Verbel and Non-verbal Communication

A communication in which words are used is verbal communication. Communication over long distance takes place usually through verbal communication. Non-verbal communication refers to the use of ‘body language’ in communicating ideas from the sender to the receiver. Non-verbal communication most often takes place unconsciously, and it invariably fortifies and supplements verbal communication.The main characteristic of verbal communication is the use of words, either written or spoken.

Written Communication

Written communications include personal letters, memoranda, policy and procedure manuals, and notices placed on the notice boards. Examples of oral communications are conferences, committee meetings, telephone conversation, loudspeaker announcements, etc. (Fig). Both written and oral communication have their merits and demerits.

Different Verbal Media in Organisational Communication

A written communication has the advantages of being easily verifiable, more precise and accurate. For clarity, we must use simple and familiar words or phrases and short sentences. Spoken messages cannot always be verified so easily. Moreover, written communication becomes absolutely necessary when dealing with lengthy and complicated messages. It would be difficult to understand and retain a lengthy message if it were only in oral form. In spite of such advantages, written communication has drawbacks such as the following:

• Being slow, if we consider the total amount of time involved from the formulation an of idea by the sender to the understanding of the idea by the receiver.

•Ambiguity or lack of clarity despite the fact that a greater degree of preciseness is aimed at while preparing a written communication.

•Aspects

Too much paper-work due to over-reliance on written communication. This not only consumes time, money and energy, but also infuses a lack of trust among the employees of the organisation.

Case Study: How to Communicate Powerfully by E-mail
As with all written communications, your e-mails should be clear and concise. Sentences should be kept short and to the point.This starts with the e-mail’s subject line. Use the subject line to inform the receiver of EXACTLY what the e-mail is about. Keep in mind that the subject line should offer a short summary of the e-mail and allows for just a few words. Because everyone gets e- mails they do not want spam etc. Appropriate use of the subject line increases the chances that your e-mail will be read and not discarded into the deleted e-mail file without so much as a glance.

Because e-mails have the date and time they were sent, it is not necessary to include this information in your e-mail correspondences. However, the writing used in the e-mail should be liked that used in other business writings. The email should be clear and concise, with the purpose of the e-mail detailed in the very first paragraph. The body of the e-mail should contain all pertinent information and should be direct and informative.

Make sure to include any call to action you desire, such as a phone call or follow-up appointment. Then, make sure you include your contact information, including your name,title, phone and fax numbers, as well as snail-mail address. If you have additional e-mail addresses, you may want to include these, as well.If you regularly correspond using e-mail, make sure to clean out your e-mail inbox at least once each day. Of course, the exception here may be on days you do not work, such as weekends and holidays.

Make sure you return e-mails in a timely manner. This is a simple act of courtesy and will also serve to encourage senders to return your e-mails in a timely manner.Internal e-mail should be treated as regular e-mail, following the same rules as outlined above. However, internal e-mail should be checked regularly throughout the working day and returned in a much quicker manner as much of these detail timely projects, immediate updates, meeting notes, etc. Nonetheless, internal e-mails, just like e-mails, should not be informal. Remember, these are written forms of communication that can be printed out and viewed by others than those originally intended for.

Tips for Effective E-mail

Think before you write. Just because you can send information faster than ever before, it does not mean that you should send it. Analyse your readers to make certain that you are sending a message that will be both clear and useful.Remember that you can always deny that you said it. But if you write it, you may be held accountable for many many moons. You may be surprised to find where your message may end up.Keep your message concise. Remember that the view screen in most e-mail programs shows only approximately one half of a hard-copy page. Save longer messages and formal reports for attachments. On the other hand, do not keep your message so short that the reader has no idea what you are talking about. Include at least a summary (action or information?) in the first paragraph of your message. Remember that e-mail is not necessarily confidential. Some companies will retain the right to monitor employees’ messages. Do not send anything you would not be comfortable seeing published in your company’s newsletter (or your community’s newspaper).

Do not attempt to “discipline” your readers. It is unprofessional to lose control in person — to do so in writing usually just makes the situation worse.

Do not “spam” your readers. Do not send them unnecessary or frivolous messages. Soon, they will quit opening any message from you.

Oral Communication
Although an organisation cannot function without written communications of various kinds, yet a significant percentage of information is communicated orally. It has been observed that managers spend 60 to 80 percent of their work time in oral communication. Oral communication has the merit of being instantaneous. Generally, the spoken word is a less complicated way of getting one’s ideas across, if articulated well. Also, it offers the possibility of two-way information flow, and therefore less possibility of misunderstanding. The creation of a less formal atmosphere and generation of fellow feelings are other advantages of oral communication.

However, the oral communication also has disadvantages. It is less effective for presenting complicated and lengthy data. Since there is no record, it is subject to misinterpretation and the effects of barriers arising from interpersonal relationships.That is why while negotiating with management, unions emphasize on written commitment.

The choice of the mode of communication is, generally speaking, determined by the situation. However, the use of both will very often strengthen and reinforce a message.For example, the study material for this course is the written communication. It will be fortified subsequently through oral communication in video-conferencing sessions.The two together, we hope, will further increase your understanding of the concepts and application of management.

We would like to present a few guidelines for making verbal communication more effective (Box)

Box : Guidelines for Effective Communication
• Use simple words and phrases, short and familiar words.

• Use personal pronouns (such as “you”) whenever appropriate.

• Give illustrations and examples.

• Use short sentences and paragraphs.

• Use active verbs such as in “The manager plans”.

• Economise on objectives.

• Express thoughts logically and in a direct way.

• Avoid unnecessary words.

Source: “Human Behaviour at Work: Organisational Behaviour” by Keith Davis.

Non-verbal Communication
In determining the effectiveness of communication, non-verbal communication plays an important role. Experts in the field of human communication have found that, in a typical message between two persons, only about 7 per cent of the meaning or content of the message is carried by the actual words being used. Another 38 per cent of the message is carried by one’s tone of voice (which includes pacing, timing, pauses, and accents). The major part (55 per cent) of the content of the message is in the form of our body language.

Non-verbal communication can take place with our actions or with our body gestures. For example, a manager who pounds his first on the table while announcing that from now on participative management will be practiced in his organisation creates a credibility gap between what he says and what he practices. Think of a manager who says that he belives in an open door policy for all his employees but is busy with his own files while an employee gives him certain suggestions towards improvement in work environment. Is he not making non-verbal communication quite in conflict with his verbal communication? In such situations the non-verbal message is so strong that the verbal message will cease to be effective. Body gestures that “communicate” may relate to your handshake, your smile, your eye-contact, your posture while standing or sitting, your facial expression while listening, the shrug of your shoulders, indeed, the movement of any part of your body. Therefore, you must be watchful of your body language so that it does not contradict your verbal message. This is indeed difficult because the body language is so involuntary that we are not even aware of it.Some non-verbal actions which assist or impede communication are listed in Box:

Box : Non-verbal Actions that Assist or Impede Communication
Actions that assist communication:

• Maintaining eye contact.

• Occasionally nodding the head in agreement.

• Smiling and showing animation.

• Leaning towards the speaker.

• Speaking at a moderate rate, in a quiet tone.

Actions that impede:

• Looking away or turning away from the speaker.

• Sneering or using other contemptuous gestures.

• Closing your eyes.

• Using an unpleasant tone of voice.

• Speaking too slow or too fast.