TOPIC 1: INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION

MEANING AND ROLE OF COMMUNICATION

The word communication is used to mean speaking or writing or sending a
message to another person. Communication is really much more than that. It
involves ensuring that your message reaches the target audience and that
the receiver understands and responds to the message appropriately.
Communication is an important aspect of behaviour; human communication
is affected by all factors that influence human behaviour.

GENERAL DEFINITION OF COMMUNICATION

Communication comes from the Latin word communicare, which means “to
make common” or “to share.” Communication is defined as the process of
using messages to generate meaning (Judy Pearson, 2008). Communication
is considered a process because it is an activity, an exchange, or a set of
behaviours—not an unchanging product. It is an activity in which you
participate. David Berlo (1960), a pioneer in the field of communication,
probably provided the clearest statement about communication as a
process: “If we accept the concept of process, we view events and
relationships as dynamic, on-going, ever changing, continuous. When we
label something as a process, we also mean that it does not have a
beginning, an end, a fixed sequence of events. It is not static, at rest. It is
moving. The ingredients within a process interact; each affects all the others.

Working definition

Communication is the process of transmitting information and meaning from

one individual or organisation to another by means of mutually
understandable symbols. The crucial element is meaning. Communication
has as its central objective the transmission of meaning. The process of
communication is successful only when the receiver understands an idea as
the sender intended it. Both parties must agree not only on the information
transmitted but also on the meaning of that information.

In order to transfer an idea, we must use symbols (words, signs, pictures,

sounds) which stand for the idea. The symbols must be understood by the
person or persons with whom we intend to communicate. Both must assign
the same meaning to the symbols used; otherwise, there is
miscommunication.

ROLE/ PURPOSE OF COMMUNICATION IN AN ORGANISATION

1. Managing the human resource. Communication is the tool with which
we exercise influence on others, bring about changes in the attitudes
and views of our associates, motivate them and establish and maintain
relations with them. The primary element in the skills of management
is competence in communication.
2. Communication is central to the success of everything that we do in an
organisations (objectives); our family, school/college, office, hobby
group, community group, our city/town are the organisations in which
we live and act. Our activities succeed or fail, and our goals are
achieved or not achieved, according to our ability to communicate
effectively with other members.
3. Building positive interpersonal relation. Communication plays a
foundational role in the development of any healthy interpersonal
relationship. It can strengthen a mutual sense of commitment; it also
helps to bridge the gap between people who have misunderstandings.
Indeed, communication plays a critical role in all phases of
interpersonal relations, from creating a relationship to maintenance of
relationships.
4. Communication is the glue that holds an organisation together,
whatever its business or its size (creates unity and harmony). Without
communication an organisation cannot function at all. Without
effective communication, information cannot be collected, processed,
or exchanged; words and data would remain isolated facts. With
effective communication, multinational organisations which are spread
all over the world can function like a single unit.
5. Communication enables an individual to express ideas thoughts and
feelings effectively in writing and in speech. The most important
foundation skill for anyone in the new world of work is the ability to
communicate; being able to express your ideas effectively.
6. Communication helps in team building and team-work. Owing to
advances in information technology, companies downsize and
decentralize, and work is increasingly carried out by teams. Team
members must be able to work together to identify problems, analyse
alternatives, and recommend solutions. They must be able to
communicate their ideas persuasively to others. Ability to work well in
teams, to manage your subordinates and your relationships with
seniors, customers and colleagues, depends on your communication
skill.
7. Marketing the products and services. Communication in the form of
advertisement and public relations is needed in order to inform the
public and to persuade potential customers to buy the products.
Production of goods is of no use if potential buyers have no information
about the product. Communicating to the public about the product is
the essence of business.
8. Delegation of work horizontally and vertically.
9. Transacting business: through internal and external communication.
 10. Building positive public relations

ESSENTIALS/PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Communication is effective only when both the sender and the receiver are
focussed on the act of communication. While the sender must sharpen and
improve skills of speaking and writing, the receiver must improve skills of
listening and reading. The qualities of communication which the sender must
achieve are called the C's of Communication because most of them begin
with the letter C.

Cs of Good Communication

1. Correctness
A communication must be correct in every respect:
(i) In spelling, grammar, pronunciation, and use of language. Incorrect
language spoils the message, distracts the receiver's attention, and creates
a poor impression of the sender; it may also convey a wrong meaning. All
spellings must be checked; spelling of names must be checked with extra
care. Most people are offended if their name is wrongly spelt or pronounced.
There must be consistency in the use of numbers, units of measure,
technical terms, abbreviations, hyphens, grammar, spelling, punctuation,
and capitalisation. American and English spelling vary. Hyphenation and
punctuation and capitalisation do not have absolutely fixed rules. Whatever
you decide on, be consistent throughout the document.
(ii) In appearance and form of layout. Poor and untidy appearance, with
typing mistakes corrected in ink, uneven spacing or carelessness in the
layout, creates a poor impression of the company's efficiency in handling its
work. Appearance depends on placing the parts of layout correctly on the
letterhead, even spacing between letters, words, lines and parts of layout,
and having proper margins on all sides. Similarly, shabby appearance of the
speaker and lack of attention to body language creates a bad impression.
(iii) In the information conveyed correct and accurate. Communicating
wrong or incomplete information is the most harmful thing; it leads to waste
of time in making corrections and will lead to loss of goodwill and loss of
business. All dates and days, time, numbers and facts must be in agreement.
Nothing is more confusing than mismatched information.
(iv) In tone, formality and style must be appropriate to the occasion,
the content and the relationship between the sender and the receiver. An
overdone apology sounds childish or undignified; a grudging or patronising
agreement to grant a request sounds unpleasant.
2. Clarity
The message must be clear at the first reading so it that takes very little
time to follow and understand. Clearly written or spoken messages avoid
misunderstanding and save time. Write and speak to express, not to
impress. Clarity depends upon five factors:
 (i) Simple, common everyday words which everyone can understand.
Never send the reader to the dictionary. Technical terms should be avoided
unless absolutely needed and if you are communicating within the
profession.
(ii) Short and simple sentences. Long sentences confuse the reader,
and often confuse the writer also. Phrases and clauses should not be added
on to a sentence. Each bit of important information should be given in a
separate sentence.
(iii) Proper punctuation and pauses. It helps to provide pauses and
stops and to break up groups of words into sensible units. Besides the full
stop, there are other, shorter pauses like the semi-colon and the comma
which help to break up a sentence into readable units.
3. Consistency
Consistency should be in the use of numbers, units of measure, technical
terms, abbreviations, grammar, spelling, punctuation and capitalization and
dates. British or American spellings vary. Hyphenation, punctuation and
capitalization do not have absolutely fixed rules. Whatever you decide on, be
consistent throughout the document.
4. Coherence
Coherence is logical sequence of ideas. Making a clear plan for a
presentation or a letter ensures that the ideas are in logical order;
coherence, that is, logical connection of ideas makes any composition easy
to understand. Consistency in numbering also helps in achieving coherence
5. Concreteness
Giving definite and concrete details with figures and names. Vague phrases
like "in due course" or "at your earliest convenience" are not so useful as
definite time phrases like in two weeks or within three weeks, soon, good,
any time. Use words and expressions which communicate exact and definite
information. It is better to use concrete words with a definite meaning, or to
give concrete examples and description. Words like good, bad, far, near,
make sense only when you indicate the level of efficiency or quality and say
at what speed.
6. Conciseness
Conciseness means expressing much in a few words; in business
communication it means keeping to the point, using as few words as possible
without sacrificing clarity or courtesy. It does not necessarily mean being
brief; it means making every word count. Conciseness can be achieved by:
(i) Leaving out unnecessary modifiers; for example, "new innovation;"
(can there be an old innovation?) or ''very unique" (unique means only "one
of its kind"). Other examples are: "advance plans", "actual experience",
"cylindrical in shape", "three cubic meters in volume."
(ii) Reducing unimportant ideas to phrases or single words like,
in the form of - as
in many cases - often
exhibits the ability to - can
in the event of - if
 (iii) Making sure that only the necessary and relevant details are
included. Using more words than necessary confuses the idea.

Conciseness and clarity are closely related; giving clear and definite details
often reduces the length of a sentence. Readers are thankful for precise and
clear messages. Irrelevant ideas and going out of point confuses the listener.
7. Courtesy
Courtesy is consideration for other people's feelings. It is seen in an
individual's behaviour with others. A well-mannered and courteous person
shows consideration and thought for others. In a letter, the style, the manner
and the choice of words reflect the courtesy of the writer. Some simple rules
for courtesy are:
(i) Use the courtesy words please, thank you, excuse me and sorry as
the situation requires.
(ii) Express appropriate feeling according to the situation. For example,
sympathy when someone suffers, good wishes when someone begins
something new, and congratulation when someone achieves something.
(iii) Make the other person feel comfortable. This is an important factor
of courtesy. Care and consideration for the reader is reflected in the letter.
The opening sentence itself shows the courtesy of the writer:
• We appreciate your promptness in sending the goods.
• Thank you for sending your quotation so promptly.
• We are sorry to learn that you were inconvenienced.
Requests must also be made courteously:
• We would appreciate it very much if you could send your cheque within
three days of receiving our bill.
• Will you please look into the matter at once?
(iv) Be attentive and prompt in responding. Every message, written or
oral should be answered within twenty-four hours. If it is a letter of
complaint, the response should be immediate; a courteous company makes
a phone call or sends a fax message immediately on receiving a complaint or
hearing about a problem. Everyone appreciates prompt attention.
(v) Let the tone, the choice of words and the style of the message
reflect your consideration for the feelings and needs of the receiver. This is
particularly important if the message to be 'conveyed is likely to be
unpleasant for the reader. A courteous letter has the best chance of getting
a favourable response. Seeing the situation as the reader sees it, and taking
care of his/ her needs, is courtesy. You must have an awareness of how the
words sound to the receiver.
8. Completeness
The message communicated should be complete with all necessary details
and information given to enable proper understanding and response by the
receiver.

ROLE OF ICT IN COMMUNICATION

As depicted here, ICT involves the use of computer and internet in
communication, including the internet enabled mobile phone.

Effects of Communication Technology on Business Productivity

1) Business productivity has increased dramatically with mobile
communication tools. The mobile telephone and the mobile PC have
freed the business person from the desk and made it possible to work
from anywhere, anytime. With instant messaging, the capabilities of
communication have become even more powerful. Regular Instant
Messaging users have increased the number of people they contact
and the frequency of such contacts, while decreasing the number of e-
mail and phone calls they initiated.
2) It builds customer and partner relationships. Clients and business
partners get instant access to the company contacts they need, right
when they need them. They do not have to waste time waiting for the
operator or the EPBX system to put them through to the person they
need to talk to.
3) It increases employee productivity since on-the-spot responses means
that work gets done faster and more efficiently, right from your
desktop.
4) It increases flexibility and decreases downtime. There is no need to
spend time just waiting for information to be located and transmitted
by some other person. Direct access to the needed information means
ability to take decisions on the spot. Within the organisation, rigid and
time consuming procedures of getting information through the
organisational channels can be avoided. Using wireless connectivity
gives users more flexibility to work from a variety of locations,
resulting in productivity gains and efficiency savings. With instant
messaging it is possible to reply to urgent queries, eliminate the need
to make copies, eliminate travel in many cases. Productivity gains are
measured by the amount of additional time available that is used to
perform business tasks.
5) An important development is the portability of the cellular telephone
and of the laptop computer, so that an individual has the power to
contact anyone at any location from any location. The instrument is no
longer tied to the transmitting equipment because of developments in
wireless technology combined with telephone for the cellular (mobile)
telephone.
6) The laptop and other portable computers and the mobile telephone
have freed the person from the office and the desk.
7) The mobile telephone has acquired a large number of capabilities
besides transmission of voice; it has become capable of storage.
8) Data which might be needed at important meetings at a faraway
location can be carried in compressed form in a mobile telephone, a
laptop computer, palmtop computer or pocket computer. This data can
be in the form of text, graphics or voice and sounds.
 9) The instrument is also capable of taking instant pictures and storing or
transmitting them; these can then be transferred to other instruments
like the desktop computer.
10) It allows access to the internet, thus making information search
possible from any location. The instrument allows the user to carry out
some editing of the stored data.
11) Ability to hold one-on-one conferences online and hold "virtual
meetings" where others can join in.
12) Offers opportunity for online marketing and online business
transactions. Employees and customers can discuss sales deals on-the-
spot.
13) Information communication is fast, enabling immediate answers
to urgent questions and staying in close touch with employees who are
on the road. The management can also send personal, timely
congratulatory notes to boost staff morale.
14) It has capacity for mass storage of information. All data about
the organisation can be located in one place.
15) It enables quick and ready access to information from many
sources at any time.
16) Provides reprographic services in communication.
17) Enables social networking through the social media.

Challenges posed by the use of ICT in communication

1. Increase in cyber-crime.
2. Internet fluctuations.
3. High cost of purchasing and installing communication gadgets.
4. Proper usage of ICT needs technical knowledge and skills.
5. Mobile phone and social media have led to spread of fake news, hatred
and defation.