Lesson 1: Communication Process

STUDY

Studying about communication will enable you to discover more and better ways of expressing your thoughts clearly and of interacting with others meaningfully. Even though you already have an idea what communication is because you are engaged in it most of the time every day, it is always helpful to review its definitions to realize what effective communication requires and how complex the process you are involved in when you are communicating with others.

            Etymologically, communication comes from the Latin word communicare, which was first used in 1529 and archaically means “share” (Meriam Webster, Incorporated, 2017).   The specific sense of the word is “to make common to many” or “to impart” (Chambers Dictionary of Etymology as cited by WordPress.com, 2011).  From these simple definitions of communication, we move on to more elaborate definitions and descriptions as formulated and noted by different authors:

1. “Communication is [sometimes] defined as the process of sending and receiving messages.”  (Satterwhite & Olson-Sutton, 2007).
2. “Communication is the process of using verbal and nonverbal messages to generate meaning within and across various contexts, cultures, and channels” (Engelberg & Wynn, 2008).
3.  “Communication [is] the transactional process by which people, interacting in a particular context, negotiate the meanings of verbal and nonverbal symbols in order to achieve a shared understanding.” (Hamilton & Creel, 2011).  
4. “Communication is the process of transferring information and meaning between senders and receivers, using one or more written, oral, visual, or electronic media.” (Bovee & Thill, 2014).

The key elements, characteristics, and principles behind communication can be identified from the foregoing definitions.  Let us discuss them clearly below.

Elements of Communication

Sender/Receiver.  The sender is the participant who initiates the communication process and establishes the purpose of the message. On the other hand, the receiver is the one for whom the message is intended and sent.  In a simultaneous communication, these two components consecutively interact with each other, making a participant a “transceiver,” sending and receiving messages at the same time (Chesebro, O’Connor, & Rios, 2007).

Message.  The message contains the information, thought, and feelings that a communicator expresses to the other participant in the communication process.  As previously mentioned, the sender determines the purpose of the message, and this can be one of these three forms: to inform, to persuade, or to take action. 

Channel/Medium.  The channel or medium identifies how the message is delivered.  In a verbal and face-to-face communication, air serves as the medium and messages are transmitted through sound and light waves.  A channel can also be sensory as how somebody holds or shake hands with you.   It can also be any other means, like the use of technology or any other medium (i.e. telephone, e-mail, voice mail, video recording, written memo). 

Feedback.  The feedback is the receiver’s response to the sent message.  This makes communication a two-way process.  It indicates how the message is interpreted—how it is seen, heard, understood—and it conveys the receiver’s emotions or feelings about the message and towards its sender. 

Context.  Context affects the way communicators send and receive messages.  It refers to the circumstances—situation, condition, environment—where communication occurs.  According to Roebuck (2006), the environment can include room temperature, lighting, furniture, timing, as well as the climate and relationships that exist between the communicators.  The way you express and interpret messages will depend upon whom you are talking to your siblings, a stranger, your clique, etc.  The role of context in communication is discussed in more detail as part of the characteristics of communication.

Noise.  Noise is defined as an impediment to successful communication.  It is anything that hinders shared understanding.  Generally, noise is classified as external, internal, and semantic. 

• External noise originates from the communicators’ surroundings or environment.  Some examples of external or physical noise are boisterous laughter, the videoke sessions in the neighborhood, telephone ringing, voices of the people in the crowd, and the sound of a fast-moving vehicle. 
• Internal noise includes anything that is self-related—your attitudes, opinions, beliefs—that may hamper effective sending and receiving of messages.   Examples can include any physiological state like hunger and pain out of an illness and psychological thoughts like worry, fear, anxiety, disappointment, and prejudice. 
• Semantic noise gets in the way when the sender and receiver do not share the same meanings for their verbal or non-verbal signals.  In other words understanding a particular word or gesture differently from the person you are speaking with can create semantic noise. Examples are the jargons which are specific to a field or line of work or a group of people that might be misinterpreted by people who are not part of the circle.  

It is crucial that for effective communication to occur, awareness of possible differences and active listening, coupled with concentration, be part of the equation when communicating. 

Frame of Reference.  Communicators bring into their interactions their own value system or culture, preferences, world views, self-concept, expectations, and experiences.  These factors make every communicator unique.  Nevertheless, when commonalities are identified, these will help establish a starting point for communication.  Frame of reference is also termed as field of experience and will be mentioned in the succeeding section. 

Characteristics of Communication

a.       Communication is a process.   Communication is a process because there is a transmission of thoughts, ideas, and emotions that happens.  Being viewed as a process, communication is then considered as a non-static or unfixed phenomenon.  For all its intents and purposes, communication follows a course and has progression.   One of the ways to illustrate and simplify the complex internal functioning of communication is to represent it through a model.  There are three models of communication that are often cited for how they present and break down the communication process.  These are the linear model, the interaction model, and the transaction model. 

Click the links below. 

linear model

interactive model

transactional