Types of communication

Dr Asha Kaushik
CPC ,COES
 Types of communication
 For communication to be effective ,the
communicator has to be very careful and
judicious in the choice of media, which will
depend on various factors like urgency of the
message ,the time available ,expenditure
involved and the intellectual and emotional level
of the receivers.
 All the media available can be broadly classified
into five groups:
(i) Written communication.
(ii) Oral communication.(Face to Face
communication)
(iii) Audio-visual communication.
(iv) Computer-based communication.
1. Written communication includes
Letters , circulars , memos , telegrams
, reports ,minutes , forms and
questionnaires , manuals , etc.
2. Oral communication includes face to
face communication ,conversation over
the telephone , radio broadcast
,interviews , group discussions
, meetings ,conferences ,seminars and
speeches.
3. Visual communication encompasses
gestures and facial expressions
, tables and charts , graphs , diagrams
, posters ,slides ,film strips ,etc .
• Audio-visual communication includes
television and cinema films that
combine the visual impact with
narration .
Written communication: merits
• It is accurate and precise .
• It can be repeatedly referred to .
• It is a permanent record .
• It is a legal document .
• It facilitates the assignation of
responsibility .
• It has a wide access.
 written communication :
Limitations
• It is time consuming: a letter may take
two or even three to four days to reach
its destination , where as in oral
communication message is instantly
transmitted .
• It is costly
Oral communication :limitations
 Oral communication is not possible if the
communicator and the receiver are far removed
from each other and no mechanical devices are
available to connect them.
 Lengthy messages are not suitable for oral
transmission
 Oral messages cannot be retained for long time
 Oral messages do not have any legal validity
unless they are taped and made a part of
permanent record .
 Although oral communication offer greater
opportunity for clarification ,there are also
inherent in them greater chances of
misunderstanding.
 Essentials of oral
communication
 Clear pronunciation.
 Brevity .
 Precision.
 Conviction.
 Logical sequence.
 Appropriate word choice
 Avoiding hackneyed phrases and
clichés.
 Natural voice
Face to face communication: m
Merits and limitations
Facial expressions and gestures help to
communicate better.
 It reinforced with the help of tone ,pitch
and intensity of the speaker ‘s voice .
 The message being communicated gets
assistance of facial expressions and
gestures.
Particularly suitable for discussion.
 There is a immediate feedback from the
total personality of the listener .
 It provides the speaker with a much better
opportunity for adjustment.
 Limitations

• Difficult to practice in a large –sized

organisations

• Not effective in large gathering

• Ineffective if the listener is not

attentive
 Visual communication.
• Visual communication alone is not enough .it
can be effective only in combination with
other media.

• It can be used to transmit very

elementary and simple ideas ,orders
,warnings.

• As we can easily interpolate the message

given by a poster including two pieces of
bone put in a cross- wise fashion and a
skull placed in between.
 Audio-visual communication
• It is a combination of sight and sound.
• Make use of written record also.

• It facilitate interpretations and ensure that

message is driven home.

• Information transmitted through audio-visual

retained much longer than any other means.

• It is found most suitable for mass publicity

,mass propaganda and mass education.
• Within the organisation ,the workers can be
educated by suitable demonstrations on the
close-circuit televisions screen.

• It is necessary to make the films and slides

attractive and interesting.

• The narration becomes clear ,precise ,lucid and

easily understandable.

• It is also advisable to keep the films short and

to screen them at an appropriate time.
 Computer –based communication
• Advantages of computer technology

• The quickest means of communication

• Space no longer a barrier to
communication
• Video conferencing can replace personal
meetings
• Better means of keeping permanent record
of valuable and bulky data
• World –wide web as a publishing platform.
 limitations
• Uncertain legal validity

• Fear of undesirable leakage

• The virus malady

 Dimensions/Flow of
communication
• Vertical-(i)Downward
(ii)Upward

• Horizontal or lateral

Diagonal or crosswise

• Grapevine.
 Downward

 Any organization has an inbuilt hierarchical

system, and in that, in the first instances,
communication invariably flows downwards.

 Written: e.g. memoranda ,letters, handbooks,

pamphlets, policy statements.

 Oral: e.g. speeches, meetings, telephones etc.

 Downward Communication

•Used by most large schools that are hierarchical in

nature.
• Flows from Superintendent to Assistant
Superintendent to principal to Assistant Principals
to Faculty to students.
• Necessary to clarify district’s goals, provide a
sense of mission, assist in indoctrinating new
employees. Inform employees about educational
changes that impact the district and to provide
subordinates with data regarding their
performance.
PROBLEMS WITH DOWNWARD
COMMUNICATION
 Subordinates select and prioritize messages in
accordance with their perception of their Boss’s
character, personality, and motivation.
 Sender does not devote enough time to learn
whether messages have been received and
understood.
 Those at the Top may shut off this channel at
certain times and on certain subjects or
withhold information on a need to know basis.
 Downward communication tends to be dominate
in mechanistic organizations, as opposed to
organic systems which are more open and
unidirectional in flows of information.
 Ways to improve Downward
Communication
• Adopt training sessions for administrators to
help them learn better ways to communicate.

• Get out of the office and walk around talk to

employees on the firing line.

• Conduct regular supervisory subordinate

discussion sessions, which will help identify,
analyze ,and solve problems in collaboration
with subordinates.
 Upward communication
 The main functions of upward communication
is to supply information to the upper levels
about what is happening at the lower levels.

For example: suggestion systems, appeal and

grievance procedures, complaint system ,
counseling sessions , joint setting of
objectives , the grapevine, group meetings. etc
UPWARD COMMUNICATION
SUPERINTENDENTS

ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENTS

PRINCIPALS

ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS

FACULTY
 BENEFITS
• Provides feedback to Administrators from
Downward Communication.

• Helps monitor decision making

effectiveness.

• Helps gauge organizational climate.

• Deals with problem areas quickly .

• Provides needed information to

Administrators.
 PROBLEMS WITH UPWARD
COMMUNICATION
• Subject to filtering and distortion because
subordinates do not want superiors to gain
information that could be damaging to the
subordinates.
• Highly cohesive groups tend to withhold
information that might be damaging to the
group as a whole.
• Lower level subordinate show less openness
to upward communication than those who
are at higher levels in the organization.
WAYS TO IMPROVE UPWARD
COMMUNICATION
Employee Meetings Open Door Policy

Employee Letters Social Groups

 Employee Meetings
• Meetings to probe job problems,and needs.
• Determine what administrative practices help or
hinder subordinate job performance.
• Provide feedback to administrators and encourage
subordinates to offer ideas.
• Help subordinates feel self worth and importance.
• Studies show these meetings reduce turnover and
improve subordinates attitudes
 OPEN DOOR POLICY
• Encourages subordinates to walk in and
talk to administrators many levels up.
• They are encouraged to talk with
immediate supervisors first to eliminate
resentment among administrators who
are bypassed.
• Some barriers exist such as
subordinates who do not want to be
identified as having a problem.
 EMPLOYEE LETTERS
• Subordinates can submit letters to
administrators or suggestions.
• All letters are anonymous.
• All submissions must be answered without
delay.
• Replies can be delivered to the
appropriate lower level administrator in
cases where the communicator is
anonymous.
 Participation in social groups

 Act as unplanned upward commnication .

 Examples are.
 Parties, Picnics, golf outings, cookouts,
retreats, and other employer sponsored
events.
 Main barrier can sometimes be a lack of
attendance
 Lateral or Horizontal
Communication
• Occur between people at the same level.

• When communication takes place between two

or more persons who are subordinates working
under the same person, or those who are
working under the same person.

• e.g. this variety of communication mostly

takes place during committee meetings or
conferences.
 It is carried on through:-
• Face to face discussion
• Telephonic talk
• Periodical meetings
• Memos.
• Important for promoting-Understanding &
coordination among various people or
department.
 HORIZONTAL
COMMUNICATION
ASSISTANT ASSISTANT
PRINCIPAL PRINCIPAL
FACULTY FACULTY
MEMBER MEMBER

OFTEN FACILLITATE ACHIEVED FURNISHES

OVERLOOKED COORDINATI THROUGH CROSS- EMOTIONAL
AS ON FUNCTIONAL SUPPORT
UNIMPORTANT BETWEEN COMMITTEES AMONGPEERS
UNITS
 Diagonal or Crosswise
Communication
• Includes the horizontal flow of information.

• It is also among persons at different levels

• who have no direct reporting relationships

• Oral e.g. Informal meetings, lunch hours meeting

• Written e.g. Magazines, Journals, Company

newspapers

• This Kind of communication is used to speed

information flow to improve understanding.
DIAGIONAL COMMUNICATION

Superintendent

Asst.Supt. Asst. Supt. For Asst. Supt. For

For Personnel Instruction Business

Director of Secondary Ed.

Chief Negotiator ELEM. Ed.
Coordinator Accountants
Personnel Coordinator

Elementary Secondary
Principal Principal
 I HEARD IT THROUGH THE
GRAPEVINE
• Used when employees feel the
organizational forms of communication have
failed.
• Exists in all organizations.
• Nearly five out of six messages are carried
this way rather than formal methods of
communication.
• This form of communication is very rapid.
• It has both positive and negative features.
• Positive features include.
 Keeps subordinates informed about
important organizational matters.
 Gives administrators insight about
subordinates attitudes.
 Provides subordinates a relief valve to vent
emotions.
 Provides a test of subordinates feelings
about a new procedure or Policy without
making formal commitments.
 Helps build moral by passing positive
comments regarding the organisation.
 Rumor is the one item that gives the
grapevine its bad reputation.
 Grapevine
• An informal channel of communication.
• Can flow vertically,horizontally,diagonally.
 Types of grapevine
• (1) Single strand:flows like a chain
• (2) Gossip :one person tells everybody else
• (3) Probability(random) :information may
move from anybody to anybody
• (4) cluster :moves through selected groups.
 Importance of grapevine
• Emotional relief

• Harmony & Cohesiveness in the organisation

• Supplement to other channels

• A fast channel

• Provides feedback
 Demits of grapevine
• Distortion of information
• May transmit incomplete information
• Travels with destructive swiftness
 To use it effectively
The manager should-
• Keep an eye on rumor-mongers

• Primarily for feedback

• Contradict rumours promptly

• Involve the workers in the decision making

process.