SESSION ONE

Introduction to Communication

Lecture Outline

1.1. Introduction
1.2. Learning Outcomes
1.3. The meaning of Communication
1.4. The Importance of Communication
1.5. The Process of Communication
1.6. Elements of Communication
1.7. Models of Communication
1.8. Summary
1.9. Review Activity
1.10. References/Further Reading

1.1. Introduction

Hi!

Welcome to Communication Skills. This is your first Lecture, in a series of twelve

sessions meant to cover this unit. What do you expect to learn from this lecture today?
First, we will define the term Communication, then look at why Communication is
important, elements of communication, the process, models of communication and will
end with a summary and review activity.

In-Text Question:

What immediately comes into your mind when the word

communication is mentioned?
You may probably link communication as an interesting conversation you once
had with your friend about the music you listen to, or movies you have
watched or even books you have read. You may think of communication as
sharing of ideas, in this context.

True, communication implies sharing or exchange of thoughts, ideas, and

information between two or more people. When you hear an announcement
being made about the arrival of a train at a railway station, communication is
happening by way of passing information. Similarly, when the teacher teaches
a lesson to you in the classroom, she is imparting knowledge by way of
communication. I am communicating with you right now as you are read this
line—I am also trying to share with you the knowledge and information I have
about the need to acquire communication skills. What is significant here,
however, is the commonness that is implied in all aspects of communication.
1.2. Learning Outcomes
By the end of this Lecture you should be able to:
1. Define communication;
2. Explain the importance of communication;
3. Explain the process of communication;
4. To identify the various elements of an effective communication
process;
5. Describe the models of communication

1.3. The Meaning of Communication

Interestingly, the word communication originates from the Latin communicare and
the French communis, both of which mean, ‘common.’ From this information about
the origin of the word, we can note the importance given to the aspect of
‘commonality’ in communication.

However, there are other related words as ‘commune,’ ‘communicate,’ ‘communion,’

and ‘community’ which have the ‘common’ nature implied in them. What this tells us
is that to make communication effective, one should emphasize the commonality involved in
any interaction.

By commonality, I mean the sense of camaraderie or mutuality that is involved in a

communication that makes any interactive context a win-win situation and facilitates
smooth flow of communication. The commonality principle in communication
contributes to unity, harmony, cohesion, and sharing of aims with team spirit.

However, generally when we talk about communication, we use it as a very loose and
vague term. We mean communication in an ordinary sense but we actually do not
mean effective communication.

Communication in an ordinary sense means getting our basic functions fulfilled through
the use of language and communication strategies. For instance, in our everyday life we
interact with vegetable sellers, milk vendor, newspaper distributors, etc. However,
effective communication happens when you are able to achieve positive results using
communication to express your desired goals.

Activity
Discuss with your colleagues the forms of communication that
traditional people of your ethnic community used.

1.4. Effective Communication

The communication process is the perfect guide toward achieving effective

communication. When followed properly, the process can usually assure that the
sender’s message will be understood by the receiver. This means getting a huge
project sanctioned by way of an effective written proposal and oral presentation. Or,
at a personal level, it means winning the heart of a beautiful girl / handsome boy
through an impressive proposal.
That is why you should aspire not to be merely a communicator, but an effective
communicator. And hopefully, the course is going to give you sufficient materials in
building up your communication skills, and make you a very effective communicator.
It is true to say : “He who communicates is he who leads.”

1.5. The Importance of Communication

Communication is key to your success—in relationships, in the workplace, as a citizen
of your country, and across your lifetime. Your ability to communicate comes from
experience, and experience can be an effective teacher. Why are communication skills
valuable in your academic, social and professional life?

Communication influences how You Learn

When you were an infant, you learned to talk over a period of many months. When
you got older, you didn’t learn to ride a bike, drive a car, or even text a message on
your cell phone in one brief moment. You need to begin the process of improving your
speaking and writing with the frame of mind that it will require effort, persistence,
and self-correction. Communication helps to:

• Hold conversations
• Answer questions
• Expressing opinion in class
• Listening etc
Communication represents you and your Employer
You want to make a good first impression on your friends and family, instructors, and
employer. They all want you to convey a positive image, as it reflects on them. In your
career, you will represent your business or company in spoken and written form. Your
professionalism and attention to detail will reflect positively on you and set you up
for success.

In both oral and written situations, you will benefit from having the ability to
communicate clearly. These are skills you will use for the rest of your life. Positive
improvements in these skills will have a positive impact on your relationships, your
prospects for employment, and your ability to make a difference in the world.

Communication Skills are desired by Business and Industry

Oral and written communication proficiencies are consistently ranked in the top ten
desirable skills by employer surveys year after year. In fact, high-powered business
executives sometimes hire consultants to coach them in sharpening their
communication skills. According to the National Association of Colleges and
Employers, the following are the top five personal qualities or skills potential
employers seek:

i. Communication skills (verbal and written)

ii. Strong work ethic
iii. Teamwork skills (works well with others, group communication)
iv. Initiative
v. Analytical skills

Activity
Give four reasons why communication is important.

1.6. The Process of Communication

By process of communication, we mean transmission or passage of message from the

sender through a selected channel or medium to the receiver after overcoming barriers
that affect its flow.

The communication process is a cyclic one thus; it begins with the sender and ends
with the sender in the form of feedback. It takes place upward, downward and
laterally throughout the organization. The process of communication, therefore, is a
continuous and dynamic interaction, affecting and being affected by several variables.
As the process, communication is made up of what we call “elements or components
of communication”. We shall now turn our attention to these elements to see how they
contribute to the process and therefore, effective communication.

1.7. Elements of the Process of Communication

Have you ever wondered why some people can communicate so well while others fail
to get their message across? What are the elements that must be present in the
communication process before it can be successful and effective?

Well, communication has been defined as the act of giving, receiving or exchanging
information, ideas and opinions so that the „message is completelyunderstood by both
parties. Look at Figure 1.1 below.

Figure 1.1: The Communication Process

From the above illustration, a communication process must have a sender who speaks
orsends a message, and a receiver who listens or receives the message. The elements of
communication enable us to understand how communication works. The basic
communication model consists of five elements of communication: the sender, the
receiver, the message, the channel and feedback. We will now learn about the different
elements in the process of communication:
1.7.1. The Sender

The very foundation of the communication process is laid by the person who transmits
or sends the message. He is the sender of the message which may be a thought, idea,
picture, symbol, report or order and postures and gestures, even a momentary smile.
The sender is therefore the initiator of the message that needs to be transmitted. After
having generated the idea, information etc. the sender encodes it in such a manner
that can be well-understood by the receiver.

1.7.2. The Message

The message is referred to as the information conveyed by words as in speech and

write-ups, signs, pictures or symbols depending upon the situation and the nature
and importance of information desired to be sent. The message is the heart of
communication. It is the content the sender wants to covey to the receiver. It can be
verbal both written and spoken; or non-verbal i.e. pictorial or symbolic, etc.

1.7.3. Encoding

Encoding is putting the targeted message into the appropriate medium which may be
verbal or non-verbal depending upon the situation, time, space and nature of the
message to be sent. The sender puts the message into a series of symbols, pictures or
words which will be communicated to the intended receiver. Encoding is an important
step in the communication process as wrong and inappropriate encoding may defeat
the true intent of the communication process.

1.7.4. Channel

Channel(s) refers to the way or mode the message flows or is transmitted through.
The message is transmitted over a channel that links the sender with the receiver. The
message may be oral or written and it may be transmitted through a memorandum, a
computer, telephone, cell phone, apps or televisions.

1.7.5. Receiver

The receiver is the person or group for whom the message is meant for. He may be a
listener, a reader or a viewer. Any negligence on the part of the receiver may make the
communication ineffective. The receiver needs to comprehend the message sent in the
best possible manner such that the true intent of the communication is attained. The
extent to which the receiver decodes the message depends on his/her knowledge of
the subject matter of the message, experience, trust and relationship with the sender.

The receiver is as significant a factor in the communication process as the sender is. It
is the other end of the process. The receiver should be in a fit condition to receive the
message, that is, he/she should have a channel of communication active and should
not be preoccupied with other thoughts that might cause him/her to pay insufficient
attention to the message.

1.7.6. Decoding

Decoding refers to interpreting or converting the sent message into intelligible

language. It simply means comprehending the message. The receiver after receiving
the message interprets it and tries to understand it in the best possible manner.
1.7.7. Feedback

Feedback is the ultimate aspect of the communication process. It refers to the response
of the receiver as to the message sent to him/her by the sender. Feedback is necessary
to ensure that the message has been effectively encoded, sent, decoded and
comprehended.

It is the final step of the communication process and establishes that the receiver has
received the message in its letter and spirit. In other words, the receiver has correctly
interpreted the message as it was intended by the sender. It is instrumental to make
communication effective and purposeful. Consider the following points related to the
feedback involved in the process of communication −

• It enhances the effectiveness of the communication as it permits the sender to

know the efficacy of his message.

• It enables the sender to know if his/her message has been properly

comprehended.

• The analysis of feedbacks helps improve future messages. Feedback, like the
message, can be verbal or nonverbal and transmitted through a carefully
chosen channel of communication.

• We can represent the above steps in a model referred to as the model of the
communication process.
1.8. Types of Feedback

Kevin Eujeberry, the world-famous leadership exponent mentioned the four types of
feedback. The types are as follows −

i) Negative Feedback or corrective comments about past behaviour,

ii) Positive Feedback or affirming comments about future behaviour,

iii) Negative feedforward or corrective comments about future behaviour, and

iv) Positive feedforward or affirming comments about future behaviour

1.9. Summary
1.9. Summary
In this lecture, you learned that as a student at the university level,
you are expected to be both a sender and a receiver. This is because
you will be interacting with your tutors, colleagues and with your
reading materials. At the same time, you will be expected to
demonstrate through writing assignments and examinations that
you can send relevant messages to your recipients in the academic
world including the business environment. You will get feedback
by way of the scores you will obtain and therefore prompting you
to assess your abilities. The section shown in the diagram as NOISE
implies any interruption that affects the communication. This can
 occur at any stage in the process. So you will need to be aware of
these noises and deal with them when they occur during the
communication process. This is necessary for you to know and act
upon because human communication has many problems and
difficulties. This is as a result of the fact that whenever we try to
communicate, something often seems to get in the way and we are
not understood in the way we intended.
1.10. Review Activity
1.10. Review Activity

i) Define Communication.
ii) Over the course of a day, keep track of the forms of communication
that you use (intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, public and mass).
iii) Identify and describe the different elements of
Communication?

1.11. References and Further Reading

1.10. References and Further Reading
1. Adair, John. Effective Communication. London: Pan Macmillan Ltd.,
2003.
2. Bovee, Courtland L, et al Business Communication Today: Tenth
Edition, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2010,
3. Lesikar, Raymond V and Marie E. Flatley. Basic Business
Communication: Skills for Empowering the Internet Generation:
Ninth Edition. New Delhi Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company
Ltd., 2001