COMMUNICATION STUDY NOTES
CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. Communication process
3. Classification of communication
4. Forms of communication
5. Official etiquette, protocol and diplomacy
6. Writing skills
7. Summary
8. Report writing skills
9. Interviews
10. Conducting meetings and minute writing
INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION
Definition: communication is the giving, receiving, or exchange of information, opinions or ideas by writing,
speech or visual means or a combination of the three so that the material communicated is completely
understood by everyone concerned.
Communication Terms and Concepts
Communicator (Sender/receiver) - the participants in communication. Typically the roles reverse regularly.
The sender is the person or body responsible for sending the message. The sender can be an individual, or a
group such as a company, a department, or even a government ministry or a political party. The receiver is the
person or body which receives the message. The receiver can be an individual or an organization-a company or
some other large group of people.
Information. This is the material from which the communication will be constructed. It is the actual content
put across to the listener, reader or viewer.
Message. Having defined or decided on the information to be conveyed, the sender puts it into the best form in
a process called encoding. When information has been encoded, it is known as the message. This simply refers
to the form the communication takes i.e. a letter, memo, telephone call or even something as simple as a smile,
a shrug of the shoulders or some other gesture.
Encoding. Encoding is the process by which the sender converts the idea into a message by using verbal or non-
verbal mediums of communication. These can be words, signs, gestures, symbols or body movements. In order
to ensure that the message is well understood, the sender uses words and non-verbal signals that the receiver is
familiar with.
Decoding. This is the process of translating words, signs and symbols into meanings. Successful decoding is the
correct understanding of the intent of the message as transmitted by the sender.
Medium. This is the larger group of ways of communicating within which the particular communication can be
classed. There are three main media:
Written communication- letters, memos, books and articles, notices and posters.
Oral communication- that is, any method of using the spoken word, such as meetings, telephone calls,
interviews, lectures and informal discussions.
Visual communication- a drawing, photograph or other means of putting over a message by pictorial
means.
Channels - the specific mechanism (“pipeline”) used to transmit the message. This is the physical means by
which the message is transmitted. The channel is the vehicle that carries the message to the receiver.
Communication Skills Study Notes Prepared by Mr. Antony Ambia Page 1
, For written communication it might be a notice board, an internal mail service, memo, report, radio or
the public postal service.
For oral communication it might be a personal interview, a committee meeting or a public telephone
system.
For visual communication it might be a computer printer, a printing press or a fax system.
Noise/ barriers – This is the name given to any factors which prevent the proper exchange of information apart
from those caused by the sender or the receiver. Noise can be physical such asthe sounds of traffic, typewriters
or telephone bells which interrupt a meeting or it can be some other form of interference e.g. a bad telephone
connection, poor handwriting in a letter, a computer failure which causes the loss of documents on a fax line, or
even a conflicting message or if the speaker’s facial expression conveys a different message from that being
given orally.
Environment (part of context) - that which surrounds and provides a basis for the meaning/interpretation of a
message:
o Physical (surroundings)
o Temporal (point in time)
o Relational (the existing relationship between communicators - friends, strangers, etc.)
o Cultural (language and behavior community the communicator(s) come from)
Feedback – This is the receiver’s response to the sender’s message. The responses can be both verbal and non-
verbal. It is an important factor in the communication process because it helps the sender to know whether the
message has been understood or not.
The Purposes of Communication
According to Camp & Satterwhite (2002), there are four main purposes of communication:
a) Communicating to Inform
We communicate to tell someone about something. To inform is to pass on information. In the workplace, you
are informing when you explain something to your colleagues, your employees, or your customers.. If you tell
an employee how to operate the copy machine, you are informing; if you tell a customer how to fill out a form,
you are informing. You also inform when you tell another person what happened. Perhaps you received a
phone call from a customer who is angry about his or her service, and you need to describe the call to your
supervisor to learn what to do next. This situation is another example of communicating to inform.
b) Communicating to Persuade
This aims to influence people and bring them round to your way of thinking.
Communication in the business world is mainly persuasive. In other words, you are trying to get another
person to do or believe something. In business, you are always selling your ideas, yourself, your products, or
your services. Selling and persuading are nearly synonymous in the business world. You may be trying to
persuade your supervisor to give you a raise, you may be attempting to persuade a colleague to change a portion
of a project on which you are both working, or you may be trying to sell a customer your company’s service or
product. All of these are examples of persuasion at work.
In order to succeed at persuasion, you must generally give good reasons for the person you are communicating
with to do or believe what you intend.
c) Communicating to Establish Credibility
Establishing credibility is important for people in business. Credibility is achieved via effective communication.
Credibility enhances an individual’s or company’s reputation.
Credible people demonstrate that they have strong emotional character and integrity; they are known to be
honest, steady, and reliable. Credibility is akin to reputation. Increasingly, at an organizational level, reputation
is becoming more important. Sophisticated customers do not make financial decisions based solely on an
organization’s competitive advantage in the marketplace. Instead, customers are increasingly sensitive to a
company’s reputation. In fact, public relations have developed as a functional area to manage the reputations of
companies.
Communication Skills Study Notes Prepared by Mr. Antony Ambia Page 2
,d) Communicating to establish goodwill
This involves maintaining and forming cordial and harmonious relationships with people you are
communicating
Your ability to establish and build relationships affects every aspect of your life. Whether in your social,
academic, or professional life, this ability determines the depth of your relationships with friends, family
members, classmates, and coworkers. Good relationships result in goodwill which is the favourable reputation
that an individual or a business has with customers. Any communication that helps to develop a better
relationship between you and your receiver builds goodwill.
e) To inquire
This involves obtaining information in various ways,e.g by asking questions or through formulating
questionnaires.
f) Social interaction.
We communicate to establish and maintain relationships with others
Principles/ essentials of effective communication
1. Clarity
Be clear about the message you want to deliver, as giving a confused message to your audience only ends up
with them being confused and your message being ignored.
Avoid unnecessary detail.
2. Conciseness/ Brevity
Communication should be brief. Do not include too much detail that will bore the receiver. The message should
be direct.
3. Simple.
Avoid the use of big words, jargon and slang. They only confuse the receiver and will lead to communication
breakdown.
4. Consistency
Make sure that your theme remains the same. Avoid bringing in details which are not central to the main
message.
5. Medium
There are several ways you can deliver your message—the trick is to use the right one.
The right medium is one:
with the greatest accuracy
with the largest likelihood of audience comprehension/ understanding
with the lowest financial cost
fast
6. Relevancy
Communicate only what is appropriate and relevant to the audience.
7. Completeness
Communicated message must be complete. Completeness refers to providing enough information so that the
intent of the message is understood by the receiver. Never make them guess what you mean and never assume
that the audience will know what you mean. Give important information such as time, date, places, quantities,
dimensions etc.
8. Correctness
The sender must give correct facts and express them in the correct language.
9. Courtesy
Communication Skills Study Notes Prepared by Mr. Antony Ambia Page 3
, We must create friendship with all those to whom we communicate. Workmates, customers, clients etc
respond positively to those who treat them with respect and kindness. Use words such as please, thank you,
sorry, congratulations etc.
Information Communication Technology (ICT)
Information Communication Technologies can be defined as diverse set of technological tools and resources
used to communicate, and to create, disseminate, store, and manage information.” This includes any
communication device or application, encompassing: radio, television, cellular phones, computer and network
hardware and software, satellite systems and as well as the various services and applications associated with
them, such as videoconferencing and distance learning.
There are 6 components to an ICT system
Data: raw facts and figures.
Hardware: physical components.
Software: the name given to computer programs.
Information: data that is converted to give it a meaning.
Procedures: a series of actions conducted in a certain order to make sure the system runs smoothly.
People: data is entered by humans, for example a keyboard
Role of ICT in communication
ICT supports the communication and co-operation of people in their organizations and in the creation
and exchange of knowledge.
ICT supports the external relations of the company i.e communication and co-operation with
customers, suppliers and partners. This will allow for an agile and adaptive ICT enabled organization with
flexible patterns of production. This makes for instance mass-customization or even mass-individualization
possible: large-scale delivery of products and services tailored to the wishes of the customer.
Communication technology and virtual reality will support the remote communication between
people with a quality near to face-to-face communication. This supports remote communication in the form of
virtual workshops, virtual classroom or distant learning.
Information technology supports new forms of electronic documents. Multimedia and virtual reality is
useful technologies in support of information exchange and learning processes.
ICT strongly enhances the amount of knowledge in the products of companies. Material products like
cars are currently designed and simulated with aid of the computer. A prototype of the car is tested and all test
information is assembled and processed by a computer. Developers transform the information into new
knowledge, which result in improvements of the car design and the resulting car construction.
2. COMMUNICATION PROCESS
Channels of communication
Definition
A communication channel is a means through which a message is sent and received. In other words, it's the
method of communication used.
Types of communication channels
1. Face-to-Face
Face-to-face is still the preferred communication channel if clarity of message is of primary importance.
Advantages
Communication Skills Study Notes Prepared by Mr. Antony Ambia Page 4
CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. Communication process
3. Classification of communication
4. Forms of communication
5. Official etiquette, protocol and diplomacy
6. Writing skills
7. Summary
8. Report writing skills
9. Interviews
10. Conducting meetings and minute writing
INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION
Definition: communication is the giving, receiving, or exchange of information, opinions or ideas by writing,
speech or visual means or a combination of the three so that the material communicated is completely
understood by everyone concerned.
Communication Terms and Concepts
Communicator (Sender/receiver) - the participants in communication. Typically the roles reverse regularly.
The sender is the person or body responsible for sending the message. The sender can be an individual, or a
group such as a company, a department, or even a government ministry or a political party. The receiver is the
person or body which receives the message. The receiver can be an individual or an organization-a company or
some other large group of people.
Information. This is the material from which the communication will be constructed. It is the actual content
put across to the listener, reader or viewer.
Message. Having defined or decided on the information to be conveyed, the sender puts it into the best form in
a process called encoding. When information has been encoded, it is known as the message. This simply refers
to the form the communication takes i.e. a letter, memo, telephone call or even something as simple as a smile,
a shrug of the shoulders or some other gesture.
Encoding. Encoding is the process by which the sender converts the idea into a message by using verbal or non-
verbal mediums of communication. These can be words, signs, gestures, symbols or body movements. In order
to ensure that the message is well understood, the sender uses words and non-verbal signals that the receiver is
familiar with.
Decoding. This is the process of translating words, signs and symbols into meanings. Successful decoding is the
correct understanding of the intent of the message as transmitted by the sender.
Medium. This is the larger group of ways of communicating within which the particular communication can be
classed. There are three main media:
Written communication- letters, memos, books and articles, notices and posters.
Oral communication- that is, any method of using the spoken word, such as meetings, telephone calls,
interviews, lectures and informal discussions.
Visual communication- a drawing, photograph or other means of putting over a message by pictorial
means.
Channels - the specific mechanism (“pipeline”) used to transmit the message. This is the physical means by
which the message is transmitted. The channel is the vehicle that carries the message to the receiver.
Communication Skills Study Notes Prepared by Mr. Antony Ambia Page 1
, For written communication it might be a notice board, an internal mail service, memo, report, radio or
the public postal service.
For oral communication it might be a personal interview, a committee meeting or a public telephone
system.
For visual communication it might be a computer printer, a printing press or a fax system.
Noise/ barriers – This is the name given to any factors which prevent the proper exchange of information apart
from those caused by the sender or the receiver. Noise can be physical such asthe sounds of traffic, typewriters
or telephone bells which interrupt a meeting or it can be some other form of interference e.g. a bad telephone
connection, poor handwriting in a letter, a computer failure which causes the loss of documents on a fax line, or
even a conflicting message or if the speaker’s facial expression conveys a different message from that being
given orally.
Environment (part of context) - that which surrounds and provides a basis for the meaning/interpretation of a
message:
o Physical (surroundings)
o Temporal (point in time)
o Relational (the existing relationship between communicators - friends, strangers, etc.)
o Cultural (language and behavior community the communicator(s) come from)
Feedback – This is the receiver’s response to the sender’s message. The responses can be both verbal and non-
verbal. It is an important factor in the communication process because it helps the sender to know whether the
message has been understood or not.
The Purposes of Communication
According to Camp & Satterwhite (2002), there are four main purposes of communication:
a) Communicating to Inform
We communicate to tell someone about something. To inform is to pass on information. In the workplace, you
are informing when you explain something to your colleagues, your employees, or your customers.. If you tell
an employee how to operate the copy machine, you are informing; if you tell a customer how to fill out a form,
you are informing. You also inform when you tell another person what happened. Perhaps you received a
phone call from a customer who is angry about his or her service, and you need to describe the call to your
supervisor to learn what to do next. This situation is another example of communicating to inform.
b) Communicating to Persuade
This aims to influence people and bring them round to your way of thinking.
Communication in the business world is mainly persuasive. In other words, you are trying to get another
person to do or believe something. In business, you are always selling your ideas, yourself, your products, or
your services. Selling and persuading are nearly synonymous in the business world. You may be trying to
persuade your supervisor to give you a raise, you may be attempting to persuade a colleague to change a portion
of a project on which you are both working, or you may be trying to sell a customer your company’s service or
product. All of these are examples of persuasion at work.
In order to succeed at persuasion, you must generally give good reasons for the person you are communicating
with to do or believe what you intend.
c) Communicating to Establish Credibility
Establishing credibility is important for people in business. Credibility is achieved via effective communication.
Credibility enhances an individual’s or company’s reputation.
Credible people demonstrate that they have strong emotional character and integrity; they are known to be
honest, steady, and reliable. Credibility is akin to reputation. Increasingly, at an organizational level, reputation
is becoming more important. Sophisticated customers do not make financial decisions based solely on an
organization’s competitive advantage in the marketplace. Instead, customers are increasingly sensitive to a
company’s reputation. In fact, public relations have developed as a functional area to manage the reputations of
companies.
Communication Skills Study Notes Prepared by Mr. Antony Ambia Page 2
,d) Communicating to establish goodwill
This involves maintaining and forming cordial and harmonious relationships with people you are
communicating
Your ability to establish and build relationships affects every aspect of your life. Whether in your social,
academic, or professional life, this ability determines the depth of your relationships with friends, family
members, classmates, and coworkers. Good relationships result in goodwill which is the favourable reputation
that an individual or a business has with customers. Any communication that helps to develop a better
relationship between you and your receiver builds goodwill.
e) To inquire
This involves obtaining information in various ways,e.g by asking questions or through formulating
questionnaires.
f) Social interaction.
We communicate to establish and maintain relationships with others
Principles/ essentials of effective communication
1. Clarity
Be clear about the message you want to deliver, as giving a confused message to your audience only ends up
with them being confused and your message being ignored.
Avoid unnecessary detail.
2. Conciseness/ Brevity
Communication should be brief. Do not include too much detail that will bore the receiver. The message should
be direct.
3. Simple.
Avoid the use of big words, jargon and slang. They only confuse the receiver and will lead to communication
breakdown.
4. Consistency
Make sure that your theme remains the same. Avoid bringing in details which are not central to the main
message.
5. Medium
There are several ways you can deliver your message—the trick is to use the right one.
The right medium is one:
with the greatest accuracy
with the largest likelihood of audience comprehension/ understanding
with the lowest financial cost
fast
6. Relevancy
Communicate only what is appropriate and relevant to the audience.
7. Completeness
Communicated message must be complete. Completeness refers to providing enough information so that the
intent of the message is understood by the receiver. Never make them guess what you mean and never assume
that the audience will know what you mean. Give important information such as time, date, places, quantities,
dimensions etc.
8. Correctness
The sender must give correct facts and express them in the correct language.
9. Courtesy
Communication Skills Study Notes Prepared by Mr. Antony Ambia Page 3
, We must create friendship with all those to whom we communicate. Workmates, customers, clients etc
respond positively to those who treat them with respect and kindness. Use words such as please, thank you,
sorry, congratulations etc.
Information Communication Technology (ICT)
Information Communication Technologies can be defined as diverse set of technological tools and resources
used to communicate, and to create, disseminate, store, and manage information.” This includes any
communication device or application, encompassing: radio, television, cellular phones, computer and network
hardware and software, satellite systems and as well as the various services and applications associated with
them, such as videoconferencing and distance learning.
There are 6 components to an ICT system
Data: raw facts and figures.
Hardware: physical components.
Software: the name given to computer programs.
Information: data that is converted to give it a meaning.
Procedures: a series of actions conducted in a certain order to make sure the system runs smoothly.
People: data is entered by humans, for example a keyboard
Role of ICT in communication
ICT supports the communication and co-operation of people in their organizations and in the creation
and exchange of knowledge.
ICT supports the external relations of the company i.e communication and co-operation with
customers, suppliers and partners. This will allow for an agile and adaptive ICT enabled organization with
flexible patterns of production. This makes for instance mass-customization or even mass-individualization
possible: large-scale delivery of products and services tailored to the wishes of the customer.
Communication technology and virtual reality will support the remote communication between
people with a quality near to face-to-face communication. This supports remote communication in the form of
virtual workshops, virtual classroom or distant learning.
Information technology supports new forms of electronic documents. Multimedia and virtual reality is
useful technologies in support of information exchange and learning processes.
ICT strongly enhances the amount of knowledge in the products of companies. Material products like
cars are currently designed and simulated with aid of the computer. A prototype of the car is tested and all test
information is assembled and processed by a computer. Developers transform the information into new
knowledge, which result in improvements of the car design and the resulting car construction.
2. COMMUNICATION PROCESS
Channels of communication
Definition
A communication channel is a means through which a message is sent and received. In other words, it's the
method of communication used.
Types of communication channels
1. Face-to-Face
Face-to-face is still the preferred communication channel if clarity of message is of primary importance.
Advantages
Communication Skills Study Notes Prepared by Mr. Antony Ambia Page 4
