English Communication (AEC) - Unit 1 PDF

English Communication (AEC- B.A., B.Sc., B.Com. – II year) Unit I Role and Importance of Communication The Communication is a two-way process wherein the message in the form of ideas, thoughts, feelings, opinions is transmitted between two or more persons with the intent of creating a shared unde...

English Communication (AEC- B.A., B.Sc., B.Com. – II year) Unit I Role and Importance of Communication The Communication is a two-way process wherein the message in the form of ideas, thoughts, feelings, opinions is transmitted between two or more persons with the intent of creating a shared understanding. Simply, an act of conveying intended information and understanding from one person to another is called as communication. The term communication is derived from the Latin word “Communis” which means to share. Effective communication is when the message conveyed by the sender is understood by the receiver in exactly the same way as it was intended. The word communication is used in common talk, usually, to mean speaking or writing or sending a message to another person. Communication is really much more than that. It involves ensuring that your message has reached the target audience, (that is, the persons to whom it is sent) and that the receiver understands and responds as you want them to. It also involves ensuring that you yourself are able to understand, interpret, and respond to messages that you receive. Role of Communication- Entry into a good organisation requires excellent communication skills. The primary element in the skills of management is competence in communication. It is the tool with which we exercise influence on others, bring about changes in the attitudes and views of our associates, motivate them and establish and maintain relations with· them. Communication plays a foundational role in the development of any healthy relationship. It can strengthen a mutual sense of commitment; it also helps to bridge the gap between people who have misunderstandings. Indeed, communication plays a critical role in all phases of interpersonal relations, from creating a relationship to maintenance of relationships. Attributes of Communication Communication has four attributes or qualities; understanding these attributes helps us to improve our competence and skills in communication. 1. Communication is unintentional as well as intentional. We do not always convey exactly what we want to; the targeted receiver may receive less or more than what we intended to convey. A casual observer (unintentional receiver) may receive information or ideas which we did not intend for him/her. Our non-verbal behaviour conveys something about us; what we speak or write is accompanied by non-verbal behaviour. We cannot "not communicate"; even our noncommunication in words communicates something; for example, it may convey that we wish to be left alone. Communication takes place even when we do not plan it and when we are not conscious of it; we may communicate something that we had not intended to communicate. 2. Communication is a dynamic process. A process is an ongoing, non-static activity. Communication is considered as a process to emphasize that it is always changing, always in motion. A process is a series of actions that has neither beginning nor end. The notion of process involves a time dimension; which means that the characteristics, causes, and consequences of an act of communication are subject to change while the communication act takes place. An important element in communication is the concept of "change." Communication grows and develops; even if the same two persons exchange the same ideas again, the communication is not exactly the same as it was the first time, because the two persons have grown and developed and changed since then. Every time we consciously engage in an act of communication, we bring to it all our previous experience, feelings, thoughts. attitudes which have been formed by other communication events. 3. Communication is systemic. Every component of the process is affected by every other component. The source, the environment, the goal, the medium, the nature of the message, the receiver, the feedback, all affect one another. If the audience is inattentive or uninterested, the source is not able to speak! convey effectively. If a wrong medium is chosen, a particular message may fail to have the intended result; if the goal is not clear, the message will be confused. Disturbance at any stage in the communication process affects the entire process. 4. Communication is both interaction and transaction. The two participants, the source and the receiver, exchange ideas and information and influence each other during the process of communication. They also come to a shared and common meaning as a result of the communication. They share as well as exchange thoughts and meanings. Definitions of Communication Communication has been defined by many theorists; some of these definitions are quoted here. Communication is a process of passing information and understanding from one person to another. - Keith Davis Communication is any behaviour that results in an exchange of meaning. - The American Management Association Communication may be broadly defined as the process of meaningful interaction among human beings. More specifically, it is the process by which meanings are perceived and understandings are reached among human beings. - D. E. McFarland Communication is the process by which information is passed between individuals and/or organisations by means of previously agreed symbols. - Peter Little Communication is the transmission of information and meaning from one individual or group to another. The crucial element is meaning. Communication has as its central objective the transmission of meaning. The process of communication is successful only when the receiver understands an idea as the sender intended it. These definitions show that communication involves exchange of thoughts between two parties. In order to transfer an idea, we must use symbols (words, signs, pictures, sounds) which stand for the idea. The symbols must be understood by the person or persons with whom we intend to communicate. Both must assign the same meaning to the symbols used; otherwise, there is miscommunication. Unless there is a common understanding of the symbols, it is not possible to communicate. Process of Communication In order to analyse the activity of communication, we must know the process and the elements involved in the process of communication. There are seven elements or factors which make up the process of communication: 1. Source /Sender, is the one who initiates the action of communicating 2. Audience/Receiver is the person(s) for whom the communication is intended 3. Goal/ Purpose is the sender's reason for communicating, the desired result of the communication 4. Message/ Content is the information conveyed 5. Medium /Channel is the means or method used for conveying the message 6. Feedback is the receiver's response to the communication as observed by the sender 7. Environment /Context is the background in which the communication takes place. Each of these is complex; any analysis of communication has to take into account the various possibilities of each of these. The process of communication involves decisions and activities by the two persons involved, the sender and the receiver. The sender initiates the process of communication. The sender has to be clear about the purpose (or goal or objective) of the communication and about the target audience (or receiver) of the communication; that is, the sender decides why and to whom to send a message. Conscious or intended communication has a purpose. We communicate because we want to make someone do something or take some action, or think or feel in a certain way, that is, to influence the person. The source has to decide what information to convey and create the message (or content) to be conveyed by using words or other symbols which can be understood by the intended receiver. The process of putting the idea into symbols is called encoding; in order to encode, the sender has to select suitable symbols which can represent the idea, and can be understood by the receiver. The sender also chooses' a suitable channel or medium (like mail, e-mail, telephone, face-to-face talk,) by which to send the message. The choice of the medium depends on several factors like urgency of the message, availability and effectiveness of a medium, and the relationship between the two communicants. Finally, the sender tries to note the effect of the message on the receiver; that is, he checks whether the receiver has got the message, how the receiver has responded to the message and whether he has taken the required action; this information about the receiver's response is called feedback. Sender's functions make up half the process of communication. The functions of the sender are: 1. Being clear about the goal/purpose of the communication 2. Finding out about the understanding and needs of the target audience 3. Encoding the required information and ideas with symbols to create the message to suit the receiver/ audience 4. Selecting the medium to send the message 5. Making efforts to get feedback, that is, finding out the response of the target audience The receiver becomes aware that a message has arrived when he perceives it with his senses (he may see, hear, feel, etc). The receiver attends to the message and interprets it. The process of translating the symbols into ideas and interpreting the message is called decoding. Interpreting is a complex activity; it involves using knowledge of the symbols, drawing upon previous knowledge of the subject matter, ability to understand, attitudes and values, in order to create meaning. The receiver understands and interprets the message on the basis of earlier knowledge. The meaning that a receiver gives to the words and other symbols is influenced by hislher knowledge, intelligence, past experience and relation with the sender. If the two have a common field of experience, the receiver's understanding of the message will be closer to what the sender intended. The receiver also feels a reaction to the message; this reaction may be conscious or unconscious; it may cause some change in the receiver's facial expression. It definitely leads the receiver to think. The receiver may take some action, if required. He may also reply to the message. This response and/or reply is feedback. Receiver's functions complete one cycle of the process of communication. The functions of the receiver are: 1 Attending to the received message, that is, listening, reading or observing 2 Decoding the received message 3 Interpreting and understanding the meaning of the message 4 Responding to the message 5 Giving feedback to the sender of the message. This is a simplified description of a single cycle in the process of communication. Communication really takes place in several cycles and the two persons take turn and alternately carry out functions of sender and receiver. 1. Sender: The sender or the communicator is the person who initiates the conversation and has conceptualized the idea that he intends to convey it to others. 2. Encoding: The sender begins with the encoding process wherein he uses certain words or non-verbal methods such as symbols, signs, body gestures, etc. to translate the information into a message. The sender’s knowledge, skills, perception, background, competencies, etc. has a great impact on the success of the message. 3. Message: Once the encoding is finished, the sender gets the message that he intends to convey. The message can be written, oral, symbolic or non-verbal such as body gestures, silence, sighs, sounds, etc. or any other signal that triggers the response of a receiver. 4. Communication Channel: The Sender chooses the medium through which he wants to convey his message to the recipient. It must be selected carefully in order to make the message effective and correctly interpreted by the recipient. The choice of medium depends on the interpersonal relationships between the sender and the receiver and also on the urgency of the message being sent. Oral, virtual, written, sound, gesture, etc. are some of the commonly used communication mediums. 5. Receiver: The receiver is the person for whom the message is intended or targeted. He tries to comprehend it in the best possible manner such that the communication objective is attained. The degree to which the receiver decodes the message depends on his knowledge of the subject matter, experience, trust and relationship with the sender. 6. Decoding: Here, the receiver interprets the sender’s message and tries to understand it in the best possible manner. An effective communication occurs only if the receiver understands the message in exactly the same way as it was intended by the sender. 7. Feedback: The Feedback is the final step of the process that ensures the receiver has received the message and interpreted it correctly as it was intended by the sender. It increases the effectiveness of the communication as it permits the sender to know the efficacy of his message. The response of the receiver can be verbal or non-verbal.  1. Verbal Communication The communication in which the sender uses words, whether spoken or written, to transmit the message to the receiver is known as Verbal Communication. It can take place as intrapersonal communication, where a person communicates internally, such as in self-talk. It can also be interpersonal communication, where two people engage in a one-on-one exchange in a physical or virtual meeting. Types- a) Oral communication b) Written communication c) Visual and Audio visual communication a) Oral communication Communication is done through spoken words. Face-to-face talk, telephonic talk, video-chat, television, radio or chat over internet, such as Skype or WhatsApp. Personal traits such as clarity of pronunciation, pitch, slang, volume, speed, etc. influence oral mode of conversation. Advantages of Oral Communication High level of transparency and understanding Quick feedback Flexibility Time and other resources saving Helpful for teamwork Best for confidential exchange of information Quick resolution of disputes Receptive and encouraging Facial expressions and body language visible Disadvantages of Oral Communication Informal and no proof of decision Poor personal traits, such as stammering, weaker command on language, slang, no coherence visible Less authentic May consume long time in meetings Requires great attentiveness and receptivity  No legal standing b) Written communication Communication is written in words or symbols and is transmitted via e-mail, letter, memo, etc. Many social media platforms based on Internet are available, where written communication is posted. Meant for mass circulation, instead for an individual written communication is most commonly used in business and its contents, vocabulary, style, precision and clarity are very important achieving its objective. Advantages of Written Communication Permanent record and can be used as reference in future. Sender can write and re-write to make it error free before sending. Presence of the sender and the receiver is not required. Sometimes there are complex matters that cannot be talked over in a satisfactory manner. In the written communication, complex matters can be explained. Being a written document, there are no chances of misconception. Message can be sent to a large number of people. Disadvantages of Written Communication Time consuming. Require good command on the language Poorly written communication may create poor impression. Feedback is not instant. No personal touch c) Visual and Audio visual communication “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Audio-visual communication is a combination of sight and sound. Advantages Popular Supports oral communication Easy presentation of complex data Helpful for rural clients Saves time Decision making is quicker Helpful in publicity Disadvantages More expensive Time consuming Some times more complex Infrastructural problems  2. Non Verbal Communication Nonverbal communication involves communicating without using words. Instead, individuals use nonverbal behaviors to communicate. Communication without using words, such as gesture, body language, facial expression. Often non-verbal expression supplement the verbal communication. Leader often uses gestures, to emphasize certain points. Non Verbal Communication types Research findings indicate that five of these channels exist: facial expressions, eye contact, body movements, posture and guestures, and touching. a) Body Language (Kinesics) b) Facial Expressions and eye contact c) Posture d) Gestures e) Touch (Haptics) a) Body Language (Kinesics) Communicate with body language is called Kinesics Communication. Study of the body movements – gestures as a means of communication. Body Language - most often used non-verbal communication. Our current moods or emotions are often reflected in the position, posture, and movement of our bodies. Together, such nonverbal behaviors are termed body language. They, too, can provide useful information about others. First, body language often reveals others’ emotional states. Large numbers of movements— especially ones in which one part of the body does something to another part (touching, rubbing, scratching)—suggest emotional arousal. The greater the frequency of such behavior, the higher the level of arousal or nervousness. b) Facial Expressions Most expressive part of the body. Facial expressions distinctly reveal - Happiness Sadness Fear Anger From the facial expressions of a speaker, it is possible to infer whether he is confident, excited, angry, shy, confused or tired. Example -- A slack (loose / floppy) face of the speaker may indicate that he/she is not comfortable with his/her speech. More than 2,000 years ago, the Roman orator Cicero stated: “The face is the image of the soul.” By this he meant that human feelings and emotions are often reflected in the face and can be read there in specific expressions. Modern research suggests that Cicero was correct: It is possible to learn much about others’ current moods and feelings from their facial expressions. In fact, it appears that five different basic emotions are represented clearly, and from a very early age, on the human face: anger, fear, happiness, sadness, and disgust. Surprise, has also been suggested as a basic emotion reflected clearly in facial expressions. Facial expressions are one of the most important nonverbal cues used in communication. They include the movement of your eyes, mouth and facial muscles. For example, winking is a facial expression that is better to avoid in a professional work setting. It implies that you are sharing a private joke with someone. Smiling is another type of facial expression. Your smile is a positive form of nonverbal communication that creates a friendly atmosphere and makes people feel welcomed. Eye Contact We often learn much about others’ feelings from their eyes. Eye contact is nonverbal communication that takes place when people's eyes meet. When you maintain eye contact with someone, it shows that you are interested and engaged in what they have to say. For example, we interpret a high level of gazing from another as a sign of liking or friendliness. In contrast, if others avoid eye contact with us, we may conclude that they are unfriendly, don’t like us, or are simply shy. If another person gazes at us continuously and maintains such contact regardless of what we do, he or she can be said to be staring. A stare is often interpreted as a sign of anger or hostility— as in cold stare—and most people find this particular nonverbal cue disturbing. In fact, we may quickly terminate social interaction with someone who stares at us and may even leave the scene. C) Posture Way a person stands or sits. Posture of a person while speaking indicates his mental state (relaxed, confident, attentive or impatient). An open posture displays friendliness, warmth, and positivity. A closed posture displays boredom, indifference and negativity. D) Gestures Gestures involve movements and signals with the hands, arms, head, neck and legs. The gestures that you use depend on what you are trying to express. People make gestures when arguing, demonstrating something or communicating silently across a room. For example, you might clap after someone finishes a speech as a sign of approval or wave your hand to say hello or goodbye to someone. Giving your teammate a high five is another popular nonverbal cue that you can use to celebrate a victory or a job well done. Parts of the body particularly hands and face, move to communicate message, either in place of, or in conjunction with speech. 3 main types of gestures: adaptors, emblems, and illustrators. Adaptors are touching behaviour and movement that can be targeted towards the self, objects or others. It results from anxiety or uneasiness. Emblems are gestures that serve the name purpose as a word. Illustrators are the gestures to indicate the size or shape of an object. Illustrators are used subconsciously and are largely involuntary. Making gestures while speaking on telephone although the other person is not seen. e) Touch (Haptics) Notion of interaction through touch. Non-verbal form of communication, touch, carries ethical and moral implications in educational practice. A pat by the teacher on the back of the student is a sign of encouragement and it is many times more powerful that a verbal communication. Suppose that during a brief conversation with another person, he or she touched you briefly. How would you react? What information would this behavior convey? The answer to both questions is, it depends. And what it depends on is several factors relating to who does the touching (a friend, a stranger, a member of your own or the other gender). Further the nature of this physical contact (brief or prolonged, gentle or rough, what part of the body is touched). And the context in which the touching takes place (a business or social setting, a doctor’s office). Depending on such factors, touch can suggest affection, sexual interest, dominance, caring, or even aggression. Despite such complexities, existing evidence indicates that when touching is considered appropriate, it often produces positive reactions in the person being touched. But remember, it must be viewed as appropriate to produce such reactions! 3. Written Communication Any written message that two or more people exchange. Written communication is typically more formal but less efficient than oral communication. Examples -- Letters Emails Notes Texts Billboards, etc. 4. Visual Communication Visual communication is delivering information, messages, and points by way of graphical representations, or visual aids. Using visual communication in addition to verbal, nonverbal, and written communication, create an effective way for message to be heard and understood. Examples --- Slide presentations, Diagrams, Physical models, Drawings Illustrations Verbal Communication vs. Nonverbal Communication Verbal and non-verbal communication differ in various ways. The differences are explained below.  Verbal communication is based on the use of words. In contrast, non-verbal communication refers to using signs to deliver a message.  The beginning and the end of verbal communication can be easily idenfied, making it distinct. Sentences are structured in a linear way from the beginning to the end. In contrast, nonverbal communication does not have a clear beginning or end, which makes it continuous.  In most instances, verbal communication is consciously undertaken as people think before communicating. In contrast, nonverbal communication occurs unconsciously as people express their emotions and react to certain situations.  People who use a specific language usually understand verbal communication. In contrast, people can understand some nonverbal communication worldwide.  In verbal communication, the message can be delivered and understood easily. In contrast, some nonverbal cues may be unclear, making the message unclear. Modes of communication When you use different ways of speaking, you can communicate ideas or express emotions more effectively. In verbal communication, you express ideas aloud to another person. The information you may convey during a conversation also includes the tone of your speech. Below are the four types of verbal communication: 1. Interpersonal communication One-to-one communication takes place when individuals exchange information, such as ideas or opinions, in words. Here, two or more people take turns sending and receiving information. The exchange of information can happen in face-to-face meetings, on the phone or via online platforms. Strong interpersonal communication can add value to a conversation and enhance personal interactions. When using interpersonal communication, it's important to be mindful of your tone of voice, gestures, expressions and body language, as they may convey a motive behind your words. 2. Intrapersonal communication Intrapersonal communication is communication that occurs internally. It may include self-talk, acts of imagination, visualisation or recall, where an individual processes their thoughts. Interpersonal communication can play a crucial role in various social and personal functions. This type of communication can remain a personal introspection, or it can lead you to communicate verbally. 3. Small group communication Small group communication may happen when more than two people are present. Here, the number of participants may be small enough to allow each person to interact or converse with others. Small group communications usually focus on completing specific tasks or accomplishing certain goals. Board meetings, weekly team meetings and press conferences are typical examples of small group communication. In the workplace, small group communication may help individuals perform informal roles, collaborate, and develop a sense of belonging. For small group discussions to be successful, members may have to discuss a specific issue. Member attributes can play a role in small group formations.. 4. Public communication This method of communication usually takes place when one person talks to many people, such as a crowd. Public speeches during election campaigns are good examples of public communication. In most cases, the information goes in one direction. There is usually a person who addresses or conveys information to many recipients. With public communication, the speaker may try to disclose and explain an idea to an audience. A good example is a lecturer giving a speech at an industry conference. Disseminating crucial information to the masses via TV and radio can be an integral part of public communication.