Need for Communication:

Sociologists describe human beings as social animals. As members of society, they have
to constantly interact with their fellow beings. They have feelings, emotions, likes and
dislikes-all of which they have to convey. In other words, whatever the environment in
which they are placed, they have to build links and establish relationships. The need for
communication arises from their desire to express themselves in a meaningful manner.
ommunication is the modus operandi of social intercourse. As a member of family, a
social group, and as part of a work-team, he needs to communicate with others.
Communication stems from the desire to express oneself:
!ust as they are social beings, human beings are also emotional beings. "uman heart
generates feelings. #urther, $ust as human beings are social beings and emotional beings,
they are e%ually importantly, rational beings. They are endowed with the faculty of
thinking. They have intelligence and brainpower. The human mind is a very potent force.
There is always a constant urge to give expression to what the mind generates. In order to
give a meaningful expression to thoughts, ideas, reasoning, creativity and intelligence,
human beings resort to communication.
Human beings have the urge to convey feelings, ideas and thoughts:
The need for communication arises from the need to emote, to interact, and to express
one&s ideas and thoughts, and the need to relate and connect. The need or the desire to
communicate, however, varies from person to person, depending on time and context.
There are times and occasions when a person is extremely communicative. There are also
times and occasions when he or she prefers to remain silent. 'e that as it may, most of
our walking hours are spent in communication. Such communication may take place in
several ways- listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Desire for communication varies from person to person and time to time.
--Madhuar !. ". , #usiness Communication , $ias publishing house pvt. %td. &irst edition, '(()
Communication *rocess:
+dea &ormation:
The form of the idea may be influenced by the sender&s mood, frame of reference,
background, culture, and physical makeup, as well as the context of the situation.
Message encoding:
Sender encodes the idea in a message. (ncoding means converting the idea into words or
gestures that will convey meaning. A ma$or problem in communicating any message
verbally is that words have different meanings for different people. That&s why skilled
communicators try to choose familiar words with concrete meanings on which both
senders and receivers agree.
Message transmission:
)essage travels over a channel. The medium over which the message is transmitted is the
channel. )essages may be sent by computer, telephone, letter, or memorandum. They
may also be sent y means of a report, announcement, picture, spoken word, fax, or other
channel. 'ecause both verbal and nonverbal messages are carried, senders must choose
channels carefully. Anything that disrupts the transmission of a message in the
communication process is called noise. hannel noise ranges from static that disrupts a
telephone conversation to spelling errors in an e-mail message. Such errors damage the
credibility of the sender.
Message decoding:
The receiver decodes message. The person for whom a message is intended is the
receiver. Translating the message from its symbol form into meaning involves decoding.
Successful communication takes place only when a receiver understands the meaning
intended by the sender. Such success is often hard to achieve because no two people share
the same background. Success is further limited because barriers and noise may disrupt
the process.
&eedbac:
The verbal and nonverbal responses of the receiver create feedback, a vital part of the
entire communication process. #eedback helps the sender know that the message was
received and understood. Senders can encourage feedback by asking %uestions such as,
*Am I making myself clear+, and , *Is there anything you don&t understand+, senders can
further improve feedback by delivering the message at a time when receivers can
respond. Senders should provide only as much information as a receiver can handle.
-eceivers can improve the process by paraphrasing the sender&s message. They might
say, *.et me try to explain that in my own words,, or, *)y understanding of your
comment is/,
--Mary ,llen -uffey . Dana %oe/y, ,ssentials of #usiness Communication,
Cengage *ublication, 0
th
edition.
Classification of Communication:
0erbal ommunication1
Any communication using words is verbal communication. 2ords are the most precise
and powerful sets of symbols. 2ords denote as well as connote meanings. That is why all
serious or formal communication is usually in words. 2ords can be written or spoken.
Thus, verbal communication can further be divided into two types1
3. 4ral
5. 2ritten
1ral Communication:
*A wound inflicted by speech is more painful than a wound inflicted by a sword,
ommunication through spoken word is known as oral communication.
The sender of the message or his representative is usually the speaker, while the
receiver or his representative, the listener.
&actors in oral communication:
The speaker
"ow he speaks
2hat he speaks
2hom he speaks
2hether he receives a feedback
*re-re2uisites of oral communication:
lear and proper pronunciation of words
larity and exactitude
onciseness
-ight tone
-ight pitch
-ight style and vocabulary
Merit of 1ral Communication:
Saving of time and money
Immediate feedback
Saves paperwork
An effective tool for exhortation
'uilds a healthy climate
'est tool during emergency
Demerits of Communication:
6reater chances of misunderstanding
'ad Speaker
Ineffective for lengthy communication
.ower retention rate
7o legal validity
8ifficulty to fix responsibility
3ritten Communication:
&actors in /ritten communication:
The 2riter
The content
The language used
The purpose of the communication
The style adopted-formal or friendly
The receiver
*re-re2uisites of /ritten communication:
"ow much to put in writing
2hat to leave out
2hen to stop
2hen to convey
To whom to convey
'y what means to convey
Merits:
9recise and accurate
(asily verified
9ermanent record
Suitable for lengthy and complicated messages
-esponsibility can be easily fixed
"as legal validity
Demerits:
Slower method of communication
#urther delay if clarifications are re%uired
.eads to too much of paper work
Always a possibility of ambiguity or lack of comprehensibility
ostly in terms of money and man-hours
7o flexibility
.iteracy essential
Non 4 $erbal Communication:
It is those messages that are expressed by means other than linguistic. It is classified into
two types1
3. visual
5. auditory
"inesics:
The study of bodily movements that form a part of non-verbal communication is known
as kinesics. It is an integral part of our communication. (xistence as a receiver is
supposed to observe messages, moods, attitudes, etc. in the same way as language uses
sets of symbols to convey meaning.
3. #acial expression1
5. 6estures
:. posture
;. tone and pitch of voice
<. clothes
=. proximity
>. eye contact
?. silence
$oice Characteristics 5*aralanguage6
Anything that performs the task of communication as a language without being a
language in the conventional sense of the word, falls within the purview of paralanguage.
0oice
Intonation
9itch
9ause
0olume variation
)ixed signals
9roper word stress
4verall impression
7dvantages of paralanguage
7o oral communication is complete without paralanguage as it is closely
connected to language itself.
To a large extent, paralanguage indicates the position and situation of the speaker,
whether in an organi@ation or society.
It also reflects the speaker&s personality and background to a great extent.
9aralanguage is indicative of the mental state of the speaker. A discerning listener
can derive the right conclusions from the pitch, tone and speed of a message. This
can often be very useful.
%imitations of paralanguage
9aralanguage is *semi, or *like, a language. It is not language itself. Therefore,
not all the advantages associated with actual language can be attributed to
paralanguage.
9aralanguage involves the drawing of conclusions on the basis of a number of
peripheral attributes. Such drawing of conclusions not always be right. In such a
case, they may also serve to create undue bias. This, in itself, makes paralanguage
misleading or confusing at times.
Also, as speakers may come from different backgrounds, cultures and situations,
the conclusions from paralanguage may be difficult to draw, especially to convey
a message in it&s entirely.
*roxemics or territory or space
A lot of communication takes place non-verbally through the sheer manner in which we
use the space around us. Scholars have also attributed a lot of non-verbal communication
to the colour, design, layout and utili@ation of the space around us.
The space around us can be broadly classified as under1
+ntimate:
)ost body movements take place within 3? inches around us. It is our most intimate
circle of space. 4nly very close people or family members can enter this space, be it
through a whisper, a pat on the back or a handshake. It means that the less than the space
between two persons communicating, the more intimate is the nature of communication.
*ersonal space:
9ersonal space extends from 3? inches to four feet where we have normal conversation
with friends, colleagues and associates. It is used in informal talks and impromptu
discussions in which one may not be averse to taking important decisions.
8ocial space:
This can be anywhere between four feet and 35 feet. It reflects a formality of relationship.
It also reflects a lack of spontaneous behaviour. An individual&s responses are more
collected and well thought-out. Social space reflects reason, planning and control, usually
associated with business communication within a formal relationship.
*ublic space:
This starts from a distance of 35 feet. 4ne has to raise one&s voice to be heard. There is a
lack of personal feelings and an added sense of detachment.