LESSON 1: THE BASICS OF COMMUNICATION

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

1. Describe the nature of communication;
2. Explain the communication process and its elements through various
models;
3. Discuss the principles of communication and their ethical implications.

Definition of Communication
-it is a process of using messages to generate meaning. (Pearson, et.al. 2011)
-it is a process of sending and receiving messages sometimes through spoken or written words, and
sometimes non-verbally through facial expressions, gestures, and voice qualities. (Ober and Newman, 2013)

TASK 1:
1. What concepts or ideas about communication are common among the definitions? Write them down in
the thought bubble.

2. How similar or different are the previous definition from your understanding of communication?

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Note: There are four key terms that should be defined to fully understand communication: process, systems,
symbols, and meanings. (Wood, 2012).

PROCESS
-it implies continuity. In the context of communication, one never stops from communicating as it is an ongoing
activity. It is dynamic as it continually changes. It is also never static. You may start communicating the
moment you wake up even up to the time you close your eyes.
SYSTEM
-it is an interrelated parts that affect one another. It is a collection not of random parts but of organized wholes.
For example: In classroom communication, each student of the class is a part of the system.

SYMBOLS
In Palta`s definition, symbol is represented by language and in Ober and Newman, it is defined by spoken or
written words and facial expressions, gestures, and voice qualities.
MEANINGS
At the heart of communication is meaning. It can be viewed as an “end” in itself. This means that when people
communicate, they attach meaning to the symbols they use either verbal or non-verbal with the intent that the
person/s they are communicating with share the same meaning as intended.

Communication has two levels of meaning: content level, and relationship level (Wood, 2014)
CONTENT LEVEL- It refers to the literal meaning of the message. It is parallel to the denotative meaning of
the message.
RELATIONSHIP LEVEL- It expresses the relationship between communicators. This can be the connotative
meaning of a message.

ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION
Harold Laswell (1948), a political scientist, came up with a set of questions to conveniently
describe what comprises communication. The following are the questions and their corresponding
components of communication.

Who A source

Sends a
Says what?
message

Through which Through a

channel? medium

To whom? To a receiver

With what Producing some

effect? effect
 Pearson et.al. (2011) provided more comprehensive components of communication which
include people, messages, codes, channels, feedback, encoding and decoding, and noise or barrier.

1. People- People who are involved in the communication process assume two roles—both as
sources and receivers of the message. The source initiates a message, and the receiver is the
intended target of the message.
2. Message- This is the verbal and non-verbal form of the idea, thought, or feeling that one intends to
communicate to another person or group of people.
3. Channel- It refers to the means with which the message is delivered. As the message moves from
the source to the receiver, it passes through a medium (plural is media) or a channel which can be
airwaves and cable (channels for receiving television messages).
4. Feedback- It is the receiver`s verbal and non-verbal response to the source` message.
5. Code- How does a computer recognize the messages it receives via the input of its users?
6. Encoding and Decoding- Encoding is defined as the process of transplanting an idea or a thought
into a code. On the other hand, decoding is the process of assigning meaning to an idea or a
thought.
7. Noise or Barrier- In the context of communication, noise refers to any interference in the encoding
and decoding processes which affect the clarity and understanding of a message.

THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

The definition of communication and its elements can also be further understood in the light of
framework or model to see their interrelatedness. The common models of communication that have
been utilized over the years as follows:
1. Linear Model-also called the transmission model, a linear model is based on the assumption
that communication is transmitted in a straightforward manner—from a sender to a receiver.
This clearly reflects that communication is a one-way process.
a. Laswell`s Verbal Model- As mentioned earlier in the lesson, communication can be
understood by answering the five questions by Harold Laswell. This appears to be the
simplest model of communication. In this model, communication flows in one direction from
the sender with a message which is sent via a certain medium towards the receiver to bring
about a certain result.

b. Shannon and Weaver Model- In 1949, Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver modified
Laswell`s verbal model by adding the noise as a component.

2. Interactive Model- This model is in contrast with the linear one which considers
communication as flowing only in one direction, from a sender to a receiver.
3. Transactional Model- This model was adapted from Wood (1997) in response to the failure of
the interactive model to portray the dynamism of human communication.

The key features of the transactional model are as follows:

-It has a time element which influences how people communicate. For instance, freshmen
college students are more reserved at the start of the semester since they are still getting to
know their classmates. This will change over time as they become more comfortable with their
classmates due to their frequent interaction.
 - It depicts communication as varying (not constant) and dynamic (not static).
-The outer lines in the model indicate that communication occurs within systems that influence
what and how people communicate. This system may include culture, context, and family
background.
-Finally, the model does not label one as the sender and the other as the receiver. Instead, are
the communicators are actively, equally, and simultaneously participate in the communication
process.

In sum, the transactional model is a model in which people interact with and through
symbols overtime to share and create meaning.

TASK 2:

What are the similarities among the three models of communication? Among the three models,
which model accurately reflects the communication process in the real world? Can you cite a specific
situation or a personal experience?

PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATION
Aside from defining communication, identifying its elements, and describing its nature, it is
equally important that you learn the different principles which serve as guides in the practice and
continuous improvement of your communication skills.
1. Communication is transactional. It is a two-way process which involves an exchange. When
a message is sent, a reply is expected.
2. Communication is inevitable. It is impossible not to communicate. The moment you wake
up, you already start communicating by merely thinking of how your day will look like.
3. Communication is goal-oriented. When you communicate, you have goals in mind. You do
not just say something or write a message on a piece of paper for no reason at all.
4. Communication has various levels. There are various levels of communication:
intrapersonal, interpersonal, small group, and public or mass.
5. Communication is complex. You may perceive communication as simply sending a text
message, talking over the phone, or using hand gestures.
6. Communication can be learned. Despite the complexity of communication, it is a skill which
can be learned. The foundational knowledge in this chapter is your first step to learning and
eventually improving your communication skills.
7. Communication is relational. In any communication setting, aside from sharing meaning,
the process how meaning is created also echoes two vital aspects of the relationships of the
communicators: immediacy and control.
8. Communication is guided by culture. Culture may be defined as a system of knowledge
shared by a relatively large group of people.
ETHICS IN COMMUNICATION
These are guidelines for becoming an ethical communicator:
1. Ethical communicators are honest. In communicating your thoughts, ideas, and feelings,
you have to be truthful.
2. Ethical communicators are well aware of the consequences of their thoughts and
actions. You need to think before you communicate whether it is in the spoken or written form.
3. Ethical communicators value diversity and respect other`s opinions. Respect means
showing regard or consideration for others and their ideas even if you do not agree with them.
4. Ethical communicators are just and fair. To be just and fair is to be impartial and objective.
You do not hastily make decisions or judgments based on hearsays, gossips, prejudices, and
personal biases.

TASK 3: Read the following questions carefully and answer them concisely.
1. In understanding communication fully, what are the four key terms that need to be included?
What does each term imply in relation to communication?
2. What are the two levels of meaning? Differentiate one from the other by citing specific real-life
examples.
3. Why is ethics in communication important?