The Process of Communication

The Process of Communication

The Communication Process

Communication is a two-way process that results in a shared meaning or common understanding between the sender and the receiver. An understanding of how communication works can help us to understand and improve our communication. The elements of communication enable us to understand how communication works. The basic communication model consists of five elements of communication: the sender, the receiver, the message, the channel and feedback.  However, it is not sufficient to have just all these elements; there should be cooperation and understanding between the two parties involved. It is important to have a common frame of reference or context for successful and meaningful communication, e.g. a common language or common interpretation of a gesture.

Essentially communication involves the sender or the communicator and the receiver. Both should necessarily share a mutually accepted code e.g. a common language. The context in
which the communication takes place is called the “communication environment”. The content
of the code is sent in a certain medium (oral, written or non-verbal) using channels (air, mikes,
body, pictures, text, etc.) in the form of encoded messages. The “code” is not restricted to only
language; it may also involve the use of costumes, gestures, colors among other things.

Figure: The communication process

The process of communication can be described in the following manner:

The sender sends a “message” using a “medium” and a “channel” to the “receiver”. The message arrives in the sensory world of the receiver. The receiver’s brain filters the message on the basis of his/her knowledge, emotions, attitudes, and biases and gives the message a unique meaning. This meaning may trigger a response which the mind of the receiver forms. The receiver encodes his/her response and sends it across as “feedback” into the sensory world of the sender. This completes one cycle of communication and the process continues in a cyclic manner, i.e. cycle after cycle, as long as the people involved care to communicate.

1.5.1 Source

This is the originating point of any communication act. It is the source who gets the urge that necessitates communication for the purpose of satisfying that urge. The stronger the stimulus or the urge the greater is the need to communicate. The greater the need to communicate, the more the need is for effectiveness. The source is also referred to as the sender, or encoder

Encoding is the process of putting ones thoughts into words.

Encoder is the person who translates his/her thoughts into meaningful words.

1.5.2 Receiver

The receiver means the party to whom the sender transmits the message. A receiver can be one person or an entire audience of people. A receiver is the eventual recipient of the message. The receiver is also the decoder of the message. Decoding of a message is as integral to communication as encoding it.

1.5.3 Decoding is the process of giving meaning to the encoded message. It can also be referred to as extracting the embedded meaning or interpreting what was encoded by the sender. The ability of the receiver in decoding the message correctly is decisive in understanding the message in its holistic sense.

1.5.4 Noise/ Barriers

Anything that is competing the source’s and the receivers’ attention is called noise. Barriers to communication are the factors that contribute towards the total or partial loss or failure of the communication. In simple terms they can be referred to as those features that act as blocks to the desired outcome of any communication process. They are many and very multidimensional in nature. Noise can be internal or external.

a) Internal: Noise that is coming from within the interlocutors such as a headache, anger, stress, e.t.c
b) External noise: Noise from the environment such as; cars passing, children shouting, siren from an ambulance e.t.c.

1.5.5 Message

The message is the most crucial element of effective communication. A message can come in many different forms, such as an oral presentation, a written document, an advertisement or just a comment. The message is not necessarily what the sender intends it to be. Rather, the message is what the receiver perceives the message to be. As a result, the sender must not only compose the message carefully, but also evaluate the ways in which the message can be interpreted.

1.5.6 Channel

The message travels from one point to another via a channel of communication. The channel sits between the sender and receiver. There are many channels, or types, of communication channels for example, from the spoken word to radio, television, an Internet site or something written, like a book, letter or magazine.

Every channel of communication has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, one disadvantage of the written word, on a computer screen or in a book, is that the receiver cannot evaluate the tone of the message. For this reason, effective communicators word written communications clearly so they don't rely on a specific tone of voice to convey the message accurately. The advantages of television as a channel for communication include its expansive reach to a wide audience and the sender's ability to further manipulate the message using editing
and special effects.

1.5.7 Feedback

The last element of effective communication is feedback. This is the response from the receiver and later the source. Feedback is the receiver's response or reaction to the sender's message. The receiver can transmit feedback through asking questions, making comments or just supporting the message that was delivered. Feedback helps the sender to determine how the receiver interpreted the message and how it can be improved. Without feedback the communication
process breaks down. The feedback given determines the direction the communication process will take.

A communication process that employs all the elements works as follows: The source has an urge–a need that requires being satisfied encodes the message in verbal and/or non-verbal language that is considered to best communicate the message according to the intent..

In order to make that happen, it has to be in a form and format that conveys the intent in the best possible manner.

This message is encapsulated in the linguistic conventions such as symbols i.e., words besides signs that can be referred to as non-verbal language.

The message will go through a channel, a means of communication such as e-mail, face to face or phone conversation, letter, presentation etc.

The receiver will then decode the message using conventions, cultural or contextual background, and language skills. The message that is received or interpreted might or might not be the same as the sent one and may not necessarily meet the intent of the messenger.