UNIT-1

COMMUNICATION

 What is Communication?

It is process of sharing of information , views or ideas between the sender and the receiver through the accepted code of symbols.

 For example: You request your professor to explain a concept which you could not understand very well in the class. You transmit the information. Now, the professor receives this information, understands it and responds by giving an explanation. If you are satisfied with the explanation. The communication comes to an end. If you are still in doubt, you once again request clarification, and the process continues.

 People around you are involved in informal conversations, discussions, meetings, phone calls, gossiping, net surfing, chatting and so on. We need to communicate in order to interact. Communication is one of the essential conditions of social interaction. Without communication, social interaction may not be possible because human interaction is essentially communicative interaction.

 Communication plays a key role in our life. It is the reciprocal stimulation and response between individuals, and makes social as well as professional interaction possible.

 If you talk to your friend the same way you talk to the wall, then you really need to know the importance of effective communication. Communication in ones life is as important as neurons are important for the body to function properly.

 Communication cycle:

 Communication takes place in a well-defined set-up. This is called communication environment. A class room is the communication environment when a teacher delivers lectures to students.

 Essentials of effective communication: A common communication environment (a well-defined set-up like class room) Cooperation between the sender and the receiver. Selection of an appropriate channel. Correct encoding and decoding of the message. Receipt of the desired response and feedback.

Guidelines to make effective communication

TRY TO SIMPLIFY YOUR THOUGHTS BEFORE COMMUNICATING YOUR MESSAGE. - YOU MUST ANALYZE THE INTENT OF EACH AND EVERY MESSAGE.

- CONSIDER THE OVERALL PHYSICAL SETTING WHENEVER YOU COMMUNICATE.

- BE CAREFUL WHILE COMMUNICATING, OF THE OVERTONE AS WELL AS THE BASIC CONTENT OF YOUR MESSAGE.

 - TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SUGGEST SOMETHING OF HELP OR VALUE OF THE RECEIVER. - FOLLOW-UP YOUR COMMUNICATION. - PREPARE YOURSELF FOR TRANSMITTING THE MESSAGE IN A PROPER WAY. - BE SURE YOUR ACTIONS SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNICATION.

- SEEK NOT ONLY TO BE UNDERSTOOD BUT UNDERSTAND

Rectifying failure in communication

Identify the problem Find the cause Work on an alternate solution Opt for the best solution Follow up rigorously

Types (levels) of Communication

Extrapersonal Intrapersonal Interpersonal Organizational Mass communication

EXTRAPERSONAL

Communication between human beings and non-human entities, for example, a parrot responding to your greeting. Requires perfect coordination and understanding between the sender and receiver

INTRAPERSONAL

Within an individual pertaining to thinking, which is the basis of information processing. Without such internal dialogue, you cannot move towards further levels of communication Even when talking to someone else, internal dialogue with oneself continues simultaneouslyplanning, weighing, considering, processing information Self motivation, self determination all take place at the intrapersonal level

INTERPERSONAL
Sharing of information among people with few participants where interaction is in close physical proximity to each other, many sensory channels are used and feedback is immediate. Sender and receiver keep alternating and doubts cleared instantly Involves non-verbal communication also Can be formal or informal depending upon factors like, psychology of participants, relationship between them, situation in which comm. takes place, environment, cultural context.

ORGANIZATIONAL Taking place at different levels in an organization, extremely important for sustenance of any organization. Further divided into:

Internal operational Occurs in conducting work within the organization External operational Work-related communication that an organization undertakes with people outside the organization Personal Communication within an organization without any purpose

MASS COMMUNICATION

Requires a mediator/communicator to transmit information For large, anonymous audience that is heterogeneous, hence the approach is impersonal Channelized through medias like T.V, books, newspapers, journals, etc.

More persuasive in nature

Requires utmost care in sending message

 Has a large reach, needs a gatekeeper, an additional person, institution, or organization to convey the message. This mediator or gatekeeper is active in transferring information from the source to the target audience through mass medium, for example, the editor of a newspaper is like a gatekeeper who decides which news is to be there for the readers.

 Noise : noise is defined as any unplanned interference in the communication environment, which causes hindrance in the transmission of the message. Noise can be classified as channel and semantic. Channel noise: is any interference in the mechanics of the medium used to send a message. Semantic noise: is generated internally, resulting from errors in the message itself.

 General Communication Contains general msg Informal in style & Approach No set pattern of Communication Mostly oral Not always for specific audience No technical vocab. & graphics

Technical Communication Technical msg mostly formal Follows a set pattern Both oral and written Always for specific audience Frequently involves jargon, graphics

 Language as a tool of communication: Effective communication is made possible with the help of language. While defining the language the first thing that comes to mind is words. Language employs a combination of words to communicate ideas in a meaningful way. By changing the order in a sentence, you can change its meaning, and even make it meaningless.

 When language first came into being, a community of people agreed to represent a certain object or idea by a specific sound or symbol. Example: a wooden plank balanced on four legs (table). Language is directly dependent on people and cannot exist in isolation. It arouse out of the human need to communicate. Primitive man communicated only with sign language and cries. Later human beings became more dependent and complex, language came into being. Though , it is accepted that language is universal, it cannot be denied that it is also specific to individual. It reflects persons personality and thought.

 Characteristics of language: Language is artificial: language is created by people . It doesnt exist in isolation or outside the minds of people. It is created by humans as they need it. Humans attach meanings to words as they need to and modify these meanings according to the changing needs. This is why language is artificial. Nice.good In 13 century it means foolish Latin root.. nescire.ignorant

 Language is restricted: No symbol or word can transmit the exact reality. We think and translate our thought into language, some meaning is lost in the process. We cannot find words to express feelings . This is because language is restricted. Language is abstract: Language is abstract because it represents generalized ideas of things and thoughts. Dress can be sari or suit. If you try to be specific ( business suit-it comes in variety of colors, table can be of different size and shapes)

 Language is arbitrary: there is no direct relationship between a word and the idea or object it represents. A table could have been called by any other name (in English its table)

Language is creative: language is indeed very creative. Every year innumerable words are added to the dictionary

 Language is repetitive: Language has the capacity for redundancy or repetition. This may either improve their or impede effective communication.. It may also leads to verbosity and wordiness without contributing the meaning. All of you meet together to see me in the afternoon at 3pm.

 Language is Recursive: Recursive ness is the characteristics of language which enables you to generate any number of sentences using the same basic grammatical templates. Recursive ness implies that there is no limit to the potential length of a sentence. This man who is wearing a crumpled suit, which he borrowed from me to wear to his interview, which was on Wednesday, which was the day it was raining..

 7 Cs in Communication
1. Conciseness 2.Consideration 3.Concreteness 4.Clarity 5.Courtesy 6.Correctness 7.Completeness

Completeness
Provide all necessary information. Answer all questions asked. Give something extra, when desirable.

Conciseness
Eliminate wordy expressions. Include only relevant material. Avoid unnecessary repetition.

Consideration
Focus on you instead of I or we. Show audience benefit or interest in receiver. Emphasize positive ,pleasant facts

Concreteness
Use specific facts and figures. Put actions in your verbs.

Clarity
Choose precise, concrete and familiar words. Construct effective sentences, and paragraph.

Courtesy
Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful, and appreciative. Use expressions that show respect. Choose non discriminatory expressions.

Correctness
Use the right level of language. Check accuracy of figures, facts and words. Maintain acceptable writing mechanics.

 Completeness: The most important principle of effective communication is that it should be complete in itself. The message should convey all the necessary information required by the receiver. The sender should take into account the receivers point of view. He should transmit all important points so that the message can be properly understood.

Seven Cs essential for effective communication

 Conciseness: It means to convey the desired message in a concise and effective manner. Unnecessary details and inappropriate expressions should be avoided. The sender should know that brevity is the soul of wit. Consideration: It means that the sender should transmit the message while keeping in mind the requirements of the receiver. Message should concentrate on you attitude.

 Concreteness: It means use of correct information, appropriate emphasis and sub ordination. Active voice should be used in general to emphasize the doer of the action. Concrete and precise words convey ideas clearly and effectively. Clarity: Use of familiar words convey the information correctly and with clarity. One should speak or write the message in such a way that the receiver can understand it without stress.

 Courtesy: Effective communication should have a tone of courtesy. It builds goodwill for the communicator and for his organization. Politeness and courtesy are the lubricants in any work place. avoid using these expressions: Your complaint is not valid. You have miserably fail to prove your point

 Correctness: Information conveyed through the communication must be based on facts and figures. Correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, and correct language should be used. Example: Sunil said to me that I will surely prepare the report Sunil told me that he would surely prepare the report.