Page 25 - Effective Communication Soft Skills Strategies For Success by Nitin Bhatnagar, Mamta Bhatnagar

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Understanding Communication | 13

WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?

To communicate with one another is a compulsive human need. Mutual under-
standing is the core of human relations. It cannot take place without commu-
nication. Man is not only a social animal but also a communicating being. He
is empowered with the ability to express thoughts in words. Communication is
the story of man and his efforts to express effectively. Without the aid of com-
munication, civilization, and culture would not have progressed to this extent.
The word ‘communication’ is derived from the Latin word communis, which
means ‘common’. Precisely, it connotes a common ground of understanding.
It is the transmission of and interaction between facts, ideas, opinions, feel-
ings, or attitudes. Communication is an interdisciplinary concept and can be
approached form various disciplines such as psychology, education, manage-
ment, linguistics, and human resources, etc.
The process of communication involves sorting, selecting, and sending
of symbols in such a way so as to help the listener perceive and formulate in
his mind the meaning that exists in the mind of the communicator.

SOME DEFINITIONS OF COMMUNICATION

Communication is too broad a term to define. It is defined, understood, and
used in different ways by people from different walks of life. Let us consider
how researchers working on communication have formulated the various
definitions of communication.

The interchange of thought or information to bring about mutual under-
standing and confidence or good human relation.
—The American Society of Training Directors

Communication is an exchange of facts, ideas, opinions, or emotions by
two or more persons. Communication is also defined as intercourse by
words, letters, symbols, or messages and as a way that one organization
member shares meaning and understanding with another.
—Newman and Summer
Communication is the sum of all the things one person does when he wants
to create understanding in the mind of another. It involves a systematic and
continuous process of telling, listening, and understanding.
—Allen Louis A.
Communication refers to a special kind of patterning: patterning which is
expressed in symbolic form. For communication to take place between or

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