Communication Skill for Managers

Communication is one of the most important skills a manager must develop as he goes up in the hierarchy of the organization. Communication is the transfer of information from one person to another, with the information being understood by both the persons. A manager spends most of his time either sending or receiving information. It would be wrong to assume that in all of the activities, communication is really taking place. In an organization, communication flows in various directions viz. downward, upward, horizontal and diagonal, each one having its own importance. In the downward communication, directives and policies of the organization are transmitted to lower levels. Upward communication is equally important. Subordinates must feel free to convey their opinions and suggestions towards management policies. Horizontal communication occurs across the departments or between people on the same level in managerial hierarchy. Diagonal communication does not follow the organizational hierarchy and cuts across the chain of command. The communication may flow through different media like words, pictures, actions etc. Words can be transmitted orally and received by listening or transmitted in written form and be received by reading. Communication is unlikely to be smooth always. There are number of barriers, few of them are like organization structure, lack of planning to communicate, language, distrust, fear, resistance to change etc. Although perfect understanding between two people may be impossible, the barriers can be surmounted by techniques like feedback, direct and meaningful language, effective listening etc.