Communication, 7cs of communication and barriers to communication

1. Asst Prof. Madhavi Sharma

2.  Communication (from Latin commūnicāre,
meaning "to share“)
 the act or process of using words, sounds,
signs, or behaviors to express or exchange
information or to express your ideas,
thoughts, feelings, etc., to someone else

3.  “ Communication is transfer of information
from one person to another, whether or not it
elicits confidence. But the information
transferred must be understandable to the
receiver” – G.G. Brown.
 “Communication is the intercourse by words,
letters or messages”- Fred G. Meyer.

4.  A message or communication is sent by the
sender through a communication channel to
a receiver, or to multiple receivers.
 The sender must encode the message (the
information being conveyed) into a form that
is appropriate to the communication channel,
and the receiver(s) then decodes the message
to understand its meaning and significance.

6.  Sender: The sender is the person who
initiates the process of communication.
Whenever the sender feels that there is a
need to communicate some information to
the other person (receiver), he/she starts the
process of communication. The sender must
be aware of the purpose of the
communication and the receiver’s abilities to
understand the message in terms of language,
interest, etc.

7.  Encoding: The sender begins with the
encoding process wherein he uses certain
words or non-verbal methods such as
symbols, signs, body gestures, etc. to
translate the information into a message. The
sender’s knowledge, skills, perception,
background, competencies, etc. has a great
impact on the success of the message.

8.  Message: Once the encoding is finished, the
sender gets the message that he intends to
convey. The message can be written, oral,
symbolic or non-verbal such as body gestures,
silence, sighs, sounds, etc. or any other signal
that triggers the response of a receiver.

9.  Communication Channel: The Sender chooses
the medium through which he wants to convey
his message to the recipient. It must be selected
carefully in order to make the message effective
and correctly interpreted by the recipient. The
choice of medium depends on the interpersonal
relationships between the sender and the
receiver and also on the urgency of the message
being sent. Oral, virtual, written, sound, gesture,
etc. are some of the commonly used
communication mediums.

10.  Receiver: The receiver is the person for whom
the message is intended or targeted. He tries
to comprehend it in the best possible manner
such that the communication objective is
attained. The degree to which the receiver
decodes the message depends on his
knowledge of the subject matter, experience,
trust and relationship with the sender.

11.  Decoding: Here, the receiver interprets the
sender’s message and tries to understand it in
the best possible manner. An effective
communication occurs only if the receiver
understands the message in exactly the same
way as it was intended by the sender.

12.  Feedback: The Feedback is the final step of
the process that ensures the receiver has
received the message and interpreted it
correctly as it was intended by the sender. It
increases the effectiveness of the
communication as it permits the sender to
know the efficacy of his message. The
response of the receiver can be verbal or non-
verbal.

13.  Oral communication implies communication
through mouth. It includes individuals conversing
with each other, be it direct conversation or
telephonic conversation. Speeches,
presentations, discussions are all forms of oral
communication. Oral communication is generally
recommended when the communication matter
is of temporary kind or where a direct interaction
is required. Face to face communication
(meetings, lectures, interviews, etc.) is significant
so as to build a rapport and trust.

14.  According to Ricky W. Griffin, “Oral
communication takes place in face-to-face
conversations, group discussions, telephone calls
and other circumstances in which spoken word is
used to express meaning.”
 According to Bovee and others, “Oral
communication expresses ideas through the
spoken word.”
 According to S. K. Kapur, “Oral communication
takes place when spoken words are used to
transfer information and understanding form on
person to another.”

15.  Intrapersonal Communication This form of
communication is extremely private and
restricted to ourselves. It includes the silent
conversations we have with ourselves, wherein
we juggle roles between the sender and receiver
who are processing our thoughts and actions.
 Interpersonal Communication This form of
communication takes place between two
individuals and is thus a one-on-one
conversation.

18.  Time saving
 Cost savings
 Immediate feedback
 A relationship develops
 Flexibility
 Easiness
 Correction of errors
 Informal communication
 Maintaining secrecy

19.  No record
 Inaccuracy
 Limited use
 Probability of omitting main subject
 Confused speech
 No legal validity
 Less important
 Creates misunderstanding

20.  It is the process of conveying a message through
the written symbols. In other words, any
message exchanged between two or more
persons that make use of written words is called
as written communication.
 Letter
 Memos
 Written Instruction
 Notes
 Reports
 Journal etc.

21.  According to Bovee and others, “Written
communication is the expression of ideas through
words that are meant to be read.”
 According to C.B. Mamoria, “A written communication
process is always put into writing and generally used
when the audience is at a distance or when a
permanency of record is required.
 According to Ricky W. Griffin, “Written communication
is the message that is encoded and transmitted in
written form.”
 According to R. Pal and J.S. Korlahlli, “Everything that
has to be written and transmitted in the written form
falls in the area of written communication.”

22.  Easy language
 Structure
 Accurate and precise
 Direct speech (avoid passive sentence)
 Error-less
 You-attitude

23.  It creates permanent record of evidence. It can be used for
future reference.
 It gives the receiver sufficient time to think, act and react.
 It can be used as legal document.
 It can be sent to many persons at a time.
 It is suitable for sending statistical data, chart, diagram,
pictures, etc.
 Order, allocation of work, job distribution, etc. in written
form reduce ambiguity and help in fixation of
responsibility.
 Uniformity in work procedure can be maintained through
written communication.
 A good written communication can create goodwill and
promote business.

24.  It is time-consuming.
 It cannot maintain strict secrecy which would have
been possible in oral communication.
 Written communication has no scope for immediate
clarification if not understood properly.
 Being written in nature it is less flexible and cannot be
changed easily.
 It is not effective in the case of emergency.
 Written communication does not save upon the costs.
It costs huge in terms of stationery and the manpower
employed in writing/typing and delivering letters.

25.  Definition:
 The 7 C’s of Communication is a checklist that
helps to improve the professional
communication skills and increases the
chance that the message will be understood
in exactly the same way as it was intended.

27. Clear: The message should be clear and easily
understandable to the recipient. The purpose
of the communication should be clear to
sender then only the receiver will be sure
about it. The message should emphasize on a
single goal at a time and shall not cover
several ideas in a single sentence.
Clarity makes comprehension easier.

28.  Correct: The message should be correct, i.e. a
correct language should be used, and the sender
must ensure that there is no grammatical and
spelling mistakes. Also, the message should be
exact and well-timed. The correct messages have
a greater impact on the receiver.
 Correctness in message helps in building
confidence.

29.  Complete: The message should be complete,
i.e. it must include all the relevant
information as required by the intended
audience. The complete information gives
answers to all the questions of the receivers
and helps in better decision-making by the
recipient.
 Completeness brings the desired response.

30.  Concrete: The communication should be
concrete, which means the message should
be clear and particularly such that no room
for misinterpretation is left. All the facts and
figures should be clearly mentioned in a
message so as to substantiate to whatever the
sender is saying.
 Concreteness reinforces confidence.

31.  Concise: The message should be precise and
to the point. The sender should avoid the
lengthy sentences and try to convey the
subject matter in the least possible words.
The short and brief message is more
comprehensive and helps in retaining the
receiver’s attention.
 Conciseness saves time.

32.  Consideration: The sender must take into
consideration the receiver’s opinions,
knowledge, mindset, background, etc. in
order to have an effective communication. In
order to communicate, the sender must relate
to the target recipient and be involved.
 Consideration means understanding of human
nature.

33.  Courteous: It implies that the sender must
take into consideration both the feelings and
viewpoints of the receiver such that the
message is positive and focused at the
audience. The message should not be biased
and must include the terms that show respect
for the recipient.
 Courtesy strengthen relations.

34.  Physical Barriers: this has to do with poor or
outdated equipment used during
communications, background noise, poor
lighting, temperatures that are too hot or too
cold.


35.  Organizational barriers: The barriers that
generate form within the organization are
known as organizational barriers may be of
the following types:
 Negative organizational climate
 Absence of communication policy
 Excessive authority layers
 Improper Delegation of Authority &
Responsibility

36.  Semantic Barriers: Semantic is the study of
meaning, signs and symbols used for
communication.
 The meaning of words, signs and symbols might
be different from one person to another and the
same word might have hundreds of meanings.
So, when a message is sent by a sender to a
receiver, it might be interpreted wrongly in a
communication process causing
misunderstandings between them.

38.  Bad Expression: The message is not
formulated properly and the language used is
so difficult that it could be misinterpreted by
the recipient.

39.  Symbols, or Words with Different
Meanings: There are several words that carry
different meanings and often, people get
confused with these words and interpret these
differently due to the difference in their
educational and social backgrounds. Such as, the
word “Crane” has different meaning as shown in
the sentences below:
 The bird sanctuary is full of cranes.
 The builder used a crane to lift heavy steel rods.
 The girl has to crane her neck to watch the
movie.

40.  Faulty Translation: Sometimes, the sender
translates the message as per his level of
understanding irrespective of the recipient’s
comprehension level.
 Unclarified Assumptions: Sometimes the sender
creates assumptions about certain things which
he feels the receiver must be knowing about it
and focus only on the subject matter. But in the
case of a special message, if the assumptions are
vague and unknown to the receiver then the
communication might get adversely affected.

41.  Denotations and Connotations: The denotation means the literal
meaning of the word, it just shows the name of the object and
does not imply any negative or positive qualities. The detonation
barriers arise due to the sender and receiver using a different
definition and meaning of the word used in the message. Such as
word crane is used in the context of bird species but it is
interpreted as a vehicle that lifts the objects.
 Whereas the implied meaning of the word is called connotation
that arouses personal reactions and qualitative judgments. The
connotation barriers arise when the people use words that hold
different meanings in different abstract situations, contexts,
feelings, etc. For example, the word beautiful and confidence has a
positive connotation, but can have any of the meaning depending
on the context in which it is used.

42.  Technical jargons: Often people working in
the technical groups such as engineers,
production managers, IT managers, etc. use
the technical jargons in their communication
which is quite difficult to understand. Thus,
the use of technical jargons in communication
can act as a barrier.

43.  Individual Barriers: Barriers created by the
sender and receiver are known as individual
barriers. Such barriers include the following:
 Differences in personality
 Perceptual differences
 Fear
 Halo Effect
 Stereotyping

44.  Barriers due to Status
 Barriers due to Resistance to Change
 Absence of Feedback
 Information Overload
 Physiological Barriers: ill health, poor
eyesight or hearing difficulties, pain.

45.  Clarify Ideas before Communication
 Communicate According to the Need of the
Receiver
 Consult Others before Communication
 Be Aware of Language, Tone and Content of
Message
 Eliminating differences in perception
 Reduction and elimination of noise levels
 Active Listening
 Emotional State
 Avoid Information Overload
 Proper Media Selection
 Be aware of cultural differences