COMMUNICATION

OBJECTIVE: Explain and discuss communication and all

the other features
 MEANING OF COMMUNICATION
•Communication is a process.

•The message may be in the form of information,

idea, feeling, opinion, observation, perception,
insights, falsity, or truth.

•Communication is distinct art.

 MEANING OF COMMUNICATION
DEFINING COMMUNICATION
To begin our study of communication theories, we turn first to the task of
defining communication— and communication is not easy to define.

Theodore Clevenger Jr. noted that “the continuing problem in defining

communication for scholarly or scientific purposes stems from the fact that the
verb ‘to communicate’ is well established in the common lexicon and therefore
is not easily captured for scientific use. Indeed, it is one of the most
overworked terms in the English language. "Scholars have made many
attempts to define communication, but establishing a single definition has
proved impossible and may not be very fruitful.
(Theories of Human Communication, Ninth Edition - Stephen W. Littlejohn and Karen A. Foss, 2008)
 COMMUNICATION PROCESS
The Communication is a two-way process wherein the message
in the form of ideas, thoughts, feelings, opinions is transmitted
between two or more persons with the intent of creating a
shared understanding.

Simply, an act of conveying intended information and

understanding from one person to another is called as
communication. The term communication is derived from the
Latin word “Communis” which means to share. Effective
communication is when the message conveyed by the sender is
understood by the receiver in exactly the same way as it was
intended.
 COMMUNICATION PROCESS
The communication is a dynamic process that begins with
the conceptualizing of ideas by the sender who then
transmits the message through a channel to the receiver,
who in turn gives the feedback in the form of some
message or signal within the given time frame. Thus, there
are Seven major elements of communication process:

Sender, Encoding, Message, Channel, Receiver,

Decoding, Feedback
 SENDER
The sender or the communicator is the
person who initiates the conversation
and has conceptualized the idea that
he intends to convey it to others
 ENCODING
The sender begins with the encoding
process wherein he uses certain words or
non-verbal methods such as symbols,
signs, body gestures, etc. to translate the
information into a message. The sender’s
knowledge, skills, perception, background,
competencies, etc. has a great impact on
the success of the message.
 MESSAGE
Once the encoding is finished, the
sender gets the message that he
intends to convey. The message can
be written, oral, symbolic or non-verbal
such as body gestures, silence, sighs,
sounds, etc. or any other signal that
triggers the response of a receiver.
COMMUNICATION CHANNEL
The Sender chooses the medium through which
he wants to convey his message to the recipient. It
must be selected carefully in order to make the
message effective and correctly interpreted by the
recipient. The choice of medium depends on the
interpersonal relationships between the sender
and the receiver and also on the urgency of the
message being sent. Oral, virtual, written, sound,
gesture, etc. are some of the commonly used
communication mediums.
 RECEIVER
The receiver is the person for whom the
message is intended or targeted. He tries
to comprehend it in the best possible
manner such that the communication
objective is attained. The degree to which
the receiver decodes the message
depends on his knowledge of the subject
matter, experience, trust and relationship
with the sender.
 DECODING
Here, the receiver interprets the
sender’s message and tries to
understand it in the best possible
manner. An effective communication
occurs only if the receiver understands
the message in exactly the same way
as it was intended by the sender.
 FEEDBACK
The Feedback is the final step of the
process that ensures the receiver has
received the message and interpreted it
correctly as it was intended by the sender.
It increases the effectiveness of the
communication as it permits the sender to
know the efficacy of his message. The
response of the receiver can be verbal or
non-verbal.
Note: The Noise shows the barriers in
communications. There are chances
when the message sent by the sender
is not received by the recipient.
 TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
•VERBAL COMMUNICATION
•NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
•WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
•LISTENING
•VISUAL COMMUNICATION
 VERBAL COMMUNICATION
Verbal communication occurs when we engage in speaking
with others. It can be face-to-face, over the telephone, via
Skype or Zoom, etc. Some verbal engagements are informal,
such as chatting with a friend over coffee or in the office
kitchen, while others are more formal, such as a scheduled
meeting. Regardless of the type, it is not just about the words, it
is also about the caliber and complexity of those words, how we
string those words together to create an overarching message,
as well as the intonation (pitch, tone, cadence, etc.) used while
speaking. And when occurring face-to-face, while the words are
important, they cannot be separated from non-verbal
communication.
 NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
What we do while we speak often says more than
the actual words. Non-verbal communication includes
facial expressions, posture, eye contact, hand
movements, and touch. For example, if you’re
engaged in a conversation with your boss about your
cost-saving idea, it is important to pay attention to
both the their words and their non-verbal
communication. Your boss might be in agreement
with your idea verbally, but their nonverbal cues:
avoiding eye contact, sighing, scrunched up face, etc.
indicate something different.
 WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
Whether it is an email, a memo, a report, a Facebook post, a
Tweet, a contract, etc. all forms of written communication have
the same goal to disseminate information in a clear and concise
manner – though that objective is often not achieved. In fact,
poor writing skills often lead to confusion and embarrassment,
and even potential legal jeopardy. One important thing to
remember about written communication, especially in the digital
age, is the message lives on, perhaps in perpetuity. Thus, there
are two things to remember: first, write well – poorly constructed
sentences and careless errors make you look bad; and second,
ensure the content of the message is something you want to
promote or be associated with for the long haul.
 LISTENING
The act of listening does not often make its way onto
the list of types of communication. Active listening,
however, is perhaps one of the most important types
of communication because if we cannot listen to the
person sitting across from us, we cannot effectively
engage with them. Think about a negotiation – part of
the process is to assess what the opposition wants
and needs. Without listening, it is impossible to
assess that, which makes it difficult to achieve a
win/win outcome.
 VISUAL COMMUNICATION
We are a visual society. Think about it, televisions are
running 24/7, Facebook is visual with memes, videos,
images, etc., Instagram is an image-only platform,
and advertisers use imagery to sell products and
ideas. Think about from a personal perspective – the
images we post on social media are meant to convey
meaning – to communicate a message. In some
cases that message might be, look at me, I’m in Italy
or I just won an award. Others are carefully curated to
tug on our heartstrings – injured animals, crying
children, etc.
 IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH
COMMUNICATION
It is futile to let good ideas to be confined in one’s head.
Worthy ideas are intended to be shared. Imagine if Bill
Gates kept within himself the idea of personal
computers. Most likely, this generation would still be
using punch cards and main frames. If Aesop had kept
his stories, there would have been no fables. If Mr
Agapito Flores had refused to share his invention, there
would have been no fluorescent light. If authors did not
write, there would be lesser chances to education.
 IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH
COMMUNICATION
If nobody expresses his skills, talents, or
capabilities, humanity will not develop. One who
communicates and does it properly has an edge in
terms of self-defense. It is a tool for a person to
share, be heard, be understood, and be
appreciated. It is a means by which he acquires
knowledge, ideas, information or insights. Through
this process he understands himself, other people,
and the community where they belong.
 IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH
COMMUNICATION
In a globally oriented society, the English
language is a gate pass to relate with others,
It is the link between or among cultures. It is a
tool to reach out, to compute, and to progress.
Without it peoples and nations will not
understand nor appreciate each other. For as
long as it is universal, The English language
remains essential to Filipinos. Therefore,
communication is essential.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION
Several researchers have stressed the
importance of communicating one’s feelings
effectively. This is as important to a social
structure as breathing is to life. Hence, we
have to understand the various properties or
characteristics that must qualify our
communicating activities and processes. A
varied set of skills are thus essential. Here we
will list them.
 CLEAR
The primary character of any spoken or
written form of transmission of information
should be to state the message clearly. There
are several ways to do it. For example, the
sentences should be short and simple. We
should prefer the active voice over the passive
voice. If we have to convey several
messages, then it is convenient to state it in
separate bulleted points.
 CONCISE
Time is an essential parameter in
communications. The normal attention span is
just a few minutes long. If you present your
message in a clear and beautiful manner
which is very long, the crux of the report or the
message may be lost altogether. Long and
lengthy communique is boring and avoided by
most. So, to summarize this point, effective
communication has to be concise.
 CONCRETE
Whatever message or
information or data is present in
your communication, it should be
well-footed. Your arguments
should have data that suitably
backs it up. A tangible argument
is always easy to understand.
 COHERENT
Suppose you are telling a story. What if you start from the
middle part? Or what if you state the end in the beginning?
Of course, the whole point of narrating a story would
become vain. Similarly, when you are presenting your
communication, you need to be coherent. You need to
understand what goes where and what comes when.
The key to a coherent write-up is a well-planned, logical
and sequential presentation of the information. The main
ideas should be differentiable and they should follow each
other in a way that is derivative of some rules.
 COURTEOUS
We know that all business communications should have some
degree of formal flavor. The presenter should try his best to be
honest, respectful, considerate, open and polite with the
receiver of the information. The message when supplemented
with proper care and kindness will definitely find an audience.
A rude presenter will have no audience even if the message he
delivers is perfectly effective and important. Offensive words
can put off certain factions of people. You should take ample
care to not be racist or misogynist or any other bad influence on
the audience. Even while using humor you should be very
careful that you are not being inconsiderate or cruel to anyone.
 LISTENING FOR UNDERSTANDING
Communication doesn’t only mean presenting or generating information. It
also means to receive it. In fact, an effective communication channel must
have a transducer and a receiver. Half of the faculty for the process is thus a
receiver. For the purpose of effective communication, a receiver should
have certain qualifiers.
He should be able to detect the message which may be hidden deep within
the chatter or gibberish. The good listener observes not only what a person
speaks of but also the non-verbal cues. This is what helps in the complete
and full understanding of the transmission.
A good listener will have some qualities. He would be emotionally intelligent
and mature, objective in approach and practical. His understanding of the
message should not be influenced by his own personal judgments of either
the topic or the presenter. A good listener should be able to filter through all
of these limitations and reach the actual message that the presenter is
relaying before them.
 FOCUS AND ATTENTION
Multitasking is the name of the game these days. However,
while receiving or transmitting information, a certain level of
focus is essential. Suppose you are in a star communication
channel and are relaying information to multiple sources. You
are replying to emails, sending emails, and answering phones.
Any misplaced communication could be disastrous. Also, while
receiving information, if you lose focus, you may miss the
important parts of the message altogether. Hence, we say that
focus and attention are very crucial for effective communication.
 EMOTIONAL AWARENESS AND CONTROL
This is the last but certainly the most important aspect of
effective communication. Emotions will guide you through
any situation of life. Whether you accept a message with
the intention it is relaying with or not, depends on the
emotional maturity and your emotional intelligence. Both
while relaying information or while receiving it, you have to
take extreme care in keeping yourself in an emotionally
stable state.
Activity