BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

SKILLS - BBA

Meaning of Communication:
The word “communication” is used in common talk,
usually, to mean speaking or writing or sending a
message to another person. Communication is a great
deal more than that. It involves ensuring that your
message has reached the target audience, and that the
audience understands and responds as you want them to.
More importantly, it also involves ensuring that

you yourself take care to receive, understand,

interpret, and respond to messages that are sent to you.
What is communication? Etymological meaning of
communication The word communication is derived from
the Latin word two words ‘communis’ (noun) and
‘communicare’ (verb) which means commonality and to
make common respectively. From the viewpoint of
etymological depth, communication refers to sharing of
something. Something means information or knowledge
or meaning. Therefore, here communication is the
process of sharing information, knowledge or meaning.
Meaning of Business Communication:

The word Business stands for any economic activity

undertaken with a view to earn profit. The
communication undertaken in the process of this activity
is termed as business communication. From the very

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inception of the idea of the Business, to run the day to
day activities of the Business, communication is
involved. It includes oral, written, formal, and informal.
Communication is the most vital ingredient of an
organization. In fact, an organization cannot be
conceived of without communication. An organization
is a group of persons constituted to achieve certain
specific objectives. The achievement of these
objectives largely depends upon a proper co-
ordination and integration of human effort in an
organization. It is communication which gives life to
the organization; so, it is rightly known as the life
blood of an organization.

Communication Skills for Different Jobs

Job Title Communication Skills
 Secretary  Must be proficient in
 Finance Associate/ reading and writing
Finance Professionals  skills
Product Manager Must be able to
Sales Representative communicate clearly
 to clients and others
Personnel Manager
  Develop and
Production Manager communicate product
 strategies
  Excellent oral
communication and
follow-up skills, ability

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 to draft proposals,
 Contracts  General knowledge of
Administrator proposal preparation:
good oral/written
communication skills
 Ability to write, ability
to read, listening to
grievance, ability to
conduct interviews.
 Ability to communicate
precisely to employees
working under his
supervision

1.2 Definitions of Communication

There are a number of definitions of the term
communication. A few of them are being reproduced
below:
“Communication is the sum of all things, one person
does when he wants to create understanding in the
minds of another. It involves a systematic and
continuous process of telling, listening and
understanding.” (– Allen Louis)
Communication has been defined “As the transfer of
information from one person to another whether or
not it elicits confidence.” (– Koontz and O’ Donell)

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 “Communication is an exchange of facts, ideas,
opinions or emotions by two or more persons.”(– George
Terry)
Communication is defined as “the process of passing
information and understanding from one person to
another, it is essentially a bridge of meaning
between people. By using the bridge of meaning a
person can safely cross the river of
misunderstanding.”(– Keith Davis)
“Communication may be broadly defined as the process
of interaction among human beings. More specifically it
is the process by which meanings are perceived and
understandings are reached among human beings.” -
D.E. McFarland

1.3 Communication Process

Communication process consists of some interrelated

steps or parts through which messages are sent form
sender to receiver. The process of communication begins
when the sender wants to transmit a fact, idea, opinion or
other information to the receiver and ends with receiver’s
feedback to the sender. The main components of
communication process are sender, message, channel,
receiver and feedback

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Thus, it is clear that communication process is the set
of some sequential steps involved in transferring message
as well as feedback. The process requires a sender who
transmits message through a channel to the receiver.
Then the receiver decodes the message and sends back
some type of signal or feedback

 Developing idea by the sender: In the first step, the

communicator develops or conceptualizes an idea to
be sent. It is also known as the planning stage since in
this stage the communicator plans the subject matter
of communication.

 Encoding: Encoding means converting or

translation of the idea into a perceivable form that
can be communicated to others.

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Developing the message: After encoding the sender
gets a message that can be transmitted to the receiver.
The message can be oral, written, symbolic or
nonverbal. For example, when people talk, speech is the
message; when people write a letter, the words and
sentences are the message; when people cries, the
crying is the message.

Selecting the medium: Medium is the channel or

means of transmitting the message to the receiver.
Once the sender has encoded his into a message, the
next step is to select a suitable medium for
transmitting it to the receiver. The medium of
communication can be speaking, writing, signaling,
gesturing etc.

Transmission of message: In this step, the sender

actually transmits the message through chosen
medium. In the communication cycle, the tasks of
the sender end with the transmission of the
message.

Receiving the message by receiver: This stage

simply involves the reception of sender’s message by

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 the receiver. The message can be received in the
form of hearing, seeing, feeling and so on.

Decoding: Decoding is the receiver’s interpretation

of the sender’s message. Here the receiver converts
the message into thoughts and tries to analyze and
understand it. Effective communication can occur
only when both the sender and the receiver assign
the same or similar meanings to the message.

Feedback: The final step of communication process

is feedback. Feedback means receiver’s response to
sender’s message. It increases the effectiveness of
communication. It ensures that the receiver has
correctly understood the message. Feedback is the
essence of two-way communication

1.4 Essentials of Effective

Communication
The following important factors affect the process of
communication:
Conceptual clarity
The starting point of every communication, as we have
seen already, is the existence of an idea or a concept. It

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is this concept that gets translated into a message and
gets transmitted to the receiver. Conceptual clarity is,
thus a very important factor affecting communication.
Whatever be the method adopted, the communication
must be clear about what the sender wants to convey.
He has to give proper shape to his thoughts and
develop the ideas meaningfully. If one is not clear about
one's thoughts and ideas, the message formulation also
gets affected. Communication is all about transmission
of information and ideas that seek to translate thoughts
into action.
Language
For both oral and written communication, language
becomes the vehicle of thought. Therefore, the sender
should ensure that the message reaches the receiver in a
language that he can understand. As long as the sender
and the receiver of the communication speak, write, read
and understand the same language, there is direct
communication. If not, the communicator will have to
resort to translation through an intermediary. The
intermediary may be an interpreter or a translator. If the
translation or the interpretation is not done properly, the
message received would be different from what the
communicator intended. Language is the vehicle of
thought for oral and written communication. In a written
communication, the literacy level of the recipient
assumes significance. In verbal communication too, the
depth of understanding of the spoken language makes a
difference. If the sender does not take cognizance of
appropriate language while sending the message,
communication gets affected. Every language has its

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own vocabulary and the quality of communication is the
word power of both the parties.
Moods and receptivity
Communication becomes purposeful when the
communicator shows enthusiasm and receiver shows
receptivity. The mood of the person refers to the
person's state of mind and inclination as well as
willingness to send or receive the communication. If
anyone of the parties is disinclined, the purpose of
communication will not be achieved. The factors that are
particularly relevant when the message to be
communicated is something important, somewhat
complex and not of a routine nature- moods apart, the
level of fatigue has also to be reckoned with. A tired
speaker, an overworked writer and a bored listener
cannot do justice to process of communication, however
good the intentions may be. Smooth communicators
must make effort to ensure the conditions are right.
Timeliness
Most messages have a time value. Action can be taken
only if the communication reaches in time. Every
communication has an objective. It is a means to an end.
One should be clear about what one wants to achieve
through the process of communication. The objective of
any communication is not just to receive or convey a
message. The communicator has to ensure that the
message reaches the receiver in time.

Understanding the process

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Another essential for effective communication is the need
to understand how the process of communication works,
i.e., the principles and tools of communication. To
appreciate the various steps involved in communication in
terms of encoding, decoding, transmission,
comprehension, feedback, etc., it is necessary to have a
good understanding of the mode, channels, types,
instruments, methods and barriers relating to
communication and the factors affecting it. Good
communicators like good artists, use their tools effectively.
Clarity about target audience
The intended message cannot bring about the desired
result unless it reaches the right person or group of
persons. The message should address the target group.
For the communication to be effective, it should be
properly focused. Be it a letter, a speech, a film or a
presentation, make sure the receiver is connected with
or is relevant to the purpose of communication. Quite
often, communication loses its effectiveness because it
reaches an unintended audience. Good ideas and
messages reaching the wrong persons will end up as an
exercise in futility. The next essential step is to develop
good communication skills. Effective communication
presupposes the ability to communicate under varied
circumstances. The skills of communication that need
mastering are reading, writing, listening, speaking, body
language, presentation, etc. One must be clear about the
merits and demerits of communication, and which of
them is to be used under a given set of circumstances.

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Each of them is a different skill and requires a conscious
effort to develop it.
Well informed
Communication, quite often, relates to provide
information. The initiator of the communication should,
therefore, be well informed about the message he wants
to pass on. The initiator should also have the right
perspective about the message and be in a position to
appreciate the context in which the message is being
communicated. Limited information or limited
understanding by the sender naturally limits the sender's
ability to communicate.
Planning communication
In order to be effective, any communication is to be well
planned. The messages to be conveyed, the words to be
chosen, the action to be sought, the feedback to be
obtained, are the areas that are needed to be carefully
considered. Inadequate planning can, and often does
result to ineffective communication. Good planning
should take note of the target audience and pay
attention to their attitudes and expectations, as well as
timings.
Positive approach
Yet another requirement for effective communication is
its positive approach and the right mental attitude. One
should develop confidence through learns and practice.
One should take responsibility for making the
communication work. The communicator should learn to
overcome barriers and look for positive signals. One

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should no in bias of his own. One should not bring in a
bias of his won.

Avoiding extreme feelings

Extreme and strong feelings are not conductive to
effectively communication. Anger, depression and
frustration adversely impact the thought process and
thereby distort what is intended to be conveyed or what
needs to be conveyed. A disturbed mind brings disturbed
thoughts and thus distorts communication. The process
of communication is irreversible. Word spoken or a letter
written in a fit of anger can do considerable damage,
particularly in work situations, market places, business
organizations.

Sincerity
Effective communication demands a certain degree of
honesty and sincerity on the part of the parties involved
in the communication. It is necessary that the messages
are give sincerely and truthfully. There should not be a
deliberate attempt to mislead or manipulate the
recipient of the message. If the receiver of the message
loses faith in the communicator, the process of
communication suffers in terms of credibility. Effective
communication, therefore, presupposes sincerity.
Consistency
Communication is mostly a regular process, rather than
a one-time affair. Communication takes place almost all
the time. The parties involved in the communication,

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quite often, are the same. When communication takes
place on a regular basis, it is necessary to be
consistent, and it is necessary not to contradict in
between. There may be scope for modification or
correction, but not for contradiction. Further, when
different methods of communication are used in
conveying a particular message, contradictions have to
be consciously avoided. The spoken message should be
in tandem with the body language. Non-verbal
communication should supplement oral messages.

Time-factor
In any communication, especially in business
communication, time is of essence. Speed and timeliness
contribute significantly to the effectiveness of
communication. In today's world, the value of time is
well recognized. Organizations and businesses set goals,
which have to be achieved within a given time frame.
Tasks have to be completed before the allotted
deadlines. All communications concerning such goals
and tasks will have to appreciate the time factor. Quite
often the message that is delayed is wasted. There in lies
the significance of the choice of the channel of
communication. The channels selected should be such
that the message is delivered well in time. There is
another dimension to the time-factor in communication.
The process of communication should take just the right
time. Long speeches that stretch well beyond the allotted
time, lengthy written communication and unusually long
films not only test the patience of the

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listener/reader/viewer but also tend to lose their force
and get diluted in the process.
Using proper modes and channels
The method and type of communication to be used will
vary from situation to situation. Effectiveness of the
communication will depend on the choice of methods
and instruments. There are times when the written
communication cannot convey the message as forcefully
as oral communication. There are occasions when a
telephone call would be more appropriate than a letter.
Similarly some messages can go by ordinary mail, some
by telex and some others by fax or even by e-mail. One
should make the right choice and repeat the message, if
very essential.

Cost conscious The process of communication quite often

entails costs.
There are direct and indirect costs involved in sending
messages. These costs vary depending on the method of
communication and the means of transmission. Since
communication in an organization is ongoing, such costs
can add up to a substantial amount. The results achieved
by the communicator should justify the costs incurred in
the process. If not, there is no effectiveness in such
communication. Organizations should, therefore, make
conscious efforts to make their communication systems

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not only efficient but also cost effective through proper
evaluation of available options.
Feedback
Feedback is another important component of the process
of communication. The person communicating the
message calls for feedback to reassure himself that the
message has reached the target as envisaged. Feedback
provides valuable information relating to the time-factor,
quality of the message, understanding of the receiver
and the action initiated. Such feedback helps in
evaluating the efficacy and reliability of the types,
methods and channels of communication used. Feedback
helps in understanding the mistakes committed in
encoding and decoding the message and losses in
transmission. Mistakes, if any, can be dealt with by
undertaking effective corrective measures.

Avoiding communication overload To be effective,

communication should always be in
measured dose. The communicator should take care not
to overdo or over stretch the communication.
Communication is essentially a participative process and
if not within reasonable limits, the efficacy will suffer.
Whatever be the merit in terms of context the response
is more than likely to follow the principle of demising
returns. Effective communicators should learn to limit
their communication in line with receptivity and avoid
excess.

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1.5 Communication Barriers
"Communication is the process of transfer of ideas and
expressions from one person to another. It is the way of
self-expression. The information to be communicated
should be clear and accurate. If an individual sends the
message, and the other one receives it, the process of
communication is said to be complete. This is not easy
as it is expressed apparently. However, certain barriers
in communication affect the clarity, accuracy and
effectiveness of the message. As barriers to
communication influence the major variables in the
communication process, they may be categorized on
various bases. One of the oldest categorization of
barriers is stated below:

1. Semantic barriers: Different people assign

different meanings to one specific message. This is due
to the problems with meaning, significance and the
sending and reception of the meaning and content of the
message.
2. Organizational barriers: This type of barriers
develops due to the problems with physical distance
between members with respect to their functional
specialization of tasks, power, authority and status
relationships; and ownership of information.
3. Interpersonal barriers: These barriers also
develop in the process of communication. They are based
upon the relationship, values held, and attitudes of the
participants in the process of communication.
4. Individual barriers: The problem of this barrier
arises due to differences in individual competencies to
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think and act, which would include physical ailments or
handicaps. It is also because of individual skills in
receiving and transmitting information, which would
include poor listening and improper reading skills
and adverse psychological conditions.
5. Economic and geographic barriers:
The
communication barriers are also seen because of time,
geographic locations, and the effects of time upon
reception of the message.
6. Channel and media barriers: The effectiveness
and accuracy of communication is also affected by the
channel and the media used in the process. In this
category, problems that confront the issue of how best to
communicate a message are included. (For example, it is
best to transmit a message face-to-face rather than in
writing).

7. Technological barriers: They are barriers which

arise due to technological advancements in the field of
communication. Technology generates lot of
information, which is beyond the capacity of the
recipient. Further, the media advancements on
account of technological process increase the barriers.
[A]Barriers in Communication
The ideas and messages have to reach from the
transmitter to receive in the same sense. If it does not
happen, it is on account of barriers in communication. In
this section, a few important and commonly found
barriers in the communication process and briefly
narrated below:

I. Semantic Barriers

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 Semantics is the science of meaning. It is contrasted
with phonetics, the science of sounds. This barrier is
related to the process of coding and decoding the
message. There are various disruptions in
understanding of the meanings of the words and
information exchanged in the communication process.
Various types of semantic gaps found in day-to-day
use of people are as follows:
(a)Words having multiple meaning: Sometimes
in our conversation we use several words, which have
the same pronunciation but are having many meanings.
The words may be homophones and thus there may arise
difficulty in getting to the right nerve of the problem. For
example: sight, site, cite. In verbal communication, a
particular word may have a variety of meanings. For
example, the English word 'round' has 110 different
meanings. (As adjective 23, as noun 42, as verb 16, as
preposition 13 and as adverb 16.) (Symbols with
different meanings)

(b)Badly expressed message: Lack of clarity and

precision make the message badly expressed. Lacks of
coherence, awkward sentence structure, jargons etc. are
common faults, which lead to such messages.

(c) Wrong
Whenever one interpretation:
interprets a symbol, his understanding may differ with
others. The Hindi word 'Kaka' means uncle in one part of
the country but small boy in another part of the country.
As inferences can give a wrong signal, more information
may be sought to clarify doubts.

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(d) Unclarified assumptions: Sometimes, the sender
may send information with specific meanings and
assumptions to the receiver. But the information is not
clarified to the receiver, as he does not understand the
assumptions clearly.

(e) Specialist language: When technical language

is used in the communication process, it creates barriers
in understanding the message in the same sense and in
the same spirit. When technical jargons or specialist
languages are used in the communication and
conversation process, they create tension, confusion and
misunderstanding between the sender and the receiver.

II. Organizational Barriers

Interference may arise from the relative status and
power of the participants, the exercise of traditional
roles, and incompatible needs and expectations. It
may arise because of centralization or decentralization
in an organization. It may originate in contradictory
management policies, or too many levels of
management, or the clash between line and staff
operations. The specialized nature of functions or even
the special languages of those functions may cause it. It
may have its source in formal, informal or grapevine
transactions. Following are the organizational barriers in
communication:
(a)Organizational culture and climate: In every
organization, there exists a unique culture and climate.
The climate and culture of an organization ultimately

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influence the freedom, trust and interaction pattern among
people in an organization. As people working over there
take time to adapt themselves, bottlenecks in
communication are inevitable.
(b)Organizational rules and regulations: The
rules and regulations of the organization vary widely
from one organization to another. They may be so rigid
that they may influence the flow of information in a
wrong direction.
(c)Status relationships: The status, power and position
relationship acts as the hurdle in the effectiveness of
communication. Individuals may not be able to say what
they wish to say because of their fear for the position and
power of the other party in the communication process.

(d)Complexity in organizational structure: The

complex hierarchical structure of the organization like
too tall or too much of divisionalisation of the
organization may not facilitate the free flow of
communication.
(e)Inadequate facilities and opportunity: The
organization may not have adequate communication
facilities, equipment and mechanisms. Open door
employment system, conferences, seminars and meetings
being held in the organization also influence it.
Lack(f)
of co-operation between superior and
subordinate: There may not be proper co-operation
between the superior and subordinate for various
personal or organizational relationships, which may lead
to improper communication in an organization.

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III.Barriers Relating to Superior-Subordinate
The subordinate must follow the order of the
superior, carry out all work efficiently and provide full
information related to any matter, which arises in the
organization or in any work. Moreover, the superior
should have full confidence upon himself and the
subordinate. In case he wishes to give some important
message to the subordinate, the barriers existing
between them in communication will be reduced. There
are two types of superior-subordinate barriers. They are
barriers emanating from both superiors and
subordinates:
Barriers emanating from superiors: Following
1.
are the barriers with respect to the superiors:
(a)Shortage of time for employees: Superiors
may not devote enough time for their employees due to
their busy schedule or other preoccupations. As a result,
a gap is created between the superior and subordinates.
In the later stage, it acts as a hurdle in the
communication process.
(b)Lack of trust: Sometimes, the supervisors may not
trust their subordinates because of variety of reasons,
which can act as a hurdle in the free flow of
communication in an organization.
(c)Lack of consideration for employee's needs: The
employer may not devote enough time for the employees.
As a result, they are unable to understand their needs
and genuine problems. It may lead to miscommunication.
(d)Wish to capture authority: The superior may
hide the confidential and important information from

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employees in view of capturing and retaining their
authority, which acts as the barrier to communication
between the superiors and subordinates in the
organization.
(e)Fear of losing power and control: The
supervisor may have a fear of losing power and control if
they freely express their ideas and views with their
subordinates. Therefore, they may hide certain
important information from their employees, which
ultimately affect the communication process in the
organization.
(f) Bypassing: Bypassing also affects
communication and acts as a barrier. Due to bypassing,
the inner feelings of employees are not freely expressed,
which is essential for free exchange of information. The
employer may not like bypassing as an effective means
of communication.
Due (g)Information
to extra overload:
information provided to employees, they may miss
certain important information, which ultimately acts as
the barrier in communication. When unchecked inflow of
information exists in organization, this tends to delay
processing and responding on information and leads to
errors.
Barriers emanating from subordinates: There
2.
can be communication barriers because of the
subordinates. They may be facing certain problems
like:
(a)Lack of proper channel: There may be
complexity in the organizational structure, which may
influence proper and effective communication from
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subordinates. They may not feel free to communicate
because of pressure of position, power and authority.
(b)No interest to communicate: There may not
be any interest on the part of subordinates to have a
dialogue, discussion and interaction with their superiors,
which affect the communication process adversely.
(c)Lack of cooperation: Lack of cooperation and
mutual understanding also leads to hiding of certain
information between the superior and subordinates in
the organization.
(d)Lack of trust: There may be lack of trust and
coordination between the superior and the subordinate,
which may lead to ineffective communication.
(e)Poor relationship between superior and
subordinate: A good relationship must develop between
superiors and subordinates frequently and freely. They
must interact to improve the upward and downward
communication system. The superior must listen to the
subordinates' suggestion, their problems, and must have
faith in them. In the absence of all this, it may so happen
that what the superior speaks, the subordinate may not
understand it.
(f) Fear of penalty: If a subordinate feels that
because of free expression and upward communication
he will face some type of penalty, there is possibility that
he may not provide full or correct message to the
superior.
IV. Psychological Barriers
Psychological barriers are the prime barriers in
interpersonal communication. The meaning assigned to a

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message depends upon the emotional or psychological
status of both the parties involved in the process of
communication.
1. Selective perception: The receiver may make a
world of his own around himself. He projects his interest
and expectations as he decodes messages. He may only
take that much piece of information, which may suit his
world of thinking. As a result, the person acquires
incomplete and inappropriate information, which
influence the communication process. Having a poor self-
concept or self-understanding, or a poor understanding
of others can cause perceptual distortions.

2. Halo effect: People do not listen carefully because

of impressions based on earlier encounters. Even one of
the parties having an halo effect will disrupt the flow of
communication.
3. Status relationship: There may be status and
power relationship, which may hinder the
communication process and affect the effectiveness of
communication. Status effects also hinder
communication in as much as people occupying higher
positions in the organization have a tendency to "tell a
lot to subordinates but not to listen." When people do not
listen, effective communication is not possible.
4. Poor retention: About half of the information, if not
properly retained, is lost. The sender may suffer from
such a problem. It is also said that about 30% of the
information is lost in each oral transmission.
5. Inattention: The preoccupied mind of the receiver
and the reluctant non-listening is one of the major

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psychological barriers. It is because of it that people do
not react to ideas/messages received in communication.
6. Undue importance of written words: The undue
importance given to the written words may lead to loss
of information. The successive information is not
accurate and right. Written communication often tells
what is to be done but not why it should be done. It lacks
the persuasive quality.

V. Other Barriers
There are so many other barriers, which too affect
the communication process. They are as follows:
1. Cultural differences: It affects communication
between people from different departments in the
organization, e.g. between R&D and production. It is
because R&D has a long time horizon, while the
production manager is concerned with keeping his
assembly line going and achieving his daily targets. They
also occur frequently between people who have
experienced different social and religious environments.
For example, words, colours and symbols have different
meanings in different cultures. This needs to be
understood by the managers. For example: in England,
an invitation for dinner at 8 pm would see most guests
arriving at about 8.15; in Germany punctuality is king; in
Greece, 9 to 9.30 might be the norm; in India even later-
if at all. In most parts of the world, nodding your head
means agreement, shaking your head means no, except
in some parts of India, where the reverse is true.
Communication can be very difficult at times.

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2. Physical distractions: It causes a lot of noise, often
literally: insufficiently insulated rooms with car noises
filtering through, poor lighting, a typewriter clattering
away in a nearby office; and such thing as frequent
movement of body posture, fiddling with a pen in the
hand, even the arrival of coffee at a critical stage of the
communication process are the causes of
communication barriers in organizations. A constant
telephone interruption is one of the commonest
physical distractions.
3. Style: Style, the manner in which a thing is done,
involves many elements. Though style overlaps with
several of the other factors in analysis, it adds its own
distinct flavour. A few barriers related to style are as
follows:
(a)Linguistic
in oral accent
exchanges are
stylistic in nature. It often affects people. For example,
the accent of Bengalis may create a reaction in North
India.
(b)The form of expression (idiom) colours a
transaction. Suppose you use an idiom familiar in Andhra
Pradesh, but strange to someone from Shimla; the
listener will be distracted by the style - the use of
"strange" expressions.
(c)The level of drama greatly affects a situation. People
do not react to highly dramatic situations as they do to
subdued ones.
(d)Types of humour also play a part in style.
People not only use varying styles of humour, they react
differently to different kinds of jokes and sometimes fail

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to convey the proper message which is intended to be
conveyed.
(e)The choice of brevity as opposed to full detail
in a presentation is also another element of style. Style
can also be reflected through the use of a direct
approach rather than an indirect one.
(f)The choice of discriminatory or non-
discriminatory communication modes is another
element of style. Symbols can discriminate on the basis
of sex, race, age, religion, handicap or other
characteristics. Many people react negatively to the
discriminatory styles, whereas others, regrettably,
practically try to insist one to join them in name-calling
and sirs.
(g)The qualities of credibility and charisma
override many other aspects of style. Both the presence
and the absence of these qualities can affect the flow of
communication.
4. Environment: Interferences may also arise from
external transreceivers, number of links in the chain
and circumstantial factors:
(a)External transreceivers: People often
delegate to others such acts as typewriting, drawing,
photographing, listening, reading and taping. When one
does so, he still remains responsible for controlling such
external processes. Evaluation has to be done which has
been transmitted or received by someone else. Reliable
people and equipment should be selected to accomplish
the communication-related tasks.
(b)Number of links in the chain: the major
barrier to effective communication lies in the number of
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links in the chain between the sender and the ultimate
receiver. Larger the chain, less is the accuracy of
message towards the end of the chain. For example,
when one person whispers, the whispered "chaining"
continues until the message moves from one to another
through all people in the circle. The last person to
receive the message states it aloud, and the originator
orally compares the final received message with the
original message. The final message usually bears little
resemblance to the original. While the destruction of a
message can be fun at a party, it becomes serious for
purposive communication endeavors. Thus, efforts are
made to reduce the number of intermediate links. With
each added station, the chance of a message
accomplishing its purpose diminishes significantly.

(c)Circumstantial Factors: The same sort of

differentiation in circumstances counts for the channels
within each of the levels and, in broader terms, for the
oral, written and non-verbal communication. For
example, a speech delivered before a small dinner
gathering will be different from the same speech
delivered before an auditorium full of people. Everyone
is markedly different while sitting to watch cricket match
rather than a legal hearing. Still another circumstantial
feature a listener who has to stand because the seats are
all taken is generally not the same as he or she would be
if seated comfortably.

1.6 Role of Communication In Organizational

Effectiveness

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What is Organizational Effectiveness: Organizational
effectiveness has attracted considerable attention of
organizational analysts. This increased attention may be
seen in two phenomena. First, interest in this topic has
heightened by a growing appreciation of the vital role
played by organizations in the life of people in the
contemporary society. People have become dependent on
organizations of various types for the satisfaction of their
needs and their need satisfaction directly depends on the
degree of effectiveness of organization. Higher the
degree of effectiveness, more satisfaction people derive
from organization. Second, current interest in
organizational effectiveness can be traced partly to the
central nature of this topic to the field of organization
theory, particularly it’s conceptual, definitional, and
methodological issues have generated great amount of
diversity among various theorists.

Organizational effectiveness is also called as

organizational success or growth. It is defined and
conceptualized in different ways and no unanimity is
found in different approaches. The various approaches
are judgmental and open to question. Thus, various
terms are often used interchangeably, such as efficiency,
productivity, profitability, organizational growth to

29
denote organizational effectiveness. The inconsistency in
the various terms is obvious.

“Effectiveness may be defined as the degree to

which an organization realizes its goals.”
“Effectiveness of an organization can be seen in
terms of the survival of the organization.”
“An organization remains effective as long as it
uses its resources in an efficient manner and
continues to contribute to the large system.”

“Organizational effectiveness is the degree to

which operative goals have been attained while the
concept of efficiency represents the cost/benefit
rate incurred in the pursuit of these goals.”
Thus, effectiveness is related to goals and is externally
focused. Efficiency is used in engineering way and it
refers to the relationship between input and output. This
denotes how much inputs have been used to produce
certain amount of outputs. It is not necessary that both
go together always. For example, Barnard says that,
"When unsought consequences are trivial, or
insignificant, effective action is efficient: when unsought
consequences are not trivial, effective action may be
inefficient."6 There may be three types of situations:

1. An organisation may be efficient but may not be

effective.
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2. An organisation may be effective but may not be
efficient.
An organisation may be both efficient and effective.
3.
In the first situation, the organisation may be
efficient but it may not be effective because efficiency
refers to internal conversion processes whereas
effectiveness reflects external phenomenon. For
example, the organisation may be low-cost producing
(efficient) but it may fail to realize matching price for its
products. The result is that the organisation is incurring
loss (ineffective) in spite of it being efficient. This
happens when the product is in the declining stage of its
life cycle.

In the second situation, an organisation may be

effective at a point of time without being efficient. It may
not be efficient but because of the external environment
(particularly market situations), it may earn profit and
show effectiveness. For example, in Indian business
scenario, many inefficient organisations in some
industries like mini steel, mini cement, soya extraction
industries made huge profit but later on, when the
situation changed, these organisations became extinct.
In the third situation, an organisation may be
efficient and effective both at the same time. Many types
of organisations may fall under this category, and this is
the situation which is required for the long-term survival
of organisations. It is in this situation that people tend to
use efficiency and effectiveness interchangeably.

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Importance of Communication in an
Organization
Effective Communication is significant for managers in
the organizations so as to perform the basic functions of
management, i.e., Planning, Organizing, Leading and
Controlling.
Communication helps managers to perform their jobs
and responsibilities. Communication serves as a
foundation for planning. All the essential information
must be communicated to the managers who in-turn
must communicate the plans so as to implement them.
Organizing also requires effective communication with
others about their job task. Similarly leaders as
managers must communicate effectively with their
subordinates so as to achieve the team goals. Controlling
is not possible without written and oral communication.
Managers devote a great part of their time in
communication. They generally devote approximately 6
hours per day in communicating. They spend great time
on face to face or telephonic communication with their
superiors, subordinates, colleagues, customers or
suppliers. Managers also use Written Communication in
form of letters, reports or memos wherever oral
communication is not feasible.
Thus, we can say that “effective communication is a
building block of successful organizations”. In other
words, communication acts as organizational blood.
The importance of communication in an
organization can be summarized as follows:

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Communication promotes motivation by informing and
clarifying the employees about the task to be done, the
manner they are performing the task, and how to
improve their performance if it is not up to the mark.
Communication is a source of information to the
organizational members for decision-making process as
it helps identifying and assessing alternative course of
actions.
Communication also plays a crucial role in altering
individual’s attitudes, i.e., a well informed individual
will have better attitude than a less-informed individual.
Organizational magazines, journals, meetings and
various other forms of oral and written communication
help in moulding employee’s attitudes.
Communication also helps in socializing. In today’s life
the only presence of another individual fosters
communication. It is also said that one cannot survive
without communication.
As discussed earlier, communication also assists
controlling
in controlling process. It helps
organizational member’s behaviour in various ways.
There are various levels of hierarchy and certain
principles and guidelines that employees must follow in
an organization. They must comply with organizational
policies, perform their job role efficiently and
communicate any work problem and grievance to their
superiors. Thus, communication helps in controlling
function of management.
An effective and efficient communication system requires
managerial proficiency in delivering and receiving

33
messages. A manager must discover various barriers to
communication, analyze the reasons for their occurrence
and take preventive steps to avoid those barriers. Thus,
the primary responsibility of a manager is to develop
and maintain an effective communication system in the
organization.
Results of communication failure

Loss of Business/good will Waste of

money and time Lowered productivity
Poor co-ordination and control
Frustration and hostility Dissatisfaction
with others Lowered morale and loss of
team spirit Conflict and arguments
High employee turnover

WHAT IS PUBLIC SPEAKING ?

Public speaking is a process, an act and an art of making a speech

before an audience.

EVOLUTION OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

Devlopment of democracy in athens gave birth to sophism

Sophism lead to logical reasoning that leads to arguments

In order to persuasde people the art of rhetoric or oratary

devloped

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THE FIRST RULES OF PUBLIC SPEECH BY ARISTOTLE (BC
384-322)

THREE IMPORTANT FACTORS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

ETHOS - Credibility of the speaker

LOGOS - Logical arrangement of words or sentences

PATHOS – Ability to create connection between speaker

and the audience

CICEROS FIVE CANONS OF RHEOTRIC

INVENTION – Devoloping the ideas

ARRANGEMENT –Creations of the structure

STYLE - The process of determing how to present an

argument
MEMORY – The process of learning and memorising the
speech and making it natural
DELIVERY – Effective use of voice and body launguage

THINGS THAT PRECEDES WRITING A SPEECH

Meditate upon the topic

Collect get various dimensions of the topic through –

Our own experience

Famous scholars and books

Websites
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Disscussions

FRAMING A SPEECH

INTRODUCTION

Gain attention in the opening

It can be done by:

Humor

Quotaions

Questions

Songs

Introduction should indicate your topic

BODY

Elaborate the subject

Division of the subject

Emphasis the changes between the divisions

Put relavent examples to support your stand

CONCLUSION

Restate the subject

Summarise the key points

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Give a statement of the conclusion – main message

Must Do’s in a public speaking

1.Smile and have fun

2.Speak loud

3. Relax

4.Be yourself

5.Know your Audience

6.Be confident

7.Claim Attention

8.Wrap up your speech on time

9.Be flexible

10. Connect with your people during the presentation

11. Face your Audience

12. Use more gestures

13. Use simple and understandable language

Don'ts in a public speaking

1.Do not fear

2.Do not rush through your presentation

3.Do not stick your hands in your pockets

4.Do not underestimate your Audience

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 5.Do not point fingers

6.Do not hurt people feelings

7.Do not dictate

8.Avoid unbecoming language

9.Avoid repetition of the works or phrase

10. Do not put-up an aggressive face

11. Don’t make things which you are not sure about

What is a Group Discussion?

A group of participants are given a topic and are made to
speak on it for a particular time. Thereafter, based on
several skills such as, Analytical, communication skills,
knowledge of the topic, ability to perform in a team.

How is a GD helpful?
A Group Discussion (GD) provides a chance to various
candidates for being vocal. The candidates must shed
away all the shyness and put-forth their opinions. Group
discussion helps the participants to expand their
knowledge as there is an exchange of ideas and opinions.
Variables of Group discussion:

Do's and Don'ts of a GD:

1.Maintain an accurate posture. Sit straight and
confidently.
2.Be natural. Be yourself. In an attempt to be someone
else, your thoughts will not come across.
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3.Gather your thoughts, evaluate the pros and cons of
the given subject/ topic and then speak.
4.If you are thorough with the topic and have full
knowledge on the same, then do not miss the chance
to speak up first. The candidate who initiates the
conversation, mostly, leaves a good impression on
the examiner.
5.Learn to choose your words, wisely. Remember, you
are being judged.
6.Eye contact is a must. It shows that you are
interested in other participants' views too. Also,
when the other participants speak, keep nodding
your head, it shows receptivity.
7.Let others speak too. Remember, it is a group.
Listen to what others have to say, let them
contribute to the discussion as well.
8.In order to express a thought, you can also use real
life examples, experiences, quotes, facts etc. This
shows that you are aware of your surroundings and
well-read.
9.Be an active participant. Do not keep quiet, learn to
make a move. Do not forget that the evaluator wants
to hear you speak. But, at the same time, do not
speak more than the required. Nobody wants to hear
lengthy answers.
10.If you are opposing something that the other
person has spoken, be very sure and confident of
your answer. You must have a solid reason to
counter-attack.
11. Do not show over-confidence.
12. Be crisp and clear. Do not demonstrate a flop
show of confused thoughts.

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