Understanding Communication: Definitions and Components

• Communication is a natural process for humans to converse, verbally and nonverbally.
• It is an ongoing process from one's birth to the time of death.
• The ability to communicate can influence professional endeavor.

Communication Definitions

• Louis Allen: Communication is a systematic process of telling and understanding
• Keith Davis: Communication is the transfer of information from one person to another.
• Peter Little : Communication transmits information between individuals utilizing previously agreed symbols
• Bartol and Martin : Communication is the exchange of messages between people for the purpose of achieving common meanings.
• Birvenu: Communication helps transmit feelings, attitudes, facts, beliefs and ideas between living beings.

Components of Communication

• Communication is an ongoing, dynamic process and made up of 6 major components
• The components are: Sender, message, medium, channel, receiver and feedback.

Sender

• The sender initiates the communication process by encoding an idea into a code.
• Encoding examples include languages, i.e. set of symbols agreed upon

Message

• The message is an idea or information encoded with a code.
• It is the substance of the communication process.

Medium

• The medium acts as the vehicle to send the message.
• The medium of communication can be verbal (oral or written) or non verbal.
• Selecting the medium will affect the success of communication.
• Distributing pamphlets to illiterate people would not be an appropriate medium of communication.

Channel

• The channel is the tool to transmit the message
• Newspaper and books are the channel for written communication
• Microphone or a telephone are examples of channel for oral communication

Receiver

• The receiver is the destination of the message.
• The communication process is considered successful with the correct decoding by the receiver.
• Decoding requires recognizing the symbols of the code, identifying it as a message, understanding the idea behind it.

Feedback

• Feedback is the response given to the sender from the receiver who has decoded the message and is the final component in the communication process
• Positive feedback permits the sender to continue communicating in the same manner
• Negative feedback indicates the need to change in the communication
• Disagreement or unacceptance may be indicated by little feed back

Positive Feedback

• A smile is a positive non verbal response.

Negative Feedback

• A frown is a negative feedback

Communication Environment

• The environment is an important aspect in communication and disturbances can hamper the communicative process
• Physical, psychological, language, or cultural barriers may impact the communicative efficacy

Communication Objectives

• Communications aims to elicit a reaction
• The are two types of objectives Primary and Secondary

Primary Objectives

• Primary objectives directly give to the sustainment and growth of a company.
• Examples: information, orders, education/training, advice, suggestion, persuasion and warning.

Secondary Objectives

• Seconday objectives helps to sustain the growth of the organization.
• Examples: motivation and raising morale

Objective: Information

• Core objective: convey and receive information
• Essential for business activity
• Necessary intel includes: market, competitors, customers, economic & government policies.
• Too much non reliable information can be difficult to process so information has to be reliable before one acts on it

Objective: Orders and Instructions

• An order is an enforceable oral or written directive to subordinates
• Orders are internal communication within an organization
• The goal of an order should be mentioned in clear language to prevent mistakes.
• Oral orders are for urgent matters and for nearby people
• Written orders maintain accurate records
• A commanding tone should be avoided in an order

Objective: Education and Training

• Keeps employees at various levels in contact with each other.
• The goal of education is attained by business communication on three levels (a) Management (b) Employees (c) General public.
• Mr. Leyton calls Education for succession: the junior personnel in the organization need to be trained for handling responsible assignments

Objective: Advice

• Consists of opinions given as to a course of action
• A competent business person may not have specialized knowledge of all branches like finance, taxation, publicity, engineering, public relation etc.
• Essential to seek advice to progress and succeed

Objective: Persuasion

• Persuasion aims at influencing the behaviour and attitude of others
• Persuasion relates to promotions

Objective: Suggestion

• An idea or plan put forward for consideration.
• Boosting moral and raising involvement can occur when employees are allowed the opportunity to give feedback and suggestions
• It can be submitted through a suggestion box

Objective: Warning

• A warning informs of unpleasant and unfavorable consequences if an action is not corrected
• It is asking that employees work with dedication and discipline
• Warning is a form of communication which is effective when used sparingly.

Motivational secondary objective

• Motivation makes sure that work gets completed more quickly and proficiently without need for supervision
• Providing Monetary and non monetary factors like acknowledgements will motivate employees

Raising Morale secondary objective

• Morale is the level of spirit/confidence as shown in the performance and attitude of employees
• Morale is a psychological aspect that can fluctuate depending on internal or external factors
• Organizations have to constantly feel for the pulse of its employees
• Effective communication detects low morale and remedies it.

Methods of Communication

• Can be divided in to two types: Verbal (Oral / Written) and Non Verbal

Verbal Communication: Oral Communication

• Uses spoken words as communication (face-to-face, telephone)
• Formal, i.e. seminars and meetings or informal, i.e. casual chatting.

Advantages of Verbal Communication: Oral communication

• Can be completely confidential
• Money is saved as no money is wasted on pen, paper, ink an stationary
• There may be Verbal and Non-Verbal communication, giving more feedback
• Wider reach, useful to communicate to illiterate persons who cant read or write
• Message can be modified due to situation and response
• Gives a personal touch that can be improved by intonation and pitch

Disadvantages of Verbal Communication: Oral communication

• It's not admissible in the court of law as legal evidence.
• Low reference value, unless written down
• Difficult to establish accountability
• Listener's who don't pay attention may misunderstand the message and lead to distortion
• Effectiveness is dependent on the speaker
• Not appropriate when there is a lot of technical data and information.
• Oral communication cannot be planned, as it depends on the response of the receiver.

Verbal Communication: Written communication

• Can include letters, reports, notices and memorandum.
• Used by business houses due to merits

Advantages of Verbal Communication: Written communication

• Legal proof, can be used in the court of law as evidence. Therefore is used by business houses
• Wide reach, can be disseminated via duplicating, printing and photocopying
• Accountability, signatures always included
• Good for long messages and can be easily duplicated

Disadvantages of Verbal Communication: Written communication

• Editing / drafting takes too long, hence consumes time
• Not fit for illiterate persons
• Lacks personal touch due to absence of body language
• Requires a lot of storage space

Non-Verbal Communication

• Signals and clues using gestures, way of sitting, loudness/softness of talking or eye contact
• Nonverbal signals provide clues and added context
• Bartol and Martin defined non-verbal communication as communication using elements that are not encoded into words

Body Language (Kinesics)

• Body language refers to communication without use of words
• The study of the element is called Kinesics

Personal Appearance (Kinesics)

• Clothes, hygiene levels and hair style are part of personal appearance
• These factors are used form a first expression

Posture (Kinesics)

• Sitting and carrying yourself effects emotions and attitudes
• Slump posture = Low Spirits, Erect posture = High Spirits

Gestures (Kinesics)

• Body movement made to communicate using heads & hands
• Culture specific
• spinning your finger around your ear is the "you're crazy" sign in America and in some other nations
• In Argentina, it means "you have a phone call.”

Facial Expressions (Kinesics)

• Used to showcase countless emotions
• Same over any culture

Eye Contact (Occulesics)

• Important part of non-verbal communication
• Serves three functions (a)To give and receive feedback (b)To show confidence and honesty (c) To communicate the relationship between people

Space Distancing (Proxemics)

• Examines peoples spaces around them

Hall Space

• Zone starts with personal touch and extends to one and a half feet.
• Sharing is only done to very close friends or family
• This is intimate zone

Personal Zone

• This zone extends from one and a half feet to to 4 feet
• Acquaintances & Friends share this area
• Permits relaxed communication with normal speech tones.

Social Zone

• This stretches form one 4 feet to 12
• Distance indicates all relationships in this zone are formal (for example, business meeting)
• Communication is planned and cautious

Public Zone

• This extends form 12 to 30
• Distance is maintained by the speaker with his audience
• The Audience has low emotional involvement.

Volume

• Volume is the level of loudness in a voice
• Varies on whether the area is indoors or outdoors

Pace/Rate

• Rate relates to the total words you speak per minute
• Recommended speaking rate is is between 125-150 words a minute.

Pauses

• Pauses are short silences in between parts of a speech
• Used with the speaker to go between ideas
• Pauses help the speaker and the writer.

Pitch

• It is the sound quality of the voice
• Helps stay focused and prevent monotony

Chronemics

• Its important in interpersonal relationship
• It involves a greeting handshake
• Haptics is to study of communication through physical contact

Grahps, Maps & Charts

• Visuals assist with communication when there is no common language

Sign and Signals

• Language is used universily

Colours

• Believed to affect on peoples psychological state
• Used for therapy

Auditory Signals

• Examples: whistles, police siren, fire alarm

Olfacties

• How the sense of smell evolves the senses

External Communiations

• Specifics business messages the outside world

Internal Communiations

• It consists of transfer of information with an a department of organization

Vertical Communication

• Communication flowing upward and downward.

Downward Communication

• Flow of information form higher authority

Upward Communication

• Message that flows from subordinates

Horizontal Communication

• Communication to another at te same level

Complexity of organization

• Large organization mean long channels

Status Differences

• The connection will vary by authority

Job Specializarions

• Each worker only knows of their own

Information Ownership

• Individuals may not give away information

Semantic Barriers

• They relate to the meaning of words such as faulty translation

Cultural Barrier

• Cultural Barriers involve a message sent from one culture and receives from anther