Communication Comes From the Latin word “Communicare”
Communication Meaning:
- Share or contribution
- unite or integrate
- join or connect
- have things in common
The word “communication” has a long history and originally referred to:
- The passing of ideas, information, & emotions from one person to another
- The creation of a connection or channel between two places
Communication refers to the various ways in which we connect with others, including:
- Expressing our feelings
- Sharing our thoughts or thinkings
- Asking questions or Queries
- Seeking help
- Conveying facts
- Engaging in debates
- Persuading others to take action
- Giving instructions
Background
Throughout history, humans have expressed themselves and conveyed their thoughts, emotions, sentiment, passion, & ideas, and goals, through various forms of communication. For example, when the first recognizable human beings meander the earth, they likely communicated through simple gestures, facial expressions, and vocalizations. But it was not until billions of years later that man could take communication to new heights with the invention of speed.
Because of the development of writing, printing, telephones, computers, the internet, and many web applications, we can now communicate with one another in ways that were before unthinkable.
The nature of communication & particularly the impact of educational technology is the focus of this article. This piece objectives to analyze all the key aspects of this important topic, feature its significance & underscoring the need for a deep understanding of the subject.
Definition
“The act of conveying information, facts, statistics, particulars, thoughts, emotions, and ideas from one person to another through speaking, writing, or any other media is referred to as communication.”
Nature of Communication: Features
The Continuous Process of Communication:
The exchange of ideas and opinions is a constant cycle that promotes mutual understanding & relevant information exchange.
Two-Way Interaction:
Communication is a 2-way process that involves a sender & a receiver. It can also take place through intrapersonal communication when an individual speaks with himself.
Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication:
Verbal communication refers to the use of written, recorded, printed, published, or spoken words to convey messages, while non-verbal communication refers to the use of gestures, movements, actions, signals, body language, body language, and facial expressions. Non-verbal communication can often be more powerful than verbal communication and includes sounds, signs, and symbols.
Two-Way Process and Mutual Understanding:
Communication is a two-way process, with both the sender & receiver playing a important role in the process. It is effective when both parties develop a mutual understanding of the subject being discussed. This involves the receiver comprehending the message being conveyed by the sender in the desired sense.
Goal-Oriented Communication:
Communication is goal-oriented and is more effective when the sender & receiver are aware of the objectives they wish to achieve through communication. Communication can be a means to achieving the desired end goal.
Binding Organizational Activities:
Communication is an essential aspect of an organization’s functioning and helps in binding together internal and external organizational environments. It integrates human and physical resources and converts them into organizational output.
Foundation of Management:
Communication is the foundation of management, and plays a crucial role in the planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling functions. It facilitates the accomplishment of organizational goals and is essential for other managerial functions, such as motivating people and controlling organizational activities.
Inter-disciplinary Nature:
An interdisciplinary area of management, communication incorporates information from a variety of educational fields, including psychology, sociology, and anthropology. The optimum application of these disciplines is necessary for effective communication.
Importance of Communication: Why it Matters
The inborn human desire to socialize and form communities makes communication a crucial aspect of our lives. In today’s fast-moving world, effective communication is essential for managers to inform their subordinates about any changes in technology, structure, or personnel. A well-organized communication system can make it easier for employees to comprehend and act on these messages. Communication plays a vital role in both individual & organizational settings, and here’s why:
Foundation of Planning:
Planning is the fundamental function of management, and well-designed plans require extensive environmental scanning and knowledge about internal and external organizational elements. An effective communication system helps gather this information, and implementing these plans necessitates communicating them to everyone in the organization. Communication is, thus, the substructure of planning.
Key to Employee Motivation:
Employee motivation is crucial for job satisfaction and organizational success. Communication helps managers understand their employees’ needs so that they can identify & adopt suitable motivators to inspire positive attitudes toward the work environment. When employees are satisfied, they are motivated to work with enthusiasm and dedication.
Enhanced Job Satisfaction:
Information exchange creates trust, confidence, and faith among managers and subordinates. As a result, employees understand their job positions better and perform better. People who are committed to organizational objectives are more satisfied with their work and their place in the company or organization.
Commitment to Organizational Objectives:
When managers follow an effective system of communication, they understand their employees’ needs, adopt suitable motivators to satisfy them, appraise their performance, and provide regular feedback. This leads to employees who are committed to organizational objectives and are willing to work hard to achieve them.
Key to Coordination:
Coordination is important for organizational success, and communication plays a vital role in this process. Effective communication coordinates organizational resources (human and non-human), individual goals with organizational goals, & the internal environment with the external environment.
Adaptability to the External Environment:-
As the external environment rapidly changes, managers are required to interact with various external parties, such as the government, suppliers, and customers. In order to effectively adapt to the changes, the organization must have an efficient communication system.
Internal Functioning of an Enterprise:-
An organization functions well when its internal communication system is accurate, reliable, and well-established. Managers communicate with internal parties, constantly providing and obtaining information. A robust communication system ensures the accuracy of the information exchanged.
Healthy Industrial Relations:-
An organization’s success is linked with the satisfaction of its workers. Through effective communication, managers can build a closer relationship with trade unions, leading to mutual understanding and harmony. This promotes industrial peace and increases industrial production.
Helps in Performing Managerial Roles:-
According to Henry Mintzberg, managers perform three significant roles – interpersonal, informational, and decisional. Effective communication is essential for managers to perform these roles effectively. In interpersonal roles, managers interact with superiors, peers, and subordinates. In informational roles, they receive and give information to people inside and outside the organization, and in decisional roles, they take important decisions and communicate them to the members of the organization.
Facilitates Leadership:-
Effective leadership requires good communication skills to interact with followers, inspire them, and guide them toward achieving individual and organizational goals. A robust communication system facilitates leaders to carry out leadership functions effectively.
Facilitates Control:-
Control is a crucial function in management, and an effective communication system helps managers assess subordinates’ performance, correct and prevent deviations, and provide them with regular feedback. The control function largely depends upon the communication system of the organization.
Training and Development:-
The communication skills of superiors play a significant role in the training and development of employees. Effective communication ensures better understanding and learning of the training programs provided, and trainers with good communication skills are more effective than those who have poor communication skills.
Substance to Organizational Existence:-
The essence of organizational survival and growth is based on the ability to obtain information to make plans, make members aware of the authority-responsibility structure, and coordinate their activities. This can only be achieved through effective communication, making it an essential element for the substance of organizational existence.
Elements of Communication
Any organization must emphasize the communication process. It entails a series of actions and procedures with some of the processes being focused on getting a message from the receiver to the sender and making sure that the message is interpreted in its intended meaning. Executing a purchase order is one example of how to do it, and having a phone call is another.
The communication process is designed to connect the sender & receiver of the message, allowing for the effective sharing of information. However, in practice, the communication process can be more complex than it seems (look). It comprises several elements that must work in harmony to ensure that the intended message is accurately conveyed and comprehended by the receiver.
Communication is a complex process that involves a number of interrelated elements or components. Each of these components plays an important role in the success of communication. Let’s take a closer look at the 8 key elements of communication.
- Idea
- Sender
- Encoding
- Message
- Channel & Medium
- Receiver/ Decoder
- Decoding
- Feedback
Communication involves eight components that are interrelated:
- Idea: The origin of the message in the communication process.
- Sender/Encoder: The person who initiates the communication process.
- Encoding: The process of formulating an idea into a message using symbols.
- Message: The idea transformed into words.
- Channel and Medium: The vehicle used to convey the message.
- Receiver/Decoder: The person who receives the message.
- Decoding: The process of interpreting and translating the message.
- Feedback: The response given by the receiver of the message to the sender.
Example
Imagine a manager, John, who needs to deliver some new safety guidelines to his team of employees. The communication process would look something like this:
Idea: John has the idea to create new safety guidelines for his team.
Sender/Encoder: John is the sender and encoder of the message. He needs to clearly articulate his safety guidelines to his team in a way that they will understand and follow.
Encoding: John formulates his safety guidelines into a message using clear language and visual aids.
Message: The message is the safety guidelines that John has created.
Channel/Medium: John chooses to communicate the safety guidelines in a team meeting, using a PowerPoint presentation to share his message.
Receiver/Decoder: The employees are the receivers and decoders of the message. They need to listen carefully to the presentation, understand the safety guidelines, and put them into practice.
Decoding: The employees interpret the safety guidelines and understand the expectations for how to follow them.
Feedback: The employees provide feedback to John about the safety guidelines, asking questions or offering suggestions for improvement.
FAQs
The act of conveying information, facts, statistics, particulars, thoughts, emotions, and ideas from one person to another through speaking, writing, or any other media is referred to as communication.
The eight natures of communication are:
- Continuous Process of Communication.
- Two-Way Interaction.
- Verbal & Non-Verbal Communication.
- Two-Way Process and Mutual Understanding.
- Goal-Oriented Communication.
- Binding Organizational Activities.
- Foundation of Management.
- Interdisciplinary Nature.
Communication is the act of conveying information, thoughts, emotions, & ideas from one person to another. It can be through speaking, writing, or any other medium. The nature of communication includes features such as a continuous process, two-way interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, mutual understanding, goal orientation, & inter-disciplinary nature.
Communication is important for organizational success and plays a vital role in planning, employee motivation, job satisfaction, commitment to organizational objectives, coordination, and adaptability to the external environment.
Nature of Communication:
- Continuous Process
- Two-Way Interaction
- Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication
- Two-Way Process and Mutual Understanding
- Goal-Oriented Communication
- Binding Organizational Activities
- Foundation of Management
- Interdisciplinary Nature
Characteristics of Communication:
- Share or Contribution
- Unite or Integrate
- Join or Connect
- Have Things in Common
- Passing of Ideas, Information & Emotions
- Creation of Connection or Channel
- Expressing Feelings
- Sharing Thoughts or Thinkings
- Asking Questions or Queries
- Seeking Help
- Conveying Facts
- Engaging in Debates
- Persuading Others to Take Action
- Giving Instructions
Basic communication is the act of conveying information, thoughts, emotions, & ideas from one person to another through various means such as speaking, writing, or any other medium. It involves sharing feelings, thoughts, and ideas, seeking help, asking questions, conveying facts, engaging in debates, persuading others to take action, & giving instructions (Directions).
Recommended Article:-