Informal communication: how it differs from formal communication

Both informal communication and formal communication take place in any organization, be it business or our personal family life. But we have to recognize the difference.

Informal communication is casual and spontaneous, while formal communication is more thought out and prepared from learned experiences or organized training that presents rules and conventions authorized by business and formal etiquette.

Informal communication comes from communication activities outside of those formally learned at home through discipline, or at school through education, or in business through our own personal experiences and formal training.

It falls within the social communication of gossip and rumors, casual conversations, and interrelational activities outside of formal or public arenas.

We don’t behave the same way at work as we do at home or at play. I always say that people are at their best at work. We don’t really know someone until we’ve hung out with them outside of work for a few days, or even a few hours, with a few people.

Informal communication may not be as binding as formal communication where greater accountability is expected. In an organizational environment, such as business, associations, and the like, communication is connected to the official status quo or protocols of the formal channels of structure and culture that the line of manager/subordinate reporting system is expected to accept.

To understand informal communication, we must understand formal communication and then realize that informal communication is communication that takes place without the addition of formal conventions and ceremonies.

In business, the different forms of formal communication include departmental functionality, activities that take place in meetings and conferences, verbal and written communication over the phone, memos and newsletters, etc.

It is also safe to recognize that informal communication can be vulnerable to being misleading and inaccurate in its chance, conscious or unconscious. In a formal setting, people take the time to recognize the consequences of passing on any incorrect or incomplete information. But in an informal environment, the quality of communication can be affected by the most relaxed or careless attitude or behavior.

However, both formal and informal communication are found in an organization, depending on the level of business experience and training one possesses in their personal life. An organization can make efficient use of informal communication by confirming and affirming what is being communicated by the untrained or less-trained individual.

Informal communication, like formal communication, can be expressed verbally or non-verbally through words, tone of voice, signs such as looks and gestures, and even silence. For the purpose of effective communication, one needs to identify and affirm anything that can be communicated, if one is not sure of the true meaning behind the communicator./dmh