BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

T.E. COMPUTER

(Unit – 1)

CONCEPT OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Concept of Communication The word ‘communicate’ has been derived from the Latin word
‘Communis’, which means to ‘share’. Communication is a process by which information is
exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs or behaviour. It
is the expression of facts, opinions, ideas or feelings. A number of definitions have been
given to the term “Communication”. A few important ones are: “Communication in its
simplest form of conveying of information from one person to another” - Hudson
“Communication is the transfer of information from one person to another whether or not it
elicits confidence”- Koontz and O’Donell “Communication is an exchange of facts, ideas,
opinions or emotions by two or more persons.” -George Terry “Communication is the sum of
all things, one person does when he wants to create understanding in the mind of another. It is
a bridge of meaning. It involves a systematic and continuous process of telling, listening and
understanding.”- Allen Louis Communication is an essential condition of our existence and
the most important activity of human beings. Communication is a two way process. There
must be at least two persons to allow the completion of the process. One takes up the role of a
sender the other that of the receiver. Webster’s dictionary states that “communication is the
act of exchanging information and understanding from one person to another”. For
communication to be successful, the exchange of ideas and information must result in
imparting and understanding its intended meaning. Its purpose is to effect desired changes in
the behaviour of the receiver of the message. Thus communication is the transfer of
information from one person to another person. Its goal is to have the receiver understand the
message as it was intended. Whether we communicate through writing or speaking, language
continues to play an important role. The increasing use of telephone, mobile, recording
devices, such as dictaphone, answering machines, live broadcasting and telecasting, and
video conferencing have nowadays, shifted the focus from writing to speaking.

Business Communication

When one communicates to transact some commercial activity, that is, providing goods or
services, with the intention of generating profits, it is termed as business communication.
According to Scott, “administrative communication is a process which involves the
transmission and accurate replication of ideas ensured by feedback for the purpose of
eliciting action which will accomplish organization goals”. The importance of
communication to an organization, all the more so to a business Organization, cannot be over
emphasized. It links not only the various components of the organization but also its internal
world with the external world. In order be proficient in business communication, it becomes
imperative to acquire skills of effective writing and speaking. In fact, lack of these may result
in loss of business opportunities. Therefore, curriculums of most business Schools the world
over cover the subject of business communication extensively. It is also common for the
prestigious companies to insist upon excellent communication skills as a requirement at the
time of recruitment.
Features of Communication

(1) Communication is essentially a two-way process. The success or the failure of

communication is decided by the feedback we get. Hence, feedback is essential to
communication.

(2) Communication is an ongoing process. Communication is essential in all kinds of

organizations and at all levels of management. No manager can be effective in his role unless
he is able to communicate. Professional and result oriented organizations are always looking
for managers who can communicate persuasively and competently.

(3) Communication consists not only of facts but ideas and emotions too. Communication is
much more than words. The tone and facial expressions often carry a greater meaning than
words. We can communicate a lot through signs, symbols and gestures. For example, a
victory sign made by two fingers communicates better than words.

(4) Communication is a dynamic process. It incorporates the changing shape of the

participants and the environment.

(5) Communication is a goal-oriented process. Communication can be effective if both the

sender and the receiver are aware of the goal of communication and there is congruence of
their goals.

(6) Communication is an inter-disciplinary science. Knowledge derived from several sciences

is used in communication. Anthropology (study of body language), Psychology (study of
persuasion, perception and attitudes), Sociology and Political science (study of voting
behaviour) have provided insights to make communication effective.

Importance of Communication

Effective communication has always been essential for success in business. In recent times,
communication has become all the more essential due to the following reasons:

(i) Increase in Size: Business firms have grown tremendously in scale of operations. A large
business firm today employs thousands of people and has operations in different parts of the
world. An efficient system of communication is required to carry out its activities across
successfully.

(ii) Growing Specialization: Narrow division of work results in different activities being
handled by different departments. Sound communication is essential for ensuring mutual
cooperation and understanding among different departments without which no organization
can function smoothly. If, for example, there is no communication between production and
sales departments, the sales department might book such orders that the production
department fails to supply.

(iii) Cut-throat Competition: Liberalization and globalization have resulted in severe

competition among public sector, private sector and foreign banks. Persuasive
communication in the form of advertisements, personal contacts and publicity becomes
essential to survive in the race of competition.
(iv) Trade Union Movement: In organisations, employee’s unions are very strong and
powerful. Management must consult union leaders on several matters. Regular exchange of
information and ideas between managers and union officials helps them to maintain healthy
relations with one another.

(v) Human Relations: Effective communication between management and employees is

necessary to develop mutual trust and confidence. Participation of employees in the decision-
making process and other activities helps to develop among them a sense of belonging and
loyalty to the organization.

(vi) Public Relations: Society expects a sense of responsibility from managers. Business has
to keep the Government, distributors, suppliers, investors and other sections of society well-
informed about its contribution to society. Public relations help business to improve its image
in society, and big enterprises employee professional experts for this purpose.

(vii) Personal Asset: Communication skill is essential for success in every job. Managers are
required to deliver speeches, write documents and conduct interviews. Teachers, advocates,
journalists, receptionists need high degree of communication skill. The ability to
communicate effectively is equally essential for promotion in career.

Communication Process

The communication process consists of a series of steps by which a sender reaches a receiver
with a message. It involves six steps:

(1) Develop an Idea: It is an idea or thought which the sender wishes to transmit. This is the
key step. Unless there is a worthwhile message to communicate all further steps are rendered
useless.

(2) Encode: In this, the idea is encoded with suitable words, charts, or symbols for
transmission. At this point, the sender determines the method of transmission.

(3) Transmit: The finally developed message is transmitted by the method chosen. Senders
also choose certain channels and communicate with careful timing, but they try to keep their
communication channels free of barriers.

(4) Receive: Clear reception of message is a condition precedent to its effective

interpretation, storage and use. In an interpersonal mode, it would involve attentive listening
too.

(5) Decode: Step five is to decode the message so that it can be understood. The sender
wants the receiver to understand the message exactly as intended. But, due to different
perceptions of two different people, the receiver sometimes does not understand exactly what
the sender intends. Hence, the sender must before land assess the abilities of the receiver to
make the communication happen.

(6) Feedback: Feedback is the receiver’s response to the sender’s message. Feedback enables
the sender to know whether or not his massage has been received and interpreted correctly.
The exchange of information through feedback can be very helpful in improving the
communication process.
(7) Noise: Most of the time communication failure is caused by noise. Noise is distracting
and interferes with the communication process. If the channel medium we are relying upon is
faulty the message may be at times encoded wrongly. Sometimes distortion in sound or a
speech defect also hampers the process of effective communication. Besides noise,
sometimes sender’s attitudes, personal prejudices, certain assumptions, frame of mind or use
of wrong tone interfere with the communication process. Similarly, on the other end the
receiver’s background, prejudices, his ability to understand the message as intended,
influence the effective communication. Apart from these factors speech defects, distracting
body language, illegible hardwiring, etc. bring about the failure of communication.

Principles for Effective Communication

As the key to efficient business lies partly in communicating effectively, we must therefore
make a conscious effort to master it. Effective communication depends mainly on three
things: “understandable messages, credibility of the sender, and how the message is affecting
the receiver.”1 Effective communication can be achieved by having a thorough knowledge of
the communication process in an organisation. And also being aware of the various barriers
that exist and taking relevant steps to overcome the same while keeping in focus the objective
of the communication, whom it is meant for and under what circumstances it is being made.

The Seven C’s of Effective Communication

• Clarity of expression,

• Completeness of information,

• Conciseness of message,

• Concreteness in presentation,

• Courtesy towards recipient,

• Correctness of facts, and

• Consideration for receiver

1. Principle of Clarity

A communication should be clear so the recipient can understand what the sender really
wants to communicate. The sender always desires how the recipient interprets the particular
meaning while using the exact same meaning. For this, the sender ought to help to make the
particular meaning free of ambiguity and also vagueness. The following tips are offered for
making meaning clear:

• Picking out the brief, acquainted and also effortless words and phrases.

• Picking out conversational words and phrases rather than poetic types.

• Constructing successful paragraphs and also grammatical construction.

• Supplying illustrations, cases along with visual supports while appealing.

• Staying away from techie words and phrases and also jargon’s.

2. Principle of Completeness

The communication must be complete. It should convey all facts required by the audience.
The sender of the message must take into consideration the receiver’s mind set and convey
the message accordingly. A complete communication has following features:

• Complete communication develops and enhances reputation of an organization.

• Moreover, they are cost saving as no crucial information is missing and no additional cost is
incurred in conveying extra message if the communication is complete.

• A complete communication always gives additional information wherever required. It

leaves no questions in the mind of receiver.

• Complete communication helps in better decision-making by the audience/readers/

receivers of message as they get all desired and crucial information.
• It persuades the audience.

3. Principle of Conciseness

Conciseness means wordiness, i.e, communicating what you want to convey in least possible
words without forgoing the other C’s of communication. Conciseness is a necessity for
effective communication. Concise communication has following features:

• It is both time-saving as well as cost-saving.

• It underlines and highlights the main message as it avoids using excessive and needless
words.

• Concise communication provides short and essential message in limited words to the
audience.

• Concise message is more appealing and comprehensible to the audience.

• Concise message is non-repetitive in nature.

4. Principle of Concreteness

Concrete communication implies being particular and clear rather than fuzzy and general.
Concreteness strengthens the confidence. Concrete message has following features:

• It is supported with specific facts and figures.

• It makes use of words that are clear and that build the reputation.

• Concrete messages are not misinterpreted.

5. Principle of Courtesy

Courtesy in message implies the message should show the sender’s expression as well as
should respect the receiver. The sender of the message should be sincerely polite, judicious,
reflective and enthusiastic. Courteous message has following features:

• Courtesy implies taking into consideration both viewpoints as well as feelings of the
receiver of the message.

• Courteous message is positive and focused at the audience.

• It makes use of terms showing respect for the receiver of message.

• It is not at all biased.

6. Principle of Correctness

Correctness in communication implies that there are no grammatical errors in

communication. Correct communication has following features:
• The message is exact, correct and well-timed.

• If the communication is correct, it boosts up the confidence level.

• Correct message has greater impact on the audience/readers.

• It checks for the precision and accurateness of facts and figures used in the message.

• It makes use of appropriate and correct language in the message.

7. Consideration for Receiver

Consideration implies “stepping into the shoes of others”. Effective communication must
take the audience into consideration, i.e, the audience’s view points, background, mind-set,
education level, etc. Make an attempt to envisage your audience, their requirements, emotions
as well as problems. Ensure that the self-respect of the audience is maintained and their
emotions are not at harm. Modify your words in message to suit the audience’s needs while
making your message complete. Features of considerate communication are as follows:

• Emphasize on “you” approach.

• Empathize with the audience and exhibit interest in the audience. This will stimulate a
positive reaction from the audience.

• Show optimism towards your audience. Emphasize on “what is possible” rather than “what
is impossible”. Lay stress on positive words such as jovial, committed, thanks, warm,
healthy, help, etc.

Types of Communication

Communication may be divided into two types: Internal and External.

Internal Communication

When people within the organisation communicate with one another, it is said to be an
internal communication. Employees of an organisation do so to work as a team and realise
their common goals. Internal communication could be official or unofficial. It could be
individual to individual, individual to group, group to individuals, department to department,
etc. Most of the internal communication is in the oral form and the tone is generally informal.
People also communicate within the organisation at a personal level. This is known as
informal communication. A good example is that of grapevine, which is present in some
measure everywhere. If the atmosphere is secretive, it encourages the spread of rumours and
half truths. Intelligent managers use this human weakness to their advantage by sharing
favourable information with the employees. Of the various modes of visual communication
the most likely ones to be used in internal communication are slides, internet without use of
multimedia and pager. All modes of non-verbal communication may be used in internal
communication. Some of the modes of written communication are Memo, Report, Office
order, Circulars, Staff Newsletter, Email, Fax, Notice, Agenda, Notes on Agenda, Minutes of
Meetings, Manuals, etc. Other than the Radio, all other modes of oral communication stated
earlier, could be used in internal communication. Internet with multimedia, video
conferencing and presentations either electronic or with visual aids are the likely modes of
audio-visual communication that can be used in internal communication.

External Communication

When the people in an organisation communicate with anyone outside the organisation it is
called external communication. These people may be clients or customers, dealers or
distributors, media, government agencies, general public, regulatory bodies, authorities, etc.
Letters and circulars, Pricelists, Manuals, Purchase Orders, Customised reports, Brochures
and service calls, Tender documents, Advertisements, Customer’ feedback material are all
external communication methods. Modern business houses spend considerable time, money
and effort on improving their public image since they realise that they are dependent on
external support. External communication has been mainly formal and largely documented,
but there is an increasing trend to make it informal. Some of the modes of written
communication that may be used are Circulars, Graphs/Charts, E-mail, Fax,
Form/Questionnaire, Letter, Advertisement, Customer Newsletter, Press Release, Invitation,
Leaflet/ Brochure/Handbills, Manuals, Telegram, etc. Other than intercom, dictation,
teleconferencing, brainstorming sessions and grapevine, all other modes of oral
communication stated earlier can be used in external communication. All modes of visual and
audio-visual communication too may be used in external communication. All modes of Non-
verbal communication may also be used in external communication depending on the
circumstances and means of communication chosen for the purpose.

Communication Flows
The flow of communication in an organisation depends on its size, structure and philosophy.
Smaller organizations, with fewer levels of hierarchy and people may be having fewer
communication problems. In larger organisation with many hierarchical levels, the process is
more complicated. However, a comprehensive organisational chart will help in clearly
marking out the lines or channels of communication. The flow or pattern of communication
may be downward, upward, diagonal or horizontal.

Downward Flow

Traditional organisations have a vertical structure. All the important decisions are taken at
the top. These are communicated through different levels of hierarchy to the workers. The
disadvantages of such a chain of command are many. Firstly, it creates an authoritarian
atmosphere in the workplace. Secondly, the message is often distorted as it comes down
through different levels. Thirdly, it also consumes a lot of time and leads to avoidable delays.

Upward Flow

With the passage of time, management styles have also undergone a change. The role of
workers in the progress of industry has begun to be appreciated. Workers’ empowerment and
their participation in management are the buzz-words. It is natural for the workers to feel
involved in their organisations once they realise that their interest coincides with that of the
management. The result has been an increase in the flow of upward communication.

Diagonal Flow

Often there arise situations where tasks to be completed involve more than one department in
the organisation and there is more often no obvious line of authority. In such circumstances
the insistence on the use of proper channels in communication may affect the efficiency of
management and may cause undue delays in the completion of the task. Sometimes, it is just
not possible to give or seek crucial information only through the right channel. It has also
been found that information is suitably distorted or filtered by superiors before it is allowed
to reach the decision makers. Therefore, one has to enable people to talk to lower or higher
ranks freely rather than wait indefinitely. Diagonal communication is based on cooperation,
goodwill and respect between the parties concerned.

Horizontal Flow

This type of communication flow usually takes place between people of the same status/level
of hierarchy in the organization. However, as flatter organizational structures have now
become the order of the day, people of different ranks now manage to converse with less
reserve and formality. There are many advantages of such openness. Policy decisions are no
longer shrouded in mystery. Workers are encouraged to ask questions and understand the
compulsions of hard decisions. There is better understanding and coordination. However, it is
important to continue to respect the authority, use appropriate language and show good
behaviour.
Means and Modes of Communication

Business communication is generally interpersonal since discharge of business functions

requires interaction with others.

Means of Communication

The means or methods of communication, as is evident from the Figure above, are broadly
classified into (i) verbal communication entails use of words to convey messages either in
speech or through writing; and (ii) Non-verbal communication where messages are
communicated through body language (i.e.) facial expressions and gestures. There are a
variety of Modes through which one can communicate most of which you may be familiar
with and may have also used or been the recipient of at some point of time.

Verbal Communication

It is a written or a spoken message that uses words to exchange ideas/ information. Words are
selected in phrases, sentences and paragraphs depending upon the results the verbal
Communication is trying to achieve. The means of verbal communication are:
• Written communication
• Oral communication
• Visual communication
• Audio-visual communication

1. Written Communication

In the written form, it may require drafting of letters and circulars, proposals, memos and
business reports of varying kinds and includes:

• Memo
• Report
• Office order
• Circulars
• Graphs/Charts
• Staff Newsletter
• E-mail
• Form/Questionnaire
• Letter
• Notice, Agenda, Notes on Agenda
• Minutes of Meetings
• Advertisement
• Customer Newsletter
• Press Release
• Invitation
• Leaflet/Brochure/Handbills
• Manuals

Advantages and Disadvantages of Written Communication

Written Communication has several advantages, although the disadvantages of written

communication are equally serious.

Advantages

1. It allows us sufficient time for planning the document we propose to create, taking into
account the purpose for which it is being written.

2. It also enables us to revise the contents if we find them unsuitable for the recipient from
the point of view of clarity or interest.

3. To display what we have written, we have a variety of recent and traditional trends to
choose from. There is also a scope to use tastefully designed stationery for the purpose.

4. The use of headings and bullets enable us to organise the material for better understanding.

5. Information in the written form may be filed or retrieved at our convenience. Its
permanence facilitates prolonged correspondence.

Disadvantages

1. It takes much more time to compose a message in writing. Therefore it is expensive.

2. It also tends to suffer from the limitations of the sender, like the assumptions or prejudices,
and the delayed feedback makes it worse.

3. The inadequacies of the first message may only be revealed when the reply arrives.

4. Communication in writing suffers from lack of congruence with non-verbal

communication

2. Oral Communication

Research studies have shown that 80% of communication by executives of a company is in

the oral form. The modes of Oral Communication include:
• Telephone/Cellular phone
• Messages
• Intercom
• Face-to-face discussion
• Meetings/Conferences
• Presentation
• Dictaphone/Dictation
• Conversation
• Radio
• Teleconferencing
• Speeches
• Brainstorming sessions
• Grapevine
• Interview

Importance of Oral Communication in Business

Speech is one of the earliest as well as the widely used medium of communication. We can
retrace our memory to the days of Socrates, Demosthenes and others who were great and
renowned orators. In fact, talking has achieved bringing into being great institutions. The
world-renowned insurance company Lloyds is the brain child of some merchants and ship
owners who used to meet and discuss the matters of mutual interest at a coffee house on the
banks of the river Thames. The Bank of England, the oldest in U.K. was born out of the
deliberations the goldsmiths had amidst themselves. There were and there are great
personalities who hold the audience spellbound. Everyday in business, people come into
conversation-the superior with the subordinate, superiors among themselves, subordinates
among themselves, the customers with the suppliers and suppliers with clients and so on and
so forth. Effective oral communication is a passport to success in business. No fixed norms
can be set for effective oral communication. Factors like the audience, size of audience, the
degree of significance attached to the information to be spoken out, fear of the boss, fear of
status, fear of one’s own self-advancement, all affect oral communication. Often the Chief of
a Corporation appearing on television or radio or at a meeting picks his words as if he is a
tight rope walker knowing that a single word wrongly uttered may shatter his image or that of
the corporation which he heads. It is true that all business managers should be adept at
communication since they have to communicate to various people at various places, various
facts and figures, financial or nonfinancial, implication of which may have significant impact
upon the management of the business. Business communication itself is a difficult subject, it
is also very difficult to separate it from every day activity of business people as it has
acquired special significance in the life of the people in business. It is said a successful
businessman should be first of all well conversant with the techniques and the art of
communication in order to make his assignment a successful one. In the early days, much
time was spent in generating data of all kinds. However, not much attention was given to
quality of transmission of information. It depends upon the presentation of information by
using appropriate words and medium, which upgrades the value of the information by the
receiver. As stated earlier, oral communication is the most frequently used means of
transmitting messages in business. It is resorted to more often than any other type of
communication. The reasons for the popularity of oral communication are its advantages.
They are:
1. Oral communication saves time. It is said time is money. Wherever and whenever action
needs to be taken instantly or immediately, the best way to expedite action is to transmit
necessary messages orally. Oral communication helps busy people to reassign their workload
quickly by giving necessary instructions, guidance and providing information to subordinates.
It thus saves time and quickens the action.

2. Oral communication provides the opportunity for feedback and clarification. This process
of communication helps the sender of the message to clarify each and every point instantly.
The receiver, at the same time, can also express his opinion, views or emotions on the spot.
He can ask for clarifications wherever required and get himself satisfied. Thus, clarity is
better ensured and makes the communication more effective and purposeful.

3. Oral communication helps to convey the message more appropriately with suitable tone,
voice and use of words. It can instantly make the receiver of the message understand the
content of communication and significance thereof assigned to any particular matter of
communication.

4. Oral communication is an effective tool of persuasion in management. It gives a personal

touch to the communication. For this reason, supervisors and executives in all sorts of
business enterprises prefer to communicate their views, ideas and opinion orally.

5. Oral communication is very effective in communicating with groups. It helps the speaker
to establish personal contact with a group of people and make the group understand his
opinion and views at a single point of time. The speaker can also hear about the group’s
reaction subsequently.

6. Oral communication is economic also. It saves man hours to be spent in preparing notes,
explanation, circulars, etc. It also saves the stationery of the organisation.

7. Withdrawal of oral communication is comparatively an easy task. There are at times

situations in business where oral communication is preferred to written communication for,
the latter may create an official record which may be used as evidence against the person on
any legal matters arising later in point of time.

Disadvantages of Oral Communication

The disadvantages of oral communication also deserve equal mention, as oral communication
by itself, is not effective always. It mainly depends upon the attitude of the sender and
receiver of messages. It should always be kept in view that communication is not a one sided
activity. The communicator will have to use appropriate words to convey the message as well
as develop ability to receive and react to the communication spontaneously. The use of right
words specially in oral communication makes the communication more effective. Saying the
right word at the right time to the right person will receive best possible response from the
receiver. It is not what you say but how you say it that matters in oral communication, only
the right word will get right response. People especially in business should develop a habit to
listen to the whole message with meanings, ideas, feelings, intentions and facts conveyed,
including things that are unpleasant and unwelcome.

Oral communication is totally dependent on listening. Therefore bad or partial listening may
affect the comprehension of the message. Since the feedback is instant, therefore the process
may become extremely lengthy. Some meetings go on endlessly without producing
proportionate results. Oral communication generally has no record or legal liability.
Therefore, it is strongly recommended to confirm important oral messages in writing.
Similarly, the economy of oral communication is dependent on control. Telephone calls,
unless kept brief, may also cost a lot of money. Unfamiliar accents and pronunciation caused
by regional variations and mother-tongue interference often lead to temporary difficulties for
the recipients. In short, it is important to exercise control in order to derive the benefits of
oral communication.

3. Visual Communication

Visual communication could be with words or pictures or a combination of both and

includes:

• Graphs
• Tables/charts
• Maps
• Models
• Demonstrations
• Slides
• Flipcharts
• Neon Hoardings
• Printed/Painted Pictures (Posters etc.)
• Internet without use of multimedia

The modes of visual communication are useful tools for conveying information in a manner
that makes the data and any relationship between variables clearer and easier for the receiver
to follow. They can be used on their own. But the maximum benefit can be gained from them
if they are used as a complement of the main message because they are more capable of
attracting and retaining the attention of the receiver than speech or written words.

The main advantage of using visual communication is that the message conveyed using this
mode is easily remembered by the receiver and for a long period too. However, using this
mode is also expensive which is its major disadvantage.

4. Audio-visual Communication

The rapid advancements taking place in the field of information technology have brought
about unprecedented changes in the communication systems the world over. In this scenario
the modes of audio-visual communication assume more importance.

The means of audio-visual communication include:

The greatest advantage of this mode is that it aims at stimulating the senses of both sight and
hearing simultaneously and thus enhances the effectiveness of the message. The other
advantages are its wider reach and the fact that the message is remembered for a much longer
time than it would be if it had been conveyed by any other mode of communication. Here
again the high cost factor involved is its greatest disadvantage.

Non-verbal Communication

Non-verbal Communication includes:

It is an unspoken or unwritten message that uses body language. This may be used by itself
e.g., frowning or smiling at someone or along with oral communication. In a situation
involving the use of oral communication, non-verbal signs play an equally important role.
While listening to someone, one may also be looking at the person. Their facial expressions
such as a smile or a frown may strengthen the verbal message. The entire body language,
from large gestures to proximity with the listener, may help emphasise the contents of the
message.

Alternatively, if the non-verbal communication is absent, it leaves the recipient guessing. The
“British stiff upper lip” which looks down upon display of emotions in public is a good
example. Similarly in the case of verbal and non-verbal incongruence, the result may be
confusion and even a communication failure. It is important to note two things. In simple
situations, non-verbal communication may suffice in itself. For example, it will be perfectly
in order to smile at a guest and escort him in without speaking a word. Second, this form of
communication has a strong cultural content. The Arabs and Latin Americans are prone to
move closer to the listener as well as maintain more eye-contact than the Europeans do.
Similarly, physical contact is considered a powerful tool of communication. But touching an
acquaintance, the handshake excepted, is almost taboo among the British, insignificant in
America and common in Latin America.

Choice of Means and Mode of Communication

Choosing the right means and mode of communication plays a vital role in the effectiveness
of the message being communicated and such choice depends on various factors such as:

1. Organisation size and Policy If the organisation is small, probably more communication
will be oral, than in larger organisations where it may be in writing. The policy for
communication also would play a major part in influencing one’s choice of mode of
communication.

2. Cost Factor The main point to be considered here would be to evaluate whether the cost
involved in sending the message would be commensurate with the results expected.

3. Nature of Message Whether the message is confidential in nature, urgent or important etc.,
and whether a matter would require hand-delivery or be sent by registered post etc. also
influences the choice of mode and means of communication.

4. Distance Involved Where the message is to be sent is also another vital factor which could
influence the choice of means and modes of communication. For example, if a letter is to be
sent to a partner in a joint venture in Japan and it is urgent, you would not think of sending
someone to personally deliver it.
5. Resources The resources available to both the sender and receiver would also influence
your choice. You can only send a fax if the other person/organisation has a fax machine.
Therefore we can see that the choice of a particular mode and means of communication will
depend on a case to case basis and is influenced by various factors.

Mediums of Digital Communication

We are living in the Information Age, and the digital technologies have revolutionized
communication in the modern world. The Internet and cell phones are two of the most
prominent examples of the influence of the Information Age, but there are many other types
of digital communication technologies used nowadays. There are many different ways of
communicating digitally. Most of them are used in everyday situations. Some of the most
common mediums of digital communication are:

Electronic mail (or e-mail)

It is a method of creating, sending, storing and receiving messages over an electronic

communication system. It uses a protocol (a rule) for sending messages called Simple Mail
Transfer Protocol (SMTP for short). One can send e-mail over an internet connection or over
an intranet (a collection of computers within a specific area like an office building). E-mail
users can communicate to each other by sending and receiving messages. Sometimes you
want to store messages to read later and your email software will allow you to do this.

Instant messaging

Instant messaging (IM) is like e-mail but it is done in real time (get a response very quickly).
The instant messaging software installed on the computer and in the software a contact list of
people is set-up with whom one wants to connect. Most IM software lets you know who is
on-line and available to chat. You can send text, pictures and even video using IM and
whoever you are communicating with can respond as soon as they see the text appear in their
IM software.
Mobile phones

Mobile phones are used by lots of people today to talk, send text messages, take and send
pictures, listen to music, or surf the internet. In fact you can do so much with a mobile phone
it can be a complete communication tool. The Short Message Service (SMS) allows text
messages to be sent and received via your subscriber service. If the phone you are sending the
text message to is out of range or turned off, the service provider will store the text message
until it can be delivered.

PDA

PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) are hand-held computer devices that can perform a
number of different things, like receiving e-mails, sending messages, writing text (in a word
processor). Newer PDAs are also telephone devices, receiving both audio and video. A PDA
connects either through a local telephone network, or a local intranet or an internet
connection.

Forums or Newsgroups

A forum or newsgroup is an online discussion group where people can subscribe (join) a
group and post messages to that group. They can take part in discussions with other people in
the group and reply to messages posted by other members of the group. The group can be
closed (private) which is often used for communication between project groups working on a
project together, like a survey or sharing project documents. An open (public) group is often
used by people sharing a common interest. When you join a group you will need to register
your details. This creates an account for you so you can post e-mail messages to the group. A
thread is just a group of related messages on a particular topic, for example pruning roses, or
the latest film, everyone in the group has seen. Emoticons are little graphical pictures that
represent how people are feeling, like a smiley face for happy, or a face to say you agree with
something.

Blogs

A blog (‘web log’) is a form of online journal that allows text, images and video clips (and
links to websites) to be displayed as a webpage but also allows comments to be posted by
readers of the blog. Some blogs ask you to register with the site first before allowing you to
post anything. There can be moderation of posts as with forums but that is determined by the
owner/administrator. Blogs often contain information about a particular topic like food,
politics or local news. A blog contains text, images and links to other blogs, forums or other
web pages related to the blog topic.

Skype

Skype is not new to communication. It has been around since 2005, but has become very
popular. Skype users receive calls on their computers dialled by regular phone subscribers to
regular phone numbers. Skype permits users to subscribe to numbers in many countries
including the UK and USA. Callers pay only local rates to call a number. Skype supports
voicemail, chat, video calling, SMS messaging to mobile phones and skype casting. Multiple
users can access Skype. A user will need a headset and a microphone or a Skype handset,
which looks very like a mobile phone to talk to other Skype users.
Video conferencing

Video conferencing provides two-way video transmission between different sites. It could be
between two buildings, or even across different countries. Every video conferencing facility
allows for call setup, call coordination and display of participants. It is normally used with a
video conferencing screen so you can see the people in each of the video conferencing rooms.
Video conferencing makes use of specialist equipment like a computer, video camera and a
network like an intranet or internet connection to connect the two sites together. Video
conferencing can save people time, and the expense of travelling between sites for meetings.

Communication Networks

The pattern of contacts among the members of the organisation and flow of information
among them is communication network. Network helps managers to establish contacts in
different patterns through communication flows. The network depends upon the magnitude of
the organisation, nature of communication channels in the organisation and the number of
persons involved in the process. There can be many patterns of communication network.

The most frequently followed networks are the following:

1. Vertical Network

The vertical network is usually between the superior and subordinate and vice versa. It is two
way Communication. The immediate feedback is possible in this type of communication
network. It is formal network.

2. Circuit Network

Under this network two persons communicate with each other. Say Mr. ‘A’ sends message to
Mr. ‘B’. After receiving message Mr. ‘B’ communicates the feedback message to Mr. ‘A’. So
communication takes the form of a circuit. Therefore it is known as circuit network. It is
similar to vertical network but in circuit network ‘A’ and ‘B’ are not necessarily superior and
subordinates.

3. Chain Network

This network of communication follows the organisational hierarchy and chain of command.
All subordinates receive commands or instructions from their superior. B, C, D and E, F, G
are the subordinates to A in the organisational hierarchy and receive commands from ‘A’
which follows the way shown in the diagram.
4. Wheel Network

Here all subordinates receive commands from one superior. This is highly centralized type of
communication network where each subordinate receives commands or instructions from a
single authority or superior ‘A’ and wants the immediate feedback.

5. Star Network

Under star communication network all members of the group communicate with each other
and exchange information. This network is a must for group communication or where
teamwork is involved. This network channel of communication is open to all members of the
group. The members communicate with each other without hesitation.
The effectiveness of the above networks of communication channels depend upon their users
i.e. the managers at all levels, their subordinates and other members of the organisation and
above all the seriousness with which all these human resources make use of the facilities
provided to them by the organisation to accomplish its objectives.

Communicative Competence
Second language acquisition is the process by which people learn a second language in
addition to their native language. Those who can communicate successfully can be
considered as the one who has communicative competence. Communicative competence is
the ability to interact well with others. Communication takes place in an infinitive variety of
situations, and success in a particular role depends on one’s understanding of the context and
on prior experience of a similar kind. It requires making appropriate choices of register and
style in terms of the situation and other participants.

Hence, communicative competence deals with linguistic terms which refers to

second language’s learner ability. It does not only refer to a learner’s ability to apply and use
grammatical rules, but also to form correct utterances, and know how to use these utterances
appropriately and it implies to the communicative approach in language teaching.

The Characteristics of Communicative Competence

Savignon (1883: 8-9) mentions that there are five characteristics of communicative
competence and those characteristics are:

1. Communicative competence is dynamic rather than static concept. It depends on the

negotiation of meaning between two or more persons who share to some degree the
same symbolic system.

2. Communicative competence applies to both written and spoken language, as well as

too many other symbolic systems.
 3. Communicative competence is context specific. Communication takes place in an
infinitive variety of situations, and success in a particular role depends on one’s
understanding of the context and on prior experience of a similar kind.

4. Competence is defined as a presumed underlying ability, and performance as the overt

manifestation of that ability. Competence is what one knows. Performance is what
one does.

5. Communicative competence is relative, not absolute, and depends on the cooperation

of all the participants involved. It makes sense, then, to speak of degrees of
communicative competence.

Areas of Communicative Competence

Communicative competence is a broad term that involves not only the structural features of
language, but also its social, pragmatic and contextual characteristics. Therefore, it is
necessary to understand communicative competence as the sum of a series of competences
(Jaimes, 2006). There are four areas of communicative competence, they are:

Grammatical competence: It refers to the ability of speakers in using the different

functioning rules of the system of their language or the linguistic code: the mastery of second
language phonological and lexico grammatical rules and the rules of sentence formation. It
includes:
 Phonetics : Pronunciation

 Morphology : Word function and inflection

 Syntax : Structure of language

 Lexis : Vocabulary and semantics

Sociolinguistic competence: It refers to the ability of speakers in producing sentences

according to the communicative situation. Speakers (usually) know when, where, and whom
to say things. Here, the mastery of socio-cultural rules of appropriate use of second language
can be seen from how utterances are produced and understood indifferent sociolinguistic
contexts (for example: understanding of speech act conventions, the use of a language to
signal social relationships, etc.)

Discourse competence: It refers to the ability of speakers to use the different types of
discourse. Usually language users know what is being referred to in different contexts, i.e.
they distinguish between new and old information, and are able to determine the discourse
topics. For instance, speakers know when a “he” refers to “John” or to” the child” according
to the text context in the sentence: John went to the park. and he found a child who was sick.
The young boy was crying because he didn’t know where his mother was.
It also deals with the mastery of rules concerning cohesion and coherence of various kinds of
discourse in second language (for example: use of appropriate pronouns, synonyms,
conjunctions, substitution, repetition, etc.)

Strategic competence - It refers to the knowledge speakers have to maintain communication.

Therefore, this competence accounts for the strategies language users have to be understood,
and to understand others. Gestures, expressions, mimics and intonation are among others
some of the most strategies used. The mastery of verbal and non-verbal communication
strategies in second language used when attempting to compensate for deficiencies in the
grammatical and sociolinguistic competence or to enhance the effectiveness of
communication (for examples: how to address others when uncertain of their relative social
status, slow speech for rhetorical effect, etc.).
Communicative language teaching involves developing language proficiency through
interactions embedded in meaningful contexts. This approach to teaching provides authentic
opportunities for learning that go beyond repetition and memorization of grammatical
patterns in isolation. A central concept of the communicative approach to language teaching
is communicative competence: the learner’s ability to understand and use language
appropriately to communicate in authentic (rather than simulated) social and school
environments.

Why is communicative competence important?

Communication competence is needed in order to understand communication ethics, to

develop cultural awareness, to use computer-mediated communication, and to think critically.
Competence involves knowledge, motivation, and skills.

What are the factors that affect communicative competence?

Almost all of the components of communicative competence are problematic; accuracy,

vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and fluency. Of the five components of communicative
competence examined, it can be sorted most problematic components ranging from
vocabulary, grammar, accuracy, fluency and pronunciation.
FACTORS AFFECTING COMMUNICATION

 Status / Role.
 Cultural differences.
 Choice of communication channel.
 Length of communication.
 Use of language.
 Individual Perceptions / Attitudes / Personalities.
 Known or Unknown Receiver.

How can you improve your communicative competence?

There are specific things to do that can improve your communication skills:

1. Listen, listen, and listen.

2. Who you are talking to matters.
3. Body language matters.
4. Check your message before you hit send.
5. Be brief, yet specific.
6. Write things down.
7. Sometimes it’s better to pick up the phone.
8. Think before you speak.