Before communication can take place, a purpose, expressed as a message to be conveyed, is needed. It passes between a sender and a receiver. The message is encoded (converted to a symbolic form) and passed by way of some medium (channel) to the receiver, who retranslates (decodes) the meaning initiated by the sender. The result is transfer of one meaning from one person to another. The key parts in the communication process model include:-
– The sender
– Encoding
– The message
– The channel
– Decoding
– The receiver
– Noise and
– Feedback
The sender initiates a message by encoding a thought. The message is the actual physical product from the sender’s encoding. When we speak, the speech is the message. When we write, the writing is the message. When we gesture, the movement of our arms and the expression on our faces are the message. The channel is the medium through which the message travels. It is selected by the sender, who must determine whether to use the:
– The Formal channel: which are established by the organization and transmit messages that are related to the professional activities of members. They traditionally follow the authority chain within the organization
– The Informal channel or sometimes called the grapevine: this is the channel which follows personal social links in the organization. These information channels are spontaneous and emerge as a response to individual choices.
The receiver is the object to whom the message is directed. But before the message can be received, the symbols in it must be translated into a form that can be understood by the receiver. This step is the decoding of the message. Noise represents communication barriers that can distort the clarity of the message. Examples of possible noise sources include perceptual problems, information overload, semantic difficulties, or cultural differences. The final link in the communication process is a feedback loop. Feedback is the check on how successful we have in transferring our messages as originally intended. It determines whether understanding has been achieved.