COMMUNICATION

What is Communication? It is the means by which we create, transmit and interpret ideas,
facts, data, feelings and opinions. It is therefore easy to see communication as sharing experience
or an interchange between two or more persons.

Elements of Communication – there are four (4) elements of communication: the

transmitter/sender, the message, the medium of transmission and the receiver.
 The transmitter/sender – is the person that is sending the message.
 The message – is the information that is to be communicated
 The medium– is the method being used to send the message, such as letter, telephone.
 The receiver – is the person for whom the message is intended.

The communication cycle

SENDER →→→→MESSAGE →→→→MEDIUM →→→→RECEIVER

NOISE

FEEDBACK

Barriers to effective Communication – at times there are obstacles that causes the
communication cycle to not go smoothly, these are called barriers.

 Filtering – the deliberate manipulation of information to make it appear more favorable

to the receiver.
 Emotions – how a receiver feels at the time influences how he/she interprets information.
 Information overload – too much information at once.
 Language – words mean different things to different people.
 Noise – any distraction which interferes with the message itself.

Overcoming these barriers – there are ways that exist to overcome these barriers, these are:

 Use feedback – for example ask questions if message not clear and the response will
represent the feedback.
 Simplify language – persons should choose words and structure their messages in ways
that will make message more understandable.
 Listen actively – listen for full meaning without making premature judgments.
 Constrain emotions – one should refrain from communication until he/she has regain
composure.
 Watch non-verbal cues – if action speaks louder than words, then it is important to watch
actions and ensure they align with words.

Methods of Communication – the methods of communication can be divided into (3) broad
categories: written, oral and visual.
 Written – communication of persons through writing, such as: letters, suggestion
schemes, manuals, telegrams, memos, minutes, notices.
 Oral – communication through which there is use of the mouth, such as: speech,
interviews, meetings, telephone.
 Visual – one of the most effective way to communicate information is by using a picture,
diagram or symbols. This can make the presentation of statistics more interesting.
Examples are: pie chart, bar chart, line graph, flow chart.