Elements of Communication 2 PDF

Elements of Communication 2 Department of Development Communication & Extension Lady Irwin College University of Delhi ELEMENT: MESSAGE  ELEMENT: Message The message is the idea or information which a communicator wants to convey to its audience. A good message is valid, unambigu...

Elements of Communication 2 Department of Development Communication & Extension Lady Irwin College University of Delhi ELEMENT: MESSAGE  ELEMENT: Message The message is the idea or information which a communicator wants to convey to its audience. A good message is valid, unambiguous, comprehensive, and useful to its audience. It may be spoken words, written words, paintings, photographs, animation or films, etc.  Components of a Message There are three essential components of a message: a) message code, b) message content and c) message treatment a.) Code – It is a group of symbols that can be structured in a way so that it becomes meaningful to the receiver. E.g. language, telegraphic messages sent are codes, also ships communicate through light codes. Music is also a code which is universally accepted and followed. All codes have vocabulary, a structure so that they become meaningful. b.) Content – Content refers to the material in the message, selected by the source to express his purpose. It is the information or the influence which the receiver will draw from the message. Messages are effective if they are based on the needs and interest of the audience. c.) Treatment of message - Treatment of a message means the way in which message is to be handled so that the receiver understands the message easily and interprets it in same way as designed by the sender. It can make a message interesting or dull. In treating messages, we use different appeals like fear, humor, satire etc. Certain films have dared to break the monotony of commercialism and given us some social centric message films…films which have created magic and retained with us for life…and if we retain them..that means their message as been communicated very effectively to us- the audience  Criteria of a good message 1. Communicableness: a good message is easy to communicate and the communicator should have complete command over the contents and the channel through which he/she is going to communicate 2. Simple & clear – A good message, especially in a mass communication context must be simple so that it is easily understood by the audience. 3. Use of appropriate codes – The selection of codes & treatment of message should be done very carefully in terms of selection of words, phrases, visuals and emotions so that it conveys the correct feeling and creates a common platform of understanding among the audience and its communicator.  …….Criteria of a good message 4. Lessen socio-economic risk –The communicator must have good knowledge of the socio-cultural background of the audience before designing the message. Message should be in line with the beliefs, values and economic capabilities of the receiver. 5. Divisibility – The communicator must be able to divide the message in parts. If the message is too long/ complex it will be difficult for the audience to understand it. A message which can be divided into subparts/ units is often more acceptable.  7 C’s of message Treatment Murphy & Hilderbrandt (1991) 1. Completeness a) Provides all necessary information b) Answers all questions asked c) Give something extra when desirable 2. Conciseness a) Eliminate word expressions b) Include only relevant material c) Avoid unnecessary repetitions 3. Credible a)Use specific facts and figures illustrative b)Put action in your verbs c)Choose vivid image building words 4. Consideration a) Focus on ‘you’ instead of ‘I’ b) Show interest in the receiver or audience c) Emphasize positive, pleasant facts 5. Clarity a) Choose precise, concrete and familiar words b) Construct effective sentences and paragraphs 6. Courtesy a) Be tactful, thoughtful, and appreciative b) Use expression that shows respect 7. Correctness a) Use right language b) Check accuracy of figures, facts and words c) Maintain acceptable writing mechanics Element: Channel  ELEMENT: Channel Channel is the medium through which information flows. A channels is a vehicle, pathway or device through which message gets transmitted; for example, television, telephone, cell phones, SMS, radio, books, bulletins, newspapers, magazines, journals, internet, websites, emails, blogs, meetings, protests & demonstrations all are, but a form of channels.  Same message go through various channels Recent case of Delhi, where a young girl in North Delhi- car accident, is an interesting example of how the various channels of communication can depict the same… The case had made headlines in the national newspapers.. The news channels were reporting it day and night..  Types of channels Channels can be classified as i. Verbal and non-verbal channels ii. Formal channels or informal channels iii. Private or Public channels iv. Interpersonal and mass communication channels v. Localite or cosmopolite channels  Interpersonal & Mass Media Channels Characteristic IPC MMC Direction of message flow Two way One way Speed- to Lagre audience slow fast Message accuracy to large low high audience Ability to select audience high low Amount of Feedback high low Possible effect Attitudinal Change Increased Knowledge  Nature & Characteristics of Channels Temporal –Space organized Participation Speed Permanence Privacy Mediated/ interposed vs face to face Assembled/Non assembled  Selection of a channel Some of the important points that a communicator must keep in mind while selecting a channel are: Audience preferences Availability Cost Preference of the communicator Suitability to the content and the receiver Effectiveness Use multiple channels (if essential) Frequency of use  ELEMENT: RECIEVER The controversy of Kanhaiya Kumar, JNU students president is an interesting example of how people behave in different ways with respect to the same issue… I DISSENT… I DISSENT… I SUPPORT… I SUPPORT…  ELEMENT: RECEIVER Receiver is a person or an instrument that receives message from the sender. He/she obtains message from the source using all senses (sense organs) and decodes or interprets it using his/her past knowledge, experiences, perceptions, thoughts, believes, values and feelings. Receiver is also called the decoder as he/she decodes the message sent to him/her.  Audience Characteristics According to Berlo, audience characteristics have a huge influence on the entire process of communication. The audience should possess the following characteristics: 1. Good listening abilities –If he/she has good listening capacity, he/she will be able to listen, try to comprehend and understand the real meaning of the message.  Audience Characteristics 2. Positive self- image, attitude & willingness – A positive self-image leads to generate willingness in our own selves. We feel like growing, have confidence in us. A positive self-image in audience will allow them to participate, make them brainstorm on the issue and critically analyse it. It will lead to generation of feedback mechanism from the audience in the whole communication process.  Audience Characteristics 3. Previous knowledge – Previous knowledge of audience gives a platform to the communicator to address the issue more critically in front of its audience. 4. Interest - If the audience is interested in the issue or the communicator, it will help sustain the attention of the audience. 5. Social-cultural system – It is essential to know the socio-cultural systems of the receiver beforehand as previous knowledge about the socio-cultural systems of the receiver will help remove any social or cultural biases from the communication process. Relationships are built on feedback.. Film reviews/ TRP ratings are also feedback..  ELEMENT: Feedback Audience response to the message is called feedback. It can be positive or negative. It is very essential component of any communication process as it helps the communicator understand how well a message is received by its audience, whether a common understanding between the source and the audience has been reached. It also helps the source to know about scope for improvement in the communication process  Feedback Characteristics 1. Feedback is also like an action-reaction process, wherein the audience respond to a message sent by the communicator. 2. CHECK- The feedback acts as a check or measures effectiveness of the message or the entire communication process and also guides future actions. 3. PURPOSE- An effective feedback should have specific purpose whether we want to assess the communicator, message, audience, channel or the entire process. 4. ACTION SUGGESTIVE- It should also be descriptive as it will help communicator identify and rectify the major pitfalls in the communication process. 5. TIMELY- It is important that the feedback reaches the communicator in time so that required improvement can be made to improve the communication process, else the purpose of the feedback will itself be defeated.  Role and function of feedback in the communication process Creates understanding, goes beyond knowledge giving Acts as an alert Understand the major pitfalls Suggestive feedback helps pinpoint mistakes Feedback Types  Feedback Types of feedback We can classify feedback under following categories: i. Self/listener feedback ii. Positive/ negative feedback iii. Person-focused/ message focused feedback iv. Immediate/delayed feedback v. Low monitoring/ high monitoring feedback vi. Supportive/critical feedback  Self feedback In Self feedback, the communicator is able to assess herself/himself while communicating whether the audience is able to understand and connect with the message or not. Whereas, when listeners or the receivers of the message give feedback to the communicator on various aspects of the process, it is called listener feedback. It can be through verbal, non-verbal or written communication.  Positive/ negative feedback Positive feedback can be observed by the communicator herself/himself while communicating. If the audience is listening attentively and taking interest, it is a positive feedback. Let us take an example from a classroom situation; teacher is able to assess his/her class by student’s attentiveness and participation. If students are listening to the teacher, asking questions, clarifying doubts, and are able to relate the discussion to their real life and respond with examples from their lives, then it is a positive feedback. But if the students are not attentive, busy in talking or are surfing mobiles, a teacher may get a negative feedback from the class, giving a signal to stop or alter the presentation style or seek student’s opinion so as to bring the students back into the class with attention so that they are benefitted by the class discussion.  Person-focused/ message focused feedback Person-focused feedback is person centric. A feedback by a teacher on the student’s performance in an exam is an example of person focused feedback. Message focused feedback is message centric, for example feedback of audience on the public speech, with loud claps or hooting.  Immediate/delayed feedback Immediate feedback is the feedback which one receives as soon as the message is received. It is generally in the interpersonal communication whereas in mass communication feedback generally gets delayed. In case of newspapers too, the readers can reach the editor/ author of an article through emails and social media which connects them much faster.  Low monitoring/ high monitoring feedback Low monitoring feedback is generally informal, spontaneous and an honest reaction of the receiver high monitoring feedback may be given by the audience in consideration of the situation, source and the relationship between the source and the audience.  Supportive/critical feedback Supportive feedback is the feedback given to support, encourage, console a person whereas a critical feedback is to evaluate the performance of an individual critically. example of this is a feedback given while coaching someone to acquire a new skill set, so that the new learner does not lose confidence whereas a Guru teaching a classical dance form to a student who has been with her for a long time will be critical of even small mistakes because the expectations from the disciple are high.  Feed forward messages According to Devito, Feed forward has four major functions a) to open the channels of communication, it is the messages that opens the channel for communication e.g. making a statement to someone unknown “haven’t we met before?” may actually open the channels for communication. b) to preview the future message, feed forward messages frequently preview other messages to be followed. c) to alter cast, it is the process of putting a receiver in a specific role and respond in terms of role assigned. For example while practicing for an interview with a friend and giving the role of interviewer to your friend and getting feedback on your performance is feed forward before an actual interview. d) to disclaim, it is basically to persuade audience to pay attention to the speaker.  Barriers in getting feedback Limitation of the channel – sometimes the channel itself acts as a barrier in getting the feedback or it is time consuming. For example getting a direct feedback from audience in mass communication is a difficult task. Shyness of receiver – the receiver feels hesitant or shy in giving feedback. Thus, it is the responsibility of the communicator to create a comfortable platform for audience to respond and give feedback. Discouragement by the communicator – some communicator’s do not leave space for audience to respond and give feedback.  Socio-economic barriers – audience may feel small to comment and give the feedback. The communicator should be humble enough to create a feeling of equality among the audience. Untimely message – especially in mass communication, feedback is delayed. A timely feedback helps improve the communication process. Language barriers – Language may act as a barrier in communicating feedback. Sometimes, the audience is not able package the feedback in a correct form due to poor articulation.