Introduction to Communication PDF

INTRODUCTION ❖We are born with the capacity to communicate ❖Communication is a truly remarkable process. ( Transmission of information, ideas, emotions, skills, knowledge etc.) ❖Communication shapes and regulates our behaviour. (smile, anger etc.)  Why need communication? ...

INTRODUCTION ❖We are born with the capacity to communicate ❖Communication is a truly remarkable process. ( Transmission of information, ideas, emotions, skills, knowledge etc.) ❖Communication shapes and regulates our behaviour. (smile, anger etc.)  Why need communication?  Why need communication? Survival The foremost reason to communicate to others for the human beings in particular is their own survival. There is hardly any sense in believing that a person can all alone live a life by fulfilling its daily life needs. The fact is that every next moment a person is dependent on others to survive. Hence it is inevitable for all of us to bank on communication. Co-operation There is a very genuine instinct in all the living creatures to cooperate with each other to keep the cycle of life running. Humans need this more cautiously as to keep their hard felt sense of superiority. Relationships Feeling of keeping a range of relationship from an individual to family was strong from early days of human civilization. It would have been extremely difficult to promote a life style without acknowledging the relationships among people living together for sometime. Persuasion Communication proved handy in the course of persuasion and influence others to keep the human civilization grow. The task is done even today, though, with different techniques and in a rather complex world of communication. Power Better communication helped people to command power over others. This phenomenon is more evident in the fields of conflict and to bring the enemy down. To muster support by using better communication skills has always been the hallmark of human interactivity. Social needs Social needs grow with almost the same pace, human culture and civilization nurture. History stands as testimony to the fact that the circle of human social needs expands as people try to live together in more organized manner. Communication is the common most thing which knit societies to fulfill their desire to rise jointly. Information In more advance world, as it is today, it is a piece of information – a piece of communication, which brings relief to human living in a score of ways. Information about roads, condition, may help you change your traveling plan, for instance. A small bit of information may have a life long impression on your future business. Decision making And not the least, in present day affairs communication goes long way in helping us in decision making. Not an individual alone, but families and nations, can draw certain conclusions with the help of available communication on certain matters which is likely to improve the overall living standards and a more secure life for all of human beings.  Definition Communication – Latin word COMMUNIS (noun); COMMUNICARE (verb) meaning TO MAKE COMMON “ A process of sharing or exchange of ideas, information, knowledge, attitude or feeling among two or more persons through certain signs and symbols.”  “Communication is the transfer of information from a sender to a receiver, with the information being understood by the receiver”. — Koontz and Weihrich The Oxford dictionary defines communication as ‘the imparting or exchange of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium. According to Newman and Summer, ‘Communication is an exchange of facts, ideas, opinions or emotions by two or more people.’ To summarize, communication has been defined as: ❖ A process of passing information and understanding ❖ A two way process of reaching mutual understanding ❖ The act of making one’s ideas and opinions known to others. ❖ The process of imparting ideas and making oneself understood by others ❖ The transmission and accurate replication of ideas ensured by feedback for the purpose of eliciting actions. ❖ A systematic and continuous process of telling, listening and understanding.  Nature Communication is a Process Communication Involves Transmitting Information and Understanding Information Sender and Receiver may be Human or Non-Human Objects Communication Requires Some Channel or Medium Communication has Three Interlocking Circuits: Transmitting information – (i) Upwards (ii) Downwards and (iii) Intra scaler. Upward circuit is aimed at knowing the idea, comments, actions, reactions, attitudes, reports, complains and grievances from the lower level. Such a circuit flows upwards. Downward circuit is meant for transmitting flow of instructions, directions, clarifications, interpretations of rules, orders, policies and procedures, to lower level who has to implement them. Such a circuit has a downward flow. Intra scalar or cross contact circuit is for exchange of information between departmental heads, members, executives or between workers all of equal rank. Scope Communication in Personal Life Communication in Social Life Communication in State and International affairs Communication in Business Communication in Management Communication in Religion Process Medium Encode Decode Sender Message Receiver Decode Encode Noise Feedback Two common elements in every communication exchange are the sender and the receiver. The sender initiates the communication. the sender is a person who has a need or desire to convey an idea or concept to others. The receiver is the individual to whom the message is sent. The sender encodes the idea by selecting words, symbols, or gestures with which to compose a message. The message is the outcome of the encoding, which takes the form of verbal, nonverbal, or written language. The message is sent through a medium or channel, which is the carrier of the communication. The medium can be a face-to-face conversation, telephone call, e-mail, or written report. The receiver decodes the received message into meaningful information. Noise is anything that distorts the message. Different perceptions of the message, language barriers, interruptions, emotions, and attitudes are examples of noise. Finally, feedback occurs when the receiver responds to the sender's message and returns the message to the sender. Feedback allows the sender to determine whether the message has been received and understood.  Functions of Communication ❖Education and Instruction Communication provides knowledge, skills for smooth functioning by the people in the society. It creates awareness and gives opportunity to people to actively participate in the public life. ❖Information Quality of our life will be poor without information. The more informed we are, the more powerful we become. Communication provides information about our surroundings. ❖Entertainment communication provides endless entertainment to people through films, television, radio, music, games etc. Discussion Debates and discussions clarify different viewpoints on issues of interest to the people. Through communication we find out reasons for varying viewpoints and impart new ideas to others. Persuasion It helps in reaching for a decision on public policy so that it is helpful to govern the people. Cultural Promotion Communication provides an opportunity for the promotion and preservation of culture and traditions. Integration It is through communication that a large number of people across countries come to know about each other’s traditions and appreciate each other’s ways of life. It develops integration and tolerance towards each other. Barriers to communication Process Barriers Every step in the communication process is necessary for effective and good communication.. Blocked steps become barriers. Consider the following situations: Sender barrier. A new administrator with an innovative idea fails to speak up at a meeting, chaired by the superintendent, for fear of criticism. Encoding barrier. A Spanish-speaking staff member cannot get an English-speaking administrator to understand a grievance about working conditions. Medium barrier. A very upset staff member sends an emotionally charged letter to the leader instead of transmitting her feelings face-to-face. Decoding barrier. An older principal is not sure what a young department head means when he refers to a teacher as "spaced out." Receiver barrier. A school administrator who is preoccupied with the preparation of the annual budget asks a staff member to repeat a statement, because she was not listening attentively to the conversation. Feedback barrier. During a meeting, the failure of school administrators to ask any questions causes the superintendent to wonder if any real understanding has taken place.  Language Barriers Lack of common language If the communicator and the receiver belong to different language groups, their ignorance of each other’s language or the lack of common language will be a barrier to communication between them. Semantic barrier A word may have variety of meanings and the meaning attributed to a word by the communicator may not be the same that of the receiver’s attributed meanings of that word. A word can have different meaning to different people at different occasions. Sometimes, they may use different words to communicate the same meaning. Poor Vocabulary Poor vocabulary makes our message more difficult and less effective. The words have different connotative and denotative meanings. The communicator needs to know them clearly in order to use them with clarity and precision. Words stand not only for their meanings but they are charged action and emotion. Poor Grammar and punctuation PGP is a barrier to verbal communication. Usage of words (noun, verb, sentence construction etc.)- selection of words Roundabout Verbiage It consists of the usage of overworked, troublesome and exhausted words and phrases which usually cause a considerable amount of misunderstanding and confusion. Eg. Instead of using “ in the majority of cases” or “ in a number of instances” we can say “some or usually”; commences-start/begin  Physical Barriers Noise Disturbance in the form of sounds It can be in the form of visual, audio-visual,written,physical or psychological form also Technical noise (loud noise of the machine) Time Communication gap A phone call at midnight might irritate A husband who keeps her waiting for a long time will not find it easy to communicate with her. Distance Availability of Techincal devices Faulty sitting arrangement in the gatherings Age Generation gap – vocabulary, lifestyle; older group vs younger group Sex Aggressiveness is unfeminine.  Socio-psychological barrier Status Differences between classes- status consciousness is harmful in the process of upward communication. No offering of suggestions because of fear Attitudes and values When the message is unfavourable to the receiver, he/she cannot be persuaded by it contrary to our views not easily acceptable Different backgrounds-individual differences Different perception of Reality One prefers to be believe what one prefers to be true.-perception is different. Inference Abstracting Closed-mindedness Distortion-Filtering-Editing Bad Listening Emotions Resistance to change  Effective Communications (7 C’s)  When We talk about “ Effective Communication” one thing that comes in mind, what are the basic principles of “effective communication”. These principles tell us how your message can becomes effective for your target group, These principles also tell about style and importance of the message. These principles commonly known as 7 C’s of effective communication.  Completeness Clarity Coherence 7 C’s of Continuity Effective Conciseness Communication Correctness Credibility  CLARITY In effective communication the message should be very much clear. So that reader can understand it easily. You should always Choose precise words. Always choose familiar and easy words. Construct effective sentences and paragraphs. Clarity Of Thought Of Purpose What Why how  COMPLETENESS Message Receiver- either listener or reader, desire complete information to their question. e.g. suppose you are working with multinational company who is engaging with engineering goods , like A.C. Now let say one of your major customer wants some technical information regarding “thermostat” (because he wants to convey the same to the end users ). In this case you have to provide him complete information in a short span of time. If possible, provide him some extra information which he does not know,. In this way you can maintain a good business relation with him, otherwise he may switch to an other company.  One way to make your message complete is to answer the five W’s. WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? WHY? The five question method is useful when you write requests, announcements, or other informative messages. For instance, to order (request) merchandise, make clear WHAT you want, WHEN u need it, WHERE it is to be sent.  Coherence Relation and clarity are two important aspects of coherence Means tying together of several ideas under one main topic in any paragraph Flow of thought Read-understood and acted upon by the reader  Conciseness Conciseness means “convey the message by using fewest words”. “Conciseness is the prerequisite to effective communication.” concise message saves the time  For achieving the conciseness you have to consider the following. 1. Avoid wordy expression 2. Include only relevant material 3. Avoid unnecessary repetition.  E.g. Wordy:- at this time. Instead of “at this time” you can just use only a concise word:- NOW , Always try to use “ To the point Approach” in business scenario perspective.  Always try to provide only relevant information to the receiver of the message. Lets say one of your customer requested for clients of the company in reply you should provide simply list of clients at the panel of your company. No need to provide detailed business information about client at all. Observe the following suggestions to “ Include only relevant information.” Stick to the purpose of message Delete irrelevant words Avoid long introduction, unnecessary explanation etc. Get to the important point concisely.  Some times repetition is necessary for focusing some special issue. But when the same thing is said with out two or three reasons, the message become wordy and boring. That’s why try to avoid Un-necessary repetition.  Credibility Power and reaction to produce the desired effect Demands clarity, correctness and completeness  Correctness At the core of correctness is proper grammar, punctuation and spelling. however, message must be perfect grammatically and mechanically. The term correctness, as applied to business messages also mean three characteristics o Use the right level of language o Check the accuracy of figures, facts and words o Maintain acceptable writing mechanics Use the right Level of Language we suggest that there are three level of language 1. formal 2. informal 3. substandard. Take a quick guess: what kind of writing is associated with each level? What is the style of each? Formal and Informal Words Formal writing is often associated with scholarly writing: doctoral dissertations, scholarly, legal documents, top-level government agreements and other material where formality is demanded. Informal writing is more characteristic of business writing. Here you use words that are short, well-known and conversational as in this comparison list: More Formal less formal Participate Join Endeavor try Ascertain find out Utilize use Interrogate question  Substandard Language Avoid substandard language. Using correct words, incorrect grammar, faulty pronunciation all suggest as inability to use good English. Some examples follow: Substandard More Acceptable Ain’t isn’t,aren’t Can’t hardly can hardly Aim to proving aim to prove Desirous to desirous of Stoled stolen  Facts and Figures Accuracy Check Accuracy of Facts, Figures and words It is impossible to convey meaning precisely, through words, from the head of the sender to a receiver. Our goal is to be as precise as possible, which means checking and double-checking and double-checking to ensure that the figures, facts and words you use are correct. “A good check of your data is to have another person read and comment on the validity of the material” Figures and facts ▪ Verify your statistical data ▪ Double-check your totals ▪ Avoid guessing at laws that have an impact on you, the sender and your ▪ Have someone else read your message if the topic involves data. ▪ Determine whether a “fact” has changed over time  Proper Use of Confusing Words ! Our Language (Any) is constantly changing. In fact,even dictionaries can not keep up with rapid change in our language. the following words often confusing in usage: A, An use a before consonants and consonants sounds or a long ” u” sound. Use an before vowels. Accept, except accept is a verb and means to receive. except is a verb or a preposition and relates to omitting or leaving out. Anxious, eager Anxious implies worry, eager conveys keen desire  Continuity Avoid jargons Brevity and use of few words brings clarity to your writing Continuity of Subject  TYPOLOGY OF COMMUNICATION Verbal and Non-Verbal Verbal communication is using speech or spoken word to exchange information, emotions, and thoughts. Conversely, non-verbal communication is conveying and exchanging messages without the use of spoken words. Oral communication channel refers to telephonic conversations, face-to-face meetings, speeches and presentations, videoconferences, etc. Nonverbal communication typically refers to hand and body movements, gestures, facial expressions, physical appearance, space, etc.  Intrapersonal Interpersonal Typology of Group Communication Mass Interactive  Intra Personal Communication ❑A kind of communication that occurs within us. ❑ It involves thoughts, feelings, and the way we look at ourselves. ❑It is centered in the self, you are the only sender-receiver. ❑The message is made up of your thoughts and feelings. ❑The channel is your brain, which processes what you are thinking and feeling. ❑There is feedback in the sense that you talk to yourself, or discard certain ideas and replace them with others.  Even though you are not directly communicating with others in intra-personal communication, the people and the experiences you have had determine how you “talk” to yourself. For example, if you had a good day, you are likely to look at your-self in a positive way. If a teacher was disappointed with your work, or if you had a fight with a fellow student, you are likely to focus more on your depression or anger. You can never look at yourself without being influenced by the relationships you have with others. Physical self- Bodily and five senses Emotional self-Response to stimuli Intellectual self-use of logic and reasoning, decision making  Self concept Johari window Open- Self knowledge ( all know- you & I know) Hidden-you are aware of but not willing to let others know ( I know but others do not know) Blind-you do not know but others know Unknown- you do not know and others do not know as well Intra personal communication starts with a stimulus-It is a reaction to the certain action or stimuli – S could be internal (within us) or external (outside source). These stimuli are picked up by the sensory organs and then sent to the brain- RECEPTION When we receive all stimuli directed to us, we pay attention to only a few – Selective perception. Processing of stimuli : Cognitive-Emotional – Physiological Cognitive Processing is associated with intellectual self and includes the storage, retrieval, sorting and assimilation of information Emotional Processing is associated with emotional self- emotions, attitudes, beliefs and opinions interact to determine our emotional response to any stimulus. Physiological Processing occurs at physiological level – response is reflected in our  Interpersonal Communication occurs when we communicate on a one-to-one basis— usually in an informal, unstructured setting. This kind of communication occurs mostly between two people, though it may include more than two. Interpersonal communication uses all the elements of the communication process. In a conversation between friends, for example, each brings his or her back ground and experience to the conversation. Outing the conversation each functions as a sender - receiver. Their message consists of both verbal and non-verbal symbols. The channels they use the most are sight and sound. Because interpersonal communication is between two (or a few) people, it offers the greatest opportunity for feedback. Psychological noise is likely to be minimal because each person can see whether the other is distracted. The persons involved in the conversation have many chances to check that the message is being perceived correctly. Interpersonal communication usually takes place in informal and comfortable settings. Face to face interaction between two persons- immediate feedback is available Influence and persuasion is possible Emotional appeal Flow of information is tremendous Messages consist of meanings derived from personal observations and experiences Functions of Interpersonal Communication Linking Function – connects a person to his or her environment Mediating Function- Conceptualize, remember and plan Regulatory Function- our own and other’s behaviour  Group Communication It is an extension of interpersonal communication where more than two individuals are involved in exchange of ideas, skills, and interests With a common goal interact with one another to accomplish their goals, recognize one another’s existence and see themselves as part of the group. Could be many different groups : casually formed groups over a cup of coffee, games,dress or religious gathering than that of groups attending seminar to help fight AIDS etc. Small groups : 3-7 members, informal , less structured, more individual participation, easy to manage Larger groups: adopt formal rules to maintain order  Mass Communication Communication with mass audiences Channels used for the communication referred as mass media “ Any mechanical device that multiplies messages and takes it to a large number of people simultaneously is called mass communication” Media are NP, radio, TV, films, magazines etc Nature of audience and feedback is different from that of interpersonal communication. Mass communication audience – whosoever the recepient of mass media content constitutes its audience. Different sizes – TV…millions of viewers; thousands of readers for a book or journal. Feedback is slow and weak; not instantaneous or direct as in face to face exchange, delayed Eg: success of a book on the basis of its sales  Interactive communication an exchange of ideas where both participants, whether human or machine are active and can have an effect on one another. It is a dynamic, two-way flow of information. Many forms of communication previously thought one-way, like books and television, have become interactive with the rise of computers, the Internet, and digital and mobile devices. These developing collaborative technologies, or new media, have rapidly increased the opportunities for interactive communication across mediums, disciplines, cultures, social classes, locations, and even time. Interactive communication is a modern term that encompasses these evolving forms of conversation. It is a primary characteristic of the present Information Age. New experiments in interaction design are evolving on a daily basis. Social media, interactive marketing and user generated contents, ATM machines, online shopping, chat rooms etc are forms of IC  Characteristics of Mass Communication  Characteristics of Mass Communication 1. Mass Medium 2. Presence of Gatekeepers 3. Delayed Feedback 4. Limited Sensory Channels 5. Impersonal Vs Personal Communication Mass Medium For a medium to be regarded as mass in communication it must have acquired fifty million adopters (Kaye & Medoff 2005). Radio, Television, internet etc are examples of media which are regarded as mass media because they can reach out to no fewer than fifty million audience at a time. In mass communication, messages reach far beyond the immediate proximity of the sender and could even get to the uttermost part of the world. Presence of Gatekeepers In mass communication, sent messages do not reach the audience in raw form. Messages are usually ‘treated’. The implication of this is that there is usually no guarantee that what the message receivers get is exactly the message sent by the source. In mass media organizations, the gatekeepers are usually the reporters, sub-editors, editors, producers, writers, etc. The concept of gatekeeper was first coined by Kurt Lewin who describes gatekeepers as individuals or groups of persons who govern the travels of news items in the communication channels. Gatekeepers could also be defined as any person or formally organized group directly involved transferring information from one individual to another through a mass medium. A gatekeeper can be a film producer who cuts a scene from the original script, a network censor who deletes a scene from a prime – time show because it is perceived as being too sexually explicit, a director who determines what segment of film to use in a documentary, a newspaper executive who determines the topic for an editorial, or any other individual in the processing or control of messages disseminated through mass media (Bittner 1989:12). A Gatekeeper does three major functions: 1. Limiting the information through editing before dissemination. 2. Expanding the amount of information by injecting additional views or angles. 3. Reorganizing or Reinterpreting the information gathered before disseminating it. Delayed Feedback Unlike in interpersonal communication where reply/feedback is made almost instantly, the feedback in mass communication is always delayed, say for a day, week or month. Burgoon et al 1978 cited in Folarin 1994 says “Feedback is often limited, delayed and indirect”. Mass Communicators are usually subject to additional feedback in form of criticism in other media, such as a television critic, writing a column in a newspaper (Baran 2004:7). In other words, feedback in mass communication is not instant. It is mostly through letters to the editor or telephone calls or personal calls on the media Stanley Baran coined the term ‘delayed inferential feedback’ when he said that television executives do not usually wait for feedbacks on what they must do not to improve programming but only infer using the rating measured by the number of viewers. Limited Sensory Channels mass communication only enables one to use his or her sense of sight and hearing since one can only see the visual picture and hear the voice of the speaker on the broadcast station. This is unlike in a face- to- face communication where the audience can shake hands or hug the politicians and as such, have no limitation to the sensory channels. Impersonal and Personal Communication Unlike in face – to – face communication where communication is personal, participants in mass communication are usually strangers and, hence messages are more impersonal.