The Process of Communication

 The Process of Communication

In order to analyze the activity of communication, we must know the process and the elements involved in the process of communication.

 

There are seven elements or factors which make up the process of communication to be effective:

·         Source /Sender, is the one who initiates the action of communicating.

·         Audience/Receiver is the person(s) for whom the communication is intended.

·         Goal/Purpose is the sender's reason for communicating, the desired result of communication.

·         Message/ Content is the information conveyed.

·         Medium /Channel is the means or method used for conveying the message.

·         Feedback is the receiver's response to the communication as observed by the sender.

·         Environment /Context is the background in which the communication takes place.

 

Each of these is complex; any analysis of communication has to take into account the various possibilities of each of these.  The process of communication involves decisions and activities by the two persons involved, the sender and the receiver.

 

Basic Model of Communication

 

The sender initiates the process of communication. He/she has to be clear about the purpose (or goal or objective) of the communication and about the target audience (or receiver) of the communication; that is, the sender decides why and to whom to send a message. We communicate because we want to make someone do something or take some action, or think or feel in a certain way, that is, to influence the person.

 

The sender has to decide what information to convey and create the message (or content) to be conveyed by using words or other symbols which can be understood by the intended receiver. The process of putting the idea into symbols is called encoding; in order to encode, the sender has to select suitable symbols which can represent the idea, and can be understood by the receiver.

 

The sender also chooses' a suitable channel or medium (like mail, e-mail, telephone, face-to-face talk,) by which to send the message. The choice of the medium depends on several factors like urgency of the message, availability and effectiveness of a medium, and the relationship between the two communicants.

Finally, the sender tries to note the effect of the message on the receiver; that is, he checks whether the receiver has got the message, how the receiver has responded to the message and whether he has taken the required action; this information about the receiver's response is called feedback.

 

Sender's functions make up half the process of communication. The functions of the sender are:

·         Being clear about the goal/purpose of the communication.

·         Finding out about the understanding and needs of the target audience.

·         Encoding the required information and ideas with symbols to create the message to suit the receiver/ audience.

·         Selecting the medium to send the message.

·         Making efforts to get feedback, which is, finding out the response of the target audience.

 

The receiver becomes aware that a message has arrived when he perceives it with his senses (he may see, hear, feel, etc.). The receiver attends to the message and interprets it. The process of translating the symbols into ideas and interpreting the message is called decoding. Interpreting is a complex activity; it involves using knowledge of the symbols, drawing upon previous knowledge of the subject matter, ability to understand, attitudes and values, in order to create meaning.

 

The receiver understands and interprets the message on the basis of earlier knowledge. The meaning that a receiver gives to the words and other symbols is influenced by his/her knowledge, intelligence, past experience and relation with the sender. If the two have a common field of experience, the receiver's understanding of the message will be closer to what the sender intended.

 

The receiver also feels a reaction to the message; this reaction may be conscious or unconscious; it may cause some change in the receiver's facial expression. It definitely leads the receiver to think. The receiver may take some action, if required. He may also reply to the message. This response or reply is feedback.

Receiver's functions complete one cycle of the process of communication. The functions of the receiver are:

 

·         Attending to the received message, that is, listening, reading or observing

·         Decoding the received message

·         Interpreting and understanding the meaning of the message

·         Responding to the message

·         Giving feedback to the sender of the message

 

This is a simplified description of a single cycle in the process of communication. Communication really takes place in several cycles and the two persons take turns and alternately carry out functions of sender and receiver.

Both, the sender and the receiver have important functions in the communication process; it can be successful only if both are efficient and attentive

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