LESSON 1

DEFINITION AND PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION

Communication is everywhere. You wake up in the morning because someone called
you, maybe through an alarm clock, the radio, or sound from your phone. You respond
from the message when you got up. “Children learn from watching how adults talk and
imitating how they talk. As adults, we can learn to improve the way we communicate by
observing others who communicate effectively, learning new skills, and practicing those
skills.”

What do you knew about communication? Do you think it is important? What makes
communication effective? What would our life and world be like without communication?

Points to Ponder
Communication is a process of sharing and conveying messages or information from
one person to another within and across channels, contexts, media, and cultures (McCornack,
2014). There is a wide variety of contexts and situations in which communication can be
manifested; it can be a face-to-face interaction, a phone conversation, a group discussion, a
meeting or interview, a letter correspondence, a class recitation, and many others.

DEFINITION OF COMMUNICATION
A good working definition for effective communication is to share meaning and
understanding between the person sending the message and the person receiving the
message. So, in order to be an effective communicator, we must first be understood in our
various communications.

Communication is what connects us as human beings. Society cannot function

without communication, whether it is face-to-face conversation across a dinner table or
video conferencing across international boundaries.

Communication is a process of passing information and understanding from one

person to another. It is a system through which two or more person come to exchange ideas
and understanding among themselves. It may be written or oral.

The term communication is the sum of all the things, one person does when he
wants to create understanding in the mind of another.

 Two-way process in which there is a give and take relationship. Imparting or

exchanging of information or news. - Diwa Learning Center

 It derived from the Latin Word “Communis” meaning “commonness”, defined as

process of transmitting knowledge, ideas, information, attitudes, feelings and the
like.

 It derived from the Latin Word “Communicare” meaning “to share”’, defined as
process of sharing information to another person whether formal or informal.

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  A transaction in which the participants are mutually engaged in the process of
creating meaning. - Comeaux (1996)

 The transfer of delivery of thoughts, messages, ideas, or knowledge, whether by

speech writing or signal from a sender or receiver. - W. Betham (1994)

 The communication process begins when a message is conceived by a sender. - Hill

Watson (1997)

 Process where audience understanding is created when a message is sent by a

communicator through an appropriate channel or medium. - Harvest Mission
International (2002)

 An act by which a person information about that person’s needs, desires,

perceptions, knowledge or affective state. Communication may be intentional or
unintentional, may involve conventional signals, may take linguistic or non-linguistic
forms, and may occur through spoken or other modes. - Julia Scherba de Valenzuela

 Communication involves a transaction: a person wants to talk to someone because

one needs something. Intricate process of sharing ideas, thoughts, and information,
best illustrated by models of communication. - Ramona S. Flores

IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
Is communication vital to man? Can man exist without language? Will it be possible
to have a society of men who are not communicating with one another? These questions do
not need a thorough research to find a valid answer. By nature, man needs a language and
certain communication skills to relate his experiences, air his feelings and emotions, and
take part in discussions in his daily routine life.

In other words, communication is an indispensable thing. People communicate to

persuade, amuse, inspire, and incite others to action. Trade, commerce, and industry are
made possible through communication. Through the use o\f oral and written media, man
is able to see and hear what transpires in his surroundings and around the world.
Inventions and modern technologies are disseminated through the power of
communication.

Man is a special and unique creation of God. He gifted man the power to think
logically and the ability to speak and communicate. Because of these endowments, man
has to double his efforts to keep himself abreast with the time. He has to develop physically
and intellectually in order to survive. Achievements and accomplishments in life are made
possible through effective communication.

Everyone begins to communicate early in life. Infants communicate through facial

expressions, and orally by crying. As they grow older, they add gestures, body actions, and
syllabic sounds to their communication. Eventually, they add intelligible speech. As adults,
we use all of these communication methods.
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 LESSON 2
NATURE OF COMMUNICATION
 Communication is a process.
 Communication occurs between two or more people (the speaker and the
receiver). Messages, directions, opinions, etc. are communicated downward from
management to workers. Likewise grievances, complaints, opinions, point of view etc.
are communicated to upward from workers to management.
 Communication can be expressed through written or spoken words, actions
(nonverbal), or both spoken words and nonverbal actions at the same time.
 Communication is systematic.
It happens within various system (an organization independent elements or
component parts that form a complex whole and achieve certain purpose).
Each language has its own pattern of communication, language and
vocabulary use, and rules that depend on elements such as the behavior and
shared experiences of its members.
 Communication is irreversible
Since communication is continuous process, it is impossible for one to actually
take back what was said. Once an utterance has left someone’s mouth, the
consequences of that statement being uttered has already left an impression of
the listener. Thoughts when put into words become significant representation
of experience; and word said in haste or anger may influence possible
communication in the future or even destroy relationships.
 Communication is proactive
When people receive information, they actively evaluate the content and
purpose of the message and the credibility of the speaker, even when they
seem to be listening passively.
 Communication is symbolic
Symbols are representation used to communicate and interpret one’s thoughts
and feelings. Symbols are arbitrary, which means that any symbol can be used
to represent a concept, that is, as long as the meaning is shared by a group of
people.
 Communication is a persuasive function
Communication is required not only in direction function but in all functions of
management like planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling.
 Communication is a continuous process
Communication is a regular process just like blood circulation in a human
body. An organization cannot exist without communication.
 Meaning in communication is individually constructed.
Individuals involve in communication play a significant role in meaning
construction, which means that they actively create taken from experiences or
phenomena through symbolic representation.

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 LESSON 3
ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION PROCESS
Points to Ponder

It is a must that we acknowledge who is the speaker and the receiver of the message,
for us to be able to respond properly to the message. Communication begins when the
message is imparted as information.

Let’s Study and Comprehend

ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION PROCESS

Why is communication a process? According to DeVito “Communication is a process

to emphasize that it is always changing, always in motion.” In other words, communication
is on-going, non-static activity. It has no beginning nor end, something that changes every
now and then.

Process refers to the development of anything or to the changes that take place in the
course of its doing. Communication as a process is compared to life. It keeps on changing
and never stays as is. The words keep on multiplying with added meaning. Young people
today speak a language that only they understand.

At least two persons – sender and receiver are required irrespective of the model.

The sender conceives the idea, puts it in such terms that can be conveyed, the
channel of communication, conveys it, the receiver receives it, tries to understand and
finally takes an action according to the information or directions received from the source.

Communication is divided into elements which help us better understand its

mechanics or process. These elements are the following:

1. Speaker – the source of information or message, creates and transmits the message
by means of voice and body. Also known as sender, source, and encoder.

2. Message – the information, ideas, or thoughts conveyed by the speaker in words or in

actions. Needs to be delivered based on why, what and how.

3. Encoding – the process of converting the message into words, actions, or other forms
that the speaker understands

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 4. Channel – the medium or the means, such as personal or non-personal, verbal or
nonverbal, in which the encoded message is conveyed. Pathway through the message
travels. Five channels: ears, eyes, skin, mouth and nose. Signal or devices

5. Decoding – the process of interpreting the encoded message of the speaker by the
receiver

6. Receiver – the recipient of the message, or someone who decodes the message.
Receives, analyzes, understands and interprets the message. Also known as receiver
or decoder

7. Feedback – the reactions, responses, or information provided by the receiver

8. Context – the environment where communication takes place

9. Noise – refers to anything that interferes with or hinders the transmission and
reception of the messasge. Also called “barrier” that affects the flow of
communication.

10. Communicative Situation – Physical Location is the biological factor that

interfere with communication (i.e. illness, fatigue, etc.) and Psychological Setting are
the forces within that interfere with communication (i.e. an unwillingness to listen,
pain from broken relationship)

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