CHAPTER 8:

Communications

FUNDAMENTALS OF
MANAGEMENT (MGT 162)
 Learning Objectives

Communication process
01

Formal and Informal Communications

02

Types of Communication
03

Barriers and overcoming the barriers to effective communications

04
Categories of Interpersonal Communication 2
 DEFINITION OF COMMUNICATION

The process by which a person, group, or

The process of transmitting a message to organization (the sender) transmits
the receiver in order to obtain a some type of information (the message)
response. to another person, group, or
organization (the receiver)

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COMMUNICAT
ION PROCESS

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 Sender
• The sender initiates the communication process by encoding his or her
meaning and sending the message through a channel.

Encoding
• Encoding translates the sender’s ideas into a systematic set of symbols or a
language expressing the communicator’s purpose.

Channel
• The medium by which a message travels
Components of Decoding
Communications • A receiver’s translation of a sender’s message

Process Receiver
• The receiving person or group must make sense of the information received.

Feedback
• The process of verifying messages and the receiver’s attempts to ensure that
the message he or she decoded is what the sender really meant to convey.

Noise
• Any internal or external interference or distraction with the intended
message that can cause distortion in the sending and receiving of messages
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 FORMAL COMMUNICATION
Formal Communication
Channels
• Formal communication
follows the chain of command
and is recognized as official.
Direction of Flow
• One way to view formal
communication within
organizations is to examine
how it flows - vertically and
horizontally.
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FORMAL COMMUNICATION

Vertical communication
Horizontal communication

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FORMAL COMMUNICATION
Vertical

• The flow of information both up and down the

chain of command
• Downward communication
• Messages sent from individuals at higher levels of the
organization to those at lower levels.
• Upward communication
• Messages sent up the line from subordinates to
managers.
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 FORMAL COMMUNICATION
Horizontal

• The flow of information that occurs both within and

between departments.
• Effective organizations encourage horizontal
communication because it increases:
• Coordination
• Collaboration
• Cooperation

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COMMUNICAT
ION
(GRAPEVINE)

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 Single Strand

Types of informal Single strand involves passing of information

through a line of persons to ultimate
Communication recipient.

this chain of communication is the least

accurate in channeling information because
information that move from one another are
added, filtered and passed in the way the
sender would find it interesting and juicy to
convey.

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 Gossip

Types of informal This chain is often use to convey information

that is interesting and is non-job-related. The
Communication news must be interesting to hear.

Conveys information to as many people,

to friends and relatives.

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 Probability

Types of informal The probability chain is a random

process in which someone transmits
Communication the information to others

The other people who gets the news

may tell others at random, or may not
convey it to other people.

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 Cluster

A person tells the information to a few chosen

individuals.
Types of informal
Communication These individual then pass on the information to
a few more selected individual whom they trust
or from specially chosen individual who they are
trying to obtain some favor.

The information that is conveyed is usually

interesting, job-related and most up to date.

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 BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATIONS

Cross-cultural Trust and Language Gender

diversity Credibility Characteristics Differences

Information
Noise Poor Listening Time Pressure
Overload

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 OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS
Obtain feedback

Use simple language

Avoid noise

Recognize emotions

Do not make own

conclusions
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