Topic - 1 What is Communication & Process of Communication

Topic – 1 - Definition and Process of Communication

  Ø Introduction:

Communication Skills are fast becoming a learned behaviour in our present world due to the high levels of competition and professionalism. Human beings can‘t live in society without communication. We can find that people involves in several activities like informal conversations, discussions, phone calls, teleconferencing, gossiping, chatting, net surfing and so on. In short, we need to communication in order to interact. Thus communication is one of the essentials of social interactions. Basically communication is a systematic effort to share human expressions, thoughts, ideas, feelings, attitudes, information knowledge with one or more than one persons.

The word Communication is derived from the Latin term ― “Communis” which means To Make Common, To Transmit or To Impart. Out of these three meanings, it is advisable to concentrate on the idea of making common. When something is made Common, it implies sharing and interaction.

Ø  Definitions of Communication:

·      “Communication can be defined as the exchange of information, ideas and knowledge between sender and receiver through an accepted code of language.”

·      “Communication is the activity or process of expressing ideas and feelings or giving people information.”

              -Oxford Advanced Learning Dictionary of Correct English

·      “Communication is the process by which information is transmitted between individuals and/or organizations so that an understanding response results.‖

           -Peter Little

·      “Communication is a process of passing information and understanding from one person to another.”

  -The American Management Association

·      “Communication is the process of exchanging ideas, thoughts, feelings, emotions, information, knowledge as well as attitude by words (oral or written), sign or symbols.”

Ø The Process of Communication:

The above mentioned definitions reveal some striking features of Communication.

·      Communication takes place between sender and receiver

·      Exchange of information between them.

·       This exchange is done through a specific medium/channel

The process of communication can be understood as a seven-step procedure with the help of the following figure:

·     Sender:

The process of communication starts with a sender, the person who has an idea, knowledge, thoughts, feelings which are in abstract form. Sender tries to give these abstract thoughts a physical and concrete shape in the form of commonly accepted codes.

 ·     Encoding:

Encoding is the next step in the communication process. Before sending the message, the sender encodes the message because the message is basically in abstract form. This encoding process is done in order to give abstract thought into a concrete shape.

·     Medium/Channel:

It is a vehicle through which a message is carried from the sender to the receiver. The mediums of communication are many-written, oral, verbal, non-verbal, mass media like TV, radio, newspapers, books, etc. It is a complicated task to choose the appropriate medium. Success and failure depends on the selection of the right channel.

·     Message:

The message itself is oral, written or non verbal. The communications are affected by the sender’s tone and method. Message has intellectual and emotional components. With intellect the sender has the ability to present reason and with emotion to present the motivational appeals. 

·     Receiver:

At the end of communication process, the receiver is the recipient of the message. The receiver gets the message, understands and tries to provide the total meaning of the message as transmitted by the sender. This process is done with the help of another process called decoding.

·     Decoding:

Decoding is very important part of the process of communication where the receiver tries to understand the message of the sender. The process of decoding involves interpretation and analysis of the message. Effective decoding is very important for successful communication because any misinterpretation of the message creates confusion and misunderstanding.

·     Feedback:

It is the last stage in the process of communication. It is the action or reaction of the receiver to the message. It helps the sender know that the message was received and understood. The response can be based on perfect understanding of the message. The success and failure of communication is decided by feedback only. Feedback is essential as it is a barometer of effective communication.

Thus, all these above components of communication are very important for effective and successful communication.