COMMUNICATION IN AN ORGANIZATION

 Communication is a basic element in organizational

structure and functioning. It is the key mechanism
for achieving integration and coordination of
activities of specialized units at different levels in
the organization.
 Definition:
 communication is sharing of information between
two or more individuals or groups to reach a
common understanding.
 can also mean transferring thoughts, information,
emotion and ideas through gesture, voice, symbols,
signs and expressions from one person to another.
 Types of communication

 Verbal communication: (conveyed through

two main types;).
1. Oral Communication.
2. Written Communication.
 Non-Verbal Communication (can be in the
form of:)
 Body movements and posture.
 Expressions.
TYPES OF COMMUNICATION CONT.
 Gestures
 Eye contact
 Touch
 Space
 Voice
Other types are:
 Internal communication:
messages amongst staff & can be vertical, horizontal or both
 External communication:
Exchange of information between an Organization& outsiders
 Formal communication:
transmits information like goals, policies &procedures
 Informal communication:
Casual, unstructured, spontaneous, information e.g. lunchtime
talks.
 Organizational communication can be horizontal, upward, and downward:

 Horizontal (lateral) communication aims at linking related tasks, work

units and divisions in the organization. The importance of horizontal
communication increases with task specialization and diversity in
organizational structure. The need for lateral or horizontal communication
was first stressed by Fayol (1949), when he suggested a 'gang plank'
between similar hierarchical positions.

 Downward communication provides information from higher levels to

lower levels. Being superior-subordinate communication, it follows the
chain of command through the line of authority. Downward communication
can be of four types (Katz and Kahn, 1966):
 communication designed to provide job rationale to produce understanding of the
task and its relation to other organizational tasks;
 communication about organizational procedures and practices;
 feedback to the subordinate about his or her performance; and
 communication to foster inculcation of organizational goals.

 Upward communication serves as a control system for the organization.

 In an agricultural research organization, a suitable blending
of lateral, downward and upward communication is
required to effectively coordinate and integrate activities of
individual subsystems. The effectiveness of research results
greatly depends upon proper communication links among
scientists, between scientists and agricultural extension
workers, and between extension workers and farmers.
 In an agricultural research organization, there are several
specialized sub-systems which need to be integrated
through horizontal communication. Downward
communication facilitates transmission of research results
to actual users. Upward communication enables flow of
information from lower level to the top level as illustrated
below:
 Farmers Extension workers Scientists research
manager Policy-makers
 EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION:
 Effective communication is about more than just
exchanging information; it's also about
understanding the emotion behind the information.
 can improve relationships at home, work, and in
social situations by deepening your connections to
others and improving teamwork, decision-making,
and problem solving.
 It enables you to communicate even negative or
difficult messages without creating conflict or
destroying trust.
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION CONT.
 Effective communication should generate the
desired effect and maintain the effect, with the
potential to increase the effect of the message.
 Effective communication helps us better
understand a person or situation and enables us
to resolve differences, build trust and respect,
and create environments where creative ideas,
problem solving, affection, and caring can
flourish.
 Need to have a communication plan.
BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION:
 Physical barriers
 System design
 Attitudinal barriers
 Perception
 Ambiguity of words/phrases
 Individual linguistic ability
 Physiological barriers
 Culture, background, and bias
SKILLS FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION:
 Listening
 Nonverbal communication by eye contact, facial
expressions, gestures, posture and body
orientation, proximity, locality, etc.
 Managing stress. This is done by;
 Recognize when you’re becoming stressed
 Take a moment to calm down
 Bring your senses to the rescue.
 Look for humor in the situation.
 Be willing to compromise.
 Agree to disagree,
SKILLS CONT.
Emotional awareness. Improves communication in a number of
ways:
 Understand and empathize with what is really troubling other

people
 Understand yourself, including what’s really troubling you and

what you really want

 Stay motivated to understand and empathize with the person

you’re interacting with, even if you don’t like them or their message
 Communicate clearly and effectively, even when delivering negative

messages
 Build strong, trusting, and rewarding relationships, think creatively,

solve problems, and resolve conflicts.

 THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS/ CYCLE.
 The communication process consists of seven steps
(Shannon and Weaver, 1949): message/idea, encoding,
transmitting, receiving, decoding, understanding, and feedback.

 The communication process requires a vast collection of skills in

interpersonal processing, listening, observing, speaking,
questioning, analyzing, gestures, and evaluating enables
collaboration and cooperation. Communicating with others
involves three primary steps:
 Thought:
 Encoding:
 Decoding:
 Feed back: this can be: evaluative, interpretive, supportive, probing,
understanding.
CONT. (COMMUNICATION PROCESS)

Feedback
PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

1. CLARITY
2. COMPLETENESS
3. CONSIDERATION
4. CONCISENESS
5. COURTESY
6. CORRECTNESS

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CLARITY

 Clarity of thought (plan): Who-Why-What

 Communicating to who & WHY?
 What is the message to relay?
 What is the appropriate format & medium?

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COMPLETENESS
• Use 5Ws & H in designing any communication
i.e.
– Who?, When?, Where?, What?, Why?, &
How?
• Answer all questions when responding to any
incoming communication OR sending it out

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CONSIDERATION
 Sufficient regard, empathy and respect for the
recipient or the target audience
GUIDELINES:-In case of verbal comm.
• Use appropriate language & style
• Maintain pleasant & positive approaches

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 COURTESY
 Be & keep polite, friendly, simple, civil, hospitable,
helpful, respectful, attentive, & responsive.
 Respond to all incoming letters or communication
 Thank generously & promptly
 Apologize sincerely and promptly
 Avoid using irritating words and expressions

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 CONCISENESS
Be brief, exact and “to the point” as much as possible.
Guidelines:
 Good planning
 Good choice of message/words & media
 Avoid repetition
 Relevancy

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CORRECTNESS
 Use correct words/facts, from correct source,
through correct media, to correct audience,
under correct circumstances
 State only correct facts using appropriate
language
 Avoid obsolete or outdated data or information

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COMMUNICATION-CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING
TO INFORMATION FLOW
1. Top-Down Communication
1. Keeps workforce informed/controlled
2. Hierarchy emphasized
2. Bottom-Up Communication
1. Team member involvement in decisions / to
avoid failures
3. Lateral/horizontal Communication
1. Spread of information from individuals across
the base of pyramid.
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4. Circular Communication.
 Response of receiver is given importance. The
sender always anticipates feedback from
receiver.

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