Q1.

Barriers to Effective Communication

Communication is defined as the process by which information is exchanged between individuals
through a system of signs, symbols. The concept of communication involves a sender, a message and a
recipient.
The sender sends the message and the recipient is the receiver of the message. The process of
communication is never smooth as it is affected by the barriers of communication.
Following are some of the barriers to effective communication:
Semantic barriers: Semantic barriers are also known as language barriers. These barriers are caused
due to improper communication between the sender and the receiver.
Poor quality of message: Message when communicated should be precise and easy to understand, that
makes it easy for the receiver to grasp the information conveyed.
Sometimes, due to the lack of clarity or complexity of the way of providing information from the sender,
there can be a case of semantic barriers.
For e.g. A manager is conversing in English to a group of workers who understand and speak Bengali. It
will create confusion among workers as they will not be able to understand what is being conveyed by
the manager.
Psychological Barriers: Psychological barriers play an important role in interpersonal communication
as the state of the mind of the sender or the receiver can make it difficult to understand the information
that is conveyed, which often leads to misunderstanding.
When information is passed within multiple sources, the final information is distorted as the receivers of
the message are not able to retain everything that was conveyed. This can cause communication barriers.
Organisational barriers: Organisational barriers are those barriers that are caused due to the structure,
rules and regulations present in the organisation. The various types of barriers that can be encountered
due to superior subordinate relationships where the free flow of communication is not possible.
Sometimes the complexity of organisational structure and multiple managers make it difficult to convey
information properly, and the information gets distorted leading to miscommunication.
Cultural barriers: Cultural barriers are those that arise due to lack of similarities among the different
cultures across the world. A term that can be harmless in one culture can be regarded as a slang in
another culture. Moreover, various beliefs can differ from one culture to another.
Physical barriers: Physical barriers to communication are those that arise due to certain factors like
faulty equipment, noise, closed doors and cabins that cause the information sent from sender to receiver
to become distorted, which results in improper communication.
Physiological barriers: Physiological barriers arise when a sender or the receiver of the communication
is not in a position to express or receive the message with clarity due to some physiological issues like
dyslexia, or nerve disorders that interfere with speech or hearing.
Q2. Formal And Informal Communication
Formal communication refers to the flow of official information through proper, predefined channels and
routes. The flow of information is controlled and needs deliberate effort to be properly communicated.
Formal communication follows a hierarchical structure and chain of command. The structure is typically
top down, from leaders in various departments and senior staff in the organization.
Employees are bound to follow formal communication channels while performing their duties.

Informal communication moves freely within the organization and is not bound by pre-defined channels
and communication routes. Informal communication is particularly quick. Informal communication is far
more relational than formal communication and is by nature, a very natural form of communication as
people interact with each other freely

Differences Between Formal and Informal Communication

Reliability: Formal communication is the more reliable form, as there is a paper trail. Compared to
informal communication which has comparatively less reliability, and is very unlikely to have a paper
trail.
Speed: Formal communication is slower, sometimes feeling unbearably slow due to bureaucracy. On the
other hand, informal communication is very quick, often being instantaneous.
Time-Consuming: Formal communication requires a number of different processes before the whole
communication flow is complete, whereas informal communication requires very little process time.
Information Flow: Information through formal communication is only through predefined channels,
whereas information through informal communication moves freely.
Secrecy: Secrecy is maintained with formal communication, whereas informal communication makes it
hard to maintain full secrecy due to its reliance on individuals.

Types of formal communication

Below we provide a comprehensive list pertaining to the types of formal communication:
Memos, Intranet, Meetings, Conferences, Formal One-on-Ones, Bulletin Boards, Handouts, Letters,
Presentations, Speeches, Notice Boards, Organizational blogs, Emails from managers and leaders.

Types of informal communication

Below we provide a comprehensive list pertaining to the types of informal communication:
Gossip:
Single Strand: A form of informal communication wherein each person communicates with the next in
a single sequence.
Cluster: A very common form of informal communication, in cluster networks a person will receive
information and choose to pass it on to their cluster network or keep the information to themselves. Each
individual will pass on the information to the next cluster network
Probability Chain: Each individual randomly tells another individual the same piece of information.

Q3. What Is Verbal Communication?

Verbal Communication:
Definition: The Verbal Communication is a type of oral communication wherein the message is
transmitted through the spoken words. Here the sender gives words to his feelings, thoughts, ideas and
opinions and expresses them in the form of speeches, discussions, presentations, and conversations.

There Are Several Characteristics That Are Specific to Verbal Communication, namely:
 The Message Being Communicated Is Directly or Indirectly Related to An Object
 We Use Concepts to Communicate Messages
 The Content Should Be Understood by both the Sender and Receiver
 Cultural Factors Influence the Content of Messages
 While Communicating Emotions and Feelings, A Sender’s State of Mind Influences the
Content of Messages
Even though we talk to our friends, family and co-workers on a regular basis, we may not always be
aware of how we’re communicating. Mastering the art of verbal communication will help you in more
ways than one. Let’s explore different types of verbal communication and how your audience factors
into it.
Types Of Verbal Communication
Verbal communication goes beyond words, sounds and languages. You need to know your audience to
talk to them better. Remember that you can follow the Pyramid Principle and start with your main
argument and then follow up with supporting statements. You can classify verbal communication into
four types based on your audience.
1. Intrapersonal Communication
This is your private verbal communication channel. You talk to yourself and articulate your
thoughts. Communicating with yourself will give you more confidence and clarity in your thoughts.
It’ll help you make up your mind, form your sentences, find suitable words and effective ways to
connect with other people. This will help you gain your colleagues’ trust in the workplace.
 2. Interpersonal Communication
You can also call this one-to-one verbal communication. This type of communication happens
between two individuals. It helps you understand if you’re getting your thoughts across clearly.
Reactions, responses and verbal and nonverbal cues from the other person will help you understand
whether you’re being understood or not. Make sure that you listen to the other person intently.
Communication doesn’t just mean to talk to someone. It’s also about listening. So, listen, think and
then respond. Take time to think and make sure you don’t offend people with your response.
3. Small Group Communication 
The number of people increases in small group communication. You move from communicating
with a single participant to a few more. These small groups could be team meetings, board
meetings or sales meetings. The number of participants is small enough for everyone to
communicate with each other. When you attend small group meetings, be prepared with a topic to
make sure you stay on track. Stay on topic and allow enough time for everyone to present their
thoughts.
4. Public Communication 
You may also know this type as ‘public speaking’. Here, an individual addresses a large number of
people at once. Speeches, election campaigns and presentations are a few examples of public
communication. Since the number of people in the audience is larger in this type of
communication, be sure to use words and phrases they’ll understand easily and structure your
thoughts before addressing the audience. The more prepared you are, the more confident you’ll feel
like a public speaker.
Verbal communication is a broad topic. There are various elements that help us organize our thoughts
around it. They are: Tone, Speed, Volume
Advantages Of Verbal Communication
Verbal communication is one of the most important mediums of communication. The stronger your
communication skills are, the easier it is for you to establish trust and build lasting relationships with
others. Here are some benefits of strong verbal communication skills:
 It Provides Complete Understanding and There’s Room to Clarify Any Messages That
May Have Been Misunderstood
 It’s One of The Fastest Modes of Communication and Is Time-Efficient
 There Is Space for Providing Feedback, Which Allows Two Or More People to Engage in
A Conversation at The Same Time
 It Allows Speakers to Exercise Influence and Persuade Listeners to Agree with Ideas,
Thoughts and Opinions
 It’s Flexible, That Is, You Can Change Your Language and Tone Depending on The
Situation You’re in or The Relationship You Share with An Individual

Q4. What are the elements of communication?

Seven major elements of communication process are: (1) sender (2) ideas (3) encoding (4)
communication channel (5) receiver (6) decoding and (7) feedback.
Communication may be defined as a process concerning exchange of facts or ideas between persons
holding different positions in an organisation to achieve mutual harmony. The communication process is
dynamic in nature rather than a static phenomenon.
Communication process as such must be considered a continuous and dynamic inter-action, both
affecting and being affected by many variables.
(1) Sender:
The person who intends to convey the message with the intention of passing information and ideas to
others is known as sender or communicator.
(2) Ideas: This is the subject matter of the communication. This may be an opinion, attitude, feelings,
views, orders, or suggestions.
(3) Encoding: Since the subject matter of communication is theoretical and intangible, its further passing
requires use of certain symbols such as words, actions or pictures etc. Conversion of subject matter into
these symbols is the process of encoding.
(4) Communication Channel: The person who is interested in communicating has to choose the
channel for sending the required information, ideas etc. This information is transmitted to the receiver
through certain channels which may be either formal or informal.
(5) Receiver: Receiver is the person who receives the message or for whom the message is meant for. It
is the receiver who tries to understand the message in the best possible manner in achieving the desired
objectives.
(6) Decoding: The person who receives the message or symbol from the communicator tries to convert
the same in such a way so that he may extract its meaning to his complete understanding.
(7) Feedback: Feedback is the process of ensuring that the receiver has received the message and
understood in the same sense as sender meant it.

Q5. What Is Nonverbal Communication?

Non-Verbal Communication:
The Non-Verbal Communication is the process of conveying meaning without the use of words either
written or spoken. In other words, any communication made between two or more persons through the
use of facial expressions, hand movements, body language, postures, and gestures are called as non-
verbal communication.
Types Of Nonverbal Communication
Let us explore the types of nonverbal communication.
 Body Language:
Body language is an effective means of nonverbal communication. You can tell a lot about a person
from their facial expressions, body posture, gestures, eye movement, and use of space. One of the
best-known examples is actor Amitabh Bachchan whose effective body language gave an aura to his
angry young man persona in his early films.
Learn to read the body language of people around you by noticing their postures and gestures.
 Eye Contact:
Eyes are an effective communication tool to convey messages without saying a word. Eye contact
says a lot about a person. For instance, those who avoid eye contact are often perceived as shy or less
confident.
It is said that actor Irrfan Khan spoke a thousand words with his eyes. “I’m just beguiled by Irrfan’s
magic eyes,” Hollywood star Tom Hanks once said.
 Facial Expressions:
From a lip movement to the raising of eyebrows and shifting of the glance, our facial expressions
convey a wide range of emotions.  Some facial expressions are very powerful. For instance, a smile
makes any situation easier to handle.
 Gestures:
A gesture is another form of nonverbal communication. Different gestures could mean different things
in different situations.
Have you seen people communicate using sign language? Every hand gesture means something. Even
during regular conversations, most of us knowingly or unknowingly use certain gestures such as
nodding or giving a thumbs-up or high five.
 Para-Linguistics:
Para-linguistics means vocal communication through the tone, pitch, and volume of your voice.
Remember the community tennis matches held on the weekends? The way your sister came shouting,
you knew she had won the match.
Examples Of Nonverbal Communication
Let’s look at an example of nonverbal communication.
Hitesh works in an ad agency. He is always given the first preference for final presentations, and his
colleagues wonder why. The reason is that his manager knows that in addition to content creation, Hitesh
has excellent nonverbal communication skills. His body language exudes confidence and his habit of
making eye contact and his gestures express trust and clarity.
Teachers, actors, lawyers, TV anchors, journalists, or salespeople, who communicate with their students,
audience or customers regularly, need to have excellent nonverbal communication.
“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said,” said Peter Drucker, a well-
known management consultant. This pretty much sums up the importance of nonverbal communication.
It is said that 80% of communication happens nonverbally. We express our innermost emotions such as
love, hope, pleasure, anger, sadness and anxiety without words.
Empathetic nonverbal communication is the secret ingredient of happy relationships and has the power
to clear misunderstandings.
Importance Of Nonverbal Communication
Here’s how nonverbal communication helps. It:
 Adds value to verbal communication
 Helps overcome cultural barriers
 Helps communicate with the nonliterate or people with a hearing disability
 Increases workplace efficiency
 Reinforces trust and credibility

Q6. KOPPACT
• Non-verbal communication is of 7 types and can be abbreviated as KOPPACT.
• KOPPACT is discussed in detail in the following
1)Kinesics
• The study of body language such as facial expressions, gestures, postures.
• It is the non-verbal behaviour related to the movement of body parts or the body as a whole.
• An open body that takes up a lot of space indicates comfort and domination, while a closed-in body
signals inferiority.
2) Oculesics
Study of eye contact as a form of non-verbal communication.
• Sometimes it is considered a subset of kinesic communication.
Eye contact opens communication channels, signals availability for interaction, listening, immediacy,
and intimacy.
• The absence of eye contact shows negative attributions including rudeness, deceptiveness, insincerity,
unfriendliness.
3)Paralinguistics
Study of non-verbal cues of voice that includes volume, pitch, tone, etc.
• Paralinguistic features of the language are extremely important as they contain intentional and
unintentional cues and can change the message completely.
4)Proxemics
• The study of how we communicate with the space around us, how we arrange personal space, and what
we arrange in it.
• The space within social distance and out of personal distance is called social space. And the space
within public distance is called public space.
5)Artifacts
• Non-verbal messages that are conveyed through physical objects such as a person's clothing, home,
cars, the environment indicate to others a person's personal and social beliefs and habits.
• Clothing can communicate many ideas, including social class, attitudes, style and creativity, and age.
• Accurate or not, these inferences affect how people view and react to others.
6) Chronemics
• Study of how people communicate through their use of time in non-verbal communication.
• The way that an individual would perceive and value time, structure and react to time is a powerful
communication tool and helps set the stage for the communication process.
7) Tactics
• Communicating through the use of bodily contact or touch.
Touch is the most effective means to communicate feelings and emotions.
• When used properly it can create feelings of warmth and trust.
• When used improperly, it can betray the trust and create annoyance.

Q7. What Is Cross-Cultural Communication?

Cross cultural communication thus refers to the communication between people who have differences in
any one of the following: styles of working, age, nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation,
etc. Cross cultural communication can also refer to the attempts that are made to exchange, negotiate and
mediate cultural differences by means of language, gestures and body language. It is how people
belonging to different cultures communicate with each other.
Cross-Cultural Communication Importance
Cultivating cross-cultural communication in a business setting is a key factor in a company's viability
and revenue growth. Thus, it becomes essential for employees to gain the necessary skills to interact
with people of cultural backgrounds outside of their own. Not possessing cross-cultural communication
skills could lead to the loss of reputation, profits, and the ability to attract and retain good talent among a
diversified pool of workers. The framework for developing these skills is grounded in respecting cultural
differences. Ignoring differences can lead to offensive behaviours. It matters what is said and done in
acknowledging and embracing cultural differences to foster good communication
Cross-Cultural Communication Examples
Here are a few examples of cross-cultural differences that, if unknown, can wreak havoc in an
interpersonal exchange:
It is not considered polite to say 'no' in India. If a person does not like a proposal or proposition, they
would actually agree, but with a qualifier. They would say yes to an unacceptable proposal, then counter
with a more acceptable one.
When speaking to a Japanese colleague who has closed their eyes, do not take offense! They are
listening intently, not nodding off. Closing their eyes shows respect for the speaker's opinion or interest
in what they are saying.
In many cultures, for example, countries in Asia, it is considered impolite and aggressive to hold eye
contact with a person. This characteristic contrasts with Americans who hold eye contact as an indication
of engagement and respect.
Natives of France may kiss a team member on the cheek upon introduction. Do not misjudge that they
are being overly familiar in their greeting; it is the norm in France to greet even strangers with a kiss.
A waiter or hairstylist in the United States should not expect to receive a tip from an Australian tourist. It
is not customary to tip for such services in their country.
High vs. Low-Context Cultures
China, Japan, and other Asian countries are considered high context countries, while the United States,
Canada, and Western Europe are regarded as low context countries. When it comes to communication,
people of a high context culture rely heavily on nonverbal communication and intuition; their meaning is
often implicit, depending on the tone of their voice. Those of a low context culture is more explicit,
relying more heavily on the spoken word. Their decisions are more likely to be based on facts and are
relayed more directly.

Sociologists and anthropologists have coined other terms for high and low-context cultures, such as
controlling, subjugated, and harmonious cultures. This terminology refers to the society's norms and
orientation to its institutional and societal concerns. Take, for example, the issue of environmental
protection. In North America and Europe, technological advancements are considered a positive
contribution to studying and controlling the environment. However, in central Africa and parts of Asia,
the natural environment is more revered, so applying a particular technology can be viewed as a threat or
a skeptical manufactured intervention. To oversimplify, one could say that a highly developed country
that utilizes technology is considered to have a high-context culture as opposed to developing countries
that are less technologically advanced, thus low-context.

Q8. What Is Active Listening?

Active listening means giving your full attention to a person who is speaking. An active listener focuses
on their communication partner and is able to express interest and engage meaningfully in the
conversation. Active listening involves both verbal and nonverbal communication. Being a good listener
is one of the top interpersonal skills for those in leadership and management positions.
Why Are Active Listening Skills Important?
Active listening is an important part of your communication skill set because it encourages openness,
honesty, and success. When you pay attention to your conversation partner, you show that person they
are being heard, thus building trust and making that person feel like their words matter to you. The
benefits of active listening affect the speaker as well as you. Attentive listening makes for better living
and working environments. It cuts down on miscommunication, facilitates conflict resolution and
problem-solving, and generates a more positive atmosphere for sharing.
How to Be a Better Active Listener
There are a variety of active listening techniques you can use to ensure that you have good listening
skills.
 Give positive reinforcement. Nodding or giving a verbal indication that you are following along
is a way to improve your listening skills. Use positive reinforcement sparingly so as not to distract
the speaker with your own words of agreement.
 Ask relevant questions. When you ask an occasional question (during natural pauses), you’re
ensuring that you clearly understand your conversation partner’s point of view. This demonstrates
an interest on your part, showing that you’ve been listening to the speaker’s words and want to
know more.
 Restate key points. Restate information by paraphrasing what you’ve heard in your own words.
This demonstrates comprehension. When you repeat information back to a speaker, you show that
you have absorbed and understood their message.
 Use nonverbal cues. There are many types of nonverbal communication, like body language,
facial expressions, and tone of voice. When someone is speaking to you, you should be face-to-
face with them, making comfortable eye contact and reacting to their words. Looking at your
phone, the clock, or the door can indicate that you have no authentic interest in the person who is
speaking to you. This can be detrimental to both personal and professional relationships. As an
active listener, you should also pay attention to the speaker’s nonverbal cues. Paying attention to
nonverbal details can give you an even clearer picture of how the speaker is feeling.
 Reserve judgment. An effective listener will let the other person speak without interjecting
opinions, unsolicited information, or fixes. Listening with an open mind facilitates trust and shows
that you are capable of hearing another person’s words without having to share your own opinions
or advice.
 Do active listening exercises. Practice your active listening skills by working on exercises
designed to hone your skills. An example of an active listening exercise is to write a summary of
information following each conversation you have. It’s a good way to get into the habit of forcing
your mind to stay active and engaged during interactions with others