7 Major Elements of

Communication Process
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Seven major elements of communication process are: (1)

sender (2) ideas (3) encoding (4) communication channel (5)
receiver (6) decoding and (7) feedback.

Communication may be defined as a process concerning

exchange of facts or ideas between persons holding different
positions in an organisation to achieve mutual harmony. The
communication process is dynamic in nature rather than a
static phenomenon.

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Communication process as such must be considered a

continuous and dynamic inter-action, both affecting and
being affected by many variables.

(1) Sender:
The person who intends to convey the message with the
intention of passing information and ideas to others is known
as sender or communicator.

(2) Ideas:
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This is the subject matter of the communication. This may be

an opinion, attitude, feelings, views, orders, or suggestions.

(3) Encoding:
Since the subject matter of communication is theoretical and
intangible, its further passing requires use of certain
symbols such as words, actions or pictures etc. Conversion
of subject matter into these symbols is the process of
encoding.

(4) Communication Channel:

The person who is interested in communicating has to
choose the channel for sending the required information,
ideas etc. This information is transmitted to the receiver
through certain channels which may be either formal or
informal.

(5) Receiver:
Receiver is the person who receives the message or for
whom the message is meant for. It is the receiver who tries
to understand the message in the best possible manner in
achieving the desired objectives.

(6) Decoding:
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The person who receives the message or symbol from the

communicator tries to convert the same in such a way so
that he may extract its meaning to his complete
understanding.

(7) Feedback:
Feedback is the process of ensuring that the receiver has
received the message and understood in the same sense as
sender meant it.
Communication is the process of sending and
receiving messages through verbal or nonverbal means,
including speech, or oral communication; writing and graphical
representations (such as infographics, maps, and charts);
and signs, signals, and behavior. More simply, communication is said
to be "the creation and exchange of meaning."

Media critic and theorist James Carey defined communication as "a

symbolic process whereby reality is produced, maintained, repaired
and transformed" in his 1992 book "Communication as Culture,"
positing that we define our reality via sharing our experience with
others.

All creatures on earth have developed means in which to convey their

emotions and thoughts to one another. However, it's the ability of
humans to use words and language to transfer specific meanings that
sets them apart from the animal kingdom.

Components of Communication
To break it down, in any communication there is a sender and a
receiver, a message, and interpretations of meaning on both ends. The
receiver gives feedback to the sender of the message, both during the
message's conveyance and afterward. Feedback signals can be verbal
or nonverbal, such as nodding in agreement or looking away and
sighing or other myriad gestures.

There's also the context of the message, the environment it's given in,
and potential for interference during its sending or receipt.

If the receiver can see the sender, he or she can obtain not only the
message's contents but also nonverbal communication that the sender
is giving off, from confidence to nervousness, professionalism to
flippancy. If the receiver can hear the sender, he or she can also pick
up cues from the sender's tone of voice, such as emphasis and
emotion.
Rhetorical Communication—The Written Form
Another thing that sets humans apart from their animal cohabiters is
our use of writing as a means of communication, which has been a
part of the human experience for more than 5,000 years. In fact, the
first essay — coincidentally about speaking effectively — is estimated
to be from around the year 3,000 B.C., originating in Egypt, though it
wasn't until much later that the general population was
considered literate.

Still, James C. McCroskey notes in "An Introduction to Rhetorical

Communication" that texts like these "are significant because they
establish the historical fact that interest in rhetorical communication
is nearly 5,000 years old." In fact, McCroskey posits that most ancient
texts were written as instructions for communicating effectively,
further emphasizing early civilizations' value of furthering the
practice.

Through time this reliance has only grown, especially in the Internet
age. Now, written or rhetorical communication is one of the favored
and primary means of talking to one another — be it an instant
message or a text, a Facebook post or a tweet.

As Daniel Boorstin observed in "Democracy and Its Discontents," the

most important single change "in human consciousness in the last
century, and especially in the American consciousness, has been the
multiplying of the means and forms of what we call 'communication.'"
This is especially true in modern times with the advent of texting, e-
mail, and social media as forms of communicating with others around
the world. With more means of communication, there are also now
even more ways to be misunderstood than ever.

If a message contains just the written word (such as a text or email),

the sender needs to be confident in its clarity, that it cannot be
misinterpreted. Emails can often come off cold or clipped without that
being the intention of the sender, for example, yet it's not considered
professional to have emoticons in formal communication to help
convey the proper meaning and context.
Before You Open Your Mouth or Hit 'Send'
Before preparing your message, whether it's going to be in person
one-on-one, in front of an audience, over the phone, or done in
writing, consider the audience who'll be receiving your information,
the context, and your means to convey it. What way will be the most
effective? What will you have to do to ensure it's conveyed properly?
What do you want to make sure that you don't convey?
If it's important and going to be relayed in a professional context,
maybe you'll practice beforehand, prepare slides and graphics, and
pick out professional attire so that your appearance or mannerisms
don't distract from your message. If it's a written message you're
preparing, you'll likely want to proofread, make sure the recipient's
name is spelled correctly and read it aloud to find dropped words or
clunky phrasing before sending it.
The Communication Models

The purpose of a “model” is to offer a visual representation of a concept

with the intent of facilitating the understanding of it. Traditionally speaking,
there are three standard models of the communication process: Linear,
Interactive, and Transactional, and each offers a slightly different
perspective on the communication process.

Linear Communication Model

There’s a bit of a debate about the Linear Communication model and how it
recognizes (or doesn’t recognize) the concept of feedback. The linear
model’s behavior is belied by its name, where a sender encodes a message
via a channel and the message is decoded by the receiver. It is straight-line
communication found typically in mass communication; think television,
radio, newspapers, etc. According to this model, there is no means for
immediate feedback.
 The Linear Communication Model

Shannon and Weaver were the first to present the Linear Model of
Communication in 1949′s The Mathematical Theory of Communication.
We’re going to discuss more about these two in our imminent Theories of
Communication article. Suffice to say that this theory has become less
relevant in inverse proportion to the advances of communication
technology, specifically non-linear forms of electronic communication where
it’s not always clear who is the sender and who is the receiver.

Interactive Communication Model

Simply put, the Interactive Model takes the Linear Model and multiplies it
times two with a quick flip of the return message. It now allows for a
feedback element because after a message is encoded and sent to the
decoding receiver, the roles then reverse and the receiver encodes and
sends a response to the original sender who has now turned receiver. It
sounds more confusing than it is. Envision an exchange of text messages
whereby your friend sends you a message and you respond to it. The same
thing happens during a telephone call, or even an email exchange. A
message is sent and received, then the roles reverse. That is the Interactive
Model.
Transactional Communication Model

The Transactional Model becomes more sophisticated yet. This model

depicts face-to-face interaction, or “trans-action” as a dynamic and
changeable process that is not limited to simple definition. In the
Transactional Model, receiver and sender can play the same roles
simultaneously, as sometimes happens, as messages can be sent back and
forth simultaneously. It appears chaotic and ineffective, but sometimes
communication is just that. Throw in some noise, and it would be a wonder
whether any message is conveyed successfully in this environment.

As mentioned, we’re going to touch upon these three models of

communication in a future article where we shall go further into
communication theory and some of the major influencers in the field of
communications over the past few decades.
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