Communications

Ref:- Professional Communications OER by the Olds College OER Development Team used
under a CC-BY 4.0 international license.
What is Communication?

• The word communication is derived from a Latin word

meaning “to share.”
• Communication is simply the act of transferring information
from one place, person or group to another.
• Communication is a two-way process of sending and receiving
verbal and non-verbal messages.
• Communication is a two-way process of exchanging ideas,
information or intelligence

2
Importance of Communication
• Communication is very important both in the business world
and in private life.
• Successful communication helps us better understand people
and situations.
• It helps us overcome diversities, build trust and respect, and
create conditions for sharing creative ideas and solving
problems.
• The communication brings people together, closer to each
other.

3
Importance of Communication
• It bridges the gap between individuals and groups through flow
of information and understanding between them.
• Communication serves as the foundation for any action. Every
activity begins with communication, as it provides the
essential information needed to initiate the process.
• It facilitates effective leadership.
• Proper internal communications can significantly increase
employees’ productivity.

4
 Importance of Communication
• Good communication is VERY important.
• In many cases, the manner in which we communicate is more
impactful than the message itself.

5
Importance of Communication

6
Communication Process
• Every communication involves (at least) one sender, a message
and a recipient.

• This may sound simple, but communication is actually a very

complex subject.

• Accurate, effective and unambiguous communication is

actually extremely hard.

7
Elements of Communication Process
• Sender (Source)- The person who communicates
• Message- Verbal and non-verbal link between the sender and the receiver:
The idea, thought, or feeling to be shared.
• Receiver (The audience)- The person for whom the communication is
intended.
• Channel- means of communication, the pathway of the message to be
sent, speech, radio, TV, telephone, etc.
• Feedback- Message returned by the receiver to the sender, verbal and
non-verbal
• Noise- Form of interference, usually have negative impression/obstacle
• Context-Factors surrounding and affecting the transmission of a message,
time, place, occasion
8
Common Communication Barriers
• Noise
 Whatever channel we communicate with, the presence of noise is always
there.
• Sender
 Poor preparation
 Poor audience analysis
 An abrasive personal style
 Poor first impression
• Receiver
 Poor listening or reading skill
 Lack of empathy

9
Common Communication Barriers
• Message
 Poor organization
 Inappropriate language
 Technical errors
 Spoken language filed with nervous filler
• Channel
 Various forms of external noise
• Feedback
 Environment that discourages feedback
 Insufficient feedback
 Feedback that comes too late
 Response that focuses on minor points

10
Audience
• The way we communicate keeps changing over time. But one thing
always stays important: knowing who your audience is and
understanding what they need.
• Your audience is the person or people you want to share your
message with.
• To communicate well, it's important to learn as much as you can
about them.
• When you understand what they want, need, and value, you can
shape your message so they understand it the way you mean it.
• How well you succeed in communication depends partly on how well
you adjust your message to fit your audience.

11
Audience
• Primary audience is your intended audience; they are those
who receive the communication directly and are also known as
the target audience. The person is also usually the decision
maker.
• Secondary audiences are other people you could reasonably
expect to meet your message. They are those readers/listeners
who are not the primary addressee but are still included as
viewers/listeners. For example, you might send an email to a
customer, who, in this case, is your primary audience, and
copy (cc:) your boss, who would be your secondary audience.
• Sometimes these audiences are hidden, but they still hear
you. A hidden audience is all those who fall outside of the
primary and secondary assignment.
12
Audience

When you communicate with an audience, you are normally

trying to achieve one or more of the five following broad
outcomes:
Get acquainted (familiar)
Express emotions to others
Share information
Persuade (Motivate) others to understand our views
Build relationships
Your success as a communicator partly depends on how well you can
tailor your message to your audience.

13
Communication Channels

Types of Channels
• Verbal - spoken language (i.e., conversation,
presentation)
• Nonverbal - unspoken (i.e., gestures, facial expressions,
body language)
• Written - text (i.e., letters, memos, reports)
• Digital - technology-enabled (i.e., social media, text
messaging); a subset of the other channels

14
Communication Channels
Verbal Non Verbal Written Digital
One-on-one Tone Letters E. Mail
conversation

Group Facial expression Memos Internet

conversation

Meeting Body language Reports Instant Messenger

Presentation Gestures E. Mails Social Media

Speech Dress Video Conference

Space/proximity Apps
15
Digital Channels: Considerations
• Ask yourself: Can my audience use the method I’m using to
contact them?
• Emails and social media posts are easy to share, so be careful.
Don’t write anything in an email that you wouldn’t want
everyone in the company to read.
• Today, people always carry phones and are always connected.
This means you can message them anytime—but should you?
• Digital messages are usually informal. A quick message might
be fine for a co-worker, but not for your boss.
• Also, older workers might not be as comfortable with digital
tools like mobile apps or instant messaging as younger people
are. Keep this in mind when choosing how to communicate.
16
Elements when choosing a channel
Consider the following elements when choosing a channel and
crafting your message:
• Formal vs. informal
• What is right for the sender might not be right for the receiver
• Be cautious about language choice (gendered language,
cultural nuances)
• Access, cost of message

17
 The 7 C’s of Communication

The seven Cs of
communication is a
list of principles for
written and spoken
communications to
ensure that they
are effective.
Clear
• Any message needs to come out clearly from your
communication rather than the recipient having to assume
things and coming back to you for more information. This will
only lead to more time being wasted.

• Do not try to communicate too many things in one message.

This will dilute the attention of the reader.
Correct
• It’s important that language and grammar are correct. Spell
check will not be able to catch it if the wrongly spelt word is
in fact another word in the English language.
• You also need to ensure that you address people the right way
and spell their names correctly.
• Additionally, you need to ensure that the reader has sufficient
knowledge and education to understand the technical terms
that you use in your communication.
• It’s also essential that the information is correct. Check
accuracy of facts, figures, words. Verify statistical data,
substantiate all information, determine whether facts have
changed with time.
Complete
• A complete message will have all the information the reader
needs to know to be able to respond or take action.
• Incomplete messages lead to iterations, a lot of back-and-
forth, and waste of time and effort on both ends.
• The sender should admit unavailable information frankly and
openly
• The sender should provide unfavorable information honestly
but tactfully
• In addition, the sender should make things as easy as possible
for the recipient.
Concrete
• Concreteness is a quality which needs to come to the fore
especially during marketing or advertising campaigns.
• Precise and concrete messages mean more effective
interaction with your audience.
• Avoid ambiguity in your messages to help your audience
understand your point easily.
Concise (Brief)
• People often tend to write 4 sentences in a place where they
could have finished the message in 2 sentences.
• This wastes the time of the sender and the receiver and in
turn limits their productivity too.
• One should not use 10 words if one can use five.
• One should not repeat messages.
• The more one says, the more risk there is of confusion. Avoid
that risk by focusing solely on the key points.
• Your message needs to be accurate, and to the point.
Considered (and Coherent)
• Your message needs to make sure your communications are
considered and coherent you should have a logical flow.
Otherwise, it would not be effective.
• To help a logical flow and your style, tone and language should
be consistent throughout.
• All sentences in your email or report should be connected to
the previous one and stick to the main topic.
• Without coherence, the reader will easily lose track of what
you have conveyed.
Courteous
• Being courteous is of profound importance in a corporate setting.
• Individuals who work together are not necessarily friends and
therefore, to maintain a healthy working relationship, being
courteous is a necessity.
• Hidden insults and aggressive tones will only cause trouble among
individuals and result in reduced morale and productivity.
• Avoid irritating expressions or questionable humor that may offend
• Choose non-discriminatory expressions reflecting equal treatment
of people regardless of gender, race, ethnic origin
Thanks

26