ABSTRACT
From time immemorial, communication has been the means whereby living things pass information or correspondence to one another.
In this project, an attempt has been made to give concisely, the essentials of good communication, though, it is hoped that the main purpose in writer’s mind on this topic is to enlighten people in the approach of communication that produce more reaction and better response to the message. The importance of communication to the secretary is to be conscious of the vital importance of communication to the desired message in appropriate form.
In other words, secretaries are needed in every type of organisation or office in carrying out responsibilities. One of these responsibilities is the use of effective communication in the organisation; there would not be an abundant flow of information for decision making. Further more, if a form of communication is being used correctly, there should be a desirable feedback. However, when there is a breakdown or any interference in communication, the communication tend to be in effective. For any management to function and succeed in their undertakings there must be a competent secretary with good qualities who is able to make an effective and efficient use of communication.
The function of a secretary under life’s process, because of the need of the effective communication. Management spend their time to make sure that any secretary employed on a well organisation should at least know much about communication process so much so that a manager’s effectiveness cannot be improved without the knowledge of his secretary.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page
Certification
Dedication
Acknowledgment
Abstract
Table of Contents
Chapter One
1.0 Introduction
1.1 What is communication?
1.2 Importance of communication to the secretary function
1.3 Basic rules of Effective communication to the
secretary function
1.4 Barriers of Effective communication
1.5 Solution to Effective communication problems
1.6 Background to the case study
Chapter Two:
2.0 Literature Review
2.1 Secretary’s Opinion
2.2 Law backing the duties of a secretary
2.3 Personal Attributes
Chapter Three
3.0 Channels of communication
3.1 Effective Communication Diagram
3.2 Types of communication
3.3 Sources of Information
Chapter Four
4.0 Methodology and Research Design
4.1 Research Question
4.2 Sample and Sampling technique
4.3 Research Instrument
4.4 Administration and collection of Research Instrument
4.5 Method of Data Analysis
4.6 Data Presentation and Discussions
Chapter Five
5.0 Summary and Conclusion
5.1 Recommendations
QUESTIONNAIRE
REFERENCES
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Communication has been
the means whereby living thing pass information to one another. It is also the
hit blood of any organisation because, without communication no organisation
can exist.
Secretaries are needed
in any type of organisation or office to assist managers (middle management and
the executive) (top management level) in carrying out their responsibilities
and one of those responsibilities is the use of effective communication in the
organisation. Without secretaries, the use of communication and rapid flow of
information will not be abundant for decision making.
Further more, if
communication is accordingly it will elicit a feedback, but when there is a
breakdown or any interference in communication, it tends to be ineffective thus:
any institution may not function and succeed in her undertaking unless, it
engages the services of a competent secretary with good qualities who is able
to make an effective and efficient use of good communication systems. For
instance, if any of method could be used to describe the function or duties of
a secretary, it would be by communication. Therefore, we can see that
communication is a life-long process in every organisation. The need for
effective communication was borne out of the management desire to train secretary,
spend their time and energy over the years to make sure that any secretary
employed in a well organized business should at least have a four grade in
communication courses, most especially in English Language.
1.1 WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?
The word “Communication”
is derive form the Latin and French words “Communicate” meaning “to share”
while from the French word “comnia” means “common” one can see from these that
we communicate with people with whom we
have something to share. It involves the act of passing information with
oneself (interpersonal) communication, to somebody and receiving a reply
(feedback) as it relates to earlier information. The person giving the
information (originator) tries to motivate or guide or organize people to do
their work. This can only be achieved through the spoken or written words.
In the olden days,
prior to the development in technology, communication was carried out in
primitive forms, town crises more mainly used as sources of communication or
announcement to the people and other forms of primitive system of
communication. As the time passed on, there was development in technology and
therefore, the scope of communication has to be widened by making ways for
modernized process of communication.
Therefore, these are
several definitions of communication from difference authors. According to
Wilbur (1954) he defined communication as an act of establishing contact
between sender and receiver with the help of a message encoded and by the
sender and receiver and decoded by the receiver.
According to Peter
Little: Communication is the process by which information is passed between
individual or organisation by means of previously agreed symbols.
I essence,
communication is the passing of information between two or more people within
or outside the organization.
1.2 IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION TO THE SECRETARIES FUNCTION
Communication is a two
way process of impacting information to others and attending to information
received. A high degree of skill and care are needed in communicating with
people effectively.
Misunderstandings are
common and a determined attempt is needed to cutdown the possibilities of
mistakes. However, before communicating, consideration should be given to the
method of transmitting the language and tone of the message, then the attribute
of both the message sender and the receiver. The right approach produced by
communication is more positive reaction and a better response to the message.
1.3 BASIC RULES OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION TO
SECRETARIES FUNCTION
In order to make
selected means of communication effective, the following rules must be
observed:
a. The importance party in the
communication is the recipient, and not the communicator or the originator of
the message. It is what the recipient thinks that matters, therefore, you must
used words that can be easily understood by your recipient to avoid
communication breakdown.
b. The correct form of communication must
be used. A memorandum is appropriate to draw the attention of others to small
points that have reasons.
c. The timing of affect the response.
Thus, matter must be raised at a very wrong time especially when your boss is
in annoyance, so that he may not transfer the aggression to you.
1.4 BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
There
are numerous barriers to effective communication and some of the most important
ones are discussed here.
a. Emotional
Reaction: Fear and other emotional reaction such as anger, defensiveness,
loved, hatred can influence the communication message, how we understand
other’s message and how news are passed on, which is almost certain to upset
the recipient.
b. Verbal
Difficulties: These are frequent
source of confusion and misunderstanding. These arise due to share lack of
fluency on the part of the sender, or because of jargon, specific application
of word in technical and professional (contexts), or perhaps because of
pitching the message at too high a level of understanding. In terms of written
word, barriers are usually connected with long-wideness, i.e. a failure to
strike the point and be concise.
c. Physical
Condition: Interpretation occurs all
too often while communicating. Anything that interferes with sender messages
are distractions and noisy environment. In organisation, these form the major
cause of breakdown in communication.
d. Prejudice:
It is also an important of communication barriers. A communicator may not
succeed in communicating, if he is not audible enough for his audience to grasp
whatever information he is passing across to them. Likewise, unattractiveness,
that is, when the receiver is not paying adequate attention on the message
being given affects communication.
e. Badly
expressed message: Meaningful groups
of family words work together to form meaningful sentences. The writer should
ask himself how will does the word stick together? Does it progress in logical
pattern? A confused, careless or disorderly writer puts the burden on the
reader to re-organize the materials but this not always the case, as most
reader will pass it by, as a helpless message.
f. Over
Communication: For much of information may be transmitted to a listener at
one time so that, he cannot absorb it in an organized fashion. As a result, the
entire message being conveyed may be a failure.
1.5 SOLUTION TO COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS
There are certain factors
that make communication in effectiveness and in order to achieve effective
communication which is the main reason for communicating certain things, the
underlisted must be put into consideration. As message ought to be will
prepared, will written and attracting presented, to promote better
understanding, the encoder should think through the idea before saying or
written it.
Clarity of the ideas
must ensure that each message:
i. Has specific purpose
ii. Provide all necessary information and
iii. It is organized in a logical way to
ensure clear and specific rather than vague, confusing communication.
The communication
should consider the use of T”C”S”, the following ought to be observed.
i. Clarity:
Communication either written or oral must be clear and unambiguous, for the
reader to read the correct meaning.
ii. Consciousness:
The communicator should come to the point at once, should pin-point the
importance the importance features of the matter being discussed.
iii. Correctness:
All necessary detail must be
correct.
iv. Consistency:
Some part of the write-up must not contradict the other part. Therefore,
there must be coherence in the write-up.
v. Complete:
Every information that need to
appear must be fully discussed.
vi. Courtesy:
The tone of expression of any form
of communication must be polite and considerate.
vii. Concreteness:
Misrepresentation, breach of trust
and libel must be avoided. It is unwise to write confidently about thing you
are not sure of.
During communication,
the language used must be related to the knowledge and intellectual ability of the recipients
since the value of communication will be related if it exhibit verbosity and
lack of objectivity. Physical barriers in the office can affect the easy flow
of communication. Sitting arrangement in the office should be properly planned
to facilitate better communication flow.
Organisation head
endeavour create permissive atmosphere in the flow of subordinate to
participate in management activities. This will lead to co-ordination, increase
in moral, and achievements of organizational goals.
1.6 BACKGROUND OF THE CASE STUDY
The Polytechnic,
Ibadan was established in 1970, as a successor to the Erstwhile Technical
College, Ibadan. This come into effect by the amendment to the principal Edict of
the Polytechnic, which came into force on 17th March, 1971. The
Polytechnic, Ibadan has been headed by different Rectors.
The Polytechnic,
Ibadan has four satellite campuses. They took off during 1981/82 session and
were sited at Eruwa, Saki, Iree and Esa-Oke. Each of the campuses is headed by
Director who is responsible to the Rector for the administration of the campus.
However, with the creation of Osun State in 1991, the campuses at Iree and
Esa-Oke had become the properties of Osun State Government.
Since 1975/76 academic
session, The Polytechnic, Ibadan has been operating the faculties namely:
Business and Communication Studies, Environmental Studies, Management and Financial
Studies, Engineering and Science which run National Diploma and Higher National
Diploma programme respectively.
Eruwa campus was sited
at the headquarter of Ibarapa East Local Government of Oyo State that is,
Eruwa. The campus was finally known as Eruwa satellite until 1991, when it was
re-named Adeseun Ogundoyin to honour Chief Adeseun Ogundoyin after his death
for what he had contributed to the development of the campus in particular,
education in general.
The campus runs National
Diploma courses in the following areas: Arts and Design, Business Studies, Mass
Communication, Engineering, Computer Science and Maths and Statistics.
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