Functions of Communications

i) Information function: The basic requirement of adapting and adjusting oneself to the environment is information. There must be some information about what is going on in the environment which concerns the people. The receiving or giving of information underlines all communication functions, either directly or indirectly.ii) Command or instructive function:Those who are hierarchically superior in the family, society or organization, often initiate communication either for the purpose of informing their subordinates or for the purpose of telling them, what to do, how to do when to do etc.

The command and instructive functions of communication are more observable in formal organizations than in informal organizations.iii) Influence or persuasive function:According to Berlo (1960), the sole purpose of communication is to influence people. Persuasive function of communication i.e. to induce people is extremely important for extension in changing their behavior in the desirable direction.

iv) Integrative function:A major function of communication is integration or of continuously offsetting any disintegration at the interpersonal or at the organizational level. This helps in maintaining individual, societal or organizational stability and identity.Communication caters to 'change'. It is through the involvement with and the development of communication that, along the periods of ages, human beings evolved from the caves of the Stone Age to the present world of sophistication and glamour. The changes brought about by communication to the human society can be explained with reference to the functions of communication propounded by Seal MacBride.INFORMATION: The accessibility to the information brought about by communication helps in changing the society.

When people are informed about the on-going problems of the world, the society can change to make them stronger to fight those menaces. SOCIALIZATION: Communication can help people socialize and come together in a common platform understanding and helping one another in times of need realizing the common ground of similarity we share being humans. Socialization can be possible only through communication. MOTIVATION: Societies can change for the better, if the change is brought about by the motivation that we get through communication. The motivation is for betterment, for achievement and harmony.

DISCUSSION AND DEBATE: The fact that communication allows us to discuss and debate an issue holds extremely important, for, by doing so we can resolve any politician or social issue for the betterment of the society. EDUCTION: Education is the backbone of the society. The development and the social and economic status is very much determined by the level of education that the citizens of the country have been able to acquire. This can pave the way to the social advancement and economic self-sufficiency. CULTURAL PROMOTION: Communication also helps people to be informed about the different cultural varieties that countries and the world enjoys. Knowing and understanding them can help us understand one another in the common frame of reference as humans and live with peace and prosperity.

Communication, thus, is and exclusive ladder to reach the ultimate destination, the destination being, the societal harmony and peace.The levels of communication are the following.. 1) INTRAPERSONAL COMMUNICATION- is language use or thought internal to the communicator.

Intrapersonal communication is the active internal involvement of the individual in symbolic processing of messages. The individual becomes his or her own sender and receiver, providing feedback to him or herself in an ongoing internal process. It can be useful to envision intrapersonal communication occurring in the mind of the individual in a model which contains a sender, receiver, and feedback loop. Intrapersonal communication can encompass:Day-dreaming Nocturnal dreaming, including and especially lucid dreaming Sense-making (see Karl Weick) e.

g. interpreting maps, texts, signs, and symbols Interpreting non-verbal communication (see Albert Mehrabian) e.g. gestures, eye contact Communication between body parts; e.g.

"My stomach is telling me it's time for lunch." 2.) INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION-Interpersonal communication is defined by communication scholars in numerous ways, though most definitions involve participants who are interdependent on one another, have a shared history. Communication channels are the medium chosen to convey the message from sender to receiver. Communication channels can be categorized into two main categories: Direct and Indirect channels of communication. Channels means mode of communicating the messages.

Initiating: Declaring one's conversational intent and inviting consent from one's prospective conversation partner Turn-taking: Managing the flow of information back and forth between partners in a conversation by alternating roles of speaker and listener Interpersonal communication is the subject of a number of disciplines in the field of psychology, notably Transactional analysis. 3.) GROUP COMMUNICATION- refers to the nature of communication that occurs in groups that are between 3 and 12 individuals. Small group communication generally takes place in a context that mixes interpersonal communication interactions with social clustering.

4.) PUBLIC COMMUNICATION- It's at the heart of our economy, society, and politics. Studios use it to promote their films. Politicians use it to get elected.

Businesses use it to burnish their image. Advocates use it to promote social causes. It's a field built on ideas and images, persuasion and information, strategy and tactics. No policy or product can succeed without a smart message targeted to the right audience in creative and innovative ways.

Models of Communication Linear Model The linear model views communication as a one-way or linear process in which the speaker speaks and the listener listens. Laswell’s (1948) model was based on the five questions below, which effectively describe how communication works:Interactive Model The main flaw in the linear model is that it depicts communication as a one-way process where speakers only speak and never listen. It also implies that listeners listen and never speak or send messages. Schramm (1955) in Wood (2009) came out with a more interactive model that saw the receiver or listener providing feedback to the sender or speaker. The speaker or sender of the message also listens to the feedback given by the receiver or listener.

Both the speaker and the listener take turns to speak and listen to each other. Feedback is given either verbally or non-verbally, or in both ways.Transactional Model The main drawback in the interactive model is that it does not indicate that communicators can both send and receive messages simultaneously. This model also fails to show that communication is a dynamic process which changes over time.

The transactional model shows that the elements in communication are interdependent. Each person in the communication act is both a speaker and a listener, and can be simultaneously sending and receiving messages. There are three implications in the transactional model:i. “Transactional” means that communication is an ongoing and continuously changing process. You are changing, the people with whom you arecommunicatingare changing, and your environment is also continually changing as well. ii.

In any transactional process, each element exists in relation to all the other elements. There is this interdependence where there can be no source without a receiver and no message without a source. iii. Each person in the communication process reacts depending on factors such as their background, prior experiences, attitudes, cultural beliefs and self-esteem.