Types and Levels of Communication

• Intrapersonal: communication within oneself (thinking, self-talk, reflection, decision-making).

• Interpersonal: between two persons or a small number, usually face to face (dyadic), with immediate feedback. Examples: conversation, interview, counselling, a teacher talking to a student.

• Group communication: among members of a small group with a common purpose (class, committee, team).

• Public communication: one speaker to a large live audience (lecture, speech, rally).

• Organizational communication: within and across an organization (formal and informal).

• Mass communication: from an organised source through a mass medium to a large, heterogeneous, anonymous and scattered audience, with delayed and indirect feedback.

• Verbal: uses words, oral or written.

• Non-verbal: uses body language, gestures, signs, silence, space, time, appearance.

• Visual: pictures, charts, maps, symbols.

Formal communication follows the official hierarchy and channels, is documented, and includes:

• Downward: from superior to subordinate (orders, instructions, policies, circulars). Risk: distortion and delay.

• Upward: from subordinate to superior (reports, suggestions, grievances, feedback). Often limited by fear of authority.

• Horizontal / lateral: between people at the same level (coordination between departments).

• Diagonal / crosswise: between people at different levels and different departments.

Informal communication is not bound by the official structure. Its main form is the grapevine.

• The term grapevine is traditionally linked to the American Civil War era, from the winding telegraph lines resembling grape vines.

• Keith Davis classified grapevine chains: single strand, gossip, probability and cluster. The cluster chain is the most common (one person tells a select few, who in turn tell a few others).

• Characteristics: fast, selective, spreads by word of mouth, often partly accurate, cannot be fully controlled but can be managed and used as feedback.

• Chain: information flows in a line through a hierarchy.

• Wheel (Star): one central person communicates with all others; fast and efficient for simple tasks but low member satisfaction.

• Y network: a mix of chain and wheel.

• Circle: each member communicates with two neighbours; moderate speed, higher satisfaction.

• All-channel (Comcon / Web): everyone communicates with everyone; best for complex problem-solving and high satisfaction, but slow to organise.

• Intrapersonal: you silently decide "I should revise Unit 4 tonight".

• Interpersonal: you discuss a doubt with your teacher.

• Group: a project team of five planning a presentation.

• Public: the principal addressing the entire college at an annual function.

• Organizational: university notices, official emails, and staff meetings.

• Mass: a newspaper or news channel reaching millions who are strangers to the source.

Exam cue: immediate feedback and small numbers = interpersonal; large, scattered, anonymous audience = mass; talking to yourself = intrapersonal.

• Downward: the principal issues a circular to all staff. Risk: messages get distorted as they pass through many levels.

• Upward: a lecturer submits a request or feedback to the HOD; students' feedback forms. Risk: fear of authority makes people hide bad news (filtering).

• Horizontal / lateral: two teachers from the same department coordinate the timetable. Purpose: coordination and teamwork.

• Diagonal / crosswise: a lecturer from the English department directly contacts an officer in the accounts section about a bill, skipping the usual chain of command. Purpose: speed and cross-department work.

• Formal: follows rules and the official chain, is documented, is slower, and is reliable (letters, circulars, meetings, reports).

• Informal: free of official rules, spontaneous, fast, builds relationships, but can carry rumours (canteen chat, WhatsApp groups of colleagues).

Grapevine in plain words: the "canteen talk" about who might be promoted. It spreads quickly because people trust friends. Smart managers listen to it, because it reveals staff worries.

Keith Davis's four grapevine chains (how the rumour moves):

• Single strand: A tells B, B tells C, C tells D, like a long chain of whispers. Very distorted by the end.

• Gossip: one person (A) tells everyone directly.

• Probability: A tells people at random, who tell others at random.

• Cluster: A tells a few selected people, and some of them tell a few others. This is the most common in real life, because people pass news only to those they trust.

• Chain: orders passing down a ladder, person to person.

• Wheel (star): a class teacher at the centre; every student talks only to the teacher. Quick and efficient for simple tasks, but members may feel less satisfied.

• Y: a mixture, with one person at the junction.

• Circle: each person talks only to two neighbours; slow but friendly.

• All-channel: everyone talks to everyone, like a brainstorming session. Best for complex problems, but takes time.

Exam cue: "central person" = wheel; "everyone with everyone" = all-channel; "each person with two neighbours" = circle.

• Synchronous vs asynchronous: a phone or video call is synchronous (real-time). An email or discussion forum post is asynchronous (reply later).

• One-way vs two-way: a TV broadcast is mostly one-way; a classroom discussion is two-way.

• Formal vs informal language: a research paper versus a chat with a friend.

• Private vs public: a counselling session versus a public lecture.