What is Informal Communication ?
‘Informal Communication’ refers to the casual communication which happens between two employees as two individuals out of the business context. Due to its informal nature it can even be the communication happening between two people who belong to two different departments altogether.
Informal communication is considered good for the employee morale as it fosters a sense of belonging to the company. It also helps the employees in making friends, which makes the workplace livelier and adds to the fun factor in the daily work.
There are 4 common types of informal communication:
- Single strand: In this type, two people communicate and the topic being discussed ends once they get back to their work
- Probability chain: In this type, a message is passed on unknowingly between the communicating individuals
- Gossip chain: In this type, a message is passed on between the communicating individuals or group
- Cluster chain: In this type, an individual shares the message with a group who shares it with others individually.