Communication: Introduction
Communication is an indispensable tool in all areas of human interaction. But
it is a process that is complex. The extent of its complexity can be seen in the
variety of ways in which it can be defined.
Thus, communication is any behaviour, verbal, nonverbal or graphic that is
perceived by another. It involves a web of activities that differ in different
situations. In the workplace, for example, you would probably communicate
differently when talking formally to customers as compared to informally with a
peer. How you perceive the situation will often determine your communication
behavior.
Forms and Types of Communication
People communicate with each other in a variety of ways that depend on the
message they want to send and the context in which it is to be sent. As a
result there are a variety of forms and types of communication such as e-mail,
face-to-face, telephone, meetings, corridor conversations and seminars. Dwyer
categorises these into three forms of communication - verbal, nonverbal and graphic
four types of communication - intrapersonal, interpersonal, public and mass.
Communication Models and Theories
Communication
is a dynamic and interactive process'. Just as there are many
definitions of communication, so there are many models of communication,
each providing different views of how people transfer and interpret
information. Like a jigsaw puzzle, each model provides a part of the
picture, but no one model seems to cover all aspects.
Berlo's Model
Berlo's
focus remained on the transmission model of communication. However, he
introduced more of the human elements, such as the relationship between
the message channel and the five senses
Effective communication
involves both the sender and the receiver. The sender must be as clear
as possible and the receiver must signal understanding or clarification.
It involves both content and relationship elements
content = message, idea
relationship = emotions, power, status
personal Encoding and decoding are based on a person's perception of the world.
The Transmission Model
The
transmission model is concerned with the transfer of meaning from the
sender to the receiver . Communication is a one way process.
The Process Model
The
transmission model was subsequently adapted to form the process models
in which people transmit, receive, interpret and respond to messages
with feedback. The process models have seven main elements:
Sender
