Purposive Communication Module 1 PDF

# Purposive Communication Module 1 ## Understanding 21st Century Communication ## 1. Communication Alexander (1984) stated that communication occurs when a sender expresses an emotion or a feeling, creates an idea, or senses the need to communicate. The communication process is triggered when the...

# Purposive Communication Module 1 ## Understanding 21st Century Communication ## 1. Communication Alexander (1984) stated that communication occurs when a sender expresses an emotion or a feeling, creates an idea, or senses the need to communicate. The communication process is triggered when the sender makes a conscious or an unconscious decision to share the message with another person, the receiver. It is a process wherein the exchange of information between two or more people (Bernales, Balon and Biligan, 2018). Keyton (2011) supported this notion of communication when he defined it as Communication can be defined as the process of transmitting information and common understanding from one person to another. For communication to succeed, both the participants must be able to exchange information and understand each other. If this flow of information is interrupted or blocked communication fails. The word communication is derived from the Latin word, "communis", which means common. In our everyday living, for a communication to be effectively transmitted, elements of communication must be present and these include a) Speaker, b) Message, c) Receiver, d) Channel, e) Feedback, and f) Communicative Situation. Alexander (1984) further explains that every communicative act is based on something that conveys meaning, and that conveyance is the message. The message may be either verbal (spoken or written) or nonverbal (body language, physical appearance, or vocal tone). Messages may also come from the context, or place and time, of the communication. For instance, if you choose to make a critical comment to someone, the place and the time you choose to make that comment will make a big impact on how it will be received. Moreover, every message is sent and received through one of our five senses, it is seen, heard, touched, tasted, or smelled. The sensory media through which messages are sent and received are communication channels. In a work setting, messages may be seen through body movement, letters, memos, newsletters, bulletin board notices, signs, emails, and so on. Messages that are heard come through conversations, interviews, presentations, telephones, radios, and other audio media. Sight and sound are the two most frequent communication channels used in our society. When the receiver gets the message (through seeing, hearing, feeling, touching, or smelling), he or she will usually give feedback (return message) unconsciously or consciously. Thus, the communications process is on-going. The worst assumption a sender of a message can make is that the message will be received as intended. So many things can go wrong during the communications process that we should always assume that something will go wrong and take steps to prevent that occurrence. Barriers to good communications are always present. For instance, the language itself can be a barrier, unclear wording, slang, jargon, the tone. Another barrier is the failure of the sender to realize that his or her body language might contradict the spoken message. The channel used to convey the message might be wrong, for instance, you would not use the telephone to relay a lot of statistical information, you would need to write that message on paper. Poor listening skills can constitute a barrier also (Alexander, 1984). ## DEFINITIONS OF COMMUNICATION 1. Communication is a process by which we assign and convey meaning in an attempt to create shared understanding. This process requires a vast repertoire of skills: - Intrapersonal and interpersonal processing - Listening - Observing - Speaking - Questioning - Analyzing - Evaluating 2. It can be seen as processes of information transmission governed by three levels of semiotic rules: - Syntactic - Pragmatic - Semantic 3. It is therefore a social interaction where at least two interacting agents share a common set of signs and a common set of semiotic rules. 4. The Oxford Advanced Leamer's Dictionary defines communication, as the act of passing news, information..., the act of sharing or exchanging thoughts, ideas, feelings with others or with a group, the act of participating with or sharing in common, the -we-belong-to-same-feeling as in communication with... or the act of thinking about oneself. 5. Communication is derived from the Latin word *communis*, 'which means, -Belonging to many or equally and -communico - to confer with others. It is the mutual exchange of information, ideas, and understanding by any effective means (Ballesterros, 2003). 6. Communication refers to the process of human beings responding to the symbolic behavior of other persons (Adler and Rodman, 1997). - COMMUNICATION IS HUMAN. - COMMUNICATION IS A PROCESS. - COMMUNICATION IS SYMBOLIC. 7. The communication done by animals is relatively different from humans. The manner by which we communicate or use different gestures, facial expression, etc. to communicate is different from the dance that is done by bees to instruct their hive-mates on the location of food or the chimpanzees that have been taught to express themselves using sign language like deaf humans. 8. We often talk about communication as if it occurred in discrete, individual acts. In fact communication is a continuous, ongoing process. Consider, for example, a friend's compliment about your appearance. Your interpretation of those words will depend on a long series of experiences stretching far back in time: how have others judged your appearance? How do you feel about your looks? How honest has your friend been in the past? How have you been feeling about one another recently? All of this history will help shape your response to the other person's remark. In turn, the words you speak and the way you say them will shape the way your friend behaves toward you and others, both in this situation and in the future. This example shows that it's inaccurate to talk about -acts of communication as if they occurred in isolation. To put it differently, communication isn't a series of incidents pasted together like photographs in a scrapbook; instead, it is more like a motion picture in which the meaning comes from the unfolding of an interrelated series of images. The fact that communication is a process is reflected in the transactional model. 9. Symbols are used to represent things, processes, ideas, or events in ways that make communication possible. The most significant feature of symbols is their arbitrary nature. For example, there's no logical reason why the letters in *book* should stand for the object you're reading in class. Speakers of Spanish call it a *libro*, and Germans label it a *Buch*. Even in English, another term would work just as well as long as everyone agreed to use it in the same way. We overcome the arbitrary nature of symbols by linguistic rules and customs. Effective communication depends on agreement among people about these rules. This is easiest to see when we observe people who don't follow linguistic conventions. For example, recall how unusual the speech of children and immigrant speakers of a language sounds. 10. In addition to this, nonverbal communication can have symbolic meaning. As with words, some nonverbal behaviors, though arbitrary, have clearly agreed upon meanings. For example, to most North Americans placement of a thumb and first finger together while facing the palm of the hand outward stands for the idea of something being -OK. But even more than words, many nonverbal behaviors are ambiguous. Does a frown signify anger or unhappiness? Does a hug stand for a friendly greeting or a symbol of the hugger's romantic interest in you? One can't always be sure (Adler and Rodman, 1997). ## Other Concepts of Communication 1. Allen Louis - Communication is the sum of all things (telling, listening and understanding). It is a systematic activity under any given circumstances. 2. Henry Kuntz - Communication is the transferring of information from one person to another whether or not he/she elicits that confidence. 3. George Terry - Communication is the exchange of ideals, feelings, and emotions between two or more persons. 4. Keith Davis - The purpose of passing information and understanding between two persons without the bridge of communication no one can cross the river of understanding. ## Types of Communication According to Mode A message may be impart through these types; verbal-non-verbal and visual. While communication is often thought of as verbal, the non-verbal mode is equally essential as it enhances one's message. ### A. VERBAL COMMUNICATION - (Linguistics) The process of sending and receiving messages with words, including writing and sign language. - It refers to the form of communication in which message is transmitted verbally. - Communication is done by word of mouth and a piece of writing. #### VERBAL COMMUNICATION: ORAL - Spoken words are used - It includes face-to-face conversations, speech, telephonic conversation, video, radio, television, voice over internet. - Communication is influenced by pitch, volume, speed and clarity of speaking. ##### Verbal Communication: Oral-Advantages - It brings quick feedback. - In a face-to-face conversation, by reading facial expression and body language one can guess whether he/she should trust what’s being said or not. - It saves time in communication. - It is quick in obtaining feedback once delivered. - It provides complete understanding of communication delivered and there is chance to make it clearer in case of doubts in interpretation of words or ideas. - It is more reliable method of communication. - It is flexible and effective for all. - It is powerful means of persuasion and control. - It is cheaper way of communication and hence saves money. ##### Verbal Communication: Oral-Disadvantages - It has issues when communicating with distant people. - It is difficult for certain people to understand speech due to various speech tones used in verbal communication. - This form of communication is not suitable for lengthy message. - There is chance of leak of secret information with the help of modern devices such as polygraph or lie detector. Often secret information can be obtained while the person is under the influence of alcohol. #### VERBAL COMMUNICATION: WRITTEN - In written communication, written signs or symbols are used to communicate. - In written communication message can be transmitted via email, letter, report, memo etc. - Written communication is most common form of communication being used in business. ##### Verbal Communication: Written-Advantages - Messages can be edited and revised - Written communication provide record and backup. - A written communication enables receiver to fully understand it and send appropriate feedback - Easy to preserve: The documents of written communication are easy to preserve. Oral and non-verbal communication cannot be preserved. If it is needed, important information can be collected from the preserved documents. - Easy presentation of complex matter: Written communication is the best way to represent any complex matter easily and attractively. - Permanent record: The documents of written communication act as a permanent record. When it is needed, important information can be easily collected from the preserved documents. - Prevention of wastage of time and money: Written communication prevents the waste of money and time. Without meeting with each other the communicator and communicate can exchange their views. - Accurate presentation: Through the documents of the written communication top executive can present the information more accurately and clearly. As it is a legal document everybody takes much care does draft it. - Use as a reference: If it is needed, written communication can be used as future reference. - Delegation of authority: Written communication can help the authority to delegate the power and authority to the subordinate. It is quite impossible to delegate power without a written document. - Longevity: Written document can be preserved for a long time easily. That is why; all the important issues of an organization should be back and white. - Effective communication: Written communication helps to make communication effective. It is more dependable and effective than those of other forms of communication. - Maintaining image: Written communication helps to maintain the images of both the person and the organization. It also protects the images of the company or organization. - Proper information: It is a proper and complete communication system. There is no opportunity to include any unnecessary information in a written document. - Less distortion possibility: In this communication system information is recorded permanently. So, there is less possibility of distortion and alteration of the information. - No opportunity to misinterpret: there is any opportunity to misinterpret the information or messages of written communication. - Controlling tool: Written communication can help to control the organizational activity. The written document may be used as a tool for controlling. - Easy to verify: The information and messages that are preserved can be verified easily. If there arises any misunderstanding any party can easily verify the information. - Others: Clear understanding, Legal document, Acceptability, Reduction of risk, Creating confidence, Easy circulation, Wide access or coverage etc. ##### Verbal Communication: Written-Disadvantages - Expensive: Written communication is comparatively expensive. For this communication paper, pen, ink, typewriter, computer and a large number of employees are needed. - Time consuming: Written communication takes time to communicate with others. It is a time consuming media. It costs the valuable time of both the writer and the reader. - Red-Taoism: Red-Taoism is one of the most disadvantages of written communication. It means to take time for approval of a project. - Useless for illiterate person: It messages receiver is illiterate, written communication is quite impossible. This is major disadvantage written communication. - Difficult to maintain secrecy: It is an unexpected medium to keep business secrecy. Secrecy is not always possible to maintain through written communication. Because here needs to discuss everything in black and white. - Lack of flexibility: Since writing documents cannot be changed easily at any time. Lack of flexibility is one of the most important limitations of written communication. - Delay in response: It takes much time to get a response from the message receiver; prompt response is not possible in case of written communication that is possible in oral communication. - Delay in decision making: Written communication takes much time to communicate with all the parties concerned. So the decision maker cannot take decisions quickly. - Cost in record keeping: It is very difficult and expensive to keep all the records in written communication. - Complex words: Sometimes the writer uses complex words in writing a message. It becomes difficult to meaning out to the reader. So the objectives of the communication may lose. - Lack of direct relation: If there is no direct relation between the writer and the reader, writer communication cannot help to establish a direct relation between them. - Other: Prompt feedback is impossible, Slowness, Bureaucratic attitude, Understanding problem between boss and subordinates, lack in quick clarification and correction, formality problem, lack of personal intimacy, etc. ### B. NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION Nonverbal communication is the sending or receiving of wordless messages. Such gesture, body language, posture, tone of voice or facial expressions is called nonverbal communication. It is all about the body language of speaker. It has three elements: 1. Appearance (speaker)- Clothing, hairstyle, neatness, use of cosmetics, Appearance (surrounding) - room size, lighting, decorations, furnishings 2. Body language - facial expressions, gestures, postures 3. Sounds - voice tone, volume, speech rate ### C. VISUAL COMMUNICATION Visual communication, on the other hand, is the type of communication that uses visuals to convey information and/or messages. Some examples are signs, symbol, imagery, maps, graphs, charts, diagrams, pictograms, photos, drawings or illustrations, and even various forms of electronic communication. Visual communication now occupies an important place in any work environment. For instance, during presentations, instructors, managers, doctors, lawyers, legislators and the like use visuals to transfer data into digestible information. Very likely, they have greater success in catching the attention of the audience making the latter easily recall the information. ##### Verbal Communication: Visual-Advantages - It makes use of technology that provides apps (applications), videos and images that rely less on the printed word making presentations more interesting. This leaves a powerful effect on the audience and prospective clients. - Speakers/presenters should be mindful of the content of their presentation since wrong and irrelevant information may lead to miscommunication. Likewise, they should pay attention to graphic elements, such as position, color, size, shape and orientation as all these play an important role in the presentation of slides. Audience size should be considered as well when preparing slide presentations or other forms of visuals. ## Types of Communication According to Context This sub-section, context in communication is referred to as composite of people interacting with each other. Communication may also be classified according to context: (1) intrapersonal, (2) interpersonal ### A. INTRAPERSONAL COMMUNICATION The Latin prefixes *intra-* means within or inside. Intrapersonal communication then means talking to oneself. Some label it as self or inner talk, inner dialogue. Psychologists call it with other names such as self-verbalization or self-statement. Intrapersonal communication can be defined also as communication with one's self, and that may include self-talk, acts of imagination and visualization, and even recall and memory (McLean, 2005). Communications expert Leonard Shedletsky examined intrapersonal communication through the eight basic components of the communication process (i.e., source, receiver, message, channel, feedback, environment, context, and interference) as transactional, but all the interaction occurs within the individual (Shedletsky, 1989). From planning to problem solving, internal conflict resolution, and evaluations and judgments of self and others, we communicate with ourselves through intrapersonal communication. All this interaction takes place in the mind without externalization, and all of it relies on previous interaction with the external world. ### B. INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION Interpersonal communication can be defined as communication between two people, but the definition fails to capture the essence of a relationship. This broad definition is useful when we compare it to intrapersonal communication, or communication with ourselves, as opposed to mass communication, or communication with a large audience, but it requires clarification. The developmental view of interpersonal communication places emphasis on the relationship rather than the size of the audience, and draws a distinction between impersonal and personal interactions. Family for many is the first experience in interpersonal relationships, but as we develop professionally, our relationships at work may take on many of the attributes we associate with family communication. We look to each other with similar sibling rivalries, competition for attention and resources, and support. The workplace and our peers can become as close, or closer, than our birth families, with similar challenges and rewards. To summarize, interpersonal relationships are an important part of the work environment. ## COMMUNICATION AS PROCESS In a survey conducted by the Katz Business School at the University of Pittsburg, organizations rated communication skills as the most important factor used in selecting their management staff. The study found that oral and written communication skills were important in predicting job success, as was the ability to communicate well with others in the workplace (Mtd Training, 2010). This result makes sense after all since communication is innate to us. Therefore for us to be able to communicate well is important. If we are not able to communicate well, the messages we send get lost in translation (Mtd Training, 2010). Similarly, Bernales, Balon and Biligan (2018) stated that when the flow of information is blocked for some reason or the parties cannot make themselves understood, then communication fails. ## ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION PROCESS Speaking and listening are vital elements of communication. Therefore, in any communication situation, you are both speaker and listener. (Villamarzo, 2003) Eugene White (1960) mentions eight stages in the cycle of communication. These are: - Thinking - Symbolizing - Expressing - Transmitting - Receiving - Decoding - Reacting - Monitoring Roman Jacobson mentions the following as components of communication: - Addressor (speaker) - Addressee (listener) - Context (situation) - Contact - Code, and - Message Gronbeck defines *model* as a picture or a representation of a thing or process that identifies the key parts or elements and indicates how each element affects the operations of all of the elements. Communication Model, therefore, is a sketch that shows the basic elements of the communication process, and how each element affects the other elements in the entire communication process as a system ## COMPONENTS OF COMMUNICATION 1. **SPEAKER/SENDER** - A person who sends the message - A sender makes use of symbols (words or graphs or visual aids) to convey the message and produce required response. - Sender maybe an individual or a group or an organization - The views, background, approach, skills, competencies and knowledge of the sender have great impact on the message. - The communication process begins with the sender, who is also called the communicator or source. The sender has some kind of information - a command, request, or idea - that he or she wants to share with others. In order for the message to be received, the sender must first encode the message in a form that can be understood and then transmit it. 2. **MESSAGE** - Is the key idea that the sender wants to communicate - It is a sign that elicits the response of the recipient. - Communication process begin with decoding about the message to be conveyed. - It must be ensured that the main objective of the message is clear. - Message is what you communicate verbally or non-verbally - The message or content is the information that the sender wants to relay to the receiver. - It is relayed between the parties. Put all three together and you have the communication process at its most basic. - It also refers to the thoughts, ideas, or information that you convey to your listeners. - Verbal delivery of messages includes: - Elements of voice (rate, volume, pitch, and quality) - Articulation, and - Pronunciation - Verbal message consists of three variables: - Content (is everything you say about something: referential or relational) Ref- all relevant to your topic; Rel - a suggestion of any relationship to your listeners - Structure (the pattern of organization you follow - Style (how you express your ideas) 3. **CHANNEL OR MEDIUM** - Is the means used to exchange or transmit the message - The channel or medium is the language you use. - The means through which the sender must choose an appropriate medium for transmitting the message else the message might not be conveyed. - It is also called channel, the medium is the means by which a message is transmitted. - Text messages, for example, are transmitted through the medium of cell phones. 4. **RECEIVER OR LISTENER** - a person for whom the message is intended, aimed or targeted - The degree to which the decoder understands the message is dependent upon various factors such as: knowledge of recipient, their responsiveness to the message, and the reliance of the encoder on the decoder. - The person to whom a message is directed is called the receiver or the interpreter. In order to comprehend the information from the sender, the receiver must first be able to receive the sender's information and then decode or interpret it. 5. **FEEDBACK** - Is the main component of the communication process as it permits the sender to analyze the efficacy of the message? - It helps the sender in confirming the correct interpretation of message by the decoder. - Feedback maybe verbal or non-verbal. - The communication process reaches its final point when the message has been successfully transmitted, received, and understood. - The receiver, in turn, responds to the sender, indicating comprehension. - Feedback may be direct, such as written or verbal response, or it may take the form of an act or deed in response. - The communication process is not always simple or smooth, of course. - Two other elements may affect how the message is transmitted, received, and interpreted. 6. **NOISE** - This can be any sort of interference that affects the message being sent, received, or understood. It can be as literal as static over a phone line or esoteric as misinterpreting a local custom. 7. **SITUATION or CONTEXT** - It refers to the time and place in which communication occurs - This is the setting and situation in which communication takes place. - Like noise, context can have an impact of the successful exchange of information. It may have a physical, social, or cultural aspect to it ## THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS - The goal of communication is to convey information and the understanding of that information-from one person or group to another person or group. This communication process is divided into three basic components: A sender transmits a message through a channel to the receiver. (Figure shows a more elaborate model.) The sender first develops an idea, which is composed into a message and then transmitted to the other party, who interprets the message and receives meaning. Information theorists have added somewhat more complicated language. Developing a message is known as encoding. Interpreting the message is referred to as decoding. - The other important feature is the feedback cycle. When two people interact, communication is rarely one-way only. When a person receives a message, she responds to it by giving a reply. The feedback cycle is the same as the sender-receiver feedback noted in Figure 1. Otherwise, the sender can't know whether the other parties properly interpreted the message or how they reacted to it. Feedback is especially significant in management because a supervisor has to know how subordinates respond to directives and plans. The manager also needs to know how work is progressing and how employees feel about the general work situation. - The critical factor in measuring the effectiveness of communication is common understanding. Understanding exists when all parties involved have a mutual agreement as to not only the information, but also the meaning of the information. Effective communication, therefore, occurs when the intended message of the sender and the interpreted message of the receiver are one and the same. Although this should be the goal in any communication, it is not always achieved. - The most efficient communication occurs at a minimum cost in terms of resources expended. Time, in particular, is an important resource in the communication process. For example, it would be virtually impossible for an instructor to take the time to communicate individually with each student in a class about every specific topic covered. Even if it were possible, it would be costly. This is why managers often leave voice mail messages and interact by e-mail rather than visit their subordinates personally. - However, efficient time-saving communications are not always effective. A low-cost approach such as an e-mail note to a distribution list may save time, but it does not always result in everyone getting the same meaning from the message. Without opportunities to ask questions and clarify the message, erroneous interpretations are possible. In addition to a poor choice of communication method, other barriers to effective communication include noise and other physical distractions, language problems, and failure to recognize nonverbal signals. - Sometimes communication is effective, but not efficient. A work team leader visiting each team member individually to explain a new change in procedures may guarantee that everyone truly understands the change, but this method may be very costly on the leader's time. A team meeting would be more efficient. In these and other ways, potential tradeoffs between effectiveness and efficiency occur. (-The Communication Process, n.d.) ## The Communication Process There are many communication models that can be used to visually describe different communication situations. Here are some models that will allows us to get a deeper understanding of the communication as process. ### ARISTOTLE'S COMMUNICATION MODEL (1)  Aristotle proposed the model before 300 B.C. He found the importance of the audience role in communication chain. This model is more focused on public speaking than interpersonal communication. Aristotle’s Model of Communication is formed with five (5) basic elements, namely: 1. Speaker, 2. Speech, 3. Occasion, 4. Audience, and 5. Effect. Aristotle advises speakers to build speech for different audience on different time (occasion) and for different effect. ### ARISTOTLE'S MODEL OF COMMUNICATION (2)  Aristotle defined communication (called RHETORIC in his time) as the faculty of observing, in any given case, the available means of persuasion. The model shows the process which the speaker must follow to communicate his idea or message to his intended listener. This process involves four steps: 1. A Speaker discovers some logical, emotional and ethical proofs; 2. He arranges these materials strategically; 3. He clothes the ideas in clear, compelling words; and 4. He delivers the resulting speech appropriately. #### IMPORTANT SKILLS OF A SPEAKER The Aristotelian model seems to emphasize four important -faculties or skills of a speaker, which he must use (observe) as a means of persuading his listeners (audience) to act according to his please or intentions. These skills are as follows: 1. Logical reasoning skills coupled with the ability to present ethical and emotional proofs of ideas he advances or proposes; 2. Skills in organizing or positioning his speech materials strategically (or simply put, the proper ordering or sequencing of materials in order to help the listener follow the speaker’s thoughts to an effective close or ending); 3. Skills in presenting his ideas/ messages in clear and compelling words; and 4. Skills in delivering his resultant speech in appropriate oratorical style (e.g. correct pronunciation, volume of voice, rate of speed, gestures or body language, timing, etc.). Although not specifically indicated in the model above, it is clear that the communication process has these elements: (1) a Speaker, (2) an Idea or Message, and (3) an Audience or Listener (s). It can also be safely assumed that there is a channel chosen - the means to carry the idea or message across to the listener; and the channel chosen is the human voice - the public speech instrument. The Aristotelian model is SPEAKER-CENTERED. But, of course, during his time, the emphasis was the training of speakers - public speakers called orators, skillful in the art of reasoning and persuasion. ### SHANNON'S MODEL  This model argues that communication can be broken down into 6 key concepts: sender, encoder, channel, noise, decoder, and receiver. A later version of the theory by Warren Weaver added a 7th concept (feedback) which changed the model from a linear to cyclical model (Drew, 2020). It is known as the *mother of all models* because of its wide popularity. The model is also known as *information theory' or the *Shannon theory'* because Shannon was the main person who developed the theory. The model's primary value is in explaining how messages are lost and distorted in the process of communication (Drew, 2020). ### SHANNON-WEAVER MODEL Drew, C. (2020) explains that the Shannon-Weaver model follows the concept of communication in a linear fashion from sender to receiver with the following steps: 1. **Sender (Information Source)** The model starts with the sender. They are the person (or object, or thing) who has the information to begin with (the information source'). The sender starts the process by choosing a message to send, someone to send the message to, and a channel through which to send the message. A sender can send a message in multiple different ways: it may be orally (through spoken word), in writing, through body language, music, etc. Example: An example of a sender might be the person reading a newscast on the nightly news. They will choose what to say and how to say it before the newscast begins. 2. **Encoder (Transmitter)** The encoder is the machine (or person) that converts the idea into signals that can be sent from the sender to the receiver. The Shannon model was designed originally to explain communication through means such as telephone and computers which encode our words using codes like binary digits or radio waves. However, the encoder can also be a person that turns an idea into spoken words, written words, or sign language to communicate an idea to someone. Examples: The encoder might be a telephone, which converts our voice into binary 1s and Os to be sent down the telephone lines (the channel). Another encode might be a radio station, which converts voice into waves to be sent via radio to someone. 3. **Channel** The channel of communication is the infrastructure that gets information from the sender and transmitter through to the decoder and receiver. We sometimes also call this the *medium*. Examples: A person sending an email is using the worldwide web (internet) as a medium. A person talking on a landline phone is using cables and electrical wires as their channel. If we're face-to-face, perhaps we don't have a channel, except the sound waves from our voice that carry the sound from the sender's mouth to the receiver's ear. 4. **Noise** Noise interrupts a message while it's on the way from the sender to the receiver. It's named after the idea that noise could interrupt our understanding of a message. There are two types of noise: internal and external. - **Internal noise** happens when a sender makes a mistake encoding a message or a receiver makes a mistake decoding the message. Here's the two points where it can happen - Examples of internal noise may include someone having a headache so they can't concentrate, someone speaking with a heavy accent, or when the sender mumbles when speaking. - At the point of encoding (for example, when you misspell a word in a text message); At the point of decoding (for example, when someone misinterprets a sentence when reading an email) - **External noise** happens when something external (not in the control of sender or receiver) impedes the message. So, external noise happens: - At the point of transmission through the channel (for example, when we're having a conversation by a busy highway and the receiver is having trouble hearing over the sound of cars) One of the key goals for people who use this theory is to identify the causes of noise and try to minimize them to improve the quality of the message. Examples: Examples of external noise may include the crackling of a poorly tuned radio, a lost letter in the post, an interruption in a television broadcast, or a failed internet connection. 5. **Decoder** Decoding is the exact opposite of encoding. Shannon and Weaver made this model in reference to communication that happens through devices like telephones. So, in this model, there usually needs to be a device that decodes a message from binary digits or waves back into a format that can be understood by the receiver. If we're talking about direct communication between people without the use of technology, there may still be a need for decoding. For example, you might need to decode a secret message, turn written words into something that makes sense in your mind by reading them out loud, or you may need to interpret (decode) the meaning behind a picture that was sent to you. Examples: Decoders can include computers that turn binary packets of 1s and Os into pixels on a screen that make words, a telephone that turns signals such as digits or waves back into sounds, and cell phones that also turn bits of data into readable (and listenable) messages. 6. **Receiver (Destination)** The receiver is the end-point of Shannon and Weaver's original linear framework. This is the step where the person finally gets the message, or what's left of it after accounting for noise. Examples: Examples of a receiver might be: the person on the other end of a telephone, the person reading an email you sent them, an automated payments system online that has received credit card details for payment, etc. 7. **Feedback** The feedback step was not originally proposed by Shannon and Weaver in 1948. Norbert Weiner came up with the feedback step in response to criticism of the linear nature of the approach. (Linear means that the messages are only going one way). Feedback occurs when the receiver of the message responds to the sender in order to close the communication loop. They might respond to let the sender know they got the message or to show the sender: - Whether they got the message clearly without noise - How well they understand the message - Nonetheless, the feedback elements seems like a post-hoc add-on to the model, and is the subject of a lot of criticism (see later in this article on disadvantages of the model or details). Examples: Feedback does not occur in all situations. Sometimes, like when watching TV, we don't tend to let the people talking on the TV know what we're thinking ... we simply watch the show. Some times when feedback will occur include: - During a chat between friends - When you write a reply email - Through your facial expressions and body language during a conversation