The Communication Process

Communication is defined by the Oxford dictionary as the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium (Oxford, 2013). At its fundamental basis communication represents the quality and proficiency that one is able to send and receive messages. However, communication as an academic discourse and its implied relationship to leadership, yield wide-ranging and often ambiguous results. Perhaps the is due to the observations that “from a sociological perspective communication is perhaps one of the most extensively studied of all aspects of human behavior (Ogreene, 2013). Communication is essential to being an effective leader. Forbes contributor Matt Myatt goes as far as saying that: “It is simply impossible to become a great leader without being a great communicator” (Myatt, 2012, para. 1). So what is communication and how is it related to leadership? Communication studies, as a theoretical academic discipline, cover a variety of communication related topics. However, there is an assumption by communication scholars that communication at a base level is rooted in semiotics. This results in scholars agreeing that communication involves signs, which can be words and writing; and codes, which are the context that is added in order to understand the sign (Fiske, 2012). Strong and effective leaders have a firm grasp on communication and are able to use signs and codes to their advantage providing guidance and inspiration to their organizations and followers. The mode of transmission for messages is crucial for understanding the fundamental aspects of the communication process. Transmission influences how senders encode and receivers decode messages and includes: verbal; direct communication, written; in-direct communication, and non-linguistic communication; body language (Buguley, 1994). Consequently leaders need to be aware of the factors that influence their communications.

Verbal communication, which is the most direct form of communication, (Langton, Robbins & Judge, 2012) is regarded as an efficient effective way to get a message to a receiver. However, it is the sender’s intended interpretation of the message by the receiver, that fulfills that the requirements for effective and successful communication. The code is crucial in this process because it is vital in determining how a sign or message is understood. Due to the fact that the code is the context of understanding a successful leader needs to recognize the backgrounds, motivations and other intrinsic characteristics of the receiver. Due to verbal communications dynamic and individualistic nature a leader needs to be comfortable speaking in a variety of both formal and informal situations. In today’s work environment verbal communication can take place face-to-face between individuals or a group, remotely over the phone, and via online platforms such as Skype. Non-linguistic communication refers to body language and the visual social cues that leaders and workers interpret while participating in the verbal process. If used well, body language can make a significant contribution to the effectiveness of communication (Buguley, 1994). Body language is often used to communicate feelings, and is not always consciously used or perceived. Leaders can use the subconscious nature of body language to their advantage of in order to both send a receive messages. Lastly, written communication allows for a leader to effectively communicate within the workplace. For those with strong writing skills, written communication allows for individual style and authority to come through in a message. A primary benefit of written communication is that it can be corrected and modified up until the point that the message is sent. However like verbal communication, written can be misinterpreted. Langton, Robbins & Judge (2012) found that “we can accurately decode an email’s intent and tone only 50 percent of the time” (p. 270). Therefore care and attention need to be spent when crafting written message to anyone in an organization. By understanding both the foundational semiotic principles of communication and the transmission process of communication it is possible to see how these elements can lead to effective leadership communication. Verbal and non-verbal communication and body language are used in variety of situations within the workplace on a daily basis and are intrinsic to public leadership, power and managing skills (Eunsen, 2008).

Introduction – Communication is the study of the transfer of meaning of messages (Eunsen, 2008). From a leadership perspective efficiency and accuracy are critical to the underlying concept of the understanding and implementation of the communication process. Leadership communication can be understood through 1: the sign and code process, which provides the message and context for understanding its meaning; and 2: the transmission process, which includes verbal communication, non-verbal communication and body language.

Communication when applied to human interaction can include: body language and non-verbal communication, public speaking and presentation skills, graphic communication as well as leadership, power and managing skills (Eunsen, 2008). Examples of effective leadership qualities to be discussed include direct communication, indirect communication and virtual communication. This will provide a foundation for understanding how communication can be applied to leadership and therefore influence the overall functioning of an organization.