Introduction All organizations operating in the world have a communication system regardless of their size, location, ownership and other factors differentiating them. Communication is, therefore, an essential tool in the organization. This is because of the fact that organizations are primarily made up of people who have to communicate to each other to ensure the smooth running of the operations and fulfillment of organizational goals and objectives (Boyaci, 2007, p.13). Due to this, communication is among the top management principles of any organization. Through communication, all the other systems of the organization can be well monitored and run. It is true to say that communication is the backbone of any organization since without it the top management will not be able to delegate duties, the workers will not be in a position to know what they are obliged to do in time, changes in the organization will not be known and also the organization will not be able to understand what their competitors are doing. An organization that has an effective way of communicating to both its internal and external environment is usually highly performing and successful compared to those organizations with sparse communication networks. This paper looks at ways of effective communication putting into consideration factors that influence effective communication in an organization (Hargie, 2000, p.98). Communication in organizations Communication is essentially the process by which information is transferred from the source to the desired actual recipient(s) through a medium. The medium is the route by which the message is transmitted. Once the receiver of the information gets the message, they are bound to give feedback or act to the message given. There are various forms of communication within an organization, and each organization will use the kind of communication that suits them best. Whichever type of communication used is not an issue so long as the information gets to the right recipient and at the correct time (Kondrat, 2009, p.1). The primary forms of communication found in an organization include:  1. Formal communication  2. Informal communication Formal communication is also sometimes known as the written communication, and it entails passing of information from the authorities to the subordinates and vice versa through defined channels of communication. The major examples of formal communication within an organization include the internal memorandums, Resignation and promotion letters to mention but a few. This form of communication is highly dependable since there is proof is communication and also due to the fact that the information only reaches the desired recipients only (Kondrat.2009, p.1). On the other hand, informal communication entails passing of information from one point to the next but with no defined channels of communication. The most common example is the verbal communication where one can give information randomly among the people in the organization. This type of connection is not the best as there are very high chances of leakage of information hence reaching people who were not the desired recipients of the data (Hargie, 2000, p.98). The flow of communication in organizations Communication in organizations flows in three significant directions namely:   * Upward communication   * Downward communication   * Lateral / Horizontal co