Communication: Process

Dr. Nagendra Kumar

Professor
Dept. of HSS
IIT Roorkee,
RORKEE-247 667
[email protected]
Communication is the sum of all the things one person does when
he wants to create understanding in the mind of another; it
involves a systematic and continuous process of telling,
listening and understanding.
Allen Louis

Communication is the transfer of information and understanding

from one person to another person. It is a way of reaching
others with facts, ideas, thoughts and values. It is a bridge of
meanings among people so that they can share what they feel
and know. By using this bridge a person can cross safely the
river of his understanding that sometimes separates people.
Keith Davis in Human Behaviour at
Work
Considered as a process, Communication can be defined and
classified in many ways; as internal or external, verbal or non-
verbal, as impressing content or relationships, as being
intentional or unintentional are so on.
Larmy L. Barker & Robert J. Keller

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
 COMMUNICATION: A BASIC
NEED
• Communication is vital to our success and
well-being in a civilized society.
• It forms the nucleus of all successful human
relationships.
• Human behaviour and social relationships are
an outcome of the process of communication.
• Whether we are sitting, walking, talking,
listening or thinking, we are engaged in some
form of communication.
Communication: The Lifeline of
Organizations

“Without Communication there can be no

organization, for there is no possibility then of
the group influencing the behaviour of the
individual”.

Herbert Simon
 Understanding Communication

• Communication is a process that allows

beings - in particular humans - to exchange
information by several methods.

• There are auditory means, such as speaking or

singing, and nonverbal, physical means, such
as body language, sign language, paralanguage
, touch or eye contact.
• Between parties, communication contents
include acts that declare knowledge and
experiences, give advice and commands, and
ask questions.

• Communication can be seen as processes of

information transmission.

• It is a kind of social interaction where at least

two interacting agents share a common set of
signs and a common set of rules.
Communication Model
• In a simplistic model,
information or content
(e.g. a message in
natural language) is sent
in some form (as spoken
language) from a
emisor/sender/encoder
to a
destination/receiver/dec
oder.
 Purposes
• Communication is the exchange of information
between members of a group of living beings
that enables survival or improved living
conditions for the sender or receiver of the
message or both.
• The need to communicate emerges from a set of
universal questions: Who am I? Who needs to
know? Why do they need to know? How will
they find out? How do I want them to respond?
• Individuals, communities, and organizations
express their individuality through their identity.
 The Process
• As a process, communication has synonyms such
as expressing feelings, conversing, speaking,
corresponding, writing, listening and exchanging.
• Communication is often formed around the
principles of respect, promises and the want for
social improvement.
• A major purpose of communication is to help
people feel good about themselves and about
their friends, groups, and organizations.
 Communication Process:
the Key Elements
• Communication is a process that serves to connect
senders and receivers of messages in space and time.

• It is a fundamental, universal process.

• It involves the creation, transmission, and reception

of messages.
 The Communication Process

Encoding Channel Decoding

Message Message

Source Receiver

Feedback
 A. Sender
• The person who is sending the message.
• Two factors determine how effective the
communicator will be:
1.The communicator’s attitude:-- It must be
positive.
2.The communicator’s selection of
meaningful symbols :-- selecting the right
symbols depending on audience and the right
environment.
 B.Message

A communication in writing,
in speech,
or
by signals
 C. Receiver
• The receiver is simply the person receiving the
message, making sense of it, or understanding
and translating it into meaning.
• He is also a communicator. (When he
responds, he is the communicator.)
• Communication is only successful when the
reaction of the receiver is the intended one.
• Effective communication takes place with
shared meaning and understanding.
 D. Channel

• It is the medium through which the message is

sent.

• Examples: Email, Telephone, Post, Mass

Media, Print Media etc.

 E. Feedback
• – Feedback is the reaction of the receiver.
• It can be a verbal or nonverbal
• It can be external feedback (something we see) or
internal feedback (something we can’t see), like
self-examination.
• It allows the communicator to adjust his message
and be more effective.
• Without feedback, there would be no way of
knowing if meaning had been shared or if
understanding had taken place.
 Communication Flow in
Organizations
• Downward Flow: Communication from
executives to employees, sharing executive
decisions and providing information to
employees.
• Upwards Flow: From employees to executives
providing accurate, timely reports on problems,
grievances, trends, opportunities, performance
etc.
• Horizontal Flow: Lateral or diagonal
communication between the departments for
sharing and coordinating tasks.
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
SKILLS
AND TECHNIQUES
• Listening Eye Contact
• Articulation Body Movement
• Grammar Gestures
• Rate Of Speech Attitude
• Pauses Enthusiasm
• Inflection Humour
• Speech Improvement
 What Does It Mean to You?
• Effective communication skills put you in the
driver’s seat.

“To stand out from the competition, you must

demonstrate the unwritten requirements that
are now most in demand: leadership and
communication skills…”
The Wall Street Journal
 Role of Communication in
Business
• Business is a social and collective activity
• All activities in business are coordinated and
carried out through acts of communication
• It works at three levels
– Internal
– External
– Personal
 Internal Communication

• Passing orders and instructions to workers

• Oral exchanges between the workers
• Reports concerning sales, production, inventories,
finance, maintenance
• Internal circulations
• Announcement of policies and changes
• Goodwill messages
 External Communication
• Communications, interactions and correspondence with
customers, stakeholders, suppliers, the community and
the nation, and partnering firms
• Sales and sales promotion activities

• Public Relations and image building

• Handling complaints, orders, suggestions, demand and

supplies etc.
 Personal Communication

• This is both external and internal

• Does not relate directly to business

• Affects employees’ attitudes, performance and

level of motivation
Barriers to Communication
 Common Barriers
• Absence of a common frame of reference
• Badly encoded messages
• Disturbance in the transmission channel
• Poor retention
• Inattention by the receiver
• Premature evaluation of the message
• Unclarified assumptions
• Mistrust between the sender and the receiver
 Contd.

• Different perceptions of reality

• Semantic difficulties
• Vagueness about the objectives
• Misinterpretation of the message
• Clash of attitudinal nuances of the sender and
the receiver
• Selection of a wrong variety of language
 Psychological Barriers
• Rigidity of thought (overlooking the difference of
backgrounds)
• Know-it-all attitude
• Use of words like all, always, everybody, none,
never, nobody
REMEDIES:
• Empathy
• Understanding of human psychology
• Awareness of differences in backgrounds,
perceptions and points of view
Interpersonal Transactions
• Emotional reactions
• Negative attitudes
• Wrong timing of message
“In all the world there is no such thing as
an uninteresting subject. There are only
uninterested persons” G. K.
Chesterton
Remedies
• Maintaining the calm composure
• Using persuasive force
• Selection of the best psychological
moment
 Organizational Network
• Too many transfer stations
• Processing of information by several hands

REMEDIES
• Direct access from top to bottom
• The dissemination of information through several
hands
• Establishment of a feedback system involving
more than one source
 Cultural Barriers
Communication is culture-specific
• The system of symbolic beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations
and patterns of behaviour differ from culture to culture
• These are manifested in the notions of status, attitudes
towards time, decision-making habits, use of space and
distancing, body language and social behaviour
REMEDIES
• Be more open minded, tolerant, courteous and keenly
perceptive of the non-verbal symbols
• Observe social behaviour, values and analyze your audience
 Ethical Barriers
Related to the practices and dealings in an
organization such barriers arise due to

• Malafied intentions of some employees

• Misrepresentation of facts due to vested
interests

REMEDIES
• Setting high ethical standards—integrity,
honesty, and transparency in dealings
• Ensuring loyalty towards the organization.
 Legal Barriers
These barriers arise out of :
• Ignorance of the rules, regulations and laws in
force in the organization
• Making private information public leading to
defamation suites.
REMEDIES:
• Thorough knowledge of the legality of the matter
or decision
• Thorough examination of the legality of contracts,
agreements and deals entered into through
electronic media.