Scribd
Upload
5 views

EE 105 Topic 9 Communication

The document discusses the importance of administrative communication in management, emphasizing that effective communication is crucial for successful managerial activities. It outlines the communication process model, barriers to effective communication, and strategies to overcome these barriers. Additionally, it categorizes communication into oral, written, non-verbal, and information technology forms.

Uploaded by

kaizambaruku2024
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
5 views

EE 105 Topic 9 Communication

The document discusses the importance of administrative communication in management, emphasizing that effective communication is crucial for successful managerial activities. It outlines the communication process model, barriers to effective communication, and strategies to overcome these barriers. Additionally, it categorizes communication into oral, written, non-verbal, and information technology forms.

Uploaded by

kaizambaruku2024
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 5

SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE

FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION AND EXTENSION

Course: EE 105

TOPIC 9

Administrative Communication

1. Overview
 It is the most important ingredient of the management
process
 Interpersonal and two way communication is
fundamental to all managerial activities
 All other management functions involve communication
in some forms of direction and feedback
 Effective management is a function of effective
communication

2. Definitions
 Communication can be defined as “the process of
exchange of ideas, feelings, information, facts and figures
between two individuals or group of individuals (sender and
receiver) with mutual understanding.
 Organizational communication refers to the
communication that takes place between people who are
working towards common goals within an organization. It
consists of the interactions that take place for the purpose of
working together towards these goals or conducting business in
general. Effective organizational communication strategies and
methods can help a business flow and become successful.

3. Objectives of Communication
Organizational communication has many purposes as it aims to convey
what the organization stands for and why it exists. It is also used to
communicate how the work is to be completed, the levels of authority
within the organization, and how to identify the customers of the
organization, among many other topics. Other common objectives of
communication include:

 To develop information and understanding among all


workers and this is necessary for group effort
 To foster an attitude which is necessary for motivation,
cooperation and job satisfaction
 To discourage the spread of misinformation, ambiguity
and rumors which can cause conflict and tension
 To prepare workers for a change in methods of
operations by giving them necessary information in advance
 To encourage subordinates to supply ideas and
suggestions for improving upon the product or work environment
and taking these suggestions seriously
 To improve labour-management relations by keeping
the communication channels open and accessible
 To encourage social relations among workers by
encouraging inter-communication. This would satisfy the basic
human need for a sense of belonging and friendship

A manager may be highly qualified and skilled but if he does not


possess good communication skills, all his ability becomes irrelevant. A
manager must communicate his directions effectively to the
subordinates to get the work done from them properly.
Communication Process Model

The communication model, described as a series of steps consists of


the following components

Source Encoding Message Channel

Feedbac Action Decoding Reception of


k message

 Source:
Source of information or the initiator of communication or sender.

 Encoding:
The process inside the human mind or brain in the form of motor
skills, muscle system or sensory skills that encode the ideas to be
conveyed into a series of symbols or gestures or some other format
or expression.

 The message:
Physical form of the thought, which can be experienced and
understood by one or more senses of the receiver.

 Channel of communication:
It is a vehicle in the transmission of a message. It is a medium
carrier which bridges the gap between the sender and the receiver –
e.g. face to face conversation, a telephone conversation, in written
form or through any other form of physical gestures.

2
 Reception of the message:
The message is received by a person for whom it was meant –
known as the receiver.

 Decoding:
Done in the same manner as encoding by motor skills, muscle
system and sensory skills and the receiver decodes the message for
the purpose of interpreting and understanding the meaning of the
message.

 Action:
This involves response from the receiver. It may involve
compliance
with an instruction and acting upon it.

 Feedback:
Response to a message, knowledge of the result of the
communication process.

Barriers to Effective Communication


Some of the organizational and interpersonal barriers are presented as
follows:

A) Noise Barriers
Noise is any internal or external factor which interferes with the
effectiveness of the communication.

Some of the sources contributing to noise factors are:


 Poor timing
 Inappropriate channel
 Improper or inadequate information
 Physical distractions
 Organizational structure
(chain of command and channels of communication should be
clearly established and responsibility and accountability are
clearly assigned and traceable)
 Information overload
 Network breakdown

B) Interpersonal Barriers
These generally involve such characteristics of either the sender or
the receiver. Some of the interpersonal barriers are:
 Filtering: intentionally withholding or deliberately
manipulating information by the sender

3
 Semantic barriers: occur due to differences in
individual interpretations of the words
and symbols
 Perception: different people may perceive the same
situation differently
 Cross-cultural diversity: issues related to culture may
make people encode and decode their
messages differently
 Sender credibility
 Emotions (state of the mind)
 Multi-meaning words
 Feedback barriers

Overcoming Communication Barriers


This would involve diagnosing and analyzing situations, designing
proper messages, selecting appropriate channels for
communicating these messages, assisting receivers of messages in
correct decoding and interpretation of the messages and providing
for an efficient and effective feedback system. Some of the steps
that can be taken in this respect are:
1. Feedback and upward communication (emphasis on two way
communication)
2. Improve listening skills e.g. full attention to the speaker and use
of proper language
3. Develop writing skills e.g. keep words simple, write concisely and
be specific
4. Avoid credibility gaps

Categories of Communication
1. Oral communication:
This could be face-to-face communication or telephone
conversation. It is preferred when the message is ambiguous
and urgent

2. Written communication:
This is in the form of instruction, letters, memos, formal reports,
rules, regulations, policy manuals etc. This is essential for future
references

3. Non-verbal communication:
These include facial expressions and physical movement. Also
include gestures, voice, eye contact etc.

4. Information technology:
Broad category of communication techniques and include video –
conferencing, electronic mail etc.

4
5

You might also like