Classification of Communication Channels

In the previous posts we have written about two broad types of communication - verbal and non-verbal. Based on this we could classify the communication channels into :

• Two-way, face-to-face channels : here the communication is oral and non-verbal. Immediate feedback is possible and the communication is of personalized nature. Ex: meetings, gatherings or video-conferencing.
• Advantages:
• Non-verbal communication such as gestures, facial expressions and tone of voice can be used to make the communication more effective.
• Immediate feedback is possible with questions, clarification or suggestions.
• The personal quality of communication is enhanced.
• Disadvantages :
• Getting people together for a fact-to-face meeting is difficult.
• Personal meeting is time consuming and expensive especially when people are separated by distance.

• Two-way, but not face-to-face channels : With technology, communication can now be two way without being face-to-face. Ex :Teleconferencing and E-mail communication.  Due to lack of face-to-face contact, the personal nature of meetings is reduced.  Also communication oral without non-verbal cues.
• One-way, face-to-face channels : All forms of written communication such as letters, reports, memos, notices, e-mails etc. No instantaneous feedback, largely one-way communication.

Selecting the Appropriate Channel :

Though there is no hard and fast rule to select an appropriate channel of communication, the following guidelines would be useful :

• When trying to solve problems or improve relations, oral face-to-face communication is most effective.
• When visual presentation for explaining an idea is required, oral face-to-fact is better.
• To command a high degree of control over receiver or when there is a need for immediate feedback, oral face-to-face works best.
• When the tone of the communication needs to be more formal, written communication is more appropriate.
• To explain complex ideas in detail, written communication is more preferred.
• To communicate large amount of information, written communication must be preferred.
• Written communication is also appropriate when you want to keep a record of the communication.

Comparison of Oral and Written Communication Channels :

Charateristic	Oral Communication	Written Communication
Interactivity	High	Low
Level of Feedback	High	Low
Formal Nature	Low	High
Personal Nature	High	Low
Permanent Nature	Low	High
Cost	High	Low
Control over Receiver	High	Low
Effectiveness for Complex Messages	Low	High
Effectiveness for Detailed Messages	Low	High

Previous Topic : Characteristics of Non-Verbal Communication

Characteristics of Non-Verbal Communication

The characteristics of non-verbal communication are :

• Non-verbal communication cannot be avoided : Verbal communication can be avoided by refusing to speak but Non-verbal communication cannot be avoided. It is not always intentional. Sometimes silence, other actions like nodding head or yawning any itself communicate a message.
• Non-verbal communication is powerful : Non-verbal communication helps us form first impressions which generally tend to last longer.
• Non-verbal communication is ambiguous : using precise words can convey a clear message but Non-verbal communication is not always clear. Ex: sitting in a relaxed posture may be a signal of boredom or fatigue.
• Non-verbal communication cannot express all messages : Non-verbal communication can only express a person's attitude, level of interest, feelings but their ideas can only be expressed orally or in written form.
• Non-verbal communication varies across cultures : certain types of non-verbal behavior is universal but others may be different in different countries. Ex: handshake, while physical contact is not common in some countries;bowing to your superiors as a mark of respect is common in Japan but might not be in other countries. 

Classification of non-verbal communication :

Non-verbal communication can employ audio and video signals. Ex: audio - a blaring siren, visual signals - drawings, charts graphs etc. These can be used to overcome language barriers.

Non-verbal communication is not only synonymous with body-language. It includes several aspects like :

Body Language	Communication Terminology
Body Language	Kinesics
Touching	Haptics
Personal space and distance	Proxemics
Use of time	Chronemics
Toen of Voice	Paralanguage
Physical environment	Physical context

Kinesics : 

• Facial expressions : can convey feelings of sadness, surprise, happiness and anger.
• Eye movements : eye movements such as wide open pupils cann indicate  surprise, excitement or fear. Direct eye contact indicates intensity and interest, while lack of it can convey guilt and nervousness.
• Gestures : movement of hands while giving a presentation can indicate level of involvement, where as hands in your pocket can mean rude or casual.
• Head movements : like nodding your head can indicate that the message has been received.
• Posture : carriage or attitude can indicate feelings. An erect posture while sitting may convey that you are attentive while a relaxed position can indicate various things such as boredom, tiredness etc.
• Physical appearance : the outward appearance of a person can indicate a lot a about the person. Jewelry, make-up or sticking to ca dress code can tell a lot about a person.

Haptics : communication through touch. Through touch we can covey feeling like affection, assuarance, famialiarity, comfort, sympathy and other emotions. Touchin is used for following :

• Working : hair dresers, security staff, doctors etc. touch people in the course of work
• Greeting : using handshakes to greet people
• Establishing friendships : a freindly pat
• Guiding
• Managing interaction

Proxemics : derived from the word 'proximity' or closeness. The space we keep from people is also part of non-verbal communication. Different types of spaces are :

• Intimate space : our inner most circle, family and close freinds
• Personal space : other freinds, colleagues or co-workers
• Social and public space : official or workplace relations

In a business context :

• Fixed space : physical features of work environment such as seating arrangement, furniture etc.
• Semi-fixed space : some features that can be changed like the seating arrangement

Chronemics : Study of usage of time. Includes our attitude towards punctuality and willingness to wait.

Paralanguage : means 'similar to'. This is the closest to verbal communication. This includes tone of voice.

Physical Context : is the physical environment within which we communicate. This includes :

• Color and layout : colors have symbolic meaning and association with feelings. Black and Grey are associated with mourning and death while Yellow and Green can convey positive feelings.
• Design : types of chairs, desk or carpets etc.
• Space management  : arrangement of work spaces of people who work together. It can influence communication.
• Location  : while giving a speech, a podium is optimum for communication. Similarly, office location in the financial district can indicate success.
• Distance : physical distance between people communicating also influences the nature of communication.

Previous Topic : Types and Channels of Communication
Next Topic : Classification of Communication Channels

Types and Channels of Communication

There is a saying, 'the medium is the message', which tells a lot about the channel we select for the communication.

Types of communication :

1. Verbal communication : occurs with the help of words, opportunity for personal contact and two-way flow of information. These are two types :
1. Oral communication : a speaker interacts verbally with one or more listeners in order to influence their behavior in some manner. Ex : meetings, presentations, performance reviews
2. Written communication : correspondence made in writing. It can be hand written, printed or typed. This takes several forms such as letters, memos, circulars, notices, reports and email. Ex : an apology letter to a customer in response to his complaint.
2. Non-verbal communication : communication without words or any way of conveying meaning without the use of verbal language. This can have more impact than verbal communication as 'how you say' is sometimes more important than 'what you say'.

Verbal communication have some drawbacks such as the message may not be properly worded or the message is misunderstood or interpreted differently. We can avoid this by following some simple guidelines :

• Avoid words with multiple meanings
• Ensure clarity through highly specific statements
• Avoid overuse of jargon
• Avoid biased language and offensive word

Previous Topic : Business Communication Introduction
Next Topic : Characteristics of Non-Verbal Communication

Business Communication Introduction

Communication in simple terms is a transfer of information between people, resulting in common understanding between them.

• It is unavoidable
• It is a two-way exchange of information
• It is a process
• It involves a sender and a receiver of information
• It could be verbal or non-verbal
• It is successful when the receiver interprets the meaning in the same way as that intended by the sender.
• It is a dynamic process
• It enables understanding

Communication Process and its key elements :

• Sender or Encoder : the person who transmits a message
• Receiver or Decoder : the person who notices and decodes or attaches some meaning to a message.
• Message : any signal that triggers the response of a receiver.
• Channel : the medium or method used to deliver the message.
• Feedback : Receivers respond to messages.
• Context :
• Physical : the physical surroundings.
• Social : the relationship between the sender and receiver.
• Chronological : time related factors that could influence the communication
• Cultural : similarity of the backgrounds like age, language, nationality and gender etc. of sender and receiver.

Barriers to Communication :

A communication fails when the message received is not the same as that is sent. 'Noise' refers to these external factors that disrupt the communication and can be classified as :

• Physical : poor acoustics, disturbing sounds or information overload.
• Physiological : fatigue, hearing disability or physical illness.
• Psychological : emotions within the sender or receiver like lack of interest, fear etc.

Some other barriers to communication :

• Environmental barriers 
• Individual barriers 
• Organizational barriers 
• Channel barriers 
• Linguistic and cultural barriers 
• Semantic barriers 
• Non-verbal barriers 

Overcoming the barriers to communication :

Certain steps can be taken at both organizational level as well as individual level to overcome the barriers to communication.

Organizational action:
Some of the steps which an organization can take to overcome the barriers to effective communication are :

• Encourage feedback 
• Create a climate of openness
• Use multiple channels

Individual action:
An individual can take certain steps to overcome the barriers to effective communication. These could help improve interpersonal relationships. These are :

• Active listening
• Careful wording of messages
• Selection of appropriate channels
• Avoidance of technical language
• Right feedback

Classification of communication

Interpersonal Communication : usually involves direct face-to-face contact between the sender and receiver. Interpersonal communication classified based on number of people involved are:

• Dyadic communication : involves two people
• Group communication : involves three or more people, usually happens for decision making or problem solving.
• Public communication : involves large number of people, usually happens for information sharing.

Intrapersonal Communication : is self-communication, usually happens in analysis or clarifying ideas. It involves the following activities :

• Internal discourse : analysis, concentration and contemplation
• Vocal communication : talking loud to oneself
• Written communication : making entries in journals or diaries

Group Communication : Usually happens between three to twenty members. The basic resource of any group is its members. Hence communication is really important for creating and sustaining groups. It can be achieved in the forms :

• Verbal
• Non-verbal
• Written
• Electronic

The various factors that affect group communication are :

• Nature of task
• personalities and abilities of the members in a group
• Environmental factors

Mass Communication : the type of communication that employs some form of medium to communicate to a very large audience. The characteristics of mass communication are :

• Source
• Message
• Channel : radio, television, transmitters etc
• Audience 
• Feedback : communication is one-way, so feedback is usually minimal and delayed.
• Noise

Importance of communication in workplace : communication is very important in this age of technology. A huge amount of money is spent on training higher management in communication skills. Effective communication is more vital to job success. Effective communication can serve the following purposes :

• Greater awareness of organizational goals and teamwork
• Better employer-employee relationships
• Problem solving
• Improved performance
• Stronger link between managers and external environment

Next Topic : Types and Channels of Communication