Communication Skills

Syllabus

• Communication Skills
– Definition
– Process of communication
– The level of communication
– The flow of communication
– Communication network
– The importance of technical Communication
 Definition
• “Communication is the activity or process of
expressing ideas and feelings or of giving
people information and instructions”
Process of communication
 Process of communication
• The communication process consist of 5 steps
• Ideation
• Encoding
• Transmission
• Decoding
• Response
 Ideation
• The process of communication
begins with Ideation, which
refers to formation of the idea or
selection of a message to be
communicated.
– It consist of what is to be
communicated and is concerned
with the content of message to
be presented
– Message are generally of two
kind Logical and emotional
– Logical message contains factual
information, while emotional
message consist of feelings and
emotions
 Encoding

• Encoding is the next step in

communication under this,
message are composed of
symbols having translation
of an already conceived idea
by the sender in to the
message appropriate for the
transmission
• Wording of the message
maybe different for different
methods of communication
to be used.
 Transmission
• Transmission refers to the
flow of the message over
the chosen channel
• Transmission confirms the
medium selected during
the process of encoding
and keep the
communication channel
free from interferences or
noise, so that the message
reaches the receiver
without any disturbances
or distraction
 Decoding
• Decoding is the reverse of encoding
it is the process of converting a
message into thoughts by
translating the received message
into an interpreted meaning. It is
important to note that it is the
message that is transferred and not
the meaning

• Effective decoding is very important

for effective communication as any
misinterpretation of a message leads
to communication distortion
 Response
• Response is the last stage of
communication process. It is the
last stage of communication
process. It is the action or
reaction of the receiver to the
message. It helps the sender to
know that the message was
received and understood.
• Response is tus the key to
communication as the effective
communication depends on how
congruent the receivers response
is with the meaning intended by
the sender.
 The level of communication
• Human communication takes place at a
various levels
• Extra personal
• Intrapersonal
• Interpersonal
• Organizational
• Mass Communication
 Extra personal
• The communication between
Human beings and non human
entity is extra personal
communication
• Ex:- When your pet dog comes to
you wagging its tail soon as you
return home from the work , it is
an example of extra personal
communication
• This form of communication
requires coordination and
understanding between the
sender and the receiver.
Extra personal
 Intrapersonal Communication
• This type of communication takes place
within the individual. We know that the
brain is linked to all the parts of the body
by electrochemical system. For ex, when
you begin to feel hot this information is
sent to brain and you may decide to turn
on the cooler, responding to instruction
sent from the brain to the hand. In this
case the relevant organ is the sender,
electrochemical impulse is the message
and the brain is the receiver next the brain
assumes the role of the sender and sends
feedback that you should switch on the
cooler. Thus the process is complete This
kind of communication which pertains to
thinking is known as Intrapersonal
Communication.
 Interpersonal Communication
• Interpersonal
communication differs
from the other forms of
communication in that
there are few
participants involved,
the interactants are in
close physical proximity
to each other, there are
many sensory channels
and the feedback is
immediate
 Organizational Communication
• Communication in an
organization takes place at
different hierarchical levels.
It is extremely necessary for
the sustenance of any
organization Since a large
peoples are involved in a
organization the need of
communication becomes
greater in an organization.
• This kind of communication
can be further divided into:
 Internal operational
• All communication that occurs within an
organization is classified as internal-
operational
 External Operational
• The Work related communication that an
organization does with the people outside the
organization is called external-operational.
 Personal
• All communication in an organization that
occurs without purpose as far as business is
concerned is called personal communication
 Mass Communication
• For this kind of communication
we require a mediator to
transmit information. There
are several mass media such
as, television, newspaper,
books which mediates such
communication. Oral
communication through mass
media requires some
equipments, such as
microphones, amplifiers etc.
and the written form needs
print media or visual media.
Characteristics of mass communication
• Large reach: Mass media communication reach
audience scattered over wide geographical area
• Impersonality: This kind of Communication is
largely impersonal as the participants are
unknown to each other
• Presence of gate : Mass communication needs
additional person, Institution or organization to
convey message from the sender to receiver
 Flow of Communication
• Information flows in an organization both
formally and informally The term formal
communication refers to communication
refers to communication that follows the
official hierarchy.
• Formal communication can flow in various
directions- Downward, upward, lateral,
Diagonal
 Downward Communication
• Downward Communication flows
from a manager, down the chain
of command. When manager
inform, instruct, advice or request
their subordinates, the
communication flow in a down
pattern.
• Downward communication can
take any form- memos, notices,
face to face interactions, or
telephonic conversations how ever
this should be adequately
balanced by an upward flow of
communication.
 Upward communication
• When subordinates sent
report to inform their
superiors or to present the
findings and
recommendations the
communication flows
upward. This type of
communication keeps the
manager aware of how
employee feel about their
job, colleagues and the
organization in general.
 Horizontal Communication
• This form of communication
takes place among peer
groups or hierarchically
equivalent employee. Such
communication is often
necessary to facilitate
coordination, save time and
bridge communication gap
among various departments .
Generally this form of
communication is informal
and can bypass the formal
hierarchical channel and
expedite action
 Diagonal communication
• Diagonal or cross-wise
communication flows in all
direction and cuts across
functions and levels in an
organization. For ex, when a
sales manager communicates
directly with the vice precedent,
who is not only in a different
division, but also at a higher
level in the organization, they
are engaged in diagonal
communication. Though this
type of communication deviates
from the normal chain of
command, there is no doubt
that it is quick and efficient.
 Communication Networks
• A variety of pattern emerge when
communication combines through vertical and
horizontal channels. These patterns are
termed as Communication networks
 Formal Network Models
• Chain Network:- The chain network represents
a vertical hierarchy in which communication
can flow upward or downward . We can find
this type of network in direct line of authority
communications with no deviations
 Y- Network
• Y- Network:- The y- Network is in effect a
multi – level hierarchy and a combination of
horizontal and vertical level of flow If we turn
the Y upside down, we see two subordinates
reporting to one senior
 Wheel network
• Wheel network: refers to several subordinates
reporting to a superior. This is a combination
of horizontal and diagonal flow of
communication, but here the subordinates are
of equal ranks all of them report to one senior
and without any interaction between
themselves.
 Circle Network
• The circle network allow the employees to
interact with adjacent members but no
further. There is vertical communication
between superiors, and horizontal
communication at lower level
 All channel network
• The all channel network,
which is least structured,
enables each employee to
communicate freely with the
others there is no restriction
as on who can communicate
with whom. All are equal as
no employee formally or
informally assumes a leading
role. Hence everybody’s view
are equally and openly shared
 Informal Network Model
• Besides flowing through the formal network,
communication in an organization can also
travels along an informal network- the
grapvine
 Single strand
• In single strand the message is passed from
one person to another person along a single
strand
 Gossip
• In the gossip network one person passes
information to all others
 Probability Network
• Probability type of network each person tells
other at random
 Cluster
• In cluster network the flow of information is
passed by selected peoples to selected few of
the others.
 Advantages of Grapevine
communication
• Not expensive
• Rapid
• Multidirectional
• It can resolve conflict
• Serves as an outlet for anxiety, worries,
frustration
• Voluntary and unforced
 Dis- advantages
• Reveal some degree of error
• Be harmful in case of baseless or imaginary
• Lead to misunderstanding because of
incomplete information
• Can cause damage to organization because of
its of excessive swiftness at times.
 Characteristics of General and
Technical communication
GENERAL COMMUNICATION TECHNICAL COMUNICATION
CONTAINS A GENERAL MESSAGE CONTAINS A TECHNICAL MESSAGE
INFORMAL IN STYLE AND APPROACH FORMAL IN STYLE
NO SET PATTERN OF COMMUNICATION FOLLOWS SET PATTERN
MOSTLY ORAL BOTH ORAL AND WRITTEN
NOT ALWAYS FOR A SPECIFIC AUDIENCE ALWAYS FOR A SPECIFIC AUDIENCE
DOESN’T INVOLVE TECHNICAL FREQUENTLY INVOLVE JARGONS,
VOCABULARY, OR GRAPHICS GRAPHICS, ETC
 Importance of Technical
communication
• Technical communication plays a pivotal role in an
organization, whether it is a business enterprise, an
industry, or an academic institution. All managerial or
administrative activities involves communication, be it
is planning, organizing, recruiting, coordinating, or
decision making.
• The success of an organization largely depend upon the
quality and quantity of information flow through its
personal. The various types of communication not only
helps an organization to grow, but also enables the
communicator to develop certain attributes.
• Technical communication can be divide into
2 –parts
• Oral & Written
ORAL COMMUNICATION WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
FACE TO FACE CONVERSATIONS MEMOS
TELEPHONIC COVERSATION LETTERS
MEETINGS EMAILS
CONFERENCES FAXES
PRESENTATIONS CIRCULARS
GROUP DISCUSSIONS REPORTS
INSTRUCTIONS MANUALS
• It is not necessary that all forms of
communication exists in an organization
• However a organization gets organized
because of its communication
• It is Impossible for an organization to survive
without communication therefore its
importance cannot be ignored.
THANKS