Without going into extensive neurological explanations, let’s put it this way: Communication is all in your head! Well, maybe not all, but it certainly begins and ends there. And it begins with the sender. To send a message, a person must say or do something that represents an idea in his or her own mind. The sender has a mental image, a vision, an idea, an opinion, or perhaps some information that he or she wants to convey to someone else. The sender initiates the
communication process and has a primary interest in making sure it’s effective. If a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one there to hear it, does it make a sound? Hmmm. Good question. So if someone sends a message and there’s no one to receive it, is it communication? The answer is no. Communication requires both a sender and a receiver. To receive a message, a person must interpret something said or done by another personthe senderand give it a name and develop a feeling about it.
The receiver’s job is to then seek to understand whatever it is the sender wants to communicate. The receiver shares responsibility with the sender to ensure an effective communication process. The message is the vehicle for the sender to share feelings, thoughts, and ideas. It is the way the sender’s mental images are transmitted to the receiver. Messages can travel in a variety of ways, including spoken, written, or behavioral. The message may be immediately clear and
understood, or murky and misleading, based on how well all of the components in the communication process have been considered and accommodated. Always remember that the meaning of the message will be whatever the receiver assigns to it. In other words, the sender may have a meaning in mind, but the receiver can only know what it means to him or her personally. Message is not synonymous with meaning. In fact, the communication challenge is to make sure that the meaning that is intended by the
sender is the same as the meaning the receiver assigns to the message when it’s received. Messages go both ways. In other words, the sender sends a message to the receiver, who then sends a message back to the sender. The messages that are sent back from the receiver to the sender are called feedback. There is always some kind of feedback. Saying nothing is a “message”perhaps a powerful one. The receiver may be very passive and not initiate verbal feedback. The sender may not insist on it.
In such cases, communication may or may not occur. Without meaningful feedback, you can’t even be sure that the message was received. Senders choose words that are consistent with their own unique beliefs and experiences. For example, if you believe that women don’t belong in the work force, you will probably use words with negative connotations and exhibit related nonverbal behaviors when you communicate about female employees. If you have spent many years working in a sales environment,
your definition of “teamwork” will probably be quite different from that of an assembler in a manufacturing plant. A single father of three young children sees a very different world than a mature career woman. In a conversation, your choice of words and examples based on your own “world” may or may not communicate your ideas well to someone whose life is very different from yours. Boys playing photo available from Shutterstock
By: Nick Sanchez
Communication can best be summarized as the transmission of a message from a sender to a receiver in an understandable manner. The importance of effective communication is immeasurable in the world of business and in personal life. From a business perspective, effective communication is an absolute must, because it commonly accounts for the difference between success and failure or profit and loss. It has become clear that effective business communication is critical to the successful operation of modern enterprise. Every business person needs to understand the fundamentals of effective communication.
Currently, companies in the United States and abroad are working toward the realization of total quality management. Effective communication is the most critical component of total quality management. The manner in which individuals perceive and talk to each other at work about different issues is a major determinant of the business success. It has proven been proven that poor communication reduces quality, weakens productivity, and eventually leads to anger and a lack of trust among individuals within the organization.
The communication process is the guide toward realizing effective communication. It is through the communication process that the sharing of a common meaning between the sender and the receiver takes place. Individuals that follow the communication process will have the opportunity to become more productive in every aspect of their profession. Effective communication leads to understanding.
The communication process is made up of four key components. Those components include encoding, medium of transmission, decoding, and feedback. There are also two other factors in the process, and those two factors are present in the form of the sender and the receiver. The communication process begins with the sender and ends with the receiver.
The sender is an individual, group, or organization who initiates the communication. This source is initially responsible for the success of the message. The sender's experiences, attitudes, knowledge, skill, perceptions, and culture influence the message. "The written words, spoken words, and nonverbal language selected are paramount in ensuring the receiver interprets the message as intended by the sender" [Burnett & Dollar, 1989]. All communication begins with the sender.
The first step the sender is faced with involves the encoding process. In order to convey meaning, the sender must begin encoding, which means translating information into a message in the form of symbols that represent ideas or concepts. This process translates the ideas or concepts into the coded message that will be communicated. The symbols can take on numerous forms such as, languages, words, or gestures. These symbols are used to encode ideas into messages that others can understand.
When encoding a message, the sender has to begin by deciding what he/she wants to transmit. This decision by the sender is based on what he/she believes about the receivers knowledge and assumptions, along with what additional information he/she wants the receiver to have. It is important for the sender to use symbols that are familiar to the intended receiver. A good way for the sender to improve encoding their message, is to mentally visualize the communication from the receiver's point of view.
To begin transmitting the message, the sender uses some kind of channel [also called a medium]. The channel is the means used to convey the message. Most channels are either oral or written, but currently visual channels are becoming more common as technology expands. Common channels include the telephone and a variety of written forms such as memos, letters, and reports. The effectiveness of the various channels fluctuates depending on the characteristics of the communication. For example, when immediate feedback is necessary, oral communication channels are more effective because any uncertainties can be cleared up on the spot. In a situation where the message must be delivered to more than a small group of people, written channels are often more effective. Although in many cases, both oral and written channels should be used because one supplements the other.
If a sender relays a message through an inappropriate channel, its message may not reach the right receivers. That is why senders need to keep in mind that selecting the appropriate channel will greatly assist in the effectiveness of the receiver's understanding. The sender's decision to utilize either an oral or a written channel for communicating a message is influenced by several factors. The sender should ask him or herself different questions, so that they can select the appropriate channel. Is the message urgent? Is immediate feedback needed? Is documentation or a permanent record required? Is the content complicated, controversial, or private? Is the message going to someone inside or outside the organization? What oral and written communication skills does the receiver possess? Once the sender has answered all of these questions, they will be able to choose an effective channel.
After the appropriate channel or channels are selected, the message enters the decoding stage of the communication process. Decoding is conducted by the receiver. Once the message is received and examined, the stimulus is sent to the brain for interpreting, in order to assign some type of meaning to it. It is this processing stage that constitutes decoding. The receiver begins to interpret the symbols sent by the sender, translating the message to their own set of experiences in order to make the symbols meaningful. Successful communication takes place when the receiver correctly interprets the sender's message.
The receiver is the individual or individuals to whom the message is directed. The extent to which this person comprehends the message will depend on a number of factors, which include the following: how much the individual or individuals know about the topic, their receptivity to the message, and the relationship and trust that exists between sender and receiver. All interpretations by the receiver are influenced by their experiences, attitudes, knowledge, skills, perceptions, and culture. It is similar to the sender's relationship with encoding.
Feedback is the final link in the chain of the communication process. After receiving a message, the receiver responds in some way and signals that response to the sender. The signal may take the form of a spoken comment, a long sigh, a written message, a smile, or some other action. "Even a lack of response, is in a sense, a form of response" [Bovee & Thill, 1992]. Without feedback, the sender cannot confirm that the receiver has interpreted the message correctly.
Feedback is a key component in the communication process because it allows the sender to evaluate the effectiveness of the message. Feedback ultimately provides an opportunity for the sender to take corrective action to clarify a misunderstood message. "Feedback plays an important role by indicating significant communication barriers: differences in background, different interpretations of words, and differing emotional reactions" [Bovee & Thill, 1992].
The communication process is the perfect guide toward achieving effective communication. When followed properly, the process can usually assure that the sender's message will be understood by the receiver. Although the communication process seems simple, it in essence is not. Certain barriers present themselves throughout the process. Those barriers are factors that have a negative impact on the communication process. Some common barriers include the use of an inappropriate medium [channel], incorrect grammar, inflammatory words, words that conflict with body language, and technical jargon. Noise is also another common barrier. Noise can occur during any stage of the process. Noise essentially is anything that distorts a message by interfering with the communication process. Noise can take many forms, including a radio playing in the background, another person trying to enter your conversation, and any other distractions that prevent the receiver from paying attention.
Successful and effective communication within an organization stems from the implementation of the communication process. All members within an organization will improve their communication skills if they follow the communication process, and stay away from the different barriers. It has been proven that individuals that understand the communication process will blossom into more effective communicators, and effective communicators have a greater opportunity for becoming a success.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Burnett, M.J., & Dollar, A. [1989]. Business Communication: Strategies for Success. Houston, Texas: Dane.
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