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‘COMMUNICATION is the transference of information and understanding its meaning’. Without understanding its meaning means there is no communication or its failure. “Communication is a process in which sender encodes/ prepares a message (words, sentences or symbols), uses a channel to transfer the message (such as face-to-face talk, telephone, email, memos, letters, flyers, bulletins, general reports etc), the receiver receives and decodes or understands the message, and provides feedback/ response”. The advancement in science and technology and globalization are a direct result of effective communication. Business communication paves the way for success of an organization. For better results, managers use communication techniques and devices to interact effectively with individual workers and groups; they make employees understand what is expected from them, motivate them, provide mentoring/ coaching, and receive feedback on accomplishing desired objectives.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Four key skills of communication include reading, writing, speaking & listening skills. Managers need to specialize in all such skills. An understanding of grammar and vocabulary improve communication skills. Reading proficiency improves when we read faster i.e. scan information, read for main ideas, find links between ideas or associate things, classify and summarize things, recall important things, and continually keep recalling and reading. Writing skills improve with calligraphy and repeated practice. Writing with a forward hand movement and writing small letters increases speed. Speaking skills require pausing pauses or breaks of comma and full stop while speaking, same as in writing. One’s voice should be reasonably loud, clear, having decent tone, and speed. Presentation skills or public speaking requires thorough practice in front of a wall or mirror and the appropriate dressing and right body movements also count, such as the person delivering a presentation should gradually notice every one sitting in the hall. Effective listening skills are summarized later in this chapter.

FUNCTIONS OF COMMUNICATION
Four major functions of communication within a group or organization are: sharing information, emotional expressions (such as praising some one or providing reprimands), motivating others, and controlling others (such as offering guidelines).

SOURCES OF MISCOMMUNICATION/ BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
The barriers of effective communication include interruption of voices or noise, inappropriate language or grammar, vague or unclear words, using complex and double meaning words, poor writing, and so on. Two other examples are filtering and selective perception. Filtering is manipulation of information so that receiver sees it more favorably, or from sender’s point of view. For instance, an employee exaggerates or artificially improves the result of a task so that boss favors him. Selective perception is about understanding the message only from receiver’s point of view. For instance, the boss focuses only certain areas of report and neglects the rest.

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
It includes the messages conveyed through body language/ movements, such as eye movements, smile, overall facial expressions, movements of hands and head and the physical distance. This is the oldest form of communication, which is still used globally. Dumb people have a special type of body language. “Kinesics is the study of body motions”. In many parts of the world, people make a reasonable distance between each other while standing side-by-side. If a person comes very close to another person without a proper reason, it is considered as unethical or offensive.

COMMUNICATION CHANNELS WITHIN ORGANIZATION
The three major channels of communication within an organization include:
1. Downward Communication: It is the flow of communication from top management to lower management and works.
2. Upward Communication: It is the flow of communication from lower management and workers to upper management, i.e. vice versa to downward communication.
3. Lateral Communication: It is the flow of communication between same level of authority groups, or peer groups, such as top management to top management or workers to workers.

FORMAL & INFORMAL COMMUNICATION
The formal communication takes place between departments, task groups, committees, and the informal communication takes place between friend circles within the organization, which does not follow any chain of authority. It’s also called the communication grapevine.

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION
It deals with handling all sorts of letters, memos, complaints, suggestions, reports, and any other sort of communication with the stakeholders of an organization, such as stock holders, customers, suppliers, dealers, government agencies, society, etc. This is done by either a corporate communication manager or company secretary in his/her absence.

PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE LISTENING
The core principles of effective listening are delineated hereunder:

1. MAKE EYE CONTACT. How do you feel when somebody doesn’t look at you when you’re speaking? You are likely to interpret this as aloofness or disinterest.

2. EXHIBIT AFFIRMATIVE HEAD NODS AND APPROPRIATE FACIAL EXPRESSIONS. The effective listener shows interest in what is being said and reacts through body expressions.

3. AVOID DISTRACTING ACTIONS OR GESTURES. The other side of showing interest is avoiding actions that suggest your mind is somewhere else. When listening, don’t look at your watch, shuffle papers, play with your pencil, or engage in similar directions. They make the speaker feel you’re bored or uninterested.

4. ASK QUESTIONS. The critical listener analyzes what he or she hears and asks questions. The behavior provides clarification, ensures understanding, and assures the speaker you’re listening.

5. PARAPHRASE. Paraphrase means restating what the speaker has said in your words. The effective listener uses phrases like, “What I hear you saying is . . .” or “Do you mean . . . ?”

6. AVOID INTERRUPTING THE SPEAKER. Let the speaker complete his or her thoughts before you try to respond. Don’t try to second-guess where the speaker’s thoughts are going. When the speaker is finished, you’ll know it! This is also called pre-judgment or jumping at the conclusion.

7. DON’T OVER TALK. Most of us would rather speak our own ideas than listen to what someone else says. The good listener recognizes this fact and doesn’t over talk.

8. MAKE SMOOTH TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN THE ROLES OF SPEAKER AND LISTENER. From a listening perspective, this means concentrating on what a speaker has to say and practicing not thinking about what you’re going to say as soon as you get your chance.