Communication is essential. If not, can you read the other person’s thoughts in the contemporary world? Communication is a profound concept starting with exchanging ideas, desires, and problems, avoiding isolation, educating people, and ending with progress and development. There would be no meaning to life without communication. Communication, in simple words, means sending and receiving messages. Messages can be anything:
- The speech of the principal in the assembly.
- A letter to your friend.
- Listening to music, a hug, a frown on your face, and even when you pause mid-sentence during your presentation.
A communication cycle consists of the sender who develops the message clearly in their mind, encodes the idea into symbols, and transmits it. They decide the symbols, medium, time, and channel to send the message. The receiver gets the message, decodes it to understand its meaning, and gives feedback. There must be two parties involved. The channel is the passage through which the message is transmitted, for example, air and sight.
The message can sometimes be delivered in different ways. For instance, the returned passengers from Flight 828 communicated their callings in various ways in the web series “Manifest.” Some people may speak, some may draw, etc. One is advised to pay close attention to their body language during a job interview because it also says a lot about them. Therefore, we communicate in many ways.
What different modes of communication are there?
Verbal Communication
Anything to do with communicating ideas through language or words. It may be written or spoken. For instance, reading a newspaper or engaging in friendly chit-chat. The simplest method of communication is this.
Non-verbal communication
We don’t speak or write in class, yet the teachers can tell whether a kid is paying attention. Yet how? They use non-verbal cues like body language and facial expressions to understand. Understanding the person’s attitude is an advantage of this form of communication. It is communicated through signs, postures, body language, symbols, etc.
Visual Communication
Communicating through visuals. Paintings, graphs, maps, charts, pictures, etc., are a few examples. Some paintings command very high prices because they convey lovely messages.
Formal Communication
This is the type of communication where you must adhere to the organizational structure. There are guidelines and guidelines. It is organized and systematic. For instance, a college student cannot approach a teacher without a reason because CR is designated to speak with the instructors.
Informal Communication
To converse, there is no need to consider your position or rank. There are no established guidelines. It is built on interpersonal communication. For instance, discussing your day with your employer during the tea break.
What are the 7 C’s of Effective Communication?
The 7 C’s of communication was framed by Francis J Bergin to make oral and written communication effective. The 7 C’s are as follows:
Concreteness
Concrete means definite. It implies that the message should be specific rather than general. Words are misunderstood, which causes issues for both parties (sender and receiver). Always use data rather than general or unrelated information when speaking with your client. It should not be based on any abstract idea.
Clarity
Any communication must be crystal clear. The sender must be specific about the message they wish to send. The message must be sent with a suitable medium at a suitable time. Additionally, the message should be straightforward and composed of straightforward language; avoid phrases with dual meanings. The message must be understood equally by the sender and the recipient. Example: Shut up! It can be used to ask someone to be quiet or when you’re surprised or unable to believe what they have done.
Consideration
To do this, the sender should put themself in the receiver’s shoes. The sender must consider the recipient’s feelings, history, requirements, and interests. Consideration is using I rather than you. It helps to engage the audience.
Conciseness
It would help if you stayed on a topic to avoid confusion. Don’t deviate from the subject; doing so will result in misinterpretation and a loss of audience interest. For instance, if someone asks you for directions to a metro station, you tell them about the bus stop, car stand, and metro station. The message should be as brief as feasible. Example: To can be used instead of to.
Completeness
A complete message is required. It needs to have all the details the recipient needs to work with you hand in hand. It needs to answer – What, why, where, when, and who. Accordingly, the level of detail needs to differ from message to message. For instance, your college is hosting a treasure hunt event to illustrate the importance of completeness. You know the date and time but not the location. Similarly, if you are at work and your boss schedules a meeting, you need to know the time.
Courtesy
Do you talk to a rude cousin or a friendly one? The friendly one right, effective communication is facilitated by politeness, warmth, and empathy. The individual must be courteous and patient. To foster effective communication, they must politely respond to the client’s inquiries. The benefit of showing civility is that it fosters warmth, trust, and harmony.
Correctness
This requires accurate language, grammar, facts, and statistics. To trust the sender, the language must be perfect; when the grammar needs to be corrected, the message’s credibility is frequently lost. The company, brand, or writer’s reputation could be damaged if the facts and data aren’t correct. For instance, if the writer had written about a criminal seeing the news but discovered the information false afterward, the audience might have laughed at them or been disappointed.
Why is good communication or the 7 C’s of communication necessary?
- To set organizational goals
- To receive orders from the customers and establish business relationship
- Coordinate with the employees
- To create better industry relations
- To establish goodwill and a positive image
- To keep an eye on rivals
- To collect information like the needs of the customers
- To interact and build a better society
The importance of communication cannot be underestimated; a company, a parent, a student, or a politician requires it. For example, the prime minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi Ji, has practical communication skills that help him influence the people. The soft skill of effective communication is essential to succeed in life.
Conclusion
There is no life from communication. It is required for everything, from listening to music to giving a speech. A message can be sent orally, in writing, by gestures, facial expressions, pauses, signals, symbols, or visually. Both formal and informal communication is possible. Effective communication requires a strong understanding of the seven C’s. These include concrete, clear, considerate, concise, complete, courteous, and correct. These guidelines must be adhered to gain various benefits, such as creating organizational goals, developing relationships with clients, team members, rival businesses, the government, and the general public, and cultivating an excellent society. One must endeavour to develop communication skills because they are crucial.
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