MODULE IN PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

MODULE 1

Understanding Communication
Types of Communication According to Mode, Context Purpose and Style

OBJECTIVES: At the end of the period, the students must be able to:
1. Define communication as a process.
2. Conceptualize the significance of effective communication.

What is Communication?
Communication is the process of sending and receiving messages through verbal or nonverbal means,
including speech, or oral communication; writing and graphical representations (such as infographics, maps,
and charts); and signs, signals, and behavior. More simply, communication is said to be "the creation and
exchange of meaning."

Effective Communication
Effective communication is a process of exchanging ideas, thoughts, knowledge and information such
that the purpose or intention is fulfilled in the best possible manner. In simple words, it is nothing but the
presentation of views by the sender in a way best understood by the receiver.

Characteristics of Effective Communication

Just delivering a message is not enough; it must meet the purpose of the sender. Keeping this in mind,
let us discuss the elements which make communication effective:

(https://theinvestorsbook.com/effective-communication.html#Characteristics)

 Clear Message: The message which the sender wants to convey must be simple, easy to understand and
systematically framed to retain its meaningfulness.
 Correct Message: The information communicated must not be vague or false in any sense; it must be
free from errors and grammatical mistakes.
 Complete Message: Communication is the base for decision making. If the information is incomplete, it
may lead to wrong decisions.
 Precise Message: The message sent must be short and concise to facilitate straightforward interpretation
and take the desired steps.
  Reliability: The sender must be sure from his end that whatever he is conveying is right by his
knowledge. Even the receiver must have trust on the sender and can rely on the message sent.
 Consideration of the Recipient: The medium of communication and other physical settings must be
planned, keeping in mind the attitude, language, knowledge, education level and position of the receiver.
 Sender’s Courtesy: The message so drafted must reflect the sender’s courtesy, humbleness and respect
towards the receiver.

Effective Communication Skills

Conveying a message effectively is an art as well as a skill developed after continuous practice and
experience. The predetermined set of skills required for an influential communication:

(https://theinvestorsbook.com/effective-communication.html#Characteristics)
 Observance: A person must possess sharp observing skills to gain more and more knowledge and
information.
 Clarity and Brevity: The message must be drafted in simple words, and it should be clear and precise to
create the desired impact over the receiver.
 Listening and Understanding: The most crucial skill in a person is he must be a good, alert and patient
listener. He must be able to understand and interpret the message well.
 Emotional Intelligence: A person must be emotionally aware and the ability to influence others from
within.
 Self-Efficacy: Also, he/she must have faith in himself and his capabilities to achieve the objectives of
communication.
 Self-Confidence: Being one of the essential communication skills, confidence enhances the worthiness of
the message being delivered.
 Respectfulness: Delivering a message with courtesy and respecting the values, believes, opinions and
ideas of the receiver is the essence of effective communication.
 Non-Verbal Communication: To connect with the receiver in a better way, the sender must involve the
non-verbal means communication too. These include gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, postures,
etc.
 Selection of the Right Medium: Choice of the correct medium for communication is also a skill. It is
necessary to select an appropriate medium according to the situation, priority of the message, the
receiver’s point of view, etc.
  Providing Feedback: Effective communication is always a two-way process. A person must take as well
as give feedback to bring forward the other person’s perspective too.

The Communication Process

 A message or communication is sent by the sender through a communication channel to a receiver, or to
multiple receivers.
 The sender must encode the message (the information being conveyed) into a form that is appropriate to
the communication channel, and the receiver(s) then decodes the message to understand its meaning and
significance.
 Misunderstanding can occur at any stage of the communication process.
 Effective communication involves minimizing potential misunderstanding and overcoming any barriers
to communication at each stage in the communication process.

Communication Channels
 Communication channels is the term given to the way in which we communicate. It is therefore the
method used to transmit our message to a recipient, or to receive a message from someone else.
 There are multiple communication channels available to us today. These include face-to-face
conversations, telephone calls, text messages, email, the Internet (including social media such as
Facebook and Twitter), radio and TV, written letters, brochures and reports.
 Choosing an appropriate communication channel is vital for effective communication. Each
communication channel has different strengths and weaknesses.

Encoding Messages
All messages must be encoded into a form that can be conveyed by the communication channel chosen
for the message.

Decoding Messages
Once received, the recipient needs to decode the message. Successful decoding is also a vital
communication skill. People will decode and understand messages in different ways. This will depend on their
experience and understanding of the context of the message, how well they know the sender, their psychological
state and how they feel, and the time and place of receipt. They may also be affected by any Barriers to
Communication which might be present. There are therefore a wide range of factors that will affect decoding
and understanding. Successful communicators understand how the message will be decoded, and anticipate and
remove as many as possible of the potential sources of misunderstanding.

Feedback
The final part of a communication is feedback: the recipient lets the sender know that they have received
and understood the message. Recipients of messages are likely to provide feedback on how they have
understood the messages through both verbal and non-verbal reactions. Effective communicators pay close
attention to this feedback as it is the only way to assess whether the message has been understood as intended,
and it allows any confusion to be corrected. Bear in mind that the extent and form of feedback will vary with the
communication channel. Feedback during a face-to-face or telephone conversation will be immediate and
direct, whilst feedback to messages conveyed via TV or radio will be indirect and may be delayed, or even
conveyed through other media such as the Internet. Effective communicators pay close attention to this
feedback as it is the only way to assess whether the message has been understood as intended, and it allows any
confusion to be corrected

Types of Communication According to Mode

A mode, quite simply, is a means of communicating. According to the New London Group, there are
five modes of communication: visual, linguistic, spatial, aural, and gestural.
Linguistical or Alphabetic Communication
As one of the popular modes of communication, Linguistical or Alphabetic Communication mainly
refers to written or spoken communication where the sender conveys their message through writing on a paper
or through speaking.

Examples: Text messages, audio messages, emails, speech, notes and lists, etc.

Gestural Communication
Gestural Communication has its quintessential emphasis on body language and physical movements to
communicate messages. Sign Language is the best example for the gestural mode of communication as those
who can’t talk or hear are able to communicate best through their gestures and have their own set of unique
language to converse in. While this mode of communication is mainly combined with spatial, aural or linguistic
ones, it can also be used individually given that both the sender and receiver have common points of references
and meanings to have an understandable communication.

Aural Communication
As the name suggests, aural communication uses audio mode to convey messages whether it is through
sounds or spoken audios. The speaker’s voice and pronunciation need to be clear and precise with no
background noise.

Example: Radio, audio messages, music, recordings, songs, audiobooks

Visual Communication
Visual Communication can be simply termed as non-verbal communication as it comprises visual
messages from the sender to the receiver. It is one of the oldest modes of communication when the ancient
people didn’t know a language to communicate with, it is through pictures, drawings and symbols that they
were able to talk and converse with each other.

Examples: Pictures, Videos, Charts, Graphs, Symbols

Spatial Communication
Spatial Communication elaborates upon the use of physical space in text as well as its overall structure
to convey certain meanings and messages. The physical layout of any written text is deliberately designed to
make it look a certain way and adhere to a particular theme. Websites also use this unique mode of
communication in choosing a certain font, style, design and layout to make any website user-friendly and more
interactive.

3 Modes of Communication
Communication is the process of sharing information between individuals using a set of common rules,
behavior, symbols, and signs. This process of disseminating information can be done through 3 major modes
namely,
 Interpretative Communication
 Presentational Communication
 Interpersonal Communication

Interpretive Communication
Also referred to as the “one-way communication”, in this mode, the information conveyed by the sender
is interpreted by the receiver in its original form. The target has to understand the message in both written and
spoken form keeping various aspects in mind. For example, in a class, the learners may not understand every
word said by the teacher but are expected to understand the main crux of the topic. Some of the main highlights
of Interpretative Communication are:
  Learners understand, interpret, and analyze what is heard, read, or viewed on a variety of topics.
 This mode of communication involves interpreting the author or producer’s intent.
 There is no alternative to the active negotiation of meaning with the writer, speaker, or the producer.

Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal communication is the process by which people exchange information through
verbal and nonverbal messages. It is an unmediated mode of communication that occurs when we
interact and attempt to mutually influence each other, simultaneously, in order to manage relationships.
Although interpersonal communication can encompass oral, written, and non-verbal forms of
communication, the term is usually applied to spoken communication that takes place between two or
more individuals on a personal or face to facelevel.

Modes of Communication: Key Differences

Component Interpersonal Interpretive Presentational

Type Two-way mode communication One-way communication One-way communication
Negotiation Active negotiation of meaning No active negotiation of No reasonable means of
between individuals meaning with the writer, engaging the masses
producer or speaker
Mode of Speaking, Listening, Reading and Reading viewing and Writing and Speaking are
Communication Writing are the main modes of listening texts the 2 main modes of
conveying and interpreting communication
messages.
Examples Social Media, text messages, Stories, literature, articles, Articles, fliers, short stories,
telephone, etc. speeches, songs, radio, news, reports, presentations, skits,
videos, movies, presentations, debates, speeches, etc.
etc.

Breathe, Ponder then Answer!

1. Explain why effective communication is important in an organization.
2. What are the pros and cons if there is a flaw in communication?