1 Nature and Scope of Communication

T. Radha

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Introduction

 

The word “Communication” is derived from the Latin root “Communis” means common. This indicates that when we communicate, we are trying to establish commonness with someone In fact, communication is so diverse concept  that any attempt to create  a generally accepted definition  becomes so profoundly involved  that it  hinders rather than helps in clarifying and understanding the subject. Thus, communication covers a wide  topic area. Any definition of a communication would be too general, too complex or too fragmented . we can explain various aspects of communication with definitions, but they would not be integrated. Different ways to define communication are as under:

 

What is communication?

  • Communication is about moving/passing something about conveying or sending or delivering information
  • It is a two way process in which messages are transferred from source to the receiver
  • It is a conscious attempt to share information, ideas, attitudes and the like with others. Communication is a process of interaction. In a particular situation two or more individuals

interact. They try to influence the ideas, attitudes, knowledge and behavior of each other. Communication sometimes has an impact and change occurs as a result of interaction. The  impact is due to the information. One passes the gestures, expression, language the manner of expression and tone i.e modulation .

 

For effective communication, the communicator understands the target and the purpose of communication, the right person to receive it, the impact in terms of knowledge, attitude and skills.

  1. Communication is the discriminatory response of an organism to stimulus
  2. Communication is a process by which information and feelings are exchanged among individuals through common symbols , signs or behavior
  3. Communication is a dynamic process, ongoing and ever changing, which involves five major elements. The five elements are the message, the sender, the transmission medium the receiver and feedback.
  4. Communication is the process whereby, a person attempts to transmit thoughts, ideas, wishes or emotions to others to be received them with the very same meaning.
   Since our major interest is transfer technology, we can define communication as the process by which extension workers independently, in  a groupor through media, exchange knowledge , attitude or skills on behalf of an organization with any member of farming community, through such ways  that each  gains intellectual capacity, understandingand use of the message. This is not complete view of the process of communication  but will provide our purpose . Communication is frequently thought of as happenings by means of verbal symbols socio – psychological analysis requires that  attention  be paid to the fullrange  of symbols  that   may be used by human beings, including gestures, tone, facialexpressions, drumbeats, telegraphic click, flags, smoke signals, color, size, distance, sign or any signal. Experts say that communication is composed of different methods: words, voice, tone and non- verbal clues. Of these, some are more effective in delivering a message than others. According to research, in a conversation or verbal exchange:
  • Words are 7% effective
  • Tone of voice is 38% effective
  • Non-verbal clues are 55% effective

Elements of speaking:

  • Body language
  •  Voice quality
  •  Intention
  • Manner : directness, sincerity
  • Dress and clothing
  • Visual aids and animation
  • Eye contact
  • Emotional content, energy, strength
  • Self- concept
  • Concept of others
  • Listening , hearing ad underlying message
  • Speaking from the heart
  • Energy
  • Setting, time place, timing
  • Sensitivity
  • Rhythm and pacing
  • Attitude and confidence
  • Rapport
  • Agenda
  • Purpose of communication- knowing what you  want to communicate
  • Clarity
  • Silence, centering, looking

   For effective communication, the communicator understands the target and the purpose of communication, the right person to receive it, the impact of in terms of knowledge, attitude and skills.

 

There are three levels of understanding the communication:

 

Action ————– Information —————————- Relationship

 

1. Relationship: The important reason for communication is to build relationships with other people through rapport building, through verbal behavior, vocal behavior. Subjects experts from different parts of India : individual build rapport for academic purpose such as syllabus restructure, future expectation .

 

2. Information:  Building  relationship  leads  to  information  sharing  –  it  shapes  of  our thinking and it is dynamic . The communication is a matter of creating meaning out of that information: the receiver should understand the right meaning of information.

How to create meaning – by turning information in to ideas

  1. Action: The reason for communication is for promotion of action. The key to effective action is not giving accurate information but persuasive ideas.

An idea is any thought that we can express in a sentence. We have to find out the quality of an idea by how meaningful it is. The purpose of communication is to create and share ideas.

 

Scope of communication

 

Every communicative act is based on something that conveys meaning, and that conveyance is the message. The message may be either verbal (spoken or written) or nonverbal (body language, physical appearance, or vocal tone). Messages may also come from the context—or place and time—of the communication. For instance, if you choose to make a critical comment to someone, the place and the time you choose to make that comment will make a big impact on how it will be received.

 

Every message is sent and received through one of our five senses—it is seen, heard, touched, tasted, or smelled. The sensory media through which messages are sent and received are communication channels. In a work setting, messages may be seen through body movement, letters, memos, newsletters, bulletin board notices, signs, emails, and so on. Messages that are heard come through conversations, interviews, presentations, telephones, radios, and other audio media. Sight and sound are the two most frequent communication channels used in our society. When the receiver gets the message (through seeing, hearing, feeling, touching, or smelling), he or she will usually give feedback (return message) unconsciously or consciously. Thus, the communication process is on-going.

 

The worst assumption a sender of a message can make is that the message will be received as intended. So many things can go wrong during the communication process that we should always assume that something will go wrong and take steps to prevent that occurrence. Barriers to good communication are always present. For instance, the language itself can be a barrier—unclear wording, slang, jargon, and the tone. Another barrier is the failure of the sender to realize that his or her body language might contradict the spoken message. The channel used to convey the message might be wrong. In case, if you would not use the telephone to relay a lot of statistical information; you would need to write that message on paper. Poor listening skills can constitute a barrier also.

 

Nature of Communication

 

1.Communication includes common understanding:

 

Communication is notjust passingon information or any message by one person to another or many people. It involves common understanding between sender of message and receiver of the message . What the communicator really wants to convey should be understood in the same structure,meaning, form, outline, appearance and all other characteristics of the message by its receiver which isknown as real communication.

 

2.Communication is a process :

 

A process is any occurrence, which illustrates a non stop change in time or any continuous action or treatment. In this situation communication is a process in which the operation of communication is continuously changing as the communication process. Thus, communication is not an intermittent but a continuous function of human beings. It is not an irregular act in which human beings prefer to connect . In other words it can be said that it is a dynamic, ongoing, ever changing and a continuous act. The components within the process work together , each one affects the other. In fact, one cannot freeze communication at any one point but must consider it a by- product of interacting individual. A message from one individuals creates a response from the other, which then becomes the message for the first individual in a continuous process.

 

3.Communication occupies many means:

 

Communication is such a process, which occurs by many means, at many levels, for many reasons, with many people in many ways. Thus, it is not true that only specific way or means is required to communicate any message.

 

4.Communication engages interdependence:

 

The reciprocal, mutual dependence or give and take process is known as interdependence. Communication is generally a two- way process, involving stimulus and response amongst organisms and hence is both reciprocal and response amongst organisms and hence is both reciprocal and altering. There is a constant exchange of roles in communication. As roles change, each takes on the function of the other. Communication thus, involves an interdependent relationship between the participants. On the other hand, the levels of interdependence may differ from circumstance to circumstance.

 

5. Communication process contains a number  of distinguishable parts :

 

In its easiest form, communication contains at least three parts, i.e , expression , interpretation and response. Several variables are concerned in each one distinguishable part of the communication process.

 

6. Communication occurs within contributors or participants:

 

Communication takes place within participants as well as between them. In other words it can be said that one has to be a part of process of communication to make it possible. Communication is determined by abilities and susceptibility of an individual to be active in the process. Fundamentally, all communication is the process of managing and converting raw sensory data into fundamentally consumable or processable units of information.

 

7. Communication takes place at many levels: There are at least four different levels of points of focus from which communication may be visualized . These levels are intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational and inter- organizational communication.

 

8. Communication takes place without uttering words also: All the time it is not necessary to employ words or spoken symbols to make process of communication possible. It is observed that many times other than words symbols also make the process of communication possible. It is observed that many times other than words symbols also make the process of communication possible. The symbols like gestures, movement, facial expression, eyebrow, lips, arms, tongue, movements and many other ways are also used for communication.

 

9.  Communication has many varieties:  There are more than one way  to convey  same content or messages to other in the process of communication. We can use any of them to convey same message . For example to wish some person we can say Namaskar or Good morning.

 

10.Communication is essential to all human beings : Communication is essential for everybody. From morning to evening we need to communicate any message to others. Without communication everything is difficult. It makes everyone social, responsible, active, progressive, motivated, interested, dynamic and full of life.

 

11.Fidelity varies from one communication situation to other: Ideal communication is important infrequent, if ever , achieved. Communication effectiveness differs from one situation to another.

 

12.Timing is critical : However clearly expressed and well  presented  your message may be, if it arrives at the wrong time you might as well as not have bothered . Old news is often worse than no news. Consequently, it is important to ensure that the channels you use really deliver at the time you need them to.

 

Purpose of communication:

 

 Purpose  of any  communication as defined by Aristotle is the  search  for allthe available means  of persuasion .He clearly  impliedthat the major  ambition of communication is persuasion or conviction. A school  of thoughtduring  seventeenth  centaury, which  was known as faculty of psychology  made  a clear distinction betweenthe mind and the soul. The mind, soul duality was understood as aroot  for  twoindependent purposes for communication. One purpose was intellectual and the other emotional. By  this theory, one purpose  of communication was informative, an appeal to the mind. The second  purpose was persuasive, an appeal to the soul, the emotions. The third purpose  was entertainment and it  was argued  thatwe could  classify the intentions of thecommunicator and the supporting materials used within these categories.

 

Festinger (1957)described the purpose of communication as  consummatory andinstrumental.According to Berlo (1960), the sole purpose of communication is to influence. : to effect with internet. He says that all communication  behavior has its purpose its  goal , as the production of a response. When we learn  to phrase our purpose in terms of specific responses. When we learn to phrase our purpose in terms of specific responses from those  attending  to our message, we have  taken the first step  towards efficient and effective communication. Agricultural extension  workers often forget that they are trying to affect farmers; they get too busy giving out information or reporting research. Berlo (1960) builds his thesis on the contention that the description of the purpose of communication should be behavior- centered, i.e., expressed in terms of human behavior and consistent with the ways in which people do communicate. However some authors have made a distinction between the purpose of communication and that of mass communication.

 

Other thought described by Schramm (1964) for the purpose of communication as an internet reward and a delayed reward. He suggested that individuals are rewarded immediately on receiving or producing some kind of message. Both these are consummator purposes. Eg. Composing music for self-satisfaction. As against this, thepurpose of some communication could be instrumental, i.e the favorable response produced in an audience is instrumental in producing further behavior on its part.

 

Lasswell ( 1948), Wright (1966) and Klapper (1966) have illustrated the aims and functions of mass communication as surveillance, interpretation and prescription, transmission of culture and entertainment etc.

 

Thus the above  explanations articulate that  the purpose of communication  are to  influence – to affect with intent by creating comprehension, understand and perceived use of the message.

 

Importance of communication:

  1. Communication is essential to all human association because our society life abounds with the communication.
  2. Communication is cement, which holds our society together
  3. People spend 78% of their active time for communication through listening, speaking, reading and writing. This reality shows great importance of communication in human life.
  4. We spend 10 to 11 hours in a day for verbal communication; it means there is a great importance of language in the process of communication. It helps in establishing relations with others by means of language.
  5. In rural India, nothing is more important than transfer of agriculture technology and communication is essential for this.
  6. To overcome the ignorance, poverty, to achieve socio- economic prosperity and progress, communication plays an important role.
  7. Detailed information regarding what, how, for whom and where of the new developmental programmes can be disseminated by communication.
  8. To solve problems of people by giving useful information on the solutions to their problems is possible by communication.
  9. To bring physical, mental, social, economical and cultural changes in people, communication plays an important role.
  10. To improve the level of knowledge, skill, attitude, adoption and understanding among farmers,communication plays an important role.
  11. Without communication  any development work is not  possible.
  12. It has been considered as an important pillar for the all- round development of any nation, farmers it is needed
  13. To send latest technology to the farmers it is needed
  14. For entertainment communication is essential and
  15. In one word, it can be said that communication is life or existence of any human, organization and nations.
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Web links

  • http://www.natcom.org/NCA_Error.aspx?type=404
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication
  • http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-communication-definition-importance.html
  • http://www.managementstudyguide.com/importance-of-communication.htm
  • https://www.google.co.in/?gfe_rd=cr&ei=0OALVtjfM7PG8AfBqYzQDQ&gws_rd=ssl# q=importance+of+communication+in+the+workplace
  • http://www.hofstra.edu/studentaffairs/studentservices/career/students/career_students_ communications.html
  • http://study.com/academy/lesson/types-of-communication-interpersonal-non-verbal-written-oral.html