Human relations, a term used to represent people in communities and seeks to promote ways in which people

learn to get along and safeguard equal opportunities for all. In context of human relations, there are different ways
followed by various activities that helps communities to become more harmonious, respectful and cohesive. The key
factors that drive the concept of human relations are staff training, sharing information, mediation, community
education, cultural literacy and conflict management (Wakabayashi R. 1998). One of the important aspects of
human relations is communication and its related trends at workplace.

Communication
By communication, it means a process wherein people share meaning, ideas or/and thoughts. Communication is an
exchange of opinions, thoughts or information by mode of speech, writing or symbols. It is one of the most important
work ethics that is used within the workplace. Communication comes naturally on a daily basis which is used by
everyone at all times. At workplace, communication works in many ways. There is communication between
employees to get their jobs done, communication between supervisor and the staff to run the tasks proficiently.
Everyone communicates with each other, with customers and with consumers and without which no work could be
accomplished. Every company stands on good communication between employees and patrons (Montgomery A.
2008). It has been agreed that the key to successful work is good communication. Communication is a natural
element but effective communication is something that requires certain amount of knowledge which allows a more
meaningful and genuine way of conveying thoughts and information thereby avoiding any conflict (Lance T.).
Effective communication in the workplace is open, candid and plays a backbone role. In order to get things work
effectively, effective communication is very important. Along with this, there should be a good working environment
and compatibility among co-workers (Pederson A. 2009). Effective communication is a system essential in all
organizations. It is significant that communication should be properly encoded and decoded so as to make sure it is
understood by the audience.
There are positive as well as negative aspects associated with communication in the workplace. Effective
communication in the workplace is a two-way street which means that the communication skills are not just the
ability to talk and write effectively but also rely heavily on listening and negotiation. This can be done by providing
training to employees to practise their active listening skills and problem-solving attitude and develop the means to
influence outcomes. Organisation providing professional training can help employees to develop effective
communication in the workplace by teaching the importance of effective communication, different communication
styles, non-verbal communication skills, such as body language, written communication skills, to tailor
communication for an intended audience, how to manage workplace conflicts or issues, negotiation and influential
skills etc. By providing such training the communication in the workplace is improvised and open up new channels
resulting in an increase in efficiency of the team as well as the organization. There are many benefits of training in
improving communication skills in the workplace, stated as the follows -
Employees are more successful in their roles by developing better rapport with co-workers.
Motivating employees and improving their morale will make them more likely to remain loyal to business.
Improving communication between individuals and teams within the organisation will streamline business processes
and activities.
Through customer service customer retention will be improved.
Employees will learn to handle difficult situations and resolve conflicts.

Communication process
Firstly, the message is encoded and a transmission channel is selected by the sender. Perception communication
barriers includes -
Information overload communication barriers
Transmission channels - oral, nonverbal and written
Channel selection barriers
Once the sender transmits the message another channel barrier comes into action
Noise communication barriers
The message is then decoded by the receiver and decides if feedback is needed. When giving or receiving
instructions, feedback is important as it is clear to both the sender and the receiver that the message as intended is
fully understood. The barriers to this step are -
Trust and credibility communication barriers
Not listening barrier
Emotional barriers
Finally, a response or message may be transmitted with barriers like -
Filtering communication barriers
Gender style barrier to communication
Communication process takes into account the following factors that plays key role in transmitting the message or
response successfully -
Attitudes of both the sender and receiver
Environment in which the communication is taking place
Self-esteem of both the sender and receiver
Listening effectively what the sender is saying
An important component of spoken communication is that the facial expression contribute 55% of the message and
the way a communicator speak contributes 38% of the message which includes the tone, volume and rate of
speech and only 7% of the message is conveyed by the actual words spoken (Reid B. 2004).

Workplace communication
At workplace, communication is an important aspect that aims to co-ordinate work activities, aids in decision-
making, knowledge management and fulfilling needs. Communication can be impersonal or interpersonal.
Impersonal communication refers to a process that works one way transferring the information as instructions, data
etc. and has limited feedback. The modes of impersonal communication are letters, e-mail, voice mail, electronic
bulletin boards. Impersonal communication is a non-verbal communication that is becoming more convenient and
easy way of approaching the audience. On the other hand, interpersonal communication is meant to exchange
information between people. For an effective interpersonal communication, feedback is essential. The mode of such
type of communication includes meetings, interviews, phone calls, discussions, sharing information etc.
Interpersonal communication is classified into 3 styles as described by Christopher L. Heffner -
Aggressive interpersonal communication - arises when people stands for their rights but violate the rights of others.
Passive interpersonal communication - arises when people minimize their own rights by putting the rights of others
before their own. They are overly soft and do not consider their feelings important.
Assertive interpersonal communication - people create a balance between standing for their rights while maintaining
respect for the right of others. Such people have relaxed posture and varied rate of speech. They are active
listeners and action-oriented as a result of which they are confident and feel motivated.
Successful interpersonal communication is a result of an important factor i.e. clarity. Sometimes people find it
difficult to understand what the other person is communicating. This seems obvious but it is quite surprising that
there are many people who think that using excessive language would make them appear more intelligent and
important. It is an important element to make sure that the other person in conversation either in person or by phone
understands the speech clearly. If the person does not understand, the conversation is wasted as a result of the
employee may feel disorganized and unprepared. This point is even more important when it comes to written
communication as it has been seen that many good business people are very poor writers. Similarly, in verbal
communication, people think that by using a lot of different words make them appear more intelligent but in real
world, such a situation leads to an opposite effect. People with poor writing skills present a negative impression
which in turn can be highly detrimental in today's workplace. Another important component for successful
interpersonal workplace communication is to be direct. This also applies to both aspects of communication - written
and verbal. It is important to be direct and safe when talking to a co-worker. This is even more important in writing. It
is vital that the purpose of the communication should be addressed as early in the first paragraph as possible. This
is more important in case of email since many people makes use of preview pane to gauge the nature of an email,
and may be too busy to read those and ignore whether they are important or pertinent. The subject should be
clearly stated in the first few lines so that the email is more likely to be read, and more importantly, taken seriously.
Whereas in written communication it is important to be as concise as possible. Today, people in business are too
busy to go through the paragraphs and to get to the important points in an email. Communication does not simply
mean the ability to talk and write effectively, rather it also rely heavily on listening and negotiation. By training the
employees it improves their listening and problem-solving skills and develops the means to influence outcomes.
Another aspect of workplace communication is inter-cultural or cross-cultural communication which if not
understood well could lead to conflicts at workplace. These cultural conflicts are avoided if key actions are taken by
implementing and promoting a cultural communication awareness program. The term "intercultural communication"
is defined as the wide range of issues relating communication that takes place within an organization composed of
individuals from different social, ethnic, and educational backgrounds (Magee K. 2009). As a result of which there
are unique experiences and values to the workplace from different individuals from different backgrounds, many of
which can be traced in terms of the culture in which they grew up and now operate to follow." If these differences
are overlooked, it gives rise to a negative environment in the workplace. Many researches have been done by
employees and business owners in this regard showing that language is the most significant factor/component in
effective intercultural communication and has a great deal of ethnocentrism which is centered in it. As described
earlier, if the language is not clear and direct it could lead to conflicts between co-workers and the workplace
environment will be negative leading to an inefficient work. Other factors that pose a barrier in inter-cultural
communication are social convention, non-verbal communication, etiquette and politeness.
However, communication can often be misunderstood, because at workplace people often communicate about
different things with body language than the words they use (Pederson A. 2009). This happens when an employee
in a simple manner is talking to someone while working on computer and not looking away from the computer
screen, or just convey the message that needs to be done and does not take time to ensure the point came across.
It is common in the workplace that people are unaware of these things. So, in order to avoid such a situation
feedback from others is necessary by asking them if their point was clear. It is important to remember that
communication always go hand in hand and is a two way process. Communication drives the work environment so
it is very much essential to give the other person an opportunity to ask questions back in order to make the process
easy and comfortable.

Workplace literacy
By workplace literacy, it means use of a wide range of communication skills that require people to describe, explain,
locate, organise and use information. It also involves other communication components like gestures, hand signals
and jargon used in the workplace and the volume and tone of voices that are exchanged between
workers/employees. It also takes into account the numeracy skills used for calculation and estimation of quantities,
measurement and expressing ideas in diagrams and graphs are also involved.
As mentioned earlier, communication in a workplace occurs at all levels and in a variety of contexts so proper
understanding of workplace is necessary. Communication is a type of employability skills found in a training
Package which includes a set of facets that signifies the aspects of those skills used in everyday communication at
workplace. The nature and application of these facets varies and depends on the type of job/work. The skill of
communication that contributes to productive and harmonious relations across employees and customers points out
facets like listening and understanding, direct speech, negotiating responsively, reading independently,
empathising, effective use of numeracy, understanding the needs of internal and external customers, persuading
effectively, establishing and using networks, being assertive and sharing information.
When people work together to get things done it demonstrates a workplace communication. But, often there are
particular situations where unspoken rules are developed about what to.
The following table illustrates some workplace situations and their appropriate application.

Workplace literacy
Application
Reading, by means of different types of information
Reading and perceptive instructions at work using standard operating procedures, letters and notices, electronic
data and emails
Writing and information footage
Completing forms, report sheets, tender documentation, work plans and specifications and notes
Listening
Acceptance of verbal work instructions from supervisors, training sessions, answering phone calls
Giving diverse forms of verbal information
Discussing problems with others, offering solutions and feedback, reporting issues or incidents to the supervisor
Performing a range of numeracy tasks
Estimating a quantity of supplies to be ordered, calculating quantities for mixing of chemicals and materials,
measuring distances or materials lengths

Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be well said that communication is the driving force of a good and positive work environment.
Within the workplace, communication is valuable to every person so as to conduct himself in an efficient manner. It
would be impossible to expect effectiveness in work without communication. Right communication and the skills
make not only the professional life easier to conduct but the private life as well. Communication is a key to solve the
problems in the workplace and with proper understanding it leads to good opportunities at work that motivates the
employees to be successful in their work. This very well shows that even a little communication can be proved vital
to someone but this can also have a negative picture wherein the employee can spoil and destroy his or her
reputation at work that leads to serious consequences. Communication has positive as well as negative aspects.
Negative communication or miscommunication is perceived by one's own judgement. A lapse in judgement could be
detrimental to one's life. To avoid or prevent the negative outcomes of poor communication, one should understand
the significance of communication skills and related aspects. Also, the problems and issues that arise in the work
with any sort of complaint should be discussed with higher authority in the work place. Discussion with a supervisor
allows a better chance for sufficient work elucidating all the assignments. The dilemma will never be solved if the
workers do not speak up and all productivity will decline. Troubles in communication harm not only the individual
with the problem but also the whole company and lead to loss in company's clientele and reputation. Therefore, in
the end it is concluded that "100%-communication is the life blood." (Darling L. et al 2003). This statement has been
well agreed by many peer researchers, industry representatives, accreditation agencies, and faculty around the
world. This statement not only matters to the daily activities the employees carry out in the workplace, but also to
those customers and clients with whom the employees interact. As continue to talk about the importance of
communication in the workplace, there is a clear opportunity for educators in the disciplines and communication
scholars to lend an ear and to collaborate on the development of sound instruction, scholarship, and curricula that
has the potential for making strong contributions for the ones communication matters in important ways.

Organizational ethics is the ethics of an organization, and it is how an organization responds to an internal or
external stimulus. Organizational ethics is interdependent with the organizational culture. Although, it is akin to
both organizational behavior (OB) and industrial and organizational psychology as well as business ethics on the
micro and macro levels, organizational ethics is neither OB or I/O psychology, nor is it solely business ethics (which
includes corporate governance and corporate ethics). Organizational ethics express the values of an organization to
its employees and/or other entities irrespective of governmental and/or regulatory laws.
Ethics are the principles and values used by an individual to govern his or her actions and decisions.[1] An
organization forms when individuals with varied interests and different backgrounds unite on a common platform
and work together towards predefined goals and objectives.[1] A code of ethics within an organization is a set of
principles that is used to guide the organization in its decisions, programs, and policies.[2] An ethical organizational
culture consists of leaders and employees adhering to a code of ethics.[2]
A decision can be defined as a course of action purposely chosen from a set of alternatives to
achieveorganizational or managerial objectives or goals.Decision making process is continuous
and indispensable component of managing anyorganization or business activities

Conflict management. Conflict management is the process of limiting the negative aspects of conflict while
increasing the positive aspects of conflict. The aim of conflict management is to enhance learning and group
outcomes, including effectiveness or performance in an organizational setting.

Discrimination Issues

Discrimination can be a source of heated conflict, potentially ending in legal trouble for a company or its owners.
Discriminatory conflicts can arise from personal prejudices on the part of employees or perceptions of mistreatment of
employees.
As an example of a discrimination-related conflict, imagine a minority employee in a team setting who feels that he is
consistently assigned the most menial work tasks in the group. This employee may begin to harbor resentment against
team members and managers, eventually lashing out through decreased productivity or outright verbal conflict. To
resolve this issue, a manager could sit down with the whole team and discuss the way in which job tasks are assigned,
making changes as necessary to ensure that tasks are divided equitably.

Performance Review Conflicts

No employee likes to receive a negative performance review, but giving negative feedback in a review can be
unavoidable based on the employee's own actions during the review period.

Employees may become angry over not receiving expected pay raises, promotions or other performance-related
incentives, and may lash out by spreading discontent through gossip and a negative attitude at work. Employees may
argue directly with supervisors during performance reviews, creating sensitive situations that require tactful
communication. To resolve a conflict arising from a negative performance review, work directly with the employee to
create a solid, time-bound plan of action to improve her performance, and tie the completion of these goals to
guaranteed incentives. Allow employees a voice when setting goals to increase their dedication to achieving the goals.

Conflicts with Customers

Sales and customer service employees can experience conflict with customers on a fairly regular basis, depending on the
industry. A common conflict experienced by salespeople is a dissatisfied customer who feels personally defrauded by an
individual salesperson.

For example, if a car salesman sells a used car without a performance guarantee or warranty and the car breaks down
on the buyer, the buyer may return to angrily confront the salesperson and demand a refund. The best first step to solve
these conflicts is to involve a manager who has the right to offer refunds, discounts or other conciliatory gestures to the
customer unless you are in a situation where employees are empowered to make these kinds of decisions.

Leadership Conflicts

Personality clashes between managers and subordinates can cause a range of interpersonal conflicts to arise. Employees
may feel bullied or pushed by more authoritarian managers, or may perceive a lack of guidance from more hands-off
managers. Managers with type-A personalities may set goals that are too ambitious for their subordinates, setting them
up for failure and inevitable conflict.

To handle these personality mismatches, first try to garner an understanding between the manager and the subordinate
so that each understands the others' perspective in the situation. Never treat conflict management situations as
disciplinary hearings, as if managers are inherently right and employees are inherently wrong; this is a reliable way to
lose good employees. If the two cannot come to an understanding, place the employee under the supervision of
another manager if possible.

1. Thou shall be kind. It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.
2. Thou shall have a sense of humor. A sense of humor is to a man what springs are to a wagon. It
 saves him jolts.
3.Thou shall not argue.
4. Thou shall compliment more than criticize.
5. Thou shall love people, not use them. The greatest being in the world is a person.
6. Thou shall practice what thou preach.
7. Thou shall not get angry. If you are right, you don't need to; if you are wrong, you can't afford
to.
8. Thou shalt smile. No man is completely dressed unless he has a smile on his face.
9. Thou shalt develop thy understanding.
10.Thou shalt go to work and school with the Headmaster of the Universe, the Master of Men and
ultimate expert in human relations - the Lord Jesus Christ.

As the leader of your team, go through these commandments and consider how well you and everyone on
your team abides by them. Encouraging their use just might smooth some ruffled feathers or diffuse a
tense situation.

1. SPEAK TO PEOPLE

There is nothing like a cheerful word of greeting. To really connect, look them in the eye as you speak.

2. SMILE AT PEOPLE

It takes 72 muscles to frown, only 14 to smile. They can hear the difference in your voice - even over the
phone.

3. CALL PEOPLE BY NAME

The sweetest music to anyone's ear is the sound of his/her own name. Be sure you say it correctly. Say it
often.

4. BE FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL

To have friends and build relationships, be a friend first.

5. BE CORDIAL

Sincerely speak and act as if everything you do is a genuine pleasure.

6. BE GENUINELY INTERESTED IN PEOPLE

You can like almost everybody if you try. They don't care how much you know until they know how much
you care. Be sure they know how much you care.

7. BE GENEROUS WITH PRAISE

Praise publicly, correct privately. Everyone wins this way.

8. BE CONSIDERATE

of the feelings of others. There are usually three sides to a controversy: yours, the other person's, and the
right side. Keep ego and emotions in check.

9. BE ALERT

to give excellent service. What counts most is what we do for others not ourselves.

10. HAVE A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOR

Don't take yourself too seriously. When you add lots of patience, and humility, you will have a recipe for
enduring success.
Effective Communication is significant for managers in the organizations so as to perform the basic functions of
management, i.e., Planning, Organizing, Leading and Controlling.

Communication helps managers to perform their jobs and responsibilities. Communication serves as a foundation for
planning. All the essential information must be communicated to the managers who in-turn must communicate the plans
so as to implement them. Organizing also requires effective communication with others about their job task. Similarly
leaders as managers must communicate effectively with their subordinates so as to achieve the team goals. Controlling is
not possible without written and oral communication.

Managers devote a great part of their time in communication. They generally devote approximately 6 hours per day in
communicating. They spend great time on face to face or telephonic communication with their superiors, subordinates,
colleagues, customers or suppliers. Managers also use Written Communication in form of letters, reports or memos
wherever oral communication is not feasible.

Thus, we can say that “effective communication is a building block of successful organizations”. In other words,
communication acts as organizational blood.

The importance of communication in an organization can be summarized as follows:

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, i.e., 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 moulding employee’s attitudes.
4. Communication also helps in socializing. In todays life the only presence of another individual fosters
communication. It is also said that one cannot survive without communication.
5. As discussed earlier, communication also assists in controlling process. It helps controlling organizational
member’s behaviour in various ways. There are various levels of hierarchy and certain principles and guidelines
that employees must follow in an organization. They must comply with organizational policies, perform their job
role efficiently and communicate any work problem and grievance to their superiors. Thus, communication helps
in controlling function of management.

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. Thus, the primary responsibility of a manager is to develop and maintain an effective
communication system in the organization.

The Communication Process

The goal of communication is to convey information—and the understanding of that information—from one person or
group to another person or group. This communication process is divided into three basic components:
A sender transmits a message through a channel to the receiver. (Figure shows a more elaborate model.) The sender
first develops an idea, which is composed into a message and then transmitted to the other party, who interprets the
message and receives meaning. Information theorists have added somewhat more complicated language. Developing a
message is known as encoding.Interpreting the message is referred to as decoding.

The other important feature is the feedback cycle. When two people interact, communication is rarely
one‐way only. When a person receives a message, she responds to it by giving a reply. The
feedback cycle is the same as the sender‐receiver feedback noted in Figure . Otherwise, the sender
can't know whether the other parties properly interpreted the message or how they reacted to it.
Feedback is especially significant in management because a supervisor has to know how
subordinates respond to directives and plans. The manager also needs to know how work is
progressing and how employees feel about the general work situation.

The critical factor in measuring the effectiveness of communication is common understanding.

Understanding exists when all parties involved have a mutual agreement as to not only the
information, but also the meaning of the information. Effective communication, therefore, occurs
when the intended message of the sender and the interpreted message of the receiver are one and
the same. Although this should be the goal in any communication, it is not always achieved.

The most efficient communication occurs at a minimum cost in terms of resources expended. Time,
in particular, is an important resource in the communication process. For example, it would be
virtually impossible for an instructor to take the time to communicate individually with each student in
a class about every specific topic covered. Even if it were possible, it would be costly. This is why
managers often leave voice mail messages and interact by e‐mail rather than visit their subordinates
personally.

However, efficient time‐saving communications are not always effective. A low‐cost approach such
as an e‐mail note to a distribution list may save time, but it does not always result in everyone getting
the same meaning from the message. Without opportunities to ask questions and clarify the
message, erroneous interpretations are possible. In addition to a poor choice of communication
method, other barriers to effective communication include noise and other physical distractions,
language problems, and failure to recognize nonverbal signals.

Sometimes communication is effective, but not efficient. A work team leader visiting each team
member individually to explain a new change in procedures may guarantee that everyone truly
understands the change, but this method may be very costly on the leader's time. A team meeting
would be more efficient. In these and other ways, potential tradeoffs between effectiveness and
efficiency occur.

Communicative Functions or Purposes of Communication

Contributed by Beverly Vicker, CCC-SLP

There are many different classification systems available for looking at the purposeful uses of
communication. Models are primarily of interest to researchers and professionals within the field of
speech language pathology. This article, however, is a hybrid listing of aspects of communication that
are especially important to assess and track with children/students with an autism spectrum disorder
(ASD). The article is designed to give a basic orientation to people outside of the speech pathology
profession because these are the people who will spend more time with the child than the speech
pathologist. Awareness of what to observe can contribute volumes to the development and
implementation of a program for a child with ASD. No one person has to feel that he or she must
master all the information and become an expert observer or data taker. Everyone is part of a team
and the objective is to have a variety of observations that will help develop a more comprehensive
picture of a child’s skills.

Intentionality
Before looking at types or purposes of messages from the child, it will be important to observe and
understand about how intentional the child’s daily communication is. By intentional is meant:

 Does the child EVER deliberately signal a message to others? It is easier to answer this question if the
child engages in very direct, observable behavior. For example, does he look toward people, even
briefly, before signing, pointing, gesturing or saying something? He could also take someone to the
location of the item that he wants. If he seems vaguely aware of the other person who needs the
message, however, he may still be intentional. Even if he is not looking directly at the person, he may
have used peripheral vision to check if someone is around. More observations might be needed in case
of the latter.
 Do the adults and other children in the child’s life predominately need to observe what he is doing and
make a guess at what he may or may not want? This means the communication partner does all the
work and has to learn to “read” the situation. This is not intentional communication since it is not
deliberately signaled to someone.
 What percentage of the child’s messages each day are intentional?
 Is there any pattern to the types of messages that are intentional vs. non-intentional?
 Is the child more or less intentional with specific people, in specific locations, within specific activities,
or at specific times of the day?

Examples of Intentional (I) vs. Non-intentional (N) Communication:

 (I) Jake sees that the teacher has a new toy on the table. He goes to the table, looks briefly at her, she
says “try it” and he grabs it.
 (N) Tim sees the new toy on the table and goes and grabs it.
 (I) Jake takes his teacher by the hand, walks to the cupboard, and points upward. (the teacher knows
his favorite toy is kept in that cupboard).
 (N) Tim wanders around the room and goes over to tug at the handles of the cabinet; he does nothing
to indicate he needs help; he is determined to meet his own need of getting a specific toy.
 (I) Jake gives a “break” card to his teacher to request some down time.
 (N) Tim screams and throws things after an intense morning; his teacher thinks he needs a break and
directs him to a quiet corner of the room.

Means of Communication
The child will have to use some way of sending others a message. It does not mean the messages
are always clear or there is no guessing. The intentional messages are deliberately targeted for
someone whereas non-intentional are not. Things to observe and share include the following:

 How does the child communicate intentionally? (see list that follows)
 What form or means of communication is used when the message is non-intentional (e.g., a teacher,
aide or parent notices a behavior pattern, attaches meaning to it, and goes to intervene or take action)?
 Does he or she use one intentional/non-intentional means more than others? What else is used? (It is
good to have a variety of ways of communicating).
 Are any intentional/non-intentional means more effective than others?
 What are the least effective intentional/non-intentional means used?
 Does he vary the intentional/non-intentional means by person, situation, or location?

Various Means of Communication and Examples

 Vocalizations—sounds, grunts, unintelligible speech, shouts
 Understandable appropriate speech or echolalia (repetition of the words of others)
 Behavioral—pacing, self injurious behavior, picking at sores, stripping off clothes, aggression
 Body language—facial expression, going limp or rigid
 Gestures such as a yes/no headshake, point, push away, or made-up gestures
 Sign language—whether correctly signed or not
 Communication display or single picture/words—a point to, or exchange of picture, or word card
 Communication device—electronic display that produces voice output or not
 Handwriting or computer typed messages
 Examples of Intentional (I) and Non-Intentional (N) + Means of Communication
 (I) Signs “help” as he looks toward aide.
 (N) Signs “help” when no one is in the room; does not look around for a person.
 (I) Gives picture card to teacher in order to get popcorn.
 (N) Flips picture card in repetitive manner, discards it, and reaches for popcorn.
 (I) Presses button of electronic communication device with voice output to request puzzle. Looks
toward teacher and walks to help self since no indication that this was not OK.
 (N) Presses button repeatedly on an electronic communication device and fixates on the action. After
playing with it, he tires, and gets up to go get something else.

Purposes of Communication.
The topic of purpose can be looked at in two ways. First, what does the child accomplish by
communicating a message TO others through some form of communication and secondly, how does
he respond to the same purposeful message when provided to him FROM others? So, for example,
can a child request an object? What happens if a person requests an object from him? While the
second question is important, this article will only focus on the first question (i.e., the impact of the
child’s messages TO others).

It may be easier for the non-speech pathology person to have noted the characteristics of
intentionality and means of communication before addressing the element of purpose. Sometimes
the purposes are very obvious and other times, it may take trial and error and/or consultation with
others, to figure out the exact message.

The following two categories are not inclusive of every purpose for communication. They basically
reflect the common types of communication that are part of a repertoire of a young child under the
age of five. A few other references at the end can be used to add more detail. It is important to know
what communicative purposes a child with ASD is using so new purposes can be taught. While
requesting objects is the frequent goal of early intervention programs, requesting is not the primary
function expressed during conversations. Expansion of the child’s repertoire of purposes can occur
while teaching use of some of the means of communication outlined in the previous section.

Group # 1: Overall Purpose—Regulation

When communication is used for regulation, there are two elements: 1) the child is interested in
meeting his needs, and 2) he will attempt to regulate the actions of others to help him meet his needs
or to help keep himself in his personal comfort zone. In the latter instance, he may protest violations
of his routines, lack of information about pending changes of activities, refusing tasks that he
considers difficult or boring, and so forth.

The teacher/parent/or whomever will want to observe things such as: 1) What outcome is the child
trying to achieve? 2) Did he initiate the action or did someone cue or prompt him; if so, how much
prompting was needed, and 3) Did he achieve his desired outcome? Examples of often desired
outcome include:

Purpose or Desired Outcome—

Example of Regulation
Regulation of Others

Desires cheese. Stands by refrigerator and

Wants tangible object.
unconsciously assumes Mom will know his desire.

Wants action, event, or activity. Wants push on swing. Signs “more.”

Wants attention. Wants help. Turns person’s face to him.

Wants approval to go watch TV; holds up the

Wants permission.
remote for 1 second.

Wants to know if time to go home. Gets jacket

Wants information.
ready.
 Wants reason/clarification. “Why no grandma?” Bites self; screams.

Wants stop/avoid/refuse. “No blue shirt.” Hits, screams.

Commands, directs, demands any

“Jon-Jon go.” (away from me). Pushes child away.
of the above.

Group # 2 Social Interaction—shared attention with others

In this second category, the child is not acting solely to meet his own needs. There is a social aspect
and an interactive component rather than a controlling component. The interaction can be initiated by
the child with ASD or by another adult or peer.

Purpose or Desired Outcome- Example of Social Interaction/

Social Shared Attention

Calling Says, “Mom” to get her attention.

Greeting Says “Hi” or waves to neighbor.

Requests interaction/interactive Hits peer so he might chase the child with ASD (i.e., bid
activity for chase game).

Comment/statement Says “hot” to Mom as he touches his car-seat.

Naming (if not for personal Says “Mario” to parent when he sees familiar Wii game
enjoyment) in store.

Tells teacher “Sara hurt” so teacher can provide

Provides information/report
assistance to the child who is crying.

Gives positive head shake when asked if he likes

Agree
cheese.

Says “Sad. No more Grandma” as Dad helps him get

Express feelings
into his car-seat after her funeral.

Social routines Says “Thank you” when given an apple to eat.

Points in a direction when Mom asks “Where’s your

Answers question
brother?”

Assertiveness Says “Mine” when peer attempts to grab his toy.

Says “Uh-oh.” or “Oh, no!” to his teacher when he drops

Exclamation
his pencil for the 10th time.

Pulling it all together—Intention + Means + Function

The following examples show how situations will involve all three categories of intent, means used for
communication, and the function of the message.

Function of
Observation Intentional Means
Message

Holds crotch and says “Teacher” until speech +

yes Wants permission.
told OK to proceed to the bathroom. gesture
 Begins to throw things when told Mom Protests change;
no behavioral
will be late for pickup today. needs information.

Announces “trick or treat” as he

yes echolalia Wants Candy.
wanders over to the candy dish.

Jumps up and down with excitement no behavioral Expresses emotion.

Gives his aide a picture of a book communication Wants activity-

yes
using Picture Exchange (PECS). book reading.

Says, “What’s your name?” and other

Wants interaction,
questions of stranger; this routine yes speech routine
not information.
occurs frequently.

Summary
This article is an introduction to understanding the notion of purposes of communication. As
described in detail, there are three main aspects to consider: Is the message directed to someone or
not? What means of communication is used? What might be the function of the message? The
functions listed above do not follow a particular model but represent borrowing from several sources.
The functions reflect types of communication found in children under five years of age. More
sophisticated categories and descriptors can be used to describe the functions of the communication
of children older than five. It will be important to consider if the child initiates the functions listed. The
listing is not meant to be a comprehensive checklist for readers of this article. Instead it can provide
the framework from which to work with others who are looking at expressive communication skills
and provide guidance for observations by a variety of team and family members.
A Sampling of Standards
Here are just a few examples of standards used at [various health care organizations]. (As you’ll see, there isn’t a
set format for standards. Some resemble policies; others read like personal pledges.):

 Maintain a high level of competency and the credentials required to provide the highest level of care
possible.
 I will be the “voice with a smile” in person, on the phone, via email communication.
 Never interrupt a presentation, demonstrate respect to all speakers, regardless of situation.
 When attending a presentation … be on time coming back from breaks and lunch and do not hold sidebar
communications. Give the speaker the same respect you would want given to you if the roles were
reversed.
 I will explain the expected duration of procedures, visits and delays to [clients].
 Keep public areas neat and clean—if the trash needs to be emptied, empty it.
 I will acknowledge your presence, introduce myself, and explain in a timely manner aspects related to your
care.
 I will respect cultural, religious and social backgrounds.
 Use adult conversations to resolve issues—go directly to the coworker involved.
 Welcome, mentor and receive new team members with energy and “What can I do for you?” spirit.
 I will wear my ID badge where it can easily be seen.
 Act like an owner. Treat company resources as if they were your own—spend [company] money as if it were
your own and do not be frivolous or excessive.
 When on-site at an organization, always turn off cell phone and do not use partner’s time for other business.
 Do not embarrass or criticize partners or coworkers in the presence of others.