WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?

Communication may be defined as exchange of of facts , ideas ,

opinions or emotions between two or more persons to create common

ground of understanding.

Definition

According to KEITH DAVIS “Communication is the process of passing

information and understanding from one person to another”.

NATURE OF COMMUNICATION

TWO OR MORE PERSONS

CONTINUOS PROCESS

TWO WAY PROCESS

PERVASIVE FUNCTION

CIRCULAR PROCESS

STEPS IN THE PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION

THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

“COMMUNICATION IS THE REAL WORK OF LEADERSHIP” - N IT IN

NOHRIA

STEPS IN THE PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION

SENDER

MESSAGE

ENCODING

CHANNEL

RECEIVER

DECODING

FEEDBACK

CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION

(ON THE BASIS OF RELATIONSHIP) FORMAL COMMUNICATION

UPWARD

DOWNWARD

HORIZONTAL

DIAGONAL

INFORMAL COMMUNICATION

METHODS OF COMMUNICATION

(ON THE BASIS OF EXPRESSION)

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

Written communication means transmission of message through written words.

EXAMPLES

Letters, circulars, memos, notices, bulletins, reports, manuals, etc.

MERITS

Ensures uniformity

Message can be transmitted to large number of persons at one time.

Permanent record

Ideal for lengthy messages

DEMERITS

Time consuming

Lacks personal touch

Difficult in maintaining secrecy

Misinterpretation

ORAL COMMUNICATION

Oral or verbal communication means conveying of messages through

spoken words.

EXAMPLE

Face to face talks, interviews, lectures, group meetings, loud speaker

announcements, telephone conversations, etc.

MERITS

Economical

Faster and saves time

Flexible

Immediate response and feedback

DEMERITS

Less reliable

Greater chances of distortion

No permanent record

Language problems

GESTURAL OR NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Gestural communication refers to communication through body language.

EXAMPLEFacial expressions, movement of hands, movement of lips, movement of head, twinkling of eyes, mere silence, etc.

MERITS Useful for differently abled people

Convey emotions into thoughts

DEMERITS Misunderstanding

Slow

DIFFERENT GESTURES

FORMAL COMMUNICATION

Formal communication refers to the flow of information along the lines

of authority deliberately and consciously established by the

management in the organization structure. It takes place from one

position to another in the formal organization.

EXAMPLE

The marketing manager of a company may send a revised price list to

branch managers.

INFORMAL COMMUNICATION

BRANCHES IN FORMAL COMMUNCATION

VERTICAL COMMUNICATIONUpward Communication

Downward Communication

Upward CommunicationDownward communication means transmission of messages from a higher authority(Superior) to a lower authority(Subordinate).

MERITS Provides necessary feedback

Provides suggestions for improving plans and policies

Provides opportunities for employees to express their problems and grievances

COMPARISON

DEMERITS

Hesitation of employees to communicate upward unless the managers

keep their doors open.

Employees are afraid of being criticized

Distortion of message

HORIZONTAL OR LATERAL COMMUNICATION

The transmission of information between people at the same level of authority is called horizontal communication.

MERITS Facilitates cooperation and communication between various departments.

Helpful for resolving interrelated problems of two or more departments.

Enables managers to exchange information without referring all matters to higher authorities.

DEMERITS Person at same level of authority may be reluctant to initiative

communication.

Intergroup rivalry is a source of potential conflict.

DIAGONAL COMMUNICATION

Diagonal communication refers to the transmission of information between people who are neither in the same department nor on the same level.

MERITS Helps to speed up flow of information.

It is very much required when line managers delegate functional authority to line or staff units.

DEMERITS Diagonal communication can create confusion and conflict as it is

contrary to the principle of unity of command.

EXAMPLE OF DIAGONAL COMMUNICATION

BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

7 C’S OF COMMUNICATION