This document defines and describes several types of communication. It discusses interpersonal communication, intrapersonal communication, extra personal communication, group communication, mass communication, organizational communication, and the directions of communication within an organization including downward, upward, and horizontal. For each type or direction, it provides brief explanatory details and examples.

1. TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
Communication is the process of sharing ideas, information,
and messages with others in a particular time and place.
Tariq Amin, Lecturer, Dept. of
English, KUST

2. TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
• Interpersonal Communication
• Intrapersonal Communication
• Extra personal Communication
• Group Communication
• Mass Communication
• Organizational communication
• Downward Communication
• Upward Communication
• Horizontal Communication

3. INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
Interpersonal communication is the process of exchange of
information, ideas and feelings between two or more people through
verbal or non-verbal methods.
Strong feedback component.
• Most persuasive and influential than all types.
• It involves not only words but the various elements of nonverbal
communication.
•

4. INTRAPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
• It takes place within a person.
• The individual becomes his or her own sender and receiver providing feedback
in an ongoing internal process.
• The purpose is to clarify ideas or analyzing a situation.
• Intrapersonal communication is the communication that someone does within
himself, the communication that occurs within someone’s own mind.
• Intrapersonal Communication includes –
• Day – dreaming
• Speaking aloud (talking to oneself)
• Writing one’s thoughts or observations
• Making gestures while thinking

5. EXTRA PERSONAL COMMUNICATION
 Extra Personal Communication is that way of communication in which a
human interacts with other species.
 Communication between human beings and non-human entities is called as
extra personal communication.
- Like an old lonely woman talking to her cats.
- For e.g. Your parrot responding your greeting
- Shouting at an inanimate object for not working.
- Praying to God.

6. GROUP COMMUNICATION
 More often people are seen exchanging views with almost all the
participants enjoying an equal status on one count or the other.
 Like all the players of a hockey team, class-fellows, doctors,
teachers, bureaucrats, politicians, economists etc.

7. ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
 Communication in an organization takes place at different hierarchical
levels.
 Communication usually takes place on vertical lines. For instance, a
company director is passing on instructions to managers who would be
guiding accordingly to field officers and the relevant other field staff.
 An army general may not be talking to lowest rank men in khaki but
would follow the chain of organizational command to deliver his message
to the last rank people.
 Be it a corporate sector, NGO, a political party, an educational institution,
the communication process would strictly follow the essentials of the
organizational communication.

8.  Internal-operational
 All communication that occurs in organization is classified as internal-
operational...
 External-operational
 Work related communication with people outside the organization is
called extra-operational.
 Personal
 All communication in an organization without purpose is called
personal communication..

9. MASS COMMUNICATION
• Communication through mass media like books , journals , TV ,
newspapers etc..
• For this kind of communication we require a mediator to transmit
information
• Messages distributed by the institutions such as media have the
potential to reach very large and anonymous audience in a
process called Mass Communication.
• Involves sharing ideas across a large audience and usually
involves a professional communicator.
• Media include newspapers, magazines, books, films, TV, radio &
now internet.

10. CHARACTERISTICS OF MASS COMMUNICATION
 Large Reach
This communication reach audience scattered over a wide geographical
area.
 Impersonality
Largely impersonal as the participants are unknown to each other.
 Presence of a Gatekeeper
Mass communication needs additional persons , institutions to convey
message from sender to receiver.

11.  Downward Communication
Downward communication is when company leaders and managers
share information with lower-level employees.
Unless requested as part of the message, the senders don’t usually
expect (or particularly want) to get a response.
An example may be an announcement of a new CEO or notice of a
merger with a former competitor.

12.  Upward Communication
Information moving from lower-level employees to high-level employees
is upward communication (also sometimes called vertical
communication).
For example, upward communication occurs when workers report to a
supervisor or when team leaders report to a department manager.
Items typically communicated upward include progress reports, proposals
for projects, budget estimates, grievances and complaints, suggestions for
improvements, and schedule concerns.

13.  Horizontal Communication
Horizontal communication involves the exchange of information across
departments at the same level in an organization (i.e., peer-to-peer
communication).
The purpose of most horizontal communication is to request support or
coordinate activities.
People at the same level in the organization can work together to work on
problems or issues in an informal and as-needed basis.