Clarity on the Idea of Communication

Communication refers to the process of the transfer of information from one individual to another. Here, the receiver of the message must understand it in the same context as desired by the sender. Therefore, the concept of communication involves the understanding of information sent by someone else. The concept of communication in business involves expressing, transferring, and receiving orders, instructions, ideas, and opinions. So, it is a process of sharing information within the organisation and with those outside it. Keep on reading to know all about the concept of communication in detail. Here, we shall direct our attention to formal and informal communication.

Formal Communication

Formal communication means exchanging ideas and information among the organisational hierarchy levels. Here, the communication flow takes place along the different organisational hierarchy levels. The formal communication conforms to the organisational regulations, standards, policies, and rules.

A proper and structured communication channel is followed in formal communication. Managers exercise intentional control over it. Its governance takes place by the chain of command.

Types of Formal Communication

In the concept of communication, the formal aspect has the following types:

Downward Communication

This is when the passing of information occurs from the top management to the subordinate level. Downward communication is the most famous in any business organisation. This mainly involves passing instructions, orders, announcements, and clarifications from top to bottom level. Communication tools used here are manuals, letters, notices, emails, and reports.

Upward Communication

This is when the passing of a message takes place from the subordinate level to the management level, which means from the bottom to the top level. The flow of communication is upwards here, as the name suggests. This takes the form of instructions, complaints, suggestions, reports, and requests sent by employees to their managers.

Horizontal Communication

This takes place at the same organisational level. It involves the communication that happens among co-workers. It also involves communication among managers of different departments.

Diagonal Communication 

This is the communication among workers who belong to different departments. Also, these departments are at different organisational levels – for example, a floor manager communicating with the marketing team.

Informal Communication

Informal Communication refers to the casual type of communication that is considered unofficial. Here, the information exchange takes place among multiple people informally. This means that the various regulations, formalities, processes, and formal communication rules are not followed here.

Informal communication occurs based on informal relations among department members, acquaintances, and friends. This type of communication is also known as grapevine. It is given this unique name due to the difficulty in ascertaining the starting and ending point of communication.

Types of Informal Communication

In the concept of communication, the informal aspect has the following types:

Gossip Chain

Here, communication takes place informally among people in group settings. As such, an individual may indulge in gossip with others around him.

Single Strand Chain 

Here, the passing of information takes from one person to another informally. This informal communication takes place in a single sequence- for example, the passing of a message from one worker to a second worker to a third worker.

Probability Chain 

Here, each worker tells another individual the same information message but randomly. In the probability chain, individuals do not abide by a particular set of regulations regarding communication. Also, one individual may share with any other individual in the organisation. This other individual may be a friend, partner, or anyone else. The Law of probability is very important to consider in probability chain communication as information may reach some but may not reach others.

Cluster Chain

Here, information sharing may come from one individual to a particular group. The individual of this group, in turn, may spread this information to another particular group.

Conclusion

Communication refers to the process of the transfer of information from one individual to another. The concept of communication involves the understanding of information sent by someone else. In formal communication, information is exchanged among the organisational hierarchy levels. The various types of formal communication are downward, upward, horizontal, and diagonal. Informal communication refers to casual information that is not considered official. The various types of informal communication are gossip chain, single strand chain, probability Chain, and cluster chain.