Question 5 OR part iv
Formal and informal communication distinguished (short note)
5 marks
- Time to write
- About 10 minutes
From an older CBCS paper
Question
Question 5 OR part iv · 5 marksWrite notes on any three from the following: 5×3
- Distinction between Formal and Informal Communication.
Reworded from the university paper; the task is the same. The original paper belongs to the University of Delhi. See DU's question bank.
Before you write
Read off the question and its marks
Read from the question
- any threeThe paper asks for any 3, and this is one of them. Only 3 are marked: a fourth earns nothing.
- DistinctionSet the differences out in a table, basis by basis, not as two separate essays.
- notes onA note opens with the meaning, then two or three key points. No long introduction.
Write it in this order
- Read; underline the asks; jot your points 1 min
- 1 Meaning of formal communication 1 mark 1 min
- 2 Meaning of informal communication 1 mark 1 min
- 3 Points of distinction, with example 3 marks 6 min
- Check: every ask answered, key terms underlined 1 min
Easy marks
- Meaning of formal communication (step 1, 1 mark): a definition in one or two lines. It opens the answer, so it takes a minute or two.
- Meaning of informal communication (step 2, 1 mark): a definition in one or two lines. A minute or two.
Short on time? Cut step 3 short rather than leave anything out.
Try it first. About 10 minutes for 5 marks. Write it out, then open the solution.
Solution
Hover or tap a marked figure, like 72,000, to see how it is made and where else it appears.
Formal communication uses the official routes marked out in the organisation chart, and it is deliberately created to carry information in an orderly, systematic way to the points that need it. Its direction is the easiest way to sort it. Horizontal communication links departments: the purchase head of a Chennai two-wheeler maker agreeing a supplier's dispatch dates with the head of stores is an instance. Vertical communication runs up or down the chain: a sales executive's monthly report on targets goes upward to the regional manager, while the regional manager's circular on a new discount policy goes downward. It can link a superior with a subordinate or people of the same grade, and it may be spoken or written, though it is normally put on record and filed.
Informal communication, the grapevine, ignores the official lines and moves in any direction, whatever the rank of the people involved. It exists because employees want to share views that the formal channels cannot carry: a message forwarded round an office WhatsApp group that the Pune branch is to be merged is a typical case. News of this kind moves quickly, but it is sometimes twisted on the way, and it is very hard to find out where it started.
Formal and informal communication distinguished
| Basis | Formal communication | Informal communication |
|---|---|---|
| Reliability | Systematic and orderly | Erratic, sometimes distorted, and carries rumours; responsibility for a distorted message cannot be fixed |
| Origin | Created deliberately by the organisation | Arises from social forces at the workplace, not from official action |
| Speed | Slower than the grapevine | Faster and more flexible |
| Channel | Follows the official lines shown in the organisation chart | Ignores the lines of authority and spreads in all directions |
| Record | Usually recorded and filed | Unofficial and unrecorded |
The points rest on the study texts. Neither channel replaces the other; both operate in every organisation at once. The official one speaks through orders, memos and circulars, the unofficial one mostly through hearsay passed on quietly, so a manager has to be able to deal with each. A sensible manager uses the grapevine's speed, for example to sense workers' reactions before announcing a new shift pattern at a Ludhiana bicycle plant, while keeping the official circular as the authoritative word.
Where the 5 marks sit
| # | Component | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meaning of formal communication | 1 |
| 2 | Meaning of informal communication | 1 |
| 3 | Points of distinction, with example | 3 |
| Total | 5 |
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