Types of

Communicat
ion in an
Organisation

Lifeblood of an Organization

Communication is the lifeblood of an organization.

It is needed for:
Exchanging information
Exchanging options
Making plans and proposals
Reaching agreement
Executing decisions

Types of business
communication in an
organization are:
Personal and business communication
Upward and downward communication
Formal and informal communication
Lateral communication
Interactive communication
Mass communication
Grapevine communication

Personal
communication
It take place between any two individuals.
There is an element of privacy in all such
communications.
It can take the form of personal letters, personal
telephone calls etc.

Business
communication
It is concerned with the goals of the business.
Such communications have an impact on business
and promote business interest.
It helps the person concerned in moving up in the
organisational hierarchy.

Upward
communication
The process of communication to be complete an
effective it should go through various levels and
tiers.
Employee suggestions, market reports,
performance reports, market reports, are all
examples of upward communication.

Downward
communication
It moves from top to bottom i.e. from CEO
downwards.
Corporate goals, motivational letters, work related
instructions, letters from the CEO/General
managers desk are examples of downward
communication.
There may be some communications that might
move both upward and down ward.

Formal
communication
It ensures communication on an ongoing basis.
It follows a well-defined hierarchical pattern and
periodicity.
They make working of an organisation transparent
They motivate the employees and provide
necessary feedback

Informal
communication
It takes place in an unstructured manner and
outside the formal fora.
It involves an element of spontaneity.
It used in situations where there are no rigid
hierarchical tiers.

Lateral
communication
It proceeds in a horizontal manner and takes place
among equals and at peer levels.
It may take place orally or in writing.
There is not much difference in terms of the
hierarchical levels or position of the sender and
receiver.

Interactive
communication
It is more appropriate when the message or the
subject is to be presented at length.
Meetings are a part of everybodys life
Well-conducted conferences and meetings serve a
useful purpose.

Mass communication
It is distinctive and is used to address a large mass
of people.
It has been developed into a specialized are of
study.
Main branches of study relating to mass
communication are public relations, advertising.

Grapevine
communication
It prevails in all organisations and businesses.
Travels through informal networks and is faster
than the formal messages.
A skilled communicator can derive benefits from
such communication.