THE PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION & MISCOMMUNICATION:Message

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Lesson 4

THE PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION & MISCOMMUNICATION

Communication is a process of sending and receiving verbal and nonverbal messages.

Communication is considered effective when it achieves the desired reaction or response from the

receiver.

Communication is a two way process of exchanging ideas or information.

The process of communication has six components: sender/encoder, message, medium,

receiver/decoder, and feedbacks.

Context

Every message, whether oral or written, begins with context. Context is a broad field that includes

country, culture, organization, and external and internal stimuli.

Another aspect of context is the external stimuli

Internal stimuli have effect on how you translate ideas into a message.

Your attitudes, opinions, emotions, past experiences, likes and dislikes, education, job status and

confidence

Sender / Encoder

While sending a message, you are the "encoder", the writer or speaker, depending on whether your

message is written or oral.

express your message so that the receiver(s)

react as you desire

You decide which symbols best convey your message and which message channel will be most

effective among the oral and written media (letter, memo, telephone, etc)

Sender/Encoder

(experiences, attitudes, skills) perception

Idea encoding Symbol decisions Sending mechanisms

Message

· The message is the main idea that you wish to communicate; it is of both verbal (written or spoken)

symbols and nonverbal (unspoken) symbols. First decide exactly what your message is. Also

consider the receiver of your message.

Medium/Channel

· It means the way by which a message is communicated

· You can choose electronic mail, the printed word

· The choice of medium is affected by the relationship between the sender and the receiver.

Oral Communication

The oral communication brings back immediate feedback

It has a conversational nature with shorter words and sentences

It stresses on interpersonal relations

This medium needs less technical details

Its sentence structures are simple

Written Communication

This medium is more formal with focus on contents

It can convey any amount of technical information

It is best for permanent record

This medium uses longer words and longer sentences. It brings delayed feedback

Inside Your Organization

For internal communication, written media may be:

· memos, reports, bulletins, job descriptions,

· posters, notes, employee manuals,

· electronic bulletin boards, even internal faxes.

Oral communication may take the form of

· staff meeting reports, face to face discussions,

· presentations, audio tapes, telephone chats,

· teleconferences, or videotapes

Outside Your Organization

External written communication media may be:

· letters, reports, telegrams, cablegrams,

· mailgrams, faxes, telexes, postcards, contracts,

· ads, brochures, catalogs, news releases etc.

Orally it may be

· face to face discussions, telephone,

· or presentations in solo or panel situations.

Receiver / Decoder

The receiver / decoder of your message is your reader or listener.

influenced by nonverbal factors such as touch, taste, and smell

Receiver/Encoder

(experiences, attitudes, skills)

Receptor mechanisms Perception Decoding

Idea interpretation

Feedback

Feedback can be oral or written, it can also be an action, such as receiving in the mail an item you

ordered. Sometimes silence is used as feedback, though it is not very useful. Senders need feedback

in order to determine the success or failure of the communication.

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