Understanding

Interpersonal and Organizational

Communication

Conducted by:
Prof.Ashok Kapoor
MDI
But we’ve been communicating
for years now…….

So, why a full session

to learn communication?
 Organizational Factors
• Hierarchies and Time Constraints
• Formal and Informal Communication
• Scale
• Spread
• Technology
• Financial constraints
 What is Communication?

Communication is a
two-way process of exchanging
ideas or information
among human beings
 Sender
Sender––encoder
encoder

Message
Message Medium/
Medium/Channel
Channel

Elements of
Communication

Receiver
Receiver––decoder
decoder Feedback
Feedback
 Shannon-Weaver Model of the
Communication Process
SENDER RECEIVER

Transmitter
Transmitter Channel
Channel Receptor
Receptor

Encode Messages Decode

Encode Decode

Meaning NOISE Meaning

Meaning Meaning

Decode
Decode Feedback
Feedback Encode
Encode

Receptor
Receptor Channel
Channel Transmitter
Transmitter
Internal & External Stimuli

Internal Stimuli External Stimuli

• Attitudes • Physical surroundings

• Beliefs • Weather
• Opinions • Discomforts
• Emotions • Noise in the machine
• Experiences such as telephone,
• Knowledge poor printout, bad
handwriting
• Semantics
Internal & External Stimuli

Internal Stimuli External Stimuli

• Consciousness • Cultural customs

of personal
status
• Ability to think
clearly
• Low interest or
involvement
• Distraction
• Fatigue
What the manager said:
• Your performance was below par last
quarter. I really expected more out of you.

What the manager meant:

• You are going to have to try harder, but I
know you can do it

What the subordinate heard:

• If you spoil one more time, you’re out
What the manager said:
• I’d like that report as soon as you can get
to it

What the manager meant:

• I need that report within the week

What the subordinate heard:

• Drop that rush order you’re working on
and fill out that report today
What the manager said:
• I talked to the boss but at the present time, due
to budget problems, we’ll be unable to fully
match your competitive salary offer.

What the manager meant:

• We can give you 95% of that offer, and I know
we’ll be able to do even more next year.

What the subordinate heard:

• If I were you, I’d take that competitive offer.
We’re certainly not going to pay that kind of
salary to a person with your credentials
What the manager said:
• You people seem to be having some problems
getting their work out on time. I want you to look
into this situation and straighten it out.

What the manager meant:

• Talk to your people and find out what the
problem is. Then get with them and jointly solve
it.

What the subordinate heard:

• I don’t care how many heads you bust, just get
me that output. I’ve got enough problems out
here without you messing things up.
 Communication Model

Transmitter Receiver
Idea Hear/Read
Speak/Write
Thought Perceive
Formulation Interpret
Transmission
Convert to Assess & Formulate
Language Language

Respond/React
Context
 Goal :
Clear
Communication

Responding

Assessing
Wrong
Response
Interpreting
Wrong
Assessment
Perceiving
Wrong
Interpretation
Attending
Message Wrong
Perception
Sent No
Attention
 Barriers to communication

• Filtering
• Selective Perception
• Emotions
• Language
 Overcoming Barriers

• Use Feedback
• Simplify Language
• Listen Attentively
• Constrain Emotions
 Conditions for successful
communication

• Rule of five

•Receive
•Understand
•Accept
•Use
•Give a Feedback
 Characteristics of
Successful Communication

• Considerate
• Clear
• Complete
• Concise
• Concrete
• Correct
• Courtesy
 Consider who you are
communicating with?

– Intrapersonal communication
– Interpersonal communication
– Group communication
– Mass communication
Consider, how you communicate

– Verbal communication
• Oral communication
• Written communication

– Non-verbal communication
• Through body movements, the intonations or
emphasis we give to words, facial expressions,
physical distance between the sender and the
receiver
Consider, how you communicate

– Meta Communication: choice of words that

communicate more than what the actual word
states Eg: “I’ve never seen you so smartly
dressed”
 Oral vs Written
Communication
ORAL WRITTEN
• Immediate • Delayed feedback
Feedback
• Less spontaneity
• More conversational
sentences • Less colloquial quality
• Focus on • Focus on content
interpersonal • Greater linguistic
relations emphasis
• Contextual nature
 Oral vs Written
Communication
ORAL WRITTEN

• Prompter Action • Permanent record

• Less detailed, • Detailed
technical documentation
information
• Possibility of review
Is there any point in communicating?
Consider, why we communicate

– To inform
– To order
– To advise
– To suggest
– To motivate
– To persuade
– To warn
– To educate
– To raise morale
 Messages travel!

• Downward Communication
• Upward Communication
• Horizontal Communication
• Grapevine
• Consensus
 Downward Communication

Usually five types of messages observed:

– Job Instructions
– Job rationales
– Procedures and practices information
– Feedback
– Indoctrination of organizational ideology
 Problems with
effective downward communication

• Inadequate Information
• Overload
• Heavy reliance on mediated methods
(written, mechanical and electronic)
• Filtering: Deliberate or otherwise
 Limitations of downward
communication

• Delay
• Message abbreviation
• Message Distortion
• Message Overload
• Incomplete Information
 Upward Communication
• Meetings
• Counseling
• Open Door Policy
• Correspondence
• Participation in Social Gatherings & Group
Events
• Reports
• Suggestion Boxes
 Problems of Upward
communication

• Lack of encouragement
• Concealing unfavourable facts
• Delay, Distortion and Filtering
• Bypassing and suspicion
• Poor Listening
• Communication Criticism
 Horizontal communication

Refers to the flow of messages across

functional areas at a given level of an
organization
Usual means of HC
• Telephone and face-to-face
• Meetings
• Written media
 Problems in
Horizontal Communication

• Territoriality
• Rivalry
• Specialization
• Simple lack of motivation
 Grapevine

Grapevine is another name for

Informal communication.

It involves a great deal of information ,

usually occurs in cluster transmission
patterns, is fast and more often accurate
than inaccurate
 Thank You

akapoor@mdi.ac.in