Importance of Communication

Introduction

Communication whether in organizations, personal relationships, politics or public information campaigns is one of the complex and strategic activities of human beings. It may have limited effectiveness for two interacting reasons. The first obstacle in effectiveness is the lack of congruence (source, persuader, speaker) and the receiver (recipient, listener, addressee). As many contributions have emphasized, the latter is unlikely to trust the former’s statement or recommendation if their interests diverge. According to Nancy A. Sheetz communication is a process in which two entities enter into an exchange of information to transmit thoughts, messages, or ideas.

The sender must expend time, attention and other resources to communicate her knowledge effectively. Conversely, the receiver must pay attention, decode, understand and rehearse the acquired knowledge. He must decode the literal meaning and like the sender, take the properties of the side into account in order to make a proper inference of what the intended meaning is. There are three Modes of Communication which are: Interpersonal, Interpretive, and Presentational.

Anything that conveys the consumer explicitly or implicitly about the product or service can be regarded as the communication in the retail context. We have Verbal and Non-verbal communication, and four pillars of communication which are: listening, reading, writing and speaking.

Interpersonal

Interpersonal communication is a process by which people exchange information, feelings, and meaning through verbal and non-verbal messages. It is a face-to-face communication. It is not just about what is actually said, the language used but how it is said and the non-verbal messages sent through tone of voice, facial expressions, gestures and body language.

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This is a two-way communication with active negotiation of meaning among individuals. Participants observe and monitor one another to see how they are meanings and intentions are being communicated and make adjustments and clarifications accordingly. You can communicate through speaking and listening (a conversation), and reading and writing (text messages, letters etc.)

When two or ore people are in the same place and are aware of each other’s presence, then communication is taking place, no matter how subtle or unintentional. Without speech, an observer may be using cues of posture, facial expression, and dress to form an impression of the other’s role, emotional state, personality or intentions. Although no communication may be intended, people receive messages through such forms of non-verbal behavior.

The advantage of Interpersonal Communication is that it can be used to: give and collect information, influence the attitudes and behavior of other’s, form contacts and maintain relationships, make sense of the world and our experiences in it, give and receive emotional support, express personal needs and understand the needs of other’s, makes decisions and solve problems, and regulate power.

Intrapersonal communication is broken down into a number of elements in order that it can be more easily understood. Commonly these elements include the communicator, the message, noise, feedback, context and channel.

People are different, those who have good interpersonal skills are generally more successful both professionally and personally than those without. In today’s job market, having great hard skills is not enough, employers increasingly want people with great interpersonal skills.

Having good interpersonal skills can help you to be successful in business life by: negotiating with others, reconcile differences, form and maintain social bonds, work more effectively as part of a team, read body language, and improve ability to learn.

Interpretive

One-way communication with one recourse to the active negotiation of meaning with the writer, speaker, or producer. Reader, listener or viewer interprets what the author, speaker, or producer wants the receiver of the message to understand. Interpretation differs from comprehension and translation in that it implies the ability to listen, read or view between the lines including understanding from within the cultural mindset or perspective. Listening to communicate through the various modes of communication we need to strengthen our foundations on which we grew up.

The interpretive mode is focused on the appropriate cultural interpretation of meaning that occur in written and spoken from where there is no recourse to the active negotiation of meaning with the writer or the speaker. Such instances of one-way reading or listening include the cultural interpretation of texts, oral or written, must be distinguished from the notion of reading and listening comprehension, where the term could refer to understanding a text with an American mindset. Put another way, interpretation differs from comprehension in that the former implies the ability to read.

Since this mode does not allow for active negotiation between the reader and the writer or the listener, it requires a much more profound knowledge of culture from outset. The more one knows about the other language and culture, the greater the chances of creating the appropriate cultural interpretations of a written or spoken text. It must be noted, however that cultural literacy and the ability to read or listen between the lines are developed over time and through exposure to the language and culture.

Presentational

This model is a one-way communication, intended for an audience of readers, listeners or viewers. Presentation of information occurs there is no exchange, no direct opportunity four the active negotiation of meaning exists. To ensure the intended audience is successful in its interpretation, the presenter needs knowledge of the audiences language and culture. Presentational communication includes writing and speaking (messages, advertisements, flyers, giving a speech, presentation to jury).

Presenting information clearly and effectively is a key skill in getting your message across. Today, presentation skills are acquired in almost every field more especially in retailing industry/ sector, other people find this much challenging. Many people feel terrified when asked to talk in public, especially to bigger groups. These fears can be reduced by a good and well preparation, which also lay the groundwork for making an effective presentation.

There are however, some things that every presentation opportunity has in common, these include: you will present better if you have prepared effectively you have to be confident of what you are saying/presenting is right, you say it in a right way, to the right people. you need to be clear about your audience and message your presentation will be better if you have clearly considered the message that you want or need to convey it to your audience.

This mode refers to the creation of messages in a manner that facilities interpretation by members of the other culture where no direct opportunity for active negotiation of meaning between of the two cultures exists. Examples of one-way writing and speaking require a substantial knowledge of language and culture from outset, since the goal is to make sure that members of the other culture, the audience, will be successful in reading and listening between the lines.

Conclusion

In order to be a successful manager/speaker listening comes first. An effective manager’s communication time is roughly in the following proportion: Listening 45%, Speaking 30%, Reading 11%, Writing 14%. The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives. We have to know more than one way to communicate with others more especially in the retail sector, because in this industry you deal with so many people who have different languages and cultures. Understand and respect someone culture and religion. Understand the needs of today’s world, through communication you can develop relationship/s.