Four Major Functions Of Communication

Communication is the process of sending and receiving messages between parties. As per the Oxford English Dictionary, the word communication comes from the Latin “communicare” which means mutual interchange and “communico” means to share. Communication is the interactive process between two people whereby one person is able to express what he/she means in a clear and unambiguous way and the other person is able to understand the meaning of the message fully and properly. In other words, one person expresses and the other understands. The responsibility for communication lies with both people – the one expressing must express as clearly as he or she possibly can and the other person must either understand or let the person who is expressing know he or she doesn’t understand.

There are two ways in which we communicate: verbally and

Functions Of Communication

Communication’s Four Major Functions—control, motivation, emotional expression, and information.

1. Control. Communication controls member behavior in several ways.

a) Employees are required to follow authority hierarchies and formal guidelines.

b) Informal communication also controls behavior.

(1) When work groups tease or harass a member who produces too much, they are informally commu¬nicating with, and controlling, the member’s behavior.

2. Motivation. Communication fosters motivation by clarifying for employees what is to be done, how well they are doing, and what can be done to improve performance.

a) The formation of specific goals, feedback on progress toward the goals, and reinforcement of desired behavior all stimulate motivation and require communication.

3. Emotional expression. For many employees, their work group is a primary source for social interac¬tion.

a) Communication within the group is a fundamental mech¬anism by which members show their frustrations and feelings of satisfaction.

b) Com¬munication provides an avenue for expression of emotions and fulfillment of social