Chapter 8

COMMUNICATION
 Communication is defined
as the transfer of
information including
feelings and ideas from
one person to another.
The goal of
communication is to have
the receiver understand
the message as it was
intended. The transfer
process, however , is
affected by a number of
factors that either help or
Communication hinder the message.
Communication
Process
Essential Components of
Communication
1. Source or sender
2. Message
3. Channel
4. Receiver
5. Feedback
6. The environment
7. Noise
1. Source or Sender
A communication source or sender is a person who
makes the attempt to send a message which could be
spoken, written, in sign language or non verbal to
another person or group. The degree of attention the
message will receive will depend on the perceived
authority and experience of a sender.

2. The Message
The message is a purpose or an idea to be conveyed
in a communication event. The message is the actual
product as a result of encoding . The message
received is influenced by the following factors:
A. Clarity of the message
B. Alertness of the receiver
C. Complexity and length of the message
D. How the information is organized
[Link] Channel
The channel is the medium through which the
message travels. It consist of various types as
follows:
1. Face to face
2. Telephone and cellphones
3. Email
4. Written memos and letters
5. Posted notices
6. Bulletins

4. The Receiver
The person receiving a message is the receiver .
He interpret and understand the message. In
doing so, however, he will be influenced by
factors like his age, gender, beliefs, past
experiences and his individual needs.
5. The Feedback
Feedback refers to the process of communicating
how one feels about something another person
has done or said. It is difficult to know whether the
message was received and understood without
feedback. A feedback provides a clue to the sender
of information whether the message he sent was
received as intended.

6. The Environment
The environment refers to the circumstances in
which messages are transmitted and received.

7. The Noise
Noise refers to anything that disrupts
communication, including the attitude and emotions
of the receiver. Noise includes loud music, the
feeling about a sick relative , children playing in the
background and many others.
Basic Methods of
Interpersonal
Communication

People in Organization transfer

meaning between and among each
other using any or all of the three
basic methods which consist of the
following.
1. Verbal
2. Written
3. Non Verbal Communication
1. Verbal Communication
Verbal Communication is a major means of sending
messages. It includes one on one meetings, speeches,
telephone, departmental meetings and presentation.
The delivery of verbal communication is quick and it
provides the opportunity for a quick feedback. With
feedbacks early correction of errors is possible.
Verbal communication is appropriate when the sender
wants to appear informal, wants to invite suggestions,
has important news to say and has something highly
confidential to say.
It is not appropriate when the sender wants to
maintain formality, wants a permanent record of what
has been said and needs receivers comments to be in
writing for legal reasons.
 2. Written
Communication
Written communication include memos, notice-
boards, and letters to staff, emails, faxes, internal
newspaper and instant messaging. Written
communication is formal and authoritative,
provides permanent record of what have been
said, can be used for legal purposes and a number
of people will receive exactly the same
information.
It is not appropriate to use when the receiver
needs to ask questions or seek clarification, more
discussion is needed, when the message is
confidential and very important or when the
information may be upsetting to the receiver.
3. Non Verbal
Communication
Communication that takes place through
facial expressions, body movements ,
eye contact and other physical gesture
is referred to as nonverbal
communication.
 Barriers to
Communication
1. Filtering- it refers to the manipulation of information so
that it will be more favorably by the receiver. Telling
what the boss wants to hear is filtering.
2. Selective Perception- Receivers selectively see and hear
messages based on their needs, motivation, experience,
background and other personal characteristics.
3. Information Overload- it refers to the condition in which
information inflow exceeds an individual’s processing
capacity. When this happens the person is no longer
able to understand clearly whatever information is sent
to him
4. Emotions
The receivers feelings affect his ability to understand any
message sent to him. He cannot receive a message as clearly as
when he is not angry excited or afraid.
5. Language
Words do not always mean the same thing to different people.
The best thing to do when delivering a message is that the sender
must use words that are commonly used by the audience.
6. Communication Apprehension
It refers to the undue tension and anxiety about oral
communication, written communication or both. There are
people who find it extremely difficult to talk with others face to
face or even carry a telephone conversation.
7. Absence of feedback
The absence of feedback does not provide the sender the
opportunity to correct misimpressions about the message sent.
Without feedback, the sender will not know if the message was
received at all.
8. Lack of Credibility of the sender
Depending on the credibility of the sender , messages can get
through the channel to the receiver.
Kinds of
Communication Flow
[Link]
2. Upward
3. Horizontal
Downward Communication
Downward Communication refers to
the message flows from higher levels
to lower levels. Its purposes are: to
give instructions, to provide policies
and procedures and to give feedback
about the performance and to
motivate.
Upward Communication
Upward Communication refers to
messages from persons in lower level
positions to persons in higher
positions. Its purposes are: to
provide feedbacks to higher ups, to
inform higher ups of progress
towards goals and to relay current
problems.
Horizontal Communication
Horizontal Communication refers to
the messages sent to individuals or
groups from another of the same
organizational level or position. Its
purposes are: to coordinate activities
between departments and to pass
information about activities or
feelings.
Importance of
communication in an
Organization
1. Communication promotes motivation by
informing and clarifying the employees about
the task to be done, the manner they are
performing the task, and how to improve their
performance if it is not up to the mark.
2. Communication is a source of
information to the organizational members for
decision-making process as it helps identifying
and assessing alternative course of actions.
3. Communication also plays a crucial role
in altering individual’s attitudes, a well-
informed individual will have better attitude
than a less-informed individual. Organizational
magazines, journals, meetings and various
other forms of oral and written communication
help in molding employee’s attitudes.
4. Communication also helps in socializing.
One cannot survive without communication.
5. Communication also assists in controlling
process. It helps controlling organizational
member’s behavior in various ways. There
are various levels of hierarchy and certain
principles and guidelines that employees
must follow in an organization.
6. An effective and efficient communication
system requires managerial proficiency in
delivering and receiving messages. A
manager must discover various barriers to
communication, analyze the reasons for their
occurrence and take preventive steps to
avoid those barriers.