Principles of Communication

Communication is a needful aspect and without it, the business cannot exist. Therefore the businessmen and managers must ensure that the communication system and process is effective. To become a great communicator there are some basic principles of communication to understand first.

Read this article to learn about :

The principles of communication – 1. Principle of Completeness and Adequacy 2. Principle of Consistency3. Medium of Communication 4. Principle of Timeliness 5. Principle of Information 6. Principle of Channel or Media Adaptation 7. Principle of Appropriate Time Element 8. Principle of Integration 9. Principle of Flexibility 10. Principle of Informality 11. Principle of Feedback …and many more

Basic principle of communication – 1. The Meaning of Communication is the Response you Get 2. Seek First to Understand 3. It’s not Just what Comes out of Your Mouth

Principle of effective communication – 1. Principle of Clarity 2. Principle of Adequacy 3. Principle of Informality 4. Principle of Time 5. Principle of Consistency 6. Principle of Attention 7. Principle of Integrity 8. Principle of Empathy 9. Principle of Effective Listening 10. Principle of Feedback 11. Principle of Participation

Chief principle of effective communication – 1. Clearness and integrity of message 2. Adequate briefing 3. Accurate plan 4. Reliability and uniformity 5. Correct timing 6. Use of proper medium

Eight principles of effective communication – 1. Principle of Clarity 2. Principle of Correctness 3. Principle of Concise 4. Principle of Completeness 5. Principle of Courtesy 6. Principle of Confidence 7. Principle of Conversational 8. Principle of Credibility

Principles of Communication

1. Principle of Completeness and Adequacy: 

Whatever is to be communicated should be adequate and complete in all respects. Insufficient or inadequate statements of communication may create misunderstandings in the mind of the receiver resulting in delays.

 Consequently, original plans may not be successfully executed. The adequacy of the information also depends upon the power of understanding of the receiver of the message. 

2. Principle of Consistency: 

The message communicated should be consistent with overall objectives, policies, programmes and procedures of the organisation. There should not be any difference between the communicator’s statement and his action. 

3. Medium of Communication: 

The choice of the medium depends on the circumstances. For instance, if the goods are required urgently, a telephonic order can be placed to be confirmed by a letter. As long as the message is clear and contains enough descriptions, technical or otherwise, it would be effective. Unnecessarily difficult, complicated and technical words should be avoided. 

If the message has legal implications, it would be proper to create a written document. For long messages, written letters are more appropriate, while, for short messages, telephone or other verbal means of communication should be used. In certain cases, to ensure better impact, the sender may adopt or supplement the message, by using an informal channel. 

4. Principle of Timeliness: 

Sending messages in time and at the right time to be received at the other end is also important. If the message is sent too early, it is likely that it will slip out of the receiver’s memory. On the other hand, if it is too close to an expected result, it may cause disruptions. 

5. Principle of Information: 

In the beginning, the sender of the message must have perfect clarity in his own mind about what is to be communicated, the facts and figures, his source of information etc. Where there is proper understanding there is effective communication. 

The communicator as well as the receiver should sincerely participate in the process of communication. There should be a perfect understanding between both the parties. 

6. Principle of Channel or Media Adaptation: 

Appropriate channels of communication should be available. The choice of any communication channel depends upon the content or matter of the message to be conveyed and importance and urgency of the matter. 

7. Principle of Appropriate Time Element: 

The sender of the message must take into consideration the element of time while conveying the message. If the time is unsuitable for the receiver, it may result in failure. 

8. Principle of Integration: 

The communication structure within the organisation should be well-integrated, so that each person knows his/her line of communication and the channel to choose from. For instance, the departmental structure of an organisation places some duties and responsibilities at various levels in each department. 

Once this sort of demarcation is understood, the question of stepping into each other’s jurisdiction will not arrive. For instance, the purchase department and quality department are responsible for choosing and approving a material, component or sub-assembly. It should be clear who will correspond with the supplier in case of quality issues. 

It is necessary to prepare an integrated system of communication so that there is minimum confusion and the enterprise can achieve its goals. Communication in an organisation functions almost like blood vessels and arteries in the human body. As it is a means to an end, it should be free from any personal prejudices. 

9. Principle of Flexibility: 

Any organisation, no matter how big or small it is, should have a system of communication, which is reviewed and kept updated. It should be flexible enough to suit the changing requirements of the organisation, emerging working techniques as well as new communication systems or methods without much resistance and difficulties. 

10. Principle of Informality: 

Managements cannot afford to be very rigid and very formal. Cordial relationships within the organisation often call for developing informal channels and methods to supplement the formal framework of its communication system. 

11. Principle of Feedback: 

Communication is not a substitute for good management but it is the lifeblood of good management. There should always be scope for feedback, suggestions and even constructive criticism from the receiver of the message. Such openness can lead to expression of creative ideas. 

The ambience of the organisation should be such that the seniors can convey the required messages or orders and get a proper response from the receiver without fear or favour. Managements should adopt and encourage a system of communication that promotes a free and frank atmosphere in the company leading to the constant flow of information in all directions. 

12. Conciseness: 

The sender of the message should reflect on the message being sent, for its simplicity and conciseness. This simplicity should be reflected in its wording and tone, the overall situation of the reader and also the result expected. This will make the receiver take the communication seriously. 

It means that the sender is conscious of the entire communication environment. He/she should mean what they say, say it effectively and take responsibility for the statements made in the message. It should be devoid of unnecessary details that may either distract or confuse the receiver. This will save a lot of time wasted in seeking clarifications. 

13. Attractiveness: 

The presentation of the message should be attractive enough to draw the attention of the receiver. This depends on the nature of the message that is being sent. If it is a production or sales target to be communicated within the department, a simple statement would serve the purpose better. 

If it is a technical report or presentation, the receiver would be looking for technical details. In such a report, graphs, charts and sketches can carry the message much better than a wordy description. 

14. Correctness: 

Accuracy and authenticity of the message is a significant factor in transmitting messages. The source of information should be known to the sender and mentioned in the message where necessary. Incorrectness of any message may create confusion in the mind of the listener or reader and may ultimately spoil the relations in the group or organisation. 

It is, therefore, necessary for the sender to take charge, and set forth details which are correct and authentic. Passing on the blame to someone else if the relationship sours, spoils the image of the organisation. 

15. Consideration: 

When any message is prepared, one has to consider the feelings, emotions and sentiments of the receiver. It is necessary to understand the background of the person who receives the message. This will ensure a better impact of the message. 

16. Courtesy: 

The idea of courtesy in transmitting the message includes polite manners and expressions. As far as possible, harsh expressions should be avoided while preparing the message as well as while acknowledging the message received. 

17. Careful Use of Body Language:                                                                                                       

Body language plays a vital role, particularly in oral communication. It adds many explained ideas into expressions. Facial expressions and eye contact contributes in transmitting the messages. 

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Basic Principles of Communication

To become a great communicator there are some basic principles of communication to understand first.

These are:

1. The Meaning of Communication is the Response you Get:

Have you ever got frustrated with other people because they are not understanding you or doing what you asked? Of course you have! And typically when this happens we tend to blame the other person. However, it’s really an indication that we haven’t communicated very well in the first place.

Instead of getting frustrated, take a step back and think about how you need to change what you’re communicating so people understand what message you’re intending to get across. Your team members are probably not mind readers—if you’ve got something specific you want them to do, it’s your responsibility to communicate it effectively.

2. Seek First to Understand:

The second of our basic principles of communication is to make sure you fully understand a situation before taking action. Before you go charging in making assumptions about people and situations, be aware of the fact that what you perceive may not be reality.

Here’s why? Human beings can only process a relatively small amount of the information coming into our brains through our senses. In order to make it manageable our unconscious minds quietly go about filtering what we perceive. Internal representations that we make about an event are not necessarily the reality of the event itself—it is just a perception. When we process all this information coming in through our senses we delete, distort and generalise the information according to our beliefs, values, memories, etc.

So, for example, if you believe a team member is not competent for some reason, you are more likely to notice everything they’re not competent at and not notice what they may be doing well. Make sure you have a complete picture before you take action and just because you ‘see’ something don’t automatically assume its reality. It always pays to ask questions and get other people’s perceptions first—no one person sees the whole reality of a situation so the truth resides somewhere in the middle. Seek to fully understand before jumping to conclusions.

3. It’s not Just what Comes out of Your Mouth:

What comes out of your mouth is only a small part of what you are communicating to your team? In one study researchers determined that only 7% of what we communicate is conveyed through words. 38% is conveyed through things like tone of voice, tempo and volume and a whopping 55% is the result of non-verbal communication. Types of non-verbal communication include posture, movement, gestures, breathing, skin color etc.

One of the most important of the basic principles of communication is to not only pick up on other people’s body language etc., but also to be aware of what you might also be communicating subliminally. Your team will be picking up lots of non-verbal cues every time you communicate with them. If you don’t believe what you’re saying neither will they.

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Principle of Effective Communication

Communication is a needful aspect and without it, the business cannot exist. Therefore the businessmen and managers must ensure that the communication system and process is effective. 

The effective communication system is one which achieves its objectives. Therefore, the essentialities for making communication effective, some of the ideal and directional concepts and viewpoints may be considered as principles of communication. 

The principles which provide some worthwhile viewpoints are given here: 

1. Principle of Clarity – This is the basic principle that communication should be in simple, easy and commonly understood language. A sender of a message makes it meaningful and clearly expresses its contents that are needful.

Therefore the receiver can easily understand and interpret it. As such the transformation of the message must be in clear words. 

2. Principle of Adequacy – Communication should be adequate and complete, not broken or incomplete. Adequacy of messages in all respects may save time and develop effective relations and understanding among partners. 

3. Principle of Informality – The view points and procedural framework must develop some informal relations particularly between higher executives and subordinates. Sometimes the informality among messages and in its transmission must be followed for making effective communication. 

4. Principle of Time – All the messages and information should be communicated at the proper time. The process of communication should not only ensure that the message reaches the receiver when he is actually required. The time factor is an important and decisional part for effective communication. 

5. Principle of Consistency – The contents and basic objectives of messages should be consistent with the missions, plans, programmes of the enterprise. It must include the entire content which is more relevant with the aims and objectives of communication. Better planning and other managerial functions can be achieved by consistent communication. 

6. Principle of Attention – The attention of the receiver on the communicated message must be drawn to make the communication effective. The recipients’ attention is very needful which depends upon the contents and effectiveness of the message. 

7. Principle of Integrity – Communication is a means to develop proper cooperation and coordination to make that work accomplished satisfactory. It is the policy of integration to develop mutual efforts, trust and confidence for better communication. 

8. Principle of Empathy – In the system of communication, the socio-psychological factors must be considered. The sender must consider the feelings, emotions, viewpoints and perceptions of the receiver. The most important spirit of cooperation is to make empathy in communication. 

9. Principle of Effective Listening – To communicate effectively, one should be a good listener. The senders in particular should develop the habit, conscious, inner feelings, cooperative attitude, positive thinking and patience for better listening from the other partners. 

10. Principle of Feedback – Communication is not complete unless the response or reaction of the receiver of the message is obtained by the communicator. The feedback is a very important part from the receiver for encouragement and needful modifications in the communication. 

11. Principle of Participation – Sometimes, the sender can invite the receiver or any recipient in the process of preparation and determining the contents of the message. This is helpful for making proper trust and understanding the objectives of the message.

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What are the  Principles of  Effective Communication 

The important principles of effective communication are: 

1. Clarity: 

In the communication process, message is the very subject matter of communication. Clarity of ideas, facts, and opinions in the mind of the communicator should be clear before communicating. It is a thinking process to conceive the subject. The message is always subject to the test of principle of clarity. It is to be encoded in common, direct, simple and in an understandable language, so that the receiver is able to understand it without doubt and difficulty. 

2. Information: 

Information is different from communication. All communications contain information while all information cannot communicate a message. The word ‘information’ is comprehensive in which communication is a special kind of transmitting message, in a symbolic form. 

The sender first collects and keeps before him the relevant information concerning a particular individual or group of people. The principle of effective communication is to have information and communicate it in a symbolic form. 

3. Completeness: 

The subject matter to be communicated must be adequate and full, which enables the receiver to understand the central theme or idea of the message. Incompleteness of a message may result in misunderstanding the subject by the receiver. The decision-making process would be delayed and action may be delayed when the message is incomplete. 

4. Emphasis on Attention: 

The purpose of communication is to draw the attention of the receiver. Whether the message is written or oral it should attract the receiver. To render the message attractive, it should be conveyed in a forceful, loud and clear manner, as far as is possible, having regard to the demands of the situation. The message should be systematically arranged. 

5. Consistency: 

The message transmitted should not be contradictory. The subject matter of communication is said to be consistent when it is in agreement with the objectives and policies of the organisation. The thinking, action of happenings should be according to the same organisational rules and principles. 

The idea to be communicated should be in an absolutely clear, understandable, positive and precise form. The idea should not be vague and confusing. It should be easily understandable to all levels of the management. The manager should know that no communication is complete unless the message is correctly understood by the receiver in the same sense in which the communicator wanted him to understand. 

Consistency can be achieved if the communicator keeps in his mind the broad objectives, policies and programmes of the enterprise. There should be some linkage and compromise between communications. One communication should not conflict with the previous communication. Conflict and inconsistency create confusion, chaos which ultimately results in delay in decision-making and action. 

6. Integration: 

Achieving common goals of the enterprise is the objective of group activities. Communication as a tool of management should strengthen the enterprise. Communication is only a means rather than the end. The transmitter and receiver have to use communication tools as a means to an end, not an end in itself, so that it promotes integrated efforts of the organisation. 

7. Use of Informal Communication: 

Informal communication is called grapevine. It is a type of communication which occurs on account of informal relationships between persons. This relationship grows spontaneously from personal interest, group interest, social and other non-formal relations. Informal channel is the most effective one and transmits information with great speed. 

Informal organisation should be utilised properly to communicate messages. It supplements the formal communication channel. 

8. Two-Way Communication: 

An effective communication demands two-way communication, i.e. vertically, upward and downward. It should not always be a downward movement from the superior to the subordinates. In such cases, communication cannot produce the desired results. The reaction and response of the receiver are equally needed to achieve the purpose of communication. 

A manager should not only speak, inform, instruct, and order but should also be prepared to listen, understand, answer, amend and interpret. Thus, it involves a two-way traffic or process when the process is complete. 

9. To Know the Receiver: 

In the communication process, after transmission of the message, the receiver is the key player who has to act on the message. The receiver must understand the subject that is the main purpose of communication. 

While organising a message a thorough study of the receiver like his academic qualifications, technological know-how, intellectual level, status, psychological attitude etc., should be done. One cannot use the same language while communicating with an illiterate worker in a factory as one does with the Director of a company. 

10. Time: 

The principal aim of communication is to make the message reach at the appropriate time. It is not just the transmission of ideas, opinions etc. by the superior to the subordinate for the sake of communication. They should be conveyed at the right and proper time. Sending before time or after would not serve the purpose of communication. A delayed message is stale or historical and has no importance. 

11. Simplicity: 

Simplicity in communication produces the best and quickest understanding and response. So, the communicator must try to achieve this principle for effectiveness. Avoid using unnecessary words, pointless prepositions, jargon etc.; using familiar words is preferable. The language used should be simple and only common words should be used, which excludes using colloquial English. 

There is no set-rule for using familiar words. The transmitter must know the receiver’s vocabulary, knowledge and understanding capacity. Simplicity is always preferable to meet all situations, because the object of any communication is to make others understand and act. 

12. Communication Network: 

Yet another principle of effective communication is the communication network. It is the channel or route through which exchange or transmission of ideas, facts etc., and flow to and from the officially designated positions in the organisational structure. Formal communication has a set network which determines the fixed route for information movement. 

The Network covers the downward, upward, horizontal lines of communication. In a downward line, the message moves from top to bottom and in an upward line, the message moves from bottom to top. Horizontal line is for personnel in one department and personnel of equal, lower or superior position in other departments. Both vertical and horizontal lines should be used for effective communication but the distance should be less as far as possible. 

13. Use of Media: 

There are two types of media for transmitting messages. They are oral and written media. Both have their own merits and demerits. Oral communication is more effective for certain messages and similarly written communication for other circumstances. The principle of strategic use of media is to be adopted. The need, objectives and the receiver are the factors that should be kept in mind in selecting a medium. 

14. Feedback: 

Though the last but yet the most important key or principle to effective communication is to obtain feedback from the receiver. Knowing acceptance or rejection as to the messages transmitted is probably the most important method of improving communication. The principle of feedback promotes two-way communication. 

Feedback is a process to ascertain whether or not the receiver properly understood the message. It helps you to listen, answer, interpret and amend the message. Interface and interaction are possible in feedback. It avoids errors in the transmission of messages and invoking effective participation of the subordinates. 

Thus, feedback enables the communicator to take initiative in order to know the reactions regarding the effectiveness of communication.

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The Chief Principle of Effective Communication

The chief principles of an effective communication system are as follows:

1. Clearness and integrity of message to be conveyed.

2. Adequate briefing of the recipient.

3. Accurate plan of objectives.

4. Reliability and uniformity of the message.

5. To know the main purpose of the message.

6. Proper response or feedback.

7. Correct timing.

8. Use of proper medium to convey the message properly.

9. Use of informal communication.

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Explain the Principles of Effective Communication

1. Simple Language: 

The language used in communication should be simple and easily understandable. 

2. No Ambiguity: 

The communicator should be clear in his mind about objectives of his communication and there should not be any ambiguity. 

3. Proper Medium of Communication: 

There are different forms of communication. The communication should select the proper medium by considering such factors as the nature of the matter to be communicated, urgency of communication, distance between the communicator and the recipient of communication. 

4. Adequacy of Information: 

In order to make communication effective one more condition to be fulfilled is that it should be adequate and complete in all respects. 

5. Right Climate in the Organisation: 

There should not be any communication barriers in the business concern. The organisation structure of the unit consisting of physical setting and human setting must facilitate the process of communication. 

6. Follow up Action: 

There should be follow up action to know whether the recipient of the message has understood it correctly and the action he has taken is on the basis of that message. 

7. Training to the Communicators: 

Proper training should be given to the communicators in the communication skills. This helps in increasing the effectiveness of communication considerably. 

8. Co-Operation of Personnel: 

Co-operation of the organisation personnel is essential in order to make communication effective. Hence, the communication should aim at strengthening the business concern through the cooperation of the organisational personnel. 

9. Messages Should Not Be Mutually Conflicting: 

Messages should not be mutually conflicting and should be in line with the overall objectives and policies of the concern. This will avoid chaos and confusion in the organisation. 

10. Action Should Be in Line with the Message: 

The communicator should not act in any way, which contradicts his message. A communicator is judged not only by what he says but also by what he does. Actions speak louder than words. Hence, the action of the communicator should be in line with the message conveyed. 

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Explain the Eight Principle of Effective Communication 

1. Principle of Clarity: 

The message should be clear because clarity is the most important factor in written communication and clarity is achieved by using the right word in the right place. 

2. Principle of Correctness: 

Correctness refers to correct data, accurate statements and explicit identification of assumption and opinions. It also refers to correct spelling, grammar, mechanics and document format. 

3. Principle of Concise:

A concise document conveys a clear message and shows consideration for the reader’s time. One should utilize his effort to “trim the fact” but should not forget the relationship objective of correspondence. 

4. Principle of Completeness: 

It is an important factor in message sending as a complete message conveys everything one that one has intended to cover and provide a detail for the reader to know what the sender expects. 

5. Principle of Courtesy: 

Courteous message is polite in nature and always considerate and emphatic. To achieve this one should attempt to understand the reader’s viewpoint. 

6. Principle of Confidence: 

A message which creates confidence in the reader’s mind is a successful message. A confident message shows the writer as a decisive, positive, straightforward business person. A confident message eliminates the implication of doubt in conveying the message. 

7. Principle of Conversational:

The writing style should be natural, conversational and unpretentious.

8. Principle of Credibility – The foremost principle of the communication is that it has credibility or believability. The message or fact or information should be trustworthy and develop some credibility of the concerns.