LESSON 1
COMMUNICATION PROCESS, PRINCIPLES AND ETHICS
✓ PRINCIPLE OF COMMUNICATION
• PRINCIPLE - is a basic idea or rules that explains or control how something happens or
works.
✓ HOW COMMUNICATION DOES REALLY WORKS?
• Through the use of 7th principle of communication
7TH PRINCIPLE OF COMMUNICATION
1. PRINCIPLE OF CLARITY. The idea or message to be communicated should be clearly
spelled out. It should be work in such the way that the receiver understand things which the
sender wants to convey. There should be NO AMBIGUITY in the message. When we say
AMBIGUITY, word should not open to one or more interpretation. It should kept in mind that
words do not speak themselves, but the speaker gives the meaning. A clear message will evoke
the same response from other party. It is also essential that the receiver is conversant with the
language. The receiver should invent assumptions and mechanics of communication.
2. PRINCIPLE OF ATTENTION. In order to make communication effective, the receiver’s
should be drown toward the message. People are different in behaviors, attention, emotions and
the likes, so they may responds differently on the message. Subordinates should act similarly
to the content of the message. When we say SUBORDINATES, it is the people working for
superior. The acts of superior also draw the attention of subordinates and they may follow what
they observed. For example, if a superior is very punctual in coming to the office, then the
subordinates will also develop that habit. It is said that “ACTION SPEAKS LOUDER THAN
VOICE”.
3. PRINCIPLE OF FEEDBACK. The principle of feedback is very important to make the
communication effective. There should be a feedback information from the recipient to know
whether he understood the message in the same sense in which the sender has meant it.
4. PRINCIPLE OF INFORMALITY. Formal communication is generally used for transmitting
messages and other information. Sometimes formal communication may not achieve the
desired results. Informal communication may prove effective in such situations: management
should use informal communication for assessing the reaction of employees towards various
policies. Example s classroom set-up where the teacher approached the students. This principle
states that informal communication is as important as formal communication.
5. PRINCIPLE OF CONSISTENCY. This principle states communication should always be
consistent with the policies, plans, programs and objectives of an organization and not in
conflict with them. If the messages and communications are in conflict with the policies and
programs, then there will be confusion in the minds of subordinates and they may not
implement them properly. Such a situation will be detrimental to the interests of the
organization.
6. PRINCIPLE OF TIMELINESS. States that communication should be done at proper time so
that it helps in implementing plans. Any delay communication may not serve any purpose
rather decisions become historical importance only.
7. PRINCIPLE OF ADEQUACY. The information communicated should be adequate and
complete in all aspects. In adequate information may delay action and create confusion to the
one who are you talking with affects efficiency of the receiver. Adequate information is
essential in making decisions and taking action plans.
PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION
• SENDER. The person delivering a message to a recipient
• ENCODING. Since the subject matter of communication is theoretical and intangible, its
further passing requires use of certain symbols such as words, actions or pictures
• MESSAGE. The information or the idea that the sender is relaying to the receiver.
• CHANNEL. Transition on the method of delivering a message. This is the information
that is transmitted to the receiver through certain ways which may be either formal or
informal.
• DECODING. The interpretation of the message and it is performed by the receiver. The
person who gets the message or symbol from the communicator tries to convert the same
in such a way so that he may extract its meaning to his complete understanding
• RECEIVER. The person who is getting or received the message.
• FEEDBACK. It is the response of the receiver. Process of ensuring that the receiver has
received and understood the same sense as the sender mean it.
7 STEPS IN THE PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION
1. The sender develops an idea that be send.
2. The sender encodes the message.
3. The sender select the channel communication that will be used.
4. The message travels towards the channel of communication.
5. The message will be receive by the receiver
6. The receiver decodes the message.
7. The receiver provides feedback if it is applicable.
ETHICAL COMMUNICATION
There is countless core principles associated with ethical communication. Starting with the
core value of honesty that are all other values are connected to. However, it can be said that there
is a value underlying Honesty and that is Emotional Intelligence or EMPATHY.
1. BE TRUTHFUL AND HONEST. Being honest means communicating what is known to be
true to a listener, with no intent to deceive or present only parts of the truth. It also means being
as objective as possible, that is, not tailoring the story based on what the speaker wants the
listener to believe. Letting the listener to take the data hat is objectively presented and believed
what they choose to believe I a core goal of ethical communication. Ethical communication
should be based on accurate information and facts in a word, do not lie.
2. ACTIVE LISTENING. Hearing someone and listening to them are two different things. In
order for ethical communication to be effective, it is necessary for the recipient to pro-actively
listen to the speaker, and o not just hear what they want to hear, or to hear only the part of
conversation. This also means asking questions when any point is not completely understood
for the sake of clarification.
3. SPEAK NON-JUDGMENTALLY. Ethically and concisely communicating means speaking
in a non-judgmental manner with very recipient, negating unnecessary conflict, which typically
creates a breakdown in communication and causes misunderstandings. Unnecessary conflict is
never good for any business, and such conflicts usually results from unethical communications,
with judgmental, accusatory, and overly critical comments often being the catalyst for such
breakdowns in communication.
4. SPEAKS FROM YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE. Bringing your personal experience into a
dialogue with business listeners is important, providing backup for your arguments with
something more tangible. Such a communication method paints a complete picture for your
audience and helps to prove your points so that the listeners have a better understanding of
what is being said.
5. CONSIDER THE RECEIVER’S PREFERRED COMMUNICATION CHANNEL. You
risk losing an audience if you use a communication channel that is not preferred by your
intended receiver. To effectively communicate with your listeners, used the most preferred
communication channel, whether that be face to face, email, conference call, phone call,
messenger app, etc. Also, when presenting data to a business audience, be aware of the
preferred method of presentation for that business, whether it be graphs, slides, power point
presentation, etc. additionally, since body language is very important, it is often preferred to
meet business clients face-to-face.
6. STRIVE TO UNDERSTAND. While it is important to be proactive in listening, it is important
for listeners to also strive to fully understand what is being said before responding. While
asking for clarification of confirmation of a point is fine, many times questions that listeners
pose have already been answered. Listeners should think about what has been said before
constructing a reply. Reading “in between the lines” is also an important skill that allows for
understanding what is not said, but was implicitly said or implies.
7. AVOID NEGATIVE TONE. Ethically communicating assumes the speaker will avoid
rudeness, be polite and professional, and have tact. The ethical communicator shows that it’s
not only important what you say, but how you say it. Tone is the one of the most critical facets
of communication. A listener may miss the meaning altogether if the tone is wrong, which can
lead to unnecessary confrontations that decrease business productivity.
8. DO NOT INTERRUPT OTHERS. Allowing others to speak is important for the creation of
a civil, effective working environment. Interrupting others result in misunderstanding and
unnecessary conflicts and a breakdown in workplace communication which only hinders
corporate progress and create problems. Interrupting others not only shows a lack of respect,
but does not allow the listener to fully grasp what is being said, which often results in incorrect
assumptions being made.
9. RESPECT PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY. Most businesses should include a
clause in their code of ethics defining what is appropriate when it comes to honoring client and
employee confidentiality and privacy. This can have a wide range of implications, including
minimizing workplace gossip, and mitigating toxic conversations about the private lives of
clients or personnel.
10. ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY. As noted before, a core tenant within any ethical
communication framework is taking responsibility for the actions that result from one word,
whether it be good or bad. This includes both short term and long term consequences of one’s
communication. Owning’s one word reinforces the importance of being conscientious about
ethical communication.
