Definition

Communication

is

the

process

of

exchanging

information, usually through a common system of symbols. It takes wide verity of forms from two people having a face-to-face conversion to hand signals to messages sent over the global tele-communication

network.

Characteristics
It is a 2-way process. Communication process happens between or among two or more

parties. (Sender and Receiver)

Communication involves exchange of ideas, feelings, information,

thoughts, and knowledge.

Communication involves mutuality of understanding between

Sender and Receiver.

 There are two types of Communication i.e., Verbal and Non-Verbal

Communication.

Communication is a continuous process.

Needs proper understanding

A short leaved process.

Objectives
Information Motivation

Rising morale

Order and Instruction

Education and training

Information
The main objective of a business is to pass on information and

making people more informed, E.g.- all the advertisement activity that we see around as are an attempt to inform and pass the

information on to others, and in case of business houses this

information is mostly about the product or services that they have to offer. But the mode of communication may be verbal, written, visual

or any other.

Motivation
Communication in business is also necessary to increase the

motivation in the workers. So if the communication is done properly and is successful in motivating the workers and workers are

motivated enough the work gets done easily, efficiently and they will
work independently and with out supervision.
Communication should be used to create a right working

environment. So that there is a healthy competitive environment

among the workers and also that they can be recognized and rewarded for their achievements.

Rising Morale
Another

very

important

objective

of

business

communication (internal) is to keep the moral of the workers high so that they work with vigour (energy) and confidence as a team. This is a major factor that can have very serious impact on the success of a business house.

Order and instruction

An order is an oral or written command directing the start, end or

modifying an activity. This form of communication is internal and is carried out within a business house. Order may be written or verbal.
Written orders are given when the nature of work is very important

or the person who would perform the task is far away. We should always be careful while handing out written orders and should

always keep a copy of the order so that follow up action can be

taken.

Education and Training

Management (Education for future managers)

Employee (Education for newbies)

General Public (Educating the public)

Components of communication
Sender

Encoding

Channel

Feedback

Receiver

Decoding

Components of communication
Message

Sender
Encoding

Channel
Receiver Decoding Acting Feedback

Message
The message is the information, written or spoken, which

is to be sent from one person to another. Here, the word person represents the two ends of a system and may represent an individual, a group of individual or even electronic machines.

Sender
The person who transmits, spreads, or communicates a

message or operates an electronic device is the one who conceives and initiates the message with the purpose of informing, persuading, influencing or changing the attitude, opinion or behavior of the receiver.

Encoding
Encoding is the process of changing the message into

symbols, that is, pattern of words, gestures, or signs.

It means putting ideas, facts, feelings and opinions into

symbols. Which can be words, actions, signs and pictures.

Channel
This is the medium that facilitates the sending of the

message to the receiver.

The medium can be written, oral, audio-visual or another.

Receiver
A receiver is the targeted audience of the message.
The receiver understands, interprets and tries to perceive

the total meaning of the total meaning of the message as transmitted by the sender.

Decoding
This is the act of translating into their ordinary meanings.
However, the total meaning lies in the meaning of the

words (symbols) together with the one and attitude of the sender reflected by the structure of the message.

Acting
Communication manipulates the receiver to act in a

desired manner.
A receivers response action shows that he has understood

the message.
Finally,

the

receiver

completes

the

chain

of

communication by responding to the message.

Feedback
This is the loop that connects the receiver with the sender,

who, in turn, acts as a feedback receiver and thus learns the communication has been accomplished

Functions of Communication
Communication serves four major functions in an organization:

Information

Control
Motivation Emotional expression

Information
Information refer to the role of communication in

facilitating decision making and problem solving.

Managers,

by

means

of

adequate

and

effective

communication, receive and transmit information that enables them to solve problems and make decisions.
For e.g. Strike in an organization. The manager is suppose

to call workers for interactions.

Control
In the organizational context, Control refers to the power to

influence peoples behavior.

When the employees are required to comply ( Act in

accordance with) with company policies and procedures, adhere to their job description, or first communicate their jobrelated grievances to their immediate boss, Communication performs the control faction.

Motivation
Motivation refers to the fostering of motivational spirit

among the employees.

Effective communication is needed in setting and defining

clear goals, giving feedback on the progress made in achieving these goals, and reinforcing the desired

behavior.

Emotional Expressions
Emotional

expression

refers

to

the

function

of

communication in expressing or letting out the feelings and emotions of employees under various circumstances.
By

showing

dissatisfaction

and

disagreement

or

satisfaction or agreeing with some people, a person can

show his emotional expressions.

Roles of a Manager
Managers engage themselves in a large number of varied,

unpatented, and short-term activities.

Roles are;

Interpersonal Roles

Informational Roles
Decisional Role

Interpersonal Roles
(communication between people)

Roles that help people work well among themselves.

Every manager is required to perform duties that is

symbolic in nature.
While performing such duties a manager plays an inter-

personal roles for his organization.

Informational Roles
Collection of information by managers from organizations

and institutions in their external environment indicates the informational roles played by them.
A manager becomes monitor when he reads the

magazines, talks to others to learn the changes in the

publics tastes, and what the competitors are planning, etc,

with a view to collect the information.

Decisional Roles
The decisional roles played by a manager comprises four

subcategories.

An entrepreneur A disturbance handler A resource allocator A negotiator

Concepts and problems of communication

Ensuring

that the interpreted

meaning

affects

behavior in the desired way

Achieving accuracy in communicating the message Ensuring that the message conveys the desired

meaning

Problems
No perceived benefits to the audience (no relevance) Noise, outside disturbance

Variations in listening skills

Cultural differences

Complexity of a subjects

 Time restraints, real or perceived

Difficult questions

Sensitive issues

Communication Basics
Communication Process

Basic facts about communicationn

Communication network

Communication Process
Step 1: Sender conceives an idea depending on the purpose of

communication.

Step 2: Sender chooses appropriate symbols, and encodes the

idea and formulates the message.

Step 3: Sender sends the message through a suitable channel

(oral or written).

 Step 4: Receiver receives the message.

Step 5: Receiver decodes the symbol, and comprehends,

and interprets the message.

Step 6: Receiver sends response that is observed by the

sender.

Forms of Communication
Formal Communication
Line Relationship Functional Relationship Staff Relationship

Informal Communication
Chat
Grapevine

Line Relationship
Line relationship refers to the line of authority that sets

down the path of communication from supervisor to subordinates and vice versa.

Functional Relationship
Functional Relationship are those between departments

within an organization. Communication that occurs when departments share information regarding work and related organizational matters with each other is a formal line of organizational communication.

Staff Relationship
It

includes the Communication that support line

management, marketing, and production. They do not carry the executive authority of line relationship. Communication relating to personnel, public relations, administration or finance are part of staff relationship.

Chat
Horizontal or lateral communication between managers

from different departments or within the same peer group. Managers of same level enjoys the same level of authority. Often, informal communication, which is usually in the form of a chat, has to be confirmed in writing before it

goes through the official channel.

The Grapevine
Grapevine is an informal channel of business communication.

It is called so because it stretches throughout the organization in all directions irrespective of the authority levels. Man as we

know is a social animal. Despite existence of formal channels

in an organization, the informal channels tend to develop when he interacts with other people in organization. It exists more at lower levels of organization.

Communication network
President
I N F O R M A T I O N

Vice President

Vice President

Manager

Manager

Manager

Manager

I N S T R U C T I O N S

Efforts at Co-ordination

Role of verbal and non verbal Communication

Verbal communication is a communication that

uses words, either written or spoken (oral)

Importance of oral communication

Importance of written communication

Oral
More personal and informal

Advantages

Written

Better for complex and difficult subjects, facts

and opinion.

Makes immediate impact

Can be read at the receivers convenience or

pleasure.

Provides opportunity for interaction and

Can be circulated

feedback
Provides opportunity to refer back to a more

permanent record.

Helps the speaker corrects himself according

to feedback and non-verbal cues received

from receiver

Better

for

keeping

records

of

messages

exchanged

Better for conveying feelings and emotions.

Can be revised before transmitting

Oral
Demands

Limitation

Written

ability

to

think

Immediate feedback is not

coherently while speaking

A word once uttered cannot be

possible
Many people do not like

taken back
Hard to control voice pitch and

reading, especially official or business messages

More

tone, especially when stressed, excited or angry

Very difficult to be conscious

impersonal

and

remote
Is more time consuming

of body language

Tips for effective Internal communications (Downward Communication)

Ensure that every employee receives a copy of strategic plan Ensure that every employee receives an employee handbook that

contains updated personnel policies.

Develop a basic set of procedure for how routine task are conducted,

and include them in the standard operating manual.

Ensure that every employee is having a copy of the job description

and organizational chart.

Regularly hold management meeting.

Tips for effective Internal communications (Upward communication)

Ensure that employees give regular status reports to their supervisors. Ensure that all supervisors meet one-on-one at least once a month with

their subordinates to discuss how it is going with their work.

Use management and staff feedback to solicit feedback. Ask how is it

going practice the round table approach to hear from each person.
Act on feedback from others. Respect the grapevine.

Miscommunication
Communication barriers are not limited to an individual

or two people only, they exist in a entire organization.

Miscommunication takes place when the message

received is not the same as the message sent.

Some significance causes for miscommunication are as

follows:

Significance causes
Organizational structure Difference in status

Lack of trust

Closed communication climate

Incorrect choice of medium

 Information Overload

Message Complexity

Message competition

Unethical communication

Physical distraction

Guidelines for effective communication

Consider the objective
Think about the interest level of the receiver Be sincere Be brief and precise Avoid vagueness (uncertainty) and generalities

 Give full aspects (feature)

Use polite words and tone Eliminate insulting implications Include some information that is interesting and pleasing

to the receipts
Allow time to respond

Barriers to effective communication

Conversing

Listening

Body language

Intercultural oral communication

Main point is cultural differences

Non verbal communication

Non-verbal means not involving words or speech.

Meta Communications:- is an implied meaning conveyed by the

choice of words, tone of voice, fumbling, silence or omission. It is a message communicated not by words but along with words.
Kinesic Communication:- is the message conveyed through

non-verbal acts in the form of body movements such as gestures, winking, smiling, postures, style of dressing and grooming.

Barriers to effective Communication

In communication, a psycho semantic process, the word barrier

implies something non-physical that keeps people apart or prevents activity, movement and so on.
Examples are:

Social Ethnic (relating to a population subgroup)

Language barriers
Lack of confidence

 The more commonly experienced communication barriers are Lack

of planning, incorrect assumptions, semantic difficulties and cultural differences.

Some of the barriers of communication are as follows:

Emotions Selective perspective Information overload

 Loss by transition
Poor retention Goal conflicts Offensive style Abstracting

Slanting (Variations)
Inferring (coclude)

Barriers of the sender

Lack of planning
Vagueness (uncertainty) about the communication purpose Poor choice of words, resulting in a badly encoded

message
Unshared or incorrect assumptions Wrong choice of channel

Barriers to the receiver

Poor listening skills
Inattention Mistrust Lack of interest Premature evaluation Semantic difficulties

 Bias
Different perception of reality Lack of trust Attitudinal clash with a sender Unfit physical state

 A common barrier for the sender and the receiver can be created by

the absence of a common frame of reference affecting the smooth interpretation of thoughts, feelings and attitude from the sender to the

receiver in a specific situation.

The seven Cs of communication

1. Candidness

2. Clarity
3. Completeness

4. Conciseness
5. Concreteness

6. Correctness
7. Courtesy

Candidness (open-hearted)
In all business transaction, ones view of a matter should

be honest and sincere and should reject prejudice and bias. The guiding principle should be fairness to self and to others involved in the situation.

Clarity
The principle of clarity is most important in all

communications, especially in face-to-face conversation. It is not always easy to verbalize ideas accurately on the on the spot during conversations, presentations or other oral forms of interaction.

Completeness
Clarity is ensured also by completeness of message. In

conversations or oral presentations, one can easily one part of communication. It is, therefore, oral

communication should be structured or pre-planned.

Conciseness (be brief)

In business and professional communication, one should

avoid being repetitive. One should try to say the entire message in brief.
Superfluous statement
As regards the fact that.. Because of the fact that ..

Concise statement
Considering.. As.., or because..

Are in need of..

Not very far from here..

Need..
Nearby. Or close by

Concreteness
Concreteness means being specific and definite in

describing events and things. Avoid such uncertain words which that dont mean much.

Correctness
In the spoken form of communication, grammatical errors

are not uncommon. The speaker can forget the number and the person of the subject of the verb if the sentence is too long. Sometimes the sequence of tenses is incorrect, especially in indirect narration or reported speech.

Courtesy
In

conversational

situation,

meetings,

and

group

discussions, an effective speaker maintains the proper decorum of speaking. One should say things assertively, but without being rude. Courtesy demands not using

words that are insulting or hurtful to the listener.

Effectiveness in managerial Communication

Appropriate communication style

Audience centered approach

Understanding of intercultural Communication

Commitment to ethical Communication

 Proficiency in Communication Technology

Control over the flow of communication

Reducing the number of messages

Appropriate communication style

Every organizations is having their own culture, value,

reflection, tradition, habits and customs.

The most important style of top management, because,

they will set a communication process.

Some are having democratic style so some are having

autocratic style.

Audience centered approach

Managers need to keep their audience in mind at all times

during the process of communication.

More than an approach to business communication, the

audience centered approach is actually the modern approach to business in general.

The manager should work for an open communication

climate so his audience can also participate.

Understanding Intercultural communication

With the phenomenal advancement in the field of

technology, more and more business are crossing national boundaries to compare on a global scale.
Understanding the gesture, greetings, perception are

critical to all the business.

Commitment to ethical communication

Business ethics refers to the principles of conduct that

govern a person or a group in any business enterprise

Ethical plays a crucial role in communication. When an

organization express itself internally, it influences the values of its employees; when it communicates externally,

it shapes the way outsiders perceive it.

Proficiency (the quality of having great facility or competence) in Communication Technology

Present-day technology is determining whom we communicate with, how

frequently we communicate, and what sort of device we use to communicate.

Nowadays employees are having laptops, fax machine, car phones cellular

phones, emails, voicemails satellite communication and social media.

Irrespective of the designation, whether an entry-level employee, a manager,

or a CEO, it is necessary for professional to have access to the latest technological tool.

Control over the flow of communication

It is necessary for managers to make sure that all communication

message flow efficiently from across (inside) and outside their organization.
Such reasons which are not effective for flow of communication are

as follows:
Information overload Lack of efficiency Lack of adequate training

Reducing the number of messages

One useful way to reduce the number of message is to

think twice before sending one.

Only 13% of the emails that executives receive are of

immediate value.
In a study it was found that five CEOs received about 40

routine reports in five weeks and responded to only two of

them.

Strategies for Improving Organizational Communications

Encourage open feedback

360-degree feedback Suggestion system Corporate hotlines

Use Simple Language

 Avoid Overload

Walk the Talk

Be a good listeners