Fundamentals Of Communication NOTES

Fundamentals of Communication Communication is fundamentally social, influenced by the relationships between communicators, which shapes their interactions. Key elements of communication include: 1. Participants: This involves both the speaker and listener. Speake...

Fundamentals of Communication Communication is fundamentally social, influenced by the relationships between communicators, which shapes their interactions. Key elements of communication include: 1. Participants: This involves both the speaker and listener. Speakers convey messages by articulating their thoughts and feelings, while listeners interpret and respond to these messages. 2. Context: The context, which affects understanding, can be divided into five types: 3. o Physical context: The setting and environmental conditions where communication occurs. o Social context: The nature of relationships between communicators, influencing the formality of the interaction. o Psychological context: The moods and feelings of communicators, which can alter message reception. o Cultural context: Shared beliefs and values that affect interactions among different cultural groups. o Historical context: Previous interactions that shape current understanding. 3. Message: The content shared by the speaker, which can be understood differently by listeners based on their perspectives. 4. Channels: Messages are transmitted through visual (sight) and auditory (sound) channels, enabling the sharing of information through gestures and tone of voice. Disruptions, or noise, can hinder communication and are categorized as external, internal, or semantic. 5. Feedback: The listener’s response, which can be verbal or non-verbal, helps the speaker gauge understanding and adjust messages as necessary. Communication fulfills five major functions: control, social interaction, motivation, information dissemination, and emotional expression.