WORK PLACE COMMUNICATION.

Communication is the "life blood" of any organization, because without it, no single organization can exist or succeed. To succeed therefore, every organization or individual, must ensure that there's effective communication within and between it and it's environment. It's an integral part of any system put in place, which helps to coordinate and perform the various management functions for making any meaningful decisions.
Wherever communication ceases, or is lacking, or is of poor quality, the people and the organization involved, suffer.

Definitions of Communication
Communication is a process that allows organization to exchange information by several methods. Communication requires that all parties understand a common language that is exchanged with each other. Exchange requires feedback. The word communication is also used in this context where little or no feedback is expected such as broadcasting, or where the feedback may be delayed as the sender or Receiver uses different methods , technologies, timing and means for feedback.

Communication happens at many levels, in many different ways , and for most beings, as well as certain machines. Serveral, if not all fields of study, dedicate a portion of attention to Communication. So, when speaking about Communication, it is very important to be sure about what aspect of Communication one is speaking about. The Definition of Communication range widely; some recognising that animals can communicate with each other as well as human being, within the parameters of human symbolic interaction.

Thus, Communication is viewed as a two way process involving at least four components and can be described as follows:
a) The flow of information from a source to the receiver;
b) A relationship, an interaction, the process by which message ( codes) are transmitted from a source to the receiver;
C) The imparting, sharing or exchange of ideas, knowledge, skills etc. Whether by speech or writing signs;
d) The process of passing and receiving messages, instructions or directives;
e) The process of transmitting and exchanging ideas, feelings and information through realization, symbol, writing and silence, to create mutual understanding between the communitor and communicate.

Together, Communication , in content and form , make messages that are sent towards a destination. The target can be oneself, another person or being, another entity (such as corporation or group of beings), depending on the focus.

Differences between Communication and Information
Communication is distinct from information. Although, they are often used interchangeable or confusedly applied to different situation to connote the same meaning.
Communication is an act and a broad term which not only involves talking to people, but also entails listening to them. Thus, it includes mutual exchange of facts, thoughts, opinions and emotions.
It enable us to achieve understanding between ourselves and others. We share common experience and knowledge about things, and in many cases, we use this sharing method, to influence other people while Information is the content, knowledge obtained from investigation, study or Instructions. Information form the background for solution, to identified problems and make real and potential contribution to serious Human endeavour that can be gathered and recorded, but may not necessitate response.


Types of Communication channels
There are formal and Informal channel of Communication. The formal  Communication is the type of communication that move along established lines or channels of Communication and it could be upward, downward, vertical or horizontal. While informal doesn't follow any established line it depends on the message and the aim. Most of them have no importance given to them and sometimes called gravevine. It's an overheard conversation or anonymous source of information.

Upward formal Communication is a network of information where Information flow from bottom- to- top. It shows responsibilty. The employees help management to solve problems and make rational decision in what is happening in the organization. It's is based on trust and integrate the employees to functions of the organization. It also gives a sense of belonging to do more.

Downward formal Communication is a supervisory Communication that comes from the upper management through the hierarchy of command to the lower Communication. It shows authority. There's feedback of information through consultation. It is effective for the success of any organization. However, it has a danger. It is too long that Information can be diluted.

Horizontal formal Communication is a network of Communication where Information flows through the sides. Department of the same levels exchange Information or communicate with one another. This has an improvement in the quality of the teamwork. It's helps to get efficient result and eliminate envy and jealousy. However, there are drawbacks. This may bring about conflict between the horizontal and vertical Communication because decision may go against decision given by the manager. The major drawbacks there is ego.
It is not easy to use when people are engaged in specialization that use technical language.  If not tightly controlled and people made to be aware of there responsibilities alot of time would be wasted.

The vertical formal Communication flow from a sectional manager down to the general manager or from MD down to Marketing general. It does not follow any particular protocol.


On the other hand, Informal Communication include things like rumours and other random Informations such as gravevine and consensus agreement.
The gravevine is a form of Information that flows in any order. It spread rapidly in all forms of communication. It gives organization feedback and it get to everyone. Although, it can be harmful if it is baseless and most times it is incomplete.

Consensus Communication is a common agreement of options. It does not mean everybody is in agreement made by the group. Most times it pulls a lid on the options.  Though it does not remove difference together but it's used as a tool of convinence.


The other forms or Methods of Communication
This can be grouped as oral, written, electronic and non-verbal Communication
Oral Communication
First of, the oral Communication refers to the production of vocal sounds to which meanings are ascribed in the form of words. It's a Communication that occurs when a speaker uses verbal expression to indicate an intention, a message, feelings or ideas. The Form of oral Communication are evident in dialogue, telephone conversation, lectures, seminars, meetings, preaching and interview. It's usually referred to as face to face Communication

It's quick to get feedback and possible to determine whether the message has been understood or misunderstood.
It enhances interpersonal relationship and understanding because of the personal contact involved.
The presence of facial expressions, physical guestures and use of intonation enhances the ability of the parties involved to achieve better understanding.
It's ideal for confidential purpose.
On the spot, errors or misunderstanding can be defected and corrected. In essence agreement can be reached regarding what is actually meant.

But then, oral Communication is easily deniable since there's no record.
It's easily interrupted by distractions which may be social, technical or psychological.
It's not suitable for the presentation of messages that are either lengthy or very technical in nature.
It may be abused when used wrongly to intimidate others.
Any part of the content of oral Communication may be forgotten, misrepresented or distorted.

Written Communication
Written communication is recognized as any form of document which bears specific and understandable Information. Written communication is in various forms and the prominent ones are letters reports memos, circulars, notice, pamphlets, magazine and newspapers.

Written communication can be retrieved for reference purpose when required now or in future . This provides the benefit of continuity.
Written records are not deniable. They can be easily used as evidence
The readers or users of written Information has the opportunity to read through at a later time for deeper understanding.
It's is better used for the presentation of technical and complex Information. Graphs, data, drawings and other illustrative figures are better presented through written communication.

However, a level of literacy is required to be able to use written communication effectively. It makes it a disadvantage to those who are illiterate since they can be exploited.
It's slow when compared to oral Communication and for this reason it's particularly ideal for emergency situation.
It can be used as evidence against another party.
Items of written communication (letters and other documents) may get to the wrong hands just as they can be lost in transit or willfully destroyed.

Electronic media of Communication.
The advancement in modern technology tends to have contributed to the facilitation of Communication. Consequently, the use of such devices as telephone, television, radio, computer system and other forms of electronic gadgets has resulted in what is now commonly referred to as electronic gadgets has resulted in what is now commonly referred to as electronic media of Communication (telecommunication).

It also helps people to exchange Information across vast distance in less time.
It eliminate the geographical distance which was long before considered as a barrier to Communication.
It provides the opportunity to record , save and retrieve Information at any given time.
It's useful for the conversion of Information into the desired form and format.

It's difficult to assess the immediate reaction of the Receivers of information when this medium is used.
It's a disadvantage to the illiterate who cannot understand the codes required to manipulate electronic gadgets.
There's absence of face to face interaction.

The importance/ need/ role of workplace Communication
Projection of company's image: One major roles of workplace Communication is to project the image of an organization. This is why organization striving towards achieving it's goals must have a viable public relations department. This department is saddled with the responsibility of dealing with both internal and external Communication.

Proper co-ordination: Through effective communication, the management finds it easy to coordinate the activities of the staff, monitoring, supervisor and directing, which are the essential components of management

Smooth Running: It also brings about a peaceful atmosphere which enhances absolute productivity. Workers can only work under the same umbrella if there is mutual relationship among them.

Conflict Resolution: It's used to resolve conflict in an organization. It should be noted that conflict which may be internal or external, personal or interpersonal, cannot be resolved amicably. When there's conflict resolution, counter- productivity will be eliminated completely.

Entertainment: Communication is employed to entertain people. Human beings naturally appreciate entertainment especially when there are social gathering or functions. Jokes and funny plays can be organized for the purpose of amusing people. It should be noted that all these can be organized to promote cordial relationship between the management and workers.

Goodwill messages:can be sent to people in an organization. Congratulatory messages can be sent to people. It is also necessary to send condolence messages to bereaved people. All these messages promote great understanding and mutual relationship.

Information: Through effective communication, the workers in an organization are informed about the Development of their working environment. The goals of the organization are explained to the staff. This explanation is achieved through Communication. In this way, Evey worker works toward achieving the set goals.

Dimensions of workplace Communication
In the work place there three dimensions of  Communication which includes 1) Informative 2) Integrative 3) Regulative.
Informative Communication- This Communication occurs when an employee is given information in order to tell employee what to do and how to do it.
Integrative Communication- This is the type of information given to coordinate activities and bring people together to achieve specific goals
Regulative Communication- This is usually a top down Communication regulatory activities. It is usually from management to employees . It reflects hierarch in Communication. To achieve this goal, one must have to develop and organize oneself; to communicate effectively, which entails not only constant practice but also ability to adhere strictly to rules of grammar, selecting and arranging necessary information ( materials) in a logical and systematic or orderly manner.

 Principles/ rules of workplace Communication.
For effective communication, there must be essential ingredients.
1) Clarity of Expression: It requires clear and careful thinking or thoughtful ideas. This means both the sender  must intend to convey to the receiver. One should know what one wants to say/ write to avoid vagueness or obscurity. One should guard against lack of thoughts or improper planning.

Conciseness/ precision: one should not beat about the bush. If one is clear in what one wants to say one must also say that something exactly as one mean it. Essentially, good Communication letter must be brief and direct to point.

Consideration/ simplicity: Apart from being clear, unambiguous and precise, one must also use plain language and speaking respectively

Candid/ sincerity: It is important that genuine Information is provided because of credibility.
Correctness/ Accuratcy: One must be complete and exacts on the subject, and continue with this trend in the chosen pattern.

Courtesy/style: It is not often required or very important in all forms of Communication; but it is essential that a good communication is polite and also demand correct style or methods of display.

Integration: Ensure the information integrate with the users and goals of the organization

Economy: Unnecessary Information must be avoided from distracting the receiver of the information.

Seek feedback: one of tht most important criteria of information being understood. We got to know whether Communication has being understood or taken place. Without feedback there's no assurance that Communication has taken place.

Factors to be considered when choosing a medium.
It's essential when Communicating a message , that you give serious thought to the medium you choose. Choosing a medium of Communication is not just one for fun. Before Communication can be effective or meaningful, an appropriate medium Must be employed.

Cost: The sender of any message should consider the expenses to be incurred when transmitting Information through a particular medium. He should consider if the medium is expensive or not. For example oral Communication is generally cheaper than written communication. If the Communication is oral, the sender has to consider whether the transmission of message is going to be face to face or through an electronic media.

Nature of the message: The  sender has to consider whether the message is simple or complex. If the information will be open or confidential. If the information is not meant for general consumption, the sender may send it through the receiver's e-mail address or put personal calls through to the people concerned.

Distance: The distance between the sender and the receiver must also be considered. For example, a manager can easily summon his surbodinate for briefing and instruction, but this channel may not be chosen if the Communication is inter departmental. In interdepartmental Communication, memos or circulars can be sent to the appropriate quarters. If it's meant for the general public it may be announced on the electronic or print media so that people, especially the stakeholders, can be aware.

Urgency of the message: An urgent message can't be delayed because there's need for immediate feedback. Therefore, the medium that can facilitate quick transmission of the message must be chosen. Sending such a message might warrant using the internet or telephone. In a military or paramilitary settings, signals (radio messages) are sent immediately for the purpose of getting an immediate feedback.

Security, safety, and confidentiality: There's need for every organization to keep Information from falling into the wrong hand. There is certain secret or confidential information which must not be Exposed to all workers. Therefore any information that requires secrecy and confidentiality should be handled carefully so that there will be no leakage.

Level of the receiver: workers in an organization belongs to different categories. There are skilled and unskilled labourers, there are also professionals and unprofessional. Some workers are Highly educated and sophisticated, while others are Stark illetrate people. The Sender of any information should consider the level of exposure of the receiver. For example, a non professional or an uneducated worker will find it difficult to understand certain jargons. The sender should consider how to structure the message and the choice of the appropriate medium.

Storage: There are some messages that require storage for future reference. The sender should consider the possibility of having easy access to such Information in future. Written messages can be stored either in a hard or soft copy. Modern day technology has also made it easy to store oral Communication. It may be recorded for future reference. For example, it's possible to store Information in media houses in order to retrieve it in the future. Therefore, storage of Information is possible in both oral and written form of communication.

The environment: Another factor that should be considered by the sender of the information is the environment of the receiver. He should be able to determine whether the environment is open or secluded. For example, if the receiver is in a noisy or porous environment, oral Communication through the telephone may not produce any desired result. The sender may decide to use written communication or even send signals as a form of non-verbal Communication.

Evidence of Delivery: Most of the times , when Information is sent from an organization to individual or outside organization, there is need for proof that the message has been delivered. This comes in form of feedback to the sender. Therefore, the sender needs to document the timing of the message delivery. The particulars of the receivers are also documented for the future reference.

Barriers of effective communication.
However, there are certain factors that may lead to lack of effective communication. Those element that are capable of distorting the Communication process includes:

Noise: Noise is described as competing external and internal stimuli that hamper the process of Communication. It's whatever that's capable of affecting the quality of the message transmitted in a negative way. It's can also limit the quality of message sent.
Other types of Noise:
The physical noise is the type of noise that occurs as a result of competing sounds. It may be a sound produced by a car engine outside a lecture room or an unexpected laugher which is capable of disturbing the process of Communication. If people are shooting in the process of listening or reading any material , assimilation cannot be achieved.

The psychological Noise occurs when the receiver of a message is not emotionally stable. For example, a despressed individual cannot listen to read effectively. It is not possible for a woman whose child is I'll to receive any information successfully. This is because her mind will not be there.

The physiological noise  has to do with the condition of tht body. All organs of the body have some physiological or biological functions they perform. If any part of the body is not stable, an individual grappling with tht problem of general body pain to listen or read effectively. If somebody also has a headache, he cannot receive information (either oral or written) effectively.

The semantic Noise occurs when the sender of  message does not use appropriate words or lexical items for his message. Communication must be meaningful. Infact, the purpose of Communication is meaningless. The choice of words in a Communication encounter must be exact. For example we talk about company's vehicles, but the sender of a message may need to be exact by differenting the vehicle. He may refer to trucks, operation vehicles, buses, tractors, tanker,etc. Communication should be concrete and exact. Ambiguity should be avoided.

The Syntactic (Grammatical) Noise is the type of noise that occur as a result of the Employment of faculty structures. If the sender of a message doesn't have competence in the language, the intended meaning may be eroded. For example, the use of double tense maker in the following sentence is wrong. Bad grammar also hampers the flow of communication.

The phonological noise is concerned with pronunciation. For oral Communication to be successful, the sender must have the ability to pronounce words correctly. Atleast, the speech should be intelligible

prejudice. Communication cannot be successful if the receiver of the information has sentimental or subjective feeling towards a particular concept or the sentiment becloud reason. The erode objectivity and obscure facts. The are capable of distorting the whole Information and when this happens, the original purpose of Communication is absolutely defected.

Preconception: It's possible in certain situations for the listeneror reader to harbor some regid beliefs in his mind and when this happens the message might be misinterpreted. For example he may have certain beliefs about the speaker because of his impression about the speaker, he may not be interested in listening to him. This situation can obstruct the flow of information.

Perception: We have individual differences, we perceive things differently. If one has a wrong perception of a concept, automatically one will be involved in misinterpreting the message transmitted. Also, in most cases the way one perceive a particular concept depends on one's experience, judgement and certain environmental factors. Therefore, our perception could lead to lack of understanding or distortion.

Stereotyping: There are situation where people are viewed according to some fixed pattern or permanent behavioral patterns(stereotyping). For example, there's a belief( in certain quarters) that elders don't line. If one holds tenaciously to this belief, one may not have a critical evaluation of what one is reading or listening to. It is also a belief in some communities that people who are advance in age are nosy and calculating.

Perspective: Our outlook and disposition to life affect the process of Communication. Some people are naturally pessimistic, while others are optimistic. For example, a pessimistic worker can never believe that workers' conditions of service can be improved even to talk about certain phenomena and the way we receive information are dependent on our disposition of life.

Abstraction: The process of receiving a message requires a Great deal of mental activities from the receiver. The receiver's task is to draw inferences or relevant conclusions from the message received. A reader need to drive Information and ignore the pieces of information that are not relevant to his focus. This situation, therefore , can make people set off fact. This is because each listen to ato arrive at a conclusion convinent for him / her. For example, if you ask a Group of people to narrate an event they witnessed, each of them will have different views and conclusions.

Human Relations: The hierarchy of structure of an organization could obstruct the flow of communication. This is because, in any organization, there is what we call status difference. Workers naturally withhold Information from the management because there's always conflict of interest.

Technical Barrier: The equipment used to aid Communication might be a source of problem. This happens when there's no adequate preparation of transmission of Information. It may also result from the use of inappropriate media, Information overlaod, Improper timing


How to improve on workplace Communication

There are two strategies of improving Communication.
General strategies:
organizations must ensure that manager deliver their message clearly to achieve some specific goals. This goals must be well defined for individuals to understand. This may include outlining exactly what is required of the individual and what they must do to achieve specific objectives.
Organization should ensure that these message that goes out to employees are clear and accessible to the employee to avoid confusion and mis-interpretation.

The medium should be clearly looked at or chosen, because it's not all types of information can be passed through the same means and encourage members to listen and show empathy.

Strategy strategies:
The sender play more active role than the receiver and therefore ensures that they clarify their ideas before Communicating i.e planning how to disseminate the idea.
The sender should consider the physical and the human setting when disseminating Information and understand the psychological state of tht Receiver.

The sender needs to take opportunitie
when it arises to convey Information that would be of help to the receiver. Usually when Information is to take place the person that is to receive the message is trying to see how he will benefit from the message

The sender must follow up on the information , when message are not clear, receiver must receive clarification to ensure the message is received and must show empathy in doing it