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Informal Communication

Informal communication is casual communication between coworkers in the workplace. It is unofficial in nature and is based in the informal, social relationships that are formed in a workplace outside of the normal hierarchy of business structure. That is why informal business communication can take place between the CEO and an hourly worker. This type of communication is important in the workplace as it can help with employee morale and can encourage the feeling of belonging for the employees as well as a client or customer.
 
There are four different types of informal communication:
  1. Single Strand: One person communicates with one person and then they go and communicate with another one person. Communication is traveling from one person to another one person.
  2. Gossip Chain: Group conversation where everyone is talking to each other informally.
  3. Probability Chain: Each individual randomly tells another individual the same message.
  4. Cluster Chain: One person shares information with a group of selected individuals and in turn each of those individuals shares that information with others.
All of these different types of informal communication are all about how information flows between employees outside of a professional and formal meeting scenario.