what is your definition of communication essay

What Is Communication?

The Art of Communicating and How to Use It Effectively

ThoughtCo / Ran Zheng

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

Communication is the process of sending and receiving messages through verbal or nonverbal means, including speech , or oral communication; writing  and graphical representations (such as infographics, maps, and charts); and  signs , signals, and behavior. More simply, communication is said to be "the creation and exchange of meaning ." 

Media critic and theorist James Carey defined communication as "a symbolic process whereby reality is produced, maintained, repaired and transformed" in his 1992 book "Communication as Culture," positing that we define our reality via sharing our experience with others.

All creatures on earth have developed means in which to convey their emotions and thoughts to one another. However, it's the ability of humans to use words and language to transfer specific meanings that sets them apart from the animal kingdom.

Components of Communication

To break it down, in any communication there is a sender and a receiver, a message, and interpretations of meaning on both ends. The receiver gives feedback to the sender of the message, both during the message's conveyance and afterward. Feedback signals can be verbal or nonverbal, such as nodding in agreement or looking away and sighing or other myriad gestures.

There's also the context of the message, the environment it's given in, and potential for interference during its sending or receipt. 

If the receiver can see the sender, he or she can obtain not only the message's contents but also nonverbal communication that the sender is giving off, from confidence to nervousness, professionalism to flippancy. If the receiver can hear the sender, he or she can also pick up cues from the sender's tone of voice, such as emphasis and emotion. 

Rhetorical Communication—The Written Form

Another thing that sets humans apart from their animal cohabiters is our use of writing as a means of communication, which has been a part of the human experience for more than 5,000 years. In fact, the first essay — coincidentally about speaking effectively — is estimated to be from around the year 3,000 B.C., originating in Egypt, though it wasn't until much later that the general population was considered literate .

Still, James C. McCroskey notes in "An Introduction to Rhetorical Communication" that texts like these "are significant because they establish the historical fact that interest in rhetorical communication is nearly 5,000 years old." In fact, McCroskey posits that most ancient texts were written as instructions for communicating effectively, further emphasizing early civilizations' value of furthering the practice.

Through time this reliance has only grown, especially in the Internet age. Now, written or rhetorical communication is one of the favored and primary means of talking to one another — be it an instant message or a text, a Facebook post or a tweet.

As Daniel Boorstin observed in "Democracy and Its Discontents," the most important single change "in human consciousness in the last century, and especially in the American consciousness, has been the multiplying of the means and forms of what we call 'communication.'" This is especially true in modern times with the advent of texting, e-mail, and social media as forms of communicating with others around the world. With more means of communication, there are also now even more ways to be misunderstood than ever.

If a message contains just the written word (such as a text or email), the sender needs to be confident in its clarity, that it cannot be misinterpreted. Emails can often come off cold or clipped without that being the intention of the sender, for example, yet it's not considered professional to have emoticons in formal communication to help convey the proper meaning and context.  

Before You Open Your Mouth or Hit 'Send'

Before preparing your message, whether it's going to be in person one-on-one, in front of an audience, over the phone, or done in writing, consider the audience who'll be receiving your information, the context, and your means to convey it. What way will be the most effective? What will you have to do to ensure it's conveyed properly? What do you want to make sure that you don't convey?

If it's important and going to be relayed in a professional context, maybe you'll practice beforehand, prepare slides and graphics, and pick out professional attire so that your appearance or mannerisms don't distract from your message. If it's a written message you're preparing, you'll likely want to proofread , make sure the recipient's name is spelled correctly and read it aloud to find dropped words or clunky phrasing before sending it.  

• What Is a Message in Communication?
• A Receiver's Role in Clear, Effective Communication Is an Important One
• Definition and Examples of Senders in Communication
• Feedback in Communication Studies
• The Basic Elements of the Communication Process
• The Definition of Listening and How to Do It Well
• What Is Nonverbal Communication?
• Noise and Interference in Various Types of Communication
• What Does Medium Mean in the Communication Process?
• Science Says You Should Leave the Period Out of Text Messages
• The Power of Indirectness in Speaking and Writing
• Communicate With Special Education Parents
• What Is Wei Xin?
• Understanding the Use of Language Through Discourse Analysis
• History of Pagers and Beepers
• Body Language in the Communication Process

Essays About Communication: Top 5 Examples and Prompts

Are you writing essays about communication? Check out our top essay examples and writing prompts to help you get started.

Communication is power and is critical to building a well-connected society. Communicating well is vital in working with people and shedding light on problems and solutions. Practical communication skills can help build relationships. 

If you’re writing an essay on communication and are having a hard time choosing a topic to focus on, here is our round-up of the best essay examples to get you started:  

1. The Benefits of Communication and Teamwork by Karenina Loayza

2. it’s time to tune in: why listening is the real key to communication by kate murphy, 3. a love language spoken with hands by ross showalter, 4. the role of body language in communication by ashley tulio, 5. the power of storytelling in marketing by dylan jacob, 1. how-to develop communication skills, 2. how-to write an inspiring speech, 3. should all leaders be good communicators, 4. theories of mass communication, 5. how are schools developing children’s communication skills, 6. communicating face-to-face vs. online , 7. marketing communications: what are they, 8. is communicating on social media effective, 9. is it possible to communicate effectively on virtual workplace platforms, 10. how-to communicate in the workplace.

“In one task, we were blindfolded and had to describe a set of irregular pieces. With varying degrees of English and different experiences of the world, it was like explaining an elephant to an alien.” 

Loayza narrates an exercise in class where they have to describe surrounding objects as accurately as possible to keep others from stumbling on them. The writer said the exercise demonstrated effectively the need for good communication skills for teams to succeed.

“Schools and universities have courses in debate, rhetoric and elocution, but rarely classes that teach listening. You can get a doctorate in speech communication and join Toastmasters International to perfect your speaking skills, but who strives for excellence in listening?”

Murphy muses on a world that glorifies the speakers but leaves no room for the listeners like her. She points out how social media has created a generation that prefers interacting behind the screen and filtering out opinions that do not resonate with theirs. Instead, Murphy emphasizes listening as a foundation for better human relations and offers solutions for how others can develop their listening for successful communication. 

“Will showed me that not everyone makes promises they don’t intend to fulfil. I don’t have to invest in someone who promises an action they’ll never do. Relationships only move forward once the work of communication begins.”

Showalter, a deaf man, laments how non-deaf ex-lovers have promised to learn sign language to better communicate with him – only to see these promises broken. Then, one morning, a remarkable man in his life sends a video message reviving hopes for Showalter and redefines his standard in relationships for the better. 

“Non-verbal communication can affect our words as it can reiterate our message, contradict our words, reinforce our statement, substitute the meaning of what we are trying to say, and complement what we are trying to say. Body language is something that is usually natural and is often done instinctively rather than consciously.”

Tulio, a communications specialist, stresses the importance of using body language for expression. She provides tips on maximizing gestures and body movement to convey emotions in person and through videoconferencing. 

“In marketing, storytelling provides an avenue to connect to consumers unlike any other. Brands are empowered to share and sell their values and personality in a form that feels less like advertising and more like a concerted effort to strengthen relationships with customers.

The author cites the viewpoints of a business school professor who explains how storytelling can shape the world’s perception of a brand. Finally, the author outlines the vital elements that make an exciting story capable of connecting with an audience and effecting action among consumers.

10 Writing Prompts On essays about communication

To further expand your horizon on the subject, you can work around our list of prompts that are interesting and relevant to date:

You can narrow down this essay to target employees, students, aspiring leaders, or those who want to improve their conversation skills. First, list down recommendations such as expanding their vocabulary and listening. Then, explain how they can incorporate this into their daily routine. 

Writing a speech that strikes a chord requires extra work in developing empathy and understanding the audience. Next, you can focus on providing recommendations for your essay, such as putting in a personal touch and linking this story to the broader subject. Make sure you also offer simple writing tips such as using the active voice as much as possible, keeping sentences short, and keeping the tone conversational. 

Cite research studies that detail why effective communication is a critical skill that makes a leader. Then, write about the organizational pitfalls of poor communication. Later, leaders who can speak engagingly and listen attentively to their team members can address these pitfalls. 

Communication theory is the study of processes in sending and receiving information. Discuss the four main theories of mass communication: the Authoritarian Theory, the Libertarian Theory, the Soviet-Communist Theory, and the Social-Responsibility Theory. Explain each one. Explain how each remains relevant in understanding modern communication processes. 

Interview schools within your community and learn about their language curriculum and other efforts to empower children to communicate well. You can also interview child development experts. Find out the biggest challenges in helping children improve how they express their thoughts and ideas. Then, find out what schools and parents are doing to address them. 

While you’d hear many people expressing a preference for face-to-face meetings, there are undoubtedly benefits to online meetings, which some usually dismiss. Weigh in on the pros and cons of in-person and online meetings, especially in the current scenario of an ongoing pandemic. 

What are the new marketing channels marketers are leveraging to reach their audience? Several surveys and studies show where most marketing campaigns allocate their budgets. One example is video content. 

An interesting angle would also involve looking at epic brand fails. Cite two or more cases, find a communication mishap common between them and provide what lessons can today’s brands learn from these epic fails. 

From interacting with loved ones and finding someone to date and love, social media has dramatically changed our ways of communication. It might be great to interview the elders who have experienced communicating through snail mail. Dive into their nostalgia and discover how they compare the experience of letter writing against instant chatting through mobile apps. 

Several apps today aim to transform workplaces to be more connected for interaction and communication. First, list down the top apps most used in the corporate world and discuss why these communication forms are preferred over email. Then, delve into the drawbacks and aspects of the apps that need improvements according to what business users say. 

Recent studies show that employees quit their jobs when they feel unable to talk about their needs in the workplace. Research the communication culture in the top companies in a specific field. How are they engaging with their employees? How are they driving conversations toward critical concerns?

TIP: You don’t have to write an extended essay. Here is a guide to writing a concise and organized five-paragraph essay.

For more help with writing, check out our best essay writing tips for a stress-free writing process. 

Yna Lim is a communications specialist currently focused on policy advocacy. In her eight years of writing, she has been exposed to a variety of topics, including cryptocurrency, web hosting, agriculture, marketing, intellectual property, data privacy and international trade. A former journalist in one of the top business papers in the Philippines, Yna is currently pursuing her master's degree in economics and business.

View all posts

25,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today

Meet top uk universities from the comfort of your home, here’s your new year gift, one app for all your, study abroad needs, start your journey, track your progress, grow with the community and so much more.

Verification Code

An OTP has been sent to your registered mobile no. Please verify

Thanks for your comment !

Our team will review it before it's shown to our readers.

• School Education /

Essay on Communication in 100, 200 and 300 Words: The Essence of Survival

• Updated on  
• Oct 20, 2023

Do you know how important it is to communicate with others? Communication is the primary means through which individuals share information, ideas and thoughts. Communication fosters strong relationships. In this essence, writing an essay on communication becomes important where you highlight the importance of communication, how it affects our everyday lives and what skills are required to become a communication professional . Let’s explore all these questions with some essays on communication.

Table of Contents

• 1 Essay on Communication in 100 Words
• 2 Essay on Communication in 200 Words
• 3 Essay on Communication in 300 Words

Also Read: Essay on Freedom Fighters

Essay on Communication in 100 Words

Communication is the cornerstone of human interaction and is crucial to sharing ideas, thoughts and information. By communicating, people foster relationships, which is vital for personal and professional growth. Effective communication facilitates understanding, resolves conflicts, and promotes collaboration. Whether verbal or nonverbal, it forms the basis of successful teamwork, decision-making, and social integration.

Clear communication is key to a harmonious society, nurturing empathy, and building trust. It encourages brainstorming, creative thinking, and the development of new solutions to complex problems. Its impact is profound, shaping the way we interact, learn, and evolve, making it an indispensable tool for human connection and progress. 

Essay on Communication in 200 Words

What makes communication important is that it serves as the bedrock for exchanging ideas, information, and emotions. It is the essence of human interaction, enabling us to convey our thoughts, beliefs, and intentions to others. Effective communication is essential in every aspect of life, whether in personal relationships, professional environments, or social interactions.

Effective communication can form the basis of trust and mutual understanding and understanding. In personal relationships, communication fosters understanding and empathy, allowing individuals to express their feelings and needs, while also listening to and acknowledging others. 

In the professional realm. Communication allows the smooth functioning of organizations. With communication, individuals can disseminate information, set clear expectations and encourage collaboration among team members. Moreover, effective communication in the workplace enhances productivity and promotes a positive work culture.

The uses and benefits of communication are not limited to just personal and professional realms. In social environments also, communication allows diverse groups to understand each other’s cultures, beliefs, and values, promoting inclusivity and harmony in society.

You can call communication a fundamental pillar of human existence, as it helps in shaping our relationships, work environments, and societal interactions. Its effective practice is essential for nurturing empathy, building trust, and fostering a more connected and understanding world.

Also Read: Essay on the Importance of English Language

Essay on Communication in 300 Words

How crucial communication is can be explained by the fact that it allows the smooth transfer of ideas, thoughts, feelings and information. Communication is the lifeblood of human interaction, playing a crucial role in the exchange of ideas, information, and emotions. It serves as the cornerstone of relationships, both personal and professional, and is integral to the functioning of society as a whole. 

In personal relationships, it is essential to have effective communication for clear understanding and empathy. It allows individuals to express their thoughts, feelings, and needs, while also providing a platform for active listening and mutual support. Strong communication fosters trust and intimacy, enabling individuals to build meaningful and lasting connections with others.

Without communication, you might struggle for organizational success in the professional world. Clear and effective communication within a team or workplace ensures that tasks are understood, roles are defined, and goals are aligned. It enables efficient collaboration, problem-solving, and decision-making, contributing to a positive and productive work environment. Moreover, effective communication between employers and employees promotes a sense of transparency and fosters a healthy work culture.

In a broader sense, communication is vital for social integration and cultural understanding. It bridges the gaps between diverse groups, facilitating the exchange of values, beliefs, and perspectives. Effective communication fosters inclusivity and respect for cultural differences, contributing to a more harmonious and cohesive community.

However, communication is not just about sharing information and ideas. It also encompasses nonverbal cues such as body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice, all of which play a significant role in conveying meaning and emotions. It is the glue that binds individuals and communities together, fostering understanding, empathy, and collaboration. Practicing clear and empathetic communication is vital for creating a more connected, inclusive, and harmonious world.

Related Articles:

Communication is the process of exchanging ideas, information, thoughts and feelings between individuals or groups through the use of verbal and nonverbal methods.

To write an essay on communication, you need to describe what communication is, what the importance of communication in our lives and how it can help us know different aspects of life.

To become an effective communicator, you must become an active listener and understand what others have to say. You must learn to express your thoughts clearly and concisely. You also need to ensure your body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice perfectly align with your ideas.

For more information on such interesting topics, visit our essay writing page and follow Leverage Edu .

Shiva Tyagi

With an experience of over a year, I've developed a passion for writing blogs on wide range of topics. I am mostly inspired from topics related to social and environmental fields, where you come up with a positive outcome.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Contact no. *

Connect With Us

25,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today.

Resend OTP in

Need help with?

Study abroad.

UK, Canada, US & More

IELTS, GRE, GMAT & More

Scholarship, Loans & Forex

Country Preference

New Zealand

Which English test are you planning to take?

Which academic test are you planning to take.

Not Sure yet

When are you planning to take the exam?

Already booked my exam slot

Within 2 Months

Want to learn about the test

Which Degree do you wish to pursue?

When do you want to start studying abroad.

January 2024

September 2024

What is your budget to study abroad?

How would you describe this article ?

Please rate this article

We would like to hear more.

Have something on your mind?

Make your study abroad dream a reality in January 2022 with

India's Biggest Virtual University Fair

Essex Direct Admission Day

Why attend .

Don't Miss Out

• INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
• Communication Skills

What is Communication?

Search SkillsYouNeed:

Interpersonal Skills:

• A - Z List of Interpersonal Skills
• Interpersonal Skills Self-Assessment
• Interpersonal Communication Skills
• Tips for Effective Interpersonal Communication
• Principles of Communication
• Barriers to Effective Communication
• Avoiding Common Communication Mistakes
• Social Skills
• Getting Social Online
• Giving and Receiving Feedback
• Improving Communication
• Interview Skills
• Telephone Interviews
• Interviewing Skills
• Business Language Skills
• The Ladder of Inference
• Listening Skills
• Top Tips for Effective Listening
• The 10 Principles of Listening
• Effective Listening Skills
• Barriers to Effective Listening
• Types of Listening
• Active Listening
• Mindful Listening
• Empathic Listening
• Listening Misconceptions
• Non-Verbal Communication
• Personal Appearance
• Body Language
• Non-Verbal Communication: Face and Voice
• Verbal Communication
• Effective Speaking
• Conversational Skills
• How to Keep a Conversation Flowing
• Conversation Tips for Getting What You Want
• Giving a Speech
• Questioning Skills and Techniques
• Types of Question
• Clarification
• Emotional Intelligence
• Conflict Resolution and Mediation Skills
• Customer Service Skills
• Team-Working, Groups and Meetings
• Decision-Making and Problem-Solving
• Negotiation and Persuasion Skills
• Personal and Romantic Relationship Skills

The SkillsYouNeed Guide to Interpersonal Skills

Subscribe to our FREE newsletter and start improving your life in just 5 minutes a day.

You'll get our 5 free 'One Minute Life Skills' and our weekly newsletter.

We'll never share your email address and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Communication is simply the act of transferring information from one place, person or group to another.

Every communication involves (at least) one sender, a message and a recipient. This may sound simple, but communication is actually a very complex subject.

The transmission of the message from sender to recipient can be affected by a huge range of things. These include our emotions, the cultural situation, the medium used to communicate, and even our location. The complexity is why good communication skills are considered so desirable by employers around the world: accurate, effective and unambiguous communication is actually extremely hard.

This page explains more about what we mean by ‘ communication ’.

Defining Communication

communication , n . The imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium. …The successful conveying or sharing of ideas and feelings.

Oxford English Dictionary

As this definition makes clear, communication is more than simply the transmission of information. The term requires an element of success in transmitting or imparting a message, whether information, ideas, or emotions.

A communication therefore has three parts: the sender, the message, and the recipient.

The sender ‘encodes’ the message, usually in a mixture of words and non-verbal communication. It is transmitted in some way (for example, in speech or writing), and the recipient ‘decodes’ it.

Of course, there may be more than one recipient, and the complexity of communication means that each one may receive a slightly different message. Two people may read very different things into the choice of words and/or body language. It is also possible that neither of them will have quite the same understanding as the sender.

In face-to-face communication, the roles of the sender and recipient are not distinct. The two roles will pass back and forwards between two people talking. Both parties communicate with each other, even if in very subtle ways such as through eye-contact (or lack of) and general body language. In written communication, however, the sender and recipient are more distinct.

Categories of Communication

There are a wide range of ways in which we communicate and more than one may be occurring at any given time.

The different categories of communication include:

Spoken or Verbal Communication , which includes face-to-face, telephone, radio or television and other media.

Non-Verbal Communication , covering body language, gestures, how we dress or act, where we stand, and even our scent. There are many subtle ways that we communicate (perhaps even unintentionally) with others. For example, the tone of voice can give clues to mood or emotional state, whilst hand signals or gestures can add to a spoken message.

Written Communication : which includes letters, e-mails, social media, books, magazines, the Internet and other media. Until recent times, a relatively small number of writers and publishers were very powerful when it came to communicating the written word. Today, we can all write and publish our ideas online, which has led to an explosion of information and communication possibilities.

Visualizations : graphs and charts , maps, logos and other visualizations can all communicate messages.

The desired outcome or goal of any communication process is mutual understanding.

The Communication Process

A message or communication is sent by the sender through a communication channel to a receiver, or to multiple receivers.

The sender must encode the message (the information being conveyed) into a form that is appropriate to the communication channel, and the receiver(s) then decodes the message to understand its meaning and significance.

Misunderstanding can occur at any stage of the communication process.

Effective communication involves minimising potential misunderstanding and overcoming any barriers to communication at each stage in the communication process.

See our page: Barriers to Effective Communication for more information.

An effective communicator understands their audience , chooses an appropriate communication channel, hones their message to this channel and encodes the message to reduce misunderstanding by the receiver(s). 

They will also seek out feedback from the receiver(s) as to how the message is understood and attempt to correct any misunderstanding or confusion as soon as possible.

Receivers can use techniques such as Clarification and Reflection as effective ways to ensure that the message sent has been understood correctly.

Communication Channels

Communication channels is the term given to the way in which we communicate. It is therefore the method used to transmit our message to a recipient, or to receive a message from someone else.

There are multiple communication channels available to us today. These include face-to-face conversations, telephone calls, text messages, email, the Internet (including social media such as Facebook and Twitter), radio and TV, written letters, brochures and reports.

Choosing an appropriate communication channel is vital for effective communication. Each communication channel has different strengths and weaknesses.

For example, broadcasting news of an upcoming event via a written letter might convey the message clearly to one or two individuals. It will not, however, be a time- or cost-effective way to broadcast the message to a large number of people.  On the other hand, conveying complex, technical information is easier via a printed document than a spoken message. The recipients are able to assimilate the information at their own pace and revisit anything that they do not fully understand.

Written communication is also useful as a way of recording what has been said, for example by taking minutes in a meeting.

See our pages: Note Taking and How to Conduct a Meeting for more.

Encoding Messages

All messages must be encoded into a form that can be conveyed by the communication channel chosen for the message.

We all do this every day when transferring abstract thoughts into spoken words or a written form. However, other communication channels require different forms of encoding, e.g. text written for a report will not work well if broadcast via a radio programme, and the short, abbreviated text used in text messages would be inappropriate in a letter or in speech.

Complex data may be best communicated using a graph, chart or other visualisation.

Effective communicators encode their messages so that they fit both the channel and the intended audience. They  use appropriate language, conveying the information simply and clearly. They also anticipate and eliminate likely causes of confusion and misunderstanding. They are generally aware of the recipients’ experience in decoding similar communications.

Successful encoding of messages for the audience and channel is a vital skill in effective communication.

You may find our page The Importance of Plain English helpful.

Decoding Messages

Once received, the recipient needs to decode the message. Successful decoding is also a vital communication skill.

People will decode and understand messages in different ways.

This will depend on their experience and understanding of the context of the message, how well they know the sender, their psychological state and how they feel, and the time and place of receipt. They may also be affected by any Barriers to Communication which might be present.

There are therefore a wide range of factors that will affect decoding and understanding.

Successful communicators understand how the message will be decoded, and anticipate and remove as many as possible of the potential sources of misunderstanding.

The final part of a communication is feedback: the recipient lets the sender know that they have received and understood the message.

Recipients of messages are likely to provide feedback on how they have understood the messages through both verbal and non-verbal reactions. Effective communicators pay close attention to this feedback as it is the only way to assess whether the message has been understood as intended, and it allows any confusion to be corrected.

Bear in mind that the extent and form of feedback will vary with the communication channel. Feedback during a face-to-face or telephone conversation will be immediate and direct, whilst feedback to messages conveyed via TV or radio will be indirect and may be delayed, or even conveyed through other media such as the Internet.

Effective communicators pay close attention to this feedback as it is the only way to assess whether the message has been understood as intended, and it allows any confusion to be corrected.

You can always ask!

You may be unsure if a message has been successfully received and decoded, especially if you do not get much feedback from the recipient. If so, you can always ask!

A quick question is a good start, for example:

“ Is that OK? ” or “ Are you clear about that? ”

If you want more detailed feedback or to check that the recipient has really understood, you might say something like:

“ So, let’s just run over that one more time. I think I am going to do x, and you are going to do y. Is that your understanding too? ”

More on feedback: see our pages on Reflection , Clarification and Giving and Receiving Feedback .

Further Reading from Skills You Need

Our Communication Skills eBooks

Learn more about the key communication skills you need to be an effective communicator.

Our eBooks are ideal for anyone who wants to learn about or develop their communication skills, and are full of easy-to-follow practical information and exercises.

Being able to communicate effectively is the most important of all life skills.

Understanding is the first step to improvement

Understanding more about communication and how it works is the first step to improving your communication skills. A good understanding of the process, and how it operates, will help you to become better at encoding and decoding messages.

Continue to: Principles of Communication Interpersonal Communication Skills

See also: Intercultural Communication Skills Effective Speaking Improving Communication

• Online Degree Explore Bachelor’s & Master’s degrees
• MasterTrack™ Earn credit towards a Master’s degree
• University Certificates Advance your career with graduate-level learning
• Top Courses
• Join for Free

What Is Effective Communication? Skills for Work, School, and Life

Discover how improving your communication skills can benefit your career, education, and personal life.

Communication is a part of everyday life, whether we communicate in person or on the countless digital platforms available to us. But how much of our communication actually reaches the intended audience or person the way we hoped? Effective communication requires us to be clear and complete in what we are trying to express.

Being an effective communicator in our professional and personal lives involves learning the skills to exchange information with clarity, empathy, and understanding. In this article, we’ll define what effective communication looks like, discuss its benefits, and offer ways to improve your communication skills.

What is effective communication?

Effective communication is the process of exchanging ideas, thoughts, opinions, knowledge, and data so that the message is received and understood with clarity and purpose. When we communicate effectively, both the sender and receiver feel satisfied.

Communication occurs in many forms, including verbal and non-verbal, written, visual, and listening. It can occur in person, on the internet (on forums, social media, and websites), over the phone (through apps, calls, and video), or by mail.

For communication to be effective, it must be clear , correct , complete , concise , and compassionate . We consider these to be the 5 Cs of communication, though they may vary depending on who you’re asking. 

While the effectiveness of communication can be difficult to measure, its impact is hard to deny. According to one study, surveyed companies in the United States and United Kingdom with at least 100,000 employees lost $62.4 million per year on average due to poor communication. On the flip side, companies led by effective communicators had nearly 50 percent higher total returns to shareholders over companies with less effective communicators at the helm [ 1 ].

Build job-ready skills with a Coursera Plus subscription

• Get access to 7,000+ learning programs from world-class universities and companies, including Google, Yale, Salesforce, and more
• Try different courses and find your best fit at no additional cost
• Earn certificates for learning programs you complete
• A subscription price of $59/month, cancel anytime

Benefits of effective communication

The benefits of communication effectiveness can be witnessed in the workplace, in an educational setting, and in your personal life. Learning how to communicate well can be a boon in each of these areas.

In the workplace, effective communication can help you: 

Manage employees and build teams

Grow your organization more rapidly and retain employees

Benefit from enhanced creativity and innovation

Become a better public speaker

Build strong relationships and attract more opportunities for you or your organization

Read more: Why Is Workplace Communication Important? + How to Improve It

In your personal life, effective communication can lead to:

Improved social, emotional, and mental health

Deeper connections with people you care about

New bonds based on trust and transparency

Better problem–solving and conflict resolution skills

Say it with your body

In face-to-face conversation, body language plays an important role. Communication is 55 percent non-verbal, 38 percent vocal (tone and inflection), and 7 percent words, according to Albert Mehrabian, a researcher who pioneered studies on body language [ 2 ]. Up to 93 percent of communication, then, does not involve what you are actually saying. 

Positive body language is open—your posture is upright and receptive, your palms are open, you lean in when speaking or listening, and nod encouragingly. Negative body language can include biting your lip nervously, looking bored, crossing your arms, putting your hands on your hips, or tapping your foot impatiently.

How to improve your communication skills

Communication, like any other skill, is one you can improve upon with practice. Here are a few ways to start improving your communication skills, whether at home or on the job.

1. Consider your audience.

Who are you communicating with? Make sure you are aware of your audience—those you intend to communicate with may differ from those who actually receive your messages. Knowing your audience can be key to delivering the right messages effectively. Their age, race, ethnicity, gender, marital status, income, education level, subject knowledge, and professional experience can all affect how they’ll receive your message. 

If you’re advertising a fast food restaurant, for example, you might want to deliver your message to an audience that’s likely to be hungry. This could be a billboard on the side of a busy highway that shows a giant cheeseburger and informs drivers that the closest location is just two miles away. 

Or suppose you’re announcing your engagement to your family. You might host a gathering afterwards to celebrate, send them photos of the engagement in a group chat, surprise them in conversation over dinner, or tag your family members in your announcement on social media. Your chosen form of communication will depend on your family dynamics.

2. Practice active listening.

Active listening is the practice of giving your full attention in a communication exchange. 

Some techniques include paying attention to body language, giving encouraging verbal cues, asking questions, and practicing non-judgment. Before executing your communication, be sure to consider your audience and practice active listening to get to the heart of their needs and desires. This way, you can improve your communication as a counselor, social worker, marketer, professor, colleague, or friend. 

Here are some examples of active listening in practice:

If you work in marketing, you might engage in social listening to gather consumer data on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. 

If you are a professor, you might take advantage of end-of-semester feedback forms and act on your students' needs by hosting one-on-one meetings during office hours. Likewise, your students might choose to participate in discussions after your lecture or at least sit attentively and ask questions.

If you are a team leader, you might read Slack messages from your teammates, gauge that they are frustrated with the workload, and respond by resetting priorities for the next few weeks. This communicates to the team that their voices are heard.

If you are a parent, you might have a disagreement with your child about finishing their homework, but if you probe deeper with open communication, they may confess that their teacher made a discouraging comment that left them unmotivated.

Read more: What Is Active Listening and How Can You Improve This Key Skill?

3. Make your message as clear as possible.

Once you have successfully identified your audience and listened to their intentions, needs, and desires, you may have something to communicate. To do this effectively, turn to the 5 Cs of communication to ensure your message is:

Compassionate

Prepare to communicate in a way that achieves most of these characteristics.

4. Use the right medium or platform.

Using the right medium or platform to communicate matters. Effective communication requires you to consider whether you need to meet in person or if Zoom would suffice. Is your message casual enough to use WhatsApp, or would a formal email be more efficient and thorough? If you are catching up with a friend, do you two prefer to talk on the phone or via old-fashioned letters? Whatever you choose should be intuitive and appropriate for you and your current situation.

You might assess the priority level and the type of communication needed. In a marketing campaign, is there a visual component on Instagram or is it a spoken podcast ad? Will the platform be a Facebook post, product placement in a film, or a printed poster hung in cafes? For a university lecture, do students prefer to be online or meet in person? Will there be a discussion afterward, and would it be fruitful to conduct it in a pub, cafe, or in a field outdoors? 

By considering your audience, practicing active listening, clarifying your communication, and choosing the right medium or environment, you are well on your way to exercising communication effectiveness.

Effective communication starts here

Start building better communication with Improving your Communication Skills from the University of Pennsylvania, Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills from the University of Michigan, or Effective Communication: Writing, Design, and Presentation from the University of Colorado Boulder. 

Article sources

PRovoke Media. " The Cost Of Poor Communications , https://www.provokemedia.com/latest/article/the-cost-of-poor-communications." Accessed January 17, 2024.

The University of Texas Permian Basin. " How Much of Communication Is Nonverbal? , https://online.utpb.edu/about-us/articles/communication/how-much-of-communication-is-nonverbal/." Accessed January 17, 2024.

Keep reading

Coursera staff.

Editorial Team

Coursera’s editorial team is comprised of highly experienced professional editors, writers, and fact...

This content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.

• Subject List
• Take a Tour
• For Authors
• Subscriber Services
• Publications
• African American Studies
• African Studies
• American Literature
• Anthropology
• Architecture Planning and Preservation
• Art History
• Atlantic History
• Biblical Studies
• British and Irish Literature
• Childhood Studies
• Chinese Studies
• Cinema and Media Studies

Communication

• Criminology
• Environmental Science
• Evolutionary Biology
• International Law
• International Relations
• Islamic Studies
• Jewish Studies
• Latin American Studies
• Latino Studies
• Linguistics
• Literary and Critical Theory
• Medieval Studies
• Military History
• Political Science
• Public Health
• Renaissance and Reformation
• Social Work
• Urban Studies
• Victorian Literature
• Browse All Subjects

How to Subscribe

• Free Trials

In This Article Expand or collapse the "in this article" section Definitions and Concepts of Communication

Introduction, general overviews.

• Reference Works
• Anthologies
• Online Bibliographies
• History of the Idea
• Culturally Based Concepts
• Conceptual Models and Metaphors
• Multiplicity of Definitions
• Intentionality, Behavior, and Systems
• Metacommunication and Paradox
• Representation, Experience, and Mutual Understanding
• Incommunicability and the Limits of Communication
• Communication as Constitutive
• Materiality and Discursivity
• Machine and Human Communication
• Communicative Action, Strategic Action, and Dialogue
• Communication as Ideology
• Cultural Bias and De-Westernization

Related Articles Expand or collapse the "related articles" section about

About related articles close popup.

Lorem Ipsum Sit Dolor Amet

Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Aliquam ligula odio, euismod ut aliquam et, vestibulum nec risus. Nulla viverra, arcu et iaculis consequat, justo diam ornare tellus, semper ultrices tellus nunc eu tellus.

• Codes and Cultural Discourse Analysis
• Communication History
• Critical and Cultural Studies
• Ethnography of Communication
• Global Englishes
• Intercultural Communication
• Intergroup Communication
• International Communications
• Interpretation/Reception
• Media Sociology
• Philosophy of Communication
• Religion and the Media
• Religious Rhetoric
• Sense-Making/Sensemaking
• The Interface between Organizational Change and Organizational Change Communication
• Wilbur Schramm

Other Subject Areas

Forthcoming articles expand or collapse the "forthcoming articles" section.

• Culture Shock and Communication
• LGBTQ+ Family Communication
• Queerbaiting
• Find more forthcoming titles...
• Export Citations
• Share This Facebook LinkedIn Twitter

Definitions and Concepts of Communication by Robert T. Craig LAST REVIEWED: 27 April 2017 LAST MODIFIED: 27 April 2017 DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199756841-0172

What is communication? The question is deceptively simple, not because there is no straightforward answer but because there are so many answers, many of which may seem perfectly straightforward in themselves. Communication is human interaction . . . the transfer of information . . . effect or influence . . . mutual understanding . . . community . . . culture . . . and so on. Any effort to reconcile these straightforward definitions quickly runs into contradictions and puzzles. Human interaction involves the transfer of information, but machines also exchange information, and so do animals, so do chemical molecules. Is human communication essentially different in some way? Effect or influence is not the same as mutual understanding and is sometimes quite the opposite. Is mutual understanding ever really possible? Is communication an intentional act or a process that goes on regardless of our intentions? If communication is culture, is it necessarily also community? Doesn’t the concept of communication vary, depending on how it is understood and practiced in each particular culture? Is it all relative, then, or are there good reasons to be critical of particular cultural concepts? Obviously, communication can be defined in many different ways, and at least some of those differences seem potentially consequential. Whether we think of communication as essentially information transfer, or mutual understanding, or culture can make a difference, not only for how we understand the process intellectually but also for how we communicate in practice. Of course, we needn’t all agree on a single definition or choose a single definition for ourselves, but we can learn a lot by contemplating and debating the theoretical and practical implications of different concepts and theories of communication. This is what communication theorists do, and the academic subject of communication theory is a rich and varied resource for learning how to think about communication. The field of communication theory encompasses a number of distinct intellectual traditions, some thousands of years old, others very new. Some theories lend themselves to scientific empirical studies of communication, others to philosophical reflection or cultural criticism. This article is intended to represent the diversity of communication theory, hopefully in ways that are useful and inviting of further study rather than merely confusing. Included are introductory overview essays, textbooks, and other general sources such as encyclopedias, anthologies, and journals. Other sections cover historical studies on the idea of communication, ethnographic studies on culturally based concepts of communication, and theoretical models of the communication process. The heading entitled Conceptual Issues is divided into eleven subsections, each focusing on a key conceptual issue or controversy in communication theory.

For readers wanting to dip a toe in communication theory before diving in, the articles in this section provide overviews of the concept of communication while introducing important issues and conceptual approaches. Eadie and Goret 2013 surveys key concepts of communication that have influenced the academic field of communication studies. Cobley 2008 sketches the origins and historical development of the concept of communication. Steinfatt 2009 discusses the problem of defining communication and some characteristics of communication that affect the usefulness of definitions. Craig 1999 presents a conceptual model of communication theory as a field that integrates seven distinct intellectual traditions.

Cobley, Paul. 2008. Communication: Definitions and concepts. In International encyclopedia of communication . Edited by Wolfgang Donsbach. Oxford and Malden, MA: Blackwell.

Sketches the ancient origins of the concept of communication, the distinction between communication as process and product, the social uses of communication, and 20th-century concepts that contributed to communication theory. Also notes the importance of understanding miscommunication.

Craig, Robert T. 1999. Communication theory as a field. Communication Theory 9:119–161.

DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2885.1999.tb00355.x

Conceptualizes communication theory as a field of “metadiscursive practice” in which diverse theoretical concepts of communication are engaged with each other and with ordinary (nontheoretical) concepts in ongoing debates about practical communication problems. Identifies seven interdisciplinary “traditions” of communication theory, each grounded in a distinct, practically oriented definition of communication.

Eadie, William F., and Robin Goret. 2013. Theories and models of communication: Foundations and heritage. In Theories and models of communication . Edited by Paul Cobley and Peter J. Schulz. Handbooks of Communication Science, HOCS 1. Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter Mouton.

With a focus on concepts of communication within the academic field of communication studies, this chapter organizes conceptions of communication under five broad categories: shaper of public opinion; language use; information transmission; developer of relationships; and definer, interpreter, and critic of culture.

Steinfatt, Thomas M. 2009. Definitions of communication. In Encyclopedia of communication theory . Edited by Stephen W. Littlejohn and Karen A. Foss. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Argues that the problem of defining communication not is to discover the correct meaning of the term, but is rather to construct a definition that is useful for studying communication. Distinguishes several characteristics of communication that affect the usefulness of definitions. A critique of this piece is that it presupposes a transmission (speaker to listener) model of communication and fails to address alternative models that highlight constitutive, systemic, and other characteristics of communication (see under Conceptual Issues ).

back to top

Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on this page. Please subscribe or login .

Oxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. For more information or to contact an Oxford Sales Representative click here .

• About Communication »
• Meet the Editorial Board »
• Accounting Communication
• Acculturation Processes and Communication
• Action Assembly Theory
• Action-Implicative Discourse Analysis
• Activist Media
• Adherence and Communication
• Adolescence and the Media
• Advertisements, Televised Political
• Advertising
• Advertising, Children and
• Advertising, International
• Advocacy Journalism
• Agenda Setting
• Annenberg, Walter H.
• Apologies and Accounts
• Applied Communication Research Methods
• Argumentation
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Advertising
• Attitude-Behavior Consistency
• Audience Fragmentation
• Audience Studies
• Authoritarian Societies, Journalism in
• Bakhtin, Mikhail
• Bandwagon Effect
• Baudrillard, Jean
• Blockchain and Communication
• Bourdieu, Pierre
• Brand Equity
• British and Irish Magazine, History of the
• Broadcasting, Public Service
• Capture, Media
• Castells, Manuel
• Celebrity and Public Persona
• Civil Rights Movement and the Media, The
• Co-Cultural Theory and Communication
• Cognitive Dissonance
• Collective Memory, Communication and
• Comedic News
• Communication Apprehension
• Communication Campaigns
• Communication, Definitions and Concepts of
• Communication Law
• Communication Management
• Communication Networks
• Communication, Philosophy of
• Community Attachment
• Community Journalism
• Community Structure Approach
• Computational Journalism
• Computer-Mediated Communication
• Content Analysis
• Corporate Social Responsibility and Communication
• Crisis Communication
• Critical Race Theory and Communication
• Cross-tools and Cross-media Effects
• Cultivation
• Cultural and Creative Industries
• Cultural Imperialism Theories
• Cultural Mapping
• Cultural Persuadables
• Cultural Pluralism and Communication
• Cyberpolitics
• Death, Dying, and Communication
• Debates, Televised
• Deliberation
• Developmental Communication
• Diffusion of Innovations
• Digital Divide
• Digital Gender Diversity
• Digital Intimacies
• Digital Literacy
• Diplomacy, Public
• Distributed Work, Comunication and
• Documentary and Communication
• E-democracy/E-participation
• E-Government
• Elaboration Likelihood Model
• Electronic Word-of-Mouth (eWOM)
• Embedded Coverage
• Entertainment
• Entertainment-Education
• Environmental Communication
• Ethnic Media
• Experiments
• Families, Multicultural
• Family Communication
• Federal Communications Commission
• Feminist and Queer Game Studies
• Feminist Data Studies
• Feminist Journalism
• Feminist Theory
• Focus Groups
• Food Studies and Communication
• Freedom of the Press
• Friendships, Intercultural
• Gatekeeping
• Gender and the Media
• Global Media, History of
• Global Media Organizations
• Glocalization
• Goffman, Erving
• Habermas, Jürgen
• Habituation and Communication
• Health Communication
• Hermeneutic Communication Studies
• Homelessness and Communication
• Hook-Up and Dating Apps
• Hostile Media Effect
• Identification with Media Characters
• Identity, Cultural
• Image Repair Theory
• Implicit Measurement
• Impression Management
• Infographics
• Information and Communication Technology for Development
• Information Management
• Information Overload
• Information Processing
• Infotainment
• Innis, Harold
• Instructional Communication
• Integrated Marketing Communications
• Interactivity
• Intercultural Capital
• Intercultural Communication, Tourism and
• Intercultural Communication, Worldview in
• Intercultural Competence
• Intercultural Conflict Mediation
• Intercultural Dialogue
• Intercultural New Media
• Intergenerational Communication
• Interpersonal Communication
• Interpersonal LGBTQ Communication
• Interpretive Communities
• Journalism, Accuracy in
• Journalism, Alternative
• Journalism and Trauma
• Journalism, Citizen
• Journalism, Citizen, History of
• Journalism Ethics
• Journalism, Interpretive
• Journalism, Peace
• Journalism, Tabloid
• Journalists, Violence against
• Knowledge Gap
• Lazarsfeld, Paul
• Leadership and Communication
• Mass Communication
• McLuhan, Marshall
• Media Activism
• Media Aesthetics
• Media and Time
• Media Convergence
• Media Credibility
• Media Dependency
• Media Ecology
• Media Economics
• Media Economics, Theories of
• Media, Educational
• Media Effects
• Media Ethics
• Media Events
• Media Exposure Measurement
• Media, Gays and Lesbians in the
• Media Literacy
• Media Logic
• Media Management
• Media Policy and Governance
• Media Regulation
• Media, Social
• Media Systems Theory
• Merton, Robert K.
• Message Characteristics and Persuasion
• Mobile Communication Studies
• Multimodal Discourse Analysis, Approaches to
• Multinational Organizations, Communication and Culture in
• Murdoch, Rupert
• Narrative Engagement
• Narrative Persuasion
• Net Neutrality
• News Framing
• News Media Coverage of Women
• NGOs, Communication and
• Online Campaigning
• Open Access
• Organizational Change and Organizational Change Communicat...
• Organizational Communication
• Organizational Communication, Aging and
• Parasocial Theory in Communication
• Participation, Civic/Political
• Participatory Action Research
• Patient-Provider Communication
• Peacebuilding and Communication
• Perceived Realism
• Personalized Communication
• Persuasion and Social Influence
• Persuasion, Resisting
• Photojournalism
• Political Advertising
• Political Communication, Normative Analysis of
• Political Economy
• Political Knowledge
• Political Marketing
• Political Scandals
• Political Socialization
• Polls, Opinion
• Product Placement
• Public Interest Communication
• Public Opinion
• Public Relations
• Public Sphere
• Queer Intercultural Communication
• Queer Migration and Digital Media
• Race and Communication
• Racism and Communication
• Radio Studies
• Reality Television
• Reasoned Action Frameworks
• Reporting, Investigative
• Rhetoric and Communication
• Rhetoric and Intercultural Communication
• Rhetoric and Social Movements
• Rhetoric, Religious
• Rhetoric, Visual
• Risk Communication
• Rumor and Communication
• Schramm, Wilbur
• Science Communication
• Scripps, E. W.
• Selective Exposure
• Sesame Street
• Sex in the Media
• Small-Group Communication
• Social Capital
• Social Change
• Social Cognition
• Social Construction
• Social Identity Theory and Communication
• Social Interaction
• Social Movements
• Social Network Analysis
• Social Protest
• Sports Communication
• Stereotypes
• Strategic Communication
• Superdiversity
• Surveillance and Communication
• Symbolic Interactionism in Communication
• Synchrony in Intercultural Communication
• Tabloidization
• Telecommunications History/Policy
• Television, Cable
• Textual Analysis and Communication
• Third Culture Kids
• Third-Person Effect
• Time Warner
• Transgender Media Studies
• Transmedia Storytelling
• Two-Step Flow
• United Nations and Communication
• Urban Communication
• Uses and Gratifications
• Video Deficit
• Video Games and Communication
• Violence in the Media
• Virtual Reality and Communication
• Visual Communication
• Web Archiving
• Whistleblowing
• Whiteness Theory in Intercultural Communication
• Youth and Media
• Zines and Communication
• Privacy Policy
• Cookie Policy
• Legal Notice
• Accessibility

Powered by:

• [66.249.64.20|193.7.198.129]
• 193.7.198.129

Communication Studies

What this handout is about.

This handout describes some steps for planning and writing papers in communication studies courses.

Courses in communication studies combine material from the humanities, fine arts, and social sciences in order to explain how and why people interact in the ways that they do. Within communication studies, there are four different approaches to understanding these interactions. Your course probably falls into one of these four areas of emphasis:

• Interpersonal and organizational communication: Interpersonal communication concerns one-on-one conversations as well as small group behaviors. Organizational communication focuses on large group dynamics.
• Rhetoric: Rhetoric examines persuasion and argumentation in political settings and within social movements.
• Performance studies: Performance studies analyze the relationships among literature, theater, and everyday life.
• Media/film studies: Media and film studies explore the cultural influences and practical techniques of television and film, as well as new technologies.

Understanding your assignment

The content and purpose of your assignments will vary according to what kind of course you are in, so pay close attention to the course description, syllabus, and assignment sheet when you begin to write. If you’d like to learn more about deciphering writing assignments or developing your academic writing, see our Writing Center handouts on these topics. For now, let’s see how a general topic, same-sex friendships, might be treated in each of the different areas. These illustrations are only examples, but you can use them as springboards to help you identify how your course might approach discussing a broad topic.

Interpersonal communication

An interpersonal communication perspective could focus on the verbal and nonverbal differences and similarities between how women communicate with other women and how men communicate with other men. This topic would allow you to explore the ways in which gender affects our behaviors in close relationships.

Organizational communication

Organizational communication would take a less personal approach, perhaps by addressing same-sex friendships in the form of workplace mentoring programs that pair employees of the same sex. This would require you to discuss and analyze group dynamics and effectiveness in the work environment.

A rhetorical analysis could involve comparing and contrasting references to friendship in the speeches of two well-known figures. For instance, you could compare Aristotle’s comments about Plato to Plato’s comments about Aristotle in order to discover more about the relationship between these two men and how each defined their friendship and/or same-sex friendship in general.

Performance studies

A performance approach might involve describing how a literary work uses dramatic conventions to portray same-sex friendships, as well as critiquing how believable those portrayals are. An analysis of the play Waiting for Godot could unpack the lifelong friendship between the two main characters by identifying what binds the men together, how these ties are effectively or ineffectively conveyed to the audience, and what the play teaches us about same-sex friendships in our own lives.

Media and film studies

Finally, a media and film studies analysis might explain the evolution of a same-sex friendship by examining a cinematic text. For example, you could trace the development of the main friendship in the movie Thelma and Louise to discover how certain events or gender stereotypes affect the relationship between the two female characters.

General writing tips

Writing papers in communication studies often requires you to do three tasks common to academic writing: analyze material, read and critique others’ analyses of material, and develop your own argument around that material. You will need to build an original argument (sometimes called a “theory” or “plausible explanation”) about how a communication phenomenon can be better understood. The word phenomenon can refer to a particular communication event, text, act, or conversation. To develop an argument for this kind of paper, you need to follow several steps and include several kinds of information in your paper. (For more information about developing an argument, see our handout on arguments ). First, you must demonstrate your knowledge of the phenomenon and what others have said about it. This usually involves synthesizing previous research or ideas. Second, you must develop your own original perspective, reading, or “take” on the phenomenon and give evidence to support your way of thinking about it. Your “take” on the topic will constitute your “argument,” “theory,” or “explanation.” You will need to write a thesis statement that encapsulates your argument and guides you and the reader to the main point of your paper. Third, you should critically analyze the arguments of others in order to show how your argument contributes to our general understanding of the phenomenon. In other words, you should identify the shortcomings of previous research or ideas and explain how your paper corrects some or all of those deficits. Assume that your audience for your paper includes your classmates as well as your instructor, unless otherwise indicated in the assignment.

Choosing a topic to write about

Your topic might be as specific as the effects of a single word in conversation (such as how the use of the word “well” creates tentativeness in dialogue) or as broad as how the notion of individuality affects our relationships in public and private spheres of human activity. In deciding the scope of your topic, look again at the purpose of the course and the aim of the assignment. Check with your instructor to gauge the appropriateness of your topic before you go too far in the writing process.

Try to choose a topic in which you have some interest or investment. Your writing for communications will not only be about the topic, but also about yourself—why you care about the topic, how it affects you, etc. It is common in the field of communication studies not only to consider why the topic intrigues you, but also to write about the experiences and/or cognitive processes you went through before choosing your topic. Including this kind of introspection helps readers understand your position and how that position affects both your selection of the topic and your analysis within the paper. You can make your argument more persuasive by knowing what is at stake, including both objective research and personal knowledge in what you write.

Using evidence to support your ideas

Your argument should be supported with evidence, which may include, but is not limited to, related studies or articles, films or television programs, interview materials, statistics, and critical analysis of your own making. Relevant studies or articles can be found in such journals as Journal of Communication , Quarterly Journal of Speech , Communication Education , and Communication Monographs . Databases, such as Infotrac and ERIC, may also be helpful for finding articles and books on your topic (connecting to these databases via NC Live requires a UNC IP address or UNC PID). As always, be careful when using Internet materials—check your sources to make sure they are reputable.

Refrain from using evidence, especially quotations, without explicitly and concretely explaining what the evidence shows in your own words. Jumping from quote to quote does not demonstrate your knowledge of the material or help the reader recognize the development of your thesis statement. A good paper will link the evidence to the overall argument by explaining how the two correspond to one another and how that relationship extends our understanding of the communication phenomenon. In other words, each example and quote should be explained, and each paragraph should relate to the topic.

As mentioned above, your evidence and analysis should not only support the thesis statement but should also develop it in ways that complement your paper’s argument. Do not just repeat the thesis statement after each section of your paper; instead, try to tell what that section adds to the argument and what is special about that section when the thesis statement is taken into consideration. You may also include a discussion of the paper’s limitations. Describing what cannot be known or discussed at this time—perhaps because of the limited scope of your project, lack of new research, etc.—keeps you honest and realistic about what you have accomplished and shows your awareness of the topic’s complexity.

Communication studies idiosyncrasies

• Using the first person (I/me) is welcomed in nearly all areas of communication studies. It is probably best to ask your professor to be sure, but do not be surprised if you are required to talk about yourself within the paper as a researcher, writer, and/or subject. Some assignments may require you to write from a personal perspective and expect you to use “I” to express your ideas.
• Always include a Works Cited (MLA) or References list (APA) unless you are told not to. Not giving appropriate credit to those whom you quote or whose ideas inform your argument is plagiarism. More and more communication studies courses are requiring bibliographies and in-text citations with each writing assignment. Ask your professor which citation format (MLA/APA) to use and see the corresponding handbook for citation rules.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Make a Gift

Home — Essay Samples — Sociology — Effective Communication — Effective Communication: The Key to Building Strong Connections

Effective Communication: The Key to Building Strong Connections

• Categories: Connection Effective Communication

About this sample

Words: 791 |

Published: Sep 12, 2023

Words: 791 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Table of contents

The importance of effective communication, key elements of effective communication, barriers to effective communication, strategies for improving communication, 1. building relationships:, 2. resolving conflicts:, 3. achieving goals:, 4. personal development:, 5. success in the workplace:, 1. clarity:, 2. active listening:, 3. empathy:, 4. nonverbal communication:, 5. respect:, 1. misunderstandings:, 2. lack of active listening:, 3. emotional barriers:, 4. assumptions and stereotypes:, 5. lack of feedback:, 1. practice active listening:, 2. foster empathy:, 3. be mindful of nonverbal cues:, 4. seek feedback:, 5. adapt to your audience: h3>, 6. practice constructive communication:, 7. educate yourself:.

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Prof Ernest (PhD)

Verified writer

• Expert in: Sociology

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

1 pages / 380 words

1 pages / 439 words

3 pages / 1403 words

1 pages / 319 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Effective Communication

Communication is a complex process that involves the exchange of information, ideas, and emotions between individuals. In order to ensure that communication is effective, it is crucial for individuals to engage in perception [...]

Direct persuasion is a form of communication that aims to influence an individual or a group's beliefs, attitudes, opinions, or behaviors. Direct persuasion can be delivered through various communication channels, such as [...]

In a world where globalization and multiculturalism are becoming increasingly prevalent, the ability to speak more than one language is a valuable asset. Being bilingual opens up a world of opportunities, both personally and [...]

Communication is an essential aspect of human interaction, enabling the exchange of ideas, information, and emotions. As society becomes increasingly fast-paced, so does our speech. Speeding speech refers to the act of speaking [...]

Effective communication involves effective speaking and active listening. Verbal exchanges in discussions are not sufficient in relaying messages. Other factors such as tonal variations and non-verbal cues are also crucial. [...]

Soft skills can be defined as character traits or interpersonal aptitudes that affect your ability to work and interact with others, personal attributes, personality traits, inherent social cues, and conversation capabilities [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

Essay on Importance of Communication for Students and Children

500+ words essay on importance of communication:.

Communication is one of the important tools that aid us to connect with people. Either you are a student or a working professional, good communication is something that will connect you far ahead. Proper communication can help you to solve a number of issues and resolve problems. This is the reason that one must know how to communicate well. The skills of communication essential to be developed so that you are able to interact with people. And able to share your thoughts and reach out to them. All this needs the correct guidance and self-analysis as well.

Meaning of Communication

The word communication is basically a process of interaction with the people and their environment . Through such type of interactions, two or more individuals influence the ideas, beliefs, and attitudes of each other.

Such interactions happen through the exchange of information through words, gestures, signs, symbols, and expressions. In organizations, communication is an endless process of giving and receiving information and to build social relationships.

Importance of Communication

Communication is not merely essential but the need of the hour. It allows you to get the trust of the people and at the same time carry better opportunities before you. Some important points are as follows –

Help to Build Relationships 

No matter either you are studying or working, communication can aid you to build a relationship with the people. If you are studying you communicate with classmates and teachers to build a relationship with them. Likewise in offices and organizations too, you make relationships with the staff, your boss and other people around.

Improve the Working Environment 

There are a number of issues which can be handled through the right and effective communication. Even planning needs communication both written as well as verbal. Hence it is essential to be good in them so as to fill in the communication gap.

Foster strong team

Communication helps to build a strong team environment in the office and other places. Any work which requires to be done in a team. It is only possible if the head communicates everything well and in the right direction.

Find the right solutions

Through communication, anyone can find solutions to even serious problems. When we talk, we get ideas from people that aid us to solve the issues. This is where communication comes into play. Powerful communication is the strength of any organization and can help it in many ways.

Earns more respect

If your communication skills are admirable, people will love and give you respect. If there is any problem, you will be the first person to be contacted. Thus it will increase your importance. Hence you can say that communications skills can make a big change to your reputation in society.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Don’t Go Overboard With Your Point

The conversation is about to express your thoughts. And to let the other person know what you feel. It is not mean to prove that your point is correct and the other person is wrong. Don’t Overboard other With Your Point.

Watch Your Words

Before you say something to Watch Your Words. At times, out of anger or anxiousness, we say somethings that we must not say. Whenever you are in a professional meeting or in some formal place, where there is a necessity of communicating about your product or work then it is advised to practice the same beforehand

Communication is the greatest importance. It is important to sharing out one’s thoughts and feelings to live a fuller and happier life. The more we communicate the less we suffer and the better we feel about everything around. However, it is all the more necessary to learn the art of effective communication to put across ones point well.

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

• Travelling Essay
• Picnic Essay
• Our Country Essay
• My Parents Essay
• Essay on Favourite Personality
• Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
• Essay on Knowledge is Power
• Essay on Gurpurab
• Essay on My Favourite Season
• Essay on Types of Sports

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Download the App

Interpersonal Communication Essay – Its Importance and Necessary Skills

In this interpersonal communication essay, you will learn about topics such as communication in daily reality, humans as social animals, and how relationships can lead to violence. Communication in a human being starts before birth and takes place throughout one’s life. It is important to note that communication does not necessarily need to be verbal but can also include signs and other ways through which messages can be sent and received conveniently.

In this regard, human communication entails making sense in the world and sharing the information through both verbal and non-verbal communication. Arguably, interpersonal communication is a very vital skill that people must use in daily life including in career development and achieving their goals. As a matter of fact, interpersonal communication involves sending and receiving messages with both negative and positive results and is affected by different factors.

Interpersonal communication is very crucial in developing relationships in society because relationships are all about how people communicate with one another. Words that are used in communication need to be understood for any meaningful effect to take place. It is important to note that interpersonal communication is helpful in enhancing the understanding of the words that people use within conversations thus avoiding misunderstanding and misjudgments.

However, it is interpersonal perception present in every person that shapes interpersonal communication. Research shows that interpersonal perception often leads to the formation of prejudices on what people are like. As a result, different meanings are given to people’s action while at the same time impressions about people’s personalities are formed.

People who are aware and skilled in communication stand a better chance when it comes to understanding and perceiving others with objectivity. Skills of communication enable one to avoid forming impressions about people with certain characteristics which might lead to subjectivity in judgment. Consequently, these people usually have fair inferences about people’s motives, personalities, and other human qualities. Therefore, the study of interpersonal communication enhances the skills of people regarding how they conduct their relationships.

It is important to note that communication is highly volatile and is influenced by several different factors including culture, gender, and ethnicity. Culture has been defined as a collection of values, traits, norms, and attitudes that define the expected code of conduct in a community. Culture is not universal and varies from one community to another.

It is quite normal for people to evaluate others according to life experiences they have with the person’s cultural group. Consequently, culture highly influences how we process and interpret information depending on the cultural background of our communication partner. Moreover, culture and sometimes gender determines the meaning that is given to different words.

On the same note, friendship also affects interpersonal communication. Defined as a type of relationship where one has a choice on whether and when to quit, friendship provides support to people both emotionally and psychologically. It is important to note that friendship changes as one develops through childhood to maturity. As friendship changes, the way people send and receive messages with one another also change. Friends sometimes use words differently from their conventional use. Consequently, interpersonal communication between friends has sometimes coded thus interpretations as well as inferences are different.

Family relationship is also another aspect that highly affects interpersonal communication. Family is the basic unit in a society where people get their first orientation on how people should conduct themselves in society. It is the family that orients people to conversations and conformity. The family has been categorized into four categories: protective, consensual, pluralistic and laissez-faire. The different types of families educate people differently on how to listen to others, conflict management as well as matters regarding relationships. Therefore, interpersonal communication highly differs along with the various types of family.

Communication is not only about speaking or rather sending the message only, but also includes that act of receiving and acting on the message. Therefore, listening is very crucial in the interpersonal communication process. Firstly, listening takes the largest portion of any communication, when people are either processing the information being received or just giving others time to pass their message. It has been noted that listening style of people defines their preferred way of making sense of unspoken words.

Therefore, listening styles give a hint on how people are likely to react to the message being passed. In order to have a successful communication mission, it is important for one to understand the listening style of his or her communication partner. Notably, there are four distinct listening styles that are mostly used by people. These are people-oriented, time-oriented, action-oriented and content-oriented. Wrong decision on the type of listening used by one’s communication partner usually leads to a breakdown in communication.

Having stated how important interpersonal communication is and outlined some of the factors that affect it, it is important to note that communication has negative effects too. Words are known to affect emotions and even inflict pain depending on how they are used and the context in which they are used. It is not peculiar for people to use one lie or another in their conversations.

Deception can take two forms that are; omission where some information is left out either intentionally or by mistake and commission where false information is passed to receivers. Instead of helping in developing relationships, deception destroys relationships by eliminating the trust that is critical in every relationship.

On the same note, communication also hurts especially when negative comments are given. People get depressed when others comment negatively about their physical appearance, personality or their ability in different areas. In this regard, communication fails to perform its expected functions of enhancing relationships. These kinds of comments have been known to mete out pain on people. Consequently, people become apprehensive of those who like commenting negatively resulting in stereotyping. The result is misinterpretation and sometimes misconceptions when communicating or decoding others’ verbal and non-verbal messages.

On the other hand, Interpersonal relationship can also be bad. The negative outcomes of interpersonal relationship include jealousy where one person is uncomfortable when the other relationships with different people. In addition, interpersonal relationships have also been known to lead to obsessive relation intrusion. The behavior makes people excessively concerned with other people’s affairs to the extent that they intrude into their private lives. Relationship violence also results when interpersonal relationships fail to work on society’s expectation.

The violence varies from just minor emotional stresses to physical violence leading to serious injuries. Marriages are good examples of how interpersonal relationships can lead to violence. It should be noted that relationships fail because of faults, unwilling to compromise and the feeling of being constrained. However, the failure of interpersonal communication plays a very crucial role in determining the cohesiveness of relationships. Therefore, failure in interpersonal communication often leads to failure of interpersonal relationships.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2023, October 31). Interpersonal Communication Essay – Its Importance and Necessary Skills. https://ivypanda.com/essays/interpersonal-communication-importance/

"Interpersonal Communication Essay – Its Importance and Necessary Skills." IvyPanda , 31 Oct. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/interpersonal-communication-importance/.

IvyPanda . (2023) 'Interpersonal Communication Essay – Its Importance and Necessary Skills'. 31 October.

IvyPanda . 2023. "Interpersonal Communication Essay – Its Importance and Necessary Skills." October 31, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/interpersonal-communication-importance/.

1. IvyPanda . "Interpersonal Communication Essay – Its Importance and Necessary Skills." October 31, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/interpersonal-communication-importance/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Interpersonal Communication Essay – Its Importance and Necessary Skills." October 31, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/interpersonal-communication-importance/.

• Fate of Friendship and Contemporary Ethics
• The Meaning of Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication
• Friendship's meaning around the world
• Critical Listening: Interpersonal Communication
• Friendship: Sociological Term Review
• The Price of Non-Disclosure as References through Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation
• Article Study on the Friendship Concept
• Is There Friendship Between Women?
• Interpersonal Communication Essay
• Friendship's Philosophical Description
• Transmission vs. Ritual Communication
• Types of Communication Disputes: Mediation and Arbitration
• Human Communication: Issues and Future
• "The Fine Art of Small Talk" by Debra Fine
• Intercultural Communication: Stereotypes and Perspectives

• Essay On Importance Of Communication

Importance of Communication Essay

500+ words importance of communication essay.

For every human being, communication is one of the essential parts of our lives. People build relationships in their personal and professional lives based on communication. Effective communication works as a foundation for respect and trust to grow. It helps in better understanding a person and the context of the conversation. People always believe that their way of communication is better than others. To communicate effectively, individuals should understand the motion behind the said information. We know that communication is effortless, but miscommunication between two or more individuals sometimes leads to conflicts and distress. Building relationships at home, work, and social affairs will be easier if you know the right way to communicate effectively. It is required to have better communication skills such as non-verbal communication, listening and managing stress can improve the relationship between individuals.

Meaning of Communication

Communication is essential for all of us, whether humans or animals. Communication is a part of written and spoken language, and altogether it completes the communication process. Both use different languages to communicate because it’s hard to survive in this world without communication.

Good communication skills are all about exchanging ideas and thoughts to convey information. It is a two-way conversation that includes vocalisation as well as a gesture. One of the crucial purposes of communication is to express ideas, needs or thoughts, and one’s beliefs with clarity for a mutually accepted solution.

Communication skills cannot be underestimated. Before languages were invented, people communicated with their hand gestures, body language, etc. We all require better communication skills at every step of our life. Personal and professional life will get hampered if you lack practical communication.

Importance of Effective Communication

People understand the importance of communication, but sometimes they cannot communicate through communication. It happens due to a lack of better communication skills. Below, we have discussed a few ways to communicate effectively.

• Interruption: It becomes very annoying when someone disrupts you while talking. It looks pretty unethical to disrupt someone while talking constantly, and the conversation can take a different turn. So, while talking, let the other person complete their talk before you start talking.
• Listen patiently: Listen patiently when someone tries to make a healthy conversation. It is one of the ways to do effective communication, as it gives a clear understanding of what the person is trying to say.
• View your body language: Body language speaks about your personality. Some people make uncomfortable gestures through their body language. So, you should keep your body language friendly and warm rather than keeping it arrogant.
• Do not go over your point: Communication is all about expressing thoughts so that the other person can understand. It is not that you are trying to prove something correct and the other person incorrect. Some people try to win the conservation, which leads to struggles and arguments.
• Watch your words: Before telling someone something, make sure you know what you are saying. We often say things that we should not do out of anger or anxiety. Remember, once spoken, words can not be withdrawn. Thus, it is suggested that you do not say something that you can regret later.
• Practice: If there is a professional meeting where you need to communicate about your product or work, it is recommended to practise already. Practise in front of the mirror or with a friend only. Choose how your conversation will begin, all the points you cover, and how you will end it.

As many people may feel comfortable communicating, communication is an art developed through practice and evaluation; every good communicator passes through a process to learn communication and practice skills, review themselves, and decrease where they can be.

Communication is essential to share our thoughts and feelings to live a happy life. Better communication makes us feel better about everything surrounding us and makes us suffer less. So, it is necessary to learn the art of communication to put across one point well.

Therefore, communication is a vital aspect of our existence. Effective communication can be achieved by being mindful of different elements of communication. Using appropriate communication in appropriate settings is essential for effective communication.

From our BYJU’S website, students can also access CBSE Essays related to different topics. It will help students to get good marks in their exams.

Frequently asked Questions on the Importance of communication Essay

How important is communication.

Communication of ideas, and thoughts is an important skill to be acquired. Conveying things in an effective manner is necessary for both our personal and professional lives.

What are types of communication?

There are 4 main types of communication are verbal, non verbal, visual and written forms of communication.

What are the factors that act as a barrier for communication?

Language is obviously the biggest barrier for communication between peoples of the world. Then comes the physical barrier. Geographical separation hinders communication. There are other factors like the gender barrier, cultural differences that prevail in the society. Last but not the least, emotional barriers too hinder proper understanding between persons involved in communication.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your Mobile number and Email id will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request OTP on Voice Call

Post My Comment

• Share Share

Register with BYJU'S & Download Free PDFs

Register with byju's & watch live videos.

Counselling

Enter your email to download PDF and receive updates from OSMO

Scan to get started.

The Assessment App is available only on the Apple App Store . Please scan the QR code below with your iPhone device to download the app.

Communication Essay

500+ words communication essay, the different types of communication and the importance of communication .

Communication is the act of transferring or exchanging information from one place, person or group of people to another. In other words, it means sharing information or ideas by talking or writing and receiving information by listening or reading. It is basically an interaction between two or more people. Communication plays an important role in human life and society. Along with exchanging information and knowledge, it also helps in building relationships with other people.

But why is it important to communicate? Communication or social interaction is how we express our ideas, desires, wants and needs. Everything from education to the workplace and even human societies depend on communication to understand each other. Communication is as old as our civilization itself, from time immemorial man, nature and animals communicated with each other verbally and non-verbally.

Read on to learn more about the definition and different types of communication in this communication essay. This communication essay also helps you understand its importance.

Definition of communication

Communication can be defined as the sharing or exchanging of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, gestures, listening, etc. 

The word “communication” is derived from the word “communis.” Communis is a Latin word, which means common. The common component in all kinds of interactions and communication is understanding. Without understanding, there would be no transfer of information or knowledge and the communication becomes directionless. Communication plays an important role in sharing ideas, opinions, thoughts and clarifying doubts. 

Read on to learn the different processes in communication in this communication essay.

The Different Processes of Communication

• It’s between two parties: From the definition, we understand that communication is a two-way process. There is always a sender and a receiver and both can be an individual or a group of individuals. 
• It always carries a message: Communication between two parties always includes a message. The message can be information, instructions or guidance, a question or enquiry, an opinion, feeling, thought or idea.
• Commonness of understanding: For communication to be successful, both parties should understand the message. Both the sender and receiver should understand the communication or it becomes miscommunication. Understanding is also influenced by several factors like emotions, culture, language, upbringing and location. 
• Method of communication: A message can be communicated in different ways. It can be verbal, which means talking, or it can be conveyed in writing. Along with these, the receiver and sender can also communicate using signs, gestures, expressions etc. 
• Evoking a response: A communication should be able to get a response from the receiver. It can be a verbal or nonverbal response or it can be behavioral changes too.

Now that you know what communication is, read on to learn the different kinds of communication in this communication essay.

Also explore: Leadership qualities essay and Personality essay .

Different Types Of Communication

There are two main types of communication, they are:

• Verbal communication: Verbal communication uses words and languages to interact and exchange information.  A verbal interaction between the receiver and sender can be oral or written. So all communication that uses speaking, reading, writing, listening comes under verbal communication. Additionally, verbal communication is used more widely because it usually gets an immediate response.
• Nonverbal communication: Nonverbal communication doesn’t use words, instead it uses signs, gestures, expressions and other forms of body language. The responses for this sort of communication will vary depending on how a particular cue is interpreted.

But why is communication and developing good communication skills important? Learn about the importance of communication in this communication essay.

The Importance of Communication

Communicating is a very important part of our everyday lives. Without communication, we wouldn’t be able to express ourselves or relay information. It’s also important to understand others, to develop social skills and build human relationships. 

• Education: Good communication skills are necessary to succeed in academics. Students should be able to listen and understand information and knowledge in all stages of education. Additionally, communication skills are extremely important for their future career too.
• Professional life: Landing a good job doesn’t just need good grades, a person will also need excellent communication skills to get better employment opportunities. It is also closely related to leadership skills. A leader with good communication skills can inspire and motivate his team to work towards a desired goal. It also helps foster good relationships with other employees, colleagues and superiors. Additionally, good communication skills also help avoid misunderstandings and issues that arise from it.
• Personal life: Healthy communication skills also comes in handy in a person’s personal life too. It helps us deal with and resolve conflicts, face challenges and build stronger, healthier relationships.
• Avoiding miscommunication: Miscommunications can lead to misunderstanding and issues. These problems can be avoided or minimized with good communication skills. Miscommunications can especially be troublesome or even lethal in healthcare. Good communication skills enables patients to communicate clearly with their healthcare providers and understand each other.

So the importance of good communication skills cannot be underestimated. Excellent communication skills lead to good conversations and help in building strong, lasting relationships.

We hope this communication essay was useful to you. For more essays like these, check Osmo’s essays for kids . 

Frequently Asked Questions On Communication

What is communication.

Communication is the act of conveying or receiving information, knowledge, ideas, thoughts, feelings, opinions, etc. It can be conveyed through verbal or nonverbal communication.

Why are good communication skills important?

Communication skills help in getting a sound education and makes way for better employment opportunities too. It is also important for decision making, leadership skills and to build strong, healthy relationships.

To find more information, explore related articles such as technology essay and essay on internet . 

Essay on Communication: Meaning, Process and Objectives

After reading this essay you will learn about:- 1. Meaning of Communication 2. Definition of Communication 3. Process 4. Objectives 5. Modes 6. The Organisational Context 7. Directions 8. Channels 9. Patterns 10. Barriers 11. Organisation-Level Improvements.

Essay on the Meaning of Communication:

The word communication has been derived from the Latin word communis which means common, besides commonality, communication involves the concept of transfer, meaning and information transfer. Thus communication means sharing ideas in common to one or many.

It means a verbal or written message, an change of information, a system of communicating, and a process by which meanings are exchanged between individuals/groups of individuals through a common system of symbols. It also means technique for expressing ideas effectively and quickly.

Essay on the Definition of Communication:

Communication is the process of transferring information, meaning and understanding from sender to receiver and vice versa. And carrying out that process convincingly, meaningfully and proficiently is an absolute essential for a manager to exercise leadership efficiently.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

In fact, it is hard to conceive of successful leadership in the absence of excellent communication skills. The first step for a manager to become an outstanding leader, therefore, is to become an outstanding communicator or perhaps best communicator.

Communication is defined as “the process of passing information in oral or written form and understanding from one person to another in oral or written form.” It means transmitting and sharing of ideas, opinions, facts, figures and information in a manner that is perceived and understood by the receiver of the communication.

F.E.X. Dance defined communication as “the process by which people seek to share meaning via the transmission of symbolic messages.”

Essay on the Process of Communication:

The communications involves four actions and five components. The four actions are encoding, sending, receiving, and decoding. The five components are sender, message, medium, noise and receiver. The actions and components combine to transfer meaning from the sender who sends the message to the receiver. The sender who sends message originates the message by encoding it, that is, by constructing the message.

The message is the content of the communication. The sender then transmits the message through a medium. A medium is the mode or form of transmission of message, not the message itself. Examples of media are spoken words, gestures and fiscal expressions video.

Telephones, written memos, faxes and e-mail messages. The receiver acquires, or receives, the message by hearing it, reading it, or having it appear on a fax or computer through e-mail or voice mail.

The receiver then begins decoding the message, that is, interpreting it using various tools. Sometimes distractions interfere with the message; these interferences are called noise which leads to misunderstanding, noise contributes to misinterpretations of the original message, and it is only through feedback, or verification of the original message, that communication problems may be located, corrected and understood properly.

The basic model of communication is called as fundamental and universal model. That is, it occurs whenever communication takes place regardless of the culture or organisation and location.

However, while the basic acts and components of the communication process are the same everywhere, how the acts are carried out and the nature of the components are deeply influenced by cultural, organisational, and even personal contexts through this type of communication.

Who can send messages to whom, what kinds and what volumes of messages are sent, by what medium are messages transmitted what sort of interference or noise is likely to occur, and what cues are available for decoding are just some of the many examples of the types of communication issues that can vary from manager to manager, from organisation to organisation, from media to media and from country to country.

Essay on the Objectives of Communication:

Modern Organisation cannot exist without communication. If there is no communication, employees can’t know what their co-workers are doing, management can’t receive information inputs, and supervisors and team leaders cannot dive instructions and therefore communication is needed for effective management of the organisation.

Thus the followings are the objectives/importance of communication in the present context:

1. To develop information and understanding among all workers in the organisation.

2. To foster any attitude which is necessary for motivation and cooperation in the organization.

3. To encourage better performance and job satisfaction in the organization.

4. To prepare workers in the organization for a change in methods or environment by giving them the necessary information in advance.

5. To discourage misinformation, ambiguity and rumours in the organisation.

6. To encourage subordinates in the organisation to supply ideas and suggestions for improving upon the product or work environment, and taking these suggestions seriously.

7. To improve labour-management relations in the organization.

8. To encourage social relations among workers in the organisation by encouraging into communication.

9. To accomplish all the basic management functions— Planning, Organizing, Leading/directing and controlling in the organization.

10. To achieve their goals and meet challenges in the organization.

Essay on the Modes of Communication:

Communication can occur in the organization either a verbal mode or a non-verbal mode as given below. Each mode has particular characteristics in the organisation and issues that an effective manager must understand.

1. Verbal Communication:

Spoken words, which are called as verbal communication, mean both oral and written communication in the organization.

(i) Oral Communication:

The spoken word has the potential advantages of being vivid, stimulating and commanding attention in the organisation. In most organizational situations, it is difficult for receivers—the listeners—to ignore the words spoken or the person speaking to them in oral type of communication.

Just think about the last time someone spoke to you directly. Even if you weren’t interested in what the person had to say, wouldn’t it have been difficult to simply ignore the person, turn and walk away? Certainly not possible, hence, here it is mandatory to listen the person.

Also, oral communication is exceptionally flexible for both the sender and receiver in the organization. While you are speaking with another person, you may try to make a point a certain way but along the way change your words in order for the listener to understand you in a better way.

Because oral communication is generally interactive in the organisation, it can be quite responsive and adaptive to circumstances. However, this mode of communication in the organisation has the major disadvantages of being transistor and subject to considerable misinterpretation of messages.

Even when individuals use the same language in the oral communication, the subtle nuances of the spoken word may be missed or incorrect meaning attached to them. Oral communication between those whose First language differ in the organisation, as in many management situations today, simply multiplies the chances of intended meaning going away.

Advantages of Oral Communication in the Organisation:

1. It is direct, simple, timesaving and least expensive for any organisation.

2. It helps in avoiding delays, red tape and other formalities in the organization.

3. Feedback and spontaneous thinking are available in this type of communication which benefits organisation growth.

4. We can clear any misunderstanding between speakers.

5. It develops a sense of belonging because of personalized contacts in the organization.

Disadvantages of Oral Communication:

1. There is no any formal record for transaction in the organization.

2. Lengthy and distant communications cannot be effectively conveyed verbally in the organization.

3. The receiver may receive the message in his own perception and thus misunderstand the intent of the message in the organization.

4. The spirit of authority cannot be transmitted effectively in verbal transaction unless trust between speakers.

5. Different meaning may occur by manner of speaking, tune of voice and facial expressions in the organization.

(ii) Written Communication in Organisation:

Written communication is one when messages are put in writing, as in letters, memos, electronic mail, and the like, the opportunity for misunderstanding the words of the sender are decreased. The receiver of the message sent may still misinterpret the intended message, of course, but there is no uncertainty about exactly what words the sender has used.

In that sense, written communication has precision. However, not everyone writes well, and so greater precision does not necessarily lead to greater understanding in the organisation.

This is further complicated when the words need translation from one language to another for better understanding. The writer/sender does not know immediately how well or poorly the message is getting across, written communication has the disadvantage of not being very flexible in the organization.

In addition, it is often not as vivid or compelling as oral communication. Although you might find it difficult to ignore someone speaking to you, it would probably be much easier to ignore a letter you received in your organisation.

Advantages of Written Communication in the Organization:

1. It can easily verify and more precisely defined in the organization.

2. It is likely to be a permanent record and uses for future references in the organization.

3. It reduces the possibility of misunderstanding and misinterpretation in the organization.

4. It is reliable for transmitting lengthy statistical data in the organization.

5. The time can be saved when many persons should be contacted in the organization at the same time.

Disadvantages of Written Communication in the Organization:

1. It is very slow and causes delay in the organization.

2. Written material may leak out before time, causing disruption in its effectiveness in many organization.

3. More dependence of written communication can lead to too much of paper-work in the organization.

4. It leads to excessive formality in personal relations in the organization.

2. Nonverbal Communication in the Organization:

In direct interpersonal communication, nonverbal actions and behaviors often constitute significant messages in the organization. A whole range of actions, or lack of them, has the potential for communicating in the organization.

The way you dress, speak words, use gestures, handle utensils, exhibit facial expressions, and set the physical distance to the receiver are just some of the many forms of nonverbal communication in the organization.

Electronic Communication:

Now a day, electronic mail, or e-mail, has emerged as one of the fastest-growing forms of communication in the organisation. In the recent nationwide survey, 79 per cent of the responding executives indicated that e-mail was their number-one choice for business communication in their organisation.

With e-mail or faxes, you can send a message simultaneously to dozens or even hundreds of people throughout the world. Recently, Videoconferences have also emerged as a business communication too.

Essay # The Organisational Context of Communication:

Managers in the organization do not deal with communication in the abstract. Rather they deal with it within an organizational context. The structure of organisations and the process of organisations powerfully shape the nature and effectiveness of communication that takes place within and between them.

In the present setup Organizations, whether business, hospitals or government agencies, have a set of defining characteristics, all of which affect communication in one way or another.

Thus, organizations:

a) Are composed of individuals and groups.

b) Are oriented towards goals

c) Have differentiated functions.

d) Has intended coordination.

e) Have continuity through time.

Organizations of any size, regardless of country, are not simply a random set of individuals who by chance come together for a brief period with no purpose. The fact that they have goal orientations, structures, and coordination greatly influences the nature and amount of communication that takes place in the organization.

This influence can be analyzed in terms of directions, channels and patterns of communication in the organization.

Essay # Directions of Communication within Organizations:

Because organizations of any degree of complexity have both differentiated functions and more than one level in the organisation, the directions of communication within them can be classified according to the level for which they are intended.

Downward communication is sent from higher organizational levels to lower levels in the organisation; for example, from the organization’s top executives like to its employees, or from supervisors to subordinates.

Upward Communication is sent from lower organizational levels to higher levels; for example, from non-management employees like workers to their supervisors, or from a manager to her CEOs.

Lateral Communication is sent across essentially equivalent levels of an organization; for example, from one clerical to another, from the manager of product X to the manager of product Y, or from the marketing department to the engineering design department in the organisation.

The topics covered in organizational communication vary according to their direction. Downward communication typically involves such matters as goals, objectives, directions, decisions, and feedback in the organisation.

Upward communication usually focuses on information, suggestions, questions, problems and requests for clarification in the organisation. Lateral communication typically involves changes of information-both formal and informal-that assist or affect coordination and joint problem solving in the organization.

While the subject matter of communication in particular direction tends to be fairly similar in most medium to large organizations, the culture of the organization can affect the process. For example, in an organization where authority and hierarchy are stressed, upward communication might be more formal than in an organization with more egalitarian culture.

As a simple illustration, in the hierarchical organization, a conversion might start with the subordinate addressing a superior several levels above as Mr. Or Ms. James.

In many countries, for example in Korea, the conversion might start by addressing the superior by his or her title, such as Director Park. In organizations with less emphasis on hierarchy, the conversation might start by addressing the superior by his or her first name.

Likewise, organizational or country culture can influence the frequency and flavor of upward communications. For example, in organizations with strong hierarchical values, upward communication tends to be less frequent.

In summary, organizational communications flow upward, laterally, and downward in every organization. The direction of the communication has a significant impact on the type of communication that is likely to take place frequently.

However, the culture of the organization and the region or country in which the organization is located can further determine the exact from that communication will have and even the frequency of each direction of communication will take place in organization.

Essay # Channels of Communication within Organizations:

Organizational channels, or routes of communication, consist of two fundamental types namely formal and informal. Both types are essential for organizational functioning, and neither types can easily substitute for the other.

Formal Communication channels are those that are authorized planned and regulated by the organization and that are directly connected to its official structure. Thus, the organization’s designated structure indicates the normal paths for downward, upward and lateral formal communication. Formal communication channels are like highlighted roads on road map.

They specify organizational members who are responsible for tasks and communicating information to levels above and below them and back and forth to adjacent units. Also, formal channels indicate the persons or positions to whom work-related messages should be sent in the organization. Formal channels can be modified, and thus they have some flexibility, but they can seldom be disregarded in the organization.

The wheel or star network refers to an administrator and four subordinates with whom he interacts in the organisation. There is no interaction among the subordinates in the organization.

In ‘y’ network; there are two subordinates reporting to the superior.

The “chain” in the network, denotes a five-level hierarchy in which communication can take place only upward and downward, and across organizational lines in modern organizations.

The circle network denotes a three level hierarchy in which there is communication between superiors and subordinates, with cross communication at the operative level.

Informal communication channels are communication routes that are not prescribed by the organization but that develop through typical interpersonal activities of people at work in the organisation. Channels can come into existence and change or disappear rapidly, depending on circumstances in the organization.

However, they may also endure in many work situations, especially where individuals have been working together over a period of time in the organization. If a specific pattern becomes well established, it would ordinarily be called a ‘network’ in the organisation.

There are four major type of informal communication in the organisation.

They are as follows:

(1) Single strand.

(2) Gossip.

(3) Probability.

(4) Cluster.

In the single stranded network, the individual communicates through intervening persons in the organisation. In the gossip network, the individual communicates or spreads like anything without a choice in the organisation. In probability network, the individual spreads the communication at random in the organisation.

But in the cluster network, the individual communicates with only those individuals whom he trusts in the organisation. Among these types of communication network, the cluster is most popular network in many organisation.

Essay # Formal and Informal Channels of Communication in Organization:

In a Plastic Bottle manufacturing company the CEO has got two immediate managers one is GM-marketing who markets plastic bottle and another one is GM-production who manufactures Plastic Bottle. The GM-marketing has got two subordinates one is advertising manager and the second one is promotions manager.

Likewise the GM-Production has got two immediate subordinates, one is supervisor design and another one is supervisor testing. If CEO communicates to GM-Marketing or GM-Production it is called as formal channels of communication. However, if CEO contacts Advertising manager or supervisor testing it is called INFORMAL channels of communication.

Formal Communication Channels:

a) Authorized, Planned and regulated by the organization.

b) Reflect the organization’s formal structure.

c) Define who has responsibility for information dissemination and indicate the proper recipients of work-related information in organization.

d) Maybe modified by the organization in future.

e) Minor to severe consequences for ignoring them unknowingly.

Informal Communication Channels:

a) Develop through interpersonal activities of organisation members

b) Hot specified by the organization

c) Man is short-lived or long lasting.

d) Are more often lateral than vertical in organization.

e) Information flow can be very fast in organization.

f) Used for both work-related and non-work information.

Some more informal communication Channels in the organization are as follows:

a) Informal Communication Channels tend to operate more often in the lateral than in the vertical direction compared to formal channels because they are not designated by the organization and its top officials.

b) Second, information flowing through informal channels in the organization often moves extremely fast, principally because senders are highly motivated to pass information on. The so-called grapevine is a classic example of rapid transmission of messages through informal channels.

c) A third feature is that informal channels carry work- related as well as non-work information in the organisation. Just because channels are informal does not mean that only gossip and other messages unrelated to jobs and tasks are carried by them. In fact, crucial work-related information is frequently communicated in this way.

Of course, some of the messages passed through the informal channels in the organisation may contain inaccuracies or be negative, and thus seen by some managers as a source of problems. However, few organizations could exist for long if they had to rely only on formal communication channels in the organisation.

Essay # Patterns of Organizational Communication in the Organisation:

Identifiable patterns of communication that occur with some regularity within and between organizations, whether using formal or informal channels, are typically called communication networks in any organisation. Put another way, communication networks are stable systems of interconnections in any organisation.

Thus, networks involve consistent linkages between particular sets of senders and receivers in the organisation. For example, a middle-level divisional marketing manager in New Delhi might have a particular network that involves her boss in Kolkata, three key managers in other departments in the Kolkata headquarters, her seven subordinates located in major Western cities, and two outside vendors of market research data.

Another network for the same manager might involve two lower-level managers in other units in the New Delhi office and their former colleague and old friend who is now a sales supervisor in Chennai and who has access to inside information on how well new marketing approaches are working in that region.

An example of a larger, more organization wide network could be the Coca Cola Company’s worldwide pattern of communication relationships between its headquarters in Atlanta and its bottlers and distributors throughout world. Of course, networks can also be formed across organizations as well as within the organisation.

The importance of communication networks to managers in any organisation is that they can provide significant and regular sources of information, both of the formal and informal type, that might otherwise take a much longer time to obtain if the various links had to set up from scratch each time some new topic or problem came up.

Also, when managers are members of established networks, it can make it easier for them to influence the other people or groups involved in the networks. Consequently, for both of these reasons, managers need to pay particular attention to what networks they can, and want to, be a part of and to the composition of those networks in the organisation.

It is no accident that the term networking has come to signify a process that has the potential for gaining advantages for a manger (or anyone for that matter) by having one or more sets of individuals in the organisation or groups with which one can interact easily and regularly, and with whom one can communicate a sense of confidence and trust in the organisation.

In traditional western organizations, it has always been relatively easy for males in management positions to establish various network with other males (thus providing the basis for the phase “old boys network” ) in their organisation. However, at least until very recently, it has been much harder for women and members of underrepresented ethnic groups to establish similar helpful networks in their organisations

Recent research suggests, in fact, that organizational networks involving individuals from these groups are different in terms of both composition and relationships from the traditional networks composed primarily of white males in the organisation.

It does not make such networks any less important or useful to managers from these groups, but docs serve to emphasize that network patterns to communication in organisations can vary based on a number of different situational circumstance, including the age, gender, and ethnicity of individuals in the organisation.

Essay # Barriers to Communication in the Organisation:

Although the organisational context provides numerous opportunities for managers to engage in effective and productive communication to assist in leadership efforts, there are likewise many barriers related to that context that can interfere with the communication process in the present organisation.

Such barriers can arise from several different sources, including interpersonal, organisational, organizational, and cultural in the organization.

Obstacles to interpersonal communication in the organisation can occur with either the sender or the receiver. The burden is simultaneously on both the sender and the receiver in any organisation to ensure accurate communication.

It is, however, the sender’s obligation to choose the language and words—to encode the message—carefully to carry the greatest precision of meaning. Precision in the organisation is especially important if the sender is trying to persuade the receiver to do something in a language or communication style different from what the receiver prefers.

For example, if you are talking with your boss style and choice of words, your boss may not be receptive if he or she prefers a more formal approach in the organisation. You will probably need to adjust your style for the communication to be effective in the organisation.

The receiver, of course, is often the source of communication breakdowns in the organisation. For example, the receiver might have a selective perception problem in the organisation. That is, the receiver may unintentionally screen out some parts of the intended message because they contradict his beliefs or desires in the organisation.

For example, you might stress the increased productivity in the organisation from a proposed project, but your boss is focusing on the estimated cost of the project. Although selective perception is a natural human tendency, it hinders accurate communication, especially when sensitive or highly important topics are being discussed in the organisation.

Another way to state this point is that individuals tend to adopt frames of reference, or quick ways of interpreting messages in the organisation that help them make sense of complex communications, but these shortcuts may prevent the intended message from being received.

Essay # Organisational Barriers:

Just as interpersonal barriers can limit communication, so can organisational barriers limit communication? Such barriers in the organisation can interfere with communication between individuals or groups within the same organisation, between individuals or groups from two different organisations, or between entire organizations.

The basis of these organisational barriers lies within the hierarchical structure of organizations.

All organisations of any complexity have specialized functions and more than one level of authority in the organisation. This specialization creates a situation that is ripe for communication difficulties in the organisation.

For example one person might come from marketing and the other form Production. The person in marketing might think nothing of exaggerating while the person from Production always understates her points.

Consequently, the marketer might see the Production Manager as unimaginative and boring, while the Production Manager might view the marketer as superficial and careless. In addition, the two parties might come from different levels in the organisation.

The differences between responsibility and level of authority could cause a senior executive to expect an explanation of the broad impacts on the entire organization of a proposed project and a junior technical expert to focus on the detailed schedule of the project in any organisation.

Essay # Cultural Burriers in Organization:

Communication and culture are tightly intervened in the organisation. Culture cannot exist without communication and human communication only within a cultural context in the organisation. Since the act of communicating is so closely connected to the surrounding environment, culture can ease or hinder it in the organisation.

Thus, similarity in culture between senders and receivers facilitates successful communication-the intended meaning has a higher probability of getting transferred in the organisation.

Differences in culture hinder the process of-any organisation. The greater the cultural differences between sender and receiver, the greater the expected difficulty in communicating within or outside the organisation. Therefore, other things being equal, it should be easier, for example, for an Indian manager to communicate with a Singapore subordinate than with a Malaysian subordinate.

Probably the greatest single cultural barrier that can affect communication across different departmental, organisational, regional, or national cultures is ethnocentrism in the organisation.

Ethnocentrism is the belief in the superiority of one’s own groups and the related tendency to view others in terms of the values of one’s own group in the organisation. Ethnocentrism leads individuals to divide their interpersonal worlds into in-groups and out-groups in the organisation.

A third major cultural barrier to communication I can be labeled cultural distance in the organisation. This concept refers to the overall difference between two cultures basic characteristics such as language, level of economic development, and entrenched traditions and customs in the organisation.

Cultural distance was illustrated by a study that gathered 21 senior executives from major corporations in Japan, the United States, Brazil, the United Kingdom and India for a five-week period of cultural explorations regarding communication.

The executives attended lecturers and seminars, built rafts and climbed riffs together, and even travelled in fact-finding teams to the countries represented to improve communication, nevertheless, observers reported that communication remained a problem the entire five weeks among them.

The various barriers that were discussed in the preceding section can interfere with effective communication, but there are ways of dealing with, or overcoming, them in the organisation. That is the subject of this section – approaches that will help to improve your communication in the organisation as a manager.

Essay # Organisation-Level Improvements in Communication:

Organisations can take steps to change their policies and methods for how and when managers should communicate in the organisation. Unfortunately, guidelines for this more structural approach are not as well developed as those for individual managers in the organisation.

A recent study of research and development laboratories within 14 large multinational firms, however, did provide some suggestions. The study produced strong evidence for the importance of gatekeepers, or so-called “boundary-spanning” individuals who are at the communication interface between separate organizations or between units within an organisation.

Large companies especially need to be able to structure the activities of gatekeepers to maximize their usefulness to the communication process and to make sure that the most critical information is both sent and received.

Finding from the study indicated that communication could be improved by implementing rules and procedures that increased formal communication, replacing some face-to-face communication with electronic communication, developing particular communication networks, and even creating a centralized office to manage communication activities in the organization.

Related Articles:

• Essay on Communication: Top Essays | Directing | Functions | Management
• Notes, Effectiveness of the Communication Process: 15 Factors
• Elements and Importance of Communication Process | Business Management
• Communication: Types of Communication | Process | Directing | Management

We use cookies

Privacy overview.

Definition: what does Culture Means to Me?

This essay about culture portrays it as a dynamic, evolving force integral to human experience, rather than a static backdrop. The author reflects on growing up in a multicultural city, learning from diverse cultural expressions and narratives that shape social understanding and personal identity. The piece emphasizes the importance of cultural exchange and preservation in a globalized world, advocating for appreciation and protection of unique cultural heritages to enrich humanity’s collective tapestry.

How it works

Culture, akin to a vast mosaic, intricately pieces together the diverse expressions of humanity, blending colors of tradition, belief, and heritage into a breathtaking panorama of human experience. To me, culture is not merely a static backdrop but a dynamic symphony, continually evolving and reshaping our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

Growing up in a bustling metropolis, I was surrounded by a cacophony of cultures, each contributing its own melody to the urban orchestra. From the tantalizing aromas of street food stalls to the vibrant hues of traditional attire worn during festive celebrations, every corner of the city pulsated with the rhythms of diversity.

It was in this vibrant tapestry that I learned the true essence of culture – not as a distant artifact to be admired from afar, but as a living, breathing expression of human creativity and resilience.

One of the most profound insights I’ve gained from my encounters with different cultures is the power of narrative. Stories, passed down through generations, serve as bridges connecting the past to the present, weaving a rich tapestry of collective memory and shared experience. Whether told through the intricate brushstrokes of a painting or the melodic strains of a folk song, these narratives provide a window into the soul of a society, illuminating its values, aspirations, and fears.

Moreover, culture serves as a compass, guiding us through the complexities of social interaction and moral decision-making. From the elaborate rituals of initiation ceremonies to the unspoken codes of conduct governing everyday interactions, cultural norms provide a framework for understanding the world and our place within it. Yet, even as we navigate these cultural landscapes, it’s essential to recognize that they are not fixed or immutable but are subject to change and adaptation over time.

In today’s interconnected world, culture knows no boundaries, transcending geographical borders and linguistic barriers to connect people across continents and oceans. Through the wonders of modern technology, we can explore distant lands, engage with diverse perspectives, and forge meaningful connections with individuals from all walks of life. This global exchange of ideas and experiences has the power to challenge preconceived notions, break down stereotypes, and foster a sense of solidarity and mutual respect among people of different backgrounds.

However, amidst the whirlwind of globalization, it’s crucial to preserve and celebrate the unique cultural heritage that defines who we are as individuals and communities. Whether through the revival of traditional crafts or the preservation of endangered languages, these efforts serve as a testament to the richness and diversity of human culture and remind us of the importance of safeguarding our shared heritage for future generations.

In conclusion, culture is the heartbeat of humanity, pulsating with the rhythms of our collective history and aspirations. It is a source of inspiration, identity, and belonging, shaping our perceptions of the world and our place within it. As we journey through life, let us embrace the kaleidoscope of cultures that surrounds us, for in celebrating diversity, we enrich not only our own lives but the tapestry of humanity as a whole.

Cite this page

Definition: What Does Culture Means To Me?. (2024, Apr 29). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/definition-what-does-culture-means-to-me/

"Definition: What Does Culture Means To Me?." PapersOwl.com , 29 Apr 2024, https://papersowl.com/examples/definition-what-does-culture-means-to-me/

PapersOwl.com. (2024). Definition: What Does Culture Means To Me? . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/definition-what-does-culture-means-to-me/ [Accessed: 30 Apr. 2024]

"Definition: What Does Culture Means To Me?." PapersOwl.com, Apr 29, 2024. Accessed April 30, 2024. https://papersowl.com/examples/definition-what-does-culture-means-to-me/

"Definition: What Does Culture Means To Me?," PapersOwl.com , 29-Apr-2024. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/definition-what-does-culture-means-to-me/. [Accessed: 30-Apr-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2024). Definition: What Does Culture Means To Me? . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/definition-what-does-culture-means-to-me/ [Accessed: 30-Apr-2024]

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Hire a writer to get a unique paper crafted to your needs.

Our writers will help you fix any mistakes and get an A+!

Please check your inbox.

You can order an original essay written according to your instructions.

Trusted by over 1 million students worldwide

1. Tell Us Your Requirements

2. Pick your perfect writer

3. Get Your Paper and Pay

Hi! I'm Amy, your personal assistant!

Don't know where to start? Give me your paper requirements and I connect you to an academic expert.

short deadlines

100% Plagiarism-Free

Certified writers