Modes of Communication

Session:1
You share ideas, feelings with people around you. This sharing can be expressed
through facial expressions or using any language. The exchange of information is
communication. It involves listening, speaking, observing and even understanding. It is
important because you inform someone about the fact or news; you probably wish to
influence someone or you express your feelings.
 Methods of Communication
On the basis of the communication channels, methods of
communications are:

Verbal Non- Visual

Verbal
 Verbal Communication

Oral Communication Written Communication

 Oral Communication

It involves speaking with someone, either face-to-face or through

phone, voice chat, video conferencing or any other medium. This
form of communication is an effective form. It comprises about
seven percent of all the human communication. The elements that
make the communication effective are language competency,
vocabulary, general awareness, domain knowledge and listening.
 Advantages of Oral Communication

 Quick in obtaining feedback

 Powerful means of persuasion
 Provides complete understanding of communication
delivered and clarify doubts
 Saves time in communication
 Cost efficient
 Disadvantages of Oral Communication

 Has no legal validity

 Difficult for certain people to understand speech due to varying
accents
 Emotions or reactions are noticeable and hence can be
misunderstood
 Does not provide permanent record unless audio is recorded
 Not suitable for lengthy message
 Written Communication

It involves any kind of exchange of information in the written form. For example,
letters, documents, reports, formal business proposals, press releases, contracts,
memos, e-mails, texts, SMS, posts on social media platforms, handbooks, posters,
brochures etc.

It can be either hand written or typed electronically. This

type of communication is indispensable for formal
business communications and issuing legal instructions.

The effectiveness of written communication depends on

the writing style, grammar, vocabulary, and clarity
Advantages of Written Communication

 Provides detailed information

 Easy to refer to the points discussed
 Suitable for long messages
 Verbal communication is documented
 Accountability
Disadvantages of Written Communication

 Only for literate people

 Delay in communication
 Slow and time consuming
 Delayed feedback resulting further delay in decision
making
Let's Practise
Non-verbal Communication
As the name indicates, the message is conveyed
without the transmission of words. This form of
communication comprises of gestures, body language,
symbols and expressions
The body language, includes facial expressions, eye
contact, body posture, gestures such as a wave,
pointing finger and the like, overall body
movements, the tone of one’s voice, posture,
stance, touch, gaze and others
 Common Body Language Do’s and Don’ts

Do’s
Smiles or nods can be used as
powerful non-verbal cues to let
someone know that you are
actively listening.
Don’ts
Avoiding eye contact makes
you look unprepared or
unprofessional in a business
meeting.
 Common Body Language Do’s and Don’ts

Do’s Don’ts
A firm handshake with dry When a person is moving their hands
hand is important. wildly, it signals a lack of confidence
and professionalism. It’s no surprise
that nervous movements, such as
cracking your knuckles, playing with
your hair or biting your nails
makes you look anxious.
 Common Body Language Do’s and Don’ts

Do’s Don’ts
Stand or sit straight Slouching in your seat signals That
you are too comfortable and
disinterested in what you are doing.
 Common Body Language Do’s and Don’ts
Do’s
Holding your arms parallel to the body
and it shows that you are open for
conversation.
Don’ts
Standing or sitting with crossed arms
is a defensive position, which can
give the impression that you are
neither impressed nor interested.
 Common Body Language Do’s and Don’ts
Do’s
Mirroring allows you to build rapport
with others. It also develops trust
and allows you to engage in deeper
conversations.
Don’ts
Rubbing of palms or placing one
hand over the fingers of the other
hand to form a tower gives the
impression that you are trying to
impose your thoughts rather than
convince.
 Tone (paralanguage)

This includes voice quality, intonation, pitch, stress,

emotion, tone and style of speaking. Do not speak too
fast or too slow. Maintain a proper tone, speed and
volume while speaking.
 Appearance

The first impression sets the tone. The style of dressing

and presentation communicates one’s personality. It
impacts the reaction of your audience.
 Advantages of non-verbal communication

 Useful with verbal communication

 Physical signs and symbols help deaf people to understand
and communicate
 Help communicate easily with specially-abled
Disadvantages of non-verbal communication

 Not suitable for long discussions

 Expressions or gestures may be misunderstood
 Often subjective and also the context and culture may not
be the same for the sender and receiver
Let's Practise
 Visual Communication

This type of communication relies on visual cues. As per the proverb “a picture is worth
a thousand words” visual communication is more powerful than verbal and non-verbal
communication on many occasions. Visual aids, such as signs, typography, drawings,
placards, presentations, illustrations and other electronic resources etc. are used to
communicate with people.

Technological developments have made expressing much easier than before. For
example, charts or graphs made in Microsoft Excel helps present and analyse the
data. Multimedia presentations by the teacher help understand the concept better.
 Advantages of visual communication

 Graphs, maps, illustrations complement the oral

communication
 Helps retain information and understand the concept more
clearly
 The amount of time spent in understanding is less as
compared to other methods of communication
Disadvantages of visual communication

 Hardware equipment may be expensive

 Understanding the core meaning may be difficult for a few
 It is more time-consuming
 It is effective only when accompanied with verbal
communication
According to Dr. Albert Mehrabian, pioneer in the field of
body language explains the three elements account
differently for your liking the person who puts forward a
message; words account for 7%, tone of voice accounts for
38%, and body language accounts for 55% of the liking.
 Let's Answer

A. Fill in the blanks.

1. ______________ communication message is conveyed without the transmission of
words.
2. ______________ communication is the exchange of information in the form of
letters, documents.
3. Talking on phone is an example of ______________ communication.
4. ______________ communication through visual aids like such as signs, typography,
drawings.
5. ______________ communication is more effective, when accompanied with oral
communication.
 Let's Answer

B. Tick () the correct answer(s).

1. Which communication style includes communication in the

form of spoken words only?

(a) Written communication (c) Aesthetic Communication

(b) Paralanguage (d) Oral communication
 Let's Answer

B. Tick () the correct answer(s).

2. Which types of communication transmits the message

through creative expressions such as dancing, painting?

(a) Aesthetic communication (b) Paralanguage

(c) Appearance
(d) Physical non-verbal communication
 Let's Answer

B. Tick () the correct answer(s).

3. Which of the following are not the examples of written

communication?

(a) Lectures (c) Posters

(b) E-mails (d) Gossip
 Let's Answer

B. Tick () the correct answer(s).

4. In which type of communication, the receiver gets instant

feedback?

(a) Oral communication (c) Written communication

(b) Visual communication (d) Non-verbal communication
 Let's Answer

B. Tick () the correct answer(s).

5. Face-to-face interview is an example of:

(a) Visual communication (c) Written communication

(b) Oral communication (d) Non-verbal communication
 Let's Answer

C. Answer the following questions.

1. Briefly discuss the modes or methods of communication.

2. Differentiate between verbal and non-verbal communication.
3. List the types of verbal communication.
4. Briefly describe the elements of non-verbal communication.
5. What are the benefits of visual communication?