INTRODUCTION Communication is a process by which all forms of information are transferred from one person to another Dale S. Beach has defined communication as the transfer of information and understanding from person to person. According to McFarland communication is a process of meaningful interaction among human beings. More specifically it is the process by which meanings are perceived and understandings are reached among human beings CHAPTER 8 PURPOSES OF COMMUNICATION It is needed to exchange ideas, opinions, etc Employee orientation and socialization programmes become possible mostly through communication It is needed for designing jobs and Human resource planning, Recruitment, Selection and Performance evaluation functions Collective bargaining process is mostly carried out through communication Participative management is successful through effective communication process CHAPTER 8 IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION Communication is important in the organization for three reasons All the functions of management involve the act of communication without which they cannot be performed Managers devote a major portion of their time to the activity of communication interpersonal relations and group relations are maintained and developed only through the systems of communication It acts as a basis for action It facilitates planning It helps in decision-making It improves relationship, motivation and morale CHAPTER 8 FUNDAMENTALS OF COMMUNICATION Since the effectiveness of a managers management largely depends on communication, it is important that he knows the fundamentals of communication. Words do not have meanings in themselves. Though a word represents a thing, an action or a feeling, the meaning of words actually depends on the way they are interpreted. Sometimes the emotional state of a person also affects understanding and for this reason the manager may also have to learn the emotional state of a person before he communicates Contd. CHAPTER 8 FUNDAMENTALS OF COMMUNICATION Facts must be distinguished from opinions. Communication is said to be complete when the receiver has understood it in the same sense the sender has conveyed it it is up to the sender to find out whether the receiver has understood the true meaning of the message So a constant feedback becomes an essential component of the communication process CHAPTER 8 FUNCTIONS OF COMMUNICATION Information and knowledge are transmitted from one person to another People are motivated and directed only with the help of communication Peoples attitude and beliefs are moulded and their behaviour is influenced positively with the help of communication It also performs the function of entertainment and the maintenance of social relations among them Since the manager continuously interacts with other people in the organization, his job mainly involves communication and to do this better he is required to be skilful in speaking, listening, reading and writing CHAPTER 8 CHAPTER 8 PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION Information and knowledge are transmitted from one person to another and there are seven basic elements of communication Sender Encoding Message Channel Decoding Receiver Feedback CHAPTER 8 MIS AND IT Management Information System (MIS) is a formal method of making available to management accurate and timely information necessary to facilitate the decision-making process and enable the organizations planning, control and operational functions to be carried out effectively An information system is a set of organized procedures which when executed provides information to support decision-making Computers and telecommunication closely interact with each other and make the communication fast, direct and cheap CHAPTER 8 ORAL COMMUNICATION It is also called verbal communication. It is considered to be the earliest common medium of communication Principles of effective oral communication include: clarity of the message, brevity of the message, choosing precise and most appropriate words, sequence of the message, avoiding use of jargon etc. Contd. CHAPTER 8 Techniques of oral communication include: maintenance of friendly atmosphere, showing appreciation, showing personal interest etc. Advantages of oral communication include: it saves time and cost, it is effective media, it can be used in emergency situations, it involves accuracy and speed, proper control and supervision Oral communication suffers from various disadvantages like: it can be disturbed by noise, involvement of problem of language, problem of record and evidence, sometimes it is costly CHAPTER 8 WRITTEN COMMUNICATION The primary important category of communication is written communication The process of communication involves sending message by written words The essentials of written communication include: Unity of writing the message (implies a condition of being one), Coherence (Most essential for good communication), Clarity, Completeness, Conciseness Contd. CHAPTER 8 The Objectives of written communication include: To improve organizational efficiency, To reduce mistakes and errors based on earlier records To meet the legal requirements The advantages include: influence of self-interest and attitude is minimum, written communication is more reliable and one can trust it, capacity of being stored, useful where documentary work is involved, it will not carry rumour or gossip, this method is useful when Contd. CHAPTER 8 secrecy or confidentiality of matters is involved Written communication also suffers from some limitations like: confusion and misinterpretation, absence of personal touch, absence of two- way communication, absence of grapevine, slow movement, absence of scope for interpretation, absence of immediate feedback etc. CHAPTER 8 NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION Acts speak louder than words Communication can never be complete and effective without non-verbal communication Even before verbal communication was established, communication was on non-verbal Visual aids are always considered better than audio aids Non-verbal communication includes body language, mode of dressing, physical distance Contd. CHAPTER 8 maintained etc. Body movements are labelled as Kinesicswhich include gestures, facial configurations and other movements Non-verbal communication can be improved through the following means: Look at what is happening in the situation Consider discrepancies between non-verbal behaviour and verbal statements Watch for subtleties in the non-verbal behaviour CHAPTER 8 COMMUNICATION CHANNEL AND NETWORK Communication flows through various channels These channels include downward, upward, horizontal and cross-wise Downwards communication It flows from higher level to lower level in the organizational hierarchy Contd. CHAPTER 8 The basic purpose of communication are To provide specific task directives or instructions To provide information about task relationships To provide feedback about subordinates performance To let the people know the pride of being relatively well informed Contd. CHAPTER 8 The advantages of downward communication are It helps to inform the employees about policies, objectives etc. To execute and implement various programmes It facilitates to improve quality of response The disadvantages of downward communication It causes delay and time consuming process Contd. CHAPTER 8 It is only one way process There is no provision for feedback It provides for rigid communication network There is no scope for subordinates to express their views The traditional style of downward communication (Print and Media) has been changed significantly The traditional downward communication include, print and oral media Contd. CHAPTER 8 The written media include letters, manuals, handbooks, reports, posters and like The oral media in downward communication include face-to-face orders, instructions, telephonic orders, speeches, meetings and the like The developments in telecommunication in downward communication include: video- conferences, LAN, WAN, Fax etc. CHAPTER 8 UPWARD COMMUNICATION Upward communication flows from lower level to upper level in organizational hierarchy Upward communication is necessary to offer suggestions, to lodge complaints, ventilate grievances, exit interviews etc. Managers should encourage upward communication with a view to: Create receptiveness of communication Contd. CHAPTER 8 Create a feeling of belongingness through a shared meeting Evaluate communication and Demonstrate a concern for the ideas and views of lower level employees Advantages of upward communication include It provides scope for two-way communication Possibility for immediate feedback; and To provide scope for employee satisfaction CHAPTER 8 METHODS OF IMPROVING EFFECTIVENESS OF UPWARD COMMUNICATION Managing by Walking Around The Open-door Policy The Ombudsman Position An Empowerment Strategy Participative Management Counselling, Attitude Surveys and exit interviews Contd. CHAPTER 8 The Grievance Procedure E-mail Vertical communication is often incomplete and thus Horizontal communication is used to bring about task coordination among peers, to strengthen relationships among peers and to allow the flow of information faster Communication Networks include: Formal and Informal CHAPTER 8 INTER-PERSONAL COMMUNICATION The major emphasis in inter-personal communication is on transferring information from one person to another The purpose of interpersonal communication is to effect behavioural change by incorporating psychological processes (perception learning and motivation) Getting feedback and providing feed forward are most important in inter-personal communication Contd. CHAPTER 8 Both formal and informal networks should be used for effective feedback. It makes communication two way process Some characteristics of effective and ineffective feedback are Specific Intention Descriptive Usefulness Timeliness Readiness Validity Clarity CHAPTER 8 LISTENING Listening is very important aspect in the process of communication Listening is different from hearing Effective listening must be active but not passive The four essential requirements of active listening are Intensity Contd. CHAPTER 8 Empathy Acceptance A willingness to take responsibility for completeness Developing Effective/Active Listening Skills Paraphrase Ask questions Avoid distracting Actions Make eye contact Exhibit affirmative head nods and Facial expressions Make smooth transitions CHAPTER 8 ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION What all is true of interpersonal communication is also true of organizational communication Raymond V. Leslikar has described four factors that influence the effectiveness of organizational communication The formal channels of communication The organizations authority structure Contd. CHAPTER 8 J ob specialization Information Ownership Organizational communication may be formal or informal Formal communication is an official communication having official support and sanction The advantages of formal communication includes Providing correct information Having official support with authority Contd. CHAPTER 8 Uniformity in transmission Handling of message efficiently The disadvantages of formal communication includes Delay in sending information due to official channels Absence of immediate feedback Absence of interest to send and receive Lack of ability to communicate upward Contd. CHAPTER 8 The advantages of formal communication includes Providing correct information Having official support with authority Uniformity in transmission Handling of message efficiently INFORMAL COMMUNICATION OR GRAPEVINE The communication that arise not out of formal relations between people but out of Contd. CHAPTER 8 informal or social relationships is called the grapevine or informal communication The informal communication does both good and bad to the organizations. The advantages of informal communication are It acts as a driving force to unite the workforce in cases of common matters It saves time and energy as information flows at a high speed It has immediate response from the receiver Contd. CHAPTER 8 It satisfies communication needs and provides scope for immediate feedback Drawbacks of informal communication It provides only inadequate information, overlook superiors and grapevine has no formal authority It spreads wrong information and rumours sometimes It distorts information CHAPTER 8 BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION The barriers to communication may be classified into: External Semantic Barriers Faulty Translations Specialist language Emotional or Psychological Barriers Premature Evaluation Contd. CHAPTER 8 BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION Existence of Preconceived notions Inattention Due to Lack of interest Distrust in Communication Fears Poor retention by the receiver because of his inability Defensive Behaviour Contd. CHAPTER 8 BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION Organizational Organizational policies, rules and regulations, status relationships also affect the effectiveness of communication Personal Barriers in Superiors Attitude Lack of confidence in subordinates Contd. CHAPTER 8 BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION Lack of awareness of Importance of Communication Insistence on Proper Channel Barriers in Subordinates Unwillingness to Communicate Lack of proper Incentive CHAPTER 8 HOW TO MAKE COMMUNICATION EFFECTIVE Communication can be made effective through the effective use of following four elements: The Content The system must be clearly defined and Recognized The Media The Technique CHAPTER 8 TEN COMMANDMENTS OF EFFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONCATION Clarify ideas before attempting to communicate Examine the process of communication Understand the physical and human environment when communicating In planning communication consult with others, to obtain their support as well as facts Consider the content and overtones of the message Contd. CHAPTER 8 Whenever possible, communicate something that helps or is valued by the receiver Communication to be effective, requires follow- up Communicate messages that are of short-run and long-run importance Actions must be congruent with communication