Communication is a process of transferring information from one entity to another.

Communication
processes are sign-mediated interactions between at least two agents which share a repertoire of signs
and semiotic rules. Communication is commonly defined as "the imparting or interchange of thoughts,
opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs". Communication can be perceived as a two-way
process in which there is an exchange and progression of thoughts, feelings or ideas towards a
mutually accepted goal or direction.
Types of communication
1. Dialogue or verbal communication
A dialogue is a reciprocal conversation between two or more entities. The etymological origins of the
word (in Greek (di,through) + (logos, word,speech) concepts like flowing-through meaning)
do not necessarily convey the way in which people have come to use the word, with some confusion
between the prefix -(di-,through) and the prefix - (di-, two) leading to the assumption that a
dialogue is necessarily between only two parties.
2. Nonverbal communication
Nonverbal communication is the process of communicating through sending and receiving wordless
messages. Such messages can be communicated through gesture, body language or posture; facial
expression and eye contact, object communication such as clothing, hairstyles or even architecture, or
symbols and infographics, as well as through an aggregate of the above, such as behavioral
communication. Nonverbal communication plays a key role in every person's day to day life, from
employment to romantic engagements.
Speech may also contain nonverbal elements known as paralanguage, including voice quality, emotion
and speaking style, as well as prosodic features such as rhythm, intonation and stress. Likewise,
written texts have nonverbal elements such as handwriting style, spatial arrangement of words, or the
use of emoticons.A portmanteau of the English words emotion (or emote) and icon, an emoticon is a
symbol or combination of symbols used to convey emotional content in written or message form.
Other communication channels such as telegraphy fit into this category, whereby signals travel from
person to person by an alternative means. These signals can in themselves be representative of words,
objects or merely be state projections. Trials have shown that humans can communicate directly in this
way without body language, voice tonality or words.
3. Visual communication
Visual communication as the name suggests is communication through visual aid. It is the conveyance
of ideas and information in forms that can be read or looked upon. Primarily associated with two
dimensional images, it includes: signs, typography, drawing, graphic design, illustration, colour and
electronic resources. It solely relies on vision. It is form of communication with visual effect. It
explores the idea that a visual message with text has a greater power to inform, educate or persuade a
person. It is communication by presenting information through visual form.
The evaluation of a good visual design is based on measuring comprehension by the audience, not on
aesthetic or artistic preference. There are no universally agreed-upon principles of beauty and ugliness.
There exists a variety of ways to present information visually, like gestures, body languages, video and
TV. Here, focus is on the presentation of text, pictures, diagrams, photos, et cetera, integrated on a
computer display. The term visual presentation is used to refer to the actual presentation of
information. Recent research in the field has focused on web design and graphically oriented usability.
Graphic designers use methods of visual communication in their professional practice.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication
Communication Process:
In general, communication is how people exchange meaningful information. Models that reflect how
communication occurs often include the elements shown below:

For communication to occur there must be at least two participants:

Message Source The source of communication is the party intending to convey information
to another party. The message source can be an individual (e.g., salesperson) or an organization (e.g.,
through advertising). In order to convey a message, the source must engage in message encoding,
which involves mental and physical processes necessary to construct a message in order to reach a
desired goal (i.e., convey meaningful information). This undertaking consists of using sensory stimuli,
such as visuals (e.g., words, symbols, images), sounds (e.g., spoken word), and scents (e.g., fragrance)
to convey a message.

Message Receiver The receiver of communication is the intended target of a message

sources efforts. For a message to be understood the receiver must decode the message by undertaking
mental and physical processes necessary to give meaning to the message. Clearly, a message can only
be decoded if the receiver is actually exposed to the message.
Communication Delivery
Communication takes place in the form of a message that is exchanged between a source and receiver.
A message can be shaped using one or a combination of sensory stimuli that work together to convey
meaning that meets the objectives of the sender. The sender uses a transmission medium to send the
message. In marketing the medium may include the use of different media outlets (e.g., Internet,
television, radio, print), promotion-only outlets (e.g., postal mail, billboards), and person-to-person
contact (e.g., salespeople).
Additionally, communication can be improved if there is a two-way flow of information in the form of
a feedback channel. This occurs if the message receiver is able to respond, often quickly, to the
message source. In this way, the original message receiver now becomes the message source and the
communication process begins again.

Barriers to Communication
No matter how good and effective a communicator one maybe, yet the fact is that one does face
certain barriers, from time to time, which forces them to work on becoming even more effective in
their skills to communicate. Given here are the communication barriers that occur while listening,
speaking and in the case of non-verbal communications...
Listening barriers:
Interrupting the speaker
Not maintaining eye contact with the speaker
Rushing the speaker to complete what he/she has to say
Making the speaker feel as though he/she is wasting the listener's time
Being distracted by something that is not part of the on going communication
Getting ahead of the speaker and completing his/her thoughts
Ignoring the speaker's requests
Topping the speaker's story with one's own set of examples
Forgetting what is being discussed
Asking too many questions, for they sake of probing
Barriers while speaking:
Unclear messages
Lack of consistency in the communication process
Incomplete sentences
Not understanding the receiver
Not seeking clarifications while communicating
The other barriers include:
An individual's subjective viewpoint towards issues/people, which leads to assumptions.
An emotional block, which can lead to an attitude of indifference, suspicion or hostility towards the
subject.
An emotional block or bias that is based on a third party's view point, or on what you have read/heard.
Words can have different meanings to different people, thus blocking communication.
Use of negative words
Source: http://www.communicationskills.co.in/communication-barriers.htm

You are the sales manager of Bombay

Trading House. Write a letter to your
trading partner apologising for the
delay in sending the consignment of
shoes to him. Also give the reasons
and the next schedule for the delivery.