Communication Process

Presented
By
Prof. Dr. M. Ekramul Hoque
 Communication Process
 A process is a series of interrelated steps
taken in sequential manner with a view to
obtaining a desired goal.
 Communication process states the steps
between the sender and the receiver(s)
that result in the transfer of a message
through any medium and understanding of
meaning of the message and response
made in terms of feedback.
 Harold D Lasswell defines the process of
communication through the following five
questions:
 Who says? It means the sender or
communicator.
 What is said? It states about the intended
message, idea, or information.
 Which way? It describes about the media
or channel of communication used to send
the message.
 To whom? It speaks about the receiver or
listener.
 With what effect? It means the response
or feedback from the sender.
 The Sender of the Message
 Communication begins with the
sender, who has a thought or an idea
which is then encoded in a way that
can be understood by both the
sender and the receiver.
 Encoding is a task of converting the
idea of the message into some
transmittable form. It is the process
of putting thought and ideas of the
message into symbolic form.
 Channel to Transmit Message
 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, a telephone, a
telegram, or a television.
 At times, two or more channels are used.
 Since many choices are available, each
with advantages and disadvantages, the
proper selection of the channel in vital for
effective communication.
 Receiver of the Message
 The receiver has to be ready for the message
so that it can be decoded into thought.
 Decoding means converting the message by
the receiver into thoughts. Accurate
communication can occur only when both the
sender and the receiver attach the same or
at least similar meaning to the symbols that
compose the message.
 So, communication is not completed unless it
is understood. Understanding is in the mind
of both the sender and the receiver.
 Persons with closed mind will normally not
completely understand messages, especially
if the information is contrary to their value
system.
Noise Hindering Communication
 Unfortunately, communication is affected
by “noise,” which is any thing whether in
the sender, the transmission, or the
receiver that hinders communication. For
example:
 A noise or a confined environment may
hinder the development of a clear thought.
 Encoding may be faulty because of the use
of ambiguous symbols.
 Transmission may be interrupted by static
in the channel, such as may be
experienced in a poor telephone
connection.
 Inaccurate reception may be caused by
inattention.
 Decoding may be faulty because the
wrong meaning may be attached to words
or symbols.
 Understanding may be obstructed by
prejudices.
 Desired change may not occur because of
the fear of possible consequences of the
change.
 Since language is an especially important
factor in cross cultural communication, not
only verbal expression but also gestures
and posture can result in ‘noise’, hindering
communication.
 Feedback
 To check the effectiveness of
communication, a person must have
feedback.
 One can never be sure whether or not a
message has been effectively encoded,
transmitted, decoded, and understood
until it is confirmed by feedback.
 It is the response or reaction of the
receiver to the original sender as to
whether or not the message has been
correctly interpreted and understood.
 Necessity of Feedback
 The purpose of communication is to inform,
persuade, entertain or elicit action.
 The precondition of achieving these
objectives is the clear understanding and
acceptance of the message by the receiver.
 But clear understanding sometimes
becomes difficult, if not impossible, due to
communication breakdowns (barriers).
 Feedback completes the two way
communication. It tells the sender how well
the message is understood and how it will
be used by the receiver.
 Feedback is the only way to ascertain the
receiver’s reaction to the message.
 However, we can know more about the
necessity of feedback from the followings:
 Completeness
 Evaluation of effect
 Rectification of plan
 Adjustment of decisions
 Exchange of ideas
 Improving labor management relations
 Creation of democratic environment
 Evaluation of media
 Knowledge about success or failure
 Principles of Feedback
 Descriptive: To ensure the effectiveness of
feedback, it should be descriptive rather than
evaluatative.
 Specific and Clear: Response from the receiver
should be clear and specific so that the sender can
understand the situation and take further decisions.
Vague or confusing feedback is a barrier to
communication.
 Solicited: Feedback should be solicited rather than
volunteered.
 Promptness: Feedback should be made as soon as
possible after the message is received.
 Informality: Feedback should come from informal
channel besides formal channel.
 Contextual: The feedback must have relevance to
the context of the message received.