Chapter 7: Communication Classification

We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak- Epictetus

Communication Methods

HOW WE COMMUNICATE

Expressively

Verbal Non- verbal Listening Reading

Receptively

Expressive communication is when we try to make others understand something through verbal or non- verbal modes.Receptive communication refers to an understanding of what others try to communicate to us. It takes place through listening through listening and reading.

Listening

Speaking

Reading

Writing

45%

30%

16%

9%

TIME SPENT ON

Communication Topology

Communication Topology

Medium

Verbal Non- verbal Formal Informal

ChannelDirection

Downward Upward Horizontal Diagonal

A. Classification on the Basis of Medium

Medium

Verbal

Oral

Non- verbal

Written Body Language

ParaLanguage

Space Language

Touch Language

Time Language

Verbal communicationIt is written or spoken

message that uses words to exchange ideas/information.

The means of verbal communication are

a)Oral communicationb)Written communication

Classification on the Basis of Medium

ORAL COMMUNICATION

Anything that emanates from the mouth is

referred as oral communication.

Verbal communication

Elements of Oral Communication

Listening- is a conscious activity wherein the ears deliberately pick up the incoming stimulus, and pay attention to what is being said.

Speaking/ presenting- presentation of knowledge is extremely crucial for the purpose of communication. Even an extremely knowledgeable individual can be rendered ineffective without proper presentation.

Oral Communication

IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING

1. Careful listening leads to effective learning, ‘paying attention’ and ‘concentrating on what is being said’, are the mantras of imbibing something deep inside the mind.

2. the emphatic look in the eyes of the listener(s) assures the speaker that the audience is taking interest. This act as a strong motivating force, which induces him/ her to perform even better.

3. to become a successful speaker, one has to be a good listener. A good speaker is one who gives to the listeners what they have asked for.

4. Bad listening leads to confusion, chaos, and misunderstanding. Listening without attention and concentration can lead to gross misinterpretation of the facts and figures.

Oral Communication- LISTENING

TYPES OF LISTENING

1. Full Listening. Also known as active listening, it refers to a conscious effort on the listener’s part to try paying attention to everything that is being said by the speaker.

2. Discriminative Listening. Is about selectively attending to only a portion of the information being given by the speaker.

3. Emphatic Listening. Body language, especially the eyes, reveals a lot about what’s going on inside the mind.

4. Faux Listening. People pretend to be attentive but actually they are not.

5. Intuitive Listening. Is the highest form , where the individual silences all ongoing internal dialogues and pays attention only to the speaker.

6. Deep Listening. It’s about listening to not only the words but emotions and ideas as well.

7. Critical Listening. When the purpose is to accept or reject the message after critically evaluating.

Oral Communication- LISTENING

Major Objectives of Presenting Information:

1. Information. Oral presentation is mostly used to inform audience about product, services, event, etc.

2. Persuasion. It’s an important objective of presentation. The aim is to slightly pressurize the audience into accepting an offer, suggestion, or advice.

3. Goodwill Building. Oral communication also helps in building positive and constructive relationships.

Oral Communication- SPEAKING/ PRESENTING

Oral Communication Types

Face to Face (f2f) Communication- this is the most common form of communication that takes place real time when sender and receiver in direct contact and close proximity.

Discussions Lectures Meetings Seminars Interviews

Oral Communication

B. PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESSFUL ORAL COMMUNICATIONOral Communication

Concise information

‘You’ attitude

No hackneyed phrases

Precision

Logical order

No jargons

Avoid Latin and French

C. ADVANTAGES OF ORAL COMMUNICATION IN AN ORGANISATION

Oral Communication

o Time Saving. It doesn’t need too much deliberation to converse orally with someone.

o Effortless. Conversing doesn’t require too much effort as compared to writing.

o Cost Effective. Making use of oral communication, one can communicate with almost everybody who is in the vicinity.

o Minimum Resources. What’s needed in face to face communication is a speaker and a listener.

o Personal Touch. For communication to be effective, it has to be personalized. This is possible only by word of mouth. That’s because while talking, body language can be used to complement verbal language.

o Prompt Reply/ Feedback. The essence of communication lies in how prompt the reply is.

o Flexibility. Since oral communication is real time, both parties can adjust according to the circumstances.

D. LIMITATIONS OF ORAL COMMUNICATION

Oral Communication

o Time. On occasions, oral communication consumes a lot of time, especially when there are number of recipients to be dealt with.

o Distance. Human voice has its own limitations. If two people are standing far apart, they might not be able to understand to each other clearly.

o No mechanical/ electronic device. When people are, are located far part so that neither can see each other nor can their voices be heard, the only alternative is a communicating devices, if none of the devices is present, oral communication is simply not possible.

o Bulky Information (Information overload). If there is a vast sea of information that the receiver is exposed to, it leads to nothing except confusion.

o Instant Feedback. Instant feedback is not always welcome. Because when someone comes up with a negative response orally- the voice, pitch, volume-all are perceived as hostile and add fuel to the fire.

o No Legal Validity. An oral deal has no legal validity unless it has been deliberately video recorded.

E. WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

It is one of the very important types of organizational

communication. This category of verbal communication has

only visual aspect to it and not the auditory element.

Verbal communication

Means of Written Communication

Written Communication

Letters Memorandum/ Memos Notices Reports Telegrams Telex Others (Bulletin Board, Marketing Literature,

Magazines,)

Writing Style/ Principle of Effective WritingWritten Communication

1. Words’ Choice. Words should be chosen very carefully because these give form and meaning to the writer’s thoughts and ideas.

2. Accuracy. It’s not just confined to facts and figures that have been included, it also refers to the overall presentation style.

3. Completeness. It is important to include everything in a message without which the reader could be left guessing.

4. Simple and Short Words. Words should be always be kept simple, which the average reader can easily understand.

5. No Jargons. Jargons are technical terms that are specific to a particular profession or group of people.

6. No Slangs and Clichés. Because their usage indicates lack of ideas and innovation. The reader is forced to think that the writer lacks originality.

7. Avoid Gender Biased Words. Words that are gender specific should be avoided while expressing general ideas, such words are discriminatory because though meant for general population, they hint a particular sex because of the particular pronouns.

8. Paragraph Design. Short paragraphs are both good to look at and easy to understand.

The Writing Process

Written Communication

Written Communication

DraftingDrafting

Get your ideas on paper!

Use sentences and paragraphs.

Follow the basic structure of the genre

you have chosen.

PlanningPlanning

PurposePurpose Content Content

Audience Analysis

Audience AnalysisOrganisingOrganising

Written Communication

DraftingDrafting

The environment should be serene and peaceful so that the writer can concentrate.

The writer should decide a time frame within which to finish off the writing work.

The writer should indulge in free writing without any restrictions.

Written Communication

Easier portions of the writing should be written first followed by the tough components.

revisingrevisingWritten Communication

Revising for format

Revising for formatRevising for style

Revising for style

formattingformatting

Written Communication

Margins Margins

Line and paragraph spacing

Line and paragraph spacingFont size and style

Font size and styleHeading style and form

Heading style and form

Written Communication

Advantages of written communication

Written Communication

1. Organizations always want to keep a record of important transactions.

2. Anything that has been clearly documented, has a legal validity.3. The content can’t be altered.4. When the message has been communicated in writing, and has

been acknowledged too, one can’t deny being ignorant of it.5. A written document like a letter provides the recipient more time

to respond.6. Permanency factor adds another feather to the cap of written

communication7. Something that has been noted down somewhere can always be

referred to at a later stage.8. It is a cheaper means of communication while reaching out to a

target that is widely scattered.

Disadvantages of written communication

Written Communication

1.It leads to confusion and annoys the readers.

2.Written communication can’t weave.3.Time factor becomes a constraint.4.Written communication might not be

cost- effective.5.A letter has been posted, an e-mail that

has been sent, can’t be recalled to make amendments.

F. What to use? Oral or Written?

Written Communication

Distance. When it’s about a short distance between the two pairs, oral f2f communication is the best choice. Bit when it comes to long distances, written communication is preferred.

Speed. For messages that have to be transmitted quickly, telephonic conversations are faster as compared to written messages.

Secrecy. When the information has to kept strictly confidential, written and sealed messages are preferred. Safety is another aspect that has to be taken into account to prevent the message from any kind of physical damage.

Accuracy. Written messages are more accurate than oral because one gets more time to think over the idea that has to be conveyed.

Economy. Cost is another consideration while choosing a medium.

Oral Communication Written CommunicationIt is more effective while explaining something to the audience.

It is less effective because written words have a weaker impact as compared to spoken words.

Body language complements the oral message

Body language doesn’t get reflected during written communication

Oral messages can’t be stored unless recorded deliberately

Written messages can easily be recorded

Personal touch can be added by effective use of body language

Though words can be used to add a personal touch, yet these aren’t as effective as spoken words.

With oral communication, it’s easy to judge the underlying emotions and motives.

It’s hard to interpret the true state of affairs through written words.

Since oral communication is instant and spontaneous, it gives the speaker little lime to organize thoughts.

With written messages, there is more time that is available to think and pen down thoughts

Instant feedback is available The sender has to wait for the response

It is extremely fast It is comparatively slow

Responsibility can’t be fixed Since the origin of the written communication is known, responsibility can easily fixed

Written Communication

Differences between Oral and Written communication

G. ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

Computers have completely revolutionized the way

information is collected, processed and communicated.

Electronic devices provide for a fast, accurate, timely, and economic communication

between two or more parties.

2.01 Recall components of electronic communication. Slide 33

e-Mail

The electronic exchange of messages and computer files between computers that are connected to the Internet or some other computer network.

Electronic Communication

2.01 Recall components of electronic communication. Slide 34

Websites contain all the information about a company, its products and services, special offers, complaints handling, feedback, query handling, etc.

Electronic Communication

Web Portals

2.01 Recall components of electronic communication. Slide 35

Web logs or blogs are web-based journals.

Often used by individuals or groups to maintain a record of thoughts, pictures, and interests.

Electronic Communication