The word communication comes from the Latin word communicatus which means “to share” or to “have in common”. It is the sharing of thoughts, information and ideas. It involves at least two parties, the Initiator/Sender and a Responder/Receiver. When someone (Sender) communicates, he or she is making his/her ideas known to someone else (Receiver).
Communication skills vary from person to person. The way a person selects or uses words in any communication medium affects the way in which they are interpreted.
Forms of Communication
All thoughts, opinion, information, feelings etc are expressed generally in two forms:
- Written and Verbal (Using words). To communicate verbally means to share or express one’s ideas in the form of words in either Oral (Spoken) or Written manner.
- Non Verbal (Using no words). To communicate non verbally means to share or express one’s ideas or thoughts or opinion without the use of words.
Verbal or Written communication:
Letters, reports, memos, notes, diaries and journal entry are the forms of written communication.. Writing is one way to improve our communication skills as It allows us to express ourselves. In our daily life, writing helps us to remember things that we may not have otherwise remembered. Verbal communication is the key component of strategic interpersonal behavior as knowing the correct language is an important part of communication. Voice plays a major role in verbal communication. A monotone voice may become boring and we must remember to change our voice when speaking. The speed of the spoken language also plays an important role in verbal communication.
Non Verbal Communication
Non verbal communication is a very common form of communication. We can observe that between 70 to 90% of our communication is non verbal and most of the people aren’t aware that they are transmitting such communication. Non verbal communication includes all communication that is not a part of the language we speak or write. The most common among non verbal communication is body language or facial expression, body movement, gestures and posture. Research has shown that our body language has 135 distinct gestures and expression of face, head and body.
When using gestures we must be sure to know what they mean because what may mean one thing in one country may mean something in another country.
Here are a few gestures one should be aware of while visiting another country.
Ø In Europe chewing gum, talking with your hands in pocket, and putting your legs upon the furniture are considered bad manners
Ø In England first names aren’t used unless invited to do so
Ø In Taiwan blinking is considered impolite
Ø In Australia winking at a woman is improper
Ø In the Middle East or Far East pointing with the index finger is impolite
Language and communication in China
The main reason apart from others which make India a positive destination for putting up manufacturing units by multinational organizations is due to effective communication in English language by the people of India. Thus we can see that problems that may result from cultural differences in business are compounded by the fact that even though a native speaker of one language has learned the other person’s language, he or she may not have been sufficiently exposed to actual usage of the target language. Mistakes in usage can occur even when one’s grammar and pronunciation are correct.
Communication skills vary from person to person. The way a person selects or uses words in any communication medium affects the way in which they are interpreted.
Forms of Communication
All thoughts, opinion, information, feelings etc are expressed generally in two forms:
- Written and Verbal (Using words). To communicate verbally means to share or express one’s ideas in the form of words in either Oral (Spoken) or Written manner.
- Non Verbal (Using no words). To communicate non verbally means to share or express one’s ideas or thoughts or opinion without the use of words.
Verbal or Written communication:
Letters, reports, memos, notes, diaries and journal entry are the forms of written communication.. Writing is one way to improve our communication skills as It allows us to express ourselves. In our daily life, writing helps us to remember things that we may not have otherwise remembered. Verbal communication is the key component of strategic interpersonal behavior as knowing the correct language is an important part of communication. Voice plays a major role in verbal communication. A monotone voice may become boring and we must remember to change our voice when speaking. The speed of the spoken language also plays an important role in verbal communication.
Non Verbal Communication
Non verbal communication is a very common form of communication. We can observe that between 70 to 90% of our communication is non verbal and most of the people aren’t aware that they are transmitting such communication. Non verbal communication includes all communication that is not a part of the language we speak or write. The most common among non verbal communication is body language or facial expression, body movement, gestures and posture. Research has shown that our body language has 135 distinct gestures and expression of face, head and body.
When using gestures we must be sure to know what they mean because what may mean one thing in one country may mean something in another country.
Here are a few gestures one should be aware of while visiting another country.
Ø In Europe chewing gum, talking with your hands in pocket, and putting your legs upon the furniture are considered bad manners
Ø In England first names aren’t used unless invited to do so
Ø In Taiwan blinking is considered impolite
Ø In Australia winking at a woman is improper
Ø In the Middle East or Far East pointing with the index finger is impolite
Language and communication in China
The main reason apart from others which make India a positive destination for putting up manufacturing units by multinational organizations is due to effective communication in English language by the people of India. Thus we can see that problems that may result from cultural differences in business are compounded by the fact that even though a native speaker of one language has learned the other person’s language, he or she may not have been sufficiently exposed to actual usage of the target language. Mistakes in usage can occur even when one’s grammar and pronunciation are correct.
In organizations today, people must work together and combine their mutual talents and energies to create high performance organizations. Towards achieving this end they must excel at interpersonal communication.
The goal of communication should be such that, the intended meaning of the source and the perceived meaning of the receiver are the same. This is what effective communication is all about.
Hope this topic is interesting to all the readers as were my previous ones. Awaiting your comments.
S.Sekar
The goal of communication should be such that, the intended meaning of the source and the perceived meaning of the receiver are the same. This is what effective communication is all about.
Hope this topic is interesting to all the readers as were my previous ones. Awaiting your comments.
S.Sekar
Contact: sekrajc@yahoo.com
