Post on 01-Mar-2018
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1.Explain the types of communication?
Communication
Communication is a process of exchanging information, ideas, thoughts, feelings and emotionsthrough speech, signals, writing, or behavior. In communication process, a sender(encoder) encodesa message and then using a medium/channel sends it to the receiver (decoder) who decodes themessage and after processing information, sends back appropriate feedback/reply using amedium/channel.
Types of Communicationeople communicate with each other in a number of ways that depend upon the message and itscontext in which it is being sent. Choice of communication channel and your style of communicatingalso affects communication. !o, there are variety of types of communication.Types of communication based on the communication channels usedare"
1. Verbal Communication
2. Nonverbal Communication
1. Verbal Communication
Verbal communication refers to the the form of communication in which message is
transmitted verbally; communication is done by word of mouth and a piece of
writing. Objective of every communication is to have people understand what we are
trying to convey. In verbal communication remember the acronym KISS!eep it
short and simple".
#hen we tal! to others$ we assume that others understand what we are saying
because we !now what we are saying. %ut this is not the case. usually people bring
their own attitude$ perception$ emotions and thoughts about the topic and hence
creates barrier in delivering the right meaning.
&o in order to deliver the right message$ you must put yourself on the other side of
the table and thin! from your receiver's point of view. #ould he understand the
message( how it would sound on the other side of the table(
Verbal Communicationis further divided into)
o Oral Communication
o #ritten Communication
Oral CommunicationIn oral communication, Spoken words are used. It includes face-to-face
conversations, speech, telephonic conversation, video, radio, television, voice over
internet. In oral communication, communication is inuence by pitch, volume,
speed and clarity of speaking.
Advantages of Oral communicationare:
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It brings quick feedback.
In a face-to-face conversation, by reading facial epression and body language one
can guess whether he!she should trust what"s being said or not.
Disadvantage of oral communication
In face-to-face discussion, user is unable to deeply think about what he is delivering,so this can be counted as a
Written Communication
In written communication, written signs or symbols are used to communicate. #
written message may be printed or hand written. In written communication message
can be transmitted via email, letter, report, memo etc. $essage, in written
communication, is inuenced by the vocabulary % grammar used, writing style,
precision and clarity of the language used.
Written Communication is most common form of communication being used
in business.So, it is considered core among business skills.
$emos, reports, bulletins, &ob descriptions, employee manuals, and electronic mail
are the types of written communication used for internal communication. 'or
communicating with eternal environment in writing, electronic mail, Internet (eb
sites, letters, proposals, telegrams, faes, postcards, contracts, advertisements,
brochures, and news releases are used.
Advantages of written communicationincludes:
$essages can be edited and revised many time before it is actually sent.
(ritten communication provide record for every message sent and can be saved for
later study.
# written message enables receiver to fully understand it and send appropriate
feedback.
Disadvantages of written communicationincludes:
)nlike oral communication, (ritten communication doesn"t bring instant feedback.
It take more time in composing a written message as compared to word-of-mouth.
and number of people struggles for writing ability.
2. Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal communication is the sending or receiving of wordless messages. #e can
say that communication other than oral and written$ such as gesture$ body
language$posture$ tone of voiceor facial expressions$ is called nonverbal
communication.Nonverbal communication is all about the body language of
speaker.
Nonverbal communication helps receiver in interpreting the message received. Often$
nonverbal signals re*ects the situation more accurately than verbal
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messages.Sometimes nonverbal response contradicts verbal
communicationand hence a+ect the e+ectiveness of message.
Nonverbal communication have the following three elements)
AppearanceSpeaker: clothing, hairstyle, neatness, use of cosmetics
Surrounding: room si*e, lighting, decorations, furnishings
Body Language
facial epressions, gestures, postures
Sounds
+oice one, +olume, Speech rate
Types of Communication Based on Purpose and tyle#ased on style and purpose, there are two main categories of communication and they both bears
their own characteristics. Communication types based on style and purpose are"1. ,ormal Communication
2. -nformal Communication
1. !ormal Communication
-n formal communication$ certain rules$ conventions and principles are followed while
communicating message.Formal communication occurs in formal and ocial
style. sually professional settings$ corporate meetings$ conferences undergoes in
formal pattern.
In formal communication! use of slang and foul language is avoided and
correct pronunciation is re"uired. /uthority lines are needed to be followed in
formal communication.
-nformal communication is done using channels that are in contrast with formal
communication channels. -t's just a casual tal!. -t is established for societal
a0liations of members in an organiation and facetoface discussions. -t happens
among friends and family. In informal communication use of slang #ords! foul
language is not restricted. sually. informal communication is done orally and
using gestures.
Informal communication! $nlike formal communication! doesn%t follo#
authority lines. -n an organiation$ it helps in 3nding out sta+ grievances as people
e4press more when tal!ing informally. Informal communication helps in building
relationships.
2. "nformal Communication
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Types of Communication Medium
We divide the different types of communication medium into two different categories:
1. Physical media
2. Mechanical media (everything that is not No. 1)
his site focus on the internal communication. !ur listings of types of communicationmedium therefore e"clude e"ternal media.
Physical media
With physical media we mean channels where the person who is tal#ing can $e seen and
heard $y the audience. he whole point here is to $e a$le to not only hear the messages $utalso to see the $ody language and feel the climate in the room. his does not need to $e
two%way channels. &n certain situations the receiver e"pect physical communication. his isthe case especially when dealing with high concern messages' e.g. organiational change or
down siing. &f a message is perceived as important to the receiver they e"pect to hear itlive from their manager.
arge meetings' town hall meetings
*epartment meetings (wee#ly meetings)
+p close and personal (e"clusive meetings)
,ideo conferences
,iral communication or word of mouth
arge meetings
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arge meetings have got great sym$olic value and should $e used only at special occasions.his channel wor#s very well when you need to get across strategic and important messages
to a large group of people at the same time' creating a wide attention' get engagement orcommunicate a sense of $elonging. arge meetings are e"cellent when you want to present
a new vision or strategy' inform a$out a reorganisation or share new values. heopportunity for dialogue is limited at large meeting' of course $ut you can create smaller
groups where dialogue can $e performed.
Wee#ly departmental meetings
&n the wee#ly meetings you and your group communicate daily operative issues' givesstatus reports and solves pro$lems. Wee#ly meetings are also used to follow up on
information from large meetings' management team meetings etc from a -whats%in%it%for%us%perspective/. his type of smaller group meetings gives good opportunities for dialogue.
his channel is often the most important channel you have as a manager' $ecause thatswhere you have the opportunity to $uild the $ig picture' you can prepare for change' you
can create ownership of important strategies and goals etc. his is a favourite among thetypes of communication medium.
+p close and personal
his is a form of meetings where' often' a senior manager meets with a -random/ selection
of employees to discuss and answer 0uestions. ome managers use this as a on goingactivities on a monthly $asis. &t can also $e used in specific proects or campaigns e.g.
launching new strategies.
,iral communication
!r viral mar#eting as it is also called wor#s e"ternal as well as internal and refer tomar#eting techni0ues that use pre%e"isting social networ#s to produce increases in
awareness or #nowledge through self%replicating viral processes. &t can $e word%of%mouthdelivered or enhanced $y the networ# effects of social media.
Mechanical media
he second of the two types of communication medium is mechanical media. With
mechanical media we mean written or electronic channels. hese channels can $e used asarchives for messages or for giving the $ig picture and a deeper #nowledge. 3ut they can
also $e very fast. ypically though' $ecause it is written' it is always interpret $y the reader$ased on his or her mental condition. &rony or even humour rarely travels well in mechanical
channels.
4%mail
Wee#ly letters or newsletters
Personal letters
3ill$oards
&ntranet
Magaines or papers
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ms
ocial media
4%mail
4%mail is a good channel for the daily communication to specific target groups. &t is suita$le
mainly for up%to%date and -simple/ messages and where there is no ris# ofmisunderstanding' 4%mail is an important supplement to wee#ly meetings and the &ntranet.
&nvitation to and agenda for meetings can with advantage $e sent out with e%mail $eforethe meeting' while $ac#ground facts and minutes from meetings is well suited to $e stored
on the &ntranet.
ome short e%mail tips:
Write short and to the point.
arget your messages to the audience and avoid sending unnecessary all%employees%
e%mails.
et up your su$ect line to descri$e what the e%mail is a$out.
5learly state if the message is for information or for action.
6void attaching large documents if possi$le. Post a lin# or direct to the source
instead.
Wee#ly letters
Managers that have large groups of employees and who has difficulties in meeting all of
them often choose to pu$lish a personally wee#ly letter. &t is sort of a short summary of
news with personally reflections. Many employees often appreciate it $ecause it has thepotential to give the -whats%in%it%for%us/ angle. hey can also contain summaries and status
in tas#s' proects or issues 7 yesterday' today and tomorrow.
Personal letters
6t special occasions it can $e ustified to send a personal letter to employees in order to getattention to a specific issue. 4.g. pat on the $ac# letter after e"tra ordinary achievements.
!r it can $e a letter with your personal commentary on an ongoing reorganisation thataffects many employees. !ne other e"ample is a letter that summaries the past year and
wishes all the $est for the holidays.
3ill$oard
!ne of the most forgotten types of communication medium is clearly the $ill$oard.4specially today' when everything is a$out social media. 3ut the good thing with the
$ill$oard is that you can use $ill$oards to inform people who does not have computersand8or access to the &ntranet or to reach people that wor# part time and does not attend
wee#ly meetings.
News summary
Wee#ly letters
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Minutes from meetings
chedules
9oliday lists
ou can also use the $ill$oard to gather ideas e.g. for items for upcoming meetings
&ntranet
he &ntranet is of course one of the most used types of communication medium and a very
important communication channel and wor# tool for you as a manager' $ut it is also your o$to help your employees prioritise and pic# out the information on the &ntranet' as well as
translating messages into local conse0uences. 6s# your self: what information concerns you
employees; &n what way are they concerned; 9ow do & $est communicate this to myemployees; Wee#ly meeting or your wee#ly letter can $e a suita$le channel to discuss or
inform of information found on the &ntranet.
4mployee magaine
6 Magaine offers the opportunity to deepen a specific issue' e"plain conte"t' descri$ing
conse0uences or tell a story. &t also has the opportunity to reach many employees. &f youwant to create a $road internal understanding of strategic messages the magaine can $e a
good vehicle to use e.g. $y writing an article $ased on an interview with you. 6s were thecase with the &ntranet you also have to -translate/ the information in the magaine to your
employees. ou can as# yourself: What does the content in a specific article mean to us;9ow shall & $est communicate it to the employees;
ms
!r te"t messaging to the mo$ile phone is one of the new types of communication medium
and not a very widely used channel $ut where it is used it is proven very effective. omecompanies use it as an alert system e.g. for giving managers a head start when something
important will $e pu$lished on the &ntranet. he advantage with ms is that it is fast. 3ut itshould $e used rarely as an e"clusive channel. ome companies use it as a su$scription tool
where you can su$scri$e to e.g press%releases.
ocial media
Wi#ipedia descri$e social media as -Media designed to $e disseminated through socialinteraction' created using highly accessi$le and scala$le pu$lishing techni0ues. ocial media
supports the human need for social interaction' using &nternet% and we$%$ased technologiesto transform $roadcast media monologues (one to many) into social media dialogues (many
to many). &t supports the democratiation of #nowledge and information' transforming
people from content consumers into content producers. 3usinesses also refer to socialmedia as user%generated content (+
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ou can also divide the different types of communication medium in Push or Pull channels.
Push channels are channels where the sender are pushing the message to the receiver.Meaning it is up to the sender to control the communication.
4%mail
News letters and letters (if sent out)
Magaines (if sent out)
Meetings
elephone
ms
Pull channels on the other hand is when the receiver is pulling the message from the sender.
&t is up to the receiver when he or she wants to ta#e in the message.
&ntranet
3ill$oards
New letters and letters (if not sent out)
Magaines (if not sent out)
ocial media
Push channels are often regarded as having higher relia$ility than pull channels $ecause ofthe fact that it is more active in the communication.
The ambition Stairway
5hoosing the right types of communication medium is first and most a$out understandingyour am$ition with the communication. What effect is you loo#ing for after you havecommunicated; &ncreased #nowledge' $etter understanding more motivation or
involvement' or do you want it to lead to some sort of action or changed $ehaviour;
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he 6m$ition tairway is a useful tool for you to use when deciding what channels to use for
your level of am$ition. Witch gives you control of the different types of communicationmedium. 6lso' it is important to realise that ust pu$lishing something on the &ntranet will
not get employees motivated and involved.
Choosing the right channels for your messages(5lic# on the matri" todownloada
P*=)