Introduction to communication

Out line

1. Why is Communication Important?

2. Why study Business Communication?

3. what is communication4. Theories of communication5. Definitions of Communication6. why is communication imperfect

Why is Communication Important

Without communication, we all might as well have been doomed. How we convey what we feel, and what it is we need, cannot be done without communication, be it in action or verbally. Let's venture into this section on the importance of communication..

Why study Business Communication ?

• Communication is neither transmission of message nor message itself. It is the mutual exchange of understanding, originating with the receiver.

• Communication needs to be effective in business.• Communication is essence of management. The basic functions

of management(Planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling) cannot be performed well without effective communication

• Business communication involves constant flow of information. Feedback is integral part of business communication. Organizations these days are very large.

• It involves number of people. There are various levels of hierarchy in an organization. Greater the number of levels, the more difficult is the job of managing the organization. 

• Communication here plays a very important role in process of directing and controlling the people in the organization. Immediate feedback can be obtained and misunderstandings if any can be avoided.

what is communication

• Communication (from Latin "communes", meaning to share) is the activity of conveying information through the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, visuals, signals, writing, or behavior.

• Communication is defined by de Valenzuela as “any act by which one person gives to or receives from another person information about that person's needs, desires, perceptions, knowledge, or affective states

• Communication may be intentional or unintentional, may involve conventional or unconventional signals, may take linguistic or nonlinguistic forms, and may occur through spoken or other modes.

Theories of communication

Electronic Theory• One very influential theory is called the mathematical or electronic theory of

communication.• This idea emphasized the technical problems of transmitting a message from a

sender to a receiver• It is based on, and uses the language of, electronics• The message begins with an information source, the mind of the sender (writer or

speaker), who encodes message into words and sentences• The message is transmitted as a signal (marks on paper or sound waves) through a

channel, where it may be distorted by noise (such as smudged typing or acoustical problems). As a last step, the receiver (listener or reader) decodes the message

MessageCommunicator-----------------------------------------------------------------------AudienceAs "sender“ as "receiver”

• The electronic theory is helpful because it introduces the ideas of senders and receivers and of possible interference. It emphasizes one important aspect of communication: accuracy.

• Its usefulness is limited , people are not machines.• a accurate electronic communication system can be design but

not a human one.• ignores money other important dimensions of the situation in

which we communicate

Social Environment Theory• Social environment theory of the social and behavioral

scientists.• We must consider the situation, the social context in which

we will work.• When we work and communicate together, we all

participate in a social situation.• Within that situation, each agrees to assume certain roles

such as "compromiser," "initiator," "or "encourager" based on our part in the activity.

• We each have a certain status prescribed officially, such as our job title.

• We need to understand the rules, or the "culture," of the environment in order to communicate: both the official rules such as company policies and practices and those unwritten rules regarding to whom, how, and when, and for how long it is appropriate for us to communicate within a certain organization.

Message

CommunicatorAs "sender"

AudienceAs "receiver"

Within a certain environment

Social environment is helpful because it adds the important dimension of the specific social situation

Definitions of Communication

1. Communication is transfer of information from one person to another, whether or not it elicits confidence. But the information transferred must be understandable to the receiver .2.“Communication is the intercourse by words, letters or messages”- 3. We can now proceed to define communication from what we have seen above. To define means to give the precise and exact meaning of a word. The exact meaning of the word communicate is ‘to share’ or ‘to participate’. The dictionaries say that communication is the transmission of a message or information by speaking or writing. Another dictionary declares that communication is giving or exchanging information, signals, messages by talk or gestures or writing. Yet another definition says that communication is social intercourse. Communication is all this and much more. A good definition should not only give the precise meaning but also throw light on the scope of the word / expression

4.Communication is giving, receiving or exchanging ideas, information, signals or messages through appropriate media, enabling individuals or groups to persuade, to seek information, to give information or to express emotions.

5. This broad definition includes body-language, skills of speaking and writing. It outlines the objectives of communication. It emphasizes listening as an important aspect of communication.

why is communication imperfect

• We have seen that communication is an extremely complex process.

• Even if you work hard to understand a subject and to write or speak effectively about it , you can not be sure that your meaning has been received exactly.

• In fact ,sine no two people think alike, no message but the most simplistic is ever perceived precisely as it exist in the communicators mind.

• Block communication ,is often called noise. Which may block communication ,is often called noise

• We already saw that this is the term used in the electronic model of communication for static, loss of power , or other conditions that distort the signal as it travels form one point to another .

Even though we rarely communicate absolutely perfectly ,learning about the various barriers to communication can make us aware of and help us avoid certain pitfalls . Specifically , we should beware of possible psychological ,semantic, and physical barriers .Psychological barriers refers to an individuals state of mind. For example if an individual is suffering from personal issues such as health or martial problems this is most likely to affect them.

Psychological barriers• Psychological barriers are closely linked to emotional barriers, emotional barriers play an important

role in the communication of a message. • An example of this maybe when receiving a message you cannot properly interpret the message

because you are emotionally blocked at the moment in time. Reasons why you may be emotionally blocked are due to internal issues such as fear, worry, suspicion and mistrust.

Emotional Barriers to Communication• Communication is a two-way street. Whether you're talking about communicating with friends, family,

workmates or mere acquaintances, communicating is about sharing information and listening. Unfortunately, everyone faces various emotional barriers that make one or both ends of the equation difficult. By identifying some of these barriers, you can begin to work to overcome them and start communicating more effectively

Perceptual Barriers to Communication• Communication is the sending, receiving and exchange of ideas

and information, expressed verbally and nonverbally, according to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary.

• Communication can be broken when the senders intended message is unclear or the receiver perceives it differently than the sender intended. Barriers or roadblocks to effective communication may be physical, behavioral/emotional, linguistic and cultural.

• Perceptual barriers can lead to confusion, misunderstanding, false information and false beliefs, resulting in poor communication.

selectivity barriers in communication

• The audience is not able to absorb all the information coming from a variety of sources; so the audience pick up information on selectively. The selectivity is affected by timing, context, and the degree of uniqueness of information

Semantic Barriers• Communication is the process of transmitting a message from a sender to

a receiver. Oftentimes there are instances when we can't communicate clearly what we want from one person to another.

• This is due to some barriers that we enocounter.An example of this is, semantic barriers. Semantic means science of words. Semantic distractions occur when a word is used differently than you prefer . A single word conveys lots of different meanings.

• Each word is understood in reference to the context of the sentence as well as place and situation it is used at. Semantic Distortion can be deliberate or accidental. When it is deliberate, it is intended so but the one that is accidental hinders the progress of communication.

• It renders ambiguity to the message and every different individual may come to his own conclusion in the end. For example, the word chairman instead of chairperson, may cause you to focus on the word and not the message.

• How then can an organization overcome this type of barrier to effectively communicate information

Thank you