What is communication?

Communication is simply the act of transferring information from one place, person or group to another. It is the process of passing information and understanding from one person to another. In simple words it is a process of transmitting and sharing ideas, opinions, facts, values etc. from one person to another person or one organization to another. It is the management of messages for the purpose of creating meanings.

Communication is Important in Business

                                    Communication is an important aspect of human behavior. The word communication is derived from the Latin word ‘Communis’ which means transmitting information.

Communication implies to an exchange of factors, ideas , opinion or emotion between two or more persons.

According to Keith Davis (Human Behavior at Work) Communication is defined as “The transfer of information and understanding from one person to another person. It is a way of reaching others with facts, ideas, thoughts and values. It is a bridge of meanings among people so that they can share what they feel and know. By using this bridge a person can cross safely the river of misunderstanding that sometimes separates people.”

Engineer Claude Shannon says, communication is the transmission and reception of information.

According to political scientist Harold Lasswell, ‘communication process has five component parts: who says, what says, through which channel, to whom, with what effect.”

1.2. Communication process:

In the date 1990s communication researchers came up with a universally accepted model of the process of communication. A basic model of communication describes it as a six-step process that has its source where the sender gets an idea and encodes a message and the message is transmitted through a channel or medium. This message is received and then interbreed. Finally the message is responded to, i.e., appropriate feedback is sent to the sender which completes the process of communication.

1.3 Components of Communication:

Communication is a composite process which gets intensified at a given moment. A coordination between the various component of communication is necessary for communication to be effective. The various components of communication are:

(i) Sender: The sender has an idea of what he wishes to convey to the receiver. He chooses a language to convey his message to the receiver. This language should be easily understood by the receiver.

(ii) Receiver: The message is conveyed to some other and where somebody receives. The person who receives the message is called receiver. The message should be received and understood by the receiver.

(iii) Encoding: Encoding is the method with which the sender initiates the message. It is a method where the thoughts are put in a certain coded message. It is a process of translating the message in a language which is understood by the receiver.

(iv) Channel of communication: Channel is the vehicle for communication. It is the medium which transmits the message. The channel acts as a bridge between the source and destination.

(v) Communication mediums: Medium is the link that connects the communicator (sender) and the receiver in various ways like: telephone, letter, gesture etc. Mediums impact more than the reaching of messages. They impact content and custom. Talking is a direct and effective method for communication.

(vi) Decoding: Decoding starts after the message reaches its destination. The rece iver keeps in mind the emotional, social, educational, cultural and psychological level of the sender and analyses the message. He must translate the ideas into a form that can be understood and used by him.

(vii) Feedback: Communication is a cyclic activity. Feedback is essential to make communication effective. Response from the receiver to the sender of the message is, called feedback. A message received by the receiver may by itself be meaningless if the sender doesn’t receive a response. Feedback is spontaneous in a communication.

(viii) Noise: Noise is an important, seldom specified component of communication. There are times when the message is either not communicated at all or it is communicated in an important manner. This is called ‘Noise’.

(ix) Filter: There are important factors to consider if we want to our communication to be effective. Our language must pass through the filter of emotion, culture, situational contact and personal beliefs.

1.4 Purpose of Communication:

Communication is a need to express our feelings and emotions to others in society. Everyone communicates for a specific purpose. The purpose of communication has been categorised under seven basic heads, i;e., to interact, to inform, to enquire or to find out, to influence, to regulate, to record and to entertain.

To interact: As human beings are social animals, they need to express their feelings to one another, this is known as interaction . An important function of language is to help us to interact with other people.

To inform: The present age is known as the age of information. To complete our activities successfully we need to communicate information and ideas to people and also receive from them. This kind of communication is both official and personal.

To enquire or to find out: Language is used not only to give an information, but also used to enquire and find out about a lot of things. The ability to ask questions and then follow them up with further enquiries is very important in both work and leisure.

To influence: Influencing somebody to follow our time is partially a business strategy . In advertisements words are chosen for their emotional effect. Their chief purpose is to influence the audience to buy a product. Leaders and Politicians often use language for the purpose of influencing the public.

To regulate: Regulating means to make a set of rules which others are to follow. Parents, teachers, doctors and policemen use language regulate.

To record: Recording something is to get it down on paper on tape so that it is not forgot. Recording is more useful for the speaker or the writer rather than for the audience.

To entertain: Language is a tool that can be used in different situations. It can be moulded playfully.

1.5 Mediums of Communication (Verbal and Non-verbal):

Verbal communication is the expression or exchange of information or messages through written or oral words. Non-verbal communication is the expression or exchange of information or messages through without using any spoken or written word. Several mediums of communication can better be understood with the following diagram.