The Communication Matrix
What is Communication?
Communication is the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviour to express or exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to someone else. Here it is important that whatever you express is understood by the person to whom you are expressing.
The Flow Of Communication
Communication should always have a Purpose and the final goal you want to achieve through the communication. E.g. If you are addressing a speech to your staff members then you should know that the purpose of this speech is to Motivate my team for the upcoming Exhibition and the final goal is that after this speech all should work at an increased efficiency so that we can achieve the targets.
Based on your Purpose and Goal you will decide the type of the communication you want to give viz. Information, Feedback, Advise, Compliments, Reprimand, Request etc. Then we have to decide the main part of the Communication i.e. the Mode of Communication. As seen the diagram above the Mode can be divided into two major parts – Verbal & Non Verbal.
Normally a communication of face to face type is a combination of Verbal & Non Verbal communications. Sometimes our body language and facial expressions give away our inner feelings which we are hiding behind our words. Signs, signals and Posters are a ideal way of Mass communication.
Process Of Communication
THE PROCESS
The above diagram describes the process of Communication. The major challenge is the Unsuccessful communication that happens due to which either the message received is not understood or wrongly understood. This leads to poor execution of the entire process as NO ACTION is taken or a WRONG ACTION is taken.
Miscommunication
Handling Miscommunication
The causes or barriers that we face during communication are listed in the above diagram.
We cannot control the Environmental or External causes as they are beyond our control. E.g. if you are trying to Communicate a message to your friend over phone and a train is passing by at his end, its possible that he is not able to get the message but in this situation you cannot do anything.
At the same time certain personal barriers are there which we can control, change or modify to ensure that the Right Communication is conveyed to the receiver. Lets understand a few important ones in detail:
- Language: India being a multi lingual country, the major challenge is to communicate in the language of the receiver. E.g. If the receiver is not understanding English and you are delivering your entire message in English then there is going to be poor communication.
- Attitude: Your attitude at the time of communication also plays an important role. E.g. if you are communicating with a negative attitude a motivational talk, then you will not be able to impress your audience.
- Physical Disability: In certain cases either the sender or the receiver is having deficiency in speaking or listening then also there will be a communication gap.
The best way of improving your communication is understanding your own SWOT i.e. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Then we have to take actions on each to ensure that improvement is there in all aspects.