What is communication?

What do you think communication is?

How would you define it?

Communication
Communication is defined as the

interchange of thoughts or opinions through shared symbols; e.g. language, words, phrases

It is the process by which people share

ideas, experiences, knowledge and feelings through the transmission of symbolic messages.

Some synonyms of the word

communication are: message, directive, word, contact, commerce, communion, intercommunication, converse, exchange, interchange, conversing, discussing,

The Communication Process

Elements in the Communication process: 1) Sender (Party sending the message). 2) Encoding (the process of putting thought into symbolic form). 3) Message (the set of symbols {gesture, facial expression, spoken or written communication} that the sender

4) Media (the communication channels {audio, video, e-mails/letters, etc.}). 5) Decoding* (the process by which the receiver assigns meaning to the symbols encoded by the sender).
6) Receiver (the party receiving the message sent by another party). 7) Response (the reactions of the receiver after being exposed to the message).

8) Feedback (the part of the receivers response communicated back to the sender).
9) Noise (the unplanned static or distortion during the communication process that results in the receivers getting a different message than the sender sent).

* Decoding

depends on: - Message as filtered by the receivers mind, based on his prior experiences, biases, knowledge, emotions, selective perceptions and cultural background and may not interpret the message, in the same manner, as sent by the sender and no two receivers have identical filters.

Four facets of communication

There are four facets in all types of

communication: Sender Receiver Information Behaviour

Factors Affecting Communication

Information - From advertising campaigns to job

interviews or brochures to newspaper TV listings, its all the same: someone needs to get a message across to someone else. - Could be your friends, relatives, teachers, staff, your clients, your mum and dad.

People Your Target Person/Group (known as Audience)

Communicate when/Time - Your understanding of Right

Time. Timing is simply picking the best moment to pass on the message.
Format - Think about who youre passing the message

onto and then ask yourself what is the best way is to tell them. An email or a letter? Or maybe a short video or radio ad?

How do we communicate?
We communicate and build interpersonal relationships through: Speech Writing Listening Non-verbal language Music, art, and crafts

Choosing your medium

Depending upon the situation, one method of communication may be better than another. In person: one-to-one In person: meetings, small groups In person: presentations, large groups Letter Memo Note Email Voice mail

Missed communication

As the Manager Requested it.

As Purchasing ordered it.

As Marketing wrote it up.

As the Art Dept. designed it.

As the Supervisor implemented it.

What the Employee really wanted!

Barriers to communication
Many people think that communicating is

easy. It is after all something we've done all our lives. There is some truth in this simplistic view. Communicating is straightforward. What makes it complex, difficult, and frustrating are the barriers we put in the way. What are barriers to communication that exist in any work setting?

Barriers to communication
What are barriers to communication that

exist in any work setting? Here are the barriers

1. Physical barriers

 Common barriers to interpersonal

communication include:
Unclear process: Chain of command Large size of an organization,

geographic distance: Personal limitations:

Perceptual barriers
The problem with communicating with others is

that we all see the world differently. If we didn't, we would have no need to communicate, something like extrasensory perception would take its place.
Additional common barriers to interpersonal

communication include: Human nature: Peoples egos, prejudices, and traditions can get in the way Conflicting feelings, goals, opinions: If people feel on opposite sides of an issue they may not share Power: The idea that knowledge is power

 One of the chief barriers to open and free

communications is the emotional barrier. It mainly comprises of fear, mistrust and suspicion. "Don't speak until you're spoken to"; "Children should be seen and not heard". As a result many people hold back from communicating their thoughts and feelings to others.
While some caution may be wise in certain

relationships, excessive fear of what others might think of us can stunt our development as effective communicators and our ability to form meaningful relationships.

 When we join a group and wish to

remain in it, sooner or later we need to adopt the behaviour patterns of the group. These are the behaviours that the group accept as signs of belonging.
The

group rewards such behaviour through acts of recognition, approval and inclusion.

Where, however, there are barriers to

your membership of a group, a high

 Language that describes what we want

to say in our terms may present barriers to others who are not familiar with our expressions, buzz-words and jargon.
When we couch our communication in

such language, it is a way of excluding others.

In a global market place the greatest

compliment we can pay another person is to talk in their language.

 A woman speaks between 22,000 and

25,000 words a day whereas a man speaks between 7,000 and 10,000.
This means that a man talks in a linear,

logical and compartmentalized way, features of left-brain thinking; whereas a woman talks more freely mixing logic and emotion, features of both sides of the brain. It also explains why women talk for much longer than men each day.

 Para verbal communication refers to the

messages that we transmit through the tone, pitch, and pacing of our voices. It is how we say something, not what we say.

 Some

points to remember about our paraverbal communication:

When we are angry or excited, our speech

tends to become more rapid and higher pitched. speech tends to slow and take on a monotone quality.
is often abrupt.

When we are bored or feeling down, our

When we are feeling defensive, our speech Paraverbal Messages: 1. Account for about

38% of what is perceived and understood by others. 2. Include the tone, pitch, and pacing of our voice

 The Importance of Consistency In all of our communications we want to

strive to send consistent verbal, paraverbal and nonverbal messages. When our messages are inconsistent, the listener may become confused.