Flow of communication

1. FLOWOFCOMMUNICATION
DOWNWARD,UPWARD,HORIZONTALAND
DIAGONAL
Efforts by:
VibhorAgarwal

2. Communication structure in
Organization
1. Theorganization structure lays down the
relationship between various positions inthe
company.
2. Thedifferent levels in the structure have to
communicate with each other inasystematic
manner to avoid confusion,
misunderstanding or chaos.

3. Communication structure in
Organization
3.No organization can survive without a
network which maintains the flow of
information.
4.Theformal channel determinesthe
effectiveness and efficiency of the
organization.

4. Communication structure in
Organization
Formal channels include the paths of
communication which areinstitutionally
determined by the organization.

5. Communication
Typesof communication
METHOD
DIRECTION
CHANNEL
1Formal
2. Informal
1. Dow
nw
ard
2. Upward
3. Horizontal
4. Diagonal
1. Oral
2. Written
3. Gestural

6. DirectionorFlowof Communication
Diagonal
HORIZONTALCOMMUNICATION
UPWARD
DOWN
WARD

7. On thebasisoforganization
Therearetwotypesof communication-
1.Formal
2.Informa
l

8. DirectionorFlowof Communication
Diagonal
HORIZONTALCOMMUNICATION
UPWARD
DOWN
WARD

9. Formal vs.informal
communication
Formal
•
•
• Formalcommunication
follows the officially
established chain of
command and lines of
communication.
It is aslow movingprocess.
It is easyto pin point the
responsibility with respect
to formalcommunication.
Informal
• Informal communicationis
independent of the
authority relations in the
organization.
• It carries messagesat afast
speed.
• It is not possible to fix the
responsibility of informal
communication.

10. Formal vs.informal
communication
Formal
 I t is task oriented.
 I t consists mainly of
work relatedmatters.
 I t is orderly and
systematic asregards
direction of flow.
 I t serves
organizational needs.
Informal
•
•
•
•
It is peopleoriented.
It may consist of work
related aswell associal
messages.
It is erratic and
unsystematic asregards
direction of flow.
It serves not only
organizational needsbut
also social needs of the
people.

11. Formal vs.informal
communication
Formal
•
•
• It flows in vertical,
horizontal anddiagonal
directions.
It can be both oraland
written.
Themessageis very
accurate and authentic.
Informal
 I t flows in every
possible direction.
 I t can be mostly oral.
The messagecan not
be considered authentic
unless it is
supplemented byformal
channels.

12. Formal communication
Formalcommunicationreferstothecommunication
that followsthe official hierarchy
.
Aprecisecommunicationchannelfollowingafixed
pattern than occurringwithout control.
Formalchannelisthesystematic,authorizedand
structuredmovementof messagesthatdeterminethe
effectivenessandefficiencyof organization.

13. HIERARCHYLEVEL
Executive Director
Vice President
A.G.M.
Manager
Supervisor
Forman
Supervisor 3
Supervisor 1 Supervisor 2
Manager
Horizontal C omm.

14. Formal Communication
Theflowof communicationmaytakeplacevertically
alongthechainof commandorhorizontallybetween
personsholdingsimilarstatusintheorganizational
hierarchy
.
Formal communication enforces a relationship between
different positions whereas informal channel represents
communication among people through informal or
personal contacts.

15. Formal Communication
FormalandInformal
Channelsof Communication
President
Vice
President
Vice
President
Manager Manager Manager Manager
Efforts at coordination
Information
Instructions
and
dire
ctives
11/18/2003
© Copyright 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc.

16. Formal communication is bothoralandwrittenbut
mostlywritten.
Written communication isusedusuallyformatters
thatarehighlyimportanttothemanagementortothe
firm.
Memos,letters,reports,policies,proceduralchanges,
orders, instructionsandconfidentialreportscome
underformal communication.
Thistypeof communicationcanflowinvarious
directions.

17. FORMALCOMMUNICATION
“Formal communication means exchange of ideas and
information which is done under the planned
organizational structure .”
‘ It means an exchange of idea which passes through a
definite channel.’
‘ Formal communication is deliberately designed and
represent authority responsibility relationships between
different position in theorganization.’

18. TYPOLOGYOFCOMMUNICATION
Communicationinorganizationscanbestudied
underthefollowingleadings :
A CHANNELOR NETWORK
i Formal
ii
Informa
l

19. DIRECTION OF MESSAGE
I
Downw
ar
d II Upward
III Horizontal
IV Diagonal

20. METHOD OF EXPRESSION
I. ORAL
II. WRITTEN
III.GESTURAL

21. CHANNELSOFCOMMUNICATION
A channel of communicationis thepaththrough
which information is transmitted throughout the
organization.
Channels of communicationmaybe divided into
twocategories.
a.Formal
b. Informal

22. Characteristics of formalcommunication
1.written or oral
2.formal relation
3.prescribed path
4.organisational message
5.deliberate effort
6. Authentic information
7. Identified source

23. Advantages of formal communication
1. Maintenance of authority of theofficers-
Formal communication maintains constant
relations among the superiors and the
subordinates.
It provides support to the authority of
superiors over sub-ordinates.

24. Advantages of formal communication
2.Clear andeffective communication-
 With the help of formal communication
superiors and subordinates understandthe
capability, habits, feelings,etc.
Control is facilitated by formalcommunication
providing information about work
performance.

25. 3.Orderly flow of information-
Theinformation hasto passthrough adefinite
route from one person toanother.
Thesource of communication can beeasily
located.
It is an officially recognized path of
communication and therefore it ispresumed
to beauthentic.

26. Limitations of formalcommunication
1.Rigid and slow
2.Distortion of information
3. Lackof personaltouch

27. Thistypeof communicationfollowsthescalarchainof authority
andsoitisaslowmoving process.
Formalcommunicationismostlyconveyedinanimpersonal
manner.
Personalwarmthandinvolvementmaybe lacking.
Accurateinformationmaynotbetransmitted.Eventheinformation
maybedistortedintheprocessof transmissionthroughdifferent
levelsinthe organization.
Limitations of formal communication

28. Communication Structure
•
C
11/18/2003
FormalandInformal
Channelsof Communication
Chain

29. Chain Network or Single Strand
Onepersoncommunicateswithonepersononly.
Itrepresentsaverticalhierarchyinwhichcommunicationcan
flowonlyupwardordownward.
Theflowof communicationtakesplacethroughtheformal
channels,fromasuperiortosubordinateor vice-versa.
Thereisnohorizontalcommunicationinthechainnetwork.
Thefirstandthelastpersonhaveno directcontact.

30. 2. Communication Structures
Centralized
11/18/2003
FormalandInformal
Channelsof Communication
Y

31. Ytype network
It’sacombinationof horizontalandverticalflowof
communication.
If weturntheYupsidedown,weseetwosub-
ordinatesreportingtoonesenior,with2levelsof
authorityabovethelatter.

32. 3.Communication Structures
Centralized
11/18/2003
FormalandInformal
Channelsof Communication
Wheel

33. Wheel Network
Thewheelnetworkreferstoseveralsub-ordinatesreportingtoa
superior.
Itisacombinationof horizontalanddiagonalflowof
communication
Allthesub-ordinatesareof equalrank,allof themreporttoone
superiorandinteractbetween themselves.
All theworkersreceive instructionand guidance from one person.

34. 4. Communication Structures
Decentralized
• Circle Network
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FormalandInformal
Channelsof Communication
Circle

35. Circle Network
Themessagemovesincircle.
Eachpersoncancommunicatewithhistwo
neighborhoodcolleaguesbutnotfurther.
Thecommunicationisveryslowinthis network.

36. 5. Communication Structures
Decentralized
F
11/18/2003
FormalandInformal
Channelsof Communication
Common

37. Freeflow or all channelnetwork
• There is no restriction in the flowof
communication.
• Everyone is free to communicate withanyone
and everyone in theorganization.
• This network is informal andunstructured.
• It is veryflexible.
• All are equal and everybody’s viewsare
equally and openly shared.

38. Informal communication
Communication between individuals and groupswhich
are not officially recognized is known asinformal
communication.
Sideby side with the formal channel ofcommunication,
every organization hasan effective channel of
communication – i.e., informal channel.
It consists of exchange of ideas and information resulting
from social interaction among the members of an
organization.

39. Thiscommunicationisbasedoninformalrelations.
Itis free fromalltheorganizationalformalities.
The exchange of information usuallytakes place onthe
occasions of community meals,socialoccasions,
parties ,etc. informal communication isalso called
“grapevine communication”.

40. What isgrapevine
• Thenetwork or pathway of informal
communication is known asgrapevine.
• Grapevine cuts acrossformal channelsof
communication.
• Theorigin and direction of the flow of
informally conveyed messagescannot be
easily traced.

41. Features of grapevinecommunication
• It transmits the information in every direction
throughout the organization laterally and
diagonally.
•In it the chain of command needs not be
followed.
• Theinformation flows rapidly.
• It can occur off thejob.
• Grapevine generally occursorally.

42. •Grapevineisbasedonpeopleratherthan task.
•Grapevinedoesnotfollowafixedpatternasinthecase
withformalcommunication.
•Informationtravellingingrapevinedoesnotfollowan
orderly path.
•Managersshouldnoteliminatethegrapevine,and
therebyignore it.
•Wisemanagersremaintunedtothe grapevine.
•Theyobtainusefulinformation.

43. advantages of grapevine
communication
• Social relations
• Satisfaction
• Speed
• Feedback
• Supporting the formalchannel
• Better humanrelations

44. Socialrelations
•Informal communication givesopportunity
to people toform social groups and
communicate with oneanother.

45. Satisfaction
• Informal communication satisfies an
important urge of people to know what is
happening in the other parts of the
organization.
• Theyalso come to know about thelatest
information.

46. Speed
• Informal communication is very useful when
information is required to be communicated
very rapidly.
• It works faster than formalinformation.

47. Feedback
Informal communication is veryfast.
It can be used by managers to getquick
feedback from thesub-ordinates.

48. Supporting the formalchannel
Whatever cannot be communicated through
formal channel becauseof time or official
constraints, can be successfully transmitted
through informal channels.

49. Better humanrelations
• Informal channels develop healthy relations
amongst people in the organization asit cuts
acrossofficial positions and hierarchical
relationships.

50. Disadvantages
• Incomplete information
• Distortion
•
•
Misunderstanding
Incredible
• Damageto theorganization
• Unreliable information
• Unsystematic communication

51. Incomplete information
• There are occasions when grapevine
does not carry completeinformation.

52. Distortion
• Information communicated through
grapevine may get distorted.
• People add their personalinterpretations
and thus distort thefacts.

53. Unreliability
• Informal communication isgenerally
unreliable.
• It can’t be depended upon forsending
urgent messages.

54. Leakage
• Confidential information often leaksout
through informal communication.

55. Lackof authenticity
• Informal communication spreadsby
word of mouth.
• Informal communication may not be
supported by tangible (concrete,
substantial) facts.

56. Problem in fixingresponsibility
• Origin of information can notbe
ascertained.
• It is difficult to hold anybody responsible
for spreading falseinformation.

57. Typesof grapevine communication
There are four types of grapevine or informal
communication.
1.Single strand network
2.Gossipnetwork
3.Probability network
4.Cluster network

58. Typesof informal communication
Informalcommunication
cluster
Gossip wheel probability
Singlestrand

59. Informal Networks
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Y
D
C
B
A
Chain
A
B
D H I
J
K
F
G
E
C
Gossip
F B D
J
H
C
E
K
G I
X
A
Probability
A
C
D
F
J
I
B
Cluster
McGraw-Hill
FormalandInformal
Channelsof Communication
©2004TheMcGraw-HillCompanies,Inc.All rightsreserved.

60. 1.Singlestrand
w
p
s
h
r
q

61. Singlestrand
• In this type, information flows througha
long line of person to the ultimate
receiver.
• This chain is least accurate in passingon
the information.

62. 2.Gossip wheel
P
U
B
A
H
S
x
w

63. Gossipwheel
• It involves passingof information from a
person in the centre to all the other around
him.
• Thechain is often used when information ora
messageregarding is an interesting one but
non-job related nature is beingconveyed.

64. 3. Probability chain
p l
a
o
u
r
c w
q
s

65. Probability chain
• Here p communicates randomly with others
according to the law ofprobability.
• In this type ofchain, individuals are indifferent
to, or not really interested in, the persons to
whom they are passingsomeinformation.
• Thechain is found when the informationis
somewhat interesting but not really
significant.

66. 4. Cluster
t
r
n
m
l
k
q
w
j
p
e

67. Cluster
• It involves selective communication ina
group.
• Theindividual communicates with onlythose
individuals whom hetrusts.
• Out ofthese informal networks, the cluster
network is the mostpopular.

68. Formal Channel
Withinthenetworkof formalorganizational
communication structurethere are fourtypes
of directional flow.
1. DownwardCommunication
2. Upward Communication
3. Horizontal Communication
4. Diagonal Communication

69. DirectionorFlowof Communication
Diagonal
HORIZONTALCOMMUNICATION
UPWARD
DOWN
WARD

70. Onthe basisof direction
• Downward Communication
• Upward Communication
• Horizontal Communication
• Diagonal Communication

71. HIERARCHYLEVEL
Executive Director
Vice President
A.G.M.
Manager
Supervisor
Forman
Supervisor 3
Supervisor 1 Supervisor 2
Manager
Horizontal C omm.

72. Vertical/Lateral Communication
Organisation chart shows vertical (black
arrows) and lateral (greenarrows)
Finance Marketing Production
Board of Directors
Finance
Officers
Marketing
Assistants
Factory
Operatives

73. VERTICALCOMMUNICATION
Theupward communication is just oppositeto
the downwardcommunication.
The function of upward communication is to
supply information to the upper levels about
what is happening at the lowerlevel.
This type of communication includesprogress
report, suggestions and request for aid.

74. VERTICALCOMMUNICATION
•
•
Vertical communication consists of communication upand
down the organization's chain ofcommand.
Downward communication starts with topmanagement
and flows down through management levels to line
workers.
Purpose:
 Advise
 Inform
 Direct
 Instruct

75. VERTICALCOMMUNICATION
• Disadvantages:
Downward communication is likely to be
filtered, modified or halted ateach level as
managers decide what should be passed
down to theiremployee.
This will lead toconfusion.

76. VERTICALCOMMUNICATION
• Disadvantages:
Upward communication is likely tobe filtered,
condensed or modified by the middle level
management to protect upper level
management from non-essential data
originating at the lowerlevels.

77. DOWNWARDCOMMUNCATION
UPWARD
DOWNAR
D
VERTICALCOMMUNCATION

78. Downward communication vs.Upward
communication
DownwardCommunication
•
• It represents the flowof
information from top
level to lowerlevels.
Its purpose is to
communicate policies,
procedures, ordersand
instructions to thesub-
ordinates.
•
UpwardCommunication
• It represents the flow of
information from lower
level to top level.
Its purpose is to keep
the superiorsinformed
about the progress of
work and difficulties
faced in the execution
of orders.

79. Downward communication vs.Upward
communication
DownwardCommunication
•
• It is used to get things
done through the sub-
ordinates.
It takes the form of
written and oral
instructions , letters,
memos, company
publication etc.
•
UpwardCommunication
• It is used to givereports
and convey reactions of
sub-ordinates to the
management.
It takes the form of
activity reports,
suggestions, grievances
etc.

80. Downward Communication
• Downward communication movesfrom
top to bottom, i.e., from the CEOto
downwards.
• It travels through senior executivesto
junior levelfunctionaries.
• Examples:Notices, circulars etc.

81. Objectives of Downward communication
1. Togive instructions about what todo
and how to do.
2. Toexplain organizational policies,
programs and procedures.
3. Toknow how effectively apersonis
performing hisjob.
4. Tomotivate employees to improvetheir
performance.
5. Totrain subordinates in performingtheir
jobs.

82. Highly Directive, from Senior
to subordinates, to assign
duties, give instructions, to
inform, to offer feedback, etc.

83. Merits of Downward
communication
• Mission andGoals
• Plansand Policies
• Duty andauthority
• JobSatisfaction

84. Mission andGoals
• It informs the employees about the
organization mission, goals andhow
they should contribute their best to
accomplish these goals.

85. Plansand Policies
• It provides the employees with
information regarding organizational
plans and policies.

86. Duty andauthority
• It facilitates the employees in
knowing what is expected fromthem
and the extent of theirauthority.

87. JobSatisfaction
• It increases employees’ job
satisfaction by communicating them
about their betterperformance.

88. Problems of Downwardcommunication
• Information is quite often lost or distorted in
the course of itsjourney.
• It is aone way traffic, which mustbe flexible
but in reality it is very rigid.
• For any communicative purpose to be served,
it is essential to find out whether the receiver
of the messageor informationhasunderstood
it.

89. •It is timeconsuming.
•Themore the levels the more the chancesof
delay or dilution ofinformation.
•Downward communication is more likely to be
filtered, modified or distorted at any or each level
asmanagers decide what should be passeddown
to their employees.

90. •Filtration occurs becauseof lack of trustand
confidence between employees.
•Sometimes managers withhold information in
order tokeep the employees dependent on them
which results in incomplete information,
employees may feel confused, uninformed or
powerless and might fail to carry out their tasks
properly .

91. Effective Downward communication
• Bewell informed andcomplete.
• Beshort sothat there isminimum
distortion.
• Usesimple language
• Keep in view the skill and competence of
sub-ordinates to comprehend and follow
instructions.

92. Effective Down ward communication
• Follow hierarchical structure of
organization.
• Encourage feedback through upward
communication.

93. Modes of downwardcommunication
• Handbooks and pamphlets
• Posters and bulletins
• House journal
• Direct mail
• Annual reports
• Special meetings

94. Handbooks
• Theemployee handbook is a
document compiled by an
organization that is used to inform
employees of rules, regulations,and
policies.

95. Handbooks
• Employee handbooks are likely to include
information on the following topics:
employee compensation and benefits,
performance appraisal procedures,
smoking restrictions, leave policies, dress
codes, disciplinary procedures etc.

96. Orientation
• Orientation is atraining program that
introduces new employees to the company,
their work units, and their particular jobs; it is
used to familiarize employees with the
organization's rules, policies, andprocedures.

97. Bulletins
• Information concerning the firmis often
communicated on bulletin boards.
• Bulletin boards always help everybodyknow
all the important things and events that is
going on within anorganization.

98. Bulletins
• Agood bulletin board can also solve
problems before they begin.
• Posting rules and requirements canprevent
alot of future interpersonal conflicts
between employees andmanagement.

99. Housejournal
• Many firms have their own newslettersor
newspapers, often referred to ashouse
journals.
• Organizations publish quarterly or monthly
in-house magazinesto keep employees
updated about the latest development inthe
business, activities conducted in the
company like social or cultural and
achievements by the salesteam.

100. House journal
• Agreat deal of information regarding
the organization can be
communicated through these
newsletters.
• Theyoften contain information
about new products, about its
policies.

101. House journal
• It provides complete informationof
the organization with details on
nature of the business, its
customers, products, policies,
benefits and services available to its
employees.

102. Direct mail
• When the top management wantsto
communicate matters of
importance, it can usedirect mail
intended to employees.

103. Specialmeetings
• Themanagement may schedule special
meetings with the employees toexplain
them the new policies and procedures
and to obtain feedback fromthem.
• Thus, special meetings can be used for
both downward and upward
communication.

104. Upward Communication
• Upward Communication is just the reverse
of the downwardcommunication.
• It flows upward from a subordinate to the
superior through middle managerial levels
along the line.
• Examples:Reports, meetings, informal
discussion etc.

105. • It is non
directive in
nature from
down below, to
give feedback,
to inform
about
progress/probl
ems, seeking
approvals.

106. •Themain function of upward communication isto
supply information to the superiors about what is
happening at the lowerlevels.
•Thepurposes of upward communication are tokeep
the superiors informed about the progress of the
work and difficulties faced in executing orders,
suggest measures for improvement, communicate
grievances etc.

107. This communication keeps the managers aware of how
employees feel about their jobs and the organization in
general.
It helps managers in taking certaindecisions.
Upward communication can flourish only in democratic
organizational environment.
It helps in knowing the attitude of people.

108. Problems in upward
communication
• Superiors do not like to be ‘told’ or even like
to hear from their juniors against their wishes.
• Hencethe piece of communication mayquite
often not even be allowed togo up.
• It may be distorted ormisinterpreted.
• Theemployees may feel let down orbecome
shyand reluctant to expressthemselves.

109. Effective Upward Communication
Theinitiative restswith the superiors
who should:
• Actively encouragefeedback.
• Beopen minded and receptive to new
ideas.
• Listen attentively andempathetically.
• Removeawe of authority.

110. Effective Upward Communication
• Create opportunities for superior-
subordinate interaction likemeetings,
open door policy,etc.
• Provide suggestion boxes.
• Assurethat adverse ideas will notcause
victimization.

111. Merits of UpwardCommunication
• Feedback—
It helps managers in receiving
feedback from the lower levelsthat
helps them in carrying out the
controlling function.
• It also helps them inknowing the
working attitude ofemployees.

112. Creative ideas
• It provides managers withcreative
ideas and suggestions which
probably they could not have
thought of.

113. Better relations
• It strengthens superiorsub-ordinate
relationship and improves
harmonious industrial relations.

114. Overcomes resistance to change
• It overcomes resistance to changeonthe
part of the employees asthey are
allowed to present their fears and
apprehensions before the management.

115. Increases motivation
• It increases employees’ motivationto
work.
• Employeesfeel morally committedto
their work if their grievances, ideas,
suggestions are considered by top
managers.

116. Limitations of upwardcommunication
• Fearsand apprehensions— Sub-
ordinates do not always reportthe
matters the way they want, forthe
fear of being reprimanded by their
bosses.

117. Filtration
• Asubstantial part of communication
gets filtered when itflows upward.
• Eachlevel filters that part of
information which it feels will
present an unfavorable picture of
their superiors.

118. Time consuming
• Too many levels in the official chain
of command result in delayed
transmission from the lower levelsto
the top level.

119. Inattention bySuperiors
• Inattention by superiors mayeven
discourage the sub-ordinates to
speakto higherlevels.

120. Lowmorale
• Theemployees may feel morally
depressed when their grievances and
suggestions to the higher authoritiesdo
not get the requiredattention.

121. Medium of Upward
communication
• Suggestion System
• Grievance procedure
• Open-door policy
• Questionnaires
• Ombudsperson

122. Suggestion System
• Many firms have formal suggestion
system.
• Theyprovide for suggestion boxes for
putting in suggestions by theworkers.
• Theyencourage workers to fill
suggestion forms regularly.
• In this system every suggestionshould
receive sincere consideration.

123. Grievance Procedure
• Grievance procedure gives the sub-
ordinates an opportunity to settletheir
disputes within theorganization.

124. Open-door Policy
• Open-door policy allows workers to
bypassimmediate supervisors and talk to
the top executives in regard to important
matters without fear ofreprisal.
• This communication reduces tension and
improves trust insub-ordinates.

125. Open-door policy hasdisadvantages too.
It creates asenseof insecurity in managers
when they know that sub-ordinates maylodge
complains directly to upper levelmanagers.

126. Questionnaires
• Sometimes, anonymous questionnaires
are given to workers to fill in with a view
to identify problem areas in the
organization.
• When alarge number of workers ratea
firm low in agiven area, the
management should deal with it
immediately and find solutionsthereof.

127. Ombudsperson
• Theorganizations having no union can have
acomplaint officer called anombudsperson.
• Hehears employees’ complaints,
investigates them and recommends
appropriate actions to the topmanagement.
• Thisform of grievance resolutionchannel
resolves the problemsswiftly.

128. Vertical/Lateral Communication
Divisional Manager
(Steel)
Divisional Manager
(Cement)
Managing Director
Deptt
head(
Fina
Deptt
Head
(Pro)
Deptt.
head
markt
Deptt
head
pro
Deptt
Head
Fina
Deptt
head
mkt

129. Horizontal Communication
• This type of communication refers to
communication between variousdepartment
or units representing the samelevel, or
people within the sameor different
departments without having asuperior-
subordinate relationship.
• Itflows between persons at the same
hierarchical level.

130. •It is known by various other nameslike sideways
communication,lateral communication,inter-scalar
communication.
•This form of communication takes place amongpeer
groups or hierarchically equivalentemployees.

131. Merits of Horizontalcommunication
• It speedsup the flow of work in
organization.
• It facilitates problem-solving amongst
members at the same level and brings
about co-ordination.
• It develops mutual trustand confidence
amongst similar position holders of
different departments.

132. •It relieves top managers of the burden of solving
problem of the lower levels if they can manage to
solvethemontheir own.

133. Limitations of Horizontal
Communication
• In the modern age, functional heads are
so highly specialized in managing
activities of their departments that they
lack knowledge of other functional areas.
• This hampers communication at the
horizontal level.

134. Forexample:-marketingmanagermaynotappreciate
theproblemof thefinancemanagerincollecting
paymentsfromthedebtorsandinsistonliberalcreditto
customers.
2.Personallikesanddislikesamongstmembersof
differentworkgroupscanobstructfreeflowof
informationamongthem.
3.Differencesinperceptionsandattitudesof functional
headscanbecounter-productiveinhorizontal
communication.

135. For example:-
If the chief executive of the company directs
functional heads to cut down costs, finance manager
may want marketing manager to cutselling expenses
while marketing manager may want production
manager to cut productioncosts.
This might lead to inter-departmentalconflicts.

136. The best example of lateral communication can be
seen in the interaction of production and marketing
departments.
Strategiesof marketingcannotbefruitfulunlessits
plansarecommunicatedtotheproduction
department.

137. Objectives of lateral
communication
• Toco-ordinate among various individuals or
departments.
• Toresolve conflicts among various employees
of thedepartment.
• Toexchange information among various
employees of thedepartment.
• Topromote social relations amongemployees
in the organization.

138. Diagonal or Crosswise
Communication
Diagonal or Crosswise Communication cuts
across different functions and levels in an
organization.
Diagonal Communication travels from sub-
ordinates to supervisors.
The increased use of e-mails also encourages
crosswise communication.

139. For Example:- when asalesmanager directly communicates
with the Vice-President (production) who is not only in a
different divisionbut also at ahigher level in the
organization, they are engaged in diagonalcommunication.
Any employee can communicate via e-mail with another
employee, regardless of the receiver’s function orstatus.
It is also called radial or circularcommunication.
Themajor problem with diagonal communication isthat
it departs from the normal chain of command.

140. Oral Communication
• It involves exchangeof messageswiththe
help of spokenwords.
• Oral communication may takeplace
(i)by face to facecontacts
(ii)through mechanical devices ex:-telephones,
intercom system, mobile etc.

141. Faceto face conversation is the most naturalway of
transmitting the message.
Oral orders, personal interviews, lectures, groupdiscussions
, social gatherings etc. are frequently used in our daily life.

142. Advantages of oral communication
• It is relatively lessexpensive ascomparedto
written communication.
• It is more effective because of direct contact.
• It helps in getting quick response from the
receivers.
• Faceto face contacts canbe made effectiveby
supporting them with gestures.

143. Oralcommunicationisfasterascomparedto
writtencommunication.
Oralcommunicationisveryusefulfordiscussing
problemsin groups.
Itisverymuchhelpfulwhenthetimeavailableisvery
short.
Italsohelpsinknowingthereactionsof thereceivers
quickly
.

144. Disadvantages of oral
communication
• Oral communication is not possible when
parties tocommunication are at distant places
and no electronic meansof communication is
available.
• Communication through the electronic device
may not be reliable because of the possibility
of the breakdown in the transmission system.

145. Itcannotserveasanauthenticpieceof recordunless
theconversationisaudioorvideorecorded.
Oralcommunicationmaygiverisetoconflictsincertain
situationsbecauseof immediateresponsefromthe
listener.Evenif thereisaslipof tonguebyaperson,the
wordsspokenoncecan’tbetakenback.
Oralcommunicationmaybeignoredbythereceiverof
themessage.Thiswoulddelayaction.

146. Two Sidesof Oral Communication
• Listening
• Presenting

147. Listening
• Any discussion of oral communication is
incomplete without considering listening asan
important tool ofcommunication.
• No oral communication can beeffective
without properlistening.
• Therecipient of the messagemustbe
attentive andreceptive.
• Poor listening may defeat the very purposeof
oral communication.

148. Effective Listening Skills
• Stop talking asyou can not listen effectively
during talking.
• Freeyour mind from presumptions and
preconceived ideas by being aware of them.
• Avoid any external distraction.
• Put the talker at easewithsmiling face and
sweet words, sothat he cancommunicate
frankly andfearlessly.

149. Effective Listening Skills
• Demonstrate your interest in thetalker’s
speech.
• Bepatient and allow the talker sufficienttime
to clarify hispoint.
• Donot interrupt himunnecessarily.
• Donot be selective and partial inlistening.
• Avoid premature evaluation andjudgment.

150. Presenting
• Ability to present one’s viewpoint is also
important for effective oralcommunication.
• In order to be an effectivepresenter, one
should present facts and notopinions.
• Keepto the point.
• Keepthe listener’s interest inmind.
• Askfor feedback.
• Answer questions honestly.

151. Faceto facecommunication
• Themost natural way of transmitting themessage.
• Helps in achieving greater co-operation and
understanding becausethe communicator can
convey the messageboth by words andexpressions
or gestures.
• Listener can make queries if he hasany doubt orif
he is not able tounderstand the message.

152. Advantages
• Listener’s attention
• Effect of facialexpressions
• Suitable for discussions

153. Listener’s Attention
• Ithasthe advantage of exercising control over
the listener’sattention.
• Thespeaker can effectively capture the
listener’s attention by making hismessage
clear and interesting.

154. Effect of facialexpressions
• Speakercan make his speech more vivid and
forceful by conveying through facial
expressions, tone and pitch of thevoice.

155. Inattentive listening
• For effective communication, listening skill
plays important role.
• Most of the persons seemlistening, but do
not listen becauseof wandering of mind to
other matters, using or selectiveperceptions,
egoism etc.
• Thecommunication does not takeplace
becauseof inattentive listening.

156. Unproductive in unhealthyrelations
• At times face to face communicationproves
counter-productive when the relations
between the parties areunhealthy.
• It may lead to further conflicts and
confrontation.

157. Principles of successfuloral
communication
• Clarity of Expression
• Beprecise
• Choiceof words
• Avoid hackneyed phrases
• Avoid communication overload
• Listener’s interest
• Easyflow
• sequence
• Strong conviction

158. Clarity of expression
• Thespeaker should speakclearly and
slowly.
• Pronunciation and accent of thespeaker
are also important.

159. Beprecise
• There should be precision in the
statements.
• For ex:- increase the prices by 10%this
statement is specific instead of saying
increase the prices.

160. Choiceof Words
• Useof familiar words is betterthan
unfamiliar words.
• Ambiguous words should be
avoided.

161. Avoid hackneyedphrases
• Do not use the phrases which have
lost their impact and have become
dull.
• For ex:- sothen, you see, youknow

162. Listener’s interest
• Agood speaker should know his
audience, their culture,education,
level of intelligence.
• Aspeaker must take into
consideration the listenersaround
him.

163. Easyflow
• There should be natural style which is
more effective than complicatedstyle.
• Thespeaker should cultivate an
impressive voice.
• Harsh, shrill voice and artificial style
become repulsive and therefore the
purpose of communication isdefeated.

164. Sequence
• Thespeaker should arrange various
ideas in alogical sequence.
• Rambling thoughts andirrelevant
ideas are never effective.

165. Strong Conviction
• Thespeaker should think carefully, speak
sincerely, plan intelligently in order to
make his speech effective.
• Hemust have strong conviction about
what hesays.

166. Written Communication
• Written communication is transmitted by
written words in the form of letters, memos,
circulars, bulletins, reports, instruction cards,
manuals, magazines,handbooks etc.
• It generally movesdownward.
• Upward communication in the written form is
generally discouraged, or the workers are
reluctant to useit.

167. Managementstyle
Dynamic management should encourage it by
installing asuitable suggestion system under which
workers are allowed to write their grievances and
suggestions freely.

168. Modes of written communication
• Letters
• Notice
• Memo or memorandum
• Telegram
• Telex

169. Letters
• Themessageis transmitted from the sender
to the receiver throughaletter.

170. Notice
• Notice is one of thebest methods when many
people within an organization are to be
contacted.
• Notice is acommon method of mass
communication.

171. Memo or Memorandum
• It is amessagebetween members of a
company, pertaining to routinematters.

172. Telegram
• For contacting people at distantplaces
telegrams canbe used.
• It gives an impression of urgency tothe
receiver.
• Toconvey the matters urgently and totake
quick actions, telegrams areused.

173. Telex
• It is atelegraphic device which hasafacilityto
type out the messagessimultaneously on the
senders machine and the receiversmachine.
• It is used to send aswell asreceivemessages.

174. Advantages of Written
communication
• Written communication can be used to issue
instructions and orders to thesub-ordinates.
• It is very difficult to alter the contents of the
written messagesoit can’t bedistorted.
• Written communication is acheaper meansof
communication when parties to communication
are situated at distantplace.

175. Written messagesare more formulated than oral
communication. That is why they are more specific and
clear. Onecan think adequately before writinganything.
Responseto written communication is generally well
thought out becausethe receiver gets sufficient timeto
understand and evaluate the message.
Written communication servesasareliable record for
future reference and can be used in legalproceedings.

176. Disadvantages of Written
Communication
• Written communication is more expensivefor
transmitting short messages.
• It also takes time to convey the message.
• Written communication is generally formalin
nature, it does not involve personal touch
between the parties.

177. Onceawritten messagehasbeen dispatched, there is
little scopeleft for making amendments for the
inaccuracy that might have crept intoit.
If the written communication is poorly drafted, it may
create misunderstanding and confusion in the mind ofthe
receiver.

178. Comparison of Oral andWritten
communication
•
•
•
• It is expressedthrough
spoken words.
It takes lesstime.
It may not beprecise.
It may not be complete.It
may be difficult to
understand it.
• It is generally informalin
nature.
Oral Communication Writtencommunication
•
•
•
•
• Communication is
expressed in writing.
It takes moretime.
It can beprecise.
It is not difficult to
understand written
communication if it is
expressed in unambiguous
terms.
It is generally formalin
nature.

179. Comparison of Oral andWritten
communication
Oral message may betaken
casually.
• Oral messagemay not be
verifiable.
Oral Communication Writtencommunication
• •
•
Written messageis
generally takenseriously.
Written messagecan be
verified from therecords.

180. Gestural Communication
• Communication through gestures or posturesis
often used asameansto supplement verbal
communication.
• If there is aface to face conversation betweentwo
persons, they canbetter understand the feelings,
attitudes and emotions of eachother.
• Gestural communication is very helpful to motivate
the sub-ordinates.

181. For example:- handshake with the sub-ordinate or paton
the back of thesub-ordinate.
Gesture is amovement of the head, hand, body etc.to
express an idea, feeling, emotion.
Asgestures have meanings sothey should be coordinated
with proper intensity ofspeech.
Apresenter while facing the audience is advised to keep
positive gestures, since it indicates his positivepersonality.

182. Adroit gestures can add to the impact ofaspeech.
An ungainly gesture (like playing with your key chain orbutton)
can mar the effectiveness of message.
For example:- arms spread apart convey the meaningof
“wide”.
ii. Shuffling from one leg toanother means “nervous”

183. Gestures should not divert the attention of the listener and
distract from yourmessage.
Gestures can be divided into followingtypes:
Enumerative
Descriptive
Symbolic
Locative
Emphatic
-- Numbers
-- Sizeof the objects
-- abstractconcepts
-- location of anobject
-- emphasis