COMMUNICATION:

An Overview

FPPT.com
REYNAN M. RIVERA, MSDC
Instructor
What is COMMUNICATION?

The term communication is derived from the

Latin word communis, which means, “to share”
that is, sharing of ideas, concepts, feelings and
emotions. Literally it means to inform, to tell,
show or to spread information.
What is COMMUNICATION?

“Communication is the sum of all the things one

person does when he wants to create
understanding in the mind of another. It is a
bridge of meaning. It involves a systematic and
continuous process of telling, listening and
understanding”(Allen, 2009)
What is COMMUNICATION?

Communication may be defined as the process of

transmitting information. It is the linking process that
enables to information for a variety of reasons: (1) to
achieve coordinated action; (2) to express feelings and
emotions; and (3) to share information regarding: (a)
organizational goals, (b) task directions, (c) results of
efforts, and (d) decision making.
What is COMMUNICATION?
According to Ordway Tead (Mishra, 2013), “Communication is a
composite (a) of information given and received, (b) of a learning
experience in which certain attitudes, knowledge, and skills
change, carrying with them alterations of behavior, (c) of a listing
effort by all involved, (d) of a sympathetic fresh examination of
issues by the communicator himself, (e) of sensitive interaction of
points of view leading of higher level of shared understanding and
common intention.
What is COMMUNICATION?
In the words of Keith Davis (1968), “Communication is the
process of passing information and understanding form one
person to another. It is essentially a bridge of meaning
between people.”

According to Koontz and Weihrich (1998),

“Communication is the transfer of information from a
sender to a receiver with the information being
understood by the receiver.”
COMMUNICATION….
1. Involves peoples, and that understanding
communication therefore involves trying to understand
how people relate to each other;

2. Involves shared meaning, in order for people to

communicate, they must agree on the definitions of the
terms they are using; and

3. Is symbolic-gestures sounds, letters, numbers, and

words can only represent or approximate the ideas they
are meant to communicate.
Common Elements in Defining Communication

 Process of understanding and sharing meaning

 The process involves understanding-perceiving,
interpreting and comprehending the meaning of the
verbal and nonverbal behaviours of others
 In involves two or more people, it involves the sharing of
information and interacting with people in order to
exchange meaning.
Characteristics
of
COMMUNICATION
A. Communication is a PROCESS

Unlike objects, communication is not discrete, static, or

solitary. It involves at least two persons, one sender
and the other receivers. There is interchange of
information among persons. It is a systematic and
continuous process. As a process, communication
exists in time and changes constantly. Communication
involves an interaction between or among people.
B. Communication uses SYMBOLS

The media of communication can be numerous such

as oral media (conversation, meetings, telephone calls
and presentations), written media (memos, letters,
reports, language and environmental elements). When
we say that communication is symbolic, we are
referring to the nature of messages rather than to the
process of communicating.
C. Communication is CONTEXTUAL

The shared or common symbol system is part of what

we refer to when we say that communication occurs in
a context. All English speakers, for example, share a
certain basic understanding of the world. Other
languages provide different contexts.
D. Communication is PURPOSIVE

Basically, communication is done for a purpose. We have

some motivation for communicating, even if we may not be
consciously aware of it.
In other words, we have some motivation behind our
communication efforts. Understanding that
communication is purposive and motivational would
help to explain some of the behaviors of both the
sender and receiver.
E. Communication is TWO WAYS

The existence of both a sender and a receiver in a

communication activity presupposes that the
communication process is, generally speaking, two-
way. Even in intrapersonal communication, when we
are talking to ourselves, communication is essentially
two-way because we are acting both as sender and
receiver.
F. Communication is IRREVERSIBLE

At one time or another, we have all wished we

could take back words we regretted uttering.
Unfortunately, this is not possible. Our words
and deeds are recorded in others‘ memories,
that we can‘t erase them.
G. Communication is not a PANACEA

It is the indispensable part of management process. An

organization cannot exist without communication. It
aims at developing mutual understanding and
cooperation towards the achievement of organizational
goals. Although communication can smooth out the
bumps and straighten the road to success, it will not
always get you what you want.
Principles
of
COMMUNICATION
CREDIBILITY

If the sender can establish credibility, the receiver has

no problems in accepting the message. Establishing
credibility is not the outcome of a one-shot statement.
It is a long drawn out process in which the receiver
through constant interaction with the sender
understands his/her credible nature and is willing to
accept the message as being truthful and honest.
COURTESY

Much can be accomplished if tact, diplomacy and

appreciation of people are woven in the message.
Courtesy implies consideration. Consideration in
communication may be defined as putting one‘s self in
the place of message recipient. It is about art of
visualizing readers (or listeners) – with their desires,
problems, circumstances, emotions, and probable
reactions and handling their concern while
communicating.
CLARITY

Clarity means getting the message across so

that the receiver will understand what
sender is trying to convey without distorting
the intended meaning of the sender.
CORRECTNESS

At the time of encoding, the sender should ensure that

his knowledge of the receiver is comprehensive. The
level of knowledge, educational background and status
of the decoder help the encoder in formulating his/her
message. In case there is any discrepancy between
the usage and comprehension of terms,
miscommunication can arise.
CONSISTENCY

The message to be communicated should be

consistent with the plan, policy, program and goal of
the organization. This will increase the credibility of the
message and promote better understanding.
Inconsistent message always creates chaos and
confusion in the mind of the recipient.
CONCRETENESS

Concrete and specific expressions are to be preferred

in favour of vague and abstract expressions.
Communicating concretely involves being specific,
definite, and vivid rather than vague and general. The
facts and figures presented should be specific.
Abstractions or abstract statements can cloud the mind
of the sender.
CONCISENESS

A concise message saves time and expense for both

the sender and receiver. Conciseness should be
fulfilled without compromising “C” qualities. Weighty
language definitely sounds impressive but people
would be suitably impressed into doing precisely
nothing. As far as possible, only simple and brief
statements should be made.
SUMMARY OF COMM PRINCIPLES
C’s Relevance
1 Credibility Build Trust
2 Courtesy Improves relationship
3 Clarity Makes comprehension
4 Correctness Builds confidence
5 Consistency Introduces stability
6 Concreteness Reinforces confidence
7 Conciseness Saves time
THANK YOU!!!