Week 1

Introduction to Communication
Communication is a process of passing information and understanding
from one person to another. - Keith Davis
• Communication is any behavior that results in an exchange of meaning.
(The American Management Association)
• Communication may be broadly defined as the process of meaningful
interaction among human beings. More specifically, it is the process by
which meanings are perceived and understandings are reached among
human beings. – (D. E. McFarland)
• Communication is the process by which information is passed between
individuals and/or organisations by means of previously agreed symbols.
(Peter Little)
Communication Skills

► Communication Skills are the abilities that one utilizes to remove the possible barriers
in effective communication.
► Communication skills allow one to carry out meaningful conversation that it creates an
intended impact on the target audience
► Having good/ effective communication skills means that a person has an ability to
ensure that the symbols s/he is using are effectively conveying the meaning to the
audience and not only achieving the impact on the audience/ receiver but also thereby
accomplishing the goal of the sender.
Nature/ Attributes of Communication:

1. Communication is intentional as well as unintentional which implies that the

communication does not necessarily have to be literal in nature and may be done without
the use of symbols. This means that communication is not always intentional and can be
done through bodily gestures. Even a person not intending to convey a meaning may
convey it without using symbols.
2. Communication is a dynamic process. Communication is an exchange of ideas and
thoughts that are always in motion. Communication is always growing. It is dynamic
because it grows with the emotional, intellectual and experiential growth of two people who
communicate. It is also dynamic because the communication is always held between two
people who vary in their emotional, intellectual and experiential capacities, making the
development of communication dependent on people exchanging ideas and meanings.
 Nature/ Attributes of Communication
(Contd…)

► Communication is systemic.
► Every component of the process is affected by every other component. The source, the
environment, the goal, the medium, the nature of the message, the receiver, the feedback, all
affect one another. If the audience is inattentive or uninterested, the source is not able to speak!
convey effectively. If a wrong medium is chosen, a particular message may fail to have the
intended result; if the goal is not clear, the message will be confused. Disturbance at any stage
in the communicationprocess affects the entire process.

► 4. Communication is both interaction and

transaction.
► The two participants, the source and the receiver, exchange ideas and information and
influence each other during the process of communication. They also come to a shared and
common meaning as a result of the communication. They share as well as exchange thoughts
and meanings.
Process of Communication

There are few elements or factors which make up the process of communication:
1. Source /Sender, is the one who initiates the action of communicating
2. Audience/ Receiver is the person(s) for whom the communication is intended
3. Goal/ Purpose is the sender's reason for communicating, the desired result
of the communication
4. Message/ Content is the information conveyed
5. Encoding means transferring message from symbols to words
5. Medium /Channel is the means or method used for conveying the message
6. Decoding means interpreting and analyzing the message and understanding it
7. Feedback is the receiver's response to the communication as observed by
the sender
8. Environment /Context is the background in which the communication takes
place.
Effective Communication:

Effective Communication is possible if the sender and the receiver are

consciously avoiding the possible barriers to communication
► The sender/ source must know the goal of the communication
► The sender must construct his/ her message by keeping in mind the needs and
capacities of the target audience
► The sender must be able to convey the message in a clear manner
► The receiver must be mentally active
► The receiver should be able to decode the message without holding
prejudices
► The receiver should be able to comprehend the message and give feedback
for effective communication
Possible Barriers to Effective
Communication:
Sender, receiver and the environment may act as a possible barrier to communication in
the following manner:
Sender:
► Is not focused
► Is not mentally active
► Cannot effectively encode the message while keeping in mind the needs of the
audience
Receiver:
► Is not focused or mentally alert
► Cannot effectively decode the message
► Does not actively give feedback
Possible Barriers to Communication
(Contd…)
Environment:
► Is noisy/ crowdy
► Is uncomfortable and makes the sender and the receiver lose focus
Circumstances:
► The state of mind of the receiver due to personal/ other circumstances
► The position of communicants in an organization
Relation:
► The present state of relation between the communicants also affects the
communication
► Prejudices against one another may hinder the process of effective
communication
Possible Barriers to Communication
(Contd…)
Time:
► The time of the communication
► The length of time taken by a communication.
► Information is not given at the right time
Values:
► Values of sender and receiver differ from one another making it difficult to
communicate
Attitudes:
► Cold attitude on the part of the sender/ receiver