Communication Process
Communication is the means by which people share words, ideas and feelings. When you explain an idea to someone, you are attempting to share that idea. If your communication process is successful and as a result you share that thought, it is then something that you and the other person have in common.
Sharing ideas helps people relate to each other more effectively, to work together more happily and to get jobs done faster. Effective communication makes life work.
But is that all there is to communication? What is really going on? When people say they are communicating are they only talking about sharing ideas?
How Communication Works
The illustration here demonstrates the concept of communication in its simplest form. Of course, this diagram shows a message travelling in only one direction, when in fact most communication involves two-way exchanges.
Different Ways of Communicating
Each type of communication listed below needs different skills and techniques.
Person to person -
face-to-face, reading a letter, making a phone call, dancing;
In a small group -
planning, solving problems, making decisions;
In a meeting -
presenting, bargaining, negotiating agreements;
In an organisation -
writing reports and memos, using notice boards, supervising, managing;
Through the mass media -
speaking in public, on radio or television; writing for the media, in papers, journals, books, advertising and public relations;
Others - training or teaching, entertaining (art, cinema).
It Takes Two to Communicate
The word ‘communication’ and similar words such as ‘community’ and ‘communion’ all have Latin origins describing the idea of ‘common-ness’, the result of sharing ideas, having shared understanding or reaching a common agreement.
To be described as communication, an exchange must involve two or more individuals, although not necessarily humans. Most living creatures communicate, but you cannot share ideas with a machine. Computers are used to communicate, but having no ideas of their own they cannot communicate with you or among themselves.
Main Elements in the Communication Process
Defining the steps involved in communication is complex, however the main parts of the process and the terms most commonly used to describe it are given below:
Who communicates?
- A sender and a receiver.
What do they communicate?
- Messages, codes and meanings.
How do messages travel?
- Via channels.
How does this happen?
- The sender has an idea and converts the idea into a message. This message is sent or transmitted and is either received or ignored by receiver. The receiver interprets the message.
What else happens?
- The receiver responds or reacts; the sender receives feedback.
The Message
A message is a unit of communication. It starts as an imaginary package that carries a meaning. Some messages are portable - for instance, a memo being passed from one person to another. Others are transferred visually - a smile, or a raised eyebrow. A handshake travels by touch. All these are messages.
In our Success Strategy for Life on Communication we go into the communication process in great detail helping you understand what it takes to be a truly great communicator, how to get your message across first time and most importantly to have those around you feel understood.
Would you like to receive the first unit in this Success Strategy for life? If so fill in the box below and we will send you your Free link to: “Communication - What did you say?”
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