The communication process The transmission of sender’s ideas to the receiver and the receiver’s feedback

or reaction to the sender constitute the communication cycle. The process of communication begins when one
person wants to transmit a fact or other information to someone else. This facts or opinion has meaning to the
sender. The next step is translating or converting the message into a language which reflects the idea. That is the
message must be encoded. The encoding process is influenced by content of the message, the familiarity of sender
and receiver and other situation of factors.
After the message has been encoded, it is transmitted through the appropriate channel or medium. Common
channel in organization includes meetings, reports, memorandums, letters, e-mail, fax and telephone calls.
When the message is received, it is decoded, by the receiver and gives feedback to the sender as the
conformation about the particular message has been carefully understand or not.
Sender or transmitter: The person who desires to convey the message is known as sender. Sender initiates the
message and changes the behaviour of the receiver.
Message: It is a subject matter of any communication. It may involve any fact, idea, opinion or information. It
must exist in the mind of the sender if communication is to take place.
Encoding: The communicator of the information organises his idea into series of symbols (words, signs, etc.)
which, he feels will communicate to the intended receiver or receivers.
Communication channel: The sender has to select the channel for sending the information. Communication
channel is the media through which the message passes. It is the link that connects the sender and the receiver.
Receiver: The person who receives the message is called receiver or receiver is the person to whom the particular
message is sent by the transmitter. The communication process is incomplete without the existence of receiver of
the message. It is a receiver who receives and tries to understand the message.
Decoding: Decoding is the process of interpretation of an encoded message into the understandable meaning.
Decoding helps the receiver to drive meaning from the message.
Feedback: Communication is an exchange process. For the exchange to be complete the information must go
back to whom from where it started (or sender), so that he can know the reaction of the receiver. The reaction or
response of the receiver is known as feedback.
Brain drain: On whole process there is a possibility of misunderstandings at any level and is called brain drain.
It may arise on sender side if they do not choose the adequate medium for delivery of message, by using default
channel and it may also arise when receiver does not properly decode the message. In other words, we can say
that it is breakdown of cycle at any level.

Communication Barriers
Wrong Choice of Medium
Each communication must be transmitted through an appropriate medium. An unsuitable medium is one of the
biggest barriers to communication.
Examples: When communication takes place in big organisation and departments or division are far from each
other. If any manager wants to communicate with others for confidential matter than they opt written
communication as compared to other medium of communication. So, it is required that medium should be
accurate and if wrong or unsuitable medium is selected than it leads to the biggest barrier to communication.
Physical Barriers
• Noise—In factory, oral communication is rendered difficult by the loud noise of machines.
• Electronic noise interferes in communication by telephone or loud speaker system.
• The word noise is also used to refer to all kind of physical interference like illegible hand writing, bad
photo-copies etc.
 • Time and distance.
—Congestion in telephone and network facilities.
— People working in different shifts.
— Faulty seating arrangement in a hall.
Semantic Barriers
• Interpretation of words
A person interprets same word in a different meaning and this will cause barrier between the
communications. Murphy and Peck in their book ‘Effective Business Communication’ mentioned, the
little word ‘run’ has
• Bypassed instructions
Bypassing is said to have occurred if the sender and the receiver of the message attribute different
meanings to the same word or use different words for the same meaning.
“Take it to be our stockroom and burn it”
In official language burn it means to make more copies of the same document.
• Denotation & Connotations
Words have two types of meanings denotative and connotative.
Denotative—The literal meaning of a word is called its denotative meaning.
It must inform and names objects without indicating any positive or negative.
Connotative—It allows qualitative judgments and personal reactions.
Like—Honest, cheap, sincere etc.
Socio-Psychological Barriers
• Attitude and opinions
The information which agrees with opinion and attribute of the individual is favourable for that
particular individual.
• Emotions
It plays an important role in the act of communication.
If the sender is perplexed, worried, excited, afraid, nervous then he will not be able to organize his
message properly.
• Closed Mind
A person with a closed mind is very difficult to communicate with. We hold our opinion so rigidly that
we just refuse to listen.
• Status-consciousness
We are over-conscious of our lower or higher rank and do not express ourselves candidly. • The
source of information.
We react according to the trust we repose in the source from which the communication originates.
• Faulty transmission
Most of part in the message is lost in transmission.
(In oral communication, something in the order of 30% of the information is lost in each transmission.)