1. What is communication?

Communication is the conveying of messages by exchanging thoughts or information

via speech, visuals, signals, writing, or behavior. Communication requires a sender, a
message, and a recipient, although the receiver may not be present or aware of the
sender’s intent to communicate at the time of communication. Communication requires
that the communicating parties share some area of commonality. The communication
process is complete once the receiver has understood the message of the sender.

Perhaps the most time-honored form of communication is storytelling. People have told
each other stories for ages to help make sense of the world, anticipate the future, and
certainly to entertain. The art of storytelling draws on your understanding of yourself,
your message, and how you communicate it to an audience that is simultaneously
communicating back to you. Your anticipation, reaction, and adaptation to the process
determine how successfully you are able to communicate.

Communication involves actions that confer knowledge and experience, give advice and
commands, and ask questions. These actions may take many forms depending on the
abilities and resources of the individual communicators. Together, content and form
make messages that are sent towards a destination. The destination can be oneself,
another person, or another entity (such as a corporation or group of people).

Business Communication Basics

Business communication is the transmission and exchange of information between

people in an organization to facilitate business activities. Business communication
encompasses marketing, brand management, customer relations, consumer behavior,
advertising, public relations, corporate communication, community engagement,
reputation management, interpersonal communication, employee engagement, and
event management. It is closely related to the fields of professional and technical
communication.

Business communication takes place within an organization and across organizational

boundaries. Many organizations have a communications director who oversees internal
communications and crafts messages sent to employees. It is vital that these internal
communications are clear and managed in a timely way. Poorly crafted or managed
communications could misdirect employee effort, cause confusion, and even foster
distrust or hostility.

The C can be defined as the process through which 2 or more persons come to exchange ideas
and understanding among them.
2. What are the basic elements of communication?
The communication is a process which consists of five key components.
Those components include encoding, medium of transmission, message,
‘decoding and feedback. There are also other factors in the process and those
two factors are present in the form of the sender and the receiver. The
communication process begins with the sender and ends with the receiver.

The basic elements in the communication process are:

1. Sender/Encoder:
The entire burden of communication rests upon the sender or encoder. His
choice of images and words and the combination of the two is what drives the
receiver to listen carefully. In this process, a number of factors come into
play, primary among them being an understanding of the recipient and his/her
needs.

If the message can be formulated in accordance with the expectations of the

receiver, the level of acceptance is going to be higher. The sender is an
individual, group or organisation, who initiates the communication. This
source is initially responsible for the success of the message. The sender’s
experiences, attitudes, knowledge, skills, perceptions and culture influence
the message. All communication begins with the sender.

The sender (or source) acts as the transmitter in providing message. There are
five factors that lead the sender in any communication.

The factors are summarized as follows:

(i) Communication Skills:
The effectiveness of our communication is also determined by our ability
with non-verbal communications skills. A stern look of disapproval from the
group leader readily communicates to the receiver (group member) that
something he/she said or did, was not well-received.

(ii) Attitudes:
We can say that an attitude is a generalized tendency to feel about something
one way or another.

Attitudes affect our communication in three ways:

(a) Attitudes toward Ourselves:
It determines how we conduct ourselves when we transmit messages to
others. If we have a favorable self-altitude, the receivers will note our self-
confidence. If we have an unfavorable self-attitude, the receivers will note
our confusion. However, if our favorable self-attitude is too strong we tend to
become forward and overbearing and our communication loses much of its
effect with the receiver.

(b) Attitude towards Subject Matter:

It affects favorable self-attitude. Attitude towards subject matter affects our
communication by predetermining the way we work our messages about
certain subjects.

(c) Attitude towards the Receiver:

Attitude towards the receiver or attitude of receiver towards the sender is the
third item that influences our communication. Our messages are likely to be
different when communication of the same content is done to someone we
like and then to someone we dislike. We also shape our messages in different
forms while talking to someone in a higher position than while speaking to
someone in the same position or in a lower position regardless of whether we
like them or not.

(iii) Knowledge:
Knowledge level has a bearing on our ability to communicate effectively
about a subject. A businessman might feel at ease trying to talk with a farmer
about hogs, cattle, corn or beans. The farmer would probably not feel
qualified to talk about city slums, urban traffic problems or city government.
They may both feel quite comfortable discussing politics, however.

(iv) Position in the Social System:

The position of the sender and the receiver in their respective social systems
also affects the nature of the communicative act. Each one of us handles a
position in one or more social systems likewise in our family, work groups,
church, community or the organisations to which we belong. We perceive
those with whom we communicate as occupying a similar, higher or lower
position in their respective social systems.

(v) Culture:
Communication becomes easier and more impressive when it takes place
between people belonging to same cultures, because culture is relatively
independent of social positions of the sender and the receiver. Similar
cultural backgrounds make communication effective.

2. Message:
Message is the encoded idea transmitted by the sender. The message is what
the sender attempts to transmit to his/her specified receivers.

Every message has at least two major aspects:

(i) Content of the Message:
It includes the assertions, arguments, appeals and themes which the sender
transmits to the receivers. The formulation of the message is very important,
for an incorrect gesture can turn the receiver hostile or make him lose
interest. At this stage the sender has to be extremely alert.

(ii) Treatment of the Message:

The selection of contents and the treatment of the message basically depend
on our communication skills, attitudes knowledge level, our position in social
systems, and our culture. The choice of content and the treatment of the
message we use also depends on our audience and their communication
skills, knowledge, attitudes, social position, and culture.

3. Medium/Channels:
Medium or channels are another important element of communication. It
could be oral, written or non-verbal. Prior to the composition of the message,
the medium/channel should be decided. Each medium follows its own set of
rules and regulations. To initiate transmitting the message, the sender uses
some kind of channel (also called a medium).

The channel is the means used to express the message. Most channels are
either oral or written but currently visual channels are becoming much
popular as technology expands rapidly. Common channels include the
telephone and a variety of written formats such as memos, letters and reports.
The effectiveness of the various channels fluctuates, depending on the
characteristics of the communication.

4. Receiver/Decoder/Listener:
After the appropriate channel or channels are selected, the message enters the
decoding stage of the communication process. Decoding is conducted by the
receiver. The receiver is the person receiving the message that derives the
meaning or understands and translates it into meaning. Once the message is
received and examined, the stimulus is sent to the brain for interpreting, to
assign some type of meaning to it.

It is thus processing stage that constitutes decoding. The receiver interprets

the symbols sent by the sender, translates the message to their own set of
experiences to make the symbols meaningful. Successful communication
takes place when the receiver correctly interprets the sender’s message.

5. Feedback:
Communication is considered to be effective only when there is a proper
feedback. Feedback refers to the response of the receiver to the message
communicated. It is the last step in the process of communication, which
ensures the success of communication process. The signal may take the form
of a spoken comment, a long sigh, a written message, a smile or some other
action.

Even a lack of response, in a sense, is a form of response. In this way,

feedback is a key component in the communication process because it allows
the sender to evaluate the effectiveness of the message. Feedback ultimately
provides an opportunity for the sender to take corrective action to clarify a
misunderstood message. Feedback plays an important role by indicating
significant communication barriers.
There are seven components of the communication process:
1. The sender
2. The encoding/decoding process
3. The message
4. The medium and the channel
5. The receiver
6. The feedback
7. The noise.
Component # 1. The Sender:
The sender is the “initiator” of the communication process. The sender’s goal
is to transmit/convey the message to the receiver. For this, the sender encodes
the message and then transmits it to the receiver. The burden of
communication, therefore, rests on the sender.
The sender’s choice of verbal and nonverbal elements influences the
receptiveness of the receiver. If the sender encodes the message in
accordance with the expectations of the receiver, the receiver tends to be
more attentive to the message. The encoding of the message to be sent
depends on the sender’s communication skills, experiences, attitudes, beliefs,
and perceptions. In the restaurant example, “you” were the sender.
The sender may be an individual, a group, or an organization. For instance,
when a company publishes its balance sheet, the company is the sender.
Component # 2. The Encoding/Decoding Process:
The process of converting the message into a format that can be understood
by the receiver is referred to as encoding. The message is encoded using both
verbal and nonverbal symbols. The choice (of these symbols) plays an
important role in the effectiveness of the overall communication process. The
message received by the receiver has to be interpreted in order for it to make
sense.
This process of interpretation is referred to as decoding. The communication
process is ideal when the sent message and the received message are
identical. For this, the sender must visualize the message from the receiver’s
point of view and encode it accordingly. Furthermore, a message can be
encoded in three different formats, namely, oral, written, and visual.
For a message to be accurately decoded, the sender and the receiver must
assign the same meaning to the words contained within the message. The
government and the military often use the encoding process based on the
same principle in order to safeguard data. This coding intends to hide the
actual meaning of the message. Young children, for instance, build their own
codes for encoding messages so that parents/elders would not understand
their secret messages.
For example, if you intercepted the message “The Little Boy and the Fat Man
are Dogs,” what would you make of it? Nothing of consequence really!
However, that would not be the case if you had the decoding key; in fact, the
message would seem profound. “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” were code names
for the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively.
“Dog” was the code word for “Bomb is armed.” Now, see if you can decode
what the message actually meant.
Today, even terrorists use hidden codes to pass on messages to one another
without arousing the suspicion of the authorities. Some government agencies
suspect Osama Bin Laden’s prerecorded videos used to be laden with such
hidden messages. Another popular example comes from the book The Da
Vinci Code. According to author Dan Brown and other conspiracy theorists,
Da Vinci hid messages pertaining to Mary Magdalene and the Holy Grail in
his famous 15th Century fresco, The Last Supper.
The encoding and decoding processes, hence, are very fascinating and have
given rise to new branches of study, such as cryptography, steganography,
semiotics, and so on.
Component # 3. The Message:
The message is an encoded idea transmitted by the sender to the receiver.
There are two aspects to the message being transmitted – the content and the
treatment.
i. The Content:
The content is the idea within the message. In other words, the content refers
to the subject matter, which has to be transmitted to the receiver. For
instance, suppose your organization wishes to send a message to the
government, appealing for support for “Save the Tiger” project. The content
of the message, for instance, will include the survey results by the World
Wildlife Fund, the proposed plans for safeguarding tiger habitats, plans for
captive breeding programs, the costs involved, and the appeal for financial
support.
ii. The Treatment:
The treatment of the message refers to the ordering of the content by the
sender. The ordering or arrangement of the content is very important as it
helps in getting the receiver’s attention. For instance, the content can be
arranged in many ways. However, the advisable way would be to state the
problem, followed by the evidence (survey results), the proposed plan of
action, which will then be followed by the costs involved and the appeal for
financial support.
The selection of the content and the treatment of the message depend not only
on the communication skills, knowledge, attitudes, and culture of the sender
but also on the receiver’s knowledge and communication skills. The sender
will have to alter the content and the treatment of the message when
addressing different audiences.
Component # 4. The Medium and the Channel:
The important elements of communication are the medium and the channel.
The medium can be verbal (both oral and written) or nonverbal. Similarly,
there are several channels – face-to-face, speech, telephone, billboards, e-
mails, newspapers, letters, memos, newsletters, videoconferencing, and so on.
Before encoding the message, the sender must select the appropriate channel
and medium. The medium and the channel follow their own sets of rules and
guidelines. While one has to adhere to all rules of communication in written
communication, one can afford to take some liberties with oral
communication.
The wrong selection of either the channel or the medium (or both) can prove
disastrous for the communication process. For instance, when making a
financial presentation, which deals with a lot of numbers, if you fail to use
visual aids (in the form of numerical and graphical figures), it will leave the
receivers confused.
Before deciding the channel and the medium, you must ask yourself some
obvious questions, such as “What type of information is to be conveyed
(good news, bad news, information, instruction, etc.)?” “What
communication skills (oral and written) do the receivers possess?” “Is the
message urgent and requires prompt feedback?” “Is documentation
required?” “Is the content confidential or complicated?” “What amount can
be spent on the medium?” and so on. The answers to these questions will help
you judiciously decide what medium and channel to select.
Component # 5. The Receiver:
The receiver is the person to whom the message is directed. However,
contrary to the Aristotelian model, which viewed the receiver simply as a
passive recipient, both the sender and the receiver are viewed as active
participants in the communication process.
If you are the receiver, it is your job to properly decode the sender’s message
(both verbal and nonverbal) with as little distortion as possible. To
accomplish this, you must actively listen, paraphrase, ask questions, and read
the sender’s intonation and body language.
This interpretation is usually shaped by the receiver’s knowledge, experience,
attitudes, skills, perceptions, and culture. Furthermore, the extent to which the
receiver will be able to correctly decode the sender’s message will also
depend on a number of other factors, namely, the receiver’s familiarity with
the topic, his/her interest in the topic, and the nature of relationship that exists
between the receiver and the sender.
Post the decoding, the message is accepted on at least three levels – the
cognitive, wherein you accept the message to be true; the affective, wherein
you believe that the message is both true and good; and the behavior, wherein
you believe the message to be true and good and thereby incorporate the
message into your behavior.
Component # 6. The Feedback:
Once the decoding process is over, the receiver encodes and sends a message
back to the sender. This message becomes the feedback in the
communication process. Feedback forms an important part of the process as
it helps the sender determine whether the message reached the receiver
correctly.
The feedback may be verbal or nonverbal. For instance, the questions you
raise in the class after a teacher has explained a concept is verbal feedback.
The clarification offered by the teacher in response is also feedback. Or when
you deliver a presentation and the team applauds, applause, in this case, is
nonverbal feedback. In another instance, when you ask someone out on a date
and they shoot you down, that too is feedback.
Component # 7. The Noise:
Noise refers to any obstruction that hampers the transmission of the message
or the feedback.
It can be divided into three categories:
a. External noise
b. Internal noise
c. Semantic noise
a. External Noise:
External noise refers to the environmental interference that distracts the
sender or the receiver. It, therefore, hampers the transmission of the
message/feedback, thereby distorting the message, so that the message
received differs from the message sent. Examples of external noise are others
talking, traffic noise, background music, cold room, and hot weather.
b. Internal Noise:
Internal noise refers to the attitudes, thoughts, prejudices, and moods of the
sender or the receiver that interfere with the transmission process. Even the
amount of attention the receiver pays to the sender can interfere with the
accurate transmission of the message. Let us take the example of your annual
appraisal. If you do not like your boss, you are likely to regard every
feedback (even constructive) as criticism. In extreme cases, even praise or a
compliment from the boss can be construed as sarcasm.
c. Semantic Noise:
Semantic noise refers to the interferences that occur because of the meaning
of words. Different words may mean different things to the sender and the
receiver, and this, in turn, leads to problems in the overall communication
process; for example, unfamiliar words, technical language, and slurs or
slangs.

Process means a systematic series of actions or operations of a series of

changes directed to some end. Communication is a two-way process wherein
there is an exchange and progression of ideas towards a mutually acceptable
goal. The process of communication involves two parties, viz., ‘sender’ and
‘receiver’. The former conveys message through a medium to the latter who
acknowledges receipt of the message delivered.
Components of the Communication Process:
The process of communication involves the following major components:
1. Sender/Encoder/Speaker
2. Message
3. Receiver/Decoder/Listener
4. Medium/Channel
5. Feedback
1. Sender:
Sender is the person who starts the process of communication. He
communicates opinions, ideas, facts, thoughts or information instructions,
directions, advice, etc. He is the transmitter of the message.
2. Message:
This refers to information, written or spoken, which is sent from one person
to another. It can be verbal and non-verbal. Since the message has to trigger
response, it needs to be simple, precise, complete, unambiguous and
courteous. The sender has to gauge the requirements of the receiver in
advance and accordingly design the message to be transmitted and choose the
right medium to get maximum impact to the message conveyed.
3. Receiver:
The person who receives the message decodes it, understand, it or attaches
some meaning to it. Thus the receiver has to perform three functions at the
receiving point. In other words, he has to take the message. But the very
message may not reach the receiver or may reach the intended receiver in a
different shape due to many reasons like interception of message conveyed
by a third person, receipt of message by a third person etc.
Suggestions may be misconstrued as order, etc. The second function of
receiver is to attach meaning to it. The third one is to understand the message
in same sense in which it is conveyed by the sender.
4. Channel:
The very method with which communication is sent is called channel. It can
be letter, e-mail, fax, telegram, telegraph, telephone, reports, bulletin, posters
and manuals. The sender has to select the appropriate channel, given the
nature of message to be transmitted viz., oral or written.
5. Feedback:
Receiver’s reaction or response to the message delivered is feedback. The
feedback may be oral or verbal. Smiles, nod, sight, etc., are oral ones while
sending replies through letters, documents, submitting explanation etc., are
written feedback. The feedback in oral communication is quicker than the
written communication. It minimizes or eliminates errors.
Sometimes receiver may not give feedback to the message delivered. This
leads to a lot of wrong assumptions, erroneous conclusion and fallacious
statements. It reduces the effectiveness of communication. In other words,
success or failure of communication is determined by the feedback. The
feedback completes the cycle of the communication.
3. Define managerial communication?
4. What is the effective business communication?
5. Explain communication network
6. What are the channels of communication?
7. External communication