The Communication Process
THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS
Observe a newborn baby. When she’s hungry or uncomfortable, she cries; when she likes something, she smiles or coos. Communication begins at birth and is an intrinsic part of human development and interaction. As we grow older and begin interacting with the world around us, and the other people in that world, the efficiency, complexity and competence of our communication increases. Without effective communication skills, we are at a disadvantage in situations that involve other people.
Ultimately, communication is the process whereby people interact using messages. Because communication is a process, there are certain elements of this process that are present in every communication act.
Message:
This is the content of the communication process. Before the communication process begins, there must be an idea or body of knowledge that needs to be communicated.
Sender (also called source or encoder):
As the word suggests, the sender is the person/group with whom the message originates. The sender conceptualises the message. That is, she determines what the content of the message will be, the best form for the message to take and the best way of getting the message across.
Medium:
This is the method that someone chooses to convey her message. Will you use e-mail? Speech? Gestures? A poster?
Channel:
Channel is closely associated with medium. This is the means by which your message is conveyed. For example, an e-mail is a medium, whereas the internet is a channel; speech is a medium, but radios and loudspeakers are channels; gestures are a medium, your hands act as their channel; finally, a poster may be your medium, but the poster-board and ink are your channel.
Receiver (also called decoder):
Eventually your message arrives at the receiver. This is the person responsible for interpreting your message and taking some sort of meaning form it. The receiver is the main goal of any communication act.
Feedback:
After the receiver interprets the sender’s message, she then provides feedback to the sender. This is the receiver’s response to the message and is essential in that it alerts the sender to whether or not the message has been accurately/effectively received and interpreted.
Context:
Communication does not take place in a vacuum. The context of any communication act is the environment surrounding it. This includes, among other things, place, time, event, and attitudes of sender and receiver.
Noise (also called interference):
This is any factor that inhibits the conveyance of a message. That is, anything that gets in the way of the message being accurately received, interpreted and responded to. Noise may be internal or external. A student worrying about an incomplete assignment may not be attentive in class (internal noise) or the sounds of heavy rain on a galvanized roof may inhibit the reading of a storybook to second graders (external noise).
Observe a newborn baby. When she’s hungry or uncomfortable, she cries; when she likes something, she smiles or coos. Communication begins at birth and is an intrinsic part of human development and interaction. As we grow older and begin interacting with the world around us, and the other people in that world, the efficiency, complexity and competence of our communication increases. Without effective communication skills, we are at a disadvantage in situations that involve other people.
Ultimately, communication is the process whereby people interact using messages. Because communication is a process, there are certain elements of this process that are present in every communication act.
Message:
This is the content of the communication process. Before the communication process begins, there must be an idea or body of knowledge that needs to be communicated.
Sender (also called source or encoder):
As the word suggests, the sender is the person/group with whom the message originates. The sender conceptualises the message. That is, she determines what the content of the message will be, the best form for the message to take and the best way of getting the message across.
Medium:
This is the method that someone chooses to convey her message. Will you use e-mail? Speech? Gestures? A poster?
Channel:
Channel is closely associated with medium. This is the means by which your message is conveyed. For example, an e-mail is a medium, whereas the internet is a channel; speech is a medium, but radios and loudspeakers are channels; gestures are a medium, your hands act as their channel; finally, a poster may be your medium, but the poster-board and ink are your channel.
Receiver (also called decoder):
Eventually your message arrives at the receiver. This is the person responsible for interpreting your message and taking some sort of meaning form it. The receiver is the main goal of any communication act.
Feedback:
After the receiver interprets the sender’s message, she then provides feedback to the sender. This is the receiver’s response to the message and is essential in that it alerts the sender to whether or not the message has been accurately/effectively received and interpreted.
Context:
Communication does not take place in a vacuum. The context of any communication act is the environment surrounding it. This includes, among other things, place, time, event, and attitudes of sender and receiver.
Noise (also called interference):
This is any factor that inhibits the conveyance of a message. That is, anything that gets in the way of the message being accurately received, interpreted and responded to. Noise may be internal or external. A student worrying about an incomplete assignment may not be attentive in class (internal noise) or the sounds of heavy rain on a galvanized roof may inhibit the reading of a storybook to second graders (external noise).
More about conceptualisation
When a sender decides to encode a message, she must take two main things into consideration during her conceptualisation stage – her context and her audience (receiver). These factors influence both choice of medium and choice of channel. The key word here is appropriateness. Choice of medium and channel are directly influenced by the purpose of the message and the intended audience. Ask yourself the following questions when determining levels of appropriateness:
i. Who is my receiver?
ii. How best can my message be conveyed?
iii. Where is the communication act taking place?
iv. What is the situation surrounding the communication act?
v. Is my audience one person or several?
vi. What medium should I use, oral or written?
vii. Should I use technology? If so, which technology would most appropriate?
In addition to all this, there are factors that may influence the effective conveyance of messages positively or negatively. Anything that helps ensure en effective transfer of messages is called a facilitator to communication. Anything that hinders this effectiveness is a barrier to communication.
Some common facilitators to communication are:
i. Choosing a familiar language
ii. Using an accessible channel
iii. Ensuring that the medium is appropriate to the message
iv. Using audio/visual aids to enhance the encoding of the message
Some common barriers to communication are:
i. A language barrier
ii. A channel that is inaccessible to the receiver
iii. The message is ineffectively encoded or the meaning is ambiguous
iv. The medium is inappropriate to the message
REQUIRED READING
Zeuschner, Raymond. Communicating Today, Pearson Education, Inc., 2003. Chapters 1 & 2.
i. Who is my receiver?
ii. How best can my message be conveyed?
iii. Where is the communication act taking place?
iv. What is the situation surrounding the communication act?
v. Is my audience one person or several?
vi. What medium should I use, oral or written?
vii. Should I use technology? If so, which technology would most appropriate?
In addition to all this, there are factors that may influence the effective conveyance of messages positively or negatively. Anything that helps ensure en effective transfer of messages is called a facilitator to communication. Anything that hinders this effectiveness is a barrier to communication.
Some common facilitators to communication are:
i. Choosing a familiar language
ii. Using an accessible channel
iii. Ensuring that the medium is appropriate to the message
iv. Using audio/visual aids to enhance the encoding of the message
Some common barriers to communication are:
i. A language barrier
ii. A channel that is inaccessible to the receiver
iii. The message is ineffectively encoded or the meaning is ambiguous
iv. The medium is inappropriate to the message
REQUIRED READING
Zeuschner, Raymond. Communicating Today, Pearson Education, Inc., 2003. Chapters 1 & 2.
Labels: conceptualisation, elements, module 3, process
posted by Miz John at 6:34 PM
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