GNED 05: Communication Process, Principles and Ethics
Nature and Process of Communication
The term “communication” has been defined by a
number of writers and here are some of the definitions:
(a) Koontz and O'Donnell — "Communication is an
intercourse by words, letters, symbols or messages; and is a
way that one organization member shares meaning and
understanding with another."
(b) Newmann and Summer — "Communication is an
exchange of facts, ideas, opinions or emotions by two or more
persons."
(c) Allen Louis A. — "Communication is a sum of all the things
one person does when he wants to create understanding in
the minds of another. It involves a systematic and continuous
process of telling, listening and understanding."
Communication has a symbolic nature and it is an act of
sharing one’s ideas, emotions, attitudes, or perceptions
with another person or group of persons through words
(written or spoken), gestures, signals, signs, or other
modes of transmitting images.
The Communication Model
Components/Essential Elements of the
Communication Process:
• Message • Channel/Medium • Context
• Sender/Encoder • Receiver/Decoder • Feedback
• Encoding • Decoding
Prepared by Ms. Paula Borja (Department of Teacher Education - CvSU Bacoor City Campus)
1. Sender: The communication process begins with a sender,
the person who transmits a message.
2. Message: Message is a key idea that the sender wants to
communicate. It must be ensured that the main objective of
the message is clear.
3. Encoding: The sender must choose certain words or
nonverbal methods to send an intentional message. This
activity is called encoding.
4. Channel: The channel (sometimes called the medium) is the
method used to deliver a message. Even when a message gets
to its intended receiver intact, there’s no guarantee it will be
understood as the sender intended it to be.
5. Receiver: This is the person for whom the message is
intended, aimed, or targeted. The receiver is the one who
attaches meaning to the words or behavior.
6. Decoding: Receivers don’t just absorb messages like
passive sponges. Instead, they actively interpret and respond
to them. The process of a receiver attaching meaning to a
message is called decoding.
7. Context: Communication is affected by the context in which
it takes place. This context may be physical, social,
chronological or cultural. Every communication proceeds with
context. The sender chooses the message to communicate
within a context.
8. Feedback: Misunderstandings often arise because
messages can be decoded in more than one way. The
receiver’s response to a sender’s message is called feedback.
It is the main component of 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.
Levels of Communication
There are FIVE Levels of Communication:
1. Intrapersonal: This level of communication exists within
yourself. In other words, it is the sound of your thinking or the
little voice from within. In this case, you are both the person
'sending' and 'receiving' the message.
2. Interpersonal: This level of communication involves two
people who are exchanging ideas or information with each
other.

3. Small Group Communication: This level of communication
involves 3 or more people.
4. Public Communication: This is also known as public
speaking, wherein there is a presence of 12 or more
audiences. Public communication takes place when people
gather in a group that is too large for everyone to talk and
participate.
5. Mass Communication: refers to any type of media that is
used to communicate with mass audiences. Examples of mass
media include books, television, radios, films, computer
technologies, magazines and newspapers. Although mass
communication does include certain computer technologies,
it does not include technologies like email that are used to
communicate one-on-one with someone. Mass
communication is responsible for giving us views of events,
issues and people from cultures that differ from ours. It
enables us to learn what is going on in distant places in the
world and lets us learn the viewpoints of people and cultures
with whom we do not have direct contact.
Functions of Communication
1. Regulation/Control- functions to control one’s behavior
2. Social Interaction - functions to produce and develop
social relationships, bonds, and intimacy; used to express
preferences, desires, needs, wants, decisions, goals, and
strengths; used for giving and getting information
3. Motivation - functions to motivate or to encourage people
to live better
4. Information - functions to convey information
5. Emotional Expression - facilitates people’s expression of
their feelings and emotions
Principles of Communication
• Communication is unavoidable.
• Communication is strategic.
• Communication is irreversible.
• Communication is a process.
• Communication is not a panacea.
Communication Ethics
Ø Behaving ethically is an essential part of being an
effective, promotable employee.
Ø Ethics centers on a sense of responsibility for
someone other than yourself.
Prepared by Ms. Paula Borja (Department of Teacher Education - CvSU Bacoor City Campus)
GNED 05: Communication Process, Principles and Ethics
Five philosophical principles offer standards that can help you
decide how to behave in a principled manner. When faced
with a decision about how to communicate ethically, it’s
helpful to ponder the situation from several viewpoints before
proceeding:
1. Utilitarian Approach (Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart
Mill): Does this action provide the greatest good for the
greatest number?
2. Rights Approach (Immanuel Kant): Does this action respect
the moral rights (truth, privacy, noninjury, promises) of
everyone?
3. Fairness or Justice Approach (Aristotle, John Rawls): Is this
action fair and free of discrimination or favoritism?
4. Common-Good Approach (Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, John
Rawls): Does the action further the common or community
good?
5. Virtue Approach: Does this action promote the
development of moral virtue (character) in me and my
community?
Two additional guidelines can help you evaluate whether you
are behaving ethically:
6. Professional Ethic: How would an impartial jury of your
professional peers judge this action?
7. Publicity Test: Would you be comfortable having the public
learn about your behavior in the broadcast or print media?
References:
Adler, R., Elmhorst, J.M., & Lucas. Communication at Work: Strategies
for Success in Business and the Professions. NY: McGraw
Hill, 2012.
P. (n.d.). The Nature and Process of Communication. Retrieved
August 10, 2019, from
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