1 What does communication mean?

In the Oxford English Dictionary, communication is described as ‘The transmission or

exchange of information, knowledge, or ideas, by means of speech, writing, mechanical
or electronic media’ (OED, 2019).
Two main types of communication are widely recognised and discussed in both
business and academic literature:
1. Verbal communication, which includes both oral and written.
2. Non-verbal communication, e.g. facial expressions, body language etc.

Clampit and Girard (1993) analysed the construct of communication satisfaction and
concluded that:
… communication satisfaction factors provide an effective way to distinguish between
employees who are in the upper and lower parts of the spectrum in terms of both job
satisfaction and self-estimates for productivity.

2 Why is communication important in the

workplace?
Internal communication
For an organisation to embrace effective communication, every individual must play their part –
from senior managers to new trainees.

3 How does the communication process work?

You communicate every day, whether it is in the form of a face-to-face or telephone
conversation, an email, a text message, a Facebook post, a tweet or a presentation. Yet
you will rarely stop to think about the way you delivered your ‘message’.
Figure 2 demonstrates the communication process. The critical aspects of
communication are how the sender conveys the message and how the recipient
receives it.

In Figure 2, the receiver must provide feedback to allow the sender to know that the
message has been understood.
Although this illustration demonstrates that communication is always between two
parties, it is important to note that it is not always between two individuals.

Figure 3 Communication: from source to receiver

‘The source’ is the sender. When you speak to someone or send an email, you are the
source of the message.
‘Msg’ is the message.
‘Encoding’ is the construction of your message. Effective encoding will demonstrate
clarity, and use appropriate language, reducing the risk of confusion. You should
consider how the person reading or listening to your message will respond. If you are
communicating your message to more than one person, remember that each person
may receive it differently.
‘Channel’ is the form of communication (e.g. email, text message, telephone or face-to-
face conversation). You should consider the best channel to deliver a message. For
example, sometimes written communication may be the best approach, but not always.
Understanding your audience is important in choosing your channel.
‘Decoding’ is the process that occurs when the recipient(s) hear or read your message.
Effective decoding will occur if you have written or spoken your message clearly,
demonstrating an understanding of what the receiver may know already. This helps the
receiver to interpret the message correctly. Decoding is obstructed if you do not use
appropriate language (e.g. the excessive use of jargon).
‘The Receiver’ is the recipient. It is important to note that one recipient may interpret
the message differently to another. This is particularly relevant when sending a
message to a number of recipients, such as a written communication (including emails,
text messages or reports) or verbal communication to a group.
‘Feedback’ is critical. This helps you to judge whether your message has been received
in the way that you intended. If you are delivering the message face-to-face (in person
or via video messaging such as Skype) you can look for non-verbal as well as verbal
responses to your message. You can also ask questions to help ensure that the
message has been understood.