UNIT 1- Syllabus

 Introduction:
Role of communication – defining and classifying communication –
 purpose of communication – process of communication –
characteristics of successful communication
importance of communication in management
communication structure in organization
communication in crisis
barriers to communication.

Effective communication plays an important role not only in organization but

is equally important in personal life.
In Organisation
In personal Life
Role in Organization: success of an organization depends on the transparency
between the team members and clear understanding of ideas between them.

Let us go through the following example:

Parry works with a reputed firm with two members directly reporting to her. She wanted to
complete an assignment by the day end with two files being made where one file would have the
complete company profile, SWOT Analysis and the other file would brief about the competitors
activities and how to improve her company’s position in the market. She called a team meeting
in the morning and simply told the team members to prepare a report. She never mentioned the
deadline. The team members took their own sweet time and failed to prepare the report in Parry’s
desired format. No point in guessing that they were severely criticized by Parry.

Effective communication plays a very important role in achieving organizational goals. The role
of effective communication in an organization starts from the day an employee joins the firm.
It is the prime responsibility of the human resources department to clearly inform the employee
the rules and policies of the organization for him to perform efficiently.

Effective communication is important at all the levels in an organization

 Every individual should be on the same platform and the clarity of
ideas, messages is mandatory for smooth flow of work.

The team leader must make it a point to effectively communicate what

he actually expects from his fellow workers.

The details, the important deadlines, must be made very clear to the
employees to expect productivity from their side

The team members should also be clear about their goals and can
work accordingly.

Instead of verbal communications e-mails are a better option for

effective communication. Don't just speak, use whiteboards, diaries and
the recipients must note the information in notepads to prevent loss of
data and enhance the output.
Role in Personal life
Not only the organization but also the personal life where communication plays an
important role.
Please go through the following example.

Maddy to Doctor - “I want a painkiller” The poor doctor would never come to know
whether Maddy has a headache or is suffering from shoulder pain or injury in any
other part of the body. This is how effective communication is important in personal
life. Maddy forgot to make his point clear leading to confusion.

The child has to make clear whether he wants to have pizza or pasta or simply
would prefer cornflakes in breakfast. He has to effectively communicate to his
nanny about his choice otherwise the poor nanny would never come to know what
the child wants.

There should be clarity of thoughts between the husband and the wife and here
effective communication plays the magic.
One goes to a market and if he doesn’t know what he wishes to buy, the
shopkeeper would never understand.
 Definition
 The imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or
using some other medium.
 The imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or
using some other medium

 Communication is the exchange of information, news, ideas,

feelings and views between persons. In the process of
communication, information flows from sender to receiver.
Organizations are mainly concerned with two types of
communication. These are internal communication and external
communication. Internally, communication occurs horizontally and
vertically. Moreover, these communications may occur formally and
informally.
 Element of Communication
Communication process as such must be considered a continuous and
dynamic inter-action, both affecting and being affected by many variables.

(1) Sender:
 The person who intends to convey the message with the intention of
passing information and ideas to others is known as sender or
communicator.

(2) Ideas:
 This is the subject matter of the communication. This may be an opinion,
attitude, feelings, views, orders, or suggestions.

(3) Encoding:
 Since the subject matter of communication is theoretical and intangible, its
further passing requires use of certain symbols such as words, actions or
pictures etc. Conversion of subject matter into these symbols is the process
of encoding.
(4) Communication Channel:
The person who is interested in communicating has to choose the
channel for sending the required information, ideas etc. This
information is transmitted to the receiver through certain channels
which may be either formal or informal.

(5) Receiver:
Receiver is the person who receives the message or for whom the
message is meant for. It is the receiver who tries to understand the
message in the best possible manner in achieving the desired
objectives.

(6) Decoding:
The person who receives the message or symbol from the
communicator tries to convert the same in such a way so that he
may extract its meaning to his complete understanding.

(7) Feedback:
Feedback is the process of ensuring that the receiver has received
the message and understood in the same sense as sender meant it.
 On the Basis of Language

 Verbal : face-to-face, telephone, radio or television and other media.

a) Written Communication: letters, e-mails, books, magazines, the

Internet or via other media.
b) Oral Communication :

 Non Verbal : body language, gestures, how we dress or act - even our
scent.
Actions or Body Language
 Channels of Communication/ Paterns
 Formal Communication
Networks in Formal Communication
a) The Chain
b) The Wheel or Star
c) The Circle Network
d) The Y Network

 Informal Communication / Grapevine

 Informal Networks
When an organization does not follow any prescribed or
official rules or procedures of the organization is called
informal communication.

The basis of informal communication is spontaneous

relationship among the participants.
Informal communication system is the opposite system of
formal communication.

In this system the communication is made without

following any predetermined rules of policy. Informal
communication plays a vital role to operate the
organization’s activities.

When the employees cannot understand the subject

matter of the communication, they can discuss with their
authority anywhere about the matter as like in the dining
table or in the play ground or in the club.
Types Of Informal Communication
 Single Standard:

In this form of communication, a person says something to a

trustworthy person who, in turn, passes on the information to

another trustworthy person and in this way a chain starts moving.

This creates a sort of chain which has been shown in diagram. The

signs of cross shown at the top and bottom of the diagram show

that the chain can move up and down both ways up to any extent.
 Gossip Chain
In this form of communication, a person communicates something to a number of
persons during the course of a gossip.

A particular person in an organisation knows something specific that happens to be

interesting. He tells this thing to all the members of his group and some other people
also.

Normally, such information is not related to the job.

For example, two employees of the organisation are going in for a love marriage and
some particular person has got this information, he passes on this information to a
large number of people. Gossip chain has been shown in diagram. In this diagram,
Mr. A’ is passing on his information to B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, etc.
 Probability:
In this form of communication, a person remains indifferent about the fact as to
whom he should pass on the information.

There are numerous people around him. He passes on the information randomly to
somebody around him. Those who get the information also have many people
around them.
They also pass on the information randomly to somebody else. In this way, this
chain moves. The diagram shows that A has four persons around-F, B, D and J but
he passes on the information to F and D only.
He has not deliberately chosen F and D but it happens as a matter of chance. The
same is the position of F and D. F is passing on the information to K and G while D
is passing on the information to H. This chain will continue to move in this manner.
 Cluster
In this form of communication, a person tells
something to selected individuals. Those who
receive the information further pass it on to another
set of selected individuals.

In this way, this chain moves on. In every

organisation some people have good liaison with
other persons. Such people pass on the information
to persons of their choice with the purpose of
getting some favour from them.

Cluster has been shown in diagram. This figure

makes it clear that A passes on the information
received to B, C and D. B and C do not tell it to
anybody else but D tells it to E, F and G. Similarly, E
and F do not pass it on to anybody else but G passes
it on to H and I. In this way this chain moves on.
Advantages of Grapevine Communication

Grapevine channels carry information rapidly. As soon as an employee gets to

know some confidential information, he becomes inquisitive and passes the details
then to his closest friend who in turn passes it to other. Thus, it spreads hastily.

The managers get to know the reactions of their subordinates on their policies.
Thus, the feedback obtained is quick compared to formal channel of
communication.

The grapevine creates a sense of unity among the employees who share and
discuss their views with each other. Thus, grapevine helps in developing group
cohesiveness.

The grapevine serves as an emotional supportive value. The grapevine is a

supplement in those cases where formal communication does not work.
Disadvantages of Grapevine Communication
The grapevine carries partial information at times as it is more based on rumours.
Thus, it does not clearly depicts the complete state of affairs.

The grapevine is not trustworthy always as it does not follows official path of
communication and is spread more by gossips and unconfirmed report.

The productivity of employees may be hampered as they spend more time talking
rather than working.

The grapevine leads to making hostility against the executives.

The grapevine may hamper the goodwill of the organization as it may carry false
negative information about the high level people of the organization.

A smart manager should take care of all the disadvantages of the grapevine and try
to minimize them. At the same time, he should make best possible use of
advantages of grapevine.
 Directions Of Communications

 One Way Communication

 Two Way Communication

 Three Way Communication

Formal Communication Flow
 Barrier Of Communication

The barriers that interfere with the understanding of the communication can
divided into 3 categories:

 Semantic Barrier / Language Barrier

 Psychological Barrier-Cognitive Dissonance

 Organisational Barriers

 Personal Barriers
Filtering
Selective Perception
Defensiveness
 Language Barriers

  Clearly, language and linguistic ability may act as a barrier to

communication. However, even when communicating in the same
language, the terminology used in a message may act as a barrier if it
is not fully understood by the receiver(s). For example, a message that
includes a lot of specialist jargon and abbreviations will not be
understood by a receiver who is not familiar with the terminology used.

 As nurses, we are especially prone to making this mistake. We must

remember to use language that can be understood by the receiver. 
Most of the difficulties in communication arises because the same word or
symbol means different things to different individuals.Eg: Red colour flag
indicates danger in India ,white colour is used for the same purpose in South
Korea.
Concrete things eg house, car etc can be easily understood but abstract
words like merit, effectiveness is understood in different manner by different
people.
Semantic difficulty may arise because of unfamiliarity with words, for eg. A
word from foreign language which receiver does not understand.
Semantic barrier may further be created by body language being
inconsistent with verbal communication.

Eg. A manager who praises the honesty & sincerity of his subordinates in a
sarcastic tone creates doubts in the mind of the subordinates as to the
course of action he should adopt in a given situation in future.
Psychological Barriers The psychological state of the receiver will influence how
the message is received. For example, if someone has personal worries and is
stressed, they may be preoccupied by personal concerns and not as receptive to
the message as if they were not stressed. Stress management is an important
personal skill that affects our interpersonal relationships. Anger is another
example of a psychological barrier to communication. When we are angry it is
easy to say things that we may later regret and also to misinterpret what others
are saying. More generally, people with low self-esteem may be less assertive
and therefore may not feel comfortable communicating - they may feel shy
about saying how they really feel, or read negative sub-texts into messages they
hear .

Physiological Barriers Physiological barriers may result from the receiver’s

physical state. For example, a receiver with reduced hearing may not grasp the
entirety of a spoken conversation, especially if there is significant background
noise
Psychological barriers are the prime barriers in interpersonal communication.
The meaning as cubed to the message depends upon the emotional & psychological
status of both the parties concerned. 
You have till now understood that the effectiveness of any communication depends
upon the perception of the right meaning of the message by the receiver.
 However the perception of meaning is very much affected by the mental frame of the
receiver. I.e. emotions which dominate our mood at that time.
For eg.
See with open eyes
Viewing with colored glasses.
Seeing with jaundiced eyes.
Explains how inner feelings affect the messages.

Past experience of receiver also leads to the same affect

Eg: Supervisor a) workers lazy
b) good
c) speaking against him
You can thus see a single situation can be interpreted in a different manner by
different persons. 

Cognitive Dissonance:- This is another problem. Since an individual is fed with

too much of information from different sources, he becomes selective in
receiving and responding to the communications. He is most likely to hear only
those messages that conform to his own beliefs, attitudes and judgment. One
ignores those viewpoints which conflict with his own.
 
 
 
This results in the actual form is not communicated at the higher levels.
III Organizational Barriers:-
Organizations provide a formal framework through which communication is
designed to flow.
The structuring of the flow itself tends to act as barriers against free flow of
communications.
Rules may prescribe how communications are to move from one level to another in
upward or downward direction. In this not only there is delay in communication but
there is every possibility in message getting distorted.
The distance bet the superior & subordinate is also important.
Formal & informal mode of communication.

Filtering:- It refers to a sender manipulating information so that it will be seen more

favorable by the receiver. For eg. When a manager tells his boss what he feels
his boss wants to hear, he is filtering information.
The major determinant of filtering is the number of levels in an organization
structure
The more the vertical level in the organization hierarchy the more opportunities are
there for filtering.
Selective Perception
It appears again because the receivers in the communication process
selectively see & hear based on their needs, motivations, experience
background and other personal characteristics.
Receivers also project their interests and expectations into communications as
they decode.
Defensiveness
When people feel that they are being threatened they tend to react in ways that
reduce their ability to achieve mutual understanding.
When individuals interpret another’s message as threatening, they often
respond in ways that retard effective communication.
 Making Communication Effective


Use direct simple language & avoid words which can have
ambiguous meanings

Use face to Face Communication
 Use Feedback
 Listen With understanding
 Create Constructive environment for expression of ideas.
 Be Careful about your nonverbal language
 Develop & use Organisational structures which minimize the
chances of filtering the communication.
 7 C’s Of Communication
Communication is the heart and soul of any business. We communicate with the people on our
teams, we communicate with the people we work for--and with those who work for us--and we
communicate with customers, vendors, competitors, and many others.

No matter how good we might be at communicating, there's always room to improve. Whether
it's the message itself, or how we deliver it, by carefully considering how you communicate, you
can be more effective--in business and in life.

Be sure to keep these 7 c's in mind the next time you communicate, and make every interaction
you have better and more effective.
1. Candid - truthful and straightforward
2. Clear
3. Complete
4. Concise
5. Concrete
6. Correct
7. Courteous
 Candid

 Straight Forward & Frank

 Clear
 For this follow following points:
a. Clarity in Expression
b. Use simple and short words
c. Use words which are familiar
d. Construction of effective sentences
e. Use heading , graphs etc to improve visual impact
f. Use technical words and jargons while communicating to
professionals only.

Clarity implies emphasizing on a specific message or goal at a time, rather than

trying to achieve too much at once.

Clarity in communication has following features:

It makes understanding easier.
Complete clarity of thoughts and ideas enhances the meaning of message.
Clear message makes use of exact, appropriate and concrete words
Bad Example:-
Hi Shiva,
I wanted to write you a quick note about Shubham, who's working
in your department. He's a great asset, and I'd like to talk to you
more about him when you have time.
Best,
Ritika
What is this email about? Well, we're not sure. First, if there are
multiple Shubham in Shiva's department, Shiva won't know who
Ritika is talking about.
Next, what is Shubham doing, specifically, that's so great? We
don't know that either. It's so vague that John will definitely have
to write back for more information.
Last, what is the purpose of this email? Does Ritika simply want
to have an idle chat about Shubham, or is there some more
specific goal here? There's no sense of purpose to this message,
so it's a bit confusing.
Good Example:-

Hi Shiva,
I wanted to write you a quick note about Shubham, who's working in
your department. In recent weeks, he's helped the IT department
through several pressing deadlines on his own time.
We've got a tough upgrade project due to run over the next three
months, and his knowledge and skills would prove invaluable. Could
we please have his help with this work?
I'd appreciate speaking with you about this. When is it best to call
you to discuss this further?
Best wishes,
Ritika

*This second message is much clearer, because the reader has the
information he needs to take action.
 COMPLETE
 The communication must be complete. It should convey all facts required by the
audience. The sender of the message must take into consideration the receiver’s
mind set and convey the message accordingly.
A complete communication has following features:
 Complete communication develops and enhances reputation of an organization.

 They are cost saving as no crucial information is missing and no additional cost is

incurred in conveying extra message if the communication is complete.

 A complete communication always gives additional information wherever

required. It leaves no questions in the mind of receiver.

 Complete communication helps in better decision-making by the audience/

readers/receivers of message as they get all desired and crucial information.

 It persuades the audience.

 Completeness leads to clarity of the message.

Examples:-
Bad Example

Hi everyone,
I just wanted to send you all a reminder about the meeting we're
having tomorrow!
See you then,
Sushmita

Good Example

Hi everyone,
I just wanted to remind you about tomorrow's meeting on the
new telecommuting policies. The meeting will be at 10:00 a.m. in
the second-level conference room. Please let me know if you can't
attend.
See you then,
Sushmita
  Ex
Concise  At the present time…….now
 Due to the fact that……. Because
 Will you kindly……………please
Conciseness means wordiness, i.e., communicating what you want to convey
in least possible words without forgoing the other C’s of communication.
Conciseness is a necessity for effective communication. Concise
communication has following features:
 It is both time-saving as well as cost-saving.
 It underlines and highlights the main message as it avoids using excessive
and needless words.
 Concise communication provides short and essential message in limited
words to the audience.
 Concise message is more appealing and comprehensible to the audience.
Concise message is non-repetitive in nature.
Good Example:-

Hi Shiva,
I wanted to write you a quick note about Shubham, who's working in
your department. In recent weeks, he's helped the IT department
through several pressing deadlines on his own time.
We've got a tough upgrade project due to run over the next three
months, and his knowledge and skills would prove invaluable. Could
we please have his help with this work?
I'd appreciate speaking with you about this. When is it best to call
you to discuss this further?
Best wishes,
Ritika

*This second message is much clearer, because the reader has the
information he needs to take action.
 Concrete

 Statement should not be vague.

 Ex– the price of the washing machine is very high….( price is 25000)

Concrete communication implies being particular and clear rather than

fuzzy and general.
Concreteness strengthens the confidence.
Concrete message has following features:
 It is supported with specific facts and figures.
 It makes use of words that are clear and that build the reputation.
 Concrete messages are not misinterpreted.
 Courtesy

 Courtesy in message implies the message should show the sender’s

expression as well as should respect the receiver. The sender of the
message should be sincerely polite, judicious, reflective and enthusiastic.
Courteous message has following features:
 Courtesy implies taking into consideration both viewpoints as well as
feelings of the receiver of the message.
 Courteous message is positive and focused at the audience.

 It makes use of terms showing respect for the receiver of message.

 It is not at all biased.

Thank You

ANY QUESTIONS……….?