WHAT IS MEANS BY COMMUNICATION?

WHAT IS MEANS BY COMMUNICATION?

Communication is the activity of conveying information through the exchange of ideas, feelings, intentions, attitudes, expectations, perceptions or commands, as by speech, non-verbal gestures, writings, behavior, etc.  

This whole phenomenon can be explained as under.

1. Sender’s thoughts:-

The very first step in the process of communication is generation of thought in the sender’s mind. These thoughts may be about a request, order, inquiry production or any other such activity.

2. Encoding / Message:-

The thought generated in the mind of sender is ambiguous and unable to be communicated

unless it is put into a receivable form. This step is known as encoding where the sender converts his

thought into a message by means of a language. For example, a sender thinks about having a job. Now,

he will put his thought on a paper. That is called job application. In his way, his thought becomes a

message.

3. Transmission through media:-

Once a thought is converted into message, it should be transmitted to the receiver through a

suitable medium. This media might be electronic media as T.V., E-mail, radio etc. or it may be print

media like newspaper, magazines, letters or merely sound that is transmitted through the medium of

air.

4. Noise and Barriers:-

While transmitting the information to the receiver, the sender faces lots of barriers. These

noise and barriers are explained as under:

(i) On sender’s side:-  Noise and barriers may take place during the process of encoding.

Some of them may be caused by distraction, lack of concentration, typing mistake, poor

language etc.

(ii) In the medium:- Some barriers are caused by medium such as poor transmission on

T.V. and radio misprinting in newspapers etc.

(iii) On receiver’s side:- The receiver can also create certain barriers to the receiving of

message such as poor reading ability, emotions, lack of concentration etc.

5. Decoding by Receiver:-

Having received the message form the sender, the receiver attempts to understand and

interpret the message. This process of converting the language of message into thoughts is known as

decoding. For instance, the receiver, having received job application, reads the application and

understands the message conveyed by the applicant.

6. Idea Received:-

As soon as the process of decoding is finished, the idea given by the sender is received by

the receiver. It means the thought that was generated in the mind of sender has been transmitted to the mind of receiver. In our example, the sender wanted to inform the receiver about his thought of having

a job. Now the sender has got this idea.

7. Feed back:-

Process of communication is incomplete until the receiver responds to the sender. This

response may be negative, positive, or for further enquiry. It means when the receiver of job

application welcomes or regrets the sender, the process of communication is deemed to be complete.

This whole process can be depicted through the following diagram.

MINUTES OF A MEETING

How to Record Useful Meeting Minutes

Do your hands cramp up at the thought of recording meeting minutes? Do you question what information you should record and what you should leave out? You’re not alone. Most of us have sat through a meeting madly scribbling what we thought were minutes only to find out later that we’ve missed essential information or that the notes were never used.

Why Meeting Minutes Matter

Don’t give up, meeting minutes are important. They capture the essential information of a meeting – decisions and assigned actions. They keep attendees on track by reminding them of their role in a project and clearly define what happened in a group session. How many times have your colleagues been confused or in disagreement about what happened in a meeting? With minutes to refer to, everyone is clear.

What most people don’t know is that meeting minutes shouldn’t be an exact recording of everything that happened during a session. Minutes are meant to record basic information such as the actions assigned and decisions made. Then, they can be saved and used for reference or background material for future meetings relating to the same topic.

The following instructions will help you take useful and concise meeting minutes.

Before the Meeting

If you are recording the minutes, make sure you aren’t a major participant in the meeting. You can’t perform both tasks well.

Create a template for recording your meeting minutes and make sure you leave some blank space to record your notes. Include the following information:

 Date and time of the meeting

 The purpose of the meeting

 The meeting lead or chair’s name

 Assigned action items

 Decisions made

Before the meeting, gather as much information from the host as you can. Ask for a list of attendees, as well as some information on the purpose of the meeting. This way you won’t need to scramble to understand what’s going on while you’re recording notes.

Decide how you want to record your notes. If you aren’t comfortable relying on your pen and notepad, try using a tape recorder or, if you’re a fast typist, take a laptop to the meeting.

During the Meeting

As people enter the room, check off their names on your attendee list. Ask the meeting lead to introduce you to meeting attendees you aren’t familiar with. This will be helpful later when you are recording assigned tasks or decisions.

Don’t try to record notes verbatim – it’s not necessary. Minutes are meant to give an outline of what happened in the meeting, not a record of who said what. Focus on understanding what’s being discussed and on recording what’s been assigned or decided on.

Record action items and decisions in your template as they happen – don’t wait until after the meeting to pull those out of your notes or you could make a mistake. If you don’t understand exactly what decision has been made or what action has been assigned, ask the meeting lead to clarify.

After the Meeting                                          

Review the notes and add additional comments, or clarify what you didn’t understand right after the meeting. Do this while the information is fresh in everyone’s mind. Type your notes out in the template you created before the meeting – this will make the notes easier for everyone to read and use.

When you’re writing out your notes, use some of the following tips from the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP).

 Number the pages as you go so you aren’t confused later. Remember, though, that the minute-taker is responsible for providing good flow. Don’t force yourself to write the minutes in the actual chronological order of the discussion - it may not work.

 Focus on action items, not discussion. The purpose of minutes is to define decisions made and to record what actions are to be taken, by whom and when.

 Be objective. Write in the same tense throughout and avoid using people’s names except for motions or seconds. This is a business document, not about who said what.

 Avoid inflammatory or personal observations. The fewer adjectives or adverbs you use, the better. Dull writing is the key to appropriate minutes.

 If you need to refer to other documents, attach them in an appendix or indicate where they may be found. Don’t rewrite their intent or try to summarize them.

When you finish typing the minutes, ask the meeting lead to review the document for errors. Send the final copy of the minutes to attendees right away. Keep a copy of the notes (and the template) for yourself in case someone wants to review them later.

Recording meeting minutes ensures that the decisions and actions resulting from a meeting aren’t lost or forgotten. By taking the time to record proper meeting notes you’ll make sure the time and effort that goes into a meeting isn’t wasted.