1) What are the various types of communication?

Describe the
classification of non-verbal communication.
Ans:- Broadly, communication may be divided into two types, they
are:
1) Verbal communication
2) Non-verbal communication

Let us briefly discuss these two types of communication.

1) Verbal communication This type of communication occurs
with the help of words. It provides the opportunity for personal
contact and two-way flow of information. A large part of our
communication, whether at work or outside, is verbal in
nature. Verbal communication may be divided into two types.
They are:
A) Oral communication This type of communication may be
defined as a process in which a speaker interacts verbally
with one or more listeners, in order to influence the latters
behaviour in some way or the other. Oral communication in
a business context can take the form of meetings,
presentations, one-to-one meetings, performance reviews,
etc.

B) Written communication This type of communication is the

correspondence made in writing. It can be handwritten,
printed or typed. For example, a manager writing a letter of
apology in response to a customers complaint regarding
poor service. Written communication at the workplace can
take several forms such as letters, memos, circulars,
notices, reports and email.
2) Non-verbal communication This type of communication may be
defined as communication without words. It refers to any way of
conveying meanings without the use of verbal language. The game
of dumb charades is a perfect example. Non-verbal communication
is generally unintentional, unlike verbal communication. All of us
tend to communicate silently and unknowingly send signals and
messages by what we do, apart from what we say. Gestures, facial
expressions, posture and the way we dress, are all part of non-verbal
communication.

We have discussed how non-verbal communication plays an

important role in business communication. Given its importance, an
understanding of the different types of non-verbal communication is
essential.
Non-verbal communication can employ audio and video signals to
communicate messages. The ringing of a telephone, blaring of a
siren are examples of audio signals. A blaring siren in a factory can
indicate to workers that their shift has come to an end. By using
audio signals, we can communicate to a vast number of people
scattered over a large area. Visual signals include posters, charts,
graphs and drawings. Visual signals grab the attention of the people.
They can be used to overcome linguistic barriers.
There is a common misconception that non-verbal communication is
synonymous with body language and includes only body language.
The fact is that it is a vast area which has been widely researched
and includes several aspects. The following table lists the different
types of non-verbal communication, with the corresponding
communication terminology.
Types of Non-verbal
Communication Description
Body language
Touching
Personal space and distance
Use of time
Tone of voice
Physical environment

Communication Terminology
Kinesics
Haptics
Proxemics
Chronemics
Paralanguage
Physical context

3) Describe any 5 types of presentations with examples and

their target audience
Type/Purpose of
Presentation
Briefing and
Information
Orientation
Training
Reporting Research
Findings
Reporting Progress

Example

Audience

New online leave

application procedure
Orientation to new
joinees
How to operate a
new software
Consumer
satisfaction survey
Report of weekly
sales

Employees
Employees
Employees
Superiors
Superiors

B)

4) Explain the different types of meetings

Ans:According to Deborah Tannen, A meeting is any focused
conversation that has a specific agenda, especially but not
only if it has been set up in advance.1 This definition
implies that meetings are not aimless discussions, but they
require careful planning and revolve around a specific
topic that is decided in advance. Therefore, while meetings
may be more or less formal in the way they are conducted,
they need to be planned, irrespective of the nature of the
meeting.
At the outset, let us discuss the different categories of
business meetings:
1. Task oriented meetings

As the name suggests, this type of meeting is a special

meeting that is called to discuss and make arrangements
for a specific event.
For example, the company is opening a new branch or new
factory, which will be inaugurated by a minister on a
specific date. All the key people involved may be asked to
attend the meeting, to discuss the arrangements that are
being made for the inauguration. Specific tasks are
assigned to each of the participants of the meeting.

2. Progress meetings
These are periodic meetings that are called to review the
progress being made on a particular front.
For example, weekly meetings may be held to review sales
progress or if a new project has been initiated, periodic
meetings may be held to review the progress of different
stages of the project.
3. Information sharing meetings

In some organisations these types of meetings may be

called regularly for the main purpose of exchanging
information on a topic of relevance to the organisation.
Such meetings may take place among co-workers or may
also involve top management.
For example:
The Managing Director of a company may call his senior
managers to share information about the companys joint
ventures, overseas collaborations or plans for acquisition.
A weekly meeting of top executives may be held to
discuss the activities of the companys international
divisions.
The members of the Research and Development (R & D)
department may meet regularly to compare notes on the
results of their research efforts.
4. Problem solving or decision making meetings

This type of meeting is the most challenging, as it involves

taking some kind of action, making major decisions or
changing the existing policies and procedures. Therefore,
all interests and departments of the organisation are
represented at such meetings. They also tend to be time
consuming.
For example, the marketing strategy of the company may
need to be revised, as sales are on the decline or a new
product is to be launched and a meeting may be called to
discuss the launch strategy.
As problem solving meetings are the most complicated
type of meetings, the guidelines offered in this unit are
more relevant to these meetings.

6) Write short notes on:

a) Internet
b) Intranet
Ans:b)Meaning:- An intranet is a communication network that operates on
an internal network that is exclusive to a particular organisation. This

means that only the employees of an organisation have the authority to

access it. This is as opposed to an extranet, which is also an internal
or private website, but where access privileges are also extended to
external stakeholders of the company, such as customers, suppliers,
partners and others.
Although the intranet is better suited for large organisations where
distributing information is an enormous task, a number of smaller
companies today are also using this form of internal communication.
Benefits:1. Discourages grapevine Grapevine or the informal communication
network, although useful, leads to rumours. When employees are
misinformed, they become dissatisfied and de-motivated. Using the
intranet as an official channel to post information for all employees to
discourages gossip and avoids creating a transparency gap.
2. Facilitates pre-meeting discussion The intranet can be used to discuss
and debate ideas prior to a meeting, so that valuable meeting time is
spent focusing only on relevant ideas.
For example, suppose a sales team of five members are required to
make a presentation to the Vice President - Sales, on how to increase
sales during the current year. Instead of each salesperson making a
lengthy presentation during a meeting and then getting ideas reviewed
and approved, a discussion board can be created using the intranet, a
few days before the meeting. The salespersons could post their ideas on
the discussion board for the VP to review in advance, so that only the
most promising ideas are discussed during the meeting. This way, the
salespersons can come into the meeting more focused.
3)Saves time The intranet is paperless communication and is therefore
a big time saver. A lot of unnecessary time wasted on filling out forms,
leave requests, supply orders, etc., can be saved by doing this through
the intranet.
Employees can get information on official holidays and other Human
Resource (HR) related information, without having to interact with the
HR manager.
4)Getting started Building the intranet to your specifications can be
expensive. A consultant may have to be hired to give it the desired look
and feel and to make sure that it is user friendly and simple enough for
all employees to use.
5) Developing and maintaining content Once the intranet has been set
up, someone has to be responsible for maintaining and updating the
information on a continuous basis. In small organisations, it may be
sufficient to appoint one person to do this. In larger organisations with
multiple departments, it may be necessary to appoint several persons to

maintain and update information for the different departments. This

becomes a complex and expensive task.
6) Training employees Once the intranet has been set up, employees
have to be familiarised and trained on how to use the intranet. This
involves investment in time and money.