UNIT ONE- COMMUNICATION SKILLS

“You can’t not communicate. Everything you say and do or don’t say and
don’t do sends a message to others…” -JOHN WOODS

INTRODUCTION

C ommunication is a vital part of our daily routines. We sit in school/colleges and listen to
teachers.

We read books and magazines. We talk to friends, watch television, and communicate over the Internet.

The workplace is no different. Experts tell us that 70–80 percent of our working time is spent in some

kind of communication. We’re reading and writing memos, listening to our coworkers, or having one-to-

one conversations with our supervisors. Communication involves at least two people: the sender and

the receiver. For e.g. If a person shouts out of fear in a forest when no one is present, there is no

communication. Communication brings people together by establishing commonness among people. It

is a social need for an individual and the life blood of any organization and it is so fundamental that

without it, it is not possible for any organization to exist or function effectively and achieve its

objectives.

Communication is derived from Latin word “communis” which means ‘to share’, that is sharing of ideas,

concepts, feelings, emotions etc. It is through communication that the information, ideas, attitudes, or

emotions get to be conveyed from one person to another, from one group to another or vice versa, via

the media or online.

Communication is central to everything that we do. Our activities succeed or fail, and our goals are

achieved or not achieved, according to our ability to communicate effectively with other members.

Notes by Prof. Charmy Vaidya Page 1

However, the main purpose of communication is to EXPRESS and not to IMPRESS.

CONCEPT AND MEANING OF COMMUNICATION

Communication is an art of sharing meaningful ideas, information, knowledge, feelings, emotions,

Experience ,etc. Communication is the activity or the process of expressing ideas and feelings or of

giving people information or instruction. Communication begins with the sender sending out the

messages, which are understood by the receiver who assigns meaning to them and responds to them

accordingly. Communication is an on-going process. When communication is absent, human activity

ceases to exist.

Communication is much more than words. The tone and facial expressions often carry a greater

meaning than words. We can communicate a lot through signs, symbols and gestures. For e.g. a victory

sign made by two fingers communicates better than words.

Communication is an inter-disciplinary science. Knowledge derived from several sciences is used in

communication. Anthropology (Study of body language), Psychology (Study of persuasion, perception

and attitudes), Sociology and Political science (Study of voting behavior) have proved insights to make

communication effective.

Communication has been defined by many theorists; some of these definitions are quoted here.

 Communication is an exchange of facts, ideas, opinions or emotions by two or more persons.

-W.H.Newman

 Communication is the process of passing information and understanding from one to another.
-Keith Davis
 Communication is any behavior that results in an exchange of meaning.

-The American Management Association

 Communication may be broadly defined as the process of meaningful interaction among

Human beings. More specifically, it is the process by which meanings are perceived and

Notes by Prof. Charmy Vaidya Page 2

understandings are reached among human beings. -Dalton McFarland
 Communication is the process by which information is passed between individuals and/or

organizations by means of previously agreed symbols.

-Peter Little

 Communication is the sum-total of all the things one person does when he wants to create an

understanding in the mind of another. It is a bridge of meaning. It involves a systematic and

continuing process of telling, listening and understanding.

-Allen Louis

 Communication is a purposive interchange, resulting in workable understanding and agreement

between the sender and the receiver of the message.

-George Vardman

 Communication is a process of transmitting ideas or thoughts from one person to another

person for the purpose of creating understanding in the thinking of the person receiving the

communication.
–Brown C.A.

 Communication is a continuous thinking process dealing with the transmission and interchange

with understanding of ideas, facts, and course of action.

-George R. Terry

 Communication is the transmission and reception of ideas, feelings and attitudes both verbally

and non-verbally eliciting a response. It is a dynamic concept underlying all kinds of living

systems.
-Norman B. Sigband

Notes by Prof. Charmy Vaidya Page 3

PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION

Communication is a dynamic, two-way process in which there is an exchange of ideas linking the sender

and receiver towards a mutually accepted direction or goal. The transmission of the sender’s ideas to

the receiver’s feedback to the sender constitutes the communication process. The process of

communication can be understood as a seven step process with the help of the following figure:

K
A
B
F
GS
IN
D
O
C
E
M
/
L
H
U
V
R

SENDER:

The process of communication begins with the sender, the person who has an idea and wants to share

it. In other words, we can say that the person with ideas to share is called sender. Thus, first of all an

idea is formed in the mind of the sender and wants to transmit it for some purpose.

ENCODING:

The sender will use words, language and other symbols to give concrete shape to his idea. This process

of converting the thought of the sender into message is called encoding. While encoding the message,

one needs to consider what contents to include, how the receiver will interpret it and how it may affect

one’s relationship. A simple “thankful” message will be relatively easy. In contrast, to bid on engineering

Notes by Prof. Charmy Vaidya Page 4

plans to construct a 50 crore industrial building will require much more complicated, carefully planned

messages.

MESSAGE:

It is an important part of communication. Message is the content that sender wants to convey. A

message could be verbal (written or spoken) or non-verbal (such as body language, appearance, silence,

yawns, sighs, etc.) The thought, idea, emotion or anything that the sender wants to

convey is called message.

CHANNEL:

The way or the medium of sending the message is called channel. Medium or channel can be oral or

written. For e.g. it can be a piece of conversation, a letter, a report or even the audio-visual medium.

The choice of the medium is influenced by the inter-relationship between sender and receiver.

It also depends upon the urgency of the message being sent.

RECEIVER:

The person or the group to whom the message is directed, is known as receiver. A receiver is any

person who notices and attaches some meaning to the message. In other words, we can say that the

receiver is the person who receives the message. He may be a listener, a reader or a viewer.

DECODING:

Decoding is the process where the received message is converted into understanding. It is the opposite

of encoding as here the receiver translates the words and symbols used in the message into idea and

interprets it to obtain its meaning. There are chances of misinterpretation of the message at times.

FEEDBACK:

This is the final stage of communication process. No process of communication is complete without the

feedback. For the communication to be complete, the sender must know whether the receiver has got

Notes by Prof. Charmy Vaidya Page 5

the message, understood it in the way it was intended, and has received it well. The sender can find this

out by the response of the receiver. This reply from the receiver to the sender is called feedback. The

feedback may be verbal ( oral or written) or non-verbal ( smiles, sighs, nods and so on). In face-to-face

communication, there is an immediate and continuous feedback; the facial expressions of the listener

can tell the speaker whether the message is understood, accepted, liked or disliked. Where as in written

communication the feedback is slow as the writer does not get any chance to observe the facial

expressions and reactions of the reader. Feedback is an important component of the communication

process because ultimately the success or failure of the communication is decided by the feedback

TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

Every organization has a built-in hierarchical system that can be compared to a pyramid. It can,

Therefore, be understood that communication normally flows from top to downwards. But its not

always so. Communication in an organization is multidimensional or multidirectional and is very

necessary for its proper functioning. It may be upward, downward, horizontal ,diagonal and grapevine.

The efficiency of any organization whether government, private or commercial, largely depends on the

factor of effective communication.

1. DOWNWARD COMMUNICATION:

Downward communication flows from higher authority to a lower authority, like the board of

directors-managers-assistant manager-purchase officer-executive clerk, etc. It is generally found

in all major organizations. Orders, instructions, policy statements, notices, circulars,

procedures, counseling, lectures, awards, budgets, job sheets, employee handbooks are the

main forms of downward communication.

Objectives of Downward Communication:

 To give specific instructions and directives about the job entrusted to a subordinate.
 To explain the policies, procedures and programmes of the organization to employees.
 To educate and train employees so as to improve their skills and knowledge.

Notes by Prof. Charmy Vaidya Page 6

 To appraise the employees for their performances and achievements.
 To give information to the subordinates about the rational of their job so that they understand
the significance of their job in relation with the organizational goal.
Advantages:

 Major decisions can be conveyed through this type of communication.

 It is useful to assign special duties to a newly appointed individual.
 Appreciation of the employees can be done through this type of communication.
 It is an effective and convenient channel through which simple information can be spread easily.

Limitations:

Being a very long channel, transmitting information to the lowest worker is a time consuming
process.

 There is also a chance of loss of information as the lines of communication are often long.
 There is a chance of exaggeration, under statement, twist of matter due to its long time.
 It is too much authoritarian process where subordinates do not get any opportunity to
participate in the decision making process.

2. UPWARD COMMUNICATION:

The communication channel which starts from the bottom level to the top level is called upward

communication. It is just the reverse of the downward communication. The main function is to

send information, suggestions, complaints, and grievances of the lower level workers to the

superiors above

Objectives-Advantages:

 It provides the management with necessary feedback

 It also provides the valuable information on what the employees think of the organization and
its policies.
 It gives an opportunity to workers to say their problems and complaints.
 It provides a chance to workers to take part in the decision making process which creates
harmony between the workers and the management.
 Managers can get constructive suggestions and innovative ideas through upward
communication.

Limitations:

Notes by Prof. Charmy Vaidya Page 7

 Sometimes workers may hesitate to initiate for upward communication due to the

fear of the authority.

 At the bottom level people have very less power, it is very difficult for them to give views,
suggestions and complaints to top level.
 There is no surety of complete communication in upward communication as there are too many
barriers in its path.
 Sometimes superiors might be too impatient or too proud to listen carefully to their
subordinates.
 Workers at the lowest level are not efficient communicators so their communication (oral or
written) may not be accurate and may not be welcomed by superiors.

3. HORIZONTAL/DIAGONAL COMMUNICATION:

Horizontal communication refers to the flow of information and ideas between the departments

and persons in the same organization without any hierarchy. It is the most used channel of

communication. it is essential for the smooth functioning of any organization. It occurs through

both spoken and written words.

Flow of communication between a lower level and a higher level employee working in different

departments or sections is known as diagonal communication.

Advantages:

 It helps to create mutual understanding and trust between people and departments.
 It facilitates co-operation and co-ordination between different departments of the
organizations.
 It makes it possible to solve problems at lower levels.
 Direct interactions between superiors and subordinates working in different work units, help to
speed up action by cutting across departmental lines.

4. GRAPEVINE:

Every organization has an informal channel of communication known as grapevine. This informal

communication network includes tea time gossip, casual gatherings, lunch time meetings and so

on. It follows no set or definite rules but spreads very fast in any direction. For e.g. people

working together take interest in one another and talk about appointments, promotions,

demotions or even domestic and romantic affairs of another. Some people take great pleasure

Notes by Prof. Charmy Vaidya Page 8

from gathering and transmitting to others. This is nothing but grapevine. Quite often it also

contains some useful information and that’s why it cannot be ignored altogether.

Advantages:

 The greatest merit of this is that it transmits any information in the name of ‘secret’ very
speedily.
 Information which cant be transmitted to employees through official channels can be easily sent
by grapevine.
 The grapevine gives immense psychological satisfaction to the workers and strengthens their
solidarity. It draws them nearer to each other and thus keeps the organization intact as a social
entity.
 It provides feedback to the management.

Limitations:

 The information spread through the grapevine is less credible than the one given by the formal
channel.
 Grapevine does not always carry the complete information. Therefore, misunderstandings can
take place.
 It may spread baseless news which may harm the employees.
 Rumors may cause serious damage before management becomes aware of them and takes
remedial actions.

Notes by Prof. Charmy Vaidya Page 9

LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION

There are five levels of communication. They are:

 Interpersonal
 Intrapersonal
 Extra personal
 Organizational
 Mass communication

1. INTERPERSONAL:

This level of communication includes ideas and information shared by two more persons. On
average half or more of the working time of an organization is spent in interpersonal communication. It
takes place in our day to day life as well. This can assume in the form face to face conversation, video
conferencing, telephonic talk and so on. This level of communication is beneficiary as doubts can be
clarified instantly and instant feedback is possible. It can be formal and informal.

2. INTRAPERSONAL:

Intrapersonal communication is communication occurring within one’s own mind in the form of internal
dialogue, as one can’t stop communicating with himself. The individual becomes his or her own sender
and receiver, providing feedback to him or herself in an ongoing internal process. We spend most of our
time thinking. And our thought process is nothing but intrapersonal communication. Intrapersonal
communication involves our intellect as well as our physical and emotional sensations. The way we
communicate with ourselves reflects the various aspects the self-physical, emotional, intellectual and
social. It also reflects our habits, roles, attitudes, beliefs and values. Intrapersonal communication is not
just a level of communication; it is in fact the very basis of all communication.

3. EXTRA PERSONAL:

Communication between human beings and non-human beings is extra personal in which sign language
is used to transmit information or to respond. A pet dog responding to your action is an example of
extra personal communication.

4. ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION:

Communication between members of a big organization is known as organizational communication. It

may be upward, downward, horizontal, diagonal, grapevine. It is extremely necessary for the smooth
working of any organization.

5. MASS COMMUNICATION:

Notes by Prof. Charmy Vaidya Page 10

In this level of communication, information is transmitted to large segments of the population
at the same time through media such as television , radio, internet, books, journals and
newspapers. It plays an important role in boosting the image of the organization and attracting
customers. Oral communication through mass media requires some equipment such as
microphones, amplifiers, etc and then written form requires electronic or print media.

TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION AND GENERAL COMMUNICATION:

Technical communication is an exchange of technical ideas and information, knowledge and

experience through writing, speech or by adopting . It includes simple definitions and
descriptions of tools and machines and interpretation of principles which they follow
scientifically. It is the soul of any organization. It not only makes professional interaction
possible but also directs the flow of technical information and knowledge for the guidance of
technocrafts, engineers, and others in their professional activities.
The following are the characteristics of technical communication that make it different from
general communication.

Technical communication General communication

1. Always factual. 1. May not be always factual.

2. Formal elements. 2. No formal elements.
3. Logically organized and structured. 3. Not always structured.
4. Specific audience. 4. Not always for a specific audience.
5. Complex and important exposition 5. No specific exposition techniques required.
techniques.
6. Usually involves graphics. 6. May or may not involve graphics.
7. Always formal in style. 7. Both formal and informal in style.
8. Technical content. 8. General content.
9. Objective in nature. 9. Both objective and subjective.
10. Special vocabulary. 10. General vocabulary.

Notes by Prof. Charmy Vaidya Page 11

Notes by Prof. Charmy Vaidya Page 12