BBA SEM I: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

UNIT1: CONCEPT & NATURE OF COMMUNICATION

 Meaning & introduction

 Importance and Nature of communication
 Process & objectives of communication
 Types of communication
 Barriers to Communication
 7 C’s of Communication of effective communication

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 1

 UNIT 1

Meaning & introduction

Overview
According to the Wisconsin business alumni, Robert Kent, former dean of Harvard Business
School said, “In business, communication is everything.” Businesses are made up of people on
every level. The employee answering the phones, the customers and the other business
relationships are all a vital part of business. Effective business communication is dependent on a
company’s organizational structure and its leadership.

What is Communication?
The word communication has been derived from the Latin word communis, which means to
share or to participate. Thus, communication stands for sharing or transmission of information,
an idea, an opinion, an emotion, a fact or an attitude. It includes both, the act of communicating
as well as the message to be communicated.

Attempts have been made by different authors to define communication. A few are enumerated
below:
“Communication means to share in, to give to another or the interchange of – thoughts, opinions
or information.” Webster
“Communication is an exchange of facts, ideas, opinions, or emotions by two or more persons.”
W. H. Newman and C. F. Summer Jr.
“Communication in its simplest form is conveying of information from one person to another.”
Hudson
“Communication is the process of passing information and understanding from one person to
another.” Keith Davis
“Communication is a continuing and thinking process dealing with the transmission and
interchange with understanding of ideas, facts and courses of action.” George R. Terry
“Communication is the transmission of information, ideas, emotions, skills, etc. by the use of
symbols, words, pictures, figures, graphs, etc. It is the act or process of transformation that is
usually called communication. ” Berelso and Steiner

Thus communication is the process of passing information and understanding from one
person to another with three sides to it:
(i) Transmission of subject-matter or message
(ii) Involvement of two parties to complete the process of communication
(iii) The person to whom the message is transmitted understands it in the same sense in which
the sender of message wants him to understand it
According to Harold D. Lass well, a convenient way to describe an act of communication is
to answer the following questions:
 Who
 Says What
Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 2
 In Which Channel
 To Whom
 With What Effect?

Importance and Nature of communication

Communication occurs wherever life exists.The transmission of any meaningful message is
communication. It is as natural a phenomenon as existence itself. Whether we recognize it or not,
we have no option but to communicate. Then we here stands for all things living. A baby cries to
convey its hunger. A dog barks to warn his master of an intruder. Corporate organizations which,
after all, consist of the human element, use information- based systems like Management
Information System (MIS), Decision Support System (DSS) and Strategic Information System
(SIS) to run businesses successfully. This is what communication is all about. Communication is
an integral part of human existence. Communication contributes enormously to the success or
failure of every human activity. Communication is essentially the ability of one person to make
contact with another and to make himself understood. Since man is a social animal, it is vital that
he express his feelings and emotions, receive and exchange information. It is here that
communication comes into play. In case of organizations, it becomes even more important as
people working in different departments have to achieve common objectives. The working of
inter-personal relationships is possible only through communication. Apart from binding its
various components internally, communication is what links an organisation with the external
world. Thus, communication is regarded as the foundation of a successful organisation. No group
can exist without communication.Communication has a significant impact on the ultimate
potency of an organisation. It is only through communication that ideas, information, attitudes or
emotions get conveyed from one person to another. At the individual level also, effective
communication skills are responsible for success. According to a survey of America’s most
successful managers by a leading American magazine, Fortune, excellent communication skill
was one of the prime determinants of success

Communication Process & its elements

The process of communication involves seven major elements -sender, message, encoding,
channel, receiver, decoding and feedback.

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 3

 Sender:
The sender is the person who transmits a message. He is the communicator. He is the one
who gets the entire process of communication started. He wants to get his opinions, ideas,
facts, thoughts or information across to the receiver. He is, therefore, also said to be the
transmitter of a message.
 Message:
A message is the actual information that has to be conveyed. Communication is unthinkable
without a message. A message triggers a response from the receiver. Messages can broadly
be divided into verbal and non-verbal. The message must be clear, complete, unambiguous
and courteous.
 Encoding:
The seeds of communication are sown the moment the sender thinks of transmitting a certain
message. These thoughts have to be converted into suitable words, pictures, charts or
symbols so that they can be delivered to the receiver.
This process of converting thoughts into suitable words, charts, symbols or any other form in
which they can be understood by the receiver is called encoding. The choice of the method of
communication is made here – will the message be verbal or non-verbal?
 Channel:
How does one communicate? This is what a channel deals with. Communication is achieved
through a channel. The channel can be a letter, an email, a fax, a telephone or memos,
reports, bulletins, posters and manuals.
The choice depends on the relationship between the sender and the receiver as well as on the
message that has to be communicated. Other factors that tend to influence the choice of a
channel include the gravity of the message, the number of receivers, the costs involved and
the amount of information.
 Receiver:
The person who receives the message, decodes it and understands it or attaches some
meaning to it is the receiver.
The receiver has to perform three functions:
(i) Reception of the message:
This is the stage when a message sent by the sender is sensorial taken in by the receiver.
(ii) Decoding the message:
After receiving the message, the receiver has to attach some meaning to it.
(iii) Understanding the message:
He then has to interpret it in the same way and in the same sense as the sender meant it.
 Feedback:

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 4

 The return of communication from the receiver to the sender is known as feedback. It is the
response, reaction or reply to the communication. It is always directed towards the sender.
This completes the cycle of communication. Thus, in feedback, the receiver sends his reply
or response to the sender, indicating that he has understood the message received. In face-to-
face communication.

Objectives of communication

Communication is meant:

i. To inform
ii. To reassure
iii. To teach
iv. To deliver news, whether good or bad
v. To understand
vi. To explain
vii. To persuade
viii. To transact
ix. To organize
x. To control
xi. To co-ordinate

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 5

 xii. To direct…Among other things

Business Communication
Business communication involves constant flow of information. Feedback is integral part of
business communication. Organizations these days are verly large and involve large 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 oragnization. Immediate
feedback can be obtained and misunderstandings if any can be avoided. There should be
effective communication between superiors and subordinated in an organization, between
organization and society at large (for example between management and trade unions). It is
essential for success and growth of an organization. Communication gaps should not occur in
any organization.

Business Communication is goal oriented. The rules, regulations and policies of a company have
to be communicated to people within and outside the organization. Business Communication is
regulated by certain rules and norms. In early times, business communication was limited to
paper-work, telephone calls etc. But now with advent of technology, we have cell phones, video
conferencing, emails, satellite communication to support business communication. Effective
business communication helps in building goodwill of an organization.

Business Communication can be of two types:

1. Oral Communication - An oral communication can be formal or informal. Generally

business communication is a formal means of communication, like : meetings, interviews,
group discussion, speeches etc. An example of Informal business communication would be
- Grapevine.
2. Written Communication - Written means of business communication includes - agenda,
reports, manuals etc.

Importance of Business communication

Good communication means your message is being sent and those receiving it clearly understand
it in it’s entirely. Because of this, they are more likely to respond to it in a positive manner.
When this occurs, it means the message was communicated effectively. A customer who
receives poor communication from an employee will most likely have an unfavorable response
to a company. The reason for this could be because the person listening does not possess a clear
understanding of what the person doing the talking is actually saying. Perhaps the request is
unclear, or maybe the person listening did not pay close enough attention.

Communication is one of the most basic functions of management in any organization. Its
importance can never be over emphasized. It is the process of transmitting ideas, thoughts,

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 6

information, opinions, and plans between various parts of an organization or sometimes to those
on the outside of an organization who have a vested interest in the business and need to know the
information.

Human relations cannot be present without communication. Good and effective communication
is required for both personal relationships and successful business relationships. You can use
business software and other popular applications for writing communications, or you can utilize
the telephone and in-person methods for the spoken part. No matter how you communicate,
make sure there is both talking and listening going on and that you take the time to carefully
consider what is being said to you.

All three forms of communication are important to a business. The written communications can
serve as a record of sorts while the phone conversations can facilitate the beginning of a great
business relationship. The in-person communication will also help to further promote the
business principles as well as the products. Face-to-face communication is especially important
between companies and their customers. This is what keeps them coming back time and time
again and what can place the business in the forefront of many situations that are perfect for
acquiring and maintaining customers

Types of communication
On the basis of organization relationship

Formal Communication:
Such a communication is that which is associated with the formal organisation structure and the
official status or the position of the communicator and the receiver. It travels through the formal
channels officially recognised positions in the organisation chart. Formal communication is
mostly in black and white.

Thus, it is a deliberate attempt to regulate the flow of communication so as to ensure that

information flows smoothly, accurately and timely. Formal communication is a deliberate
attempt to regulate the flow of communication so as to ensure that information flows smoothly,
accurately and timely.

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 7

We frequently come across the phrase ‘through proper channel’. It emphasises the essence of
formal channel of communication. For example, when the General Manager issues instructions
(because of his senior position in the organisation), it is formal communication.

The forms of formal communication are as under:

(i) Departmental meetings,

(ii) Conference,

(iii) Telephone calls,

(iv) Company news bulletins,

(v) Special interviews and special purpose publications and messages.

The main advantage of the formal communication is that the official channels enable the routine
and standardised information to pass without claiming much of managerial attention. Essentially,
executives and managers may devote most of their precious time on matters of utmost
significance.

But at the same time, the weakness of formal communication should not go unaccounted.
Communication through channel of command greatly obstructs free and uninterrupted flow of
information.

Informal Communication:
Informal communication is also known as ‘Grapevine’. It is free from all sorts of formalities
because it is used on informal relationships between the parties, such as friendship, membership
in the same club or association. Persons at the executive levels also use informal communication

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 8

when they find it difficult to collect information from the workers. Such communication includes
comments, suggestions etc. It may be conveyed by a simple glance, gesture, smile or mere
silence.Managers and executives also favour the growth and development of informal network of
communication off and on. This process, In fact, serves a very useful purpose in disseminating
certain information which, in the general interest of the organisation, cannot be transmitted
through the official channels. Apart from that, it also offers the high and higher ups a clearer
insight into what the subordinates think and feel. But at the same time, the weaknesses of the
informal communication are also worth noting. It may be mentioned that this process very often
tends to pass distorted, misinterpreted, and inaccurate and half- truth information and facts,
depending on the circumstances and the message. But still, executives and managers cannot do
away with informal communication.

On the basis of Flow

Downward Communication:

Communication which flows from the superiors to subordinates is referred to as downward

communication. In an organisational structure, the executives must exercise their powers to
achieve the desired objectives which imply that they may be engaged in issuing orders,
instructions and policy directives to the persons at the lower levels. This may be called
downward communication. Under downward communication, immediate performance of a job is
expected.

Katz And Kahn Have Identified Live Elements of Downward Communication:

1. Specific task directives; Job instructions.

2. Information designed to produce understanding of the task and its relation to other
organisational tasks; job rationale.

3. Information about organisational procedures and practices.

4. Feedback to the subordinate about his performance.

5. Information of an ideological character to inculcate a sense of mission, indoctrination of goals.

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 9

Communication from superior to subordinate can be face to face as well as through written
memos, orders, job descriptions etc.

Upward Communication:
In an upward communication, the persons from the lower level are expected to have
communication with those who are above them. It is just the reverse of downward
communication. This sort of communication includes reactions and suggestions from workers,
their grievances etc. Contents of upward communication are reports, reaction, suggestion
statements and proposals prepared for the submission to the boss.

Upward Communication can be divided into four categories on the basis of what employee
says:

(i) about himself, his performance and problems,

(ii) about others and their problems,

(iii) aboutorganisational policies and practices, and

(iv) about what needs to be done and how it can be done.

The main features of upward communication are:

(1) it is condensed and summarised as it passes through various levels in the hierarchy. It gives
feedback on the extent of effectiveness of downward communication. This feedback is used for
improving communication effectiveness.

(2) It provides the management about the viewpoints, reactions, attitudes, feelings and morale of
employees.

(3) It provides means of control.

(4) Finally, it gives information and date for decision making.

Upward communication may get distorted owing to the nature of superior- subordinate
relationships. An employee is not likely to give any information which may affect him adversely.
Moreover, he may transmit wrong information to impress his superiors. It flows through many

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 10

media e.g. chain of command, suggestion boxes, personal contacts, attitude and morale surveys,
grievance procedure, private lines, labour unions etc.

Horizontal Communication:
When the communication takes place between two or more persons who are subordinates of the
same person or those who are working on the same level of organisation, the communication is
known as horizontal (lateral) communication.

The communication between functional managers or among subordinates working under one
boss, the communication between managers of various factories is the examples of such
communication. Horizontal communication may be oral as well as written.

Horizontal Communication satisfies peoples’ needs to know from their own peers without taking
into account other levels in the organisation. It is really difficult for an organisation to function
efficiently without such horizontal communication flows. Although the formal organisation
design does not provide for such communication flows, it is needed for the coordination and
integration of diverse organizational functions.

Since organizational horizontal communication ordinarily do not exist in facilitation is left to

individual managers. Peer to peer communication necessary for co-ordination and can also
provide social need satisfaction.

On the basis of Expression

Oral or Verbal Communication:

Oral communication is a direct communication between two individuals. In oral communication
both the parties i.e., sender and receiver exchange their ideas through oral words either in face to
face conversation or through any mechanical or electrical device such as telephone,
teleconference etc. When it is face to face, the person communicating can ask questions or
explanations or sometimes when the communication is not properly understood, he can clarify
meaning.
Oral communication is generally possible where there can be either a direct contact or message
to be conveyed is not of permanent nature. Meetings and conferences, lectures and interviews are
other media of such communication.
Oral communication enjoys certain advantages communication which may be enumerated
as follows:

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 11

 (i) Oral communication has the distinct advantage of being quick and prompt. It provides the
opportunity to both the transmitter and receiver of the message to respond directly.
(ii) Oral communication facilitates close contact and thus fosters mutual exchange of ideas, facts,
understanding and cooperation.
(iii) Oral communication through direct contact undoubtedly inculcates in the subordinates a
sense of self-importance which in turn acts as a motivating factor.
(iv) Oral communication further enables the superior to make a quick appraisal of subordinate’s
action and reaction to any message transmitted. This obviously helps the superior to minimise
and avert conflicts, redesign plans and programmes according to the need of time and
circumstances.
(v) The personality of the communicator is brought to bear in the communication process. This
has good effect on the subordinates and they understand the communication properly.
(vi) It can bring a friendly and co-operative team spirit.
However, the following are the disadvantages of the oral communication:
(i) There is a possibility that the spoken words may not be clearly heard or understood.
(ii) It is not good for lengthy communications.
(iii) It requires the art of expressing accurately and appropriately, and listen to others
emphatically.
 (iv) It is inadequate where specific performance of policies and rules is needed.
 (v) The inexperienced subordinates do not follow the facial expressions and the tone of
manager’s voice.

 Written Communication:
When the communication is reduced to black and white (writing), it is called written
communication. This includes written words, graphs, diagrams, pictures, etc. Written
communications are extensively used in organisations.
Sometimes, this form of communication becomes indispensible as in the case of rules, orders,
schedules or policy matters etc. The circulars, magazines, notes and manuals are some common
forms of written communication.
It may be asserted from general observations that in all types of organisations both oral and
written communication is in practice. Which form should be used and applied? Much depends on
the message, its importance to receiver, and implication to functional aspects of the organisation.
The Following List Presents Some Commonly Used Forms of Communication in Different
Directions:

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 12

Oral Written

(1) Personal instructions. (1) Rules and instructions

handbook.
(2) Lectures, conferences,
meetings. (2) Letters, circulars and memos.

(3) Grapevine rumours. (3) Posters.

(4) Interviews. (4) Bulletin and notice Boards.

(5) Face to face (5) Handbooks and Manuals.

conversation.
(6) Annual Reports.
(6) Telephone etc.
(7) House Magazines.
(7) Union channels.
(8) Union Publications.

(9) Personal letters and

suggestions.

(10) Complaint Procedure.

Gestures
Gestures include communication through eye contact, body posture, hand signals, and facial
expressions; however, here we will focus on hand signals as the other forms can be found in
other tabs.The use of Gestures in Nonverbal Communication falls under "Chironomia", the art of
using hand gestures in order to communicate, or "Kinesics" which is the interpretation of non-
verbal behaviour involving movement. Examples of communicative gestures are
waving, saluting, handshakes, pointing, or a thumbs up.There are voluntary and involuntary
gestures. Waving to a friend would be an intentional method of saying hello, while throwing
one's arms up in exasperation may be an involuntary reaction to feelings of frustration or anger.

Gestures are not universal, what may mean one thing for us can mean something entirely
different for another culture. For example, nodding one's head in Canada means 'yes', while

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 13

 nodding one's head in Bulgaria means 'no'. Although gestures do not carry the same meaning
across different cultures, they are universal in the sense that every culture uses them; there have
been no reports of communities that do not use gestures.

Sign language involves an entire repertoire of hand gestures that create a language for those who
cannot speak orally, this is categorized as a "gestural language".

Gestures can be the most effective non-verbal tools to express meaning, and many people make
use of them to supplement verbal communication, or simply to express themselves silently. For
example, a teacher may sternly tell a student to "be quiet" while pointing a finger at them, or a
man at a bar may wink at a girl instead of shouting across the room to her.

Gestures can be speech-dependent (pointing to something while one is talking about it) or
speech-independent (peace sign, wave hello).

Barriers to Communication
Most people would agree that communication between two individuals should be simple. When
you communicate, you are successful in getting your point across to the person you're talking to.
It's important to remember that there are differences between talking and communicating. When
we talk, we tend to erect barriers that hinder our ability to communicate. Some of the
communication barriers during conversation include:

 The use of jargon. Over-complicated, unfamiliar and/or technical terms.

 Lack of attention, interest, distractions, or irrelevance to the receiver.
 Differences in perception and viewpoint.
 Physical disabilities such as hearing problems or speech difficulties.
 Language differences and the difficulty in understanding unfamiliar accents.

People often hear what they expect to hear rather than what is actually said and jump to incorrect
conclusions.

Semantic Barriers

The meaning of words, signs and symbols might be different from one person to another and the same
word might have hundreds of meanings. So, when a message is sent by a sender to a receiver, it might be
interpreted wrongly in a communication process causing misunderstandings between them. This can
happen due to different situations that
form the semantic(of, relating to, or arising from the different meanings of words or other symbols) of the
sender and the receiver, known as the semantic barrier. It also arises due to language, education, culture
and place of origin (dialect or accent) or most likely their experiences.

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 14

 Bad Expression: The message is not formulated properly and the language used is so difficult
that it could be misinterpreted by the recipient. The message is said to be badly expressed if the
wrong words are chosen, the sentences are not sequenced properly, and there is a frequent
repetition of words or sentences. The badly expressed messages consume a lot of time as it
requires corrections and clarifications and also the impact of the message gets reduced.
 Symbols, or Words with Different Meanings: There are several words that carry different
meanings and often, people get confused with these words and interpret these differently due to
the difference in their educational and social backgrounds. Such as, the word “Crane” has
different meaning as shown in the sentences below: 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: Sometimes, the sender translates the message as per his level of
understanding irrespective of the recipient’s comprehension level. For example, a manager
collected information from his superiors and subordinates and translated the same information to
all his employees, according to the understanding level of the superiors, and this led to the
misinterpretation of the message. Thus, it is required to mold the message according to the
understanding levels of the employees to have an intended response.
 Unclarified Assumptions: Sometimes the sender creates assumptions about certain things which
he feels the receiver must be knowing about it and focus only on the subject matter. But in the
case of a special message, if the assumptions are vague and unknown to the receiver then the
communication might get adversely affected.
 Denotations and Connotations: The denotation means the literal meaning of the word, it just
shows the name of the object and does not imply any negative or positive qualities. The
detonation barriers arise due to the sender and receiver using a different definition and meaning
of the word used in the message. Such as word crane is used in the context of bird species but it
is interpreted as a vehicle that lifts the objects. Whereas the implied meaning of the word is
called connotation that arouses personal reactions and qualitative judgments. The connotation
barriers arise when the people use words that hold different meanings in different abstract
situations, contexts, feelings, etc. For example, the word beautiful and confidence has a positive
connotation, but can have any of the meaning depending on the context in which it is used.
 Technical jargons: Often people working in the technical groups such as engineers, production
managers, IT managers, etc. use the technical jargons in their communication which is quite
difficult for the layman to understand. Thus, the use of technical jargons in communication can
act as a barrier.

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 15

 Thus, semantic barriers lead to misunderstanding of the information and the objective of
communication, i.e. for which it was intended, gets disrupted.

 Psychological or Emotional Barriers

The Psychological or Emotional Barriers refers to the psychological state i.e. Opinions, attitudes,
status consciousness, emotions, etc. of a person that deeply affects the ability to communicate.

The communication largely depends on the mental condition of a person, if the person is not mentally
or emotionally sound, then he cannot communicate effectively either as a sender or a receiver.

The main kinds of Psychological or Emotional Barriers are:

 Lack of Attention: When the person is pre-occupied by some other things and do not listen
carefully what the other person is speaking, then arises the psychological barrier in the
communication. When the person does not listen to others, then he won’t be able to
comprehend the message as it was intended and will not be able to give proper feedback.
 Premature Evaluation: Many people have a tendency to jump to the conclusions directly
and form judgments without considering all the aspects of information. This is generally done
by the people who are impatient and resort to a selective listening. This premature evaluation
of the information acts as a barrier to the effective communication and lowers the morale of
the sender.
 Poor Retention: The retention refers to the capacity of a brain to retain or store things in the
memory. The brain does not store all the information came across but in fact, retain only
those which deems to be helpful in the future. Therefore, much of the information gets lost
during the retention process, and this acts as a barrier to the effective communication.
 Loss by Transmission: The loss by transmission means, whenever the information
exchanges hand its credibility reduces. It is most often observed in the case of an oral
communication where people handle information carelessly and transmits the information
which has lost some of its truth. Thus, the improper and lack of information being transmitted
to others acts as a hindrance in the communication process.

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 16

  Distrust: To have an effective communication, it is must that both the communicators
(sender and receiver) trust each other. In case there is a lack of trust between both the parties,
then they will tend to derive negative meaning out of the message and often ignore what has
been communicated. If the receiver has no trust, then he will not listen to whatever is being
said by the sender, and this will result in a meaningless communication.
 Emotions: The communication is greatly influenced by the emotions of a person. If a person
is not in a good temperament, then he would not listen properly to whatever is said and might
say things offending the sender. Several other emotions such as anger, nervousness,
confusion, restlessness, etc. affects the communication process.
 Thus, every human being has a unique mind which is composed of varied emotions, beliefs,
perceptions, opinions, and thoughts that facilitate different forms of communication.

 Organizational Barriers

The Organizational Barriers refers to the hindrances in the flow of information among the
employees that might result in a commercial failure of an organization.

The major Organizational Barriers are listed below:

 Organizational Rules and Policies: Often, organizations have the rule with respect to
what message, medium, and mode of communication should be selected. And due to the
stringent rules, the employees escape themselves from sending any message.
 Similarly, the organizational policy defines the relationship between the employees and
the way they shall communicate with each other maintaining their levels of position in

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 17

 the organization. Such as, if the company policy is that all the communication should be
done in writing, then even for a small message the medium used should be written. This
leads to delay in the transmission of the message and hence the decision making gets
delayed.

 Status or Hierarchical Positions in the Organization: In every organization, the

employees are divided into several categories on the basis of their levels of the
organization. The people occupying the upper echelons of the hierarchy are superior to
the ones occupying the lower levels, and thus, the communication among them would be
formal. This formal communication may often act as a barrier to the effective
communication. Such as the lower level employee might be reluctant in sending a
message to his superior because of a fear in his mind of sending the faulty or wrong
message.
 Organizational Facilities: The organizational facilities mean the telephone, stationery,
translator, etc., which is being provided to employees to facilitate the communication.
When these facilities are adequately offered to the employees, then the communication is
said to be timely, accurate and according to the need. Whereas, in the absence of such
facilities, the communication may get adversely affected.
 Complex Organizational Structure: The communication gets affected if there are a
greater number of management levels in the organization. With more levels, the
communication gets delayed and might change before reaching the intended receiver.

Thus, communication is the key factor in the success of any firm, and the communication is said to be
effective when the employees interact with each other in such a way that it results in the overall
improvement of the self as well as the organization.

 Personal Barriers

The Personal Barriers relate to the factors that are personal to the sender and receiver and act as
a hindrance in the communication process. These factors include the life experiences, emotions,
attitudes, behavior that hinders the ability of a person to communicate.
The most common personal barriers are:

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 18

  Lack of Listening Skills: The efficiency of communication process gets disturbed when the
receiver listens only with ears but do not apply his mind. Often, the receiver listens what he
wants to listen and give no attention to other aspects of the information, thereby acting as a
hindrance to the effective communication.
 Selective Attention: This problem arises when the person is impatient and put his objective
above all. He gives ears to only that part of the information which is helpful for him and
fulfills his objective and ignores all the other aspects.
 Lack of knowledge: Also, the communication process suffers if the sender and receiver have
less knowledge about the subject matter.
 Lack of vocabulary: Often, the communication problem arises when the sender uses some
words which are difficult for the receiver to comprehend correctly.

In the organizational context, both the superiors and the subordinates have their personal
barriers that impede them to communicate effectively. These barriers are:

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 19

Barriers Related to the Superiors in the organization

 Less faith in subordinates: Often, the superiors have a lack of confidence in the
subordinates and, therefore, doubt on their capacity to provide relevant information. They
deliberately ignore the suggestions and recommendations from the subordinates and
discourages them to further communicate. This lowers the morale of the employees and
hinders the communication process.
 Fear of challenge of Authority: There is a fear in the minds of the superiors that if they
will not perform in line with their authority, they will be demoted to the lower levels.
And, thus in order to maintain their level they intentionally hide their weaknesses by not
communicating their ideas to others.

Barriers related to the subordinates in the organization

 Lack of Incentives: Often, the subordinates give their suggestions and recommendations
with an objective to earn incentives. The incentives are given to the subordinates to
motivate them to give suggestions and to acknowledge their suggestions as important for
the success of the organization. If there is a lack of incentives, then the subordinate is not
likely to communicate and hence the communication process gets adversely affected.
 Unwillingness to communicate with the Superiors: Often the subordinates do not
communicate with their superiors with an intention to conceal the information which is of
a negative nature and can have an adverse effect. If the subordinate is required to inform
his superior then, he modifies the information in such a way that it does not have a
negative impact. Thus, by not providing the information in its actual form, the
communication process is tempered.

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 20

 Thus, there are several personal factors, varying from person to person, influences the
communication to a great extent and might obstruct the purpose for which the
communication was intended.

 Physical Barriers

Physical barrier is the environmental and natural condition that act as a barrier in
communication in sending message from sender to receiver. Organizational
environment or interior workspace design problems, technological problems and
noise are the parts of physical barriers.When messages are sent by the
sender, physical barriers like doors, walls, distance, etc. do not let the communication
become effective. The barriers are less if the proximity of the sender and the receiver
is high and less technologies are required.Disturbance in hearing due to thunders,
telephone call disconnection, problems in television reception, message not being sent
in chat, etc. are some examples of physical barriers of communication.

Types of Physical Barriers

Distortion
Distortion is the meaning of message getting lost during the handling process in
communication while encoding and decoding. It is related to meaning of the message
which is affected by human perception.

Noise
Noise is the disruption found in the environment of the communication. It interrupts
the communication process and acts as a barrier as it makes the message less
accurate, less productive and unclear. It might even prevent the message from
reaching the receiver.

Cultural

Culture is all socially transmitted behavior, arts, architectures, languages, signs, symbols, ideas,
beliefs, norms, traditions, rituals, etc. which is learnt and shared in a particular social group of the
same nationality, ethnicity, religion, etc. Cultural diversity makes communication difficult as the
mindset of people of different cultures are different, the language, signs and symbols are also
different.

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 21

Different cultures have different meaning of words, behaviors and gestures. Culture also gives rise to
prejudices, ethnocentrism, manners and opinions. It forms the way people think and behave. When
people belonging to different cultures communicate, these factors can become barriers.In America,
people communicate freely and that is a part of their culture. In Germany, an Indian who is used to
being very indirect with his communication might find their direct way of speaking rude. Being
direct is part of the German culture and it is reflected in the way they communicate. Communication
shapes culture and culture shapes communication.

Causes of Cultural Barriers

 Language
There are billions of people in the world who do not understand English or cannot
communicate in English properly. Not speaking properly can cause various
misunderstandings and be a barrier to communication.
Different cultures have developed their own language as a part of their heritage. People are
comfortable communicating in their own language whereas have to work hard to learn new
languages.
For example, separation of East and West Germany for 40 years caused the language to differ a lot.
The dialect became very different as people of East Germany had an influence of Russian language
whereas West Germany had influence of English. They had a barrier in communicating with each
other for decades.
Even when people try to express in their own language, many misunderstandings arise. It
becomes more profound in people speaking different languages.

 Signs and Symbols (Semantics)

Non-verbal communication cannot be relied upon in communication between people from
different cultures as that is also different like language. Signs, symbols and gestures varies in
different cultures.
For example, the sign “thumbs up” is taken as a sign of approval and wishing luck in most of the
cultures but is taken as an insult in Bangladesh. Similarly, the “V” hand gesture with palm faced
outside or inside means victory and peace in US, but back of hand facing someone showing the sign is
taken as insulting in many cultures.
The culture sets some meanings of signs like the ones mentioned above, which might not be
the same in other culture.

 Stereotypes and Prejudices

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 22

 Stereotyping is the process of creating a picture of a whole culture, overgeneralizing all
people belonging to the same culture as having similar characteristics and categorizing
people accordingly. It is a belief about a certain group and is mostly negative.
Stereotyping can be done on the basis of many things like nationality, gender, race, religion,
ethnicity, age, etc.
For example, Asian students are stereotyped to be good at Math which is a positive stereotype. But,
there is also cultural stereotype of all people following a particular religion as being violent like Islam
and is negative stereotyping.
Negative stereotyping creates prejudices as it provokes judgmental attitudes. People look at
those cultures as evil and treat the people following the religion wickedly. Media is a tool of
mass communication which promotes stereotypes and prejudices and creates more
communication barriers.

 Behavior and Beliefs

Cultural differences causes behavior and personality differences like body language,
thinking, communication, manners, norms, etc. which leads to miscommunication.
For example, in some cultures eye contact is important whereas in some it is rude and disrespectful.
Culture also sets a specific norms which dictates behavior as they have guidelines for
accepted behavior. It explains what is right and wrong. Every action is influenced by culture
like ambitions, careers, interests, values, etc. Beliefs are also another cause for cultural
barrier.
For instance, mostly, people who believe in god can cope with their lows of life easily than atheists
but atheists are more hardworking at all times which relates to their behavior and communication.
Appropriate amount of emotion that must be displayed is also different in different cultures.
Roles are defined by culture. Good communication only occurs between people with
different cultures if both accept their differences with open mind.

 Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism is the process of dividing cultures as “us” and “them”.
The people of someone's own culture are categorized as in-group and the other culture is out-
group. There is always greater preference to in-group. There is an illusion of out-group as
evil and inferior. This evaluation is mostly negative.
If the culture is similar to us, then it is good and if is dissimilar, it is bad. Other’s culture is
evaluated and assessed with the standard being their own culture. Ethnocentrism affects the
understanding of message, and encourages hostility.

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 23

 For example, the books in schools use reference of their own culture to describe other cultures by
either showing common things or differences.

 Religion
Similar to ethnocentrism and stereotyping, religion also disrupts communication as it creates
a specific image of people who follow other religions. People find it difficult to talk to people
who follow different religions. Religious views influence how people think about others. It
creates differences in opinions.
For example, in Pakistan, the Christians have to speak up for their rights as the majority is of Islam
and the Christians are discriminated. There is also a lack of communication between these religious
groups.

Overcoming the Barriers to Effective Interpersonal Communication

To overcome interpersonal barriers within the workplace, here are some helpful hints:

 Use simple words to convey the message. To have an effective process of interpersonal
communication, you have to simplify language. Everyone hates to decipher spoken
words, reserve the deciphering to the writing and when speaking, keep it simple and easy
to understand.
 Learn the art of listening. A person will always try to get his opinions across first
before listening to the other person's point of view. To improve interpersonal
communication, listen both attentively and proactively.
 Keep composure while communicating. The process of interpersonal communication is
more effective if emotions are kept at bay. Keeping your composure while talking or
negotiating with a business partner will keep you on the right track towards your goal.
 Provide constructive criticism. Constructive criticism is perhaps the best sign that you
are communicating with the other person on a more personal level. Both the sender and
receiver of communications may use feedback for effective interpersonal communication.

7 C’s of Communication

Seven C’s of Effective Communication

There are 7 C’s of effective communication which are applicable to both written as well as oral
communication. These are as follows:

1. Completeness - The communication must be complete. It should convey all facts

required by the audience. The sender of the message must take into consideration the

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 24

 receiver’s mind set and convey the message accordingly. A complete communication has
following features:
 Complete communication develops and enhances reputation of an organization.
 Moreover, they are cost saving as no crucial information is missing and no
additional cost is incurred in conveying extra message if the communication is
complete.
 A complete communication always gives additional information wherever
required. It leaves no questions in the mind of receiver.
 Complete communication helps in better decision-making by the
audience/readers/receivers of message as they get all desired and crucial
information.
 It persuades the audience.
2. Conciseness - Conciseness means wordiness, i.e, communicating what you want to
convey in least possible words without forgoing the other C’s of communication.
Conciseness is a necessity for effective communication. Concise communication has
following features:
 It is both time-saving as well as cost-saving.
 It underlines and highlights the main message as it avoids using excessive and
needless words.
 Concise communication provides short and essential message in limited words to
the audience.
 Concise message is more appealing and comprehensible to the audience.
 Concise message is non-repetitive in nature.
3. Consideration - Consideration implies “stepping into the shoes of others”. Effective
communication must take the audience into consideration, i.e, the audience’s view points,
background, mind-set, education level, etc. Make an attempt to envisage your audience,
their requirements, emotions as well as problems. Ensure that the self-respect of the
audience is maintained and their emotions are not at harm. Modify your words in
message to suit the audience’s needs while making your message complete. Features of
considerate communication are as follows:
 Emphasize on “you” approach.
 Empathize with the audience and exhibit interest in the audience. This will
stimulate a positive reaction from the audience.
 Show optimism towards your audience. Emphasize on “what is possible” rather
than “what is impossible”. Lay stress on positive words such as jovial, committed,
thanks, warm, healthy, help, etc.
4. Clarity - Clarity implies emphasizing on a specific message or goal at a time, rather than
trying to achieve too much at once. Clarity in communication has following features:
 It makes understanding easier.
 Complete clarity of thoughts and ideas enhances the meaning of message.
 Clear message makes use of exact, appropriate and concrete words.
5. Concreteness - Concrete communication implies being particular and clear rather than
fuzzy and general. Concreteness strengthens the confidence. Concrete message has
following features:
 It is supported with specific facts and figures.
 It makes use of words that are clear and that build the reputation.

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 25

  Concrete messages are not misinterpreted.
6. Courtesy - Courtesy in message implies the message should show the sender’s
expression as well as should respect the receiver. The sender of the message should be
sincerely polite, judicious, reflective and enthusiastic. Courteous message has following
features:
 Courtesy implies taking into consideration both viewpoints as well as feelings of
the receiver of the message.
 Courteous message is positive and focused at the audience.
 It makes use of terms showing respect for the receiver of message.
 It is not at all biased.
7. Correctness - Correctness in communication implies that there are no grammatical errors
in communication. Correct communication has following features:
 The message is exact, correct and well-timed.
 If the communication is correct, it boosts up the confidence level.
 Correct message has greater impact on the audience/readers.
 It checks for the precision and accurateness of facts and figures used in the
message.
 It makes use of appropriate and correct language in the message.

Awareness of these 7 C’s of communication makes you an effective communicator.

Dr.Supreet Wahee & Dr.Shradha Vernekar Page 26