COMMUNICATION

PROCESS
The communication process is the guide toward
realizing effective communication. It is through the
communication process that the sharing of a
common meaning between the sender and the
receiver takes place. Individuals that follow the
communication process will have the opportunity to
become more productive in every aspect of their
profession. Effective communication leads to
understanding.
THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS IS MADE UP OF FOUR
KEY COMPONENTS. THOSE COMPONENTS INCLUDE
ENCODING, MEDIUM OF TRANSMISSION, DECODING,
AND FEEDBACK. THERE ARE ALSO TWO OTHER
FACTORS IN THE PROCESS, AND THOSE TWO FACTORS
ARE PRESENT IN THE FORM OF THE SENDER AND THE
RECEIVER. THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS BEGINS
WITH THE SENDER AND ENDS WITH THE RECEIVER.
THE SENDER IS AN INDIVIDUAL, GROUP, OR ORGANIZATION
WHO INITIATES THE COMMUNICATION. THIS SOURCE IS
INITIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE MESSAGE.
THE SENDER'S EXPERIENCES, ATTITUDES, KNOWLEDGE,
SKILL, PERCEPTIONS, AND CULTURE INFLUENCE THE
MESSAGE. "THE WRITTEN WORDS, SPOKEN WORDS, AND
NONVERBAL LANGUAGE SELECTED ARE PARAMOUNT IN
ENSURING THE RECEIVER INTERPRETS THE MESSAGE AS
INTENDED BY THE SENDER" (BURNETT & DOLLAR, 1989). ALL
COMMUNICATION BEGINS WITH THE SENDER.
THE FIRST STEP THE SENDER IS FACED WITH INVOLVES THE
ENCODING PROCESS. IN ORDER TO CONVEY MEANING, THE
SENDER MUST BEGIN ENCODING, WHICH MEANS
TRANSLATING INFORMATION INTO A MESSAGE IN THE
FORM OF SYMBOLS THAT REPRESENT IDEAS OR CONCEPTS.
THIS PROCESS TRANSLATES THE IDEAS OR CONCEPTS INTO
THE CODED MESSAGE THAT WILL BE COMMUNICATED. THE
SYMBOLS CAN TAKE ON NUMEROUS FORMS SUCH AS,
LANGUAGES, WORDS, OR GESTURES. THESE SYMBOLS ARE
USED TO ENCODE IDEAS INTO MESSAGES THAT OTHERS
CAN UNDERSTAND.
WHEN ENCODING A MESSAGE, THE SENDER HAS TO
BEGIN BY DECIDING WHAT HE/SHE WANTS TO TRANSMIT.
THIS DECISION BY THE SENDER IS BASED ON WHAT
HE/SHE BELIEVES ABOUT THE RECEIVERS’ KNOWLEDGE
AND ASSUMPTIONS, ALONG WITH WHAT ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION HE/SHE WANTS THE RECEIVER TO HAVE.
IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE SENDER TO USE SYMBOLS
THAT ARE FAMILIAR TO THE INTENDED RECEIVER. A
GOOD WAY FOR THE SENDER TO IMPROVE ENCODING
THEIR MESSAGE, IS TO MENTALLY VISUALIZE THE
COMMUNICATION FROM THE RECEIVER'S POINT OF VIEW.
TO BEGIN TRANSMITTING THE MESSAGE, THE SENDER USES
SOME KIND OF CHANNEL (ALSO CALLED A MEDIUM). THE
CHANNEL IS THE MEANS USED TO CONVEY THE MESSAGE. MOST
CHANNELS ARE EITHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, BUT CURRENTLY
VISUAL CHANNELS ARE BECOMING MORE COMMON AS
TECHNOLOGY EXPANDS. COMMON CHANNELS INCLUDE THE
TELEPHONE AND A VARIETY OF WRITTEN FORMS SUCH AS
MEMOS, LETTERS, AND REPORTS. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE
VARIOUS CHANNELS FLUCTUATES DEPENDING ON THE
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE COMMUNICATION FOR EXAMPLE,
WHEN IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK IS NECESSARY, ORAL
COMMUNICATION CHANNELS ARE MORE EFFECTIVE BECAUSE ANY
UNCERTAINTIES CAN BE CLEARED UP ON THE SPOT. IN A
SITUATION WHERE THE MESSAGE MUST BE DELIVERED TO MORE
IF A SENDER RELAYS A MESSAGE THROUGH AN INAPPROPRIATE
CHANNEL, ITS MESSAGE MAY NOT REACH THE RIGHT RECEIVERS.
THAT IS WHY SENDERS NEED TO KEEP IN MIND THAT SELECTING
THE APPROPRIATE CHANNEL WILL GREATLY ASSIST IN THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF THE RECEIVER'S UNDERSTANDING. THE
SENDER'S DECISION TO UTILIZE EITHER AN ORAL OR A WRITTEN
CHANNEL FOR COMMUNICATING A MESSAGE IS INFLUENCED BY
SEVERAL FACTORS. THE SENDER SHOULD ASK HIM OR HERSELF
DIFFERENT QUESTIONS, SO THAT THEY CAN SELECT THE
APPROPRIATE CHANNEL. IS THE MESSAGE URGENT? IS IMMEDIATE
FEEDBACK NEEDED? IS DOCUMENTATION OR A PERMANENT
RECORD REQUIRED? IS THE CONTENT COMPLICATED,
CONTROVERSIAL, OR PRIVATE? IS THE MESSAGE GOING TO
SOMEONE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE THE ORGANIZATION? WHAT ORAL
AFTER THE APPROPRIATE CHANNEL OR CHANNELS ARE
SELECTED, THE MESSAGE ENTERS THE DECODING
STAGE OF THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS. DECODING IS
CONDUCTED BY THE RECEIVER. ONCE THE MESSAGE IS
RECEIVED AND EXAMINED, THE STIMULUS IS SENT TO
THE BRAIN FOR INTERPRETING, IN ORDER TO ASSIGN
SOME TYPE OF MEANING TO IT. IT IS THIS PROCESSING
STAGE THAT CONSTITUTES DECODING. THE RECEIVER
BEGINS TO INTERPRET THE SYMBOLS SENT BY THE
SENDER, TRANSLATING THE MESSAGE TO THEIR OWN
SET OF EXPERIENCES IN ORDER TO MAKE THE SYMBOLS
MEANINGFUL. SUCCESSFUL COMMUNICATION TAKES
THE RECEIVER IS THE INDIVIDUAL OR INDIVIDUALS TO
WHOM THE MESSAGE IS DIRECTED. THE EXTENT TO
WHICH THIS PERSON COMPREHENDS THE MESSAGE
WILL DEPEND ON A NUMBER OF FACTORS, WHICH
INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: HOW MUCH THE INDIVIDUAL
OR INDIVIDUALS KNOW ABOUT THE TOPIC, THEIR
RECEPTIVITY TO THE MESSAGE, AND THE RELATIONSHIP
AND TRUST THAT EXISTS BETWEEN SENDER AND
RECEIVER. ALL INTERPRETATIONS BY THE RECEIVER ARE
INFLUENCED BY THEIR EXPERIENCES, ATTITUDES,
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, PERCEPTIONS, AND CULTURE. IT IS
SIMILAR TO THE SENDER'S RELATIONSHIP WITH
FEEDBACK IS A KEY COMPONENT IN THE
COMMUNICATION PROCESS BECAUSE IT ALLOWS
THE SENDER TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS
OF THE MESSAGE. FEEDBACK ULTIMATELY
PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE SENDER TO
TAKE CORRECTIVE ACTION TO CLARIFY A
MISUNDERSTOOD MESSAGE. "FEEDBACK PLAYS
AN IMPORTANT ROLE BY INDICATING SIGNIFICANT
COMMUNICATION BARRIERS: DIFFERENCES IN
BACKGROUND, DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS OF
WORDS, AND DIFFERING EMOTIONAL
 METHODS OF COMMUNICATION
THE STANDARD METHOD OF COMMUNICATION IS VERBAL COMMUNICATION WHICH INVOLVES
SPEAKING OR WRITING BY A SENDER AND LISTENING OR READING THE RECEIVER. MOST
COMMUNICATION IS ORAL, WITH ONE PARTY SPEAKING AND OTHERS LISTENING.
HOWEVER, SOME FORMS OF COMMUNICATION DO NOT DIRECTLY INVOLVE SPOKEN OR WRITTEN
LANGUAGE. NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION (BODY LANGUAGE) CONSISTS OF ACTIONS, GESTURES,
AND OTHER ASPECTS OF PHYSICAL APPEARANCE THAT, COMBINED WITH FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
(SUCH AS SMILING OR FROWNING), CAN BE POWERFUL MEANS OF TRANSMITTING MESSAGES. AT
TIMES, A PERSON'S BODY MAY BE “TALKING” EVEN AS HE OR SHE MAINTAINS SILENCE. AND WHEN
PEOPLE DO SPEAK, THEIR BODIES MAY SOMETIMES SAY DIFFERENT THINGS THAN THEIR WORDS
CONVEY. A MIXED MESSAGE OCCURS WHEN A PERSON'S WORDS COMMUNICATE ONE MESSAGE,
WHILE NONVERBALLY, HE OR SHE IS COMMUNICATING SOMETHING ELSE.
 COMMUNICATION IN VARIOUS SETTINGS
1. COMMUNICATION IN GOVERNMENT SETTING
THE GOVERNMENT REFERS TO THE INSTITUTIONS, THE GROUP OF PEOPLE,
THE PROCESSES, AND THE AUTHORITY THAT RUNS OUR SOCIETY ACCORDING TO A
SET OF RULES. THE PROCESSES OF GOVERNING IS SUMMED UP IN THE TERM
“GOVERNANCE”, OR THE EXERCISE OF POWER TO GUARANTEE THE EFFECTIVE
PARTICIPATION OF CITIZENS IN POLITICAL DECISION-MAKING AND IN ECONOMIC
POLICY-MAKING, MANAGE AND ALLOCATE RESOURCES, AND ENSURE A WORKABLE,
ACCEPTABLE AND PRINCIPLED RESOLUTION OF PUBLIC DISPUTES. AMONG THE
ATTRIBUTES OF GOOD GOVERNANCE ARE TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY,
PARTICIPATORY LEADERSHIP, EFFICIENCY, AND A CAPACITY FOR CONSENSUS-
BUILDING AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT.
2. COMMUNICATION IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR
THE PRIVATE SECTOR REFERS TO BUSINESSES
AND INDUSTRIES RUN BY INDIVIDUALS AND
COMPANIES RATHER THAN BY THE GOVERNMENT.
MOST OF THEM AIM TO MAKE PROFIT FROM THE
SERVICES AND GOODS THEY OFFER, BUT SOME
ARE RUN FOR NON-PROFIT PURPOSES. SCHOOLS
ARE PART OF THE ECONOMY’S PRIVATE SECTOR
AND THESE ARE USUALLY NON-PROFIT
INSTITUTIONS.
3. CIVIL SOCIETY
CIVIL SOCIETY REFERS TO THE SPACE FOR COLLECTIVE ACTION
AROUND SHARED INTERESTS, PURPOSES AND VALUES, GENERALLY
DISTINCT FROM GOVERNMENT AND COMMERCIAL FOR-PROFIT ACTORS.
CIVIL SOCIETY INCLUDES CHARITIES, DEVELOPMENT NGOS,
COMMUNITY GROUPS, WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS, FAITH-BASED
ORGANIZATIONS, PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS, TRADE UNIONS,
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS, COALITIONS AND ADVOCACY GROUPS (WHO).
LIKE THE PRIVATE SECTOR, NGOS NEED TO COMMUNICATE TO
THEIR VARIOUS AUDIENCES AND STAKEHOLDERS. THEY HAVE TO
MAINTAIN THEIR VISIBILITY AND ENSURE THEIR INFLUENCE OR IMPACT
IN THE AREA OF THEIR ADVOCACY.
4. COMMUNITIES AND SCHOOLS
COMMUNITIES ARE MADE UP OF PEOPLE IN CONSTANT
COMMUNICATION WITH EACH OTHER. THROUGH CONSTANT
COMMUNICATION, COMMUNITIES ARE ABLE TO SHARE AND FOSTER
NOT ONLY A CULTURAL IDENTITY –WHICH INCLUDES A COMMON
LANGUAGE AND COMMON CULTURAL TRADITIONS-BUT IS ALSO A
VISION OF WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE COMMUNITY.
IN SCHOOLS, COMMUNICATION HAS THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
OF INSTRUCTION AND SOCIALIZATION. ADDITIONALLY,
COMMUNICATION IN SCHOOL SETTINGS TAKE PLACE TO INFORM,
PERSUADE AND MOBILIZE VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS SUCH AS
PARENTS, FACULTY AND STUDENTS.
COMMUNICATION CHANNEL

“A COMMUNICATION CHANNEL REFERS EITHER TO A

PHYSICAL TRANSMISSION MEDIUM SUCH AS A WIRE, OR TO
A LOGICAL CONNECTION OVER A MULTIPLEXED MEDIUM
SUCH AS A RADIO CHANNEL IN
TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND COMPUTER NETWORKING. “A
CHANNEL IS USED TO CONVEY AN INFORMATION SIGNAL,
FOR EXAMPLE A DIGITAL BIT STREAM, FROM ONE OR
SEVERAL SENDERS (OR TRANSMITTERS) TO ONE OR
DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION MEDIA CHANNELS

A. MASS MEDIA – MEANS TECHNOLOGY THAT IS INTENDED TO REACH A MASS

AUDIENCE. IT IS THE PRIMARY MEANS OF COMMUNICATION USED TO REACH THE
VAST MAJORITY OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO PROVIDE INFORMATION REGARDING
POLITICAL ISSUES, SOCIAL ISSUES, ENTERTAINMENT, AND NEWS IN POP CULTURE.
 EVOLUTION OF MASS MEDIA
1. NEWSPAPER - THE ORIGINAL PLATFORM FOR MASS MEDIA IS THE NEWSPAPER. FOR A LONG PERIOD
OF TIME, THE GENERAL PUBLIC RELIED ON LOCAL NEWSPAPERS TO PROVIDE THEM WITH THE LATEST
NEWS IN CURRENT EVENTS.
2. RADIO - CENTURIES LATER (1890), CAME THE INVENTION OF THE RADIO. THE RADIO SOON
REPLACED THE NEWSPAPER AS THE MOST RELEVANT SOURCE FOR MASS MEDIA. PEOPLE WOULD
GATHER AROUND THE RADIO AND LISTEN TO THEIR FAVORITE RADIO STATION PROGRAMS, LATEST
NEWS REGARDING POLITICS, SOCIAL ISSUES, AND ENTERTAINMENT.
3. TELEVISION - THE TELEVISION WOULD SOON SUPERSEDE THE RADIO FOR THE MOST EFFECTIVE
PLATFORM TO REACH THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
4. INTERNET - THE INTERNET IS THE MOST PERTINENT FORM OF MASS MEDIA TODAY. SINCE THE
EVOLUTION OF THE INTERNET, IT HAS BECOME A MAJOR TOOL FOR NEWS OUTLETS. THE GENERAL
PUBLIC IS NOW ABLE TO ACCESS INFORMATION IN AN INSTANT WITH JUST A CLICK OF A
MOUSE,INSTEAD OF HAVING TO WAIT FOR SCHEDULED PROGRAMS.
CHARACTERISTICS OF MASS MEDIA

• COMMUNICATION IS MOSTLY ONE WAY

• AUDIENCE HAS GREAT DEAL OF CHOICE
• REACH LARGE AND VAST AUDIENCES
• AIM MESSAGES TO ATTRACT LARGEST AUDIENCE
POSSIBLE
• INFLUENCE SOCIETY AND ARE, IN TURN, INFLUENCED
BY SOCIETY
B. NEW MEDIA AND SOCIAL MEDIA - THE NEW MEDIA PARTICULARLY RELATES
TO THE USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY.
EXAMPLES:
• SOCIAL MEDIA SITES, SUCH AS FACEBOOK, TWITTER, ETC.
• THE STREAMING OF VIDEO AND AUDIO FILES, INCLUDING BOTH COMMERCIAL
FILM AND MUSIC AND USER-GENERATED MEDIA CONTENT (SUCH AS THE
VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE).
• DIGITAL/SATELLITE AND “SMART” TELEVISION (ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT
FACILITATE SOME INTERACTIVITY).
• COMPUTER GAMES AND PARTICULARLY ONLINE GAMING.
• APPS FOR MOBILE TELEPHONES AND TABLETS.
C. TELECOMMUNICATIONS - IT INVOLVES SENDING MESSAGES OR INFORMATION, AS
WORDS, SOUNDS, OR IMAGES FROM ONE POINT TO ANOTHER, USUALLY OVER GREAT
DISTANCES, USING ELECTRONIC MEDIA– THE INTERNET, RADIO BROADCASTING,
CABLE AND SATELLITE TRANSMISSIONS, AS WELL AS WIRED AND MOBILE PHONES. IT
IS A VERY IMPORTANT TOOL FOR BUSINESSES WHICH ENABLES COMPANIES TO
COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY TO THEIR CUSTOMERS AND DELIVER GOOD QUALITY
CUSTOMER SERVICE. IT ALSO ALLOWS EMPLOYEES TO COLLABORATE EASILY FROM
WHEREVER THEY ARE LOCATED, REMOTE OR LOCAL.
EXAMPLES:
1. TELEPHONE NETWORK
2. THE RADIO BROADCASTING SYSTEM
3. COMPUTER NETWORKS
4. THE INTERNET.