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MODULE 1

FUNDAMENTALS OF COMMUNICATION

Prof. Glynis Machado

INTRODUCTION TO THEORY OF COMMUNICATION

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DEFINITION
Communication is the lifeblood of every organization.

 Communication is defined as the process of understanding and sharing meaning.

-Pearson & Nelson, 2000
 Communication is the process involving the transmission and reception of symbols eliciting
meaning in the minds of the participants by making common their life experiences.
-Baird Jr. E John
 Effective communication is purposive interchange resulting in workable understanding and
agreement between the sender and the receiver.
-George T Vardaman

WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?

 Interchanging/ Conveying information

 Transferring information from one person

to another in a way that is meaningful and

understandable by the receiver.

 Reaching Audiences

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OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION

 Providing information

 Giving Instructions

 Advising

 Counselling

 Persuading

 Decision making

OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION AT THE WORKPLACE

 Developing/implementing plans

 Facilitating policy formation

 Solving problems and achieving organizational goals

 Directing/coordinating/motivating employees  increasing efficiency

 Attracting customers -encouraging sales- increasing profit

 Organizing resources and managing brand equity

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HALLMARKS

 Two-way process (Interactive)

 Repeated over time
 Short-lived
 Dynamic
 Contextual (frame of reference)
 Grounded in Perspective (experiences + associations)

THE PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION

 Context/ Frame of Reference

 Sender/Encoder- Encoding
 Medium
 Message
 Channel (carrier)
 Receiver/Decoder- Decoding
 Feedback

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Frame of Reference

Medium

Channel

Noise

MEDIUM AND CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION

• Face to Face Communication: Air

• Email, WhatsApp: Internet/ Fibre Optic Cable

• Telephonic Conversation: Cable

• Mobile Conversation: Mobile network/ satellite communication

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EXAMPLE

 Mr. Gupta sends a letter via email to his TL requesting a 5-day leave.
1. Sender: Mr. Gupta
2. Receiver: Team Leader
3. Message: 5-day leave
4. Medium: Written/Typed
5. Channel: Internet/ Fibre-optic cable
6. Feedback: Not specified/given

METHODS OF COMMUNICATION

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Albert Mehrabian formulated the 7-38-55% communication rule

7%  verbal, 38%  vocal, 55%  non-verbal

Verbal: relating to words

Non-verbal: eye contact, facial expressions
Vocal: relating to voice
Non-vocal: not uttered by the voice
Non-vocal Verbal: relating to words without utterances

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VERBAL COMMUNICATION
(ORAL/ VOCAL)

Communication used to express our views, information and ideas in the

form of words.

 Involves the use of words to convey a

message

 Includes spoken language

VERBAL COMMUNICATION
(WRITTEN/ NON-VOCAL)

It refers to the process of conveying a message through written

words/symbols

 Involves the use of written words

to convey a message

 Can be revised

 Provides permanent record

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NON- VOCAL VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Words are uttered through the use of hands.

 Includes

1. Sign Language

2. Finger Spelling

3. Braille

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

 Exchanging of information without

the use of words

 Making meaning without words

 Using facial expressions, body

language, eye movement, to
communicate with others.

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NON-VERBAL NON-VOCAL COMMUNICATION

o Non-verbal cues perceived through the five senses:

Information conveyed nonverbally can be perceived through any of the five

senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.

 Sight (Visual): deciphering of visual display of information e.g. icons

 Sound (Auditory): hearing- sound of bell, ringtones, songs etc.
 Touch (Tactile): communicating friendship, love, approval, anger through touch
 Smell (Olfactory): conveying messages through the sense of smell, scents, odours,
fragrances, aromas etc.
 Taste (Gustatory): tasting food, beverages etc.

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○ Non-verbal cues transmitted through the use of the body, voice,

space, time and silence

 Body: refers to communication through the body language of the parties communicating
e.g.: facial expressions, gestures, posture, etc.

Ray Birdwhistell, the father of kinesics, the science of

body language, says that he could find no “gesture or
body motion which has the same social meaning in all
societies.” (1970, p. 81)

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 Cultural differences with respect to gestures

o Two-fingered sign o Pointing to themselves

Victory/peace  USA Pointing at their face  Japanese

Vulgar  Australia Pointing at their nose  Chinese

Pointing at their chest  Americans

o Counting numbers o Hands up with palms facing outwards

1= forefinger  USA Ten (number)

1= thumb, 2= forefinger  Europe I surrender, I’m telling the truth

NON-VERBAL FORM NON-VERBAL CUE WHAT DOES IT SUGGEST?

Sustained Eye Contact Trust, admiration, confidence
Eye contact Brief Eye Contact Stress, Nervousness
Avoiding Eye Contact Fear, shyness, lack of sincerity, respect

Raising Eyebrows Surprise, question, curiosity

Lowering Eyebrows Acceptance, submission
Furrowed Forehead Anger, frustration, displeasure
Facial expression Wide Open Eyes Surprise, astonishment
Open Mouth Shock
Swallowing Nervousness
Frowning Anger, displeasure

Gestures, postures, Leaning towards the Speaker Interest

body movement Pulling away/Leaning back Fear, disgust, anger, distrust

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 Proxemics: Involves the cues and signals we give to others using personal and
social space

 Chronemics- study of how human beings communicate through their use of

time

Latin countries- meetings begin well

after their appointed time, no one is

offended by the delay

Germany- strict punctuality is the rule

India- time language varies according to

the occasion

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 Silence: lack of interest, stubbornness, respect, lack of appreciation etc.

Silence Indicates

Profoundness/ Listening
Hostility Disagreement Respect Contemplation Rudeness Empathy
horror space

PARALANGUAGE
(NON-VERBAL VOCAL)

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 Paralanguage: refers to spoken communication through changes in the rate of

speech, accent, volume, voice modulation, pitch, and fluency
o Non-verbal vocal cues associated with a phone call: tone of the voice, pace, etc.

TYPES OF NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Kinesics Body language
Haptics Touch
Proxemics Distance/ Space
Chronemics Time
Paralanguage/ Vocalics Pitch, Speed, Hesitation
Olfactics Smell
Oculesics Eye contact
Chromatics Use of color
Artifacts Ornaments, accessories

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TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

FORMAL COMMUNICATION

 Taking place through pre-planned channels in an organized setting

 Usually more time-consuming

 Advantage: Having proof

 E.g.: Communication between team members during a meeting

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Formal Communication

1. Upward : process of information flowing from lower levels of the hierarchy

to the upper levels.

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2. Downward : occurs when information/messages flow downward from higher

levels of the organization’s hierarchy to the lower levels.

3. Horizontal : practice of sharing information between employees, departments

or units within the same hierarchical level of an organization.

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NON-FORMAL COMMUNICATION

 Casual conversations in personal setting or even in formal settings

 Less time-consuming

 Advantages: Building relationships, brainstorming

 Disadvantage: No proof

 E.g.: Team members discussing about the meeting casually

Informal Communication

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 4. Diagonal : refers to communication held without following a

recommended structure in an organization.
 Also called Grapevine communication
 Unreliable, Distorted, sources not traceable

INTERNAL COMMUNICATION

 Any communication done within an organized

set up like an organization or a department or

even a team

 Can be both formal and informal

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EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION

 Communication done with people outside

an organised setup

 External communication is always formal

BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

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1. MECHANICAL BARRIERS

These include barriers that occur because of the use of various instruments and
machines used for communication. It is a relatively modern barrier.

 Lack of mass communication instruments

 Defect in machines
 Power failures
 Transmission interruptions

2. PHYSICAL BARRIERS

They result from physical distraction or from any external element of the
surrounding which can hinder the smooth flow of communication.

 Environment
 Time and Distance
 Ignorance of Medium
 Personal health problems

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3. SEMANTIC AND LINGUISTIC BARRIERS

These include barriers to communication because of the language and its

received meaning.

 Partial/ total lack of knowledge about

sender’s language
 Mispronunciation/ Incorrect
pronunciation
 Misinterpretation/Improper Decoding
 Jargon overuse
 Bypassing/ missing meaning
 Verbalism- choice of words

4. PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS

Involves the influence of psychological state of the communicators (sender and receiver)
which creates an obstacle for effective communication
 Lack of Attention
 Poor Retention
 Distrust and Defensiveness/
Halo and Horn Effect
 Perception and Assumption
 Implication and Inference
(guess and conclude)
 Stress
 Status

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5. SOCIO-CULTURAL BARRIERS

These include the communication gap created between people of different

social, cultural and geographical backgrounds

 Linguistic
 Paralinguistic/Non-verbal behaviour
 Morals/Values
 Concepts (time, space, etc) and
Contexts

COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS IN CONVENTIONS OF

MEANING

Denotative and Connotative Meanings

- Denotative: dictionary definition

- Connotative: qualitative judgements and

personal reactions, affected by

backgrounds and interests

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MURPHY’S LAW – OSMO WIIO

 Edward Murphy’s Law  “If anything can go

wrong, it will.”

E.g.: Law of Titanic- If a device cannot malfunction, it

will.

 Osmo Wiio, Finnish researcher of Human

Communication  Law of Communication

 Osmo Wiio’s Laws of Human Communication

“Communication usually fails, except by accident.”
1. If communication can fail, it will.
2. If a message can be understood in different ways, it will be understood in just that way
which does most harm/ maximizes damage.
3. There is always somebody who knows better than you what you meant by your
message.
4. The more communication there is, the more difficult it is for communication to succeed.
5. If communication cannot fail, it still most usually fails.
6. If communication seems to succeed in the intended way, there’s a misunderstanding.

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 Wiio also observed that anytime there are two people conversing, there are
actually six people in the conversation:
1. Who you think you are
2. Who you think the other person is
3. Who you think the other person thinks you are
4. Who the other person thinks he/she is
5. Who the other person thinks you are
6. Who the other person thinks you think he/she is

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HOW TO OVERCOME BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION?

 Know your audience, their needs, perceptions and expectations

 Try to experience the world from the receiver’s perspective
 Use an appropriate and effective personal style
 Use an appropriate form and style of communication
 Encode your message well
 Avoid physical and psychological barriers
 Be precise and to the point/ Avoid information overload
 Appreciate and understand cultural differences

COMMUNICATION AT THE WORKPLACE

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CATEGORIES OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

 Internal- Operational Communication

o Occurs within a business
o Witnessed among employees to perform work and track success
 External Operational Communication
o Occurs outside the business
o Communication with its public
o E.g.: e-marketing, press releases, letters to customers, feedback forms
 Personal/ Informal Communication
o Informal communication with colleagues at workplace

Customers

Core business The public at

partners large
XYZ
business

Regulatory
Public groups agents

External Audiences for Business

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CONTEXTS OF COMMUNICATION

• Organizational Contexts
(Environment in which org operates, internal/external issues)

• Professional Contexts
(Behaviors/ relationships in the context)

If context is not understood, communication is ineffective and useless.

• Personal Contexts
(Individual’s internal environment)

BENEFITS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

I. A valuable job requirement

JOB TITLE REQUIREMENT

1. Finance Associate Excellent Communication skills
2. Fiscal Officer Superior writing + presentation skills
3. Product Manager Develop and communicate product objectives and strategies
4. Senior Sales Representative Communication and follow-up skills, proposal and quotation writing
5. Contracts Administrator Oral/Written communication + proposal preparation

II. Essential for Promotion

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COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES AT THE WORKPLACE

1. Different backgrounds of employees

2. Different accents
3. Different organisation culture
4. Closed groups
5. Direct versus indirect feedback
6. Personality traits
7. Differences in experience

CHALLENGES FOR BUSINESSES

1. The Need for Expanded Media Literacy

2. Increasing Globalism and Workplace Diversity

3. An Increased Need for Strong Analytical Skills

4. An Increased Focus on Ethics and Social Responsibility (CSR)

(environmental efforts/ philanthropy/ ethical labor practices/ volunteering )

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