Elements of Communication

Elements of Communication

What does it take to communicate with another person?

How are we communicating even when we aren’t using words?

When you begin studying communication, you’ll find that we communicate with much more than our words. In face-to-face communication, our words are only part of the message.

The balance of the message, and infact, the largest part of the message that we are sending to others is made up of non-verbal information. It is composed of our body language and our tone of voice.

2.1 Types of Communication/ Levels of communication

1.      Intrapersonal (Within a person/self)

2.      Interpersonal (Face to face)

3.      Group communication

4.      Mass communication

People in managerial roles have many opportunities to communicate with others. Communication can be classified in the following different ways.

2.1.1 Intrapersonal Communication

When people talk to themselves, communication takes place within the brain. It embraces their thoughts, experiences and perceptions during a communication event. Behavior responses on all other levels of communication essentially begin on intrapersonal level. On this level, the individual forms personal rules and patterns of communication.

Intrapersonal communication encompasses:

•         Sense-making e.g. interpreting maps, texts, signs, and symbols

•         Interpreting non-verbal communication e.g. gestures, eye contact

•         Communication between body parts; e.g. “My stomach is telling me it’s time for lunch.”

•         Day-dreaming

2.1.2 Interpersonal Communication

Interpersonal communication is also referred to as dyadic communication, or communication between two individuals. This type of communication can occur in both a one-on-one and a group setting. This also means being able to handle different people in different situations and making people feel at ease. Gestures such as eye contact, body movement, and hand gestures are also part of interpersonal communication. The most common functions of interpersonal communication are listening, talking and conflict resolution. Types of interpersonal communication vary from verbal to non-verbal and from situation to situation. Interpersonal communication involves face-to-face communication in a way that accomplishes the purpose and is appropriate.

2.1.3 Group communication 

Group communication is a mode of communication in an organization, between employers and employees, and employees in teams/groups. Group communication can further be looked from a marketing perspective as communicating to a group of people or target customers in order to market a product.

Small group communications can be looked at as groups of size 3 to 20. And larger groups looked can be of sizes 100 to 200 in size. Group communication can be effective, when there is a specific purpose to the communication, a proper means of communication, and content of the communication suitable to the target audience, and a proper communicator who can drive the initiative and process.

Group communication can be of various means, like social media, digital media, print media, speeches and focus group communication etc. The choice of the means of communication depends on factors like the target audience, the means and availability of the communication mode, cost implication for the communication initiative.

Group communication can have effective results in case of marketing, where the communication is vital for selling and marketing products and product launches etc.

2.1.3 Mass communication 

Mass communication is the study of how people exchange information through mass media to large segments of the population at the same time. In other words, mass communication refers to the imparting and exchanging of information on a large scale to a wide range of people. It is usually understood to relate newspaper, magazine, and book publishing, as well as radio, television and film, even via internet as these mediums are used for disseminating information,  news and advertising. Mass communication differs from the studies of other forms of communication, such as interpersonal communication or organizational communication, in that it focuses on a single source transmitting information to a large number of receivers. The study of mass communication is chiefly concerned with how the content of mass communication persuades or otherwise affects the behavior, attitude, opinion, or emotion of the person or people receiving the information.

Albert Mehrabian’s work on verbal and non-verbal communication in the 1960’s and early1970’s is still considered a valid model today. There are basically three elements in any face-to-face communication. These three elements account differently for the meaning of the message: