CHAPTER : 1 Summary

INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION
1. Why is Communication Important?
Why study Business Communication?
2. What is communication?
Theories of Communication
Definition of Communication
3. Why is communication imperfect?
Psychological Barriers
Semantic and Physical Barriers.

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Examination Notes
Q#1: Define Communication and Why COMMUNICATION IS IMPORTANT
in business world?
Or
Q#1: Why study Business Communication?
Communication is the process of sharing by which the messages produce
response.
The communication is important in business world because:
a)

The world of business is a world of action

Products are designed made and sold
People hired
Service rendered
Policies made and implemented
Jobs learned and performed

Yet there is no practical way in which these events could take place without
communication.
b) Communication helps in clarifying concepts ideas.
c) Communication helps in understanding / persuading and working
with other people.
d) Business people spend 60 to 90 percent time at work
communication.
e) The higher one goes in an organization the more he needs to learn
the art of communicating i.e speaking, writing and otherwise.

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Q# 2 Define Communications and explain its theories?

Definition of Communication
Communication is the process of sharing by which the messages produce
response.
The above definition is based on the three theories of communication.
1. ELECTRONIC THEORY
It is also called as Mathematical Theory and deals with technical
problems of transmitting a message from sender to receiver.
Obviously, it is based on the language of electronics.
In this theory message begins with sender i.e. information source
who transmits the coded message through signal. The last step is
that receiver decodes the message
Mathematical or Electronic Theory
Figure:
Message
Communicator
as Sender

Audience
as Receiver

The theory is helpful because it introduces the idea of sender receiver and
possible interference. Accuracy is an important aspect of this theory.
Example
Yours perfectly expressed idea rejected as it was against companys policy
You have no right to give the ideas

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2. SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT THEORY

Figure:
Message
Communicator

Audience

Within certain environment

The theory is based on the social environment in which we work
When we interact and communicate together we participate in social
situation
We have a status officially prescribed (job title)
We must also know the rules of environment to communicate
Rules may be official as company policy or practice or unwritten rules
i.e why, when, how, whom and how long to communicate.
The above figure adds social environment to the electronic theory.
3. RHETORICAL THEORY
Adds more dimensions to our understanding of communication
process.
Communication is a circular process, it produces response.
Communication is dynamic not static
Rhetorical Theory
Figure:

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IMPLICATIONS OF DEFINITION
OR
Q#3 Explain Definition of Communication in Details?
Communication is defines as:
The process of sharing by which messages produce responses.
Process: Communication is not something static. It is dynamic
and on-going. You write and someone reads it. You speak and
someone listens.
Sharing
Communication is not one sided affair. If there is no
one to receive, the communication is only a noise. It is a two way
dialogue which changes the communicator and receiver both.
Unless someone receives the message there is no communication.
In fact it is the receiver who communicates.
Message
The message is not confined to something contained in a
letter. It includes the message in the communicators mind. Thus
there are two ways of transporting the ideas.
a) Through WORDS
which may have different meanings
to
different people.
b) Non Verbal Component appears to the tone, ideas emotions
attitude etc of the Receiver to interpret.
Response Response depends on the interpretations, attitude,
emotions or understanding of the receiver

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Q#3 Why communication is imperfect?

OR
BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION
The barriers to communication can be grouped into following:1. Psychological Barriers
2. Physical Barriers
3. Semantic Barriers
1. Psychological Barriers
Psychological Barriers pertain to what is going on in you audience
mind as a result of their psychological state. These barriers can be
classified into three categories:a) Emotional Blocks
Emotional blocks include; Likes / dislikes of audience.
Likes / dislikes of audience towards message.
b) Perceptual Blocks
Communication involves perception and perception is never precise.
Every person perceives things differently. We all live in different
subjective worlds.
The same data or ideas, people see, interpret or respond to them
differently.
Peoples perceptions are based on their experience and knowledge.

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c) Selectivity
Competition for peoples time and attention.
Bombardment of different information sources we simply cannot
absorb all this information and have to screen it selectively.
Selection aspects include time factor, context or positive or negative
impact.
2. Physical Barriers
Physical appearance of communicator or audience, the context of
the document or the presentation.
Illegible documents, jammed margins, faulty typing, unclear
photocopies all are physical barriers.
Other physical blocks include mumbling, speaking to fast, distracting
gestures, noise inside the room such as ringing telephones etc or
outside the building such as traffic or aero -planes.
Your message may be blocked because people in your audience are
uncomfortable; they cannot hear because of bad sound system and
cannot see because of inadequate lighting.
3. Semantic Barriers
These blocks deal with what goes on in your audience mind as a
result of what words you uttered.
The study of words choice is called Semantic and blocks arising from
words choice are called as Semantic blocks.

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