Informal Oral communication
• Communication that takes place without
following the formal lines of communication is
said to be informal communication.
• Informal system of communication is generally
referred to as the ‘grapevine’ because it
spreads throughout the organization with its
branches going out in all directions in utter
disregard to the levels of authority
Grapevine Network
1. Single Strand Network
2. Gossip Network
3. Probability Network
4. Cluster Network
Advantages of Grapevine
• Speed
• Valuable Feedback
• Employee Support
• Improved Relationship
Disadvantage of Grapevine
• Reduce Productivity
• Difficult to Control
• Spread Rumours
• Leakage
Single Strand Network
• A single strand network is an information network where one person
will tell a message to another person and he will communicate it to
another person.
• Similar to the chain pattern, in a single strand too, the information
goes on passing from one person to another; then to the next; and so
on. The third person also will tell the same message to another
person.
Gossip Network
• In the gossip chain, one person seeks and tells the information to
everyone. In this network, there is an individual who tells the
message to all other members of the network directly.
• Here all the persons in the communication network talk to one
another informally. He is generally the central person who seeks
out and transmits information to all that he has obtained.
• This chain is just like the wheel where one person stays at the
center and passes the information to other employees. A circle
or wheel-like figure is formed in this communication.
Probability Network
• A probability network is an informational network where each of the individuals randomly
tells others the same message.
• Under this communication pattern, the information passes randomly from persons to
persons.
Probability Network
• The probability chain is a random process in which
someone transmits the information to others in
accordance with the laws of probability and then
these others pass the information in a similar way.
• The source of information for each person hearing
the message is different. It is similar to the gossip
pattern, but here, it is not necessary that everyone
is involved in the communication.
Cluster Network
• In the cluster chain, a person tells the information to the selected persons who may in turn relay (pass) the information
to other selected persons.
• In the cluster chain, a person tells the information to the selected people who may, in turn, pass the information to
other selected people.
• Most of the informal communication follows this chain. This type of network is most common in an organization. Under
this network, an individual communicates only with those persons whom he trusts.
The cluster chain is the most commonly used network, where one person tells two or three
people, who in turn keep the information to themselves or pass it on to two or three
others.
When a person passes on information only to his trustworthy people believing that they
won’t tell it to anyone, but they do the same thing.
Team
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