THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

Communication can be thought of as a process or flow . Communication problems occur when there are deviations or blockage in the process.

Communication Process:The steps between the Source and the Receiver that results in to the Transference & Understanding of meaning. kBefore communication can take place, a purpose expressed as a message to be conveyed, is needed. (Develop an idea-Message). The message is encoded(Converted into symbolic form) & Is passed by a way of some medium or vehicle (channel) to the Receiver who translate (Decodes) the message initiated by the sender Two way communication is made possible by Feedback which has back and forth pattern .k The result is a transference & understanding of meaning.

SOURCE The communication process starts with the sender- the person who wants to transmit the message to the another person.
The Source initiates a message by encoding a thought. Four conditions that affect the encoded message-skills, attitudes, knowledge, social-cultural system. SKILL:- My success in communicating to you is dependent upon my speaking skills, if I do not possess the required speaking skills, my message will not reach to you students in the form desired Ones total communicative success includes- speaking, reading, listening and reasoning skill as well. ATTITUDE: - It influences our behavior. We hold predisposed ideas on numerous topic and our communication is affected by these attitude. KNOWLEDGE: - Furthermore, we are restricted in our communication by the extent of our knowledge of a particular topic. We cannot communicate what we dont know. Clearly, the amount of knowledge the Source hold about his or her subject will affect the message he or she seeks to transfer. SOCIAL-CULTURAL SYSTEM: - Our positions in social-cultural system in which we exist also affect our communication.

TO DEVELOP AN IDEA
That the sender wishes to transmit. This is the key step, because unless there is a worthwhile message, all other steps are somewhat useless. (Be sure brain is engaged before putting mouth in gear.

- ENCODE To convert the idea into suitable words, charts, or other symbols for transmission. (Converting a message into symbolic form.) It is the use of appropriate verbal or non-verbal language for transmitting the message. In order to transmit the idea, the sender translate the idea into a language.(It may take the form of words, symbols, gestures or some other form of expression for the purpose of sending message), known to both parties.

MESSAGE
Message is what to be communicated or conveyed by the sender. It is the subject matter of communication. It is a physical form of the thought, idea or information conveyed which can be understood through receivers sensory receptors (hearing, seeing, or reading) Messages are not meaning but indicative of meaning. And meaning always lies in the receivers mind not in the message. For e.g. a manager reminds a worker about a deadline with the intention to cooperate but the worker interprets it as an indication of annoyance.

CHANNEL
It is a vehicle used for the transmission of the message. It is the medium through which a communication message travels from sender to receiver. It may be Verbal Oral
Face to face talk/conversation Telephonic conversation

Radio, T.V., etc. Letters

Written

Memos E-mail, Fax, etc

DECODING
It means translating the message into any form or words that could be understood by the receiver. This lies in the receiver zone or area. The receiver interprets the message to derive its meaning. When the message is received it is possible that it is not understood in the same manner, same sense and spirit as the sender intended it is to be, because the receiver may decode it differently. Decoding means attaching meaning to the message. Meanings are already in the receivers mind attaching meaning to the message. The more the senders message commensurate with the receiver understands the more effective the communication will be. Decoding of the message is done so that it could be understood. The sender wants the receiver to understand the message exactly as it was sent. Understanding can occur only in a receivers mind. A communicator may make other listen, but there is no way to make them understand. The receiver alone chooses whether to understand or not.

RECEIVER

The person or group who perceives the message and attaches some meaning to the message. Receiver is the one who receives the message. By definition if there is no receiver, there is no communication. Receiver may be a- Listener Reader Viewer Observer

FEEDBACK
The final link in the communication process. It put the message back into the system as a check against misunderstanding. Feedback is necessary to ensure that the receiver has received the message and understood it in the same sense as sender wants. When the receiver acknowledge the message and responds to the sender, feedback occurs. Feedback completes the communication loop, because there is a flow of message from sender to receiver and back to the sender. Two-way communication is possible only by effective feedback. In two way communication, the speaker sends a message and receiver response come back to the speaker. When the sender receives the feedback, the process of communication is complete. Feedback can take the form of a reaction, reply or answer which the receivers sends to acknowledge his understanding. It may consist of words, actions or gestures. It serves to check the effectiveness of the communication