1. Fundamentals of Communication

2. Communication Definition Process Important Features Importance
Purpose of Professional Communication
Differences between General and Professional Communication
Types
Flow of Communication in an Organization
Informal Network - Grapevine
Communication Barriers - Types and Measures
Oxford University Press Communication Skills

3. Definition
Communication essentially means the transfer of ideas, feelings, plans, messages, or information from one person to another. It is effective only when it gets the desired action or response.
Communication is a network of interaction where the sender and receiver keep changing their roles.
Communication is a dynamic process, the main components of which are sender, message, channel, receiver, and response.
Oxford University Press Communication Skills

4. Process

5. Features Two-way Creative Functional
Sender and receiver keep changing their roles
Continuous

6. Means, Kinds, Manners, Forms Types (Parties involved)
Communication
Flow
Means, Kinds, Manners, Forms
Types (Parties involved)
Linguistic
Paralinguistic
Vocal Cues
Non- verbal
Intrapersonal
Mass
Vertical
Horizont al
Diagon al
Spiral
Extralinguist ic
Verb al
Interperson al
Extraperson al
Kinesics
Proxemics
Chronemics
Artefacts
Haptics (Touch)
Oral
Writte n
Speech
Seminar GD
Letter
Memo
Minutes
Reports
Meetings
Intervie w
Professional Presentation

7. Importance of Communication
Business has grown in size
Business activity has become complex
Business has become competitive
Workers are organized through trade union
Promotes a spirit of understanding and cooperation

8. Purpose of Professional Communication
Advising
Counseling
Giving Orders
Providing Instructions
Marketing
Persuasion
Giving Warnings
Raising Morale
Staffing
Projecting Image
Preparing Advertisements
Making Decisions
Getting Feedback

9. Differences between General and Professional Communication
General Communication
Content: Contains general message
Nature: Informal in style and approach
Structure: No set pattern of communication
Method: Mostly oral
Audience: Not always for a specific audience
Language: Does not normally involve the use of technical vocabulary or graphics, etc.
Professional Communication
Content: Contains a formal and professional message
Nature: Mostly formal and objective
Structure: Follows a set pattern such as sequence of elements in a report
Method: Both oral and written
Audience: Always for a specific audience, e.g., customers, banks, etc.
Language: Frequently involves jargon, graphics, etc. for achieving professional purposes

10. How much time do you spend on the following?
Informal note
Memos
Letters
Circulars and notices
Press releases
Reports
Handbooks
Manuals
Unplanned exchanges
Meetings
Brainstorming
Telephone
Interviews
Formal presentations
Discussion groups
Seminars

11. Different Types of Communication Flow
Horizontal
Vertical
Upward
Downward
Crosswise
Spiral

12. Flow of Communication in an Organization

13. Barriers to Communication
Definition: When you convey your message to someone or a group of people and the message is not received clearly and unambiguously, it is known as barrier to communication. Thus, the message received is not as the message sent. Barriers to effective communication could cause roadblocks in your professional and personal life and it could be one of the major hurdles in achieving your professional goals.

14. Further Discussed Measures to rectify communication failure
Types of communication barriers
Tips for Effective Communication

15. Steps to Rectify Communication Failure
Identify the problem
Find out its cause
Select and apply the best alternative
Follow up religiously

16. Types of Communication Barriers
Based on the Nature of Barriers
Barriers of psychological nature
Barriers arising due to emotional reactions, negative attitudes, and wrong timing of messages
Barriers originating from the communication networks established by organizations

17. Verbal Barriers Lack of proper planning
Selection of a wrong variety of language
Badly encoded or wrongly decoded messages
Semantic gap
Differences in perceptions
Variation in language
Wrong inferences
Categorical thinking

18. Non-verbal Barriers Raising eyebrows
Keeping your hands or thumbs constantly in the pockets of your trousers
Awkward gestures
Flashing eyes
Rolling eyes
Quick movements
Very slow movement
Avoiding eye contact
Oxford University Press Communication Skills

19. Listening Barriers
Making the speaker feel as though he/she is wasting the listener’s time
Being distracted by something that is not part of the ongoing communication
Getting ahead of the speaker and completing his/her thoughts
Topping the speaker’s story with one’s own set of examples
Forgetting what is being discussed
Asking too many questions for the sake of probing
Note: These barriers are elaborately discussed in the chapter entitled ‘Developing Effective Listening Skills’.
Oxford University Press Communication Skills

20. Miscellaneous Barriers
Premature evaluation of message
Information overload
Distrust, threat, and fear
Less time for orientation and for adjustment to change
 Emotional reaction
Rigidity in attitudes

21. Some Remedies Send the data only to the people who require them
Emphasize the major ideas
Delete unwanted ideas
Maintain transparency in policy matters
Ensure clarity in message and look for a genuine feedback
Understand others’ emotions
Understand other cultures and language variations and use the appropriate variety in the given context

22. Some Remedies
Make sure that information overload does not affect the communication environment adversely.
Maintain openness and acknowledge that people have different perceptions and views regarding one thing.
Encourage innovative ideas and views so that people should not unnecessarily live in fears.
Listen attentively to others
Speak with clarity and conviction