Information and Communication Technology

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

Message
Receiver
Feedback
Channel
Context or setting (environment)
Noise or interference

In the process models, a message is encoded by the sender through a communication channel, such as voice or body language, and then decoded by the receiver. The receiver then provides feedback. The process is influenced by the context of the situation and any noise or interference.