Communication Skills Enhanced

INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION
(Types of communication)
(B) INFORMAL/GRAPEVINE
(A) FORMAL COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION
1. Downward communication
2. Upward communication
3. Horizontal/Lateral communication
4. Diagonal/Crosswise communication
DOWNWARD COMMUNICATION
When the communication flows from top to bottom I.e.from superior to

subordinates, then it is downward communication. It flows from the individuals
at the higher level to the individuals at the lower level. It is also called
Downstream Communication. It is used by the management or the superiors
to give instructions to the subordinates about what to do, when to do and
how to do.
It also discusses the relation of the workers’ task with those of others, policies
and programmes, their own assessment of the performance so as to make
them aware of their strengths and weaknesses.
Face to face communication is a must in the situations of handling the

tender topics, like the firing of an employee or arbitrating conflicts among
the workers. Through it, the manager motivates his subordinates.
Advantages/Need of Downward Communication
1. To get things done

2. To prepare employees for change
3. To encourage understanding and discourage suspicion
4. To ensure sense of feeling and commitment
5. To make subordinates aware of company’s target, policies, procedures,
plans, etc.
Disadvantages/Limitations of Downward Communication
1. In case the communication becomes very long it may lead to

unnecessary delay
2. Under-communication or over-communication
3. Loss of information
4. Resentment by subordinate staff
5. Distortion
Channels/Methods of Downward communication
1. Written orders
2. Bulletin boards
3. Audio visual aids
4. Company magazine
5. Employee handbooks
6. Information racks
7. Letters and pay inserts
8. Paper published by employees
9. Financial reports by employees
Suggestions to Improve Downward communication
1. The superior should gain the confidence of the

subordinates. Confidence and communication are
interdependent
2. The superior should have more knowledge about the
fats that he want to communicate to the suborninates
3. The methods and the channel that are selected to pass
the knowledge should be suitable and useful to the
receiver
4. The number of levels in the transmission of the message
should be minimum to avoid the loss of information and
time
5. The message overload should be within the capacity of
the subordinates
UPWARD COMMUNICATION
This is the way through which the information is passed on from

subordinate to the superior. This may include clarifying doubts,
participation in decision making, sharing work experience, etc. this
communication is meant for feedback. This enables the superior to
obtain, to correct and then to redirect it in the downward channel.
The upward communication is also a means of control. It provides
information and data for decision making.
Upward communication can be classified into four categories:

1. About himself, performance and problems
2. About others and their problems
3. About organisational policies and practices
4. About what needs to be done and how it can be done
Advantages/Need
1. To ensure harmony between the management and the employees

2. To enable the subordinates to offer constructive suggestions to
encourage welfare of organisation
3. To evaluate communication through feedback
4. To create a feeling of belongingness through participation
5. To create receptiveness of communication
Disadvantages/Limitations
1. Employees fear that their criticism may be interpreted as a sign of

their personal weakness
2. Employees are reluctant to express themselves
3. Bypassed superiors feel insulted
4. Great possibility of distortion
Channels/Methods
1. Opinions survey
2. Periodical meetings
3. Complaint and suggestions box
4. Social gatherings
5. Reports
6. Counselling
Suggestions to remove limitations:
1. There should be a grievance-redressal system in an

organisation to resolve the differences
2. The superior should follow an open door policy
3. The superior should adopt a relationship of mutual
understanding and encourage more open
communication
4. The superior should reward the subordinates for
their effort in the upward communication
5. The superior should take heed of messages from
his subordinates, and he should let them know
about his interest in their problems
HORIZONTAL OR LATERAL COMMUNICATION
It is the informal flow that occurs both within and between

departments. Generally it is a communication among the equals. It
is the system that relates to the communication between persons of
one level or of one department. No organisation can work
effectively without such horizontal communication.
Channels/Methods:
1. Hand books
2. Annual reports
3. Bulletin boards, notice boards, posters
4. Labour union publications
5. Letters
6. Telephones, inter-com system, movies
7. Grapevine, rumour
8. Conference, meetings, etc
Advantages/Importance:
1. Problem solving: this makes the exchange of information

easy and thus solves many problems of the department or
group of persons
2. Management by exception: it gives relief to the superior
from trivial works. The unimportant matters are avoided
being referred to the superiors
3. Speed: the people in the same organisation and on the
same rank can exchange informantion freely. So theres
accuracy, quickness and faster passing of information
4. Promote social and emotional support: it is an interaction
among the people of the organisation so it is welcomed by
all
Disadvantages/Limitations:
1. The scalar chain is affected due to which confusion is

created in the organisation.
2. It may lead to conflicts, misunderstanding and
jealousy. It leads to disruption causing problems lie
conflicts, ignoring levels, message overload
DIAGONAL COMMUNICATION
In this type, the information is passed from one person to another

or group of persons who are not from the same department or on
the same level of the organisation. This kind of communication is
not used frequently. This brings together different people. It may
be oral or written.
Channels/ Methods:
1. Informal meetings
2. Organisational meetings
3. Company bulletin
4. Notice board
Advantages/Importance:
1. It overcomes some of the barriers to communication within a business. It

reduces the chances of distortion or misinterpretation by encouraging
communication between relevant parties
2. It reduces a manager’s communication workload because he does not
have to act as an intermediary between his direct reports and other
managers
3. It can be used as a motivational tool
Disadvantages:
1. It can increase competitiveness as information is given from higher to

lower strata or vice-versa without involvement of the middle hierarchy
2. It may lead to consumption of extra time, as chat groups which encourage
direct communication are often not listed on the company schedule
3. Lack of communication skills lead to misunderstanding
INFORMAL OR GRAPEVINE COMMUNICATION
It exists in every organisation. It is free from formalities. There is no

formal channel. It depends upon the natural wish of the people to
communicate. Personal matters are discussed in it. This includes
exchange of information like terminals of a colleague’s service, love
affairs, differences of a colleague with his/her spouse, etc. these are
whispered to others, which gives them pleasure. This may be conveyed
through a single glance, gesture, nod, smile or just silence.
Features:
1. It is difficult to avoid
2. It may be in a group, private talk or a rumour
3. It encourages an employee’s friendly relations with his subordinates
4. It is a source of humour and relaxation
5. It spreads at a rapid speed
Advantages:
1. It is a good measure of employees reaction, responses and attitude
2. It spreads very quickly
3. It develops friendly relations
4. It enables the management to know what the workers think about the
organisation
5. It reduces the tension in the employee-employer relayions and provides
emotional relief to the workers
Disadvantages:
1. It may spread baseless or distorted news, which sometimes proves harmful
2. The information is incomplete.
3. Not possible to fix responsibility of the mistake on anyone
4. Consists of unconfirmed facts, half truths, rumours and distorted info
5. The information may be harmful to the organisation

Communication Skills Enhanced

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INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION

When the communication ﬂows from top to bottom I.e.from superior to

Face to face communication is a must in the situations of handling the

1. To get things done

Disadvantages/Limitations of Downward Communication

1. In case the communication becomes very long it may lead to

1. The superior should gain the conﬁdence of the

This is the way through which the information is passed on from

Upward communication can be classiﬁed into four categories:

1. To ensure harmony between the management and the employees

1. Employees fear that their criticism may be interpreted as a sign of

1. There should be a grievance-redressal system in an

It is the informal ﬂow that occurs both within and between

1. Problem solving: this makes the exchange of information

1. The scalar chain is affected due to which confusion is

In this type, the information is passed from one person to another

1. It overcomes some of the barriers to communication within a business. It

1. It can increase competitiveness as information is given from higher to

It exists in every organisation. It is free from formalities. There is no

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