Chapter : One

Communication
What is communication?
• Variations in ways in which people define it
• John Durham peters, an American Professor of English and Media studies, in
his book Speaking into the Air: A History of the Idea of Communication
writes:
“Communication is one of the characteristic concepts of the twentieth century”
• Derived from the Latin term ‘communicare’ meaning to impart, share or make
common( according to Durham)
• The term entered English language only in fourteenth and fifteenth centuries
• John Fiske , an American professor of Communication Arts, in his book
Introduction to Communication Studies defines communication as diverse
and multi-faceted and says it can not be defined satisfactorily
 Nature of Communication
• Two main perspectives to define communication:
Process perspective
The perspective of production and exchange of meanings
• from the Process perspective
Communication involves selecting, organizing and transmitting messages in a way that
the receiver gets the meaning originally intended by the communicator
• From the perspective of production and exchange of meanings
Communication involves multiple readings of intended message in a given social or
cultural context
• Transmission view of communication: dominant in most of the workplaces
• The perspective of production and exchange of meanings : increasingly
focused on modern-day audience-centered and cross-cultural communication
• Although no agreed upon definition of communication, no disagreement that
we communicate
• Of all the activities we get involved in every day, communication has the
largest share
• “you cannot not communicate”
• We communicate for diverse purposes:
For personal needs
To express our feelings
To express our sense of identity
For social interaction
• Core of human relationships
• We communicate in so many ways( sense organs, speech or language, through
media technologies, through various non-verbal signals)
• Scientists estimate
55% of our total message is communicated through body language
40%: tone of voice
8-10% through words or speech
• Communication in modern times is multi-disciplinary
• A subject of study in all fields such as Business, Law, Environment, Medicine,
Engineering etc.
 Process of Communication
• Communication process involves everything from how the message by a
communicator originates to how it is received and understood by a receiver
• The process generally includes the following basic elements:
1. Sender/Encoder:
Person who sends the message
2. Message:
A meaningful idea conveyed by the sender
Its effectiveness depends on how clear, accurate and precise it is
3. Medium/Channel:
The means by which a message is conveyed to the receiver
The choice of medium depends on the nature of the message and the receivers
4. Recipient/Decoder:
Person for whom the message is intended
5. Feedback
Feedback helps to make communication a two-way or circular process
Helps in improving communication
6. Context
A message is always communicated within a context, either physical, social, cultural,
psychological and so on
Appropriate context helps in making the message effective
Inappropriate contexts serve as communication barriers
 Models of Communication
Laswell’s model of communication (1948)
Snannon and Weaver’s model of communication( 1949)
Schramm’s model of communication( 1955)
Wood’s Model of Communication(2004)
Principles of Communication/ “7
C’s” of Effective communication
 Categorizing Communication
• Communication can be categorized on the basis of different grounds such as
1. Fields, Traditions or Levels
2. Context
3. Mode
4. Audience
5. Specialty areas
 Fields, Traditions or Levels
• Intra-personal Communication
Communicating with oneself
Responding to events, accidents, feelings etc.
A way to relate to the world we live in
• Inter-personal communication
face-to-face communication with someone or a group of people
Can both be verbal or non-verbal
Generally informal in nature, though formal sometimes( as in interviews, meetings,
conferences etc.)
• Group communication
A group of people who know each other, communicating to discuss an issue or
problem
Members of a club, students, a professional committee etc.
Can be inter-group or intra-group communication
• Organizational Communication
Communication of staff members within and outside the organization
Has three main forms: Internal, External and Personal Communication
• Public Communication
Involves a person speaking from a stage or dais to a large group of people
A one-to-many communication
Speaker can’t identify all the listeners
• Inter-cultural Communication
Communication between and among people belonging to diverse cultural
backgrounds
can be inter-racial, inter-ethnic, inter-religious or inter-denominational
• Mass and social media communication
Communication through mass media such as radio, TV, newspapers etc.
An individual or an organization speaking to many people
No direct personal touch between the communicator and the receiver
 Context
• Non-mediated
Face-to-face communication
• Mediated
Communication through the use of mass media technologies such as telephones,
mobile phones etc.
Also involves the communication through folk media such as festivals, carnivals, street
dramas, etc.
 Mode
• Verbal Communication
• Any form of communication that occurs with the use of words
• Oral and written
• Non-Verbal Communication
• All forms of communication that occur without the use of words
• Almost 80% of all human communication is non-verbal
• Communication through eye contact, facial expressions, gesture, posture etc

Audience
• Community Communication
• a form of development communication
• A participatory approach to community development through the use of popular
media
• Consumer Communication:
• A form of business communication
• Focused on the rights of consumers
• Can be civic communication led by consumer rights groups
• Family Communication
• Communication within a family
• Focused on addressing family issues
• Pro-poor Communication
• A form of development communication
• Aimed at helping to alleviate poverty
• Youth Communication
• Communication concerned with the issues of youths
 Specialty Areas
• Business Communication
• Development Communication
• Health Communication
• International Communication
• Management Communication
• Popular Communication
• Professional Communication
• Science Communication
• Technical Communication
 Questions
Short-answer Questions( 2 marks each)
a. Define communication and discuss its importance briefly.
b. What is non-verbal communication? Why is it important?
c. Differentiate mediated and non-mediated communication.
d. Define organizational communication. What are the three main forms of it?
Long-answer Questions( 10 marks)
e. Write a couple of paragraphs on the nature of communication.
f. “you cannot not communicate”. Elaborate with examples.
g. What are the basic elements/components of the communication process? Discuss in
detail.
h. What are the principles/ “7Cs” of effective communication? Discuss.
i. Discuss the classification of communication on various bases.