Types_of_Communication

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION Interpersonal communication is communication between several people. This form of communication may range from the impersonal to the very personal. Impersonal communication is when you talk with a person you do not really care about – there is often a coldness or an indifference in your attitude when you engage in this kind of communication. Then, there is social communication where you engage in niceties with people you meet in a social context. The most personal type of communication occurs when you talk with people who are close to you, for example, your best friend, family members and colleagues. Such relationships are interdependent, meaning that the actions of one party are very often directly affects the other party. Interpersonal communication can take place face to face as well as through electronic channels like video-conferencing, chat rooms, e-mail and Twitter. Interpersonal communication is usually defined by communication scholars in numerous ways, usually describing participants who are dependent upon one another and have a shared history. It can involve one on one conversations or individuals interacting with many people within a society. It helps us understand how and why people behave and communicate in different ways to construct and negotiate a social reality. While interpersonal communication can be defined as its own area of study, it also occurs within other contexts like groups and organizations. Interpersonal communication includes message sending and message reception between two or more individuals. This can include all aspects of communication such as listening, persuading, asserting, nonverbal communication, and more. A primary concept of interpersonal communication looks at communicative acts when there are few individuals involved unlike areas of communication such as group interaction, where there may be a large number of individuals involved in a communicative act. Individuals also communicate on different interpersonal levels depending on who they are engaging in communication with. For example, if an individual is communicating with a family member, that communication will more than likely differ from the type of communication used when engaged in a communicative act with a friend or significant other. Overall, interpersonal communication can be conducted using both direct and indirect mediums of communication such as face-to-face interaction, as well as computer-mediated-communication. Successful interpersonal communication assumes that both the message senders and the message receivers will interpret and understand the messages being sent on a level of understood meanings and implications. Interpersonal communication is the process that helps us express our feelings, ideas, and thoughts and share them with the people around us. Efficient interpersonal communication is a very good quality that helps people in every aspect of life be it personal or professional. Interpersonal communication is the process where a person expresses his thoughts, converts the thoughts into a well designed message and sends the message across a communication channel (oral, visual, written, etc) and the receiver receives the message and responds to the message and sends his reply back via the communication channel. Interpersonal communication can be a formal dialogue between two people at a workplace, or even an informal tête-à-tête between two friends. SMALL GROUP COMMUNICATION Small group communication takes place in a group, usually comprising five to 10 people. This form of communication serves relationship needs (like companionship, family bonding and affection or support) as well as task-based needs, for example, deciding on disciplinary action or resolving conflict in the workplace. In academic institutions, students often form small groups which meet regularly for study discussions or to work collaboratively on projects. At the workplace, small groups may meet to discuss issues related to work, or for problem-solving or team-building purposes. Learning to communicate effectively in teams contributes to success and advancement in many careers. Small group communication allows you to interact with others, be it at home, in school, at the workplace or in public. You learn to exchange ideas, solve problems and share experiences. For a small group to operate smoothly, there must be open and effective team communication. Small Group Communication: Small group communication is, of course, the communication that is carried out within a small group. A small group is generally defined as a group that consists of at least three members and at the maximum around twelve to fifteen members. A group that has just two members or more than fifteen members would not come in the category of a small group. A small group may be a professional group, an educational group or a social group. The members belonging to it will have a common bond or interest or goal that brings them together. Understanding Communication: We've seen what a small group is and what small group communication is, now let's see what we understand by the term communication. Communication is about expressing and conveying your thoughts, feelings, opinions and ideas to another person or persons. Good communication skills can help you keep your head and confidently take charge of unfamiliar situations. People are more likely to listen to you, whatever you have to say, if you can express yourself well, and this is particularly useful in influencing and negotiating important personal, social or business matters. It also comes in handy in resolving conflict and dealing with difficult people. Some people are born with effective communication skills; others need to develop them. Developing effective communication skills requires repeated practice, which you can do by putting yourself frequently in situations where you have to interact with a variety of people. Consider joining social clubs or public speaking and debate clubs to polish up your skills. The Importance of Team Communication: Let us consider team communication with regard to the workplace. Most companies and organizations have people working in small teams. This has been found to be more effective and productive than a single individual toiling away at a project. When you have three or four more people working on an issue, you have the advantage of having access to more ideas and solutions for the project, of having more checking safeguards against any flaws in the plan, and of being able to establish more network connections. A group is also more likely to take on and complete large-scale, complex projects. However, for the team to operate smoothly, there must be open and efficient communication between the members of the team. Team communication is important for the following reasons - • Project-related information needs to be shared. • Each member of the team needs to be acquainted with the team goal and his/her role in the team. • Each team member has specific skills and knowledge that must be utilized and imparted to other members in the course of the work. • Any questions or issues about the project must be broached and shared in order to resolve them. • Any decisions taken must be imparted to all the members. • Effective and open communication lines create feelings of trust and of belonging to the team. The more the members feels valued the more dedicated they are likely to be, and this in turn makes it easier for the team as a whole to achieve its goals. On the other hand, poor communication between team members can unnecessarily botch up an entire project. • The members may not understand what is needed and may waste time and energy in doing what is not required. • The members may misunderstand one another and develop personal animosities. This can affect their desire to work together and thereby the quality of the work. • The members may not be clear of the sequence of the things to be done and this can either hold up the project or play havoc with the deadlines. • The members may not know what to change or how to change to make themselves more efficient.