Communication

Types and process

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 Communication

Your birth was a matter of great joy to your parents. With your first cry you told everyone that
you had arrived in this world. When you were hungry you cried and your mother understood that
and gave you milk. As a baby your face told your mother that you were not well, or were
uncomfortable. Months later when you uttered the first words your parents were thrilled. You
also started waving your hands or nodding your head to say ‘bye’ or ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Then slowly
you started speaking. You asked questions because, you wanted to know about things around
you. Later when you went to school you learned the alphabets. Today you can gesture, speak and
write to express yourself or, for the purpose of this study, shall we say, ‘communicate’ with
others.

WHY DO WE COMMUNICATE

We live in a society. Besides ourselves, there are others who may be rich or poor, living in big
houses or in huts, literate or illiterate. They may also belong to different religions and
communities, often speaking different languages. But still all of them can speak or interact with
one another. Such interaction is essential for societies to survive. We ask questions and get
answers, seek information and get it.

“Communication is a message understood”. Unless a message is understood we cannot say that

communication has taken place. Let’s send a message to someone else’s phone, “where came
first”. The person who gets this message would wonder what it means. It does not make any
sense. The receiver of the message just does not understand it. So for communication to take
place, there are two conditions. First, there should be a clear message. Secondly, that message
must be understood by the receiver, for whom it is meant. In society, we all interact with
messages.. Without interactions, a society cannot survive. Social interaction is always through
messages. So we can also define communication in the following words.

“Communication is social interaction through messages.”

“Communication is sharing of experience.”

Communication is the act of sending information or ideas via speech, visuals, writing or any
other such method. The Communication model has a sender who is sending the message and the
receiver who is receiving the message. In between, the speech or ideas need to be simple enough
to be decoded and understood by the receiver. If the ideas are not presented properly, then
decoding is improper and the receiver does not understand.

Based on the types of senders and receivers involved, we can define various types of
communications. If we take an example of communication between teams, you will see the
higher amount of formal communication as compared to informal. On the other hand, when we
consider personal communication and communication between the group of personal friends,
you will find these types of communication to be more informal in nature.

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COMMUNICATION IN ANCIENT TIMES

The first means of communication was, of course, the human voice but about 3,200 BC writing
was invented in Iraq and Egypt. It was invented about 1,500 BC in China. However the only
American civilization to invent a true system of writing were the Mayans.

The next big step was the invention of the alphabet in what is now Israel and Lebanon about
1,600 BC.

In the Ancient World many civilizations including Egypt, Assyria, Persia, Rome and China had
efficient postal systems to deliver messages to parts of their empires using relays of horses.

In the ancient world people wrote on papyrus or parchment. However the Chinese invented paper
about 200 BC. The knowledge of how to make paper passed to the Arabs and in the Middle Ages
it reached Europe.

Communication 1500-1800

The next major improvement in communication was the invention of printing. The Chinese
invented printing with blocks in the 6th century AD but the first known printed book was the
Diamond Sutra of 686. In Europe in the mid-15th century Johannes Gutenberg invented the
printing press, which made books much cheaper and allowed newspapers to be invented.
William Caxton introduced the printing press into England in 1476.

The first newspapers were printed in the 17th century. The first newspaper in England was
printed in 1641. (However the word newspaper was not recorded until 1670). The first successful
daily newspaper in Britain was printed in 1702.

Meanwhile European monarchs set up postal services to carry their messages. In France Louis
XI founded one in 1477 and in England Henry VIII created the Royal Mail in 1512. In 1635 to
raise money Charles I allowed private citizens to send messages by Royal Mail, for a fee.

Meanwhile the pencil was invented in 1564.

Communication in the 19th Century

Communication became far more efficient in the 19th century. In the early 19th century the
recipient of a letter had to pay the postage, not the sender. Then in 1840 Rowland Hill invented
the Penny Post. From then on the sender of a letter paid. Cheap mail made it much easier for
people to keep in touch with loved ones who lived a long way off.

Meanwhile Ralph Wedgwood invented carbon paper in 1806.

The telegraph was invented in 1837. A cable was laid across the Channel in 1850 and after 1866
it was possible to send messages across the Atlantic.

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Meanwhile the first fax machine was invented in 1843. A Scot, Alexander Graham Bell,
invented the telephone in 1876. The first telephone exchange in Britain opened in 1879. The first
telephone directory in London was published in 1880. The first telephone line from Paris to
Brussels was established in 1887. The first line from London to Paris opened in 1891. The first
transatlantic telephone line opened in 1927. In 1930 a telephone link from Britain to Australia
was established.

Meanwhile the first successful typewriter went on sale in 1874 and the first successful fountain
pen was made in 1884.

In 1829 Louis Braille invented an embossed typeface for the blind and in 1837 Isaac Pitman
invented shorthand. The first successful rotary printing press was invented by Richard M Hoe in
1846.

Communication in The 20th Century

Communication continued to improve in the 20th century. In 1901 Marconi sent a radio message
across the Atlantic. Radio broadcasting began in Britain in 1922 when the BBC was formed. By
1933 half the households in Britain had a radio. Following the 1972 Sound Broadcasting Act
independent radio stations were formed. In the 1990s new radio stations included Radio 5 Live
(1990) and Classic FM (1991).

Television was invented in 1925 by John Logie Baird and the BBC began regular, high definition
broadcasting in 1936. TV was suspended in Britain during World War II but it began again in
1946. TV first became common in the 1950s. A lot of people bought a TV set to watch the
coronation of Elizabeth II and a survey at the end of the that year showed that about one quarter
of households had one. By 1959 about two thirds of homes had a TV. By 1964 the figure had
reached 90% and TV had become the main form of entertainment - at the expense of cinema,
which declined in popularity.

At first there was only one TV channel in Britain but between 1955 and 1957 the ITV companies
began broadcasting. BBC2 began in 1964 and Channel 4 began in 1982. Channel 5 began in
1997. In Britain BBC2 began broadcasting in color in 1967, BBC 1 and ITV followed in 1969.
Satellite television began in Britain in 1989.

Meanwhile commercial TV began in the USA in 1941. TV began in Australia in 1956 and in
New Zealand in 1960.

Meanwhile in 1960 the first communications satellite, Echo was launched. The laser printer was
invented by Gary Starkweather in 1969.

Meanwhile in Britain telephones became common in people's homes in the 1970s. In 1969 only
40% of British households had a phone but by 1979 the figure had reached 69%. Martin Cooper
invented the first handheld first cell phone in 1973. The first mobile phone call in Britain was

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made in 1985. The first commercial text was sent in 1992. In Britain smartphones were
introduced in 1996.

Communication in The 21st Century

In the early 21st century the internet became an important form of communication. Today email
has become one of the most popular methods of communication. In the 2010s ebook readers
became common.

5 TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Verbal communication can also be called as Oral communication. In very simple terms, any
communication that happens orally between people is known as verbal communication. The
objective of such communications is to ensure that people understand whatever you want to
convey. Because of its very nature, verbal communications is more quick and precise then email
communication.

In the era of messaging via Whatsapp or using email, people still prefer personal meetings or
phone calls (or face to face skype calls) because they are effective and much more convenient in
conveying the message. Nowadays, Verbal communication is an important aspect and is looked
as a key strength in an individual.

A manager or an executive needs to have good verbal communication skills. A manager has to
handle a team of people and he needs to be skilled to convince the team of people in acting like
he wants them to. Executives meet many customers who are each different in terms of their
understanding and talking skills. Thus, executives to need excellent verbal communication skills.

The higher up an organization you go, the better should be the verbal skills that you have. This is
because you need to ensure that your speech is precise and to the point and does not leave any
scope for any misunderstanding.

An M.D or a C.E.O may be giving a television interview which is being watched by 100’s of
stakeholders of the company. Their speech and verbal communication need to be precise so that
they don’t mess up or are not misunderstood. Even in tough times, the verbal communication
skills of these leaders play a major part in consoling the crowd.

NON-VERBAL / INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

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How do you make people feel when you enter the room? Is your body language strong and are
you standing straight and erect or are you slouched and tired? Are you clean shaven, looking
your immaculate best for a team meeting or are you shabby with shirts that are not ironed? When
you shake hands, do you do so strongly or do you just brush your hand against others?

The above were some examples of Non-verbal communications or interpersonal

communications. One of the HR requirements for new joiners in an organization is for them to
have good interpersonal skills. This basically means that the employees should brush up on their
non-verbal skills.

If you were in a sales meeting and you have not achieved your target, how will you react? Will
you be steady and calm or will you panic and stutter? These are important non-verbal skills and
your growth might depend on them.

A manager who panics and who is not good at non-verbal communication will generally not be a
favorite with his team members. This is because his team members do not look up to him. A
manager who stutters, who is not well dressed, who has the wrong body language or someone
who is not a strong personality, will not gather a huge following behind him.

However, people with good personalities go a long way in motivating the employees below
them. If an employee is demotivated, just keeping a hand on their shoulder and saying a few
motivating words is enough for the employee. Taunting them or making faces when talking to
them, ignoring them completely or imitating them will demotivate the employee even further.
Thus, non-verbal skills play a major role in office culture.

As employees grow into managers and as managers grow into leaders, they become better and
better at a non-verbal type of communications, they know that their own calm headed behavior at
times of panic is what will keep the team in check. Similarly, they don’t let their teams get
complacent when the going is good.

Example of the Non-verbal type of communications

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In Customer service, non-verbal and interpersonal skills play a huge role. Imagine you were
unhappy with a product and you went to the customer service department. Instead of
understanding your problem, the customer service executive gives a rude reply. Repeatedly you
visit them and even though the problem is not resolved, you don’t get a satisfactory answer.

Compare that with a customer service department which smiles when you come in. They
reassure you that they are on top of your problem. They are proactive and update you themselves
on when to expect the problem to be resolved. Later on, they follow up whether you were
satisfied with the response and if there was anything they could do further.

This smile, the body language of reassurance, the listening ability are all non-verbal type of
communications. A good customer service executive will pay special attention to them and will
ensure that you leave satisfied! Hiring good customer service executives, who have great
interpersonal skills, is the sign of a good organization which is focused on customer satisfaction.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS

There are many many ways that written communications can be used. The number of ways is
ever increasing with the penetration of smartphones and the internet. One of the most common
forms of written communications used till date is Email. But slowly, written type of
communications is becoming more informal with Whatsapp and other online messaging apps
being used regularly.

All different forms of written communication can be formal or informal. If today, we visit a court
of law, you will find that even Whatsapp messages are considered to be legal in nature. In fact,
there have been so many cases of celebrities brought under the scanner because of wrong written
communications on their social media account.

Thus, the above example is further proof that written communication needs to be used safely and
effectively. In fact, written communication between friends can be informal but this type of
communication between working professionals should always be formal so that any misquoted
words are not misused with ill intent.

The advantage of written communication is that it acts as the final word once a decision has been
taken. When you quote your prices to the customer, when you rank a dealer on top, when you
promote an employee or when you launch a new product, you use written communication to
communicate the update to your team and your employees.

A problem with written communication is that it becomes too formal and might incite ego or
various political problems when written communication is used. Newspapers are perfect
examples of written words which create controversy.

There is a very apt quotation “Words are mightier than swords”. A wrong email delivered in the
wrong hands can cause the world to turn upside down. The many emails and documents released

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by Edward Snowden which brought the US government under the scanner, are perfect examples
of how to use written documents safely and privately otherwise they can bring a whole
organization tumbling down (whether justified or not is a different discussion)

VISUAL COMMUNICATION

One of the industries which most prominently uses Visual communication is the medical
industry. New medicines which come into the market have to be shown to doctors and the
advantages have to be explained. At such times, the medical representatives carry informative
pamphlets which are shown to the doctors and dropped with the doctors.

These informative pamphlets have all the information about the medicine so that doctors can feel
confident in suggesting the medicine to their patients. Similarly, many different industries are
using visual communication to help interaction with their customers so that they can
communicate their ideas better. Explainer videos as a concept is rising and is becoming as one of
the best types of communication observed on websites.

There are many elements in visual communication that can be used by marketers or companies.

 Colors (such as brand colors)

 Design (logo and brand design)
 Advertising
 Animations
 Illustrations
 Typography
 Presentations
 Video resume’s

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FORMAL & INFORMAL

There are two types of communication when considering the formality of the communication.
One is the formal and official type of communication which can be emails, letterheads, memos,
reports and other such kinds of written material. These are considered as documentary evidence
and certain formality is associated with them. You cannot submit such formal documents and
later deny them.

Informal communication is one where there is nothing official about the communication that is
happening. It can be known as Grapevine communication. There is no specific channel of
informal communication because there is Social media, Whatsapp, SMS which are all vehicles of
informal communication which can be used by people.

Types of Grapevine network:

Single strand:

In this network, each person communicates with the other in a sequence.

Gossip network:

In this type of network, each person communicates with all other persons on the non-selective
basis.

Probability network:

In this network, the individual communicates randomly with other individuals.

Cluster Network:

In this network, the individual communicates with only those people whom he trusts. Out of
these four types of networks, Cluster network is the most popular in organizations.

Types of communication networks in the formal communication:

Single chain:

In this type of network communications flows from every superior to his subordinate through a
single chain.

Wheel:

In this network, all subordinates under one superior communicate through him only. They are not
allowed to talk among themselves.

Circular:

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In this type of network, the communication moves in a circle. Each person is able to
communicate with his adjoining two persons only.

Free flow:

In this network, each person can communicate with any other person freely. There is no
restriction.

Inverted V:

In this type of network, a subordinate is allowed to communicate with his immediate superior as
well as his superior’s superior also. However, in latter case, only ordained communication takes
place.

Communications Process

Communications is a continuous process which mainly involves three elements viz. sender,
message, and receiver. The elements involved in the communication process are explained below
in detail:

1. Sender

The sender or the communicator generates the message and conveys it to the receiver. He is the
source and the one who starts the communication

2. Message

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It is the idea, information, view, fact, feeling, etc. that is generated by the sender and is then
intended to be communicated further.

3. Encoding

The message generated by the sender is encoded symbolically such as in the form of words,
pictures, gestures, etc. before it is being conveyed.

4. Media

It is the manner in which the encoded message is transmitted. The message may be transmitted
orally or in writing. The medium of communication includes telephone, internet, post, fax, e-
mail, etc. The choice of medium is decided by the sender.

5. Decoding

It is the process of converting the symbols encoded by the sender. After decoding the message is
received by the receiver.

6. Receiver

He is the person who is last in the chain and for whom the message was sent by the sender. Once
the receiver receives the message and understands it in proper perspective and acts according to
the message, only then the purpose of communication is successful.

7. Feedback

Once the receiver confirms to the sender that he has received the message and understood it, the
process of communication is complete.

8. Noise

It refers to any obstruction that is caused by the sender, message or receiver during the process of
communication. For example, bad telephone connection, faulty encoding, faulty decoding,
inattentive receiver, poor understanding of message due to prejudice or inappropriate gestures,
etc.

Barriers to Communication

The communication barriers may prevent a communication or carry incorrect meaning due to
which misunderstandings may be created. Therefore, it is essential for a manager to identify such
barriers and take appropriate measures to overcome them. The barriers to communication in the
organizations can be broadly grouped as follows:

Semantic Barriers

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These are concerned with the problems and obstructions in the process of encoding and decoding
of a message into words or impressions. Normally, such barriers result due to use of wrong
words, faulty translations, different interpretations etc.

For example, a manager has to communicate with workers who have no knowledge of English
language and on the other side, he is not well conversant with the Hindi language. Here,
language is a barrier to communication as the manager may not be able to communicate properly
with the workers.

Psychological Barriers

Emotional or psychological factors also act as barriers to communication. The state of mind of
both sender and receiver of communication reflects in the effective communication. A worried
person cannot communicate properly and an angry recipient cannot understand the message
properly.

Thus, at the time of communication, both the sender and the receiver need to be psychologically
sound. Also, they should trust each other. If they do not believe each other, they cannot
understand each other’s message in its original sense.

Organizational Barriers

The factors related to organizational structure, rules and regulations authority relationships, etc.
may sometimes act as barriers to effective communication. In an organization with the highly
centralized pattern, people may not be encouraged to have free communication. Also, rigid rules
and regulations and cumbersome procedures may also become a hurdle to communication.

Personal Barriers

The personal factors of both sender and receiver may act as a barrier to effective communication.
If a superior thinks that a particular communication may adversely affect his authority, he may
suppress such communication.

Also, if the superiors do not have confidence in the competency of their subordinates, they may
not ask for their advice. The subordinates may not be willing to offer useful suggestions in the
absence of any reward or appreciation for a good suggestion.

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