Communication is a complex activity involving words, body language, voice tone and volume. Communication has four types which are verbal, nonverbal, written and visual. Those four types are used to make communication effective. Communication is effective when the recipient of a message understands its meaning. Communication is interpersonal when it involves two or more people in an exchange where people take turns being the speaker and the listener.
Verbal Communication
The sharing of information between individuals by using speech. Individuals working within a business need to effectively use verbal communication that employs readily understood spoken words, as well as ensuring that the enunciation, stress and tone of voice with which the words are expressed is appropriate.
Verbal communication include sounds, words, language, and speech. Speaking is an effective way of communicating and helps in expressing our emotions in words. This form of communication is further classified into four types, which are:
1. Intrapersonal Communication
This form of communication is extremely private and restricted to ourselves. It includes the silent conversations we have with ourselves, wherein we juggle roles between the sender and receiver who are processing our thoughts and actions. This process of communication when analyzed can either be conveyed verbally to someone or stay confined as thoughts.
2. Interpersonal Communication
This form of communication takes place between two individuals and is thus a one-on-one conversation. Here, the two individuals involved will swap their roles of sender and receiver in order to communicate in a clearer manner.
3. Small Group Communication
This type of communication can take place only when there are more than two people involved. Here the number of people will be small enough to allow each participant to interact and converse with the rest. Press conferences, board meetings, and team meetings are examples of group communication. Unless a specific issue is being discussed, small group discussions can become chaotic and difficult to interpret by everybody. This lag in understanding information completely can result in miscommunication.
4. Public Communication
This type of communication takes place when one individual addresses a large gathering of people. Election campaigns and public speeches are example of this type of communication. In such cases, there is usually a single sender of information and several receivers who are being addressed.
Verbal communication include sounds, words, language, and speech. Speaking is an effective way of communicating and helps in expressing our emotions in words. This form of communication is further classified into four types, which are:
1. Intrapersonal Communication
This form of communication is extremely private and restricted to ourselves. It includes the silent conversations we have with ourselves, wherein we juggle roles between the sender and receiver who are processing our thoughts and actions. This process of communication when analyzed can either be conveyed verbally to someone or stay confined as thoughts.
2. Interpersonal Communication
This form of communication takes place between two individuals and is thus a one-on-one conversation. Here, the two individuals involved will swap their roles of sender and receiver in order to communicate in a clearer manner.
3. Small Group Communication
This type of communication can take place only when there are more than two people involved. Here the number of people will be small enough to allow each participant to interact and converse with the rest. Press conferences, board meetings, and team meetings are examples of group communication. Unless a specific issue is being discussed, small group discussions can become chaotic and difficult to interpret by everybody. This lag in understanding information completely can result in miscommunication.
4. Public Communication
This type of communication takes place when one individual addresses a large gathering of people. Election campaigns and public speeches are example of this type of communication. In such cases, there is usually a single sender of information and several receivers who are being addressed.
Nonverbal Communication
- “nonverbal communication involves those nonverbal stimuli in a communication setting that are generated by both the source [speaker] and his or her use of the environment and that have potential message value for the source or receiver [listener] (Samovar et al). Basically it is sending and receiving messages in a variety of ways without the use of verbal codes (words). It is both intentional and unintentional. Most speakers / listeners are not conscious of this. It includes — but is not limited to:
- touch
- glance
- eye contact (gaze)
- volume
- vocal nuance
- proximity
- gestures
- facial expression ? pause (silence)
- intonation
- dress
- posture
- smell
- word choice and syntax
- sounds (paralanguage)
Broadly speaking, there are two basic categories of non-verbal language:
nonverbal messages produced by the body;
nonverbal messages produced by the broad setting (time, space, silence)
- Placement of the emphasis:
- I did not tell John you were late. Someone else told John you were late.
- I did not tell John you were late. This did not happen.
- I did not tell John you were late. I may have implied it.
- I did not tell John you were late. But maybe I told Sharon and José.
- I did not tell John you were late. I was talking about someone else.
- I did not tell John you were late. I told him you still are late.
- I did not tell John you were late. I told him you were attending another meeting.
Written Communication
➜ Written communication is the medium through which the message of the sender is conveyed with the help of written words.
➜ Letters, personal journals, e-mails, reports, articles, and memos are some forms of written communication.
➜ Unlike other forms of communication, written messages can be edited and rectified before it is communicated to the receiver. Thereby, making written communication an indispensable part of informal and formal communication.
➜ This form of communication encapsulates features of visual communication as well, especially when the messages are conveyed through electronic devices such as laptops, phones, and visual presentations that involve the use of text or words.
➜ Letters, personal journals, e-mails, reports, articles, and memos are some forms of written communication.
➜ Unlike other forms of communication, written messages can be edited and rectified before it is communicated to the receiver. Thereby, making written communication an indispensable part of informal and formal communication.
➜ This form of communication encapsulates features of visual communication as well, especially when the messages are conveyed through electronic devices such as laptops, phones, and visual presentations that involve the use of text or words.
Visual Communication
➜ This form of communication involves the visual display of information, wherein the message is understood or expressed with the help of visual aids. For example, topography, photography, signs, symbols, maps, colors, posters, banners and designs help the viewer understand the message visually.
➜ Movies and plays, television shows and video clips are all electronic form of visual communication.
➜ Visual communication also involves the transfer of information in the form of text, which is received through an electronic medium such as a computer, phone, etc.
➜ Icons and emoticons are a form of visual communication. When these icons are used in a public place, phone or computer, they instruct the user about their meaning and usage.
➜ The greatest example of visual communication is the World Wide Web which communicates with the masses, using a combination of text, design, links, images, and color. All of these visual features require us to view the screen in order to understand the message being conveyed.
➜ Movies and plays, television shows and video clips are all electronic form of visual communication.
➜ Visual communication also involves the transfer of information in the form of text, which is received through an electronic medium such as a computer, phone, etc.
➜ Icons and emoticons are a form of visual communication. When these icons are used in a public place, phone or computer, they instruct the user about their meaning and usage.
➜ The greatest example of visual communication is the World Wide Web which communicates with the masses, using a combination of text, design, links, images, and color. All of these visual features require us to view the screen in order to understand the message being conveyed.