Different Types of Communication

Different Types of Communication

There are different types of communication that we usually use for sharing and/or exchanging information as well as maintaining a healthy relationship with our near and dear ones in our everyday life. There are mainly two types of communication – (i) Verbal communication, and (ii) Non-verbal communication. The verbal communication also has three sub-categories – (i) Oral communication, (ii) Written communication, and (iii) Visual communication.  It is important to note that though there are various types of communication, more than one may take place at any time. Let us now briefly discuss the different types of communication, and see how they take place in our daily life. 

Verbal communication:

Verbal means talking to each other. This is the most common type of communication that we all have been practicing since the day of our appearance in this world. Face-to-face conversation, telephonic conversation, and communication through electronic media such as radio, television and/or other electronic media are considered a verbal communication. We can, however, categorize verbal communication into three main categories, oral communication, written communication, and visual communication. Let us now focus on these three main categories.

Oral communication:

Oral communication is the most important part of verbal communication. It occurs when communication between two or more parties takes place verbally with words. However, in a face to face communication a person does not communicate only through words. His whole personality — his general bearing, facial expression, eye contact, posture and gestures — is involved in this process. It is easier for a neatly dressed man with pleasant personality to establish a rapport with others and to win the hearts of the people around him. Remember that once you are able to arrest the attention of others, you have won more than half of the battle. In fact, skill in oral communication is an important equipment in life. The advice given by Shakespeare more than 350 years ago is still valuable and worth remembering:

Mend your speech a little,

Lest it may mar your fortune.

Written communication:

Writing is also one of the most powerful types of communication. If you lose your ability to speak and/or fail to communicate with people using your mouth and tongue, writing is the most effective alternative for you to communicating with others. You can write anything on any topic, and thus you can express yourself to others. It will help you tell others of what is in your thoughts and what is in your mind, and let them understand you well by reading your writings. Written communication happens while writing books, magazines, emails, letters, memos, the Internet, print media, and/or any other form of document writing. Remember that most of the communication under this category is very official and precise.

Visual communication:

Visual communication occurs when you present and explain something with the help of any visual aids such as maps, pictures, signboards, charts, logos, motion pictures, slide pictures, projectors, and a blackboard. When you use visual aids to make your presentation more effective, the audiences usually feel stimulated and take more interest in what is being presented. Your explanation with the use of a visual aid can become more vivid and easily understandable. But you should remember that too many uses of visual aids may affect your goal.

Non-verbal or non-linguistic communication.

A number of non-verbal or non-linguistic clues play an important role in communication. When we meet a stranger whom we do not know but with whom we have to work together, we try to get our first impressions about him by careful observation of his appearance, his physical bearing, his body movements, expressions in his face, and the way of his wearing dress. Though these characteristics may not give us accurate idea about the person, they are important as they influence our understanding of what he says, and thus affect our reaction to it.

Non-verbal communication is mostly body language such as posture, gesture and eye contact. Sometimes, we can guess what a person is trying to say and/or how he/she is feeling by observing his appearance and facial expressions. We can also guess the mood of a person by the careful observation of his appearance, facial expressions and physical bearing. In fact, facial expressions are very important to determine one's mental condition and/or mood. There is a saying that face is the index of mind. In fact, the face is the first thing we notice in a person, and the facial muscles convey most of the human expressions.

It is important to note that non-verbal communication is not the substitute for verbal communication. Rather, it merely supplements and strengthens what we say. There are, however, occasions when non-verbal clues may give us false ideas about the thing and person. For instance, a little, untidily dressed person can create a poor impression at the first sight, but he may later prove himself to be an attention-grabbing and conversant interlocutor.

However, all types of communication mentioned above are used throughout the world to exchange and/or share information, and to form a streamline of effective communication. So, it matters little how you express yourself through communication. What is the most important thing is to convey your message to another and make him/her understand what you want to say. That is to say, mutual understanding is the most important thing in communication. Expressing oneself in a healthy manner can help upgrade one's self-esteem in many ways. So, always try to be yourself and let others evaluate you as you are actually.