l. Why do people communicate?
What might happen to the world if communication does not exist?
Why do miscommunications and misunderstandings happen?
Initializing
Communication is inevitable. Our need for self-expression leads us to communicat not only our thoughts
but also our feelings. Communication may be done verbally or nor verbally. A simple yawn from a
member of the audience in a public speaking engagemer is a non-verbal message sent to the speaker.
On the other hand, a phone call inquirin about a certain product is an example of a verbal message.
/Communication is tinderstood as the process of Incaning-making through a channel or a medium. It
comes from the Latin communicares. meaning to share or to make ideas common. The connection that
encotnpasses interaction among partakers is at the center of your learning of conununication.
The Components of the Cornmunication Process
Understanding the communication process may help you become a better communicator.
l. Source
The sender carefully crafts the message. The sender may be anyone: an author of a book, a public
speaker in a special occasion or even a traffic enforcer.
2. Message
The message is the reason behind any interaction. It is the meaning shared between the sender and the
receiver. Messages take many forms. They could mean poems, songs, essays, news articles, road signs
and even symbols.
Channel
The channel is the means by which a message is conveyed. When we answer a phone call, the phone is
the channel. On the other hand, when your parents receive a notification of your absences from school,
the channel is a letter. It is the responsibility of both the sender and the receiver to choose the best
channel for the interaction.
Receiver
The receiver is the person who receives the transmitted message. The receiver may be a part of an
audience in a public speaking event, a reader of a letter or a driver who reads road signs. The receiver is
expected to listen or read carefully, to be aware of different kinds of sender to jot down information
when needed, to provide response and to ask questions for clarification.
Feedback
In any communication scenario, a feedback is essential to confirm recipient understanding. Feedbacks,
like messages, are expressed in varied forms, A simple nod for a question of verification is considered a
feedback. Thus, feedbacks may be written, spoken or acted out.
Environment
The place, the feeling, the mood, the mindset and the condition of both sender and receiver are called
the environment. The environment may involve the physical set-up of a location where communication
takes place, the space occupied by both the sender and the receiver, including the objects surrounding
the sender and receiver.
Context
Context involves the expectations of the sender and the receiver and the common or shared
understanding through the environmental signals.
Interference
Interference is also known as barrier or block that prevents effective communication to take place,
Kinds of Interference
Psychological barriers are thoughts that hamper the message to be interpreted correctly by the receiver,
Physical barriers include competing stimulus, weather and climate, health and ignorance of the medium.
Linguistic and cultural barriers pertain to the language and its CUItura1 environment. Words may mean
another in different cultures.
d. Nlechanical barriers are those raised by the channels employed for interpersonal, group or mass
communication. These include cellphones, laptops and other gadgets used in communication.
The Nine Principles of Effective Communication
Michael Osborn (2009) claims that communication must meet certain standards for effective
communication to take place.
l. Clarity
Clarity makes speeches understandable. Fuzzy language is absolutely forbidden, as are jargons, cliché
expressions, euphemisms and doublespeak language. 2. Concreteness
Concreteness reduces misunderstandings. Messages must be supported by facts such as research data,
statistics or figures. To achieve concreteness, abstract words must be avoided.
Courtesy
Courtesy builds goodwill. It involves being polite in terms of approach and manner of addressing an
individual.
Correctness
Glaring mistakes in grammar obscures the meaning of a sentence. Also, the misuse of language can
damage your credibility.
5. Consideration
Messages must be geared towards the audience. The sender of a message
must conqider the recipient's profession, level of education, race, ethnicity, hobbies, interests, passions,
advocacies and age when drafting or deliverrng a message.
6. Creativity
Creativity in communication means having the ability to craft interesting messages in terms of sentence
structure and word choice.
7. Conciseness
Simplicity and directness help you to be concise. Avoid using lengthy expressions and words that may
confuse the recipient.
8. Cultural Scnsitivity
Today, with the increasing emphasis on empowering diverse Ocultures, lifestyles, and races and the
pursuit for gender equality, cultural sensitivity bccomcs an important standard for effective
communication.
9. Captivating
You must strive to make messages interesting to command more attention and better responses.
Ethical Considerations in Communication
Ethics is a branch of philosophy that focuses on issues of right and wrong in human affairs.
Ethical Communicators:
l . Respect audience.
Consider the result of communication.
Value truth. Image from https://study.com/academy/lesson/ being-an-ethical-speaker.html
Use information correctly.
Do not falsify information.
Firming up
l . Illustrate the communication process through a diagram.
2. Identify possible communication blocks in the following situations:
a written letter of complaint
Interaction between a nurse and a patient in pain
songs with figurative language
Concretizing
I . List channels through which personnel of your university connect with you. channel(s) do you find
most effective?
2. Through a slogan. state how the of the communication process aids
people in communicating effectively
