Process of communication

Process of communication

Communication is the process of exchanging information from one person to another to meet common objectives. To make communication purposeful, it is essential to complete some common steps both from sender and also from receiver. Generally, the following are the steps essential to fulfill in communication process

1.       Sender: the sender is the source information. He is the initiator of process of communication. He formulates message through his idea, need, intention and source which he wants to communicate to the receiver.

2.       Message: this is the background step to the process of communication. It is the subject matter of communication which sender wants to convey to the receiver. It may consists of facts, opinions, ideas, request, and suggestion etc. of sender.

3.       Message encoding: it is the process of giving a form and meaning to the message. When sender expresses message in terms of words, symbols, gestures, drawing, or other are means of encoding. It makes message meaningful and understandable to the receiver.

4.       Transmission of message: it refers to the selection of channel of communication to convey encoded message to the receiver. It bridges the gap between sender and receiver to communicate message of common interest. To communicate message different mediums can be used on the basis of their effectiveness. For instance, an oral communication can be made through telephone, etc. while written communication can be made in terms of letter, memo, report etc.

5.       Receiver: the receiver is the second person in the communication process. He is the receiver of message, understands the same and takes necessary steps for response. From technical point of view, a communication becomes complete only when it is received and understood by their receiver.

6.       Message decoding: it is the process of interpreting message by the receiver. It is essential to get knowledge or the meaning of message as per the intention of the sender. In simple sense, decoding is termed as the transmission of understanding between sender and receiver. The effectiveness of communication can be realized only when receiver is able to decode message in accordance with sender’s intention.

7.       Action/Response: this is a response from the receiver who has received, understood and accepted the communication. Intention of the sender will be fulfilled only when he is able to draw response from the receiver. Then receiver receives message and is able to decode it in a clear way, he can deliver response on time.

8.       Feedback: it is the final stage of communication process. It determines whether the message is clearly understood and the required action taken. When receiver is able to decode message from sender, he provides the response on time. The stressfulness of communication process can be measured only when sender is able to receive positive response from receiver. The feedback to sender completes the process of communication.