This document discusses principles of effective communication and different types of communication in organizations. [1] Formal communication in organizations flows through official channels along the lines of authority, generally in writing. It helps maintain responsibility but can be time-consuming. Informal communication arises through social relationships and does not follow authority lines, arising from personal needs but it is hard to fix responsibility. [2] To improve organizational communication, use multiple channels to disseminate messages, repeat important messages, focus on listening skills, ensure your message is understood as intended, and handle inevitable communication problems.

1. 1. Determine communication and explain the principles of
effective communication?
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful
information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an
intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware
of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication;
thus communication can occur across vast distances in time and space.
Communication requires that the communicating parties share an area
of communicative commonality
No group can exist without communication: the transference of
meaning among its members. It is only through transmitting meaning from one
person to another that information and ideas can be conveyed.
Communication, however, is more than merely imparting meaning. It must
also be understood. In a group in which one member speaks only German and
the others do not know German, the individual speaking German will not be
fully understood. Therefore, communication must include both the
transference and the understanding of meaning.
An Idea, no matter how great, is useless until it is transmitted and
understood by others. Perfect communication, if there were such a
thing, would exist when a thought or an idea was transmitted so that the
mental picture perceived by the receiver was exactly the same as that
envisioned by the sender. Although elementary in theory, perfect
communication is never achieved in practice.
Principles of effective Communication-
* Begin in a friendly way. Whenever possible, begin with praise and honest
communication. Smile and be inviting and open instead of serious and
demanding.
*Give honest and sincere appreciation. How often do you offer genuine
appreciation to your co-workers versus the times you criticize and condemn
them?

2. *Become genuinely interested in others. Learn to ask thoughtful questions
that will show your interest in others.
*Make the other person feel important—and do it sincerely. Operate by the
principle that you gain more influence by raising people up than by knocking
them down.
*Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Learn to
value the positive instead of hunting for the negative. It’s easy to see what’s
wrong—everybody can do that. A skilled individual finds the optimistic and
positive perspective.
*Talk in terms of the other person’s interests. Remember, everyone is self-
interested. Your job isn’t to change this, but to use it to your advantage in
gaining influence in a benign, supportive way.
2. Distinguish between Formal & Informal Communication. Describes the
various directions in which Formal & Informal communication
generally follows?
In an organization, there are basically two ways of communication
namely:
Formal and
Informal communication
Below explain their differences and characteristics:
FORMAL COMMUNICATION
Communication takes place through the
formal channels of the organization
structure along the lines of authority
established by the management.
Such communications are generally in
writing and may take any of the forms;
policy; manuals: procedures and rule books;
memoranda; official meetings; reports, etc.

3. Advantages & Disadvantages of Formal
Communication:
The advantages of formal communication are:
They help in the fixation of responsibility and
Maintaining of the authority relationship in
an organization.
The disadvantages of formal communication
are:
Generally time consuming, cumbersome
and
Leads to a good deal of distortion at times.
INFORMAL COMMUNICATION
Communication arising out of al those
channels of communication that fall outside
the formal channels is known as informal
communication.
Built around the social relationships of
members of the organization.
Informal communication does not flow lines
of authority as is the case of formal
communication.
It arises due to the personal needs of the
members of n organization.
At times, in informal communication, it is
difficult to fix responsibility about accuracy
of information. Such communication is
usually oral and may be covered even by
simple glance, gesture or smile or silence.
3. How will you improve the effectiveness of communication in
your organization?

4. 1. Use Multiple Channels for Organizational Communication – One of the
most effective ways to ensure that people get your message is to send it across
multiple channels. Some of the more effective channels include meetings, face-
to-face talks, e-mail, faxes, telephone conversations, bulletins, postings, and
memos. The key is to make sure you always employ multiple methods to
disseminate your message, and never rely on a single channel.
2. Make Important Messages Repetitive – In addition to using multiple
channels, you can improve organizational communication by repeating
important messages from time to time.
3. Focus on Listening – This is vital during individual (i.e., one-on-one)
communication. The biggest reason that most of us are poor listeners is that we
don’t take the time to actively listen. You can do this by utilizing reflective
listening skills (paraphrasing what your speaking partner has said to confirm
understanding), using good nonverbal behaviors and body posture (e.g., face
your communication partner with an open stance), and focusing on your partner
by making a conscious effort to listen first instead of trying to get your message
across first. Do this by saying to yourself, ―for the next three minutes, I am
only going to listen‖.
4. Get Your Message Across – After you listen and fully understand your
communication partner, you must make sure you can get your message across in
the exact way it is intended. To do this, speak openly and honestly, and be as
straightforward as possible (i.e., no ―beating around the bush‖); speak
inclusively and use terms that will be understood and respected by a diverse
array of individuals; and check for understanding to make sure your message
has been received accurately.
5. Handle Communication Problems – Finally, we must become more
effective at managing the communication problems that will inevitably arise
during human interaction. Such problems include conflict, difficulty in
resolving problems, misunderstandings, dealing with difficult people and
managing cultural differences. I will address these issues in future posts.