ASSIGNMENT

Unit I: Fundamentals of Communication

1. Define Communication.

The term "communication" has been derived from the Latin

"communis," that means "common". Thus "to communicate"
means "to make common" or "to make known", "to share" and
includes verbal, non-verbal and electronic means of human
interaction.
Communication is giving, receiving or exchanging ideas,
information, signals or messages through appropriate media,
enabling individuals or groups to persuade, to seek information,
to give information or to express emotions.

2. Explain the process of Communication.

Communications is a continuous process which mainly involves

three elements viz. sender, message, and receiver. The elements
involved in the communication process are explained below in
detail:
Sender: The sender or the communicator generates the
message and conveys it to the receiver. He is the source and the
one who starts the communication
Message: It is the idea, information, view, fact, feeling, etc. that
is generated by the sender and is then intended to be
communicated further.
Encoding: The message generated by the sender is encoded
symbolically such as in the form of words, pictures, gestures,
etc. before it is being conveyed.
Media: It is the manner in which the encoded message is
 transmitted. The message may be transmitted orally or in
writing. The medium of communication includes telephone,
internet, post, fax, e-mail, etc. The choice of medium is decided
by the sender.
Decoding: It is the process of converting the symbols encoded
by the sender. After decoding the message is received by the
receiver.
Receiver: He is the person who is last in the chain and for whom
the message was sent by the sender. Once the receiver receives
the message and understands it in proper perspective and acts
according to the message, only then the purpose of
communication is successful.
Feedback: Once the receiver confirms to the sender that he has
received the message and understood it, the process of
communication is complete.
Noise: It refers to any obstruction that is caused by the sender,
message or receiver during the process of communication. For
example, bad telephone connection, faulty encoding, faulty
decoding, inattentive receiver, poor understanding of message
due to prejudice or inappropriate gestures, etc.

3. Explain the importance of Communication.

Oral communication has the following merits:

Speed: It is a fast medium of communication. It takes long to
write, dispatch and receive a letter while orally; messages can
be transmitted and received simultaneously. Messages can be
instantly encoded, transmitted and decoded.
Feedback: The sender can receive immediate feedback from the
receiver. Doubts and clarifications can be sought at the point of
discussion, thus, enhancing efficiency of the message. Message
can be reframed for better understanding and action. While
feedback is more apparent in two-way communication, in one-
way communication, feedback can be provided through
gestures.
Synergy: Two brains can think faster and better than one. ‘One
plus one makes eleven.’ When people discuss matters orally,
they arrive at better proposals and solutions than can be
thought of by one man alone.
Economical: It is an economical means of communication. It
saves time and money on stationery and administrative staff.
People at distant places can be immediately connected and
actions can be initiated without delay.
Flexible: If the message is not clear, sender can change his voice,
words or tone to make it clear to the audience. Written words
cannot be easily changed.
Personal touch: It adds personal touch to communication. When
managers personally talk to subordinates, it carries more
meaning than transmitting the same message in writing.
Secrecy: Secrecy can be maintained in oral communication.
Confidential information is transmitted orally so that no
evidence is maintained in writing.
Non-verbal clues: Actions speak louder than words. The speaker
can make out through actions of the receiver whether or not he
has understood the message.
Inter-personal relations: It is an effective medium of
communication to develop healthy inter-personal relations
amongst superiors and subordinates. Personal meetings and
discussions create healthy climate in business organizations.
Written communication has the following merits:
Documentary evidence: Written communication is a record on
paper. It, therefore, has evidence for future reference. Reference
to any point can be made at any point of time if matters are put
in writing.
Legal evidence: If disputes arise that require judicial
interpretations, written information helps in maintaining legal
defence.
Better understanding: Messages in writing can be read as many
times as the reader wants to understand the message.
Well stated message: The sender can think, analyse and take
time to put the message in writing. The message is more
balanced than oral communication.
Wider access: It can reach a much larger audience and
geographical coverage than oral communication. In case of
mass communication, letters and newspapers can be read by a
large number of people.
Responsibility: Responsibility can be fixed in written
communication as against oral communication. People can be
held liable for mistakes, errors and omissions.
Uniformity: It maintains uniformity of policies and procedures.
Oral communication is liable to different interpretations but
written facts clearly specify what is expected of whom.
Lasting impact: What one reads is more lasting than what one
hears? Reading messages has a lasting impact on readers.
Noise free: It is free from noise. One can write and read at
convenience. Internal (fans, people talking to each other) and
external (loudspeakers, telephone disconnection) disturbances
do not affect the efficiency of written communication.
Suitable for lengthy messages: Lengthy and complex messages
can be better encoded and decoded when put in writing.
4. What are the Differences between Oral and Written Communications?

Oral Communication:
It is flexible.
Responsibility cannot be easily fixed.
It is liable to different interpretations.
It has no documentary proof.
It can reach a limited number of audiences.
It is less costly in terms of time and money.
It does not have a lasting impact.
It is suitable for sending short messages.
It helps the sender to receive immediate feedback on the
message.
It adds personal touch to communication process.
Written Communication:
It is rigid or non-flexible.
Responsibility can be fixed.
It maintains uniformity of action.
It has documentary proof.
It has wide access to receivers.
It is expensive.
It has a lasting impact.
It is suitable for sending lengthy messages.
Feedback cannot be immediately received.
It does not promote personal relationships between the sender
and the receiver.
5. What does mean by barriers to Communication

Barriers to Effective Communication

Linguistic Barriers: The language barrier is one of the main
barriers that limit effective communication. Language is the
most commonly employed tool of communication. The fact that
each major region has its own language is one of the Barriers to
effective communication. Sometimes even a thick dialect may
render the communication ineffective.
As per some estimates, the dialects of every two regions
changes within a few kilometers. Even in the same workplace,
different employees will have different linguistic skills. As a
result, the communication channels that span across the
organization would be affected by this.
Thus keeping this barrier in mind, different considerations have
to be made for different employees. Some of them are very
proficient in a certain language and others will be ok with these
languages.
Psychological Barriers
There are various mental and psychological issues that may be
barriers to effective communication. Some people have stage
fear, speech disorders, phobia, depression etc. All of these
conditions are very difficult to manage sometimes and will most
certainly limit the ease of communication.
Emotional Barriers
The emotional IQ of a person determines the ease and comfort
with which they can communicate. A person who is emotionally
mature will be able to communicate effectively. On the other
hand, people who let their emotions take over will face certain
difficulties.
A perfect mixture of emotions and facts is necessary for effective
communication. Emotions like anger, frustration, humour, can
blur the decision-making capacities of a person and thus limit
the effectiveness of their communication.
Physical Barriers to Communication
They are the most obvious barriers to effective communication.
These barriers are mostly easily removable in principle at least.
They include barriers like noise, closed doors, faulty equipment
used for communication, closed cabins, etc. Sometimes, in a
large office, the physical separation between various employees
combined with faulty equipment may result in severe barriers to
effective communication.
Cultural Barriers of Communication
As the world is getting more and more globalized, any large
office may have people from several parts of the world. Different
cultures have a different meaning for several basic values of
society. Dressing, Religions or lack of them, food, drinks, pets,
and the general behaviour will change drastically from one
culture to another.
Hence it is a must that we must take these different cultures into
account while communication. This is what we call being
culturally appropriate. In many multinational companies,
special courses are offered at the orientation stages that let
people know about other cultures and how to be courteous and
tolerant of others.
Organisational Structure Barriers
As we saw there are many methods of communication at an
organizational level. Each of these methods has its own
problems and constraints that may become barriers to effective
communication. Most of these barriers arise because of
misinformation or lack of appropriate transparency available to
the employees.
Attitude Barriers
Certain people like to be left alone. They are the introverts or
just people who are not very social. Others like to be social or
sometimes extra clingy! Both these cases could become a
barrier to communication. Some people have attitude issues,
like huge ego and inconsiderate behaviours.
These employees can cause severe strains in the
communication channels that they are present in. Certain
personality traits like shyness, anger, social anxiety may be
removable through courses and proper training. However,
problems like egocentric behaviour and selfishness may not be
correctable.
Perception Barriers
Different people perceive the same things differently. This is a
fact which we must consider during the communication process.
Knowledge of the perception levels of the audience is crucial to
effective communication. All the messages or communique
must be easy and clear. There shouldn’t be any room for a
diversified interpretational set.
Physiological Barriers
Certain disorders or diseases or other limitations could also
prevent effective communication between the various channels
of an organization. The shrillness of voice, dyslexia, etc. are
some examples of physiological barriers to effective
communication. However, these are not crucial because they
can easily be compensated and removed.
Technological Barriers & Socio-religious Barriers
Other barriers include the technological barriers. The
technology is developing fast and as a result, it becomes difficult
to keep up with the newest developments. Hence sometimes
the technological advance may become a barrier. In addition to
this, the cost of technology is sometimes very high.
Most of the organizations will not be able to afford a decent tech
for the purpose of communication. Hence, this becomes a very
crucial barrier. Other barriers are socio-religious barriers. In a
patriarchal society, a woman or a transgender may face many
difficulties and barriers while communicating.