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Market Survey
UNIT 7 COMMUNICATION
Structure
7.0 Objectives
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Importance of Communication
7.3 Process of Communication
7.4 Means of Communication
7.5 Barriers of Communication
7.6 Overcoming Barriers of Communication
7.7 Ten Commandments of Communication
7.8 Let Us Sum Up
7.9 Key Words
7.10 Answers to Check Your Progress
7.11 Terminal Questions
7.12 Further Readings
7.0 OBJECTIVES
After studying this unit, you will be able to:
● explain the meaning of communication
● identify the need of communication
● describe the process of communication
● identify the barriers of communication
● identify various ways of overcoming the barriers of communication
● elobrate various means to improve the effectiveness of communication in our day-to-day work.
7.1 INTRODUCTION
The term communication is derived from the Latin word ‘communis’ meaning common- standing for sharing of ideas in common. Communication is two-way process of reaching mutual understanding, in which participants not only exchange information but also create and share meaning. It is a process by which an individual or group transmits information, ideas and feelings to another individual or group. It is a two way process which aims at conveying understanding from one person to another. Main purpose of communication is to convey information and ideas in such a manner that will produce a response as desired by the sender. In this unit, you will learn the concept, importance, process and means of communication. You will also be acquainted with the barriers of communication and how to overcome the barriers of communication.
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7.2 IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
Communication may be made through oral or written. In oral communication, listeners can make out what speakers is trying to say, but in written communication, text matter in the message is a reflection of your thinking. So, written communication or message should be clear, purposeful and concise with correct words to avoid any misinterpretation of the message. Written communications provides a permanent record for future use and it also gives an opportunity to employees to put up their comments or suggestions in writing. So, effective communication is very important for successful working of an Organization. The communication is required at various levels and for various aspects in an Organization. The importance of communication is as follow: For manager – employee relations: Effective communication of information and decision is an essential component for management-employee relations. The manager cannot get the work done from employees unless they are communicated effectively of what he wants to be done? He should also be sure of some basic facts such as how to communicate and what results can be expected from that communication. Most of management problems arise because of lack of effective communication. Chances of misunderstanding and misrepresentation can be minimized with proper communication system. Motivation and morale: Communication is also a basic tool for motivation, which can improve morale of the employees in an organization. Inappropriate or faulty communication among employees or between manager and his subordinates is the major cause of conflict and low morale at work. Manager should clarify to employees about what is to be done, how well are to be done and what can be done for better performance to improve their motivation. He can prepare a written statement, clearly outlining the relationship between company objectives and personal objectives and integrating the interest of the two. Increase productivity: With effective communication, you can maintain a good human relation in the Organization and by encouraging ideas or suggestions from employees or workers and implement them whenever possible. You can also increase production at low cost. It is through the communication that employees submit their work reports, comments, grievances and suggestions to the management. Organization should have effective and speedy communication policy and procedures to avoid delays, misunderstandings, confusion or distortions of facts and to establish harmony among all the concerned people and departments. Communication is like the blood circulation system of the human body, the absence of which can lead to decay and death of an Organization. It is a purposeful exchange of meaningful information between two sources, the sender and receiver. Communication establishes a common ground for understanding.
7.3 PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION
You have learnt the importance of communication. Lets us take a closer look at the elements in the communication process. The communication process is a simple model that demonstrates all the factors that can affect communication. Communication is effective if the message received is understood in the same spirit. The process of communication is as follow: Sender: The communicator or sender is the person who is sending the message. There are two factors that will determine how effective the communicator will be.
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- Describe any two objectives of communication. .................................................................................................................. .................................................................................................................. ..................................................................................................................
- List out the factors affecting communication process. .................................................................................................................. .................................................................................................................. ..................................................................................................................
7.4 MEANS OF COMMUNICATION
The means of communication may be verbal and non-verbal. Let us now learn the means of communication: Verbal Communication: Communication takes place either in the form of face to face expressions or in the form of written words.
1. Oral Communication: Oral communication is information spoken by mouth; the use of speech. Some of the examples of oral communication are: Face to face communication, Telephonic Communication, Speech, Audio & Visual Media (Radio, TV), Lectures, Conference-Interchange of views, Meetings, Cultural Affairs. 2. Written Communication : Communication by means of written symbols (either printed or handwritten). Some of the examples are: Orders, Instructions, Letters, Memos, Reports, Information Bulletin, etc. Non-Verbal Communication: Communication may also take place with the help of some signs and symbols. Examples are: 1. Body Language: includes facial expression, eye contact, postures, gestures, touch etc. 2. Space Language: It includes surroundings (design & language). It communicates social status also. 3. Sign Language: A sign language is a language which, instead of conveyed sound patterns, uses visually transmitted sign patterns.
7.5 BARRIERS OF COMMUNICATION
Have you ever been talking to someone and they misunderstand what you were saying? Why do you think that happens? At any point in the communication process a barrier can occur. Barriers keep us away from understanding other’s ideas and thoughts. Barriers can appear at any point of the communication loop. There are two types of barriers—internal and external. Examples of internal barriers are fatigue, poor listening skills, attitude toward the sender or the information, lack of interest in the message, fear, mistrust, past experiences, negative attitude, problems at home, lack of common experiences, and emotions. Examples of external barriers includes noise, distractions, e-mail not working, bad phone connections, and environment. Barriers keep the message away from getting through. When communicating, watch out for barriers. Monitor the actions of the receiver. Watch his/her body language; check to make sure the message the receiver received is the one sent—ask questions and listen. Communication barriers may take place because of the following:
1. Filtering: Some time the information is filtered by the sender himself. A Manager^ Market Survey is attempting to filter the information in the process of altering the communication in his favour. The subordinates tend to tell the boss what he likes to hear. The supervisor likewise is reluctant to admit to his subordinates, their problems or situations which reflect adversely on his ability. These natural tendencies stand as barriers to upward and downward communication and lead to many wasteful and avoidable problems.
Selective Perception: The receiver in the communication process generally resorts to this, i.e. he selectively perceives the message based on the organizational requirements, the needs and characteristics background of the employees etc. Perceptual selection may sometime lead to perceptual distortion. People interpret information in terms of stereo types which is misleading normally.
Emotions: How the receiver feels at the time of receipt of information influences effectively how he interprets the information. For example, if the receiver feels that the communicator is in a jovial mood, he interprets that the information being sent by the communicator to be good and interesting. Extreme emotions and jubilations or depressions are quite likely to hinder the effectiveness of communication. A worried employee may see a threat in every thing he sees and hears.
Language or Semantic Barrier : Communicated message must be understandable by the receiver. Words mean different things for two different people, words also vary in degree of abstraction. Language by the very nature may be incomplete and semantics may create communication problems. In an Organization, people come from different regions, different backgrounds and speak different languages. People have different academic backgrounds or qualifications, different intelligence and hence use complex words or Jargons in communication.
Information Overload: The effectiveness of communication is likely to be hampered when Supervisors / Manager allow themselves to be undated or overloaded with wealth of information. That is the reason why Supervisors / Managers are forced to ignore or just give a cursory review of too many messages. In this process, inevitably, many of the messages are either overlooked or misinterpreted.
Time Pressure: Supervisors/ Managers are often subjected to time pressure because decisions must be made within specified deadline. Such time pressuring can create communication problems.
Actions do not match with words : This is the most serious barrier to communication. A supervisor who asks his men not to sleep while on duty cannot get the desired results if he himself is guilty of sleeping while on duty.
7.6 OVERCOMING BARRIRES OF
COMMUNICATION
To make communication effective, Supervisors /Managers must attempt to remove the barriers. Let us learn the measures for overcoming the barriers of communication
Regulate the Flow of Information : Communication should be condensed and only relevant information should be communicated.
Feedback: The Supervisor immediately after communicating a message can ask “Did you follow what I said? “Then the receiver’s response is feedback. Feedback need not always be verbal.
- Use crisp language and be clear : It is very important that the words are well^ Market Survey chosen and as much as possible the language is crisp. In other words use minimum words to send across the message and convey useful information.
7. Follow-up on communication : One must solicit feedback in ensuring that the receiver has understood the message.
- Communicate with the future as well as the present in mind : Most communication happens in meeting with the demands of the current situation. However this should be in accordance with the long-term goals as well.
- Be a good listener : By concentrating on the receiver’s response you can ensure his extent of interest in you.
- Exhibit congruency : Match your words with your body language.
Check Your Progress B
- Give three examples of verbal communication. .................................................................................................................. .................................................................................................................. ..................................................................................................................
- Identify four barriers of communication. .................................................................................................................. .................................................................................................................. ..................................................................................................................
- Distinguish between verbal and non-verbal communication. .................................................................................................................. .................................................................................................................. ..................................................................................................................
- List out any three ways of overcoming the barriers of communication. .................................................................................................................. .................................................................................................................. ..................................................................................................................
- Which of the following statements are True or False? i) Mere “transmission” of information and ideas is called communication. ii) Decoding refers to the process by which the receiver translates the message into the terms that are meaningful to him. iii) Encoding means that Communicator’s message must be translated into a common language which reflects the idea. iv) Body language does not include facial expression, eye contact, postures, gestures, etc. v) Some examples of the written communication are: Orders, Instructions, Letters, Memos, Reports, Information Bulletin, etc.
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7.8 LET US SUM UP
Communication is two-way process of reaching mutual understanding, in which participants not only exchange information but also create and share meaning. It is a process by which an individual or group transmits information, ideas and feelings to another individual or group. Communication may be made through oral or written. In oral communication, listeners can make out what speakers is trying to say, but in written communication, text matter in the message is a reflection of your thinking. So, written communication or message should be clear, purposeful and concise with correct words, to avoid any misinterpretation of your message. The communication process is a simple model that demonstrates all the factors that can affect communication which are: Sender, message, medium, receiver, encoding, decoding and feedback. There are two means of communication, verbal and nonverbal communication. Examples of verbal communication are: face to face, telephonic, lectures, orders, letters and reports. Examples of nonverbal communication are: postures, gestures, facial expressions and eye contact etc. There are two types of barriers—internal and external. Examples of internal barriers are fatigue, poor listening skills, attitude toward the sender or the information, lack of interest in the message, fear, mistrust, past experiences, negative attitude, problems at home, lack of common experiences, and emotions. Examples of external barriers include noise, distractions, e-mail not working, bad phone connections, and environment. To make communication effective, Managers must attempt to remove the barriers and the several ways for the same are: Regulate the flow of information, feedback, simple language, level of knowledge, control emotions, listen carefully and watch body language etc. Ten Commandments of communication help in facilitating the process of effective communication.
7.9 KEY WORDS
Body Language: It includes facial expression, eye contact, postures, gestures, touch etc. Decoding: This refers to the process by which the receiver translates the message into the terms that are meaningful to him. Encoding: Communicator’s message must be translated into a common language which reflects the idea. Feedback: A feedback loop provides a channel for the receiver response which enables the communication to determine whether the message received is exactly same as the message sent. Medium: This is the carrier of message sent by the communicator Oral Communication: Oral communication is information spoken by mouth; the use of speech. Receiver: The receiver is simply the person receiving the message, making sense of it, or understanding and translating it into meaning. Sender: The communicator or sender is the person who sends the message Space Language: It includes surroundings (Design & Language). It communicates social status also. Sign Language: It is a language which, instead of conveyed sound patterns, uses visually transmitted sign patterns.
