LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION

Intra-Personal Communication

It is a Communication within an Individual or One’s Self.

Communication Occurs within the Mind of a Person.

This Process Takes Place within the Self (Intra-Personal) rather than between Separate Individuals.

This Kind of Communication pertains to Thinking, which is the basis of Information Processing.

In this Communication the Sender is our relevant Organ, The Receiver is our Brain and also Feedback is by our Brain.

It is the process of Thinking. We become the Sender and Receiver of Messages when we Evaluate, Label, Analyze or Talk to Ourselves.

While Interaction with Others, We Think, We Interpret and We Respond is Intra-personal Communication.

It is also Called “Self Talk” or “Self Communication” or “The Inner Speech” or “Mental Conversations” that we carry on with ourselves.

Examples: Thought Processes, Worry, Anxiety, Inner Monologue, Decision Making etc.

Inter-Personal Communication

The Word “Inter” means between and “Personal” means relating to Persons thus Inter-Personal Communication is a Communication that occurs between minimum Two Person.

It is a direct face to face Contact or Communication exists on a succession from Impersonal to Inter-Personal.

It conducts on the basis of Focused (Persons Sitting or Standing or sleeping face to face either Close or Distant and fully aware that they are communicating with each other and exchanging both verbal and non-verbal messages) and Unfocused (Usually is Set Off by Eye Contact) Interaction.

It’s also called “Daydic Communication” which involves minimum Two People.

Examples: One to One Talk, Telephonic Conversation, email, chat, Video chat, etc.

Three Stages of Inter-Personal Communication

The Phatic Stage: The initial exploratory Stage of Communication determines the course Conversation will take.

It begins with “Hi!” or “Hello! How are you?” or “Good Morning” or even a Simple “Namaste” or “AssalaamuAlaikum” etc. The accompanying gestures are the meeting of the Eyes, a smile, perhaps a Handshake and moving Closer to a talking distance.

The Conversation then may veer to talk further like “How’s Life?” “How are things with you?” “What’s the News?” etc.

The Phatic Stage is, therefore, a warming-up Time during which ritualized greetings are exchanged.

The Personal Stage: The Second Stage introduces a more personal element into the Conversation. Having moved on to this personal stage, we are likely to be willing to talk about personal matters such as one’s Profession, The Family, Health Problems and the Like.

If, on the other hand, we were hesitant to enter this stage, we would have broken off the Conversation at the Phatic Stage itself or continued talking in a formal manner. Professional discussions rarely go beyond the Personal stage.

The Intimate Stage: This Stage is reserved for Friends and Relatives.

The Degree of Intimacy depends upon the Closeness of the Relationship. To some we open our Hearts out Completely; To Others, though Good Friends, We are reluctant to Tell All.

Nevertheless, It’s a stage when social barriers fall and we are at ease; Inter-Personal Communication achieves its highest form in this mode, and words seem inadequate.

Robert Shuter says “In this Period, Communicators reveal their Innermost Thoughts and Feelings, their Fears and Joys, Weaknesses and Strengths”.

Group Communication

It is a Communication occurs between more than two or/and minimum Three Person. Three or more People (3-12) are considered a Small Group and Ideal Group Size is Five to Seven (5-7) People but these are not necessary criteria.

The Larger the Group the less personal and intimate is the possibility of exchange.

The degree of directness and intimacy depends upon the size of the group, the place where it meets, and also the relationship of the members of the group to one another, and to the group leader.

Group Communication is a more complex process than Inter-personal Communication.

As the Group grows in size communication tends to become more and more of a monologue, and participation becomes problematic. The level of Mutual Participation and understanding among the members suffers as a result.

In Inter-Personal Communication, Feedback is instantaneous, it is not so in Group Communication, especially in Large Group.

Types of Group

Primary Groups: This is the basic Social Unit to which we belong e.g. family.

Casual or Social Groups: It is in the company of adult friends, neighbors and others with whom we socialize.

Learning or Educational Groups: When we come together to teach or learn something about a given subject e.g. Seminars and Conferences etc.

Work Groups: Such types of Groups have specific goals to achieve, often within the context of a job.

Therapeutic Groups: These are Groups whose members come together to learn about themselves and to improve their Inter-Personal Relationships.

Public Communication

Public Communication tends to occur within a more formal and structured settings. It is different from small group Communication and Mass Communication.

In Public Communication, however, one or few person is designated as the speaker, and the rest are cast in the complementary role of listeners, or audience.

Public Communication occurs in “Public” rather than “Private” Places-that is in Classrooms, auditoriums, Conferences, Seminars, rather than in Homes, Offices, etc.

Public Communication is a “Pronounced Social Occasion” as opposed to a relatively informal, unstructured Occasion.

Mass Communication

The Imparting or Exchanging of information on a large scale to a wide range of People is called Mass Communication.

According to Wright (1975) “The Audience in Mass Communication is relatively Large, Heterogeneous and anonymous to the Source”. It occurs over great distances and the Experience is public and rapid.

Group Communication has now been extended by the tools of Mass Communication; Newspapers, Magazines, Books, Radio, Television, Cinema and the Internet, etc. Mass Communication is generally identified with these modern Mass Media, but it must be noted that these Media are Processes and must not be mistaken for the Phenomenon of Communication itself.

Many People in different places, at different times, can receive the same message. Feedback is Primarily absent at this level. Mass Communication is mostly One-way Communication.

Mass-Line Communication

The Mass-Line is the Political, Organizational and Leadership method developed by Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during the Chinese revolution.

Mao Zedong, who led the Chinese Cultural Revolutions, used a type of Communication to talk to the Masses. He termed it “Mass-Line Communication”.

Mass-line communication is the way in which Mao directed the Chinese government and the Communist Party to receive ideas from the masses (the general population of workers) and create policies that would fulfill their needs.

Mahatma Gandhi too employed a similar type of Communication, the essence of which was Personal Example, respect for the peasant’s Knowledge, and non-manipulative information.

The essential element of the mass-line is consulting the masses.

Kusum J. Singh’s comparison of the two leaders’ use of the mass-line type of Communication brings out the relevance of this type of grass-root level communication even today for mobilizing the masses in developmental efforts.

Extra-Personal Communication

Communication between human beings and non-human beings/entities is called extra personal Communication.

In this type of Communication, Understanding is required between Sender and receiver. Receiver responds in Sign Language.

Example: Your pet Dog responds your Greetings, Communication between Human and Robot/Machine.

Trans-Personal Communication

A Type of Communication Level in which Converses/Communicates with Spirits, or someone of a Higher Power; GOD (A Divine).

It is defined by a Core Sense of Individual awareness that extends to Connect with Elements of External Environments.

It is transcendent in its Holistic Approach towards bonding with multifaceted characteristics that surround both personal and Universal Spheres of Existence.

Trans-Personal Communication occurs within a Person's Spiritual Domain.