PROJECT ON

INTRODUCTION TO
COMMUNICATION

Submitted to : Submitted
by:
Kanchana
Arandhara
 M.Sc. Electronic
Media
1st Semester
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
BETWEEN THE CONCEPTION
AND THE CREATION,
BETWEEN THE EMOTION
AND THE RESPONSE,
BETWEEN THE HARD WORK
AND THE RESULT,
LIES MY THANKS TO YOU.

There are many persons who have contributed their

knowledge, insight and guidance creating this project. This is
an occasion to express our heart-felt gratitude to all of them.

We are heartily thankful to _____________________ for his kind

support and guidance

We are also thankful to our friends for their support,

cooperation and guidance.

KANCHANA ARANDHARA
 Table of Contents

➢ What is communication?

➢ Importance of communication

➢ Types of communication

➢ Models of communication

➢ Theories of Communication

➢ Elements of Communication

➢ Communication Process

➢ Barriers of Communication

➢ Tools of Communication

➢ Essential of Effective Communication

➢ Effective Written Communication

➢ Conclusion

➢ Bibliography
 WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?
The word communication is derived from the Latin noun
‘communis’ and the Latin verb ‘communicate’ that means ‘to
make common’. Communication is a process of transferring
information from one entity to another. Communication
processes are sign-mediated interactions between at least two
agents which share a repertoire of signs and semiotic rules.
Communication is commonly defined as "the imparting or
interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech,
writing, or signs". Although there is such a thing as one-way
communication, communication can be perceived better as a
two-way process in which there is an exchange and
progression of thoughts, feelings or ideas (energy) towards a
mutually accepted goal or direction (information).
Communication is a process whereby information is enclosed
in a package and is channeled and imparted by a sender to a
receiver via some medium. The receiver then decodes the
message and gives the sender a feedback. All forms of
communication require a sender, a message, and a receiver.
Communication requires that all parties have an area of
communicative commonality. There are auditory means, such
as speech, song, and tone of voice, and there are nonverbal
means, such as body language, sign language, paralanguage,
touch, eye contact, and writing.

IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
Communication is important for both for an individual and also
for the society. A person’s need for communication is as strong
and as basic as the need to eat, sleep and love.
Communication is the requirement of social existence and a
resource in order to engage in the sharing of experiences,
through ‘symbol mediated interaction’. Isolation is in fact the
severest punishment for human being.
 The basic human need for communication can perhaps be
traced to the process of mankind’s evolution from lower
species. Animals, for instance, have to be in sensory
communication with their physical and biological surroundings
to find food, protect themselves and reproduce their species. A
loss of sensation-the inability to hear a predator for instance
can mean loss of life.
Essentially, the primary function of communication is to inform,
educate, entertain and persuade people. Following are the
basic functions of communications:
• Education and Instruction – This function of education
starts early in life, at home and in school and continues
throughout life. Communication provides knowledge,
expertise, and skills for smooth functioning by people in the
society. It creates awareness and gives opportunity to
people to actively participate in public life.

• Information - Quality of our life will be poor without

information. The more informed we are the more powerful
we become. Communication provides information about our
surroundings. Information regarding wars, danger, crisis,
famine etc. are important for the safety and well being of
our life.

• Entertainment - To break the routine life and divert our

attention from the stressful life we lead today,
entertainment is an essential part of everybody’s life.
Communication provide endless entertainment to people
through films, television, radio, drama, music, literature,
comedy, games etc.

• Discussion – Debates and discussions clarify different

viewpoints on issues of interest to the people. Through
communication, we find out reasons for varying viewpoints
and impart persons through certain signs and symbols.
• Persuasion - It helps in reaching for a discussion on public
policy so that it is helpful to govern the people. Though it is
possible, that one can resort to persuasion for a bad motive.
Thus, the receiver must be careful about the source of
persuasion.

• Cultural promotion - Communication provides an

opportunity for the promotion and preservation of culture
and traditions. It makes the people fulfill their creative
urges.

• Integration - It is through communication that a large

number of people across countries come to know about
each other’s traditions and appreciate each other’s ways of
life. It develops integration and tolerance towards each
other.

TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
Communication of information, messages, opinions, speech
and thoughts can be done via different forms of modern
communication media, like, e-mail, telephone and mobile.
Some of the basic ways of communication are by speaking,
singing, sign language, body language, touch and eye contact.
These basic ways of communication are used to transfer
information from one entity to other. There are many different
types of communication but they can be classified into six
basic types of communication. These six types of
communication are as follows:

Verbal Communication
Verbal communication includes sounds, words, language and
speaking. Language is said to have originated from sounds and
gestures. There are many languages spoken in the world. The
bases of language formation are: gender, class, profession,
geographical area, age group and other social elements.
Speaking is an effective way of communicating and is again
classified into two types viz. interpersonal communication and
public speaking.

Good verbal communication is an inseparable part of business

communication. In a business, you come across people from
various ages, cultures and races. Fluent verbal communication
is essential to deal with people in business meetings. Also, in
business communication self-confidence plays a vital role
which when clubbed with fluent communication skills can lead
to success.

Public speaking is another verbal communication in which you

have to address a group of people. Preparing for an effective
speech before you start is important. In public speaking, the
speech must be prepared according to the type of audience
you are going to face. The content of your your speech should
be authentic and you must have enough information on the
topic you have chosen for public speaking. All the main points
in your speech must be highlighted and these points should be
delivered in the correct order. There are many public speaking
techniques and these techniques must be practiced for an
effective speech.

Non-Verbal Communication
Non-verbal communication involves physical ways of
communication, like, tone of the voice, touch, smell and body
motion. Creative and aesthetic non-verbal communication
includes singing, music, dancing and sculpturing. Symbols and
sign language are also included in non-verbal communication.
Body language is a non-verbal way of communication. Body
posture and physical contact convey a lot of information. Body
posture matters a lot when you are communicating verbally to
someone. Folded arms and crossed legs are some of the
signals conveyed by a body posture. Physical contact, like,
shaking hands, pushing, patting and touching expresses the
feeling of intimacy. Facial expressions, gestures and eye
contact are all different ways of communication. Reading facial
expressions can help you know a person better.
Written Communication
Written communication is writing the words which you want to
communicate. Good written communication is essential for
business purposes. Written communication is practiced in
many different languages. E-mails, reports, articles and memos
are some of the ways of using written communication in
business. The written communication can be edited and
amended many times before it is communicated to the second
party to whom the communication is intended. This is one of
the main advantages of using writing as the major means of
communication in business activity. Written communication is
used not only in business but also for informal communication
purposes. Mobile SMS is an example of informal written
communication.

Visual communication
The last type of communication out of the four types of
communication, is the visual communication. Visual
communication is visual display of information, like,
topography, photography, signs, symbols and designs.
Television and video clips are the electronic form of visual
communication.

Intra-personal communication
This implies individual reflection, contemplation and
meditation. One example of this is transcendental mediation.
According to the experts this type of communication
encompasses communicating with the divine and with spirits in
the form of prayers and rites and rituals.

Interpersonal communication
This is direct, face-to-face communication that occurs between
two persons. It is essentially a dialogue or a conversation
between two or more people.
It is personal, direct, as well as intimate and permits maximum
interaction through words and gestures. Interpersonal
communications maybe:
Focused Interactions : This primarily results from an actual
encounter between two persons. This implies that the two
persons involved are completely aware of the communication
happening between them.

Unfocused interactions : This occurs when one simply observes

or listens to persons with whom one is not conversing. This
usually occurs at stations and bus stops, as well as on the
street, at restaurants, etc.

Non verbal communication skills : This includes aspects such

as body language, gestures, facial expressions, eye contact,
etc., which also become a part of the communicating process;
as well as the written and typed modes of communications.

MODELS OF COMMUNICATION
• Shannon and Weaver's Model of
Communication

Information Source ==> Message Sent Transmitter ==>

Signal Sent Sources of Noise ==> Signal Received Receiver
==> Message Received Destination

Claude Shannon was a research scientist at Bell Telephone

Company trying to achieve maximum telephone line capacity
with minimum distortion. He had never intended for his
mathematical theory of signal transmission for anything but
telephones. But when Warren Weaver applied Shannon's
concept of information loss to interpersonal communication,
one of the most popular models of communication was
created.

According to Shannon and Weaver's model (as seen above), a

message begins at an information source, which is relayed
through a transmitter, and then sent via a signal towards the
receiver. But before it reaches the receiver, the message must
go through noise (sources of interference). Finally, the receiver
must convey the message to its destination.

Suppose you have an idea in your head (information source)

that you want to tell someone about. You must first move the
idea from your brain to your mouth (transmitter). Since you
cannot actually share your gray matter, you must select words
for your transmitter to use. Once you speak, your voice (signal)
is carried through the air toward the listener's ear (receiver).
Along the way, your signal is joined by a myriad of other
sounds and distractions (noises). The receiver then takes
everything it receives and tries to maximum the message and
minimize the noise. Finally, the receiver conveys its message
to the other person's mind (destination).

Shannon and Weaver's model clearly demonstrates why even

the simplest communications can be misunderstood.
Transmitting a signal across additional media only adds to the
complexity of the communication and increases the chance for
distortion. It is suddenly easier to understand why other people
just can't grasp what we already know.

SMCR MODEL
This is the basic communications model, identified in 1949 by
Shannon and Weaver, that distinguishes something of what
happens between the person speaking (/writing, etc.) and the
person listening (/watching, etc.).

Sequence
The basic sequence of the model is Source => Message =>
Channel => Receiver

Source
The source is the start of the communication, the person who
encodes the message and transmits it to the receiver.

Message
The message is the package or packages of meaning that
contain the intent from the source. The message is what the
source wants the receiver to hear and understand in a
particular way.
As we cannot connect minds together, we have to translate the
intent of the source into an encoded message that (it is hoped)
the receiver can translate with reasonable accuracy.

Channel
The channel is the medium through which the message is
transmitted. This may be some form of controlled media such
as television adverts or newspaper articles. It may also be a
more direct channel, such as telephone or face-to-face.
The channel can have several parts, for example where I ask
someone to communicate something, who then emails a friend
who tells the receiver the message.
The channel must plug into the receiver's sensory system, and
hence may use sight, sound, touch, taste or smell.

Receiver
The receiver is the person who is at the other end of the
communication. They may be actively seeking to receive the
message or may be surprised by it. They may be the intended
target or just someone who is within receiving range. They will
decode the message and create their own meaning.

Laswell Model

Political scientist Harold Laswell, writing in 1948, posed the

question, “Who says what in which channel with what effect?”
His model includes considerations of a variety of factors being
considered to determine the impact of a communication.
Considering that the previous ten years had witnessed such
speakers as Adolph Hitler and Winston Churchill
communicating both live and over radio, it is not surprising
that a more sophisticated model would appear, nor that a
political scientist would deliver it. To illustrate the significance
of each element of the model, try visualizing what effect some
dynamic speaker would have if the medium were print, or what
would happen if the audience didn’t speak the same language.
Schramm’s Models
The models previously introduced were all created by
individuals interested in communication as an element of some
other field of study. Wilbur Schramm (1954)
began studying communication as an independent discipline.
He developed several models for addressing different
questions. One contribution Schramm made was to consider
the fields of experience of the sender and receiver. The sender
encodes the message, based upon the sender’s field of
experience. The user’s field of experience guides decoding. If
there is no commonality in the sender’s and receiver’s field of
experience, then communication does not take place.
The extent to which the signal is correctly decoded (that is,
decoded so that it is the same as the original message prior to
decoding) depends on the extent of the overlap of the two
fields of experience.
For instance, a lecture on neurophysiology delivered to an
audience of sixth graders may result in little or no
communication. The lecturer has background knowledge of
chemistry and biology, and beyond that very specialized
knowledge of biochemical processes in the nervous system.
The audience would lack the vocabulary, if nothing
else, to make sense of the information. There are many ideas
in this model that should apply for examination of
communication under a wide variety of circumstances. Figure
Four illustrates this model—the colored overlapping ovals
represent the fields of experience of the sender and receiver.

THEORIES OF COMMUNICATIONS

I) CLASSICAL THEORIES

Authoritarian Theory

According to this theory, mass media, though not under the

direct control of the State, had to follow its bidding. Under an
Authoritarian approach in Western Europe, freedom of thought
was jealously guarded by a few people (ruling classes), who
were concerned with the emergence of a new middle class and
were worried about the effects of printed matter on their
thought process. Steps were taken to control the freedom of
expression. The result was advocacy of complete dictatorship.
The theory promoted zealous obedience to a hierarchical
superior and reliance on threat and punishment to those who
did not follow the censorship rules or did not respect authority.
Censorship of the press was justified on the ground that the
State always took precedence over the individual's right to
freedom of expression.

This theory stemmed from the authoritarian philosophy of Plato

(407 - 327 B.C), who thought that the State was safe only in
the hands of a few wise men. Thomas Hobbes (1588 - 1679), a
British academician, argued that the power to maintain order
was sovereign and individual objections were to be ignored.
Engel, a German thinker further reinforced the theory by
stating that freedom came into its supreme right only under
Authoritarianism.

The world has been witness to authoritarian means of control

over media by both dictatorial and democratic governments.

Libertarianism or Free Press Theory

This movement is based on the right of an individual, and

advocates absence of restraint. The basis of this theory dates
back to 17th century England when the printing press made it
possible to print several copies of a book or pamphlet at cheap
rates. The State was thought of as a major source of
interference on the rights of an individual and his property.
Libertarians regarded taxation as institutional theft. Popular
will (vox populi) was granted precedence over the power of
State.

Advocates of this theory were Lao Tzu, an early 16th century

philosopher, John Locke of Great Britain in the17th century,
John Milton, the epic poet ("Aeropagitica") and John Stuart Mill,
an essayist ("On Liberty"). Milton in Aeropagitica in 1644,
referred to a self righting process if free expression is
permitted "let truth and falsehood grapple." In 1789, the
French, in their Declaration Of The Rights Of Man, wrote "Every
citizen may speak, write and publish freely." Out of such
doctrines came the idea of a "free marketplace of ideas."
George Orwell defined libertarianism as "allowing people to say
things you do not want to hear". Libertarians argued that the
press should be seen as the Fourth Estate reflecting public
opinion.

What the theory offers, in sum, is power without social

responsibility.

Social Responsibility Theory

Virulent critics of the Free Press Theory were Wilbur Schramm,

Siebert and Theodore Paterson. In their book Four Theories Of
Press, they stated "pure libertarianism is antiquated, outdated
and obsolete." They advocated the need for its replacement by
the Social Responsibility theory. This theory can be said to
have been initiated in the United States by the Commission of
The Freedom Of Press, 1949. The commission found that the
free market approach to press freedom had only increased the
power of a single class and has not served the interests of the
less well-off classes. The emergence of radio, TV and film
suggested the need for some means of accountability. Thus
the theory advocated some obligation on the part of the media
to society. A judicial mix of self regulation and state regulation
and high professional standards were imperative.

Social Responsibility theory thus became the modern variation

in which the duty to one"s conscience was the primary basis of
the right of free expression.

Soviet Media/Communist Theory

This theory is derived from the ideologies of Marx and Engel

that "the ideas of the ruling classes are the ruling ideas". It was
thought that the entire mass media was saturated with
bourgeois ideology. Lenin thought of private ownership as
being incompatible with freedom of press and that modern
technological means of information must be controlled for
enjoying effective freedom of press.

The theory advocated that the sole purpose of mass media

was to educate the great masses of workers and not to give
out information. The public was encouraged to give feedback
as it was the only way the media would be able to cater to its
interests.

Two more theories were later added as the "four theories of

the press" were not fully applicable to the non-aligned
countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, who were
committed to social and economic development on their own
terms. The two theories were:

Development Communication Theory

The underlying fact behind the genesis of this theory was that
there can be no development without communication. Under
the four classical theories, capitalism was legitimized, but
under the Development communication theory, or
Development Support Communication as it is otherwise called,
the media undertook the role of carrying out positive
developmental programmes, accepting restrictions and
instructions from the State. The media subordinated
themselves to political, economic, social and cultural needs.
Hence the stress on "development communication" and
"development journalism". There was tacit support from the
UNESCO for this theory. The weakness of this theory is that
"development" is often equated with government propaganda.

Democratization/Democratic Participant Media Theory

This theory vehemently opposes the commercialization of

modern media and its top-down non-participant character. The
need for access and right to communicate is stressed.
Bureaucratic control of media is decried.
2) MAGIC BULLET/ HYPODERMIC NEEDLE/
STIMULUS RESPONSE THEORY

Before the first World War, there was no separate field of study
on Communication, but knowledge about mass communication
was accumulating. An outcome of World War I propaganda
efforts, the Magic Bullet or Hypodermic Needle Theory came
into existence. It propounded the view that the mass media
had a powerful influence on the mass audience and could
deliberately alter or control peoples' behaviour.

Klapper (1960) formulated several generalizations on the

effects of mass media. His research findings are as follows:
"Mass-media ordinarily does not serve as a necessary and
sufficient cause of audience effect, but rather functions
through a nexus of mediating factors and influences. These
mediating factors render mass-communication as a
contributory agent in a process of reinforcing the existing
conditions."

The main mediating factors which he considers responsible for

the functions and effects of mass communications are
- selective exposure i.e., people's tendency to expose
themselves to those mass communications which are in
agreement with their attitudes and interests; and
- selective perception and retention i.e., people's inclination to
organize the meaning of mass communication messages into
accord with their already existing views.

3) TWO STEP FLOW THEORY

In the early 40"s, before the invention of television, Lazarsfeld,

Berelson and Goudet conducted an American survey on mass
campaigns. The study revealed that informal social
relationships had played a part in modifying the manner in
which individuals selected content from the media campaign.
The study also indicated that ideas often flowed from the radio
and newspapers to opinion leaders and from them to the less
active sections of society. Thus, informal social groups have
some degree of influence on people and mould the way they
select media content and act on it.

4) ONE STEP FLOW THEORY

This theory simply stated that mass communication media

channels communicate directly to the mass audience without
the message being filtered by opinion leaders.

5) MULTI STEP FLOW THEORY

This was based on the idea that there are a number of relays in
the communication flow from a source to a large audience.

6) USES AND GRATIFICATION THEORY

This theory propounded by Katz in 1970, is concerned with how

people use media for gratification of their needs. An outcome
of Abraham Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs, it propounds the fact
that people choose what they want to see or read and the
different media compete to satisfy each individual"s needs.

In the hierarchy of needs, there are five levels in the form of a

pyramid with the basic needs such as food and clothing at the
base and the higher order needs climbing up the pyramid. The
fulfillment of each lower level need leads to the individual
looking to satisfy the next level of need and so on till he
reaches the superior-most need of self-actualization.

The Uses and Gratifications approach reminds us that people

use media for many purposes. As media users become
increasingly confronted with choices, this approach should
direct our attention to the audience. Lull's television research
found that families used television for communication
facilitation, relationship building, intimacy, and for structuring
the day. In general researchers have found four kinds of
gratifications:
1. Information - we want to find out about society and the
world- we want to satisfy our curiosity. This would fit the news
and documentaries which both give us a sense that we are
learning about the world.

2. Personal Identity - we may watch the television in order to

look for models for our behaviour. So, for example, we may
identify with characters that we see in a soap. The characters
help us to decide what feel about ourselves and if we agree
with their actions and they succeed we feel better about
ourselves.

3. Integration and Social Interaction - we use the media in

order to find out more about the circumstances of other
people. Watching a show helps us to empathize and
sympathize with the lives of others so that we may even end
up thinking of the characters in programme as friends.

4. Entertainment - sometimes we simply use the media for

enjoyment, relaxation or just to fill time.
Riley and Riley (1951) found that children in peer groups used
adventure stories from the media for group games while
individual children used media stories for fantasizing and
daydreaming. The study thus found that different people use
the same messages from the media for different purposes.
Katz replaced the question "what do media do to people?" with
the question "what do people do with the media?" Katz,
Gurevitch & Hass found that the media are used by individuals
to meet the following specific needs :

Cognitive needs (acquiring information, knowledge and

understanding);
Affective needs (emotional, pleasurable experience);
Personal integrative needs (strengthening self image);
Social integrative needs (strengthening self image);
Tension release needs (escape and diversion)

McQuail, Blumler and Brown suggested the following individual

needs categories:
1) Diversion (emotional release)
2) Personal Relationships (substitute of media for
companionship).
3) Personal identity or individual psychology (value
reinforcement, self understanding.)
4) Surveillance (information that may help an individual
accomplish tasks.)

B. Rubin and Bantz (1989) studied the uses and gratifications

of "new technology" by examining VCR use. They found the
following motives for VCR use:
1) library storage of movies and shows
2) watching music videos
3) Using exercise tapes
4) renting movies
5) letting children view
6) time-shifting
7) Socializing by viewing with others
8) Critical viewing including TV watching and studying tapes

7) SPIRAL OF SILENCE THEORY

Propounded by Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann, this theory states

that the media publicizes opinions that are mainstream and
people adjust their opinions according to their perceptions to
avoid being isolated. Individuals who perceive their own
opinion as being accepted will express it, whilst those who
think themselves as being a minority, suppress their views.
Innovators and change agents are unafraid to voice different
opinions, as they do not fear isolation.

8) CONSISTENCY THEORIES (1950s)

Festinger formulated the consistency theories that talked

about people"s need for consistency in their beliefs and
judgements. In order to reduce dissonance created by
inconsistencies in belief, judgments and action people expose
 themselves to information that is consistent with their ideas
and actions, and they shut out other communications.

9) McCOMBS AND SHAW"S AGENDA SETTING

THEORY

This theory puts forth the ability of the media to influence the
significance of events in the public's mind. The media set the
agenda for the audience's discussion and mentally order and
organize their world. The theory is consistent with a "use and
gratification" approach. McCombs and Shaw assert that the
agenda-setting function of the media causes the correlation
between the media and public ordering of priorities. The
people most affected by the media agenda are those who have
a high need for orientation

10) MEDIA DEPENDENCY THEORY

Developed by Ball-Rokeach and DeFluer, the key idea behind

this theory is that audiences depend on media information to
meet needs and reach goals, and social institutions and media
systems interact with audiences to create needs, interests, and
motives in the person. The degree of dependence is influenced
by the number and centrality of information functions and
social stability. Some questions that this theory raised were :
Do media create needs?
Do people turn to media to achieve gratification and satisfy
needs?
Are media needs personal, social, cultural, political, or all of
these?
"The media are our friends"??

ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION
The various elements of the communication process are :
• Input – The sender has an intention to communicate with
another person. This intention makes up the content of the
message.
• Sender – The sender encodes the message, e.g. the idea of
‘piece of furniture to sit on’ Thus he gives expression to the
content.
• Channel – The message is sent via a channel, which can be
made of a variety of materials. In acoustic communication it
consists of air, in written communication of paper or other
writing materials.
• Noise – The channel is subjected to various sources of noise.
• Receiver – The receiver decodes the incoming message, or
expression. He “translates” it and thus receives the output.
• Output – This is the content decoded by the receiver.
• Code – In the process, the relevance of a code becomes
obvious. The codes of the sender and receiver must have at
least a certain set in common in order to make communication
work.

COMMUNICATION PROCESS
There are seven of communication process:
• Source idea
• Message
• Encoding
• Channel
• Receiver
• Decoding
• Feedback

The elaboration of each element is here under.

• The Source idea is the process by which one formulates

an idea to communicate to another party. This process can
be influenced by external stimuli such as books or radio, or
 it can come about internally by thinking about a particular
subject. The source idea is the basis for the communication.

• The Message is what will be communicated to another

party. It is based on the source idea, but the message is
crafted to meet the needs of the audience. For example, if
the message is between two friends, the message will take a
different form than if communicating with a superior.

• Encoding is how the message is transmitted to another

party. The message is converted into a suitable form for
transmission. The medium of transmission will determine
the form of the communication. For example, the message
will take a different form if the communication will be
spoken or written.

• The Channel is the medium of the communication. The

channel must be able to transmit the message from one
party to another without changing the content of the
message. The channel can be a piece of paper, a
communications medium such as radio, or it can be an
email. The channel is the path of the communication from
sender to receiver. An email can use the Internet as a
channel.

• The Receiver is the party receiving the communication.

The party uses the channel to get the communication from
the transmitter. A receiver can be a television set, a
computer, or a piece of paper depending on the channel
used for the communication.

• Decoding is the process where the message is interpreted

for its content. It also means the receiver thinks about the
message's content and internalizes the message. This step
 of the process is where the receiver compares the message
to prior experiences or external stimuli.

• Feedback is the final step in the communications process.

This step conveys to the transmitter that the message is
understood by the receiver. The receiver formats an
appropriate reply to the first communication based on the
channel and sends it to the transmitter of the original
message.

BARRIERS OF COMMUNICATION
Planning, preparation and practice of communication will be
incomplete and unsuccessful unless one identifies and
understands the barriers of communication. These barriers are
physical, sociological and psychological obstacles that interfere
with the planning, organization, transmission and undertaking
of the message. These are a number of such obstacles that can
occur in the process of communication. The natural result of
such obstacles or interfering factors is the misunderstanding of
the message.

Below noted are the barriers of communication.

1. Physical barriers
Physical barriers in the workplace include:
• marked out territories, empires and fiefdoms into which
strangers are not allowed
• closed office doors, barrier screens, separate areas for
people of different status
• large working areas or working in one unit that is physically
separate from others.
Research shows that one of the most important factors in
building cohesive teams is proximity. As long as people still
have a personal space that they can call their own, nearness to
others aids communication because it helps us get to know
one another.

2. Perceptual barriers
The problem with communicating with others is that we all see
the world differently. If we didn't, we would have no need to
communicate: something like extrasensory perception would
take its place.

3. Emotional barriers
One of the chief barriers to open and free communications is
the emotional barrier. It is comprised mainly of fear, mistrust
and suspicion. The roots of our emotional mistrust of others lie
in our childhood and infancy when we were taught to be
careful what we said to others.

"Mind your P's and Q's"; "Don't speak until you're spoken to";
"Children should be seen and not heard". As a result many
people hold back from communicating their thoughts and
feelings to others.

They feel vulnerable. While some caution may be wise in

certain relationships, excessive fear of what others might think
of us can stunt our development as effective communicators
and our ability to form meaningful relationships.

4. Cultural barriers
When we join a group and wish to remain in it, sooner or later
we need to adopt the behaviour patterns of the group. These
are the behaviours that the group accept as signs of belonging.
The group rewards such behaviour through acts of recognition,
approval and inclusion. In groups which are happy to accept
you, and where you are happy to conform, there is a mutuality
of interest and a high level of win-win contact.

Where, however, there are barriers to your membership of a

group, a high level of game-playing replaces good
communication.

5. Language barriers
Language that describes what we want to say in our terms
may present barriers to others who are not familiar with our
expressions, buzz-words and jargon. When we couch our
communication in such language, it is a way of excluding
others. In a global market place the greatest compliment we
can pay another person is to talk in their language.

6. Gender barriers
There are distinct differences between the speech patterns in a
man and those in a woman. A woman speaks between 22,000
and 25,000 words a day whereas a man speaks between 7,000
and 10,000. In childhood, girls speak earlier than boys and at
the age of three, have a vocabulary twice that of boys.

The reason for this lies in the wiring of a man's and woman's
brains. When a man talks, his speech is located in the left side
of the brain but in no specific area. When a woman talks, the
speech is located in both hemispheres and in two specific
locations.

This means that a man talks in a linear, logical and

compartmentalised way, features of left-brain thinking;
whereas a woman talks more freely mixing logic and emotion,
features of both sides of the brain. It also explains why women
talk for much longer than men each day.

7. Interpersonal barriers
There are six levels at which people can distance themselves
from one another:
1. Withdrawal is an absence of interpersonal contact. It is
both refusal to be in touch and time alone.
2. Rituals are meaningless, repetitive routines devoid of real
contact.
3. Pastimes fill up time with others in social but superficial
activities.
4. Working activities are those tasks which follow the rules
and procedures of contact but no more.
5. Games are subtle, manipulative interactions which are
about winning and losing. They include "rackets" and
"stamps".
6. Closeness is the aim of interpersonal contact where there
is a high level of honesty and acceptance of yourself and
others.
Working on improving our communications is a broad-brush
activity. We have to change your thoughts, your feelings,
and your physical connections.

That way, one can break down the barriers that get in your
way and start building relationships that really work.

TOOLS OF COMMUNICATION
In tools of communication one experiences the components of
effective communication. They are reflective listening,
identifying non verbal cues, and responding with
understanding and using effective problem solving techniques.
 Thus, these techniques of communication are useful to
increase our personal effectiveness at home, at work, in the
community, in relationship, and with yourself. Opening up
yourself to your feelings of others requires practice.

All forms of life upon the planet earth were granted one great
and wondrous gift: the gift of communication. Instead of being
forced to exist in solitude, this gift allows interaction, a sharing
of feelings.

Humans are especially fortunate because they have developed

many ways to utilize their gift. These include music, dance, art,
theater, literature, gestures, the written word, and word of
mouth. The creation of different ways to communicate does
not mean we can sit back and take our gift for granted. We
must use our gift of communication effectively through
calcification, patience, understanding, sympathy, intelligence,
compassion, and tact, we must exercise self-control so others
can use the gift of communication be careful, effective
listening. By sharing this gift of communication mankind is
exalted. The following tools of communication should be
sharpened and polished for effective communication.

Diction:
– The extent of vocabulary and choice of appropriate words
– Colloquial and slag words
– Efficacy of word

Sentence:

– Variety in sentence structure is very essential

– Repetition of word, phrases, and clauses should be avoided
– A short sentence can be a means of effective expression if it is
used properly.
– The communicator should have a positive communication tone.

Paragraph:

– Every paragraph should have organized thoughts and ideas

– There must be logical relation between any two successive
paragraphs, which consists two different phases of thoughts.
– The length of each paragraph in a letter, memo, or report can
have its visual impact on the reader.

ESSENTIAL OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

The essentials of effective communication are:

1. Positive and pleasant approach

2. Appropriate tone, pitch quality, force and intensity of voice.
3. Clarity of purpose and objective of communication
4. Clarity of thought and expression
5. Adequate knowledge of the subject
6. Adequate knowledge of the communication receiver
7. Objective and realistic approach
8. Self confidence and conviction
9. Organization of message
10.Proper selection and use of the media
11.Proper selection and use of the channel
12.Appropriate formality
13.Patience in listening
14.Adaptability
15.Attentiveness
16.‘You’ attitude
17.Courtesy
18.Time consciousness
19.Conciseness and relevance
20.Correctness
21.Completeness

EFFECTIVE WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

Written communication occupies an important position in the
communication sphere, so written communication has to pay
adequate attention on certain principles of necessity. The
essentials of every written communication are principles of
unity, coherence, and emphasis. These principles along with
other essentials of effective communication, like language,
planning, and organization make the written communication
effective.

The 7 C’s of written communication:

1. Clarity
2. Completeness
3. Coherence
4. Conciseness
5. Credibility
6. Correctness
7. Continuity

Written communication occupies an important position in the

communication sphere, so written communication has to pay
adequate attention on certain principles of necessity. The
essentials of every written communication are principles of
unity, coherence, and emphasis. These principles along with
other essentials of effective communication, like language,
planning, and organization make the written communication
effective.
The receiver should carefully listen to the message to feel the
pulse of the sender, to understand the mood and reactions and
to create a congenial atmosphere for listening, which allows
freedom of expression to the speaker. Lack of good listening
can create the embarrassing situations, which result in the lack
of co-ordination and mutual understanding. All the language
units must be pronounced properly and clearly. The message
cannot be intelligible without proper articulation of sounds.
 CONCLUSION

Communication is any process in which people share

information, ideas, and feelings. It involves not only the spoken
and written words, but also body language, personal
mannerism and style, and the physical environment anything
that adds meaning to a message. Communication is a dynamic
process involving a series of actions and reactions with a view
to achieving a goal.
The theories and assumptions that mass media have enormous
and direct influence upon society, but subsequent research
shows that there are no direct cause an effect relationship
between the two. The theory helps in understanding the
relation between mass communication and society.
The process of communication discusses the various process of
communication and the essential elements of communication
facilitate the communication process. Each element plays an
important role in making the communication effective.
The barriers of communication interfere with the self-
confidence, self disclosure, and self-consciousness of the
communication senders and receivers. They are dangers to
any organization if they are not removed on time.
We must use our gift of communication effectively through
clarification, patience, understanding, sympathy, intelligence,
compassion, and tact; we must exercise self-control so others
can use the gift of communication by careful, effective
listening. By sharing this gift of communication mankind is
exalted. The tools of communication should be sharpened and
polished for effective communication.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Introduction to Communication
– Study Material (PTU)
1. Business Communication
– By – Meenakshi Raman & Prakash Singh
– Published by – Oxford University Press
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