DEFINITION OF COMMUNICATION

Communication is the transmission of ideas and emotions between or among persons with

the use of verbal and non-verbal cues. Communication may vary from spoken and written

words but also actions, mannerisms, and style- anything attached to a message that gives

meaning.

PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION

Communication is a process, and as such, it comes in stages. It starts with the encoding

and ends with the decoding. The encoder is more popularly known as the sender of the

message. He transmits his message to the receiver, a more popular term for the decoder, does

communication takes place. He may then give feedback. If there is a continuous exchange of

messages between the sender and the receiver, particularly in oral discourse, communication

takes the form of a cycle, as shown below:

ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION

1. Participants - The participants refer to both the speaker and the listener. Speakers share ideas by
transforming their thoughts and feelings into messages while listeners receive, interpret, and respond to
the message.

2. Context - Context refers to the interrelated conditions of communication (Padilla et al.,2003) which
affect how people understand the message. It is classified into five types.
A. Physical context includes the setting where the communication takes place, the time of the day,
the environment condition (such as temperature, lighting and noise level), distance between or
among communicators, the seating arrangement, and other concrete elements.
B. Social context refers to the nature of relationships existing between or among the
communicators and it also sets the formality of the interaction.
C. Psychological context involves the communicators’ moods and feelings.
D. Cultural context is comprised of beliefs, values, and norms shared by a large group of people.
E. Historical context involves the background provided by previous interactions between or among
communicators (Verderber & Verderber, 2012) which affect understanding of the current
exchange.