Download COMMUNICATION Communication is a natural

COMMUNICATION
Communication is a natural instinct of all living creatures. It is the basic need of all human
beings. The most important bearings of communication are best understood when there is a
lack of it. To quote Karl Popper, "It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be
misunderstood". Incomplete or faulty communication completely diminishes the purpose of
communication and may result in damaging consequences. So it is very important to first
understand what has to be communicated and then communicating in the right way. Not
everyone is equally endowed with the ability to effectively express himself and this is where
the importance of communication skills can be truly fathomed. Communicating the right way
is important in every aspect of life - whether personal, professional or social life.
The goal of communication is to convey information—and the understanding of that
information—from one person or group to another person or group.
Authors have quoted different definitions of communication:
According to G.G. Brown “Communication is transfer of information from one
person to another, whether or not it elicits confidence. But the information transferred
must be understandable to the receiver.”
Schramm describes communication as “A tool that makes societies possible and
distinguish human from other societies.” Berelson and Steiner
defines
communication as “The transmission of information, ideas, emotions, skills through
the use of symbols, words, pictures, figures, and graph.”
According to Rogers “Communication is the process of transmitting ideas,
information and attitudes from the source to a receiver for the purpose of influencing
with intent.”
Kar says that “All those planned or unplanned processes through which one person
influences behaviour of others” is communication.
Functions of Communication:
Communication performs four major functions in an organization namely, Control,
Motivation, Emotional Expression, and Information.
Communication acts to control behaviour of employees in several ways. A company uses
communication as a way to maintain control over employees and their work environment.
Organizations have hierarchies and formal guidelines, procedures and rules that employees
are required to follow. When employees, for instance, are required to first communicate any
job related grievance to their immediate boss, to follow their job description, or to comply
with company policies, communication is performing a control function. But informal
communication also controls behavior. When work groups tease or harass a member who
produces too much (and makes the rest of the group look bad) they are informally
communicating with, and controlling the member’s behavior.
Managers use communication to motivate workers to achieve peak performance by
clarifying to employees what is to be done, how well they are doing and what can be done to
improve performance. For example, by communicating to salespeople that they'll receive a 10
percent bonus if they reach their annual sales goal, it helps the company reach its overall
sales goals. So the formation of goals, feedback on the performance of employees who are
working on the achievement of the goals, and , and reinforcement of desired behavior
stimulate motivation and thus require communication.
Communication therefore provides release for the emotional expression of feelings and for
fulfilment of social needs. Our emotions are communicated to other with verbal and
nonverbal language like facial expressions, body gestures or postures. Some expressions of
emotion have an automatic effect on others. When there is a difference in what a person
communicates non-verbally versus verbally, the other person will usually respond to the
nonverbal expression. For many employees, their work group is a primary source for social
interaction. The communication that takes place within the group is a fundamental
mechanism by which members show their frustration and feelings of satisfaction.
The last function of communication is information. Communication plays a vital role in
facilitating decision making. It provides the information that individuals and groups need to
make decisions by transmitting the data to identify and evaluate alternative choices.
All the four functions are equally important. For a group to perform effectively and
effeciently, it is important to maintain control over members, stimulate members to perform,
provide a means for emotional expression, and make decision choices.
Communication Process:
The communication process is the guide toward realizing effective communication. It is
through the communication process that the sharing of a common meaning between the
sender and the receiver takes place. Individuals that follow the communication process will
have the opportunity to become more productive in every aspect of their profession. Effective
communication leads to understanding.
Communication is a continuous process of exchanging verbal and non verbal messages. Prerequisite of communication is a message. This message must be conveyed through some
medium to the recipient. It is essential that this message must be understood by the recipient
in same terms as intended by the sender. He must respond within a time frame. Thus,
communication is a two way process and is incomplete without a feedback from the recipient
to the sender on how well the message is understood by him.
Lets understand the communication process.
Sender or Encoder - All communication begins with the sender.Sender or Encoder is the one
who sends the message. He makes use of symbols like words or graphic or visual aids to
convey the message. The sender's experiences, attitudes, knowledge, skill, perceptions, and
culture influence the message.
In order to convey meaning, the sender must begin encoding, which means translating
information into a message in the form of symbols that represent ideas or concepts. This
process translates the ideas or concepts into the coded message to be communicated
Before encoding a message, the sender has to deciding what he wants to transmit. This
decision by the sender is based on what he believes about the receiver’s knowledge and
assumptions, along with what additional information he wants the receiver to have. It is
important for the sender to use symbols that are familiar to the intended receiver. A good way
for the sender to improve encoding their message is to mentally visualize the communication
from the receiver's point of view.
Message - Message is a key idea that the sender wants to communicate. It is a sign that elicits
the response of recipient. Communication process begins with deciding about the message to
be conveyed. It must be ensured that the main objective of the message is clear.
To begin transmitting the message, the sender uses some kind of channel or medium which is
a means used to exchange or transmit the message. Most channels are either oral or written,
but currently visual channels are becoming more common as technology expands. Common
channels include the telephone and a variety of written forms such as memos, letters, and
reports. The effectiveness of the various channels fluctuates depending on the characteristics
of the communication. For example, when immediate feedback is necessary, oral
communication channels are more effective because any uncertainties can be cleared up on
the spot. In a situation where the message must be delivered to more than a small group of
people, written channels are often more effective. Although in many cases, both oral and
written channels should be used because one supplements the other
Recipient or Decoder is a person for whom the message is intended or aimed. The degree to
which the decoder understands the message is dependent upon various factors such as
knowledge of recipient, their responsiveness to the message, and the reliance of encoder on
decoder, how much the individual or individuals know about the topic, their receptivity to the
message, and the relationship and trust that exists between sender and receiver. The
interpretation of the message by the receiver is influenced by their experiences, attitudes,
knowledge, skills, perceptions, and culture. It is similar to the sender's relationship with
encoding.
Feedback – According to Bovee & Thill "Feedback plays an important role by indicating
significant communication barriers: differences in background, different interpretations of
words, and differing emotional reactions" Feedback is the main component of
communication process as it permits the sender to analyze the efficacy of the message. It
helps the sender in confirming the correct interpretation of message by the decoder. Feedback
may be verbal through words or non-verbal in form of smiles, sighs, etc. It may take written
form also in form of memos, reports, etc.
Interpersonal Communication:
 Oral Communication: Oral communication implies communication through mouth
i.e. face to face communication. This form of communication is more effective, is
speedy and economical, has an immediate feedback and is more transparent in nature.
However, in such form of communication there is a fear of distortion of message,
there is no permanent records for further reference, and is unsuitable for lengthy
communication
 Written Communication: Written communication involves any type of interaction
that makes use of the written word. Example fax, memo, letters, email, text messages,
etc. Written communication is more precise and explicit, can be kept as permanent
records for further reference , there is less distortion of message and suitable for
lengthy communication.
 Nonverbal Communication: Nonverbal communication is usually understood as the
process of communication through sending and receiving wordless messages between
people. Example winking of eyes, tapping the head, tapping the fingers, etc.
Communication Barriers
 Filtering- A sender purposely manipulates information so it will be seen more
favourably by the receiver.
 Information Overload - The information inflow exceeds the processing capacity of
the individual.
 Selective Perception- The receivers in the communication process selectively and
hear based on their needs, motivation, experience, background and other personal
characteristics.
 Emotions – The receiver’s mood at the time of receiving the message influences the
way he interprets the message.
 Language- The diverse background of people hinders effective communication.
 Communication Apprehension – Undue tension and anxiety about oral
communication or written communication or both.
 Semantics- Words can mean different things to different people, or they might not
mean anything to another person.