Chapter-one

Introduction
What is Communication
⚫ As a social being we are to communicate with each other for various
purposes. Even before the development of language system the ancient
men used ‘signs’ and ‘symbols’ for exchanging information. From
psychological point of view communication is a ‘conscious act’ which
requires motivation; that is a person communicates with another person
having a particular ‘Motive’.

⚫ Communication is a two-way process through which two or more

people can share their ideas and feelings. It may be understood as
transfer of information, idea, opinion, attitude etc. from a sender to a
receiver with a view to making it understandable to the later. By
effective communication is meant the process of sending a message in
such a way that the message received is close in meaning to the message
intended.
What is Communication
⚫ In our definition of communication, we see that
three conditions are necessary for
communication to take place.
First, there must be at least two persons
(sender and receiver) involved in
communication.
Second, there must be some information to
be communicated.
Third, an attempt must be made to transmit
this information.
What is Communication
Some Definitions
⚫ According to Gary Dessler, “Communication is the
exchange of information and the transmission of
meanings.”
⚫ According to Murphy and Peck, “Communication is a
two-way process of exchanging ideas or information
between human beings.”
⚫ According to Prof. B. R. Ricks, “Communication is the
exchange of information that is mutually understood.”
⚫ According to Elliot Jaquer, “Communication is the sum
total of directly and indirectly, consciously and
unconsciously transmitted feelings, attitudes and wishes.”
Features of Communication
6 Main Characteristics of Communications
⚫ (1) Two or More Persons:
The first important characteristic of communication is that there must be a
minimum number of two persons because no single individual can have an
exchange of ideas with himself. A listener is necessary to receive one’s
ideas. Therefore, there must be at least two persons-the sender of
information and the receiver.
⚫ (2) Exchange of Ideas: Communication cannot be thought of in the
absence of exchange of ideas. In order to complete the process of
communication there must be an exchange of ideas, orders, feelings, etc.,
among two or more than two persons.
⚫ (3) Mutual Understanding:
Mutual understanding means that the receiver should receive the
information in the same spirit with which it is being given. In the process
of communication, it is more important to understand the information
rather than carry it out.
Features of communication
⚫ (4) Direct and Indirect Communication:
It is not necessary in communication that the receiver and giver of
information should be face-to-face with each other. Communication can
be both direct and indirect. Direct communication means face-to-face
conversation, while indirect communication is through other means.
⚫ (5) Continuous Process:
Communication is an endless process, as is the case with business
where the manager continuously assigns work to his subordinates, tries
to know the progress of the work and gives directions.
⚫ (6) Use of Words as well as Symbols:
There can be many means of communication, like the written, the oral
and symbolic. The examples of symbolic communication are the
ringing of bell for closing a school or a college, saying something by
the movement of the neck, showing anger or disapproval through eyes,
giving some decision by the raising of a finger in cricket, etc.
Objectives of Communication
1. STRONGER DECISION MAKING

Your ability to communicate effectively increases productivity,

both yours and your organization.

2. INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY
With good communication skills, you can anticipate problems,
make decisions, co-ordinate work flow, supervise others, develop
relationships and promote products and services.

⚫ 3. STEADIER WORK FLOW

Communication acts as tool for the effective work related flow
of information.
Objectives of Communication
4. STRONG BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS & ENHANCED PROFESSIONAL
IMAGE
You can shape the impressions you and your company make on colleagues,
employees, supervisors, investors, and customers in addition to perceiving and
responding to the needs of these stakeholders (the various group you interact with)
without effective communication, people misunderstand each other and misinterpret
information. Ideas misfire or fail to gain attention and people and companies
flounder.

⚫ 5. CLEARER PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS

Your organizations need for effective reach of company name and public promotions
are based on effective promotional material such as advertisements , bill boards ,
online add , posters etc are all communicated for effective message delivery and
meaning.
⚫ 6. PROVIDE ADVICE
Giving advice is based on individual-oriented and work-oriented, advice should not
given to the person for pinpointing his mistakes rather it should be helpful for his
improvement. Effective advice promotes understanding and it can be a two way
process if the subordinate staff given freedom.
Objectives of communication
⚫ 7. PROVIDE ORDER
Order is an authoritative communication pattern and it is directive to somebody always a
subordinate to do something. Orders will be written and oral orders , general and specific
orders ,procedural and operational orders , mandatory and discretionary order. Order should
be clear and complete, execution should be possible and given in a friendly way.

⚫ 8. SUGGESTION
Suggestion is supposed to be very mild and subtle form of communication. Suggestions are
welcomed for it is not obligatory to accept them , it can be voluntary and anonymous and
submitted through suggestion boxes.

⚫ 9. PERSUASION
Persuasion may be defined as an effort ‘to influence the attitudes, feelings, or beliefs of
others, or to influence actions based on those attitudes , feelings , or beliefs. Persuasion can be
done to others if you are convinced, you do not impose, you are not rigid are prepared to meet
half-way and you can look at the situation from the other person’s angle also.
Objectives of communication
⚫ 10. EDUCATION
Education is a very conscious process of communication, it involves both teaching
and learning by which organizations provide to their employees in the form of
training. Education is given for management, employees and outside public.

⚫ 12. WARNING
If the employees do not abide by the norms of the organization warning is a power
communication tool and it can be general and specific. Specific warning should be
administered in private and after thorough investigation. The aim of the warning
should be the organization betterment.

⚫ 13. RAISING MORALE AND MOTIVATION

Morale stands for mental health and it is a sum of several qualities like courage,
resolution, confidence .High morale and effective performance go hand to hand.
Motivation is a process that account for an individual intensity, direction, and
persistence of effort towards attaining a goal.
Objectives of communication
⚫ 14. TO GIVE AND RECEIVE INFORMATION
Communication’s main idea is to give and receive information
because managers need complete, accurate and precise information
to plan and organize employee need it to translate planning in to
reality. Information will cover all aspects of the business.

⚫ 15. TO PROVIDE COUNSELLING

Counselling is given to solve employee’s mental stress and
improve the employee’s productivity.

⚫ 16. TO IMPROVE DISCIPLINE

Finally discipline is the foremost part of any business
communication. The various disciplinary codes are effectively
communicated to employees through disciplinary codes
Importance of communication
The importance of communication in an
organization can be summarized as follows:
⚫ Communication promotes motivation by
informing and clarifying the employees about the
task to be done, the manner they are performing
the task, and how to improve their performance if
it is not up to the mark.
⚫ Communication is a source of information to the
organizational members for decision-making
process as it helps identifying and assessing
alternative course of actions.
Importance of communication
⚫ Communication also plays a crucial role
in altering individual’s attitudes, i.e., a well
informed individual will have better attitude than
a less-informed individual. Organizational
magazines, journals, meetings and various other
forms of oral and written communication help in
moulding employee’s attitudes.
⚫ Communication also helps in socializing. In
today’s life the only presence of another
individual fosters communication. It is also said
that one cannot survive without communication.
Importance of communication
⚫ Communication also assists in controlling process. It helps
controlling organizational member’s behaviour in various ways.
There are various levels of hierarchy and certain principles and
guidelines that employees must follow in an organization. They
must comply with organizational policies, perform their job role
efficiently and communicate any work problem and grievance to
their superiors. Thus, communication helps in controlling function
of management.
⚫ An effective and efficient communication system requires
managerial proficiency in delivering and receiving messages. A
manager must discover various barriers to communication,
analyze the reasons for their occurrence and take preventive steps
to avoid those barriers. Thus, the primary responsibility of a
manager is to develop and maintain an effective communication
system in the organization.
Steps/Elements of communication
Process
The communication process refers to the steps through which
communication takes place between the sender and the
receiver. This process starts with conceptualizing an idea or
message by the sender and ends with the feedback from the
receiver. In details, communication process consists of the
following eight steps:

⚫ Developing idea by the sender: In the first step, the

communicator develops or conceptualizes an idea to be sent. It
is also known as the planning stage since in this stage the
communicator plans the subject matter of communication.

⚫ Encoding: Encoding means converting or translation the idea

into a perceivable form that can be communicated to others.
Steps/elements of communication
process
⚫ Developing the message: After encoding the sender gets a
message that can be transmitted to the receiver. The
message can be oral, written, symbolic or nonverbal. For
example, when people talk, speech is the message; when
people write a letter, the words and sentences are the
message; when people cries, the crying is the message.

⚫ Selecting the medium: Medium is the channel or means

of transmitting the message to the receiver. Once the
sender has encoded his into a message, the next step is to
select a suitable medium for transmitting it to the receiver.
The medium of communication can be speaking, writing,
signalling, gesturing etc.
Steps/Elements of communication
process
⚫ Transmission of message: In this step, the
sender actually transmits the message
through chosen medium. In the
communication cycle, the tasks of the sender
end with the transmission of the message.
⚫ Receiving the message by receiver: This
stage simply involves the reception of
sender’s message by the receiver. The
message can be received in the form of
hearing, seeing, feeling and so on.
Steps/Elements of communication
process
⚫ Decoding: Decoding is the receiver’s interpretation
of the sender’s message. Here the receiver converts
the message into thoughts and tries to analyze and
understand it. Effective communication can occur
only when both the sender and the receiver assign the
same or similar meanings to the message.
⚫ Feedback: The final step of communication process
is feedback. Feedback means receiver’s response to
sender’s message. It increases the effectiveness of
communication. It ensures that the receiver has
correctly understood the message. Feedback is the
essence of two-way communication.
Communication and efficiency of
management
⚫ There is a saying, “Human minds are the like
parachutes, they don’t work until they are opened”-
management try to open the minds of the employees and
guide them to achieve the desired goal. But this job of
management will not be possible if there is no
communication.
⚫ Efficiency of managers and workers at all levels of
organization mostly depend on effective
communication system. Performing management
function efficiently and coordinating these functions
with one another require communication. Thus,
communication is regarded as an integral element in
achieving organizational success.
Communication and efficiency of
management
⚫ Communication is pervasive in all managerial function. In
performing managerial functions like planning, organizing,
directing, motivating, coordinating and controlling, managers
must engage in internal and external communication. As a
result, organizations can achieve their goals and meet their
challenges. (Newstrom & Davis, 2002)
Now let us see how communication helps the function of
management
⚫ Ensure Coordination: If there is no communication,
employees will not be able to know what their colleagues are
doing. Management will not be able to receive information and
can not give directions, as a result the organization will
collapse. Thus for the existence of the organization
communication is essential.
Communication and efficiency of
management
⚫ Helps in Controlling: Managers exercise controlling function
when any deviation take place. But without the help of
communication deviation can not be identified.

⚫ Assist direction : Proper direction is essential to fulfil the

organization goal. If managers can not receive required
information about the proceedings then they will not be able to
provide proper directions. Thus there must be a sound
communication system for receiving required information.

⚫ Supports motivation : To motivate employees, management at

first try to understand the motives and attitudes of the employees.
Without communication skill others attitude can not be evaluated
and thus proper incentives can not be provided to motivate them.
Communication and efficiency of
management
⚫ Human resource development : The future of the
organization largely depends on the development
of the human resource of the organization. It has
been proved that managers having excellent
communication skill can guide the human resource
in proper directions.
⚫ Leadership : Leadership is he process of
influencing and supporting others to work
enthusiastically toward achieving objectives. That
is managers achieve goal by directing the activities
of others, Thus they need to communicate with
others to provide proper direction.
Communication and efficiency of
management
⚫ Decision Making : Decision making perhaps
the most important managerial activity also
depends on communication. Top management
need useful information to make effective
decision. Adequate and authentic information
can be obtained through sound communication
system.
Finally it can be said that managers can
play a vital role to ensure the achievement of
organizational goal-but without effective
communication that will turn into a nightmare.
Thank You