Communication

What is communication? (Definition)

 “Communication is the activity or the process of expressing ideas and feelings or

of sharing information or instruction with people.”-Oxford Advanced Learners
Dictionary

 An exchange and understanding of meaning is central to communication.

Transmission of meaning is the central objective of communication.

Process of Communication

Stages or steps of the Process of Communication:

 Communication begins with the sender sending out a message: S1.

 The Message travels through a channel: S2.

 The message is received and interpreted by the receiver: S3.

 The receiver sends back the confirmation of the reception of the message to the
sender: S4.

Encoding and Decoding

The sender selects the words, symbols and/or gestures for his thought and concept to
convey his message. This selection of words, symbol and/or gesture is called Encoding.

Decoding is the reverse of encoding. It is the process of converting words, symbols

and/or into an interpreted meaning.
 Process of Communication

Sender Channel Receiver

(Encoding) (Decoding)

Feedback

Communication can be defined as:

“…the exchange of information, ideas, and knowledge between sender and receiver
through an accepted code of symbol.”

Forms of Communication

There are five main Forms of Communication:

1) Face to face Communication:

[Examples:-casual conversation, formal interviews, personal meeting etc.]

2) Group Communication:
[Example:-meetings, conferences, group discussion etc.]

3) Written Communication:
[Example:-reports, memos, proposals, letters, e-mails etc.]

4) Oral Communication:
[Example:-telephonic conversation, casual conversation, voice messages, etc.]
 5) Speaker –Audience Communication:
[Speeches, lectures, oral presentation, seminars, etc.]

Levels of Communication

There are five Levels of human Communication:

1) Extra personal Communication:

Communication between human beings and non-human beings.

2) Intrapersonal Communication:

Communication occurring within the mind of a person.

3) Interpersonal Communication:

Communication among two or more person.

4) Organizational Communication:

Communication in an organization for various activities.

5) Mass Communication:

To transmit information, concepts, advertisement to the mass.

The Flow of Communication

The Communication can flow in various directions:

Downward:
Downward communication is providing directions and notices from higher level
authorities to their subordinates.
Upward:
Upward communication is just the reverse of the downward communication.

Lateral or Horizontal:
Communication among two or more person.

Diagonal or Cross-wise:
Communication in an organization for various activities.

General and Technical Communication

 Messages in daily life that are non-technical or informal in nature are categorize as
General Communication.

 Messages pertaining to technical, industrial, or business matters belong to the

category of Technical or Business Communication.

Characteristics General Communication Technical Communication

 Contains a general message  Contains a technical message

 Informal in style and approach  Mostly formal

 No set pattern of communication  Follows a set pattern

 Mostly oral  Both oral and written

 Not always for a specific audience  Always for a specific audience

 Doesn’t involve the use of technical  Frequently involves jargon, graphics, e

vocabulary or graphics, etc.
Network of Communication

Informal or Grapevine network model:

 Single strand

 Gossip

 Probability

 Cluster

Formal network model:

 Chain network

 Y –network

 Wheel network

 All-channel network