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Meaning of Communication

Learn what truly communication is and navigate life with ease

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7 views4 pages

Meaning of Communication

Learn what truly communication is and navigate life with ease

Uploaded by

bizz3865
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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MEANING OF COMMUNICATION

Nature of Communication:
Communication occurs wherever life exists.

The transmission of any meaningful message is communication. It is as natural a


phenomenon as existence itself. Whether we recognize it or not, we have no option but to
communicate.

Then we here stands for all things living. A baby cries to convey its hunger. A dog barks
to warn his master of an intruder. Corporate organizations which, after all, consist of the
human element, use information- based systems like Management Information System
(MIS), Decision Support System (DSS) and Strategic Information System (SIS) to run
businesses successfully.

This is what communication is all about. Communication is an integral part of human


existence. Communication contributes enormously to the success or failure of every
human activity. Communication is essentially the ability of one person to make contact
with another and to make himself understood.

Since man is a social animal, it is vital that he express his feelings and emotions, receive
and exchange information. It is here that communication comes into play.

In case of organizations, it becomes even more important as people working in different


departments have to achieve common objectives. The working of inter-personal
relationships is possible only through communication.

Apart from binding its various components internally, communication is what links an
organization with the external world. Thus, communication is regarded as the foundation
of a successful organization. No group can exist without communication.

Communication has a significant impact on the ultimate potency of an organization. It is


only through communication that ideas, information, attitudes or emotions get conveyed
from one person to another.
At the individual level also, effective communication skills are responsible for success.
According to a survey of America’s most successful managers by a leading American
magazine, Fortune, excellent communication skill was one of the prime determinants of
success.

Defining Communication:
The word communication has been derived from the Latin word communis, which means
to share or to participate.

Thus, communication stands for sharing or transmission of information, an idea, an


opinion, an emotion, a fact or an attitude. It includes both, the act of communicating as
well as the message to be communicated.

Attempts have been made by different authors to define communication. A few are
enumerated below:

“Communication means to share in, to give to another or the interchange of – thoughts,


opinions or information.” Webster

“Communication is an exchange of facts, ideas, opinions, or emotions by two or more


persons.” W. H. Newman and C. F. Summer Jr.

“Communication in its simplest form is conveying of information from one person to


another.” Hudson

“Communication is the process of passing information and understanding from one


person to another.” Keith Davis

“Communication is a continuing and thinking process dealing with the transmission and
interchange with understanding of ideas, facts and courses of action.” George R. Terry

“Communication is the transmission of information, ideas, emotions, skills, etc. by the


use of symbols, words, pictures, figures, graphs, etc. It is the act or process of
transformation that is usually called communication.” Berelso and Steiner
Thus communication is the process of passing information and
understanding from one person to another with three sides to it:
(i) Transmission of subject-matter or message

(ii) Involvement of two parties to complete the process of communication

(iii) The person to whom the message is transmitted understands it in the same sense in
which the sender of message wants him to understand it

According to Harold D. Lasswell, a convenient way to describe an act of


communication is to answer the following questions:
Who

Says What

In Which Channel

To Whom

With What Effect?

Characteristics of Communication:
“Communication maintains and animates life. It creates a common pool of ideas,
strengthens the feeling of togetherness through exchange of messages and translates
thought into action.” UNESCO – Many Voices One World.

(i) Interchange of information:


The basic characteristic of human communication is that it aims at exchanging
information. It is a two-way process. The exchange can be between two or more persons.
It may be at the individual or the organizational level.

(ii) Continuous process:


Communication is a continuous process. It is not static. It is constantly subject to change
and is dynamic. The people with whom communication is held, its content and nature,
and the situation in which communication is held – all keep changing.

(iii) Mutual understanding:


The main purpose of communication is to bring about mutual understanding. The
receiver should receive and understand the message in the manner that the sender
intended him to.

(iv) Response or reaction:


Communication always leads to some response or reaction. A message becomes
communication only when the receiving party understands and acknowledges it, and also
reacts and responds to it.

(v) Universal function:


Communication is a universal function, which covers all levels of authority.

(vi) Social activity:


Communication is a social activity, too. The components of a society are into a
relationship of sharing, be it information, feelings or emotions.

The same holds true for business communication. It involves the effort of people to get in
touch with one another and to make them understood. The process by which people
attempt to share meaning and relate to one another is, thus, a social activity

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