FUNDAMENTALS OF

COMMUNICATION SKILS
Lecture By : Dr. Saroj Sharma
Sanskriti College
Beawar
KEY POINTS

Definition of Communication

Process of Communication

Importance of Communication

Types of Communication

Barriers of Effective Communication

 DEFINITION OF COMMUNICATION
 “Communication” in very simple means is an act of sharing or
exchanging information with someone.

 “Communication” is a process by which information is exchanged

between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or
behavior .

 It is a Two-Way Process of reaching mutual understanding, in which

participants not only exchange (encode-decode) information, news, ideas
and feelings but also create and share meaning.

 In general, communication is a means of connecting people or places.

In business, it is a key function of management--an organization
cannot operate without communication between levels, departments
and employees.
COMMUNICATION PROCESS MODEL

Sender
 PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION
 Sender/Source: Source of Information who Initiates the
Communication Process.

 Message: Contents of Information that is to be Communicated.

 Encoding: Converting a Message to Symbolic Form or Language.

 Channel: Medium through which a Message travels along the Path of

Communication.

 Decoding: Retranslating the Symbolic Form or Language in

Understandable Format.

 Receiver: A Person or Group who is supposed to Receive the Message.

 Feedback: To Check How much successfully messages conveyed ?

 IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
 Base for Action:
 Communication acts as a base for any action. Starting of any
activity begins with communication which brings information
necessary to begin with.

 Planning Becomes Easy:

 Communication facilitates planning. Planning is made easy by
communication.

 Any type of information regarding the human resource

requirement of each department of the organization with their
qualifications, the type and kinds of job etc. can be collected
through communication which helps in HR planning.

 It also facilitates managerial planning of the organization.

IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
 Means of Coordination:
 Communication is an important tool for coordinating the efforts
of various people at work in the organization.

 Aids in Decision-Making:
 The information collected through communication aids in
decision-making.

 Communication facilitates access to the vital information

required to take decisions.
IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
 Provides Effective Leadership:
 A communication skill bring manager near to his subordinates
and exchange ideas and submits appropriate proposals, knows
their opinions, seeks advices and make decisions.

 This enables a manager to win confidence of his subordinates

through constantly communicating with them and removing
probable misunderstandings.

 In this way he leads his people to accomplish the organizational

goal.
IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
 Boosts Morale and Motivation:
 An effective communication system instills confidence among
subordinates and workers ensuring change in their attitude and
behavior.

 The main cause of conflict and dissatisfaction is

misunderstanding which can be removed through
communication skills.

 The removal of misunderstanding makes manager and his

subordinates understand each other and create good industrial
relations.

 This boosts up the morale of the people and motivates them to

work harder.
TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
 There are basically Three Types of Communication
Methods

Verbal Communication

Non-Verbal Communication

Written Communication
 VERBAL COMMUNICATION
 Verbal or Oral Communication uses Spoken Words to
Communicate a Message.

 When most people think of Verbal Communication, they think of

Speaking, but Listening is an Equally Important Skill for this type of
Communication to be Successful.

 Verbal Communication is applicable to a wide range of situations,

ranging from Informal Office Discussions to Public Speeches made to
thousands of people.

 Improving your Verbal Communication Skills can help you to foster

better relationships with your coworkers and maintain a large
network of contacts that you can call on when necessary.
 MERITS OF VERBAL COMMUNICATION
 Time Saving: Oral Communication doesn’t require much
Preparation and the Message is Delivered Instantly.
 Quick Feedback: The Person Speaking or Delivering the Message
can immediately Derive the Response or Feedback.
 Clarity of Thoughts: Thoughts can be Convincingly Expressed by
the Speaker based upon the Feedback in different ways accordingly.
 Interpersonal Relations: Using carefully chosen Words, switching
Tones, Pitches, Facial-Expressions & Gestures have higher chances
of creating a Fair Personal Impression on the Audience.
 .

 Cost Effective: Doesn’t require vast number of Resources as it is

directly delivered to the Target Audience, be it in Small Group or
Larger Public Speech.
 DEMERITS OF VERBAL COMMUNICATION
 Inappropriate for Lengthy Messages: Receivers may feel boredom,
may lack of concentration thus leaving the message ineffective and
being misinterpreted.

 Lack of Legal Authenticity: In case of disputes, Legal Proof of the

messages communicated are required to be produced which are in
most cases of Verbal Communication is not available.

 May Lack of Retention: Over longer time one may forget or find out
trouble in remembering the messages conveyed which in turn, also
impact time based essential actions or decisions.

 Lack of Accountability: In case of absence of audio/visual

recordings its hard to ensure the accountability of statements issued
by certain authorized person.
 NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
 Non-verbal communication includes body language, gestures, facial
expressions, and even posture.

 Usually Non-verbal communication aids to the Verbal

Communication, sets the tone of a conversation, and can impact upon
the message conveyed positively or negatively.

 The nodding of head, blinking of eyes, waving of hands,

movements of shoulders are the expressions of thoughts and
feelings. All those movements are signals that ones body send out to
communicate.

 E.g. In great speakers or leaders, who are quite popular you may notice
that their body language and expressions are positive and confident
enough to inspire, motivate and communicate effectively.
MERITS OF NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
 Instant Effect : Factors such as facial expression, eye contact &
other gestures have instant effect on human mind, even illiterate
people can understand what speaker want to share .

 Aid to Verbal Communication : Non-verbal clues complements a

verbal message by adding to its meaning, making it more effective and
personalized.

 Quick & Stronger Response : As it is easy to understand , have

instant effect on the audience which gives quick and strong
response .

 Easy Presentation :Information can be easily presented using visual,

audio-visual and silent means of non-verbal communication.
DEMERITS OF NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
 Chances of Misinterpretation: No dictionary can accurately classify the
gestures and postures . Their meanings varies not only by culture and
context but also by the degree of intension.

 Multi-channel : While watching someone’s eyes , you may miss something

happening in a hand gesture as everything is going on simultaneously
therefore it may be confusing to keep up with everything .

 Culture-bound : It is learnt in childhood ,passed on to by parents and

others. Gestures seen as in one culture may be seen as obscene in other
culture. Like the thumbs-up gesture to keep it up.

 Lack of Formality : It dose not follow any rules or formal structure,

people unconsciously and habitually engaged in non-verbal
communication by moving the various parts of the body, which may
confuse or misunderstood.
 WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
 Written Communication means delivering messages, orders or
instructions in-writing through letters, circulars, manuals,
reports, email, office memos, bulletins etc.

 It involves expressing clearly using language with precision,

constructing a logical argument, note taking, editing and
summarizing and writing reports.

 There are Three Main elements of Written Communication.

 Structure – The Way the content is Laid Out.
 Style – The Way it is Written
 Content – What is it About?
MERITS OF WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
 Documentary Evidence : It has documentary evidence which can be
used as future references.

 Accuracy : As discipline is maintained, accuracy of information can

be insured. Chance of mistakes can be minimized.

 Clarity: Due to structured or formal channel is used chance of

ambiguity decreases.

 Efficiency : Through formal communication, coordination among

different divisions of an organization increases. As a result
organizational efficiency also enhanced.
DEMERITS OF WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
 Lack of Flexibility: Strict Formalities & Chain of Command is
maintained, thus makes it inflexible.

 Time Consuming : As Information flows through the chain, it takes

long time to convey information from upper to lower level.

 Ineffective in Emergency: In case of delayed transmission due to

various unpredictable factors, there are possibilities of losing its
effectiveness in emergency.

 Costly Maintenance : For the purpose of documentary evidences and

references for further usage, there is a need to store all the paper
work or electronic communication in organized form which takes
the burden of maintenance to keep track of them.
BARRIERS OF
EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION
Lecture By : Dr. Saroj Sharma
Sanskriti College
Beawar
BARRIERS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
 Physical Barriers: Lack of Quality Equipment's & Resources, Noise &
Network Problems, Poor Lighting, Extreme Weather & Far Reaching
Remote Areas.

 Attitudes or Emotional Barriers: Emotions like Anger & Sadness and

Attitudes problems may create emotional noise and taint objectivity.

 Language & Cultural Barriers: Lack of mapping b/w different language

and cultures or poor transliteration as well as even in case of same
language due to different generations, experiences and regional
background may impact effectiveness of communication.

 Structural Barriers: In organizations, lack of proper structure or

communication channel such as improper training and supervision,
faulty or bad communication system may raise the issues in effective
communication.
BARRIERS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
 Lack of Common Experience: Speaker and Audience cannot relate
to stories presented as examples due to differences in knowledge and
experiences may make communication ineffective.

 Ambiguity and Abstractions Overuse: Leaving things half-said, using

too many generalizations, proverbs or sayings, can all lead to
communications that are not clear and that can lend themselves to
misinterpretations.

 Information Overload: It takes time to process a lot of information

and too many details can overwhelm and distract the audience from
the important topics.

 Assumptions and Jumping to Conclusions: Biased or Unbiased,

audience is always free to reach a decision about something before
listening to all the facts.
END OF LECTURE
Lecture By : Dr. Saroj Sharma
Sanskriti College
Beawar