UNIT 1: THE COMMUNICATION ESSENTIALS

This unit covers five lessons highlighting the essentials of communication as follows:
How Communication Works, Practical Uses of Language, Models of Communication, Ethical
Communication, and British and American English Vocabularies and Expressions.
Understanding these essentials will prepare individuals for meaningful and purposeful
communication that subscribes to the standards of the English language. In any communication
context – academic, business, and interpersonal – these essentials apply. Hence, to effect
communication that really matters in any context, individuals will do well observing these
communication essentials.

LESSON 1: HOW COMMUNICATION WORKS

G. G. Brown (2006) defines communication as the “transfer of information from one
person to another, whether or not it elicits confidence. But the information transferred must be
understandable to the receiver.”

Oxford English Dictionary (2014) defines communication as the imparting, conveying, or

exchange of ideas, knowledge and information. This can apply to words or body language.

The Communication Process

Communication is a two-way process that can be broken down into the following steps:
(Bovee and Thill, 2007, p.5.)

Steps What it is
1 The sender has a message to share. A message could be anything like an idea or
information that once conveyed elicits response or reaction from the receiver.
Communication is effective and meaningful if the message is perceived to be
interesting by both the sender and receiver.
2 The sender decides on the form of the message (gestures, words, facial expressions,
illustrations, and so on), length, tone, organization, and style. The sender encodes
the idea in a manner that is most appropriate and efficient to get the message
across.
3 The sender transmits the message. To transmit the message to a receiver, the sender
selects a communication channel such as a lecture, letter, the telephone, an e-mail –
even a facial gesture. The choice of channel depends on the sender’s message, the
available media, the receiver’s location, the need for promptness, and the language
register required.
4 The receiver gets the message. The message may not be received as intended by the
sender due to filters (noise, technical problems, emotional setbacks, linguistic gaps
among others).
5 The receiver decodes the message. The receiver processes the message and attaches
meaning to it in the context of his/her cultural orientation and personal experiences.
There is effective communication if the receiver and the sender have shared
meanings.
6 The receiver sends feedback and has the option to respond to the message in some
way after decoding the message. Feedback helps the sender assess the effectiveness
 of his/her message and adjust his/her communication style or approach to ensure
that the message is fully understood.

Bovee and Thill (2007) caution us about the complications of real-life communication:
Be aware that this is a simplified model; real-life communication is usually more complicated.
For instance, both the sender and receiver might be talking at the same time, or the receiver
might be trying to talk on the phone with one person while instant messaging with another. (10)

Communication Process in a Nutshell

Step 1: Sender has an idea to share. Professor Sanchez prepares the lesson to be discussed
in the class.
Step 2: Sender encodes the idea in a form that will carry it to the receiver. Professor
Sanchez organizes the lesson that is meaningful to the receiver.
Step 3: Sender transmits the message. The professor transmits the lesson through auditory
(lecture) and visual channels (PowerPoint).
Step 4: Receiver gets the message. The students hear the lesson and see the visual
presentation.
Step 5: Receiver decodes the message. The students cognitively process the lesson, making
sense of it.
Step 6: Receiver sends feedback. The students nod to express understanding or agreement,
interacts to show interest, or raise questions to indicate confusion or lack of
understanding.