BASIC CONCEPTS

OF
COMMUNICATION

Dela Torre, Mary Marixon

Diaz, Jeri Ann Michelle

Enriquez, Renz

Estoconing, Pelian Joy

Fitalco, Ma. Liza

Flores, Cyrus

Formilles, Mary Shane Therese

Fraginal, Michael Anjelo

Gabriel, Janajaudime

Gallego, John Herald

BSA 1-1

Sir Eduardo Francisco

 Human Behavior in Organization

BASIC CONCEPTS OF COMMUNICATION

Alvin Dodd, the president of the American Management Association stated that, “The number
one problem of management today is communication”. As a matter of fact, effective communication is
important in bringing about coordination, understanding, and unity in the overall strife to attain
organizational objectives and goals.

CHARACTERISTICS OF COMMUNICATION

1. Process of interaction
2. Two-way process
3. Social process
4. Dynamic social process
5. Involves at least two persons (Sender and Receiver)
6. Should be properly planned
7. Should be performed by managers and employees
8. Aims to extract desired response
9. Expressed through words, data, symbols, body language, pictures, figures, and sound
10. May be oral, written, or gestural
11. May be directed downward, upward, horizontally, or on the same level
12. Attain harmony, understanding, and cooperation in the organization

OBJECTIVES AND GOALS OF COMMUNICATION

According to John G. Clover, the objectives and goals of communication are the following:

1. To keep employees well-informed.

2. To provide employees with proper orders and instructions.
3. To gather information from employees who may help management.
4. To make every employee interested in his/her job.
5. To express management’s interest and satisfaction.
6. To reduce fast turn-over of personnel.
7. To motivate employees with the will to work.
8. To instill every employee with personal pride and joy being a part of the company.

IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
 According to Haimann, the success of all managerial functions depends on successful
communication.

According to M.U Qureshi, communication is important for the following reasons:

1. Facilitates efficient functioning of the enterprise.

2. Ensures proper planning.
3. Facilitates sound decision-making.
4. It is at the very heart of the process of organizing.
5. Ensures effective staffing.

6. Essential for leading people.

7. Enhances motivation and morale.

8. Facilitates good coordination.
9. Effective control requires sound communication system.
10. Promotes democratic management of the organization.
11. Ensures sound human and industrial relations.
12. Promotes goodwill, understanding and the good image of the organization.
13. Avoids illusion and ignorance.
14. Facilitates organizational change.

THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

A method by which a sender reaches a receiver. The process requires six (6) steps:

1. Develop an Idea
2. Encode
3. Transmit
4. Receive
5. Decode
6. Use

Communication reveals to others the nature of the communicator, his way of thinking and his
other values. It, therefore, plays an important role in interpersonal and group relationships.

THE RULE OF FIVE

There are two (2) additional steps by senders, which are, however, not needed to complete a
communication. These are:
 1. Acceptance
2. Feedback

THE RULE OF FIVE OF COMMUNICATION

1. Receive
2. Understand
3. Accept
4. Use
5. Feedback

FOUR (4) TYPES OF COMMUNICATION NETWORKS

1. CHAIN NETWORK – Communication is a vertical line from top to bottom and bottom to top of
the organizational hierarchy.
2. CIRCULAR NETWORK – Communication moves in a circular way.
3. WHEEL OR STAR NETWORK – A network which the members of an organization usually
do not communicate directly with each other.
4. FREE-FLOW OR DECENTRALIZED OR ALL CHANNEL NETWORK – Communication
network is one in which lines are not structured.

THE CATEGORIES OF COMMUNICATION

Communication may be classified on the following bases:

1. On the basis of organizational structure.

2. On the basis of direction.
3. On the basis of mode of expression.

COMMUNICATION ON THE BASIS OF ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

1. Formal Communication
2. Informal Communication or “Grapevine”

FORMAL COMMUNICATION

It means the communication which travels through the formally established channels. It
establishes the single path of communication channels which link the various positions.

THE ADVANTAGES OF FORMAL COMMUNICATION

 1. It ensures orderly flow of communication.
2. It helps in maintaining the lines of authority in the organization.
3. It helps in maintaining direct contact with the subordinates.
4. It helps in the fixation of responsibility and accountability.
5. It helps in maintaining discipline.

THE DISADVANTAGES OF FORMAL COMMUNICATION

1. It is time-consuming.
2. It obstructs free and accurate circulation of information in an organization.
3. It lacks personal contacts and leadership.
4. It creates a bottleneck in the flow of information.
5. There is the possibility of distorting facts when the message passes through various levels.
6. The filtering of facts is possible in upward communication.

THE INFORMAL COMMUNICATION (GRAPEVINE)

It takes place on the basis of informal relations between the members of a group. It is on the basis
of Personal Communication in nature and not a formal communication.

Informal Communication is sometimes referred to as grapevine. It transmits information about

what people are doing. It often leads to rumors in the organization.

KEITH DAVIS IDENTIFIED FOUR (4) NETWORKS INTRANSMITTING INFORMATION

THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE:

1. SINGLE STRAND – One and one person communication.

2. GOSSIP CHAIN – Every member of the informal group talks with everyone and it is usually
about personal matters.
3. PROBABILITY CHAIN – Communication of information is done randomly.
4. CHESTER CHAIN – Grapevine communication generally operates like a chester chain.

THE ADVANTAGES OF INFORMAL COMMUNICATION

1. It is faster in speed than formal communication.

2. It is more flexible.
3. It is dynamic and reacts quickly according to the change of time.
4. It is a powerful tool of communication.
5. It helps improve decision-making.
6. It satisfies the inner urge or need of people.
 7. It is an effective means of communicating organizational rules, values, morals, traditions and
history.
8. It supplements formal communication.
9. It may serve as a trial-balloon of management on any critical issue.
10. It may provide feedback to managers on their actions and decisions.

THE DISADVANTAGES OF INFORMAL COMMUNICATION

1. It carries inadequate information.

2. It promotes gossips and spreads rumors.
3. It is hard to identify the source of information.
4. It may create misunderstanding and confusion.
5. Information may mislead personnel.

COMMUNICATION ON THE BASIS OF DIRECTION

There are types of communication on the basis of their direction, such as:

1. Downward Communication
2. Upward Communication
3. Horizontal Communication
4. Diagonal Communication

DOWNWARD COMMUNICATION

It is one that flows from top to bottom or from superior to subordinates down the lines of the
organizational structure.

According to Katz and Kahn, the following are the objectives of the downward communication:

1. To give specific task directives about jobs.

2. To give information about organizational procedures and practices.
3. To provide information about rational of the job.
4. To tell the subordinates about their performance.
5. To provide ideological type information to facilitate goals.

THE ADVANTAGES OF DOWNWARD COMMUNICATION

1. It helps in explaining company vision, mission, objectives and goals, policies, rules, procedures,
projects and tasks to the subordinates.
2. It helps to coordinate and integrate levels of management in the organizational structure.
 3. It helps managers to use their authority and power effectively and efficiently.
4. It helps management to introduce organizational change.
5. It eradicates misunderstanding and doubt between management and workers.

THE DISADVANTAGES OF DOWNWARD COMMUNICATION

1. Information might be filtered.

2. Inaccurate information might prevail.
3. Sometimes it is time-consuming.
4. Some executives at various levels tend to filter information for their personal interests.

STEPS TO IMPROVE DOWNWARD COMMUNICATION

1. The message must be specific, clear, and vivid.

2. It should be time-bound.
3. It should be in line with the duties, responsibilities, capabilities, authorities and accountabilities
of the receiver.
4. It should be in accordance with the organizational vision, mission, objectives and goals.
5. It should be within the organizational policies, rules and regulations.

UPWARD COMMUNICATION

It is one that flows from bottom to top management or from subordinates to superiors along with
the chain of command in the organizational hierarchy.

THE ADVANTAGES OF UPWARD COMMUNICATION

1. It provides feedbacks from the workplace or field.

2. It enables managers to know the progress of the project done by the subordinates.
3. The subordinates can express their problems, grievances and appeals to management.
4. The subordinates can be innovative and creative.
5. It increases receptiveness of communication.
6. It enables executives to evaluate the impact and effectivity of communication.
7. It creates feelings of belongingness, harmony and cooperation among the subordinates.

THE DISADVANTAGES OF UPWARD COMMUNICATION

1. Subordinates may not provide the complete details of the information.

2. Subordinates may forward favorable information regarding their interest.
 3. Superiors usually do not allow subordinates to forward information directly to them.
4. Distorted communication may be forwarded by some subordinates.

THE HORIZONTAL OR LATERAL COMMUNICATION

It refers to the communication between personnel of the same level or position. The objective of
horizontal communication is to promote good coordination and integration among the different
departments or offices.

THE ADVANTAGES OF HORIZONTAL COMMUNICATION

1. Better coordination and integration among offices or departments.

2. Personnel on the same level shall be encouraged to share or exchange vital information.
3. There shall be joint efforts in the solving of problems.
4. It develops favorable working environment.
5. Inter-department conflicts can be solved easily.
6. It helps avoid overlapping and duplication of activities.

THE DISADVANTAGES OF HORIZONTAL COMMUNICATION

1. Sometimes it is hard to get the willingness of other personnel to share information.

2. Differences of visions, experiences and approaches may distort the information.
3. Usually, personnel may tend to suppress information which is disadvantageous to the
organization.

THE DIAGONAL COMMUNICATION

It refers to the communication between people who are neither in the same department nor on the
same level of organizational hierarchy.

The flow of communication is diagonal rather than vertical.

KINDS OF COMMUNICATION BASED ON THE MODE OF EXPRESSION

1. Written Communication
2. Oral or Verbal Communication
3. Gestural or Non-Verbal Communication

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
 It is expressed through written words. It may be expressed through groups, charts, diagrams or
pictures with or without words.

THE ADVANTAGES OF WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

1. All concerned have the same information.

2. It is a permanent record of information.
3. It is an effective means of communicating lengthy message.
4. There is no alteration in the messages.
5. It is an effective means of exchanging information at distant places.
6. It is complete, clear, precise, and correct.
7. It allows time to think before communicating.
8. It avoids the misunderstanding, disputes, and conflicts.
9. It is valid, legal evidence.
10. It is an effective means of transmitting messages to a large number of persons at the same time.

THE DISADVANTAGES OF WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

1. It is more expensive
2. It is more time-consuming.
3. There is no secrecy.
4. Correction cannot be done easily once the communication is already released.
5. There is no personal touch.
6. It can be subjected to several interpretations.
7. There is no immediate feedback.

TWO SHADES (ORAL OR VERBAL) COMMUNICATION

It is expressed through words-of-mouth or spoken words. It may be in the form of face-to-face

conversation or through any electronic mode such as telephone, cellular phone, intercom and other means.

According to Haimann, the human voice can impart the message with meaning and shading
which even long pages of written words simply cannot convey.

THE ADVANTAGES OF ORAL COMMUNICATION

1. It is more economical than written communication.

2. It is faster and reaches the target audience more easily.
3. It promotes personal touch and leads to better understanding and goodwill.
4. In case of errors, immediate corrections can be made.
 5. In case of doubts, immediate clarifications can be requested.
6. Feedback and reactions can be received immediately.
7. Inter-active participation among the participants can be obtained.
8. It is more flexible than written communication.

sTHE DISADVANTAGES OF ORAL COMMUNICATION

1. It is less reliable than written communication.

2. It is sometimes distorted.
3. There are no records for future references.
4. There is no ample time to think before conveying the message or information.
5. It presents regional language problems.
6. It is expensive in case the receiver of the message or information is at a distant place.

THE GESTURAL (NON-VERBAL) COMMUNICATION

It is a mode of communication through postures or gestures of the different parts of the body,
such as movement of the lips, wink of an eye, the wave of hands, movement of heads, facial expression,
tone of voice, and any other movement of the body or body parts which may be used to transmit the
message.

THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOOD COMMUNICATIONS BY THE AMERICAN

MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION

1. Seek to clarify your ideas before communicating.

2. Examine the purpose of each communication.
3. Consider the total physical setting, whenever you communicate.
4. Consult with others, where appropriate, in planning the communication.
5. Be mindful while you communicate of the overtones as well as the basic content of your message.
6. Take the opportunity, where it arises, to convey something of help or value to the receiver.
7. Follow-up your communication.
8. Communicate for tomorrow as well as today.
9. Be sure that your actions support your communication.
10. Seek not only to be understood but understand.

BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

The barriers to effective communication according to M. U Qureshi are as follows:

 1. Poorly Expressed Message 8. Emotional Attitude
2. Complex Organizational Structure 9. Undisclosed Assumptions
3. Status Barriers 10. Inadequate Attention or Half- Listening
4. Filtering Information 11. Barriers Due to Lack of Mutual Trust
5. Semantic Barriers 12. Resistance to Change
6. Language Barriers 13. Mechanical Barriers
7. Different Backgrounds

STRATEGIES TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

1. Clarity and completeness

2. Proper language
3. Proper channel or medium
4. Sound organization structure
5. Training and development of employees
6. Effective listening
7. Consultation and participation
8. Motivation, mutual trust and confidence
9. Integrity factor
10. Use of formal communication
11. Effective feedback mechanism
12. Proper gestures and tone

EFFECTIVE LISTENING

It enables the receivers to take exactly the idea that a sender wishes to convey.

Good listeners use their idle time to think in terms of the speaker’s objective, weigh evidences,
search for clues to meaning and review what has been said.

SUGGESTIONS FOR EFFECTIVE LISTENING

1. Stop talking 6. Be patient

2. Put the talker at ease 7. Hold your temper
3. Show the talker that you want to listen 8. Go easy on argument and criticism
4. Remove distractions 9. Ask questions
5. Empathize with talkers 10. Stop talking