INTERACTIVE SKILLS

(LANG 1307)

COMMUNICATION PROCESS

By: Abdul Rauf bin Suhaimi

Introduction
 We make meaning from the following factors:

55% • Taken from body language

38% • Taken from tone of voice

7% • Taken from the words

 Birtwhisle (1970) stated that even meaning of the words alone was
potentially ambiguous.
Ambiguity in Language
What do these sentences mean?
THE TOURIST SAW THE
ASTRONOMER WITH A I WENT TO A BANK.
TELESCOPE.

Ambiguous Ambiguous

Structural Lexical
Ambiguity Ambiguity
What is Communication?
 The process of passing information and understanding
from one person to another.

 The process of meaningful interaction among human

beings.

 A system that involves an interrelated group of

ELEMENTS working together as a whole to achieve
a desired outcome or goal.
Elements of Communication

6 Elements of Encoder
Communication
Message
Channel
Decoder
Feedback
Barrier
Encoder
 Forms ideas, intentions and feelings that will be transmitted.

 Filters out unimportant details to focus energy on the most

relevant information.

 Determines the purpose of the message: to inform, persuade, or

entertain.

 The information that the encoder wishes to convey must be put

into a form that can be sent to the receiver.
Images carry meanings. What is the
meaning of the images above?
Message
 The decoder uses symbols to get the message across to others.

These symbols stand for other things.

 The most important symbols are words, which can represent

objects, ideas, and feelings. These words permit us to share our
thoughts with other members of our species.

 To increase the likelihood of successful communication, the

source must try to encode in a way that the receiver
understands (or wishes to understand).
Channel
 Refers to the means by which messages are

communicated.

“If the speaker were on radio, physical appearance

wouldn’t matter, but if he or she were performing
on a cable network program or before a live
audience, personal appearance could easily
influence the reception of the message.”
Decoder
 Interprets the message sent by the encoder.

 Decodes messages based on past experiences,

perceptions, thoughts, and feelings.

 Information about the decoded message is stored for

later use so that next time we will be able to
respond to the stimuli more quickly.
Feedback
 Each party in an interaction continuously sends

messages back to the other. This return process is

called feedback. Feedback tells the source how the
receiver has interpreted each message.

Negative feedback - reflects misunderstanding

Positive feedback - reflects understanding
Barrier
Refers to any obstacles or difficulties that come in the
way of communication
Physical Competing Stimulus
Barriers
Environmental Stress

Subjective Stress

Ignorance of the
Medium
Psychological Barrier

“Each of us has a certain ‘frame of reference', a kind

of window through which we look out at the world.”

“A system of standards and values, usually implicit,

underlying and to some extent controlling an action,
or the expression of any belief, attitude or idea”
Linguistic and Cultural Barriers
Mechanical Barrier
 Refers to any technical disturbance that disturbs the

fidelity of the transmission of a message

Types of Communication

Types of Communication in an
Organization

Formal Informal
Communication Communication

Downward movement Upward movement

Horizontal movement
- Instructions - Suggestions
- inter-departmental Grapevine
- Policies - Complaints
communication
- Plans Appeals
Challenges of Grapevine Communication

The risk of distortion

An increase in misunderstandings

No indication of where it started

Increase the divide