Communication Process

Definition of
Communication
Communication is derived from the Latin
word ‘Communis’ which means “to
share” i.e. sharing of information,
intelligence, feelings and emotions.
Definition of
Communication
Communication is defined as giving,
receiving or exchanging information,
opinions or ideas by writing, speech or
visual means, so that the material
communicated is completely understood
by everyone concerned.
 PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION
CHANNEL NOISE
NOISE

SENDER RECEIVER
(Encodes) (Decodes)

Culture (3 V’s) FEEDBACK

Altitude Verbal Culture
Feelings Vocal NOISE Altitude
Values Feelings
(Filters)
Visual
Values
• Perception of Sender
• Receiver’s emotional involvement
• Receiver’s level of attention
• Receiver’s level of understanding
 FRAME OF REFERENCE

Sender Receiver
•Background •Background
•Ability to understand •Ability to understand
Communication Process
 The sender
 The sender has an idea
 The sender encodes the idea into a message
 The message travels through the channel
 Noise in the transmission process
 The receiver gets the message
 The receiver decodes the message
 The receiver provides the feedback
 The frame of reference of the sender and the receiver
 The context of the receiver
Five Elements of
communication
There are Five Elements in all types of
communication:
 Sender
Receiver
Message
Medium
Feedback
Five Elements of
communication
In any communication:
 The Sender is the person trying to communicate a
message. He selects the message, encodes and finally
transmits.
 The Receiver is the person to whom the message is
directed. He receives the message, attempts to decode.
 A message is the encoded information transmitted by
the sender.
 Selection of Medium or channel is decided prior to
composition of message
 Effective Communication takes place only when there is
Feedback. This is the most important component of
communication.
Why do we
communicate ?
We communicate to:
 Share our ideas and opinions
 Provide feedback to others
 Get information from others
 Gain power and influence
 Develop social relationships
 Maintain self-expression and our culture
How do we
communicate ?
We communicate and build interpersonal
relationships through:
 Speech
Writing
Listening
Non-verbal language
Music, art, and crafts
Choosing your medium
Depending upon the situation, one method of communication may be
better than another.
In person: one-to-one
In person: meetings, small groups
In person: presentations, large groups
Letter
Memo
Note
Email
Voice mail
Choosing your medium
To determine the best medium for your message , determine:
 What you as the sender need to achieve
What the receiver needs to know
How detailed, important, or personal the information in the
message is
Which behaviour you want to influence and how
Effective Communication – 7 C’s
and 4 S’s
7 C’s
1. Credibility – Builds trust
2. Courtesy – Improves relationships
3. Clarity – Makes comprehension easier
4. Correctness – Builds confidence
5. Consistency – Introduces stability
6. Concreteness – Reinforces confidence
7. Conciseness – Saves time
Effective Communication – 7 C’s
and 4 S’s
4 S’s
1. Shortness – Economises. Message should
be brief and verbosity done away with
2. Simplicity – Impresses. In both usage of
words and ideas reveal a clarity of thinking
process
3. Strength – Convinces. Strength of
message emanates from credibility of the
sender, his conviction on the message
contents
4. Sincerity – Appeals. A sincere approach is
reflected in the manner in which he
communicates.
Business Communication
 Organisation is a group of persons constituted to achieve certain specific
objectives
 Achievement depends on coordination and integration
 Possible only with effective system of communication
Characteristics of Business
Communication
Two way traffic
 Continuous process
 A Short lived process

Needs proper understanding
 Leads to achievement of Organizational objectives
 Dispels misunderstanding

Purpose of Communication
Types of Communication
Channels
Two Types of Communication Channels

 External Communication
Business corresponds with other business houses, clients,
banks, press and others outside the company

 Internal Communication
Information is transmitted inside the company
Internal Communication
 Interaction between members of the same
organization.
 It could be both formal and informal
 Purpose :
Formal : Planned communication among insiders (letter,
reports, memos, e-mail that follow the co’s chain of
command)
 Informal : Casual among employees (e-mail, face to face
conversation and phone calls that do not follow the chain
of command)
 Channels of communication could be vertical,
horizontal or Diagonal.
Internal Communication
 ORAL  WRITTEN
 Telephone  Memo
 Intercom  Report
 Meeting/Conference  Graphs/Charts
 Presentation  E-Mail/Fax
 Face-to-Face  Notice
Discussion  Form/questionnaire
 Messages  Newsletter
 Minutes
Channels of
Communication
 Vertical Downward Communication
Memos, notices, newsletters, manuals
 Vertical Upward Communication
Memos, reports, meetings, informal
discussion
 Horizontal Communication
Committee meetings, seminars,
conferences
Vertical Communication
Upward and Downward flow of messages
across the organization hierarchy.

Since it is not possible to have direct interface

with all especially if number of people are very
high, messages traverse or percolate down the
organization structure.
Vertical downward
communication
Flows down the organizational hierarchy from a superior to subordinate
Objective
To give specific direction about the job
To apprise subordinate about their performance
To explain organizational policies and procedures
Downward communication is crucial hence it is essential to make it effective
Limitations
Delay
Loss of information / Distortion of message resulting from long lines of
communication.
Under / Over communication
Built-in-resistance
Improvement :
Management also uses newsletters, announcements, meeting videos and company
intranets for information dissemination.
Vertical upward communication
 Information flows upward provides the feedback from non-management
employees to management, subordinate employees describe progress in
completing tasks, report roadblocks encountered and suggest methods
for improving efficiency

 Channels : Memos, Reports, departmental meetings, suggestion systems

Objective
 Receive timely report and information
 Receive suggestions, Feedback, grievances
 Projects a caring image about the company towards subordinates
 Ensures accountability in the organization.
 Upward communication is also crucial hence it is essential to make it effective
Vertical Upward
Communication
Limitations :
Employees distrust of employers – cease trusting
managers if they feel that they are being tricked,
manipulated, criticized or treated unfairly.
Employees are often reluctant to express themselves.
Information gets distorted easily

Improvement :
Coaches to train employees
Encourage regular meetings with the staff
Ombudsman program – An Ombudsman is a
mediator who hears employee complaints, investigates
and seeks to resolve problems fairly.
Horizontal communication
 Flows across the organization from one department to the
other e.g. Marketing director writing a memo to the production
director, outlining sales forecasts for the coming quarter.

 Business require coordinated efforts of all departments, hence

horizontal communication is a must.

 Important for promoting harmony in the organization e.g.

Marketing dept, finance dept, customer
Horizontal communication
Main Objective
 Provides better understanding between the employees.
 Enables coordination between different departments and
ensures team work.
 Helps the people to share relevant and important information.
 Helps people of the same organization to solve common
problems.
 Enables a sense of belonging
 Helps the business to grow
Horizontal
Communication
 Lateral channels transmit the information horizontally among workers at
the same level (Peers)

 Can be very effective as it is not hindered by “chain of command”

 Done by personal contact telephone, email, memos, voice mail and

meetings

Limitations :
○ Poor communication skills, prejudices, ego involvement and turf wars.
Improvement :
○ Information exchange tends to be easier and friendlier as less barriers
exists
○ Saves time and facilitates co-operation through less formal modes than
vertical communication.
Informal Communication
 The Grapevine often called the rumor mill is the best known informal
communication
 Even though external systems calls for definite communication
channels, the grapevine tends to develop and operate within the
system.
 It is speedy but often inaccurate.
 It follows no set lines and no set directions.
 It does not have any definite rules.
 It crosses all hierarchical levels
 It operates in all organizations.
Patterns of grapevine channel
 Single Strand
A -- B -- C -- D

 Gossip e.g. One person A telling all persons B, C, D himself

 Cluster : ‘A’ telling certain clusters of people. They telling to other

individual clusters

 Probability : Random process

Advantages of Grapevine

 Promotes people interaction

 Provides emotional relief
 Helps in transmitting information fast
 Supplement formal channels
 Provides unbiased and quick feedback.
 Supplements the formal channels to make the ‘real information’
come out.
Disadvantages of Grapevine

 It travels so fast that it rarely waits for complete information.

 It may pass distorted information.
 It may pass wrong information.
 It causes loss and wastage of time.
 It can hurt people.
External Communication
 Interaction with people outside the organization
 It could be both formal and informal

Purpose :
Formal : Planned communication with outsiders
(letters, reports, messages, speeches, websites
and news releases)
 Informal: Casual communication with suppliers,
customers, investors and outher outsiders, face to
face conversations, e-mail and phone calls.
External Communication
The External Communication network links the organization with the outside world of
customers, suppliers, competitors and investors.

 Co’s use external communication to create a favorable impression

 Good communication by letter, website, fax, internet etc are used.
 Carefully constructed letters, memo, reports convey the quality of organization.
 Therefore are created by the marketing or public relation team.
 The way a co. handles crisis – has a profound effect on organization's subsequent
performance.
Informal External
Communication
 Informal contacts with outsiders are necessary for knowing customer’s needs
 Members of an organization are important informal conduit for communication
 Outsiders form the impression of organization on the basis of the non verbal cues
of a member of the organization.
 Top Managers rely heavily on informal contacts with outsiders to gather
information
 High level managers interact with customers and front line employees to get a
‘feedback’
External Communication
 ORAL  WRITTEN
 Meeting  Brochure
 Conference/Seminar  Invitation
 Conversation  Press Release
 Telephone  Advertisement
 Presentation  Report
 E-Mail/Fax
 Letter
Factors involved in choosing the
Means of Communication
 Cost
 Confidentiality
 Safety and Security
 Influence
 Urgency
 Distance
 Resources
 Written Record
 Recipient
THANK YOU