Communication defined © Communication essentially means the transfer of ideas, feelings, plans, messages, or information from one person to another: If is effective only when it gets the desired action or response. © Communi a network of interaction where the sender and re keep changing their roles. © Communication is a dynamic process, the main components of which are sender, message, channel, receiver, and response. Source: Communication Skills (OUP)Sender has an idea Receiver receives the message ‘Audience provides feedback to sender Sender encodes | {Produces the | Transmits the idea in a message in a message message medium through channel Responds to messageFeatures of Communication Two Way process Creative Sender and receiver keep changing their roles Continuous Process Source: Communication Skills (OUP)In today’s world communication is the most vital ingredient of an organization. The organization can not be run without an effective communication system in place. Given the situation today where the world is going through a pandemic it is even more essential to have a good or effective communication system in place where one is continuously updated on the recent developments taking place across the globe. This is just one case. There are so many changes or a huge sea change taking place across the globe and different various business organizations need to keep abreast of. In short, the ability of the executives to communicate effectively increases not only their own productivity but also the productivity of their organization.Information: refers to the role of communication in facilitating decision making and problem solving. Managers by means of adequate and effective communication, receive and transmit information that enables them to solve problems and make decisions. Control: refers to the power to influence people's behaviour When the employees are required to comply with company policies and procedures, adhere to their job description, or first communicate their job related grievance's to their immediate boss, communication performs the control function, .e: Business Communication lind edition (OUP), Meenakshi Raman, Prakash Singh @00000900 0Motivation: refers to fostering of motivational spirit among the employees. Effective communication is needed in setting and defining clear goals, and reinforcing the desired behaviour. Emotional Expression: relates to the function of communication in expressing or letting out the feelings and emotions of employees under various various Circumstances. Today organizations depend on teams rather than individuals for achieving the set goals. All the four functions of communication are of equal importance in an organization. IbidInterpersonal Figure Head Leader Liaison person Manager’ Informational Monitor Disseminator ‘Spokesperson Decisional Entrepreneur Disturbance Handler Resource allocator NegotiatorAdapt your message to your receivers. In other words consider their background before you present your message. Refer to your audience by name (if audience group is small or you know most of them by their names) in order to make them feel that you are specifically addressing them to communicate your point. Remember to include all necessary details in your message so that there is no ambiguity and your audience can understand completely, As far as possible avoid using ‘I’ or ‘me’ frequently rather use ‘we’ during interpersonal communication with your subordinates, peers or superiors Source: IbidOrganizational Structure: In large organizations where flow of information is, downward, feedback is not guaranteed. Irrespective of the size, all organizations have communication policies that describe the protocol to be followed. It is the structure and complexity of this protocol that usually gives rise to communication barriers Difference in Status: When people belonging to different hierarchical positions communicate with each other, there is a possibility that communication may break down, Lack of Trust: Establishing credibility or buildin with colleagues is a difficult task. Subordinates may not know whether their manager will respond in a supportive or responsible way and hence it is necessary for the manager to ensure that they have faith in him/her. source mong subordinates orClosed Communication Climate: An organization’s communication climate is influenced by its management style. directive, authoritarian style blocks free and open exchange of information ‘that characterizes good communication. Incorrect Choice of Medium: Choosing an inappropriate communication platform or medium can distort the meaning and block the intended meaning. One should select a medium that suits the nature of the message and the intended recipients. ee ee)Physical Barriers: Environment - Some barriers are due to the existing environment. For example, if you are standing in adverse weather conditions, your conversation would be hampered because you would not be able to pay full attention to what the other person is saying. Distance - Distance also plays an important part in determining the course of a conversation. For example, if the staff in an organization are made to sit in different buildings or different floors, they might have to substitute face to face communication with phone calls or emails, Ignorance of Medium - Communication also includes using signs and symbols to convey a feeling or a thought. However, if there is a lack of ignorance about the medium in which sender is sending the message, the conversation can be hamperedCultural Barriers Cultural barriers are a result of tiving in an ever shrinking world. Different Cultures, whether they be a societal culture of a race or simply the work culture of a company, ‘can hinder developed communication if two different cultures Clash. In these cases, It fs Important to find a common ground to work from. work situations, identifying a problem and coming up with a highly efficient to solve it can quickly toppie ‘any cultural or institutional barriers. Quite sim people like results. Generational - Each age group has a different general approach to work, which often leads to conflicts with older. workers “describing younger ‘workers, as “slackers,” and younger workers criticizing older workers as being ‘Out of touch. Status and Resistance - Workers who are accustomed to workplaces where seniority and status are emphasized may find it difficult to adapt to more fluid environments, where Job titles are de-emphasized and production methods do not always follow’a predetermined set of guidelines. Source «IbidLanguage Barriers Language barriers seem pretty self-inherent, but there are often hidden language barriers that we aren't always aware of. If you work in an industry that is heavy in Jargon or technical language, care should be taken to avoid these words when speaking with someone from outside the industry Dialects - While two people may technically speak the same language, dialectal differences can make communication between them difficult. Examples of ctical language barriers exist worldwide. Chinese, for example, has a variety jalects that are commonly spoken, including Cantonese and Mandarin. Language Disabilities - Language disabilities are physical impediments to language Physical language disabilities that cause language barriers include stuttering, dysphonia or an articulation disorder and hearing loss.Source: Business Communication Meenakshi Raman, Prakash Si Consider the recipients of your message Decide Who Can Communicate with whom Follow up your verbal message with a written statement. Choose your communication mode1. Adopting an audience centered approach: tavolves understanding and respecting the members of your audience and making every effort to get your message across in a way that is meaningful to them. This approach is also known as adopting the “you attitude in contrast to messages that are about “me”, Lear as much as possible about the biases, education, age, status, style and personal and professional communicating with, the easier it will be to concentrate on their needs which in tur will make it easier for them to hea concems of your receivers. The more you know about the people you your message, understand it and respond positively Recognizing and adapting to the diverse styles of all the audiences you will encounter will not only improve the effectiveness of your communication but also the quali your working relationships Source: Business Communication Today 10" eda ,Bovee, Thill , Chatterjee (Pearson)ing Business Communication Skills: Skills as a communicator will bea factor in one’s business. No matter what your skill levels are at any given point of time ne will find numerous opportunities to improve and one should work on that aspect. Ma employers do provide communication training both in general skis and specific scenarios but one should not wait for taiings to happen rather one must begin mastering one's skills ind practice in an environment that provides honest and constructive feedback, Understanding Intercultural Communication: With the phe advancement in th eld of science and technology, more and more business national boundaries to compete on a global scale, and the make up of the global and domestic workforce i changing rapidly Source: Business Communication, Tind edn , Meenakshi Raman, Prakash Singh (OUP)So, whether managers work abroad or at home, they will encounter increasing cultural diversity in the workplace and to compete successfully in today’s. multicultural environment they have to overcome the communication barriers arising out of the inderstanding cultural differences in perception, greetings and tures is critical to all businesses and success in business often depends on knowing the business practice: cial customs and etiquette of the host country and any jose their position in the mark and ultimately lead to failure Source : TidManaging Business Communication: Formal and Informal communication, Non-verbal communication (Body language, Gestures, Postures, Facial expressions), The cross cultural dimensions of business communication, Techniques to effective listening, methods and styles of reading.CONTENTS: Managing Business Communication: Formal and Informal communication, Non-verbal communication (Body language, Gestures, Postures, Facial expressions). The cross cultural dimensions of business communication, Techniques to effective listening, methods and styles of reading,ance of reading in achieving success both in academic and Acquire the various types of reading skills that one may employ while reading different Kinds of texts LLeam the four basic steps in the process of reading Getto know the basic hurdles in efficient reading and the tips to overcome them Know the relation between speedy reading and suecess and also leam the ways to SOURCE: COMMUNICATION SKILLS (OUP 2011) (Rae en ee eeBenefits of Effective Reading Contd.. It helps in building confidence as you start reading longer. and later. It gives you pleasure and relaxation as books are the best and most reliable friends. It facilitates development of various other skills, such as predictions, comparing and contrasting facts. creating samples, hypothesizing, reorganizing the message as transmitted by the text, improving your critical thinking, and hence developing a sharp acumen with passage of time urce : IbidFormal communication refers to the flow of official information through proper, predefined channels and routes. The flow of information is controlled and needs deliberate effort to be properly communicated. Formal communication follows a hierarchical structure and chain of command. The structure is typically top down, from leaders in various departments and senior staff in the organization, which funnel down to lower level employees. Employees are bound to follow formal communication channels while performing their duties. Formal communication is considered effective as it is a timely and systematic flow of communication, Source: IbidUpward Communication Upward communication contains information which passes from subordinate levels up to management and senior levels. Common forms of upward communication include (from employees to managers and above) reports, suggestions, requests, instructions and complaints. Downward Communication Downward communication represents the most stereotypical form of formal communication. Information flows from management level down to lower levels, It is the most common form of formal communication. Downward communication includes orders and instructions represented in oral or written format. Reports, emails, letters and manual communication are commonly used downward communication tools, Source: IbidHorizontal Communication Horizontal communication refers to communication between individuals who are at the same or similar levels within an organization but have different areas of responsibility. Horizontal communication is stightly more fluid and dependent on cross-individual communication. Typical examples exist as communication between managers of different departments (HR, Marketing Sales, etc.) Diagonal Communication This occurs when employees of different departments at different levels, communicate with each other irrespective of the chain of command. Communication between a floor manager and a Sales team is a prime example of diagonal communicationInformal communication moves freely within the organization and is nat bound by pre-defined relational than formal communication and f= by nature, a very natural act with each other freely and ca tlk about » diverse range work dates, Due tothe inerent nature of infra cnmuniation, moves lt faster and does not have paper ta Informal communication in the workplace is often called the ‘grapevine? and generally b ‘ployee: through social relations. fn many east informal communeaton otal ESromdniation if Uy are added in £9 te formal communiation information flow af & company forma coe fred effective az employees can dices worc-related ses ‘Ste the orgnzaton tine and money. lab habs vo bold more prodetve and healthy{nformal communication which has comparatively less rellablity, and i very unlikely to have 9 Information Fl rough y through predefined channel reas nfermation through informal communication moves freely. hard to maintain fll ecrecy due toe elance on niIntranet Conteren Format One-on-Ones Bulletin Boards Letters Presentations Emails from managers and leadersGossip Single Strand - a form of informal communication wherein each person communicates with the next in a single sequence. Cluster - a very common form of informal communication, in cluster networks a person will receive information and choose to pass it on to their cluster network or keep the information to themselves. Each individual will pass on e information to the next cluster network Probability Chain - each individual randomly tells another individual the same piece of information.