CONTENT

1. What is Communication?
2. Communication Process
3. Categories of Communication
4. Modes of Communication
5. Levels of Communication
6. Barriers of Communication
7. How to overcome these barriers?
8. Effective Communication
What is Communication?
Communication can broadly be defined as exchange of
ideas, messages and information between two or more
persons, through a medium, in a manner that the sender
and the receiver understand the message, I.E., develop
common understanding of the message.

The word communication is derived from the Latin word

‘communicare’, which means to share, impart, participate,
exchange, transmit or to make common. It emphasizes on
sharing common information, ideas and messages. It is not
merely issuing orders and instructions.
Three Simple
Definitions
• Communication means sharing of information
• Communication is the giving and receiving of
messages
• Communication is the transfer of information from
one or more people to one or more other people.
 COMMUNICATION PROCESS
• Communication is a continuous process which mainly
involves three elements- sender, message, and receiver.
The elements involved in the communication process are:
 COMMUNICATION PROCESS
1. Sender: The sender or the communicator generates the
message and conveys it to the receiver. He is the source
and the one who starts the communication.
2. Message: It is the idea, information, view, fact, feeling, etc.
that is generated by the sender and is then intended to be
communicated further.
3. Encoding: The message generated by the sender is encoded
symbolically such as in the form of words, pictures,
gestures, etc. before it is being conveyed.
4. Media/ Channel: It is the manner in which the encoded
message is transmitted. The message may be transmitted
orally or in writing. The medium of communication includes
telephone, internet, post, fax, e-mail, etc. The choice of
medium is decided by the sender.

5. Noise: It refers to any obstruction that is caused by the

sender, message or receiver during the process of
communication. For example, bad telephone connection,
faulty encoding, faulty decoding, inattentive receiver, poor
understanding of message due to prejudice or
inappropriate gestures, etc.
6. Receiver: He is the person who is last in the chain and for
whom the message was sent by the sender. Once the
receiver receives the message and understands it in proper
perspective and acts according to the message, only then
the purpose of communication is successful.

7. Decoding: It is the process of converting the symbols

encoded by the sender. After decoding the message is
received by the receiver.

8. Feedback: Once the receiver confirms to the sender that

he has received the message and understood it, the
process of communication is complete.
7C’s of COMMUNICATION
 Categories of
Communication
 Verbal Communication
1) Verbal communication can also be called as Oral
communication. In very simple terms, any communication
that happens orally between people is known as verbal
communication. The objective of such communications is
to ensure that people understand whatever you want to
convey. Because of its very nature, verbal
communications is more quick and precise/ exact or to
the point than email communication.
2) Nowadays, Verbal communication is an important aspect
and is looked as a key strength in an individual. A manager
or an executive needs to have good verbal
communication skills. A manager has to handle a team of
people and he needs to be skilled to convince the team of
people in acting like he wants them to.
The higher up an organization you go, the better should be
the verbal skills that you have. This is because you need to
ensure that your speech is precise and to the point and does
not leave any scope for any misunderstanding.

An M.D or a C.E.O may be giving a television interview which

is being watched by 100’s of stakeholders of the company.
Their speech and verbal communication need to be precise so
that they don’t mess up or are not misunderstood. Even in
tough times, the verbal communication skills of these leaders
play a major part in consoling the crowd.
 NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Nonverbal communication is "the act of conveying information without the use

of words." This might involve using certain facial expressions or hand gestures
to make a specific point, or it could involve the use (or non-use) of eye contact,
physical proximity, and other nonverbal cues to get a message across.

In Customer service, non-verbal and interpersonal skills play a huge role.

Imagine you were unhappy with a product and you went to the customer
service department. Instead of understanding your problem, the customer
service executive gives a rude reply. Repeatedly you visit them and even though
the problem is not resolved, you don’t get a satisfactory answer. Compare that
with a customer service department which smiles when you come in. They
reassure you that they are on top of your problem. They are proactive and
update you themselves on when to expect the problem to be resolved. Later
on, they follow up whether you were satisfied with the response and if there
was anything they could do further. This smile, the body language of
reassurance, the listening ability are all non-verbal type of communications.
 Written Communication
A ‘Written Communication’ means the sending of messages, orders or
instructions in writing through letters, circulars, manuals, reports,
telegrams, office memos, bulletins, etc.
It is a formal method of communication and is less flexible. A written
document preserved properly becomes a permanent record for future
reference.

The advantage of written communication is that it acts as the final word

once a decision has been taken. When you quote your prices to the
customer, when you rank a dealer on top, when you promote an employee
or when you launch a new product, you use written communication to
communicate the update to your team and your employees.

A problem with written communication is that it becomes too formal and

might incite ego or various political problems when written
communication is used. Newspapers are perfect examples of written words
which create controversy
 Formal & Informal
There are two types of communication when considering
the formality of the communication. One is the formal and
official type of communication which can be emails,
letterheads, memos, reports and other such kinds of written
material. These are considered as documentary evidence
and certain formality is associated with them. You cannot
submit such formal documents and later deny them.

Informal communication is one where there is nothing

official about the communication that is happening. It can be
known as Grapevine communication. There is no specific
channel of informal communication because there is Social
media, Whatsapp, SMS which are all vehicles of informal
communication which can be used by people.
 VISUAL COMMUNICATION
Visual communication is the use of visual elements to convey
ideas and information which include but are not limited to
signs, typography, drawing, graphic design, illustration,
industrial design, advertising, animation, and electronic
resources.
There are many elements in visual communication that can be
used by marketers or companies.
Colors (such as brand colors)
Design (logo and brand design)
Advertising
Animations
Illustrations
Typography
Presentations Video resume’s
USAGE:
One of the industries which most prominently uses Visual
communication is the medical industry. New medicines which
come into the market have to be shown to doctors and the
advantages have to be explained. At such times, the medical
representatives carry informative pamphlets which are shown
to the doctors and dropped with the doctors. These
informative pamphlets have all the information about the
medicine so that doctors can feel confident in suggesting the
medicine to their patients.
Similarly, many different industries are using visual
communication to help interaction with their customers so
that they can communicate their ideas better. Explainer
videos as a concept is rising and is becoming as one of the
best types of communication observed on websites.
Modes of Communication
 TYPES OF BARRIERS

1. Physical Barriers
2. Physiological Barriers
3. Cultural Barriers
4. Organizational Barriers
5. Psychological Barriers
6. Semantic Barriers
• Physical barriers: Physical barriers to
communication are those that arise due to certain
factors like faulty equipment, noise, closed doors
and cabins that cause the information sent from
sender to receiver to become distorted, which
results in improper communication.

• Physiological barriers: Physiological barriers arise

when a sender or the receiver of the
communication is not in a position to express or
receive the message with clarity due to some
physiological issues like dyslexia, or nerve
disorders that interfere with speech or hearing.
Psychological barriers play an important role in interpersonal
communication as the state of the mind of the sender or the
receiver can make it difficult to understand the information
that is conveyed, which often leads to misunderstanding.
Inadequate attention from the receiver’s end at the time of
communication can lead to barriers of communication as the
information conveyed by the sender is not properly received
by the receiver.

Cultural barriers: Cultural barriers are those that arise due to

lack of similarities among the different cultures across the
world. A term that can be harmless in one culture can be
regarded as a slang in another culture. Moreover, various
beliefs can differ from one culture to another.
Organizational barriers: Organizational barriers are
those barriers that are caused due to the structure,
rules and regulations present in the organization. The
various types of barriers that can be encountered due
to superior subordinate relationships where the free
flow of communication is not possible. Sometimes the
complexity of organizational structure and multiple
managers make it difficult to convey information
properly, and the information gets distorted leading to
miscommunication.
• Semantic barriers: Semantic barriers are also known as
language barriers. These barriers are caused due to
improper communication between the sender and the
receiver. The following instances of semantic barriers can
be witnessed in communication.
• Poor quality of message: Message when communicated
should be precise and easy to understand, that makes it
easy for the receiver to grasp the information conveyed.
• Sometimes, due to the lack of clarity or complexity of the
way of providing information from the sender, there can be
a case of semantic barriers.
• For e.g. A manager is conversing in English to a group of
workers who understand and speak Bengali. It will create
confusion among workers as they will not be able to
understand what is being conveyed by the manager.
• Technical language: Language barriers also arise when the
sender of the message is speaking in technical terms
while the receiver is unaware of the terms. It creates
confusion and misunderstanding between the sender and
receiver by acting as a barrier to effective communication.