Elements of Communication

Sender/Receiver. The sender is the participant who initiates the communication process and establishes
the purpose of the message. On the other hand, the receiver is the one for whom the message is
intended and sent. In a simultaneous communication, these two components consecutively interact
with each other, making a participant a “transceiver,” sending and receiving messages at the same time
(Chesebro, O’Connor, & Rios, 2007).

Message. The message contains the information, thought, and feelings that a communicator expresses to
the other participant in the communication process. As previously mentioned, the sender determines the
purpose of the message, and this can be one of these three forms: to inform, to persuade, or to take action.

Channel/Medium. The channel or medium identifies how the message is delivered. In a verbal and face-
to-face communication, air serves as the medium and messages are transmitted through sound and light
waves. A channel can also be sensory as how somebody holds or shake hands with you. It can also be
any other means, like the use of technology or any other medium (i.e. telephone, e-mail, voice mail, video
recording, written memo).

Feedback. The feedback is the receiver’s response to the sent message. This makes communication a
two-way process. It indicates how the message is interpreted—how it is seen, heard, understood—and it
conveys the receiver’s emotions or feelings about the message and towards its sender.

Context. Context affects the way communicators send and receive messages. It refers to the
circumstances—situation, condition, environment—where communication occurs. According to Roebuck
(2006), environment can include room temperature, lighting, furniture, timing, as well as the climate and
relationships that exist between the communicators. The way you express and interpret messages will
depend upon whom you are talking to: your siblings, a stranger, your clique, etc. The role of context in
communication is discussed in more detail as part of the characteristics of communication.

Noise. Noise is defined as an impediment to successful communication. It is anything that hinders shared
understanding. Generally, noise is classified as external, internal, and semantic.

 External noise originates from the communicators’ surroundings or environment. Some examples
of external or physical noise are boisterous laughter, the videoke sessions in the neighborhood,
telephone ringing, voices of the people in the crowd, and the sound of a fast-moving vehicle.

 Internal noise includes anything that is self-related—your attitudes, opinions, beliefs—that may
hamper effective sending and receiving of messages. Examples can include any physiological
state like hunger and pain out of an illness and psychological thoughts like worry, fear, anxiety,
disappointment, and prejudice.

 Semantic noise gets in the way when the sender and receiver do not share the same meanings for
their verbal or non-verbal signals. In other words understanding a particular word or gesture
differently from the person you are speaking with can create semantic noise. Examples are the
 jargons which are specific to a field or line of work or a group of people that might be
misinterpreted by people who are not part of the circle.

It is crucial that for effective communication to occur, awareness of possible differences and active
listening, coupled with concentration, be part of the equation when communicating.

Frame of Reference. Communicators bring into their interactions their own value system or culture,
preferences, world views, self-concept, expectations, and experiences. These factors make every
communicator unique. Nevertheless, when commonalities are identified, these will help establish a starting
point for communication. Frame of reference is also termed as field of experience and will be mentioned in
the succeeding section.