Elements of the Communication Process - Term Paper Example

Communication Process Elements of the Communication Process Various elements work in collaboration with an aim of achieving a desired and an affirmative outcome in the communication process. The main elements are sender or encoder, message, the channel, receiver, and feedback as seen in the diagram below (Hesse par 1-3). Source: Hesse Sender The sender who is also referred to as an encoder is a person who decides on the type of messages that ought to be sent, and the best channel to use. For instance, a manager can call for an important meeting with his employees to discuss on ways through which they can ensure a competitive edge over their rivals. As a sender, he can talk directly to the employees, or send an email requesting to have a meeting with them on a particular date. In this case, the perception of the receiver on the message sent influences the manner in which communication is interpreted, received and responded to. For that reason, the sender should be fully aware of the purpose of the communication and the receiver’s aptitude to decode and comprehend the message as far as interest and language is concerned (Hesse par 2). The Message Messages take various forms and can include signs, symbols or words. To avoid distortion, the sender must ensure that the message is simple and clear. Moreover, the receiver should take care of the body language such as facial expression if the message is to be communicated verbally. Finally, the sender must consider the abilities and the competence of the receiver, when creating a message, to reduce barriers that might hinder effective communication (Priya 5-6). For example, a manager who needs information from an employee on how to increase profits and heighten employee retention must ensure that he or she communicates in a language that the worker understands. Additionally, he must make sure that the employee is competent enough in that area; hence, the ideas given are credible enough to be taken into consideration. The Channel Priya (5) assert that the channels of communication play an imperative role in communication; hence, senders should select an appropriate channel or medium of communication to ensure that the message is not distorted. Examples of channels of communication are e-mail, phones, radio, television and internet among others. If an advertiser decides to place an advert in the radio or television, for instance, he should consider the audience or the people who will listen or see the advert. In that case, he must ensure that the intended people get to listen to the advert, and that the right language is used to avoid misinterpretation. It is essential for businesses to choose when and how they will send their messages. A building society can, for example, only send messages about a new product to their members by email or text if that is the agreed channel of communication. It should be understood that sending of messages through the internet to persons who cannot receive an email results to miscommunication. Receiver The receiver or the decoder is the person who is responsible for decoding or extracting the meaning from the message conveyed. He or she ensures that a feedback is sent to the sender, and his work is mainly to interpret the message. In that case, for the message to be effectively understood and right feedback given, the receiver should be able to read and understand what has been written down. If not, this may lead to distortion of the message by the decoder, and an equally wrong feedback (Priya 5-6). Feedback Feedback is the most vital element in the communication process as it helps in determining whether the receiver grasped the intended meaning. Without a feedback, the communication process remains incomplete. For instance, when one sends a short message through the phone to a friend and fails to get a feedback, it is likely that the intended recipient did not get the message, or did not understand it. In that case, the language used is imperative and both parties should communicate in a language that they understand perfectly (Priya 5-6). The Process of Interpersonal Communication Interpersonal communication is a process in which messages are exchanged between two or more people. Scholars allege that interpersonal communication can be conducted using indirect and direct mediums of communication, such as computer medicated processes or face-to-face conversations. An effective interpersonal communication assumes that both the senders of the message and the recipient will understand and interpret the messages sent, as well as give feedback based on the level of understood implications and meaning (West and Turner 13-14). During an interpersonal communication process, the sender encodes the information or message using visual, verbal or vocal channels such as face-to face, radio, texts or email. Subsequently, the receiver takes in the message conveyed and decodes it by interpreting it depending on his beliefs, needs and experiences. Finally, depending on his or her level of understanding, the recipient sends a feedback to the sender using a similar or agreed channel of communication (West and Turner 13). For example, if the director of Toyota wants to convey important information to his clients on why they should buy hybrid cars, he must choose an appropriate channel of communication, such as the television, that will reach a large audience. The only way he can determine if the message conveyed was received appropriately is if his clients or consumers start purchasing the cars, or asking related questions as well as giving their opinions and feelings on the subject matter. Barriers to Effective Communication Communication skills are essential for managers. However, various barriers tend to negatively impact on the effectiveness of communication. Physical Barriers Physical barriers emanate from the organizational environment. A good example is the shortage of staffs, which often causes difficulties in communication. If a manager, for example, wants to communicate to the employees on a likely procedure to sell more products, it is probable that he is going to ask his subordinate or the secretary to prepare a memo in which he will call for an urgent meeting. However, if the secretary is absent, then he will have no choice but to write the memo himself. This will interfere with his daily program and might even delay future operations. This means that the memo will in most cases arrive late, or the language used might not conform to the business standards and format as that is not his area of expertise. Therefore, the receiver of the message (employees) might end up ignoring or misinterpreting it; hence, giving the wrong feedback by failing to attend the meeting scheduled. To do away with such a barrier, managers must ensure that there are enough staffs to do the required work (Morreale 69-70). Physiological barriers Physiological barriers to effective communication are directly related to one’s body and mind. For instance, employees with poor listening skills are likely to misinterpret the message conveyed by the managers. In this case, a manager should check for facial expressions such as nodding, frown and signs of boredom among others. This will help them in determining whether to continue communicating or not. For example, if a manager asks for a meeting to discuss a new product in the market, he can only determine whether his message was received appropriately if the employees ask related questions, maintain eye contact, give their views or offer suggestions. However, if they all resort to silence, it is likely that they did not understand the subject matter, or they were not listening. To enhance listening ability, the managers should ensure that they use the right language and ask open ended questions. Another physiological barrier is information overload. Managers should be wary of giving too much information to their workers. For example, if a manager sends a one hundred pages letter to the employees in regard to the rules and regulations, it is likely that they will end up overlooking or misinterpreting the message; thus, distorting communication. In that case, managers should ensure that messages conveyed are direct to the point, and that they are not overloaded with superfluous phrases and words. Alternatively, he can decide to discuss the contents of the letter with the employees to ensure that they understand what is expected of them. Finally, emotions are other physiological barriers that cause distortion of the message. The emotional state of an individual affects his or her communication. For example, if an employee or a client who is the receiver of the message feels that the sender, and in this case the manager, is angry, he or she may easily infer the information obtained as awful. The emotional state causes changes in the body, and in turn affects the pronunciation and the tone of the sender. Consequently, this affects the perception, interpretation and the thinking process of the receiver in a verbal communication. Managers should, therefore, ensure that they do not show negative emotions when communicating, as this might end up changing the meaning of the message conveyed (Morreale 69-70). Psychological Barriers Examples of psychological barriers are distrust, unhappy emotions, misperception and filtering. Scholars argue that such barriers jeopardize the communication process. A manager who often promises to raise the salary of his workers in vain might, for example, not be taken seriously in case he calls a meeting telling workers that whoever sells more products will be promoted. Distrust affects communication negatively, and in this case, the employees will give negative feedback by either ignoring the message conveyed or being sarcastic about it. Additionally, unhappy emotions affect communication in a scenario, whereby, a worker or the receiver has personal problems such as stress about an illness. It is likely that during a face to face interaction with the manager he will end up being aloof or act disinterested. Therefore, to enhance communication, the manager should be concerned about the personal life of his workers to ensure he or she gets the right support and feels motivated (Pathak 65). Semantic and Linguistic barriers Some of the common semantic and linguistic barriers are use of jargons, slang and use of foreign language among others. For instance, a manager who is prone to using jargon when communicating to his subordinates is likely to be misunderstood. In case the recipient fails to understand the language used in a memo or an email, he is likely to assume that the message was not intended for him; hence, he might fail to give feedback. For that reason, managers should use the right language that their recipients can easily understand. Alternatively, they can always enquire from them if they understood the contents of the message sent (Pathak 65-66). Cultural Barriers Culture shapes the way people behave and think. Cultural barriers arise in scenarios whereby individuals of a particular group develop diverse norms and values towards other groups that are different from them. Therefore, managers should encourage diversity by ensuring that information conveyed does not hold any cultural connotation or biases that might lead to controversy (Morreale 69-70). Technological Failure Messages might fail to be delivered to the right recipients because of technological failure. For instance, a manager can send a text to a client and fail to get feedback in case the receiver was not in the mobile network locale. Additionally, an employee can fail to give feedback through an email if his or her operation area has power or network issues. Therefore, managers in such a scenario should check for viable channels of communication to ensure that the message is received on time, and to the right recipient (Pathak 65-66). Works Cited Hesse, Hermann. The Communication Process and the Elements of Communication, 2011. Web. 14th June 2013 Morreale, Sherwyn. The Competent Public Speaker. New York: Peter Lang, 2010. Pathak, BV. Industrial Psychology & Sociology. Washington: Nirali Prakashan, 2008. Priya, Bisen Vikram. Business Communication. New York: New Age International, 2009. West, Richard and Turner, Lynn. Understanding Interpersonal Communication: Making Choices in Changing Times Enhanced Edition: Making Choices in Changing Times. Kentucky: Cengage Learning, 2010. Read More