to
contribute and it controls performance of the workers

Communication in an organization not only facilitates the managerial functions but also relates
an organization to its external environment. It is through an effective communication network
that managers become aware of the need of customers, the availability of quality suppliers, the
claims of stockholders, the regulations of government, and the expectations and concerns of a
community. To conclude, it is through communication that an organization becomes an open
system interacting with its environment. Without question, communication is the ingredient that
makes organizations possible.