Communication Process PDF

CHAPTER TWO =========== COMMUNICATION PROCESS ===================== **Learning Outcomes** By the end of this chapter, the learner should be able to: - Demonstrate an understanding of the communication processes - Explain the elements of the communication process - Discuss the barriers of...

CHAPTER TWO =========== COMMUNICATION PROCESS ===================== **Learning Outcomes** By the end of this chapter, the learner should be able to: - Demonstrate an understanding of the communication processes - Explain the elements of the communication process - Discuss the barriers of effective communication - Describe the strategies of overcoming communication barriers - Identify the principles of ethical communication **Introduction** Communication can best be summarized as the transmission of a message from a sender to a receiver in an understandable manner. Communication as a process is moving, continually changing, with no beginning or end. In our definition, communication is a process---something that is continually changing. Individual words, sentences, and gestures have no meaning in isolation. They make sense only when viewed as parts of an on-going, dynamic process. To fully understand the process of communication, we must notice how what we say and do influences and affects what the other person says and does. We must pay attention to the changes we experience and how these changes influence and affect our perception, interpretation, and interactions with others, from moment to moment, year to year, and decade to decade. Similarly, we also need to be sensitive to the on-going changes in those we communicate with because they are changing too. Communication is alive, and to fully appreciate it requires that we view it as a dynamic, fluid, and continually changing process. 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. 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 Communication Model** **Figure 1: Communication Model** There are seven elements or factors which make up the process of communication: 1. **Source /Sender**, is the one who initiates the action of communicating 2. **Audience /Receiver** is the person(s) for whom the communication is intended 3. **Goal/Purpose** is the sender\'s reason for communicating, the desired result of the communication 4. **Message/ Content** is the information conveyed 5. **Medium /Channel** is the means or method used for conveying the message 6. **Feedback** is the receiver\'s response to the communication as observed by the sender 7. **Environment /Context** is the background in which the communication takes place. 1. **Source** The source is the originator of the message. It is the person or persons who want to communicate a message to another person or a group of people. The source of a message can be an individual speaker addressing a group, a child asking for candy, a couple sending out invitations to a family reunion, or a person writing a letter. 2. **Encoding** Once the source has decided on a message to communicate, he must encode or convert that idea, thought, or feeling into verbal and nonverbal symbols that will be most effectively understood by the receiver. This encoding process can be extremely creative because there are unlimited ways for the source to convert the idea or feeling into words and behaviours. 3. **Message** The message is the idea, thought, or feeling that the source wants to communicate. This message is encoded or converted into verbal and nonverbal symbols that will most likely be understood by the receiver. 4. **Receiver** The receiver is the recipient of the message. The receiver can be an individual or a group of people. Once the receiver hears the words and receives the nonverbal cues from the sender, she must interpret or decode them if communication is to occur. **Decoding** Decoding is the process of making sense out of the message received. The receiver must decipher the language and behaviours sent by the source so they will have meaning. After the receiver decodes the message, the receiver (now the source) can encode a return message and send it back to the other person. 5. **Medium/Channel** A channel is the medium by which the message is communicated. [Factors to Consider when choosing a Medium of Communication] - The type of audience you want to reach. - The speed with which the message should be conveyed - Need for confidentiality of the message is an important consideration. - Need for accuracy in transmission is not the same for all messages. - Cost of the medium and its relative importance and urgency. - Availability of a particular medium to the sender and to the receiver is obviously an affecting factor. - Feedback capacity of the medium: For some messages, you need immediate feedback; you have to use a medium which will enable you to get it at once, like the telephone. - Availability of hard copy for record. - Formality of the medium must be suitable to content of the message. - Intensity and complexity of the message is a major factor. 6. **Context/Environment** All communication occurs within a certain context. The context is made up of the physical surroundings, the occasion in which the communication occurs, the time, the number of people present, noise level, and many other variables that can influence and affect the encoding and decoding of messages. The context plays an important role in the communication process. 7. **Feedback** The receiver also feels a reaction to the message; this reaction may be conscious or unconscious; it may cause some change in the receiver\'s facial expression. It definitely leads the receiver to think. The receiver may take some action, if required. He may also reply to the message. The response and/or reply is feedback. Receiver\'s functions complete one cycle of the process of communication. 7\. Goal/Purpose is the sender\'s reason for communicating, the desired result of the communication. **Barriers to Communication** 1. **Physical Barriers:** It is also caused by barrier distance. Suppose that the person sending the message is far away from the recipient. And communication is happening between the two. The barrier arises due to him not being heard clearly because of far distance. 2. **Personal Barriers:** The personal factors of both sender and receiver may exert influence on effective communication. These factors include life experiences, emotions, attitudes, behavior that hinders the ability of a person to communicate. 3. **Gender barriers:** Gender barrier is also a type of barrier, such as male and female in an organization, people of both genders work. Societal stereotypes, assumed gender roles, and interpersonal differences can contribute to a communication gap between the gender and there is a rift between people due to gender. **For Example:** Women are focused on relationships and men are focused on tasks. 4. **Emotional Barriers**: The emotional barrier changes according to our mood. Emotional barriers are due to mental limitations created by one's own self. Emotional Barriers are the mental walls that keep you from openly communicating your thoughts and feeling to others. 5. **Language Barriers**: Language barriers are the most common communication barriers which cause misunderstandings and misinterpretations between people. \... Not using the words that other person understands makes the communication ineffective and prevents message from being conveyed. 6. **Status Barriers:** People often have difficulty navigating status differences when trying to inform or persuade others. To many, social status is an indicator of credibility and legitimacy, and this effects how seriously others take what one communicates. Status differences can create a bias against those with the perceived lower status. 7. **Cultural Barriers:** Past experiences, perception, and cultural background greatly affect the way people talk and behave. Culture plays an important role in shaping the style of communication. The culture in which individuals are socialized influences the way they communicate, and the way individuals communicate can change the culture. 8. **Organizational Barriers**: Inside the organization, there are many things inside which a communication barrier is created. Just like the policy of the organization, about the rule and regulation of the organization, about the status, the facility, there are many other things which cause a lot of barriers. 9. **Semantic Barriers**: Semantic barriers to communication are the symbolic obstacles that distort the sent message in some other way than intended, making the message difficult to understand. The meaning of words, signs and symbols might be different from one person to another and the same word might have hundreds of meanings. 10. **Inattention barriers**: Sometime the persons do not pay adequate attention to the message. They do not listen, the spoken words attentively. The communication has no impact on those who are unwilling to listen. Inattention arises due to lack of interest, over stimulation and time pressure. **Overcome Barriers of Communication** - **Eliminating differences in perception:** Seek clarity: if we are unclear about expectations, assumptions, preferences or beliefs of another person in an interaction, confusion may arise. The key to overcoming **perceptual barriers** is asking questions to gain a sense of clarity and ensure that you and the other person are on the same page. - **Use of Simple Language:** Use of simple and clear words should be emphasized. Use of ambiguous words and jargons should be avoided. - **Reduction and elimination of noise levels:** Noise is the main communication barrier which must be overcome on priority basis. It is essential to identify the source of noise and then eliminate that source. - **Active Listening:** Listen attentively and carefully. There is a difference between "listening" and "hearing". Active listening means hearing with proper understanding of the message that is heard. By asking questions the speaker can ensure whether his/her message is understood or not by the receiver in the same terms as intended by the speaker. - **Emotional State:** During communication one should make effective use of body language. He/she should not show their emotions while communication as the receiver might misinterpret the message being delivered. For example, if the conveyer of the message is in a bad mood then the receiver might think that the information being delivered is not good. - **Simple Organizational Structure:** The organizational structure should not be complex. The number of hierarchical levels should be optimum. There should be a ideal span of control within the organization. Simpler the organizational structure, more effective will be the communication. - **Avoid Information Overload:** The managers should know how to prioritize their work. They should not overload themselves with the work. They should spend quality time with their subordinates and should listen to their problems and feedbacks actively. - **Give Constructive Feedback:** Avoid giving negative feedback. The contents of the feedback might be negative, but it should be delivered constructively. Constructive feedback will lead to effective communication between the superior and subordinate. - **Proper Media Selection:** The managers should properly select the medium of communication. Simple messages should be conveyed orally, like: face to face interaction or meetings. Use of written means of communication should be encouraged for delivering complex messages. For significant messages reminders can be given by using written means of communication such as memos, notices etc. **Principles of Ethical Communication** There are a myriad of core principles associated with ethical communication, starting with the core value of honesty that all other values are connected to. However, it can be said that there is a value underlying honesty (with regard to ethical communication) and that is emotional intelligence/empathy as the precursor of all soft skills, which allows all personnel to be understood, and to effectively communicate with others. Emotional intelligence, within the framework of ethical communication, allows one to understand the needs of others, and meet those needs in the most efficient manner possible as if you were in their shoes. 1. **Be Truthful and Honest** Being honest means communicating what is known to be true (only 100 percent the facts) to a listener, with no intent to deceive or present only parts of the truth. Ethical communication should be based on accurate information and facts -- in a word, *do not lie.* 2. **Active Listening** *Hearing* someone and *listening* to them are two different things. In order for ethical communication to be effective, it is necessary for the recipient to pro-actively listen to the speaker, and to not just hear what they want to hear, or to hear only parts of the conversation. This also means asking questions when any point is not completely understood, for the sake of clarification. 3. **Speak Non-Judgmentally** Ethically and concisely communicating means speaking in a non-judgmental manner with every recipient, negating unnecessary conflict, which typically creates a breakdown in communication and causes misunderstandings. Unnecessary conflict is never good for any business, and such conflicts usually result from unethical communications, with judgmental, accusatory, and overly-critical comments often being the catalyst for such breakdowns in communication. 4. **Speak from your Own Experience** Bringing your personal experience into a dialogue with business listeners is important, providing backup for your arguments with something more tangible. Such a communication method (experiential communication) paints a complete picture for your audience and helps to prove your points so that the listeners have a better understanding of what is being said. 5. **Consider the Receiver's Preferred Communication Channel** You risk losing an audience if you use a communication channel that is not preferred by your intended receiver. To effectively communicate with your listeners, use the most preferred communication channel, whether that be face-to-face, email, conference call, phone call, messenger app, etc. Also, when presenting data to a business audience, be aware of the preferred method of presentation for that business, whether it be graphs, slides, PowerPoint presentations, etc. Additionally, since body language is very important, it is often preferred to meet business clients face-to-face. 6. **Strive to Understand** While it is important to be proactive in listening, it is important for listeners to also strive to fully understand what is being said before responding. While asking for clarification or confirmation of a point is fine, many times questions that listeners pose have already been answered. Listeners should think about what has been said before constructing a reply. Reading "in between the lines" is also an important skill that allows for understanding what *isn't *said, but was implicitly said or implied. 7. **Avoid a Negative Tone** Ethically communicating assumes the speaker will avoid rudeness, be polite and professional, and have *tact.* The ethical communicator knows that it's not only important what you say, but how you say it. *Tone* is one of the most critical facets of communication. A listener may miss the meaning altogether if the tone is wrong, which can lead to unnecessary confrontations that decrease business productivity. Controlling one's tone goes along with self-control, a soft skill that allows one to know how they wish to reply to a terse business message (for instance) versus the most effective manner for replying. Essentially, keeping the tone positive or neutral is best, as the tone of a written message -- or of one's voice -- is always picked up by the receiver, and can alter how the message is received and/or understood. 8. **Do Not Interrupt Others** Allowing others to speak is important for the creation of a civil, effective working environment. Interrupting others results in misunderstandings and unnecessary conflicts and a breakdown in workplace communications, which only hinders corporate progress and creates problems. Interrupting others not only shows a lack of respect, but does not allow the listener to fully grasp what is being said, which often results in incorrect assumptions being made. 9. **Respect Privacy and Confidentiality** Most businesses should include a clause in their code of ethics defining what is appropriate when it comes to honoring client and employee confidentiality and privacy. This can have a wide range of implications, including minimizing workplace gossip, and mitigating toxic conversations about the private lives of clients and/or personnel. 10. **Accept Responsibility** As noted before, a core tenant within any ethical communication framework is taking responsibility for the actions that result from one's words, whether it be good or bad. This includes both short term and long-term consequences of one's communications. Owning one's words reinforces the importance of being conscientious about ethical communication. **Self-Test Questions** 1. Demonstrate how the communication process works 2. Explain the elements of the communication process 3. Discuss the barriers of effective communication 4. Describe the strategies of overcoming communication barriers 5. Identify the principles of ethical communication