JESSA MAE V.

MOGAS BSN II-B

What is Communication?

Communication is the process of transmitting information from one person to another. It is the
act of sharing of ideas, facts, opinions, thoughts, messages or emotions to other people, in and
out the organization, with the use of the channel to create mutual understanding and
confidence. Communication also defined as the transfer of information and understanding from
one person to another through the use of common symbols. Communication can flow upward,
downward, and laterally, that is, from subordinates to superiors, from superiors to subordinates
and from peer to peer. Most people want to be understood; they want to understand others; and
they want to gain acceptance of their ideas. Rarely would a person deliberately not want to be
understood; but even so, misunderstandings, incorrect communications, and failure to
communicate can create confusion on a regular basis.

Purposes:

1. Flow of Information: The relevant information must flow continuously from top to bottom and
vice versa. The staff at all levels must be kept informed about the organizational objectives and
other developments taking place in the organization. A care should be taken that no one should
be misinformed. The information should reach the incumbent in the language he or she can
understand better. The use of difficult words should be avoided. The right information should
reach the right person, at right time through the right person.
2. Coordination: It is through communication the efforts of all the staff working in the
organization can be coordinated for the accomplishment of the organizational goals. The
coordination of all personnel’s and their efforts is the essence of management which can be
attained through effective communication.
3. Learning Management Skills: The communication facilitates flow of information, ideas,
beliefs, perception, advice, opinion, orders and instructions etc. both ways which enable the
managers and other supervisory staff to learn managerial skills through experience of others.
The experience of the sender of the message gets reflected in it which the person at the
receiving end can learn by analyzing and understanding it.
4. Preparing People to Accept Change: The proper and effective communication is an
important tool in the hands of management of any organization to bring about overall change in
the organizational policies, procedures and work style and make the staff to accept and respond
positively.

5. Developing Good Human Relations: Managers and workers and other staff exchange their

ideas, thoughts and perceptions with each other through communication. This helps them to
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understand each other better. They realize the difficulties faced by their colleagues at the

workplace. This leads to promotion of good human relations in the organization.

6. Ideas of Subordinates Encouraged: The communication facilitates inviting and encouraging

the ideas from subordinates on certain occasions on any task. This will develop creative
thinking. Honoring subordinates’ ideas will further motivate them for hard work and a sense of
belonging to the organization will be developed. It will provide them with the encouragement to
share information with their superiors without hesitation. The managers must know the ideas,
thoughts, comments, reactions and attitudes of their subordinates and subordinates should
know the same from the lowest level staff of their respective departments.

The important elements of the communication process:

SENDER/ENCODER - The sender also known as the encoder decides on the message to be

sent, the best/most effective way that it can be sent. All of this is done bearing the receiver in

mind. In a word, it is his/her job to conceptualize.

The sender may want to ask him/herself questions like: What words will I use? Do I need signs

or pictures?

MEDIUM - The medium is the immediate form which a message takes. For example, a

message may be communicated in the form of a letter, in the form of an email or face to face in

the form of a speech.

CHANNEL - The channel is that which is responsible for the delivery of the chosen message

form. For example post office, internet, radio.

RECEIVER - The receiver or the decoder is responsible for extracting/decoding meaning from

the message. The receiver is also responsible for providing feedback to the sender. In a word, it

is his/her job to INTERPRET.

FEEDBACK - This is important as it determines whether or not the decoder grasped the

intended meaning and whether communication was successful.

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CONTEX - Communication does not take place in a vacuum. The context of any communication

act is the environment surrounding it. This includes, among other things, place, time, event, and

attitudes of sender and receiver.

NOISE (also called interference) - This is any factor that inhibits the conveyance of a message.

That is, anything that gets in the way of the message being accurately received, interpreted and

responded to. Noise may be internal or external. A student worrying about an incomplete

assignment may not be attentive in class (internal noise) or the sounds of heavy rain on a

galvanized roof may inhibit the reading of a storybook to second graders (external noise).

The communication process is dynamic, continuous, irreversible, and contextual. It is not

possible to participate in any element of the process without acknowledging the existence and

functioning of the other elements.

Modes of Communication

Verbal Communication: Communication, in which words (spoken or written) are used to

transmit information is called verbal communication. It can be done in two ways:

Oral communication: E.g. Face to face conversation, telephonic conversation, lectures,

speeches, conferences, etc.
Written communication: E.g. Letters, emails, newsletters, SMS, etc.
Non-verbal Communication: The communication between parties in which words are not used
as a means for interchanging message, i.e. except words, other means are used like sounds,
symbols, actions and expressions. Communication takes place non-verbally through:
Body language, E.g. Gestures, postures, body movements, etc.
Paralanguage, E.g. Pitch variation, tone, speaking speed, word stress, etc.
Sign language E.g. Hand movement, facial expressions, etc.
Time language E.g. time used to communicate our message.
Space language, E.g. Space maintained between the parties to communication, during the
conversation.
JESSA MAE V. MOGAS BSN II-B

Communication Barriers

There are many reasons why interpersonal communications may fail. In many communications,
the message may not be received exactly the way the sender intended and hence it is important
that the communicator seeks feedback to check that their message is clearly understood. The
skills of Active Listening, Clarification and Reflection, which we will discuss shortly, may help but
the skilled communicator also needs to be aware of the barriers to effective communication.
There exist many barriers to communication and these may occur at any stage in the
communication process. Barriers may lead to your message becoming distorted and you
therefore risk wasting both time and/or money by causing confusion and misunderstanding.
Effective communication involves overcoming these barriers and conveying a clear and concise
message.

Some common barriers to effective communication include:

 The use of jargon. Over-complicated or unfamiliar terms.

 Emotional barriers and taboos.
 Lack of attention, interest, distractions, or irrelevance to the receiver.
 Differences in perception and viewpoint.
 Physical disabilities such as hearing problems or speech difficulties.
 Physical barriers to non-verbal communication.
 Language differences and the difficulty in understanding unfamiliar accents.
 Expectations and prejudices which may lead to false assumptions or stereotyping.
People often hear what they expect to hear rather than what is actually said and jump to
incorrect conclusions.
 Cultural differences. The norms of social interaction vary greatly in different cultures, as
do the way in which emotions are expressed. For example, the concept of personal
space varies between cultures and between different social settings.

How to Improve Communication Skills for Workplace Success

1. Listen
Ever heard the saying you have two ears and one mouth for a reason? If you haven’t, then
here’s the reason:

Being a good listener is half the equation to being a good communicator.

People who have the ability to really listen to someone can then actually answer questions in a
meaningful way. If you don’t make the effort to actively listen, then you are really doing yourself
and the other person a disservice in the communication department.

Know that person who is chomping at the bit to open his or her mouth the second you stop
talking? Don’t be that person. They haven’t listened to at least 1/2 of what you’ve said.
Therefore, the words that spill out of their mouth are going to be about 1/2 relevant to what you
just said.

Listen to someone completely and be comfortable with short periods of silence. Work on your
listening skills first and foremost: How to Practice Active Listening (A Step-By-Step Guide)
JESSA MAE V. MOGAS BSN II-B

2. Know Your Audience

Knowing your audience is another critical component to having strong communication skills. The
way you interact with your manager should be different than how you interact with your kids.
This isn’t to say you need to be a different person with everyone you interact with. Far from it.

Here is a good way to think about it:

Imagine using your the same choice of words and body language you use with your spouse
while interacting with your boss. That puts things in a graphic light!

You want to ensure you are using the type of communication most relevant to your audience.

3. Minimize
I have lunch with a business associate about 3 times a year. We’ve been talking for several
years now about putting a business deal together.

He is one of those people that simply overwhelms others with a lot of words. Sometimes when I
ask him a question, I get buried beneath such an avalanche of words that I’m more confused
than when I asked the question. Needless to say this is most likely a large portion of why we
never put the deal together.

Don’t be like my lunch business associate. The goal of talking to or communicating with
someone is to share actual information. The goal is not to confuse someone, it’s to provide
clarity in many cases.

State what needs to be stated as succinctly as possible. That doesn’t mean you can’t have
some pleasant conversation about the weather though.

The point is to not create such an onslaught of words and information that the other person
walks away more confused than when they started.

4. Over Communicate
So this probably sounds completely counter intuitive to what I just wrote about minimizing your
communication. It seems like it might be but it’s not.

What I mean by over communicating is ensuring that the other person understands the
important parts of what you are sharing with them. This can be done simply yet effectively.
Here’s a good example:

Most companies have open enrollment for benefits for the employees in the fall. The company I
work for has open enrollment from November 1 to 15. The benefits department will send out a
communication to all employees around October 1st, letting them know open enrollment is right
around the corner and any major changes that year. There’s also a phone number and email for
people to contact them with any questions.

Two weeks later, we all get a follow up email with basically the same information. We get a 3rd
communication the week before open enrollment and another one 1 day before it starts.
JESSA MAE V. MOGAS BSN II-B

Finally, we get 2 emails during enrollment reminding us when open enrollment ends.

There’s minimal information, it’s more of a reminder. This is effective over communication.

5. Body Language
The final critical component to how to improve communication skills for workplace success is
body language. This is something most of us have heard about before but, a reminder is
probably a good idea.

When I am in a meeting with someone I am comfortable with, I tend to kind of slouch down in
my chair and cross my arms. When I catch myself doing this, I sit up straight and uncross my
arms. I remember that crossing arms can many times be interpreted as a sign of disagreement
or conflict.

In general, the best rule of thumb is to work towards having open body language whenever
possible at work. This means relaxing your posture, not crossing your arms, and looking people
in the eye when speaking with them.

When you are speaking in front of others, stand up straight and speak in a clear voice. This
will convey confidence in your words.

REFERENCES:

http://phicare.com/competencies/communicationbarriers.php

https://businessjargons.com/communication.html

https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/9-tips-to-improve-communication-skills.html

http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/management/communication/communication-meaning-purpose-
importance-and-principles/60291

https://www.businessmanagementideas.com/communication/elements-and-importance-of-
communication-process-business-management/2354