LESSON 1: Communication process, elements and functions

A. Nature of the Communication Process

COMMUNICATION- comes from the Latin word 'communis', which means 'commons'. To be common means "to come together" or "to commune"- "to share something in common"

COMMUNICATION:

·       Is the process of exchanging ideas, thoughts, feelings and emotions from one person to another with the use of symbols which may be verbal and/or non-verbal and aims for understanding.

Why study communication?

SENDER - is the one who initiates the communication.

RECEIVER - provides the sender with feedback which may prompt the sender to clarify the message or signal to carry on as planned.

MESSAGE - Is made up of the ideas and feelings that a sender-receiver wants to share with others.

·       Verbal symbols - express through words

·       Non-Verbal symbols - express through gestures, inflection, tone, etc.

CHANNEL - are means through which we transmit the message in either vocal or non-vocal messages.

·       Vocal messages- are verbal and spoken

·       Non-vocal messages- may be expressed in words or non-verbal symbols

FEEDBACK - the behavioral response of the sender- receiver to each other. It is the information that comes back to the sender of the message and informs how well the message is getting through.

NOISE - an interference that bars the message from being understood or interpreted.

·       External noise- comes from the physical environment

·       Internal Noise- confined within the psychological and sociological nature of individuals when thoughts and feelings are engrossed on something other than the communication at hand.

CONTEXT - refers to the surrounding/environment that helps shape the interaction between and/or among individuals

·       Physical context- refers to the place, time, environment, and distance between communicators.

·       Social context- refers to the relationship the participants hold for each other.

·       Psychological context - which has to do with the mood and emotions of the communicators at the moment of communication.

·       Cultural context - includes the beliefs and norms of the participants. This comes into play when you are speaking with someone who is of a different gender, age, social status, religion, or nationality.

PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION:

-        is an intentional communication that happens within the bound of specific context.

WHY IS CONTEXT VITAL?

-        it affects the process of sending and receiving messages; semantics or meanings choice of channels, words and methods of delivery.

-        Communication must be suitable to specific context hence, should be intentional and purposive.

ENCODING

- is everything that goes inside the brain of an individual.

 - involves the sender who, grounded by communicative intentions and goals, decides on assigning codes.

- is a systematic arrangement of symbols used by individuals to create meaning.

TRANSMISSION - is the process by which the sender, having assigned codes to come up with thought symbols (message) that are also comprehensible by the participant/s of the communication, transmits or sends message to its recipient.

RECEIVING - Having been submitted through sound waves and light waves, the message comes from the sender then reaches the receiver. It is assumed that the receiver's attention is focused on the communication at hand to facilitate better understanding of the message transported by the sender.

DECODING - is the process by which the receiver interprets or assigns meanings to the codes transported by the source. The receiver tries to give meanings to these symbols which may be literal or may give associations depending on knowledge and/or experience.

RESPONDING - response is anticipated by the sender from the receiver.

MODEL OF COMMUNICATION

·       conceptual representation that is used to explain the communication process

·       Each model offers a different perspective on the communication process.

LINEAR COMMUNICATION

·       presents communication as a one-way activity in which information flows from the sender to the receiver

·       shows only a passive receiver

·       feedback - not a part of the process

INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATION MODEL

·       shows communication as a two-way activity

·       The sender and the receiver have the same role in the activity: either one comes up with an idea, sends a message, and reacts to it.

·       involves feedback

·       may also include noise, an element that affects the interpretation of the message.

TRANSACTIONAL COMMUNICATION MODEL

·       presents communication as a simultaneous activity

·       senders and receivers - capable of both sending and receiving messages anytime or at the same time

·       feedback - includes nonverbal cues such as gestures, tone of voice, or body language

·       takes into account that communicators react to the situation based on their own background

·       The diverse perceptions and backgrounds of the communicators influence their response to a particular communication situation.