The_Essential_Manager_s_Handbook

238 / UNDERSTANDING COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Defining communication

Understanding each other

Humans aren’t the only beings who

communicate—virtually all forms of life

are capable of sending and receiving

messages. People, however, are the only

living organisms known to communicate

Think of communication as a process, involving senders and receivers

who encode and decode messages that are transmitted by various media

and that may be impeded by noise. The aim of this process is to elicit

feedback in order to generate a desired effect or outcome.

Defining levels of communication

INTRAPERSONAL

Communication within ourselves, sending messages to

various parts of our bodies, thinking things over, or working

silently on a problem.

INTERPERSONAL

Communication between or among people, sending messages

from one person to another—verbally and nonverbally—with the

hope of transferring meaning from one person to another.

ORGANIZATIONAL

Communication in the context of an organization, sending

and receiving messages through various layers of authority and

using various channels to discuss topics of interest to the group

we belong to or the company we work for.

MASS OR PUBLIC

Sending messages from one person or source to many people

simultaneously, through television, the internet, or print media.

not just with signals and signs, but

through the use of symbols with

agreed-upon meanings. If we think

about communication as the transfer

of meaning, then for each of us,

successful communication means

US_238-239_Defining_Communication.indd 238 30/05/16 3:04 pm