TYPES AND FORMS OF COMMUNICATION

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TYPES AND FORMS OF COMMUNICATION

Having understood elements of communication, their functions and placement in various models, it is time to complete another chapter on types and forms of communication before resuming our discussions on various other areas of mass communication for a detailed study.

1. TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

Broadly speaking, whole human communication could be classified into two distinct parts.
• Intra personal communication • Inter personal communication

Intra personal communication: The part of communication in which self of a human being is involved only and the communication is confined to one human entity. This means that all the elements which come into action in a given piece of communication are located within the self of an individual. A message originating from source part of the brain travels through the channel of nerves to reach another location, however close it may be to the point of origin of message, where it is interpreted and understood as receiver.   All the process of meditation, thinking, monologue and even dreaming while asleep are all but examples of intra communication

Interpersonal communication: This part of communication belongs to involving two or more individuals for exchange of information. Since this part is experienced more due to its vastness, it is further classified in many categories.

a)      Group Communication

More often people are seen exchanging views with almost all the participants enjoying an equal
status on one count or the other. Like all the players of a hockey team, class-fellows, doctors, teachers,
bureaucrats, politicians, economists etc.

b)      Organizational communication

In this part, communication usually takes place on vertical lines. For instance, a company director is
passing on instructions to managers who would be guiding accordingly to field officers and the relevant
other field staff. An army general may not be talking to lowest rank men in khaki but would follow the
chain of organizational command to deliver his message to the last rank people. Be it a corporate sector,
NGO, a political party, an educational institution, the communication process would strictly follow the
essentials of the organizational communication.

c)      Mass Communication

In this category we refer to the communication originating from one source and meant for all
possible audience irrespective of distance, cast, creed, religion, nationality and beyond. The mass
communication involves use of technology for it is not possible to carry message to a very high number of receivers without the use of certain devices or techniques. All other types of communication may take place when the source is coming across receivers without involving technology. That is why more research and investment has gone into handling the mass communication

2. FORMS OF COMMUNICATION

In another way we can examine the communication process by dividing it into different forms of
exchanging messages namely  verbal and nonverbal

Verbal
All the messages said or written in words make part of the verbal communication. This way, all that
appears as text in books, magazines and newspapers is part of verbal communication. One can guess the
size of an industry in the area of mass communication based on verbal communication. Likewise, all the words heard on radio, television, telephone or any other public address system are also part of verbal communication. Again, the industry and technology based on verbal communication is enormous in size and value as well.  

One amazing part of the verbal communication is the availability of events of significance in history. Little is understood about the past from the available artifacts but a great deal of human civilization, growth and conflict is available in the form of verbal communication. The spread of religions and sharing of most scientific work is also due to the verbal communication over the centuries which recorded facts, sentiments and event of common human interest.

It is on the basis of verbal communication that the world has seen great poets, writers, playwrights, historian and newsmen. This also proves at what great scale the verbal communication has created job opportunities. In modern days, people having verbal communication skills are in high demand, especially with the fast expanding media all across the globe.

 Nonverbal

          a) Senses

Part of human communication involving other than written or spoken words is referred to as nonverbal communication. It involves human senses – sight, taste, touch, hearing and smelling. As a matter of fact about 90 per cent communication among human beings takes place through their senses and the rest by the use of words as languages.

b)     Symbols, signs

Emblems, gestures, symbols and signs make more vivid and strong communication as compared to
words which are often difficult to decipher. For instance making a victory sign by politicians, army generals, sportspersons and leaders in general at the time of defeating enemy is easily understood even by the illiterate. If the same feeling is expressed in words, many may not come even close to understanding what it is. The traffic signals, red-cross mark and the symbol of dove are but few illustrations to make people around understand what a message stands far.

COMBINATION

For practical purposes, however, the use of verbal and nonverbal makes a very strong piece of
communication. One may see a match on TV but an enthusiast commentator may relish the joy if your
favorite team is winning the game. Similarly, feature films, documentaries and dramas on mini screen stand for more effective pieces of communication than if only one form of communication is brought into use. Even the newspapers and magazines, which are more to bank on verbal communication, carry so much of nonverbal communication in the form of images, graphics and maps.
The research journals also exploit the verbal-nonverbal combination to share and advance the cause of
scientific developments. In fact it has become rather impossible to find a newspaper and magazine, even books, which do not use nonverbal communication to explain various aspects of daily life.