Keith Davis “Communication is the process of passing information and understanding
from one person to another”.
Cyrin Hudson says “Communication is its simplest form is a conveying of information from one
person to another”.
According to the
American Management Association Communication is “any behaviour that results
in an exchange of menaing”.
According to
Charles Redfield, “communication is the broad field of human interchange of facts and
opinions and not the technologies of telephone, telegraph, radio and the like”.
19.3 NATURE OF COMMUNICATION (i) It involves atleast two persons: Communication involves atleast two persons, a sender and a
receiver. The sender is called communication and the receiver of the message is known as
communicateee. A person who speaks, writes or issues some instructions is the sender and the
person for whom the communication is meant or who receives the meassage is the receiver or
communicatee.
(ii) There must be a meassage: A meassage is the subject matter of communication, e.g the contents
of letter or speech, order, instructions or the suggestions.A communication must convey some
message.
(iii) Message may be written or oral: Communication is generally understood as spoken or written
words. It includes everything that may be used to convey meanings from one person to another.
(iv) It is a two way process: It involves both information and understanding. Communication is not
complete unless the receiver has understood the message properly and his reaction or response is
known to the sender.
(v) Primary purpose is to motivate a response: The primary purpose of communication is to
motivate a response or influence human behaviour.
(vi) It may be formal or informal: Formal communication follows the formal channels provided in
the organisation structure. In formal communication, there is no direct communication between the
managing director and the accounts clerks. Informal communication flows from informal channels of
communication which are not provided in the organisation structure. Those channels develop among
members because of personal contacts through working with each other.