Communication Process

MODULE 4 AS PER COURSE OUTLINE

 Communication

Process of conveying information between two

or more people

Communication Process: steps we take in

order to achieve successful communication
Shannon Weaver model
Business Communication
 Importance of communication

Managers devote ~6* hours communicating/day – be it face to face

communication, written, emails etc

 Promotes motivation by informing and clarifying to employees

about the task to be done, manner to be done and performance
improvement
 Source of Information in the decision making process as it helps
identifying and assess courses of action
 Altering individuals attitudes – a well informed individual will
have better attitude and magazines, journals, meetings and other
forms of communication help form attitudes
 Helps in socialising
 Aids in the controlling process – various levels, jobs, hierarchies
amongst ppl and communication aids this process
 Types of Communication

Internal External Communication

communication
Formal Communication Formal Communication
 Downward Flow Vertical 
Informal Communication
 Upward Flow
 Horizontal/Lateral flow Grapevine is a form of external
 Diagonal communication too
Informal communication
 Grapevine
 Types of communication

Internal Communication
Communication which takes place amongst the
participants in the business environment

External Communication
Communication between people in the organization
and the outside world
 Formal Communication

Formal communication is highly structured and works

within a set of disciplines, rules etc

Upward communication
Downward communication
Horizontal communication
Diagonal communication
 Downward communication

Communication that flows from a higher level to a

lower level – superior to subordinates in a chain of
command
Used by managers to transmit work-related
information to lower levels – employees require this to
perform the job effectively
 Providing feedback on employees performance
 Giving job Instructions
 Provide info on not just the job – but how their job is related to
the organization’s performance
 Communicating organization’s vision and mission
 Highlighting areas of attention
 Downward Communication

In order to ensure effective downward communication

Specify the communication objective
Ensure that the message is accurate, objective and
unambigious
Utilize the best communication technique to
communicate the message in the right form
 Upward Communication

Communication flow to a higher level in an

organization is called upward communication
Used by subordinates to convey problems and
performances to superiors
 Can be used to explain how well the downward communication
process works
 Can be used by employees to share their views and ideas to
participate in the decision making process
 Leads to a more commited and loyal workforce because the
employees are given a chance to speak
 Managers understand the “sentiment” of employees
 Upward communication

Grievance redressal system, complaint, and

Suggestion box, Job Satisfaction survey all help in
improving upward communication
Performance reports made by low level management
for reviewing by higher level management, employee
attitude surveys, letters from employees, employee-
manager discussions etc.
Why?
Communication doesn’t really flow
upwards in an organization
 Horizontal Communication

Communication that takes place at same levels of hierarchy in an

organization is called lateral communication, i.e.,
communication between peers, between managers at same
levels or between any horizontally equivalent organizational
member.
 It is time saving.
 It facilitates co-ordination of the task.
 It facilitates co-operation among team members.
 It provides emotional and social assistance to the
organizational members.
 It helps in solving various organizational problems.
 It is a means of information sharing
 It can also be used for resolving conflicts of a department with
other department or conflicts within a department.
 Diagonal Communication

Diagonal Communication: Communication that

takes place between a manager and employees of
other workgroups is called diagonal communication.
It generally does not appear on organizational chart.
For instance - To design a training module a training
manager interacts with an Operations personnel to
enquire about the way they perform their task.
 Informal communication/Grapevine

Informal communication is characterized by

conversations between employees that do not follow
any prescribed structure or rule based system
Grapevine also spreads very quickly
Takes the form of gossip
Governed by social and personal relationships rather
than official roles and formalities
 Why does grapevine conversation grow

Employees insecurity and lack of self confidence

Managers show differential treatment – hence
certain employees feel segregated
Discussion on superior/peers/subordinates views
Rumours on promotions, retirements, firing etc
 Examples

The manager calls an employee to his chamber and

talks with him for sometimes relating to official
work. Rumor is spread that the employee will be
promoted to higher position ignoring the promotion
of other employees.

Due to delay in supply and shortage of raw materials

the work in a factory has been stopped for a few
days. The workers made it a rumor that the
management authority is going to retrench a large
number of employees soon.
 Importance of grapevine communication

It is an indispensable part of communication

Grapevine communication sometimes contains more
information than formal communication
 For example : if you take a formal feedback from employees about
morale you are likely to get less info than informal discussions
Helps relieve stress, monotony and builds relationships -
People work together and hence it is natural- people want
info about others salaries, information, affairs, marriage
etc.
Grapevine is faster than formal communication
Creates a sense of unity amongst people and provides
emotional support
Disadvantages of grapevine communication

Inaccurate information, half truths can be spread

Emotions and sentiments can change the meaning
Productivity can be hampered
Noone can be held responsible for wrong
information
Not reliable
Creates conflict
 How to make the grapevine beneficial

Providing real news to grapevine initiators so that

real facts can be transmitted
Considering grapevine as a tool to figure out the
“mood/pulse” of the organization
Management should immediately put to rest any
false rumour

Reduce grapevine – by good communication,

empowering employees (so that they understand
what is happening), creating a good org culture
 Barriers to communication

Semantic barriers
Psychological barriers
Socio Cultural barriers
Physical Barriers
 Barriers to communication

Semantic Barriers
 Misunderstanding
between the sender and
the user arising due to
different meanings of
words and symbols used
in communication
 Usually arise when
information is not in
simple language and
contains words and
symbols that have
multiple meanings
 Semantic Barriers
Bad expression – when the message is not
formulated properly so it can be misinterpreted –
wrong words chosen, not sequenced properly
Symbols or words with different meaning
 The bird sanctuary is full of cranes.
 The builder used a crane to lift heavy steel rods.
 The girl has to crane her neck to watch the movie.

Faulty translation – when the sender has

misunderstood the message and further distorts it
Unclarified assumptions – sometimes the sender
creates the message assuming that the receiver
understands the assumptions
 Semantic Barriers

Denotations and connotations

 Denotations – when sender and receiver are using a different
definition
 Connotation barriers – when the implied meaning of the word
arouses personal reaction or judgement
Technical Jargons
 Psychological/Emotional Barriers

Refers to the psychological state that affects the

ability to communicate
 Psychological Barriers

 Lack of attention – when someone is preoccupied with other

things and don’t listen properly
 Premature evaluation – people have a tendency of jumping to
conclusions without considering all the aspects of the problem –
hence they “selectively listen”
 Poor retention – brain doesn’t retain information and only
remmebers that which it considers important for the future
 Loss by transmission – people may not transmit the whole
information and hence it is lost
 Distrust – it both parties don’t trust each they derive a negative
meaning of the same
 Emotions – persons listening and communicating abilities
dependent on emotional state. May not listen if angry or say
something you don’t mean when angry
 SOCIO CULTURAL BARRIERS

Socio Cultural Barriers could happen because of the

following reasons
Generation gap
Gender
Work experience difference
Educational Background
Personal Background
Ethnicity /National Origin/Race
 PHYSICAL BARRIERS

Environmental and natural condition that acts as a

barrier in sending message between people
Types of physical barriers
 Distortion – meaning of message lost in the
decoding/encoding process
 Noise – disruption found in the environment – which makes
the message less accurate, less productive and unclear
 Causes of Physical Barriers

 Environment or Climate – thunder, wind, rain –natural noise can

disturb communication
 Time & Distance – message not sent at an appropriate time
(consider time zones), geographical distances (greater the
distnaces higher changes of encoding/decoding getting distorted)
 Medium or technical problem – If using a medium – there could
be distortion due to medium being used
 Workspace Design – if workspace are far away, open cabins,
closed cabins etc also hinder communication
 Noise – phsyical noise in the environment like the type writer
 Information Overflow – too much of inf0rmation can also be a
physical barrier
 How to overcome barriers

Self Awareness/Self disclosure – training employees

Use of simple language
Reduction and elimination of noise barriers
Active Listening
Emotional State
Simple organizational Structure
Avoid informational overload
You can add your own
Give constructive feedback points or you may be
Proper medium selection asked to suggest ways to
overcome each barrier or
case studies to that effect