Kyle Trisha Angela T.

Matias

Elements of Communication

1.Sender: Sender is an individual, group, or organization who initiates the

communication. This source is initially responsible for the success of the
message. A process by which the sender formulates an idea to communicate
is selected first. 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
signs that represent ideas or concepts, which is then communicated. This
process can be influenced by external factors, or it can come about internally
by thinking about a particular subject.

Ex. A politician giving a speech.

A parent lecturing a child.

Customer of a restaurant writing a complaint letter to the management of

the restaurant.

2. Message: A message can be an idea, concept, emotion, feeling that a

person wants to share with another person. A message can be verbal or
non-verbal form of communication. It is based on the source or idea, but the
message is crafted to meet the needs of the receiver. The purpose to send a
message is to evoke meaning to the other person. A message can be
intentional or non-intentional. Messages can be encoded into a variety of
formats oral, written or visual.

Eg: Speech is a channel, signs, gestures,symbols are different ways in

which a message can be transmitted.

3. Channel: It’s the medium through which communication is transmitted

from one person to the reliever. Most channels are either oral or written.
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. In case of
immediate feedback Oral Communication is convenient. In a situation where
the message must be delivered to more than a small group of people,
written channels are often more effective. Although in many cases, both oral
and written channels should be used because one supplements the other.
For Eg: A president delivering a Speech may speak face to face with an
audience, via the broadcast media or via print.

For Ex : An audience receives the politician’s speech.

The child who is the recipient of the parents lecture

4. Receiver: Receiver is the individual or individuals to whom the message is

directed to. The extent to which a receiver comprehends the message will
depend on a number of factors, which include the following: knowledge of
the individual regarding the message, their receptivity to the message. All
interpretations by the receiver are influenced by their experiences, attitudes,
knowledge, skills, perceptions, and culture.

Ex. An audience receives the politician’s speech.

Student receiving a lecture from the teacher in a classroom.

5. Decoding: Decoding is the process where the message is interpreted by

the receiver . The receiver begins to interpret the message through words,
signs, symbols sent by the sender translating the message to its set of
experiences in order to make the message meaningful. Successful
communication takes place when the receiver correctly interprets the
sender’s message.

Eg: A student searches the definition of a word unknown to her in the

dictionary, interprets the meaning and gains information.

6. Feedback: Feedback is an integral part of communication process that

allows the speaker to monitor the process and to evaluate the success of the
message communicated. This step conveys to the sender that the message
is understood by the receiver. After receiving a message, the receiver
responds through a channel and signals that response to the sender. For Ex:
The signal may take the form of a spoken comment, a written message, a
smile, rolling of eyes, a sigh or some other action. No response is also a
form of feedback. Without feedback, the sender cannot confirm that the
receiver has interpreted the message correctly. For Eg: Employee surveys,
company news letters, e-mails.

7. Noise- There are certain barriers present in the communication process.

These factors may have an impact on the communication process. Noise is
one of the most common barriers, that influence the feedback in this
process. Noise essentially is anything that distorts a message by interfering
with the communication process. Noise can take many forms it can be
external or internal factors. Noise as a barrier may originate from the source
or the receiver, from the channel used in sending the message, or outside
the source and receiver’s control.

Eg: Internal factor– Involves mental forces within a receiver or sender that
might affect his or her ability to either encode or decode a message
correctly. Eg: Daydreaming, fatigue, exhaustion.

Eg: External factors: Anything around the person that disturbs the
communication process. Eg: Sights, sounds, smell.

Common Barriers to Effective Communication:

 The use of jargon. Over-complicated, unfamiliar and/or technical

terms.
 Emotional barriers and taboos. Some people may find it difficult to
express their emotions and some topics may be completely 'off-limits'
or taboo. Taboo or difficult topics may include, but are not limited to,
politics, religion, disabilities (mental and physical), sexuality and sex,
racism and any opinion that may be seen as unpopular.
 Lack of attention, interest, distractions, or irrelevance to the receiver.
(See our page Barriers to Effective Listening for more information).
 Differences in perception and viewpoint.
 Physical disabilities such as hearing problems or speech difficulties.
 Physical barriers to non-verbal communication. Not being able to see
the non-verbal cues, gestures, posture and general body language can
make communication less effective. Phone calls, text messages and
other communication methods that rely on technology are often less
effective than face-to-face communication.
 Language differences and the difficulty in understanding unfamiliar
accents.
 Expectations and prejudices which may lead to false assumptions or
stereotyping. People often hear what they expect to hear rather than
what is actually said and jump to incorrect conclusions. Our page The
Ladder of Inference explains this in more detail.
 Cultural differences. The norms of social interaction vary greatly in
different cultures, as do the way in which emotions are expressed. For
example, the concept of personal space varies between cultures and
 between different social settings. See our page on Intercultural
Awareness for more information.

Types of Communication

 Verbal
Verbal communication entails the use of words in delivering the intended
message. The two major forms of verbal communication include written and
oral communication.
Written communication includes traditional pen and paper letters and
documents, typed electronic documents, e-mails, text chats, SMS and
anything else conveyed through written symbols such as language. This type
of communication is indispensable for formal business communications and
issuing legal instructions.
Communication forms that predominantly use written communication include
handbooks, brochures, contracts, memos, press releases, formal business
proposals, and the like. The effectiveness of written communication depends
on the writing style, grammar, vocabulary, and clarity

 Oral Communication
The other form of verbal communication is the spoken word, either face-to-
face or through phone, voice chat, video conferencing or any other medium.
Various forms of informal communications such as the grapevine or informal
rumor mill, and formal communications such as lectures, conferences are
forms of oral communication. Oral communication finds use in discussions
and causal and informal conversations. The effectiveness of oral
conversations depends on the clarity of speech, voice modulation, pitch,
volume, speed, and even non-verbal communications such as body language
and visual cues.
Verbal communication makes the process of conveying thoughts easier and
faster, and it remains the most successful form of communication. Yet, this
makes up only seven percent of all human communication!

 Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal communication entails communicating by sending and receiving
wordless messages. These messages usually reinforce verbal
communication, but they can also convey thoughts and feelings on their
own.
Physical nonverbal communication, or body language, includes facial
expressions, eye contact, body posture, gestures such as a wave, pointed
finger and the like, overall body movements, tone of voice, touch, and
others.
Facial expressions are the most common among all nonverbal
communication. For instance, a smile or a frown conveys distinct emotions
hard to express through verbal communication. Research estimates that
body language, including facial expressions, account for 55 percent of all
communication.