Communication, Types, Process, Channels, Barriers, Role of Information Technology

Communication is the process to convey a message from one entity to another entity. It is a process with certain steps and each step is equally important to facilitate smooth communication. Communication plays a vital role in all walks of life and the work including management as well.

Definitions

Communication is transfer of information from one person to another,whether or not it elicits confidence. But the information transferred must be understandable to the receiver.

G C Brown

Communication is the intercourse by words, letters or messages.

Fred G. Meyer

Steps in the Communication Process

Communication is a two-way dynamic process that involves sharing thoughts, ideas, commands, messages, etc with a goal to achieve a shared understanding.

Communication process is a chain made up of identifiable links. The chain includes sender, encoding, message, receiver, decoding, and feedback.

Robert Kreitner

The communication process is the method by which the sender transfers information and understanding to the receiver.

S. K. Kapur

There are 7 major steps in the communication process listed below.

Sender

Sender is the source who generates the idea and tries to pass it on. Without the sender, there will not be any communication.

Encoding

Encoding is the process that translates the sender’s thoughts/ideas into a message that is transferable. This transfer can be verbal or non-verbal. It can be vocal or written. The purpose of encoding is to make abstract ideas communicable, be it by using gestures or any language to speak or write.

Message

After the encoding, the sender’s idea gets converted into a message. Now the sender is free to pass it on using any form of communication. It may be an order, a request, a sigh of relief, a cry, etc.

Channel / Media

Communication channel or media is the medium used to pass the message. The choice of media depends upon the proximity of the sender and receiver as well as the urgency of the message. These channels include face to face conversations, telephone, voice messages, video calls, emails, texts, handwritten notes, books, publications, hoardings, posters, banners, TV, newspapers, etc.

Receiver

The receiver is the person who is supposed to get the message sent by the sender.

Decoding

Now, this is probably the most important part of the process of effective communication. The receiver tries to understand the message in the best possible manner. A communication is only effective when the receiver understands the exact same message what was sent by the sender.

Feedback

The feedback is kind of confirmation with or without a response that the receiver has received the message and understood it as intended.

Communication Channels

As we have studied that Communication channel or media is the medium used to pass the message. The choice of media depends upon the proximity of the sender and receiver as well as the urgency of the message. These channels include face to face conversations, telephone, voice messages, video calls, emails, texts, handwritten notes, books, publications, hoardings, posters, banners, TV, newspapers, etc.

In the work environment, there is a division of communication channels. All the categories are listed below.

Formal Communication Channels

These are the channels that follow certain chain of command or a hierarchy. Examples include a newsletter from the company, an instruction from the CEO to the employees which has been communicated through the overall hierarchy, reports, meetings, etc. Messages in these channels pass in a certain order, from higher to lower authority or vice versa.

Informal Communication Channels

People are not that comfortable in a formal structure and mostly communicate in an informal manner in an organization. This includes the talks among employees, peers, senior to junior, manager to subordinate, etc which are not in company records. The talks in the office cafeteria come in this category. Managers ensure that some of the things should not be on the record but the guidelines and instructions for the tasks remain clear to everyone.

Unofficial Communication Channels

Apart from formal and informal channels, there comes an unofficial channel. Human beings have an immense leaning towards many topics and with a greater workforce, the diversification of employee’s hobbies and interests also gets increased. So people talk about politics, sports, movies, clubs, drinks, celebrities, etc during working hours. This all has been summed up using a single word, grapevine which means informal talks among peers.

Oral versus Written Communication

Oral Communication

Oral communication is the oldest form of communication. The message, information or idea is conveyed orally via the speaker. It may be face to face, one to one communication. It may also be a lecture, seminar, speech, meeting, group discussion, etc. It may happen with both listener and speaker present at the same place or it may happen using technology via the internet etc. Nonverbal cues are also visible in this communication which makes it very impactful.

Written Communication

It is a planned communication in written form. This may be used as a reference later on. As the words are written, the chances of misinterpretation become less. Most of the official communication happens in the written form. Nonverbal cues are not present in this form.

Comparison

Verbal versus non-verbal Communication

Verbal Communication

When there is an exchange of words in either written or spoken form, it is known as verbal communication. It is the most effective form as the chances of misunderstanding are less as compared to nonverbal. There are two types of verbal communications, formal and informal. We have already read about communication channels. It is easy to relate and understand now. The one using formal channels is a formal communication. While the other one using either of the informal or unofficial channels is informal communication.

Non-verbal Communication

A wordless transfer of messages is a nonverbal form of communication. It uses signs to transmit the message. The sender and the receiver share a common understanding of the signs and symbols used. It constitutes the gestures, postures, clothing, tone, pitch, emotions, variation in speed, proximity, etc.

There are many types of nonverbal communication as listed below.

• Facial expression – mood and emotion
• Gesture – waving, pointing fingers, etc
• Posture – arm-crossing, leg-crossing, hand on the chin, etc
• Proxemics – the distance between the sender and receiver, it changes with respect to the relationship between both parties
• Vocalics/Paralanguage – volume, tone, pitch, etc
• Haptics – use of touch to show affection, sympathy, unity, etc
• Artifacts – special uniforms, accessories, objects which conveys a message, etc
• Appearance – Color, clothing, hairstyle, etc
• Eye contact – eye gaze, blinking, etc

Comparison

Communication Flows – Upward, downward and lateral communication

Upward communication

Upward or upstream communication flows from the bottom to the top. It is now being promoted by managers all around the globe. It is considered to be more participative and democratic as compared to its downward counterpart. It is used by lower staff to send suggestions, grievances, feedbacks, etc to the higher authorities.

A major downside is that large portion managers or seniors do not like to listen from the subordinates especially when they suggest something. Employees also do have a fear of losing the job once the tell their resentments openly. It is a very psychological thing. That can be handled by creating a post of ombudsperson and assigning someone to the chair. Ombudsperson serves the purpose of an intermediary and removes the psychological hurdles. There are various bodies in India that have an ombudsperson. There is a banking ombudsman for example.

Downward communication

This is also called downstream communication. It flows from top to bottom. People working at higher levels in an organization communicate with the people working at a lower level. This includes orders, commands, policy changes, strategy changes, other employee-related things, etc. This is formulated at the managerial level.

There are some downsides too. The message may get delayed in the long chain of hierarchy. Also, there is a chance of distortion of the original message until it reaches the final receiver. Also, in some cases, managers may want to hide some information from an employee. In this case, the information sent by the higher authorities might get filtered in midway and the employee gets to know only the residual information which might not be that beneficial at all.

Lateral communication

This is peer to peer communication. This can happen inside the same department or among the departments. Examples include group meetings, conferences, etc. People operating at the same level in different departments get benefited by sharing their experiences. It serves the purpose to improve coordination among departments and peers as well as tries to ensure the smooth functioning of the organization.

Barriers to Communication

Even if the sender and receiver are having good intent, every other factor is fine too, still, there can be a loss of the message. This happens due to the presence of any sort of barriers to communication. These barriers may obstruct the message or make it unclear. Let us dive into the details.

Linguistic Barriers

This is the most common barrier to communication. A language is a tool to communicate. It becomes a barrier when the sender and the receiver have a different level of understanding of the same language or receiver does not know the language in which the message is being passed. Most of the people fail to comprehend tweets from Shashi Tharoor in the very first glance because of the difference of the understanding level of the same language.

Psychological Barriers

These appear in certain situations. Some people hesitate to talk to their seniors or upper management, some have stage fear and so on. Some examples of this barrier include stage fear, phobia, depression, stress, etc.

Emotional Barriers

Some people can easily communicate with the masses or individuals by invoking their emotions. This is just because they understand the emotions well. While some people feel difficulty to decode the emotions and cater the message accordingly.

Physical Barriers

These are caused by the physical environment and surroundings. Things like noise, a faulty telephone, cabins, closed doors, etc are the cause behind this barrier.

Physiological Barriers

Some physiological problems like hearing issues, pitch or loudness of the voice, dyslexia, etc also cause a barrier.

Cultural Barriers

In the age of globalization, we have to face many cultures and nationalities. What may be sacred for one, might be ordinary or even hateworthy for the other. Also, objects, animals, plants, etc carry meanings in different cultures. This becomes a great necessity of the time to learn the art of culturally appropriate communications.

Perception Barriers

For any vague message, people will read it for their perception, understanding, and convenience. The message should be clear and there shouldn’t be any room for making perceptions otherwise the perception barrier comes into the picture.

Technological Barriers

With the increasing usage of tech, it has now been an inevitable part of our communications. Less understanding of the required tools or equipment causes a barrier to effective communication.

Overcoming Barriers

Some of the barriers like physiological can not be removed but there are many barriers that can be reduced by following the points below.

Active Listening

Listening properly without making perception and before responding. Encouraging the speaker and confirming the understanding helps in overcoming psychological and perception barriers, etc.

Simple Language

Use simple sentences and simple words. This eliminates the language barrier.

Feedback

Keep providing feedback. As we know that feedback is a step in the communication process so providing feedback helps to overcome barriers.

Role of Information Technology

Technology has made a large impact on how we communicate. It has added many more communication channels besides traditional channels. Response time has reduced and it is almost instant.

Technology is an inevitable thing for all organizations now. It has tremendous benefits in each department. When we talk about the Human Resource departments, it is a boon for sure.

The technology systems used for communication

• Phone
• Internet
• IRC (Internet Relay Chat)
• Video conferencing
• Internet
• Email
• Fax
• Wireless communication
• Text messages
• Voice messages
• Webinars
• Live streams