what is communication

1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TOPIC PAGE No

TITLE PAGE

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

LETTER OF TRANSMITAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1

MODULE 1

WHAT IS COMMUNICATION 2

MODULE 2

CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION 2

MODULE 3

MEASUREMENT OF COMMUNICATION 3

MODULE 4

PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATION 4

MODULE 5

COMMUNICATING AS A MANAGER 5

MODULE 6

COMMUNICATING IN YOUR ORGANIZATION 6

MODULE 7

MISCOMMUNICATION 8

MODULE 8

RIVIEW IN VIEW TO WARID TELECOM 12

GLOSARY 14

INDEX 15

BIBLIOGRAPHY 16

Communication System – A Review of Warid Telecom – By Sarmad Khan. [email protected]

2

Module 1: What is Communication?

Communication is a two way process in which a sender sends a message which is delivered to the required person. And as a reply the person generates a feedback and when the feedback reaches the sender the process is completed.

Process and components of communication:

Here are following components on which communication is preceded in any organization.

1. Context: It is the theme that a message must have.

2. Sender: Sender acts as encoder from where the message is sourced.

3. Message: The purpose of context and detail information is provided in this component.

4. Medium: It is the channel from where the message is bypassed and information flows towards receiver.

5. Receiver: It acts as an encoder that understands the message, sent by the sender and where information sinks.

6. Feedback: The final phase where the sender gets its audience and readers response in form of criticism or appreciation.

Module 2: Channels of Communication

A communication channel is the route through which messages flow from the sender to the receiver.

There are two channels of communication

1. Formal communication channels2. Informal communication channels

Formal Communication Channels Newsletters Meetings Written memos E-mail Bulletin boards

Informal Communication Channels Chance encounters


3

Grapevine (it is structure less and information passes through all directions.) Rumors and Gossip

Formal channel characteristics Official channel Deliberately planned Systematic Part of organization structure Oriented towards goals and tasks of the enterprise Impersonal Stable and rigid Slow and structured

Informal channel characteristics Unofficial channel Unplanned Spontaneous Cuts across formal relationships Directed towards goals and need satisfaction of individuals Personal and social Flexible and instable Fast and unstructured

After discussing a lot about the channels of communication and its characteristics now we come to the hierarchy of communication system in an organization

Communication Directions Downward Upward Horizontally Diagonally

Module 3: Measurement of Communication

Organizational communication lays the keystone to every organization for upbringing and grooming the environment of that particular organization. It could be categorized in three different categories as follows.

Upward communication:

It is the communication that occurs in an organization from peer to the managerial level and has formal tone included in it. It can be the feedback of the employee towards the manager about some specific report or task.

Downward communication:


4

The communication that takes place from the upper echelon that is from manager towards its employees and can be in the shape of some orders and instructions that are required to be followed.

Horizontal communication:

It is the communication which takes place when the workers or managers of same level and different departments communicate with each other.

Diagonal communication:

The type of communication in which the low-level staff of a department communicates with the high level staff of the other department and vice versa.

Dyadic Communication:

More friendly and informal communication that occurs between the peers of same organization. It takes place as exchanging ideas amongst each other being the subordinate of that organization.

Module 4: Principles of communication:

Communication is based upon following seven principles; these are known as 7 C’s of communication.

1- Conciseness: It should be notified that the message should be concise in nature so that it will be easy to catch the readers’ attention.

2- Concreteness: Message should be concrete as having all the meanings conveyed in it but should be shorter in length.

3- Clarity: It must give appropriate and explicit meaning that would not diversify and confuse the reader at any instance. By placing prominence and consequences with all the facts and figures.

4- Completeness: Also it is important that the message must have complete meaning that will providing the sufficient information to its reader.

5- Courtesy: Another important feature is that the sender must be emphasizing on the courteous tone and must give some compliments and benefits to its readers.

6- Correctness: The message conveyed must be checked for correctness and should be free from all grammatical errors

7- Consideration: There must be proper consideration in the message and it should emphasize on you attitude rather than ‘I’ and ‘we’ kind of words.


5

In consideration with 7’Cs effective communication is also based upon the knowledge of the 5 W’s as When, Who, Where, Why, What? This makes it more complete. This is how communication plays its role in any organization through its vital features and grooms the structure within the organization as well as externally enhancing the repute of the whole organization. By just simply improving these components and considering all the necessary elements, the end result can be a successful and a productive organization

Effective communication can help organizations solve problems, share information and help employees work well together. It can make employees feel more connected to the organization at large and their role in reaching overall business objectives. Unfortunately, one of the biggest complaints employees have about employers is a lack of communication.

Communicating effectively with employees not only creates stronger relationships - it may even help improve the bottom line. The 2005/2006 Communications ROI Study conducted by Watson Wyatt Worldwide found that between 2000 and 2004, companies with the most effective employee communication programs returned 57 percent more to their shareholders than companies with the least effective communications programs.

Module 5: Communicating as a manager

If you're a manager, you play an important role in communicating company information to your employees. Touch base with your employees regularly to help your staff feel connected and avoid miscommunication.

Develop your communication skills When delivering important organizational news to employees, make sure you provide them with the information they need. Here are some tips:

Be clear. Make it easy for everyone to understand the key points of your message. Keep your language simple and free of jargon. Be specific and get to the point. Let employees know how information affects them and how it will specifically apply to their role.

Be concise. Keep your message short. Stick to relevant information. Don't provide details that aren't necessary to get the point across. The extra, irrelevant details may cause confusion or information overload.

Be correct. Make sure the information you relay is accurate. If you don't know all the answers, be honest with your employees and tell them you don't know. Then try to get the answers for them.

Be complete. Give employees all of the information they need to understand a situation. Don't withhold key facts if you're able to provide them. If you're not sure if it's appropriate to share certain information, check with your manager first.

Be positive. Avoid gossip, complaining and negativity. You staff looks to you to set an example. If you can't keep an open mind and attempt to stay positive even when the news isn't favorable, you can't expect your employees to "take the high road" either.


6

Create an atmosphere of open communication .Let your employees know that you're not too busy to be interrupted for concerns or unexpected issues that arise. Have an "open door policy." Open communication between you and your direct reports will build stronger relationships and establish trust within your team. If you're busy when they try to talk with you, make an appointment with the person to talk later.

Encourage employees to be open and candid in conversations with you. It's easier to get to the bottom of an issue if everyone is comfortable expressing their views. As a manager, you need to set aside judgments and keep an open mind.

Learn to listen .Being an effective communicator isn't just about providing information to employees. It's important to also be a good listener. This means paying close attention to others so you can really "hear" and understand what's being said.

Poor listening is a common cause of errors, delays and misunderstandings at work so don't let your mind wander when someone is talking to you. Active listening means staying focused on what the other person is saying.

Show your employees that you care about them as people. To be an effective listener, you should:

Give the other person your full attention

Allow enough time for the conversation

Keep an open mind

Avoid interrupting

Repeat or sum up what you've heard to make sure you understand

Module 6: Communicating in Your Organization

To ensure successful communications within your organization, it is best to start with the very basics: your knowledge of verbal and non-verbal communications. In the workplace, these types of communications are continually exchanged, oftentimes without much planning or even the thought that such communications are taking place.

The Importance of Non-Verbal Communication

For instance, it’s not always just what you say. It’s also how you “say” it – taking into account your eyes, your posture, your overall body language, even your appearance at the time the communication is exchanged, and the voice in which you offer the exchange.


7

In verbal communication, an active dialogue is engaged with the use of words. At the same time, however, non-verbal communication takes place, relying on nonverbal cues, such as gestures, eye contact, facial expressions, even clothing and personal space.

Nonverbal cues are very powerful, making it crucial that you pay attention to your actions, as well as the nonverbal cues of those around you. If, during your meeting, participants begin to doodle or chat amongst themselves, they are no longer paying attention to you: Your message has become boring or your delivery is no longer engaging.

Once again, you need to be mindful of cultural differences when using or interpreting nonverbal cues. For instance, the handshake that is so widely accepted in Western cultures as a greeting or confirmation of a business deal is not accepted in other cultures, and can cause confusion.

While eye contact, facial expressions, posture, gestures, clothing and space are obvious nonverbal communication cues, others strongly influence interpretation of messages, including how the message is delivered. This means paying close attention to your tone of voice, even your voice's overall loudness and its pitch.

Be mindful of your own nonverbal cues, as well as the nonverbal cues of those around you. Keep your messages short and concise. This means preparing in advance whenever possible. And for the impromptu meeting, it means thinking before you speak.

As we have discussed a long way about the communication system in an organization and how effective communication system can result in better performances one may put a question

“Why is communication important to business?”

Good communication matters because business organizations are made up of people. As Robert Kent, former dean of Harvard Business School has said,

“In business, communication is everything.”

According to the report of the National Commission on Writing:

People who cannot write and communicate clearly will not be hired, and if already working, are unlikely to last long enough to be considered for promotion.

Eighty percent or more of the companies in the services and the finance, insurance and real estate sectors—the corporations with greatest employment growth potential—assess writing during hiring.

Two-thirds of salaried employees in large American companies have some writing responsibility.

More than 40 percent of responding firms offer or require training for salaried employees with writing deficiencies.

Tips for Communication


8

Whether writing or speaking, consider your objectives. What do you want your listeners or readers to remember or do? To achieve an objective, you need to be able to articulate it.

Consider your audience. How receptive will it be? If you anticipate positive reception of your message, you can be more direct.

Consider your credibility in relation to your audience. Also, consider the organizational environment. Is it thick or flat, centralized or decentralized? Each will have communication implications.

How can you motivate others? Benefits are always your best bet. And if you can establish common ground, especially at the opening of a message, you can often make your audience more receptive.

Think carefully about channel choice, about the advantages and disadvantages of your choice, and the preferred channels of your audience.

If you want to have a permanent record or need to convey complex information, use a channel that involves writing. If your message is sensitive, email may not be the best choice; the immediacy of face-to-face communication can be preferable, especially when you would prefer not to have a written record. Small group work is preferred, as it encourages: requiring participant to actively participate in all class activities; group initiatives; formation of communicative interaction determined by each group; delegation of the responsibility for learning to the groups, so participants take responsibility for their own learning; working towards established goals within each group. Functioning well without a leader; people having a positive attitude towards each other and towards the team-work; and cooperative behavior.

Module 7: Miscommunication

Miscommunication is a problem that may occur in a group.

That group must then be able to deal with the miscommunication.

Three types of miscommunication are

Misunderstanding

Non-understanding

Misinterpretation.

Misunderstanding- Misunderstanding is when one group member gains an interpretation that he/she believes is accurate, but in reality is not the interpretation the speaker intended the listener to gain.


9

Non-understanding- Non-understanding is when a group member either does not gain any interpretation at all, or gains more than one interpretation with no way to choose between them.

Misinterpretation- Misinterpretation is when the interpretation of a group member’s statement suggests that his/her values and beliefs are different from the other group members values and beliefs.

Miscommunication can occur in anything that communication is used in. Some good examples can be found in ads that you would find in newspapers and magazines. For your consideration please refer to the examples given below taken from some English news papers.

Dog for sale: eats anything and is fond of children.

Tired of cleaning yourself? Let me do it.

Used Cars: Why go elsewhere to be cheated? Come here first!

Wanted: Man to take care of cow that does not smoke or drink.

Our experienced Mom will care for your child. Fenced yard, meals, and smacks included.

Illiterate? Write today for help.

As you have read the examples it clearly gives an overview that the person wanted to say something else but due to the words used it gives a different impression. If we perceive it as it is it gives a very different effect. So it is always recommended to keep in mind the given parameters while communicating

Misleading Words - Misleading words are used by speakers in order to mislead their listeners into believing only a part or none of an actual message.

Devious Messages - Devious messages require the use of indirectness in order to escape from embarrassing questions. The idea is to satisfy the questioner without responding with a yes or no.

Lying and Evasion - Lying and evasion can be classified as deceptive communication. This deceptive communication acts as a way for the speaker to hide their actual beliefs or actions. By using lying and evasion the speaker gains some power over the listeners because he/she has obscured the true beliefs or actions.

Words that Bypass Critical Thought - Words that bypass critical thought are used to misdirect attention while at the same time achieving the speaker’s goals. By using these words the speaker can convey his/her message without it being examined.

Evocative words - Evocative words have the ability to evoke a very precise structure of beliefs, values, or emotions. These are often loaded words that when provide a very strong response in the direction of that person’s beliefs and values.


10

Improving Communication Skills - Improving communication skills is a vital part of being a group member. By improving your communication skills you will be able to make it easier for others in the group to interpret your remarks as you intended.

Speak Concisely - When listeners appear bored, or inattentive, you may have talked too long. You should state your ideas as simply and briefly as possible. When you talk too long it reduces the opportunity for others to speak and causes members to tune out the speaker.

State One Point at a Time - You should not contribute more than one idea at a time. A several point speech is out because the group can only discuss one point at a time. If you attempt to give all the information on an issue, the group will not be able to follow you and respond meaningfully.

Relate your Statements to Preceding Remarks - A good pattern to follow when in a group discussion is as follows, relate your contribution to what has already been said, state your idea, develop and support it with evidence, and connect it to the topic or phase of the problem being discussed.

While communicating the communicator must ask for feed back in order to get what is going on in the mind of audience. This can be done by asking questions from the audience

Types of Questions

Process Questions - Process questions can help to establish or clarify thought processes for a group.

Orientation Seeking Questions - Orientation seeking questions request information and opinions about group goals. “What is on the agenda for today?”

Relationship Clarifying Questions - Relationship clarifying questions ask about interpersonal and role relationships among members. The questioner may ask how members feel toward each other and toward the group, and what members want from each other. “Did anyone feel left out of our discussion last time?”

Procedure Seeking Questions - Procedure seeking questions ask such things as how to coordinate activity of members, what techniques to use for organizing interaction, in what sequence to take up items for consideration, how to make a decision, how to outline a problem-solving procedure, or simply what to do next. “How should we organize this discussion?”

Product Questions - Product questions seek answers that can help a group achieve its goals.

Fact Seeking Questions - Fact seeking questions are requests for specific statements of fact. The questioner may ask for an observation of something that occurred, for clarification of a


11

statement, for factual statements that were reported elsewhere, or for what some group members said earlier.

“What does anybody know about the extent of crime in our city?”

Opinion Seeking Questions - Opinion seeking questions ask for others’ opinions, interpretations, or judgments about the meaning of facts. “How much do you think it cost to make the movie Titanic?”

Solution Seeking Questions - Solution seeking questions ask for a decision about what to do to solve a problem. Such a question often reemphasizes the type of goal or final output of a special committee. “What should we do next?” or “Which person is most qualified to lead our corporate government?”

Examples of Miscommunication

Example 1: There were these identical twins, Jim and John. Jim was the owner of an old dilapidated boat. It just so happened that John’s wife died the same day Jim’s boat sank. A few days later, a kindly old woman saw Jim and mistaking him for John said ”I’m sorry to hear about your loss. You must feel terrible.” Jim, thinking she was talking about his boat said “Fact is I’m sort of glad to be rid of her. She was a rotten old thing from the beginning. Her bottom was all shriveled up and she smelled like an old dead fish. She was always losing her water, she had a bad crack in the back and a pretty big hole in the front too. Every time I used her, the hole got bigger and she leaked like crazy. I guess what fi nally finished her off was when I rented her to these four guys looking for a good time. I warned them she wasn’t very good, but they wanted to use her anyhow. The fools all tried to get in her at once and she split right up the middle.” The old woman fainted.

Example 2: A young husband comes home one night, and his wife throws her arms around his neck: "Darling, I have great news: I'm a month overdue. I think we're going to have a baby! The doctor gave me a test today, but until we find out for sure, we can't tell anybody."

The next day, a guy from the electric company rings the door-bell, because the young couple hasn't paid their last bill: "Are you Mrs.. Smith?

You're a month overdue, you know!"


12

"How do YOU know?" stammers the young woman.

"Well, ma'am, it's in our files!" says the man from the electric company.

"What are you saying? It's in your files?????"

"Absolutely."

"Well, let me talk to my husband about this tonight."

That night, she tells her husband about the visit, and he, mad as a bull, rushes to the electric company offices the first thing the next morning.

"What's going on here? You have it on file that my wife is a month overdue?

What business is that of yours?" the husband shouts.

"Just calm down," says the clerk, "it's nothing serious. All you have to do is pay us."

"PAY you? and if I refuse?"

"Well, in that case, sir, we'd have no option but to cut yours off."

"And what would my wife do then?" the husband asks.

"I don't know. I guess she'd have to use a candle."

Example 3: Pierre was a consultant with a successful business who had started doing work for Sam, another consultant. Sam would hire out Pierre's services and take a fee in the process. One day Sam called and said he had a lead if Pierre wanted to take it. Sam indicated on the phone that "this isn't the kind of work we are interested in, so if you want to bid it and get the work, just pay me a finders fee." Pierre was successful in getting the work and communicated this to Sam. Sam immediately began telling Pierre how he wanted him to do the work. Pierre thought the work was his alone because of what Sam had said and communicated this to Sam. Their discussions were cordial and businesslike.

Two weeks later, Pierre received a nasty letter from Sam's lawyer indicating he had stolen the work from Sam. Pierre attempted to contact Sam, but Sam wouldn't talk with him. Pierre was hurt and angry, and began talking to lawyers. Then he realized that more money would be spent on the conflict than the contract was worth, so tried another method. Pierre wrote Sam an email telling his rendition of the story, and offering to do the work under Sam's company name, and pay Sam the agreed finders fee. After some continued discussions, Sam agreed. The work was performed, everyone received their appropriate share of the fee, and the problem was resolved. After the work was complete, Pierre decided never again to work with Sam.


13

The problem in this story began with a miscommunication. Each person thought they knew what the real agreement was. Pierre appreciated the work Sam was giving him, so would have resolved it to Sam's satisfaction. But Sam wouldn't talk except through his lawyer. This aggravated the situation, angered Pierre, almost causing him to get his own "gladiator" to do battle. The costs would have soared. Instead, Pierre opened himself up (became vulnerable) and approached Sam to see if they could resolve this themselves. It worked, and the conflict was resolved. The emotional impact on Pierre was significant, however, seeing a side of Sam he didn't know existed. So he decided to never again do business with Sam.

Module 8: Review in view to Warid Telecom

Warid Telecom is a leading communication organization which is working in Pakistan for more than three years. It has a call-centre division for handling its call-centre operations. This division is going to be reviewed in the study. As it is a well established organization, so I conducted a study in which the above mentioned factors were discussed with their employees and some conclusion are drawn on the basis of these discussions.

Mostly the communication in the organization is upward to downward communication but as far as supervision staff and CSR are concerned the communication is both upward to downward and downward to upward as well.

The channel of communication is formal (memo based) from the upper management to the supervisor and from supervisor it is converted to informal communication.

It is often noticed that the CSR are not aware of current promotions and they try to cheat the users. Most of the time it is observed that the put the person on hold and by mutual discussion answer the query of the user which is most of the times misguiding.

Principles of communication are followed by the top-notch people but are very few and far between in the lower staff.

The manger often follows the characteristics which a manager needs to follow but the correct information in not delivered by the supervision staff or there is a difference of perception between the two.

The most common problem which is being observed in the organization is the problem of miscommunication. Each CSR has its own perception and each of them answers the question in his own way.

The need is that the level of communication must be increased and there must be crystal clear

information available for each CSR. The manager should randomly call some agents and ask

them about the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). The agents must be pulsed about the

marketing information off and on so that they can work in an effective manner. The marketing

campaigns should be designed in such a way that they give clear information to the end user so

that they may not ask questions again and again. We have observed several times the term


14

Conditions apply. This is a problem for an end user as well as an employee. Both of the parties

hardly know what conditions are applicable which result in loss of organizational prestige when

the user expectations are not met.

GLOSSARY

Channels: the carrier of information, by which information travels

Rumors: a piece of information , or story, that people talk about, but that may not be true

Gossip: informal talk or stories about other people private life

Bulletin boards: notice board, a place on internet where user can read and write

messages

Dyadic: dyad. N, something that consist of two parts

Non-Verbal: not involving words or speech, just body language


15

Devious: behaving in dishonest or indirect way, to get something

Evasion: the act of avoiding somebody or something you are supposed to do

CSR: customer services representative, call-centre agent

Prestige: the respect and admiration for what someone has done

INDEX

Bulletin boards (2)

Channel (12,8,7,3,2)

CSR (12,13)

Devious (9)

Evasion (9)

Gossip (2)

Non-verbal (6)

Prestige (13)


16

Dyadic (4) Rumors (2)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Nicole, L. E. (2001). Management guidelines. The Canadian Journal of Management,

12 . Supplement A: 1A-40A.


17

2. Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods. Newbury Park, CA:

Sage.

3. Shiell, A. and Law, M. G. (2001). The cost of miscommunication. Communication

Studies. 58: 121-131.


what is communication

Documents