Concept of communication:
Communication is the process of transmitting information from one person to another. The word communication derived from latin word “communis” which mean Common. Communication is essence of leading, decision making, coordinating and motivating in an organization. It is considered as life blood of organization.
Communication is the continuous process. It never ends. It is universal. It is also exchanging the facts, idea, thought feeling and values from one person to another. It is an important function of management. Communication should be understand by receiver in the same sense of sender.
According to Keith Devis “Communication is the process of passing information and understanding from one person to another.”
Process of communication
1. Sender: The sender is the person or group who conveys the message. He initiates the process of communication. Thus, Sender must have the message, idea, information which he wants to convey.
2. Encoding: When senders translate the message into words, symbol or some other form he is using encoding stills. It is necessary to encoding because it will make the receiver understand the message. Language is the popular code. The function of encoding is to provide a form in which message com be expressed.
3. Channel: The means of receiving massage is called channel. The Channel may be audio(radio), audio visual(television), cinema, printed form ( news, magazine), personal (face to face ), mechanical (telephone, internet, email, fax etc). Proper channel can be selected according to nature, Importance and size of the messages.
4. Decoding: After message is received. Receiver decodes the message. Decoding is the process by which the receiver translate the message and assigned it some meaning. It involves interpretation. It will enable him to understand the message.
5. Receiver: Communication requires two parties, sender and receiver. The receiver is the person who receive the message. The receiver may be listener, reader or viewer. Effective communication is receiver oriented not sender oriented.
6. Feedback: The reaction given by message receiver in response to the message is called feedback. Feedback play important role in making future communication more effective.
7. Noise: Peaceful environment is necessary for effective information system. External element may put obstacles in communication. Noise bring reduction in effectiveness in communication. So, both message sender and receiver should be careful about it.
Importance of communication
1. Smooth operation of organization: Success of business organization depends on the effectiveness of communication whether big or small or medium, private or public or government communication play a vital role in all business organization. The lack of an effective communication system in an organization may lead to the failure to the desired objective. So, communication has an important role in successful operation of organization.
2. Quick decision and Implementation: Important information and date collected through an effective communication system In an organization. Communication provides the necessary information and data to managers for making decision quickly and accurately.
3. Proper planning and coordination: Communication have Important role in planning and co-ordinating. Determination of objectives, determination of premises, development and analysis of alternatives, selection of best alternative and detailed operational plan should be made for proper planning. All this functions can be done with the help of communication, without communication no coordination is passible.
4. Essence of managerial function: Communication play important role in discharging the various functions of management, managerial function such as planning, organizing, directing staffing, leading and controlling etc, become impossible without effective communication. So, communication is also the essence of managerial function.
5. Better public relation: Communication helps to maintained sound relation with the public. The objective of the business can be achieved when the pubic feeling are realized through an effective communication of the business policies.
6. Sound Industrial relation: Effective communication alone can establish mutual trust and confidence between management and labour. It enables management to come in to close contact with workers. It serves as a bridge between them and create team spirit in the organization.
7. Maximum production and minimum cost: The goal of each organization is to produce maximum at minimum cost. For this purpose it requires an effective communicaiton system. Effective communication system coordinates the various factor of production which makes maximum output with minimum cost possible through, establishing good human relation, operating efficiently and removing misunderstanding among personnel.
Principle of communication
1. Principle of clarity: There must be some message and information for communication. The message must be as clear as possible. So, that the receiver may interpret it in the same sense and sprite in which it communicated. Thus, the message to be communicate must be very clear in the minds of the communicators, under communication delay the work waste time and affect the efficiency.
2. Principle attention: In order to make the message effective it is necessary that the receiver attention must be drawn to the message communicated to him. Each one of us is different in behavior, sentiments and emotion which decide the degree of attention. Thus, the communicator must know the interest and need of the people with whom he communicates.
3. Principle of adequacy: The message to be communicated must be adequate and complete in all aspect. Incomplete aspect and inadequate information delay action and destroy understanding and relation.
4. Principle of consistency: The message to be communicated should be consistent with the plans, policies, programmes and goals of the organization. This will increase the credibility of the message and promote better understanding. Inconsistent message always creates confusion in the mind of receiver.
5. Principle of motivation: The another important principle of communication is motivation. The task of attracting employees to work. So, making them inspire to work is called motivation . Motivation plays effective role in performance. So, it is an important element of management. While communicating any massage the employees should be motivated to work as intended.
6. Principle of timeline: The message should be communicated at the right time. If communication is not in proper time. It shall loss its significance. Delayed communication is only of historic value, outdated message is useless. Thus, timely communication is more essential to achieve organizational objectives.
7. Principle of feedback: This is the most important principle of an effective communication system. This principle calls for making communication or two way process. Communication is not complete unless sender receive the response or reaction of the receiver.
Type of Communication
1. Vertical Communication: The message that flows from downward to upward and upward to downward is called vertical communication. Thus there are two type vertical communication.
a. Downward communication: The process of sending message from upward to downward according to organizational structure is called downward communication. In this communication the message reaches downwards to subordinates from managers order, direction ,rules and regulation, circular programmes etc are the example of downward communication. Downward communication start at higher level and ends at lower level of organizational structure. It may be both in oral and written forms.
b. Upward Communication: The message that flows just the opposite of downward is called upward communication. The communication that flow from downward to upward is called upward communication. Reports, personal letters, request suggestion unions, publication etc are the example of upward communication. Upward communication start at lower level end at higher level upward communication may be written and oral form.
2. Horizontal communication: The communication that flows at equal level of organizational structure is called horizontal communication. It is useful in getting things done. It brings coordination in the functioning of different departments through mutual understanding such communication starts and end of some level. This type of communication may be both written or oral form. Horizontal communication maintain mutual cooperation and relationship among some level manage employees or workers.
3. Diagonal communication: The flow of message between employees who are neither the same level nor the same department is called diagonal communication. In other word diagonal communication refers to the flow of communication among person at different level who have no direct reporting relationship. The flow of information would be effective in diagonal communication.
Barriers to effective communication
1. Physical Barriers:
a. Noise: Noise is the main physical barrier of communication. Noise or sound effects communication negatively. It hampers in both sending and receiving communication.
b. Distance: Long distance also abstract in communication physical distance between sender and receiver is a responsible factor for communication breakdown.
c. Feedback: If feedback mechanism is not good, communication cannot be effective. Communication is obstacled.
2. Psychological barriers:
a. Selfishness: Selfishness is main psychological barriers of communication. Selfish person find all the people selfish person and understand as the same. It automatically obstructs the communication.
b. Emotion: Emotion abstract the effective communication personal emotion includes anger, fear, hate, jealous etc.
c. Perception: Persons perception and understanding may be different from person to person. Different person understand the same thing differently and explain differently. It also obstruct communication.
d. Distrust: Trust or distrust the message sender also obstruct effective communication. If the message and message sender is distrusted communications obstructed.
e. Attitude: Human attitude is also psychological barrier of communication. If the receiver doesn’t care the message the sender trust him/her many crumble. In such condition the communication cannot be effective.
3. Organizational barriers:
a. Poor planning: Preparation of message, selection of channel and timing of communication should be properly planned of those are not properly planned, many problems may be created.
b. Complex structure: A very complex structure involving several layer of management, breakdown or distortion in communication may arise. Due to long lines of communication, flow of information gets delayed and distorted.
c. Status and position: A status conscious manager may not allow his sub-ordinate to express their felling freely. As a result subordinates may hesitate to speak freely to high level manager.
d. Poor timing: Poor timing can also be a barrier to communication because either the sender or the receiver is not ready to focus on the message.
4. Semantic barriers:
a. Use of technical words: A communication often uses technical words which a common man doesn’t understand. It confuses the receiver.
b. Badly expressed message: Use of wrong words, missing of necessary word and inadequate result in a badly expressed message.
c. Faulty translation: When the translation is not done correctly, the meaning of the message may get destroy.
d. Complex sentences: Long and complex sentences structure also create problem in communication.
Important Questions
- Define communication show the importance of communication in business.
- What are the barriers to be effective communication? Explain
- What is communication? Explain the process of communication.
- What is communication? Discuss the principle of effective communication.