30-10-2014, 04:26 PM
COMMUNICATION SKILLS – SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL WRITING
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INTRODUCTION:
Communication is often considered as an activity only. In actuality, it is a
process. The process of communication includes transmission of information,
ideas, emotions, skills, and knowledge. This is done with the help of symbols,
words, pictures, figures, graphs, drawings, and illustrations, etc.
Again, "communication" is the process by which we understand and in
turn try to be understood by others. It is dynamic, constantly changing and
shifting in response to the overall situation. Therefore, "communication" can
be described as "the interchange of thoughts or ideas". This is also referred
as sharing of meaning.
Again, communication is viewed as creation and transmission of
information, consisting of distinctive stimuli, from a source to a recipient. Speaking about the role of communication in everyday life, one can say that
communication is a system through which the messages are sent, and
feedback received. So it is not a one-way process. Rather it is a two-way
process.
PRESENTATION OF CONTENT:
Communication is a process of transferring a particular information or
message from an information source to a desired, definite or a particular
destination. This process also involves feedback from the receiver. In this
lesson, we shall discuss about different aspects of communication.
The content of this lesson shall be presented as follows:
Expanse of Communication
Need for Communication
Evolution of Communication
Meaning and Characteristics of Communication
Importance of Communication
Objectives of Communication
Factors affecting in choosing the means of Communication
Essentials of good Communication
Top Ten Tips for Successful or Effective Communication
Principles of Effective Communication
Impact of Information Technology on Communication
Communication System in Business Organizations
EXPANSE OF COMMUNICATION:
When a baby sees its mother’s face for the first time, communication
happens. When someone steps out onto a beach and the air touches his nose
and the smell of the ocean comes into his mind, communication happens. When the Indian Parliament passes and the President signs a new bill to curb
monopolies in the market, communication happens. When a computer in
Delhi calls up a computer in Tokyo and transmits a message, communication
happens.
Communication is the modus operandi of social and commercial
intercourse. It is communication, which gets the world going. It is the lifeblood
of any organization. It is the ability of mankind to communicate across barriers
and beyond boundaries that has ushered the progress of mankind. It is the
ability of fostering speedy and effective communication around the world,
which has shrunk the world and made ‘globalization’ a reality.
Communication is at once the cause and the consequence of a
powerful world. Development of varied and sophisticated means of
communication over a period of time has brought human beings across the
globe closer and has also facilitated transmission of thoughts and ideas. The
expanse of communication, therefore, is worldwide. And it truly encompasses
human life in all its facets and endeavors. It galvanizes action among
individuals, in organizations, in society and the world community at large.
Understanding the power of communication is essential for the success of any
human endeavor.
NEED FOR COMMUNICATION:
Man is a social being. He is a member of society. As a member of society he
has to constantly interact with his fellow beings. He has emotions, feelings,
likes and dislikes. He has to give vent to all these. He needs to convey and let
others know what he feels. In other words, whatever be the environment in
which a person is placed, he has to build links, establish relationships and
have connections. The need for communication arises from man’s desire to
express himself in a meaningful manner. As stated earlier, communication is the modus operandi of social interaction or social intercourse. As a member of
the family, as a member of the social group, as a part of the work team, man
communicates.
Human beings are emotional. They are also rational beings. They are
endowed with the faculty of thinking. Human beings are creative. Human
beings are intelligent and have brainpower. In order to give a meaningful
expression to their creativity, intelligence, thoughts and ideas, they resort to
communication.
The need for communication arises from the need to emote, to interact,
to express one’s ideas and thoughts and the need to relate and to connect.
MEANING AND CHARACTERISTICS OF COMMUNICATION:
In the last four or five decades the study of communication has been refined
and strengthened by contribution from many scholars belonging to a variety of
disciplines. Many scholars have defined communication to give us a clearer
understanding. Some of such definitions are stated below:
1. In the words of Herbert A. Simon, “Communication can be defined as
any process whereby decisional premises are transmitted from one
member of an organization to another.”
2. In the words of Keith Davis, “Communication is the process of passing
information and understanding from one person to another.”
3. In the words of Louis A. Allen, “Communication is the sum of all the
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.”
4. According to American Management Association, “Communication is
any behavior that results in an exchange of meaning.”
5. In the words of Bartol and Martin, “Communication is the exchange of
messages between people for the purpose of achieving common
meanings.”
In the words of McFarland, “Communication may be broadly defined as
the process of meaningful interaction among human beings. More
specifically, it is the process by which meanings are perceived and
understanding reached among human beings.”
Thus, communication is the force that binds the people of a group, or an
organization together and the members can attain a common viewpoint and
understanding, as well as cooperation to accomplish the group’s or
organization’s objectives.
KEY WORDS:
Communication: Communication is the process of sharing of meaning. It is
viewed as creation and transmission of information, consisting of distinctive
stimuli, from a source to a recipient. Speaking about the role of
communication in everyday life, one can say that communication is a system
through which the messages are sent, and feedback received. So it is not a
one-way process. Rather it is a two-way process.
Modes of Communication: According to researchers, we spend 50%-80% of
our waking hours in communication. Of this: About 45% is spent in
listening; About 30% is spent in speaking; About 15% is spent in reading;
and About 10% is spent in writing.
Evolution of Communication: The art of communication has evolved over
the years. From sounds, grunts, actions, gestures and gesticulations to the
spoken word and thereafter to the world of reading, writing and modern and
sophisticated methods of communication, it has been a long yet fascinating
and rewarding journey. As he progressed in this fascinating journey, man
learnt to interpret sounds, understand actions and use gesticulations.
Messages were conveyed through sound, shouts and drumbeats. The
invention of printing, as we all know, revolutionized the process of
communication. In terms of its reach the written word took a quantum leap.
Side by side, various inventions made possible the recording of the spoken
word and its transmission irrespective of time and distance. Gradually, the
emergence of new media added new dimensions to the world communication.
TYPES OF COMMUNICATION IN SCIENTIFIC ORGANISATIONS:
Each organization is concerned with two types of communication: external
and internal. Externally, it has to communicate with other business houses,
banks, government offices, the press, customers and general public. Internal
communication consists in transmitting information within the organization.
Internal communication may again be of two types: formal or official,
and informal. Formal communication flows along prescribed channels, which
all members desirous of communicating with one another are obliged to
follow. Formally, a clerk working in any of the sections cannot directly
communicate with the Managing Director. He must talk to his supervisor, who
will pass on the message to the departmental manager, from where it will go
to the Managing Director. If a supervisor working in the production department
wants to get formally in touch with an accounts clerk, his communication will
have to pass through the hands of the production manager, the accounts
officer, and a supervisor in the accounts department.
Formal communication may move vertically or horizontally. Vertical
communication can flow downward (from superiors to subordinates) or
upward (from subordinates to superiors). Horizontal communication flows
between employees of equal or comparable status. When a number of
people, irrespective of their status, sit down and confer with one another to arrive at a decision acceptable to all, it is called consensus. The format for this
communication is predetermined and cannot be altered.
In addition to these formal channels of communication, there exists in
every organization an informal channel, often called the grapevine, that does
not arise out of the organizational needs, but that is, nevertheless, an integral
part of its communication system. Rumours that are all the time spreading in
any organization follow the grapevine.
DOWNWARD COMMUNICATION:
Downward communication flows from a superior to a subordinate. The
Managing Director communicating with the departmental heads, a manager
giving a directive to an assistant manager or a supervisor, a foreman
instructing a worker, are all engaged in the process of downward
communication. Orders, individual instructions, policy statements, job-sheets,
circulars, etc., fall under downward communication.
Downward communication is eminently suited to an organization in
which the line of authority runs distinctly downwards, with each rank clearly
below another, to which it is directly related. But in the complex structure of
large-sized modern organizations, where a number of executives like the
production manager, the sales manager, the purchase officer, etc., enjoy an
equal rank, it is difficult to depend purely on the downward flow of
communication. It continues to hold a prominent to place even there, but it
has to be supplemented by other channels of communication.
SUMMARY:
In the commercial world, a salesman has to make dozens of mini
speeches a day to persuade his customers to buy certain goods.
Managers, businessmen and industrialists are often required to make
speeches at company meetings, inaugurations, seminars and discussions.
• It needs considerable skill to prepare a speech and make it effectively
before a gathering. But whether it is a salesman selling a pair of nylon
socks or a bank manager persuading his listeners to accept a certain
proposal, they organize their speeches on identical fundamental principles.
• Speeches or oral presentations occur in a wide variety of interpersonal,
group, and public communication situations for accomplishing an equally
wide variety of business and professional goals. These include: to win
approval or acceptance; to gather, disseminate, and exchange
information; to exercise influence over the organizational process; to
create, change or modify individual or workshop identities; to provide
entertainment.
• There are different types of speeches or oral presentations, their success
depends on the ability of the presenter or speaker to assemble and collect
and put forward different aspects of the subject in order to persuade the audience. Whether it is a sales pitch, an advertising presentation, or any
other speech, the key to success is communication