Communicaiton & Perception Research

Communication & Perception

Research

Research By: Ahmed S. EL Gazzar

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Contents
Research ............................................................................................1 Contents................................................................................................2 Communication ....................................................................................3 Introduction ..........................................................................................3 Definition...............................................................................................4 Processes .............................................................................................4 Communication Elements ...................................................................5
The sender..................................................................................................... 5 Encoded Message......................................................................................... 5 Channel ......................................................................................................... 5 Receiver......................................................................................................... 6 Decoding ....................................................................................................... 6 Noise .......................................................................................................... 6 Feedback ....................................................................................................... 7

Communication Types ........................................................................7

Communication Types based on communication channels...................... 7 Verbal Communication.................................................................................... 7 Nonverbal Communication.............................................................................. 8 Communication Type Based on Style and Purpose................................... 8 Formal Communication................................................................................... 8 Informal Communication ................................................................................. 9

Successful Communication ................................................................9 Perception...........................................................................................10 Definition.............................................................................................10 Elements .............................................................................................10

Perceiver ...................................................................................................... 10 Situation........................................................................................................ 10 Target ........................................................................................................ 11 Perception Checking .................................................................................. 11 Observation .................................................................................................. 11 Interpretation................................................................................................. 11 Confirmation or Clarification.......................................................................... 11

References..........................................................................................12

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Communication Introduction
Communication is generally defined as the activity of conveying information. Communication has been derived from the Latin word "communis", meaning to share. (1)

The importance of effective communication is immeasurable in the world of business and in personal life. From a business perspective, effective communication is an absolute must, because it commonly accounts for the difference between success and failure or profit and loss. It has become clear that effective business communication is critical to the successful operation of modern enterprise. Every business person needs to understand the fundamentals of effective communication. (2)

Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast distances in time and space.

Communication requires that the communicating parties share an area of communicative commonality. The communication process is complete once the receiver has understood the message of the sender. Feedback is critical to effective communication between parties.

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Definition
Communication is a two-way process of reaching mutual understanding, in which participants not only exchange (encode-decode) information but also create and share meaning. Communication is the transmission of a message from a sender to a receiver in an understandable manner Communication is any act by which one person gives to or receives from another person information about that person's needs, desires, perceptions, knowledge, or affective states. Communication may be intentional or unintentional, may involve conventional or unconventional signals, may take linguistic or nonlinguistic forms, and may occur through spoken or other modes ( e.g. written , body language , .)

Processes

-Communication Process- (3)

Communication is a process that involves an exchange of information, thoughts, ideas and emotions. The components of a communication process are: a sender who encodes and sends the message, the communication channel through which the message is sent, and the receiver who decodes the message, processes the information and sends an appropriate reply via the same communication channel back to the sender. Communication can occur via various processes and methods, and depending on the channel used and the style of communication, there can be various types of communication.

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Communication Elements
The sender
The Sender can be 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). (4) All communication begins with the sender.

Encoded Message
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.

Channel
The channel is the mean used to convey or transform 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 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. The improper selection for the communication channel can cause the message to not reach the right receivers or been interfered by noise.

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As long as the clearance of the message is basically lay on the Sender so the selection of the proper channel to convey the message is part of the sender responsibility to be properly selected and used. The selection of the proper channel depends on the type of the message, how urgently is the message , the experience of the receiver , the cultural differentiation, how confidentiality of the message , what is expected/required feedback and how widely is the message need to deployed . Hence; the selection on the proper channel is the most important part at conveying a message.

Receiver
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, such as how much the individual or individuals know about the topic, their receptivity to the message, and the relationship and trust 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 encoding

Decoding
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 the 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 place when the receiver correctly interprets the sender's message.

Noise
Noise essentially is anything that distorts a message by interfering with the communication process. Noise can take many forms, including a radio playing in the background, another person trying to enter your conversation, and any other distractions that prevent the receiver from paying attention. Noise can occur during any stage of the process and surely affecting the message clearance and impacting the targeted feedback or reaction.

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Feedback
Feedback is the final link in the chain of the communication process. After receiving a message, the receiver responds in some way and signals that response to the sender. The signal may take the form of a spoken comment, a written message, or even a non-verbal feedback e.g smile which could means satisfaction for example or any other body language reaction which imposes a meaning. Without feedback, the sender cannot confirm that the receiver has interpreted the message correctly. Feedback is the 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 reactions" (Bovee & Thill, 1992). (4)

Communication Types (5)

Based on the channels used for communicating, the process of communication can be broadly classified as verbal communication and non-verbal communication. Verbal communication includes written and oral communication whereas non-verbal communication includes body language, facial expressions and visuals diagrams or pictures used for communication.

Communication Types based on communication channels

Verbal Communication Verbal communication is further divided into oral and written communication.

Oral communication such as to the spoken words in the communication process. Oral communication can either be face-to-face communication or a conversation over the phone or on the voice chat over the Internet. Spoken conversations or dialogs are influenced by voice modulation, pitch, volume and even the speed and clarity of speaking.

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written communication can be either via mail, or email. The effectiveness of written communication depends on the style of writing, vocabulary used, grammar, clarity and precision of language.

Nonverbal Communication Non-verbal communication includes the overall body language of the person who is speaking, which will include the body posture, the hand gestures, and the overall body movements. Facial expressions also play a major role in communication. Even expressions on a person's face say a lot about his/her mood. Also, gestures like a handshake, a smile or a hug can independently convey emotions and do not need to beaccompanied by words. Non verbal communication can also be in the form of pictorial representations, signboards, or even photographs, sketches and paintings.

Communication Type Based on Style and Purpose

Based on the style of communication, there can be two broad categories of communication: formal and informal communication that has their own set of characteristic features. Formal Communication Formal communication includes all the instances where communication has to occur in a set formal format. Typically this can include all sorts of business communication or corporate communication. The style of communication in this form is very formal and official. Official conferences, meetings and written memos and corporate letters are used for this form of communication. Formal communication can also occur between two strangers when they meet for the first time. Hence, formal communication is straightforward, official and always precise and has a stringent and rigid tone to it.

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Informal Communication Informal communication includes instances of free and unrestrained communication between people who share a casual relation with each other. Informal communication requires two people to have a similar wavelength andhence occurs between friends and family. Informal communication does not have any rigid rules and guidelines. The conversations need not necessarily have boundaries of time, place or even subjects for that matter since we all know that friendly chats with our loved ones can simply go on and on.

Conclusion; even though the whole process of communication may seem so simple, the effectiveness of each type of communication depends to a great extent on certain internal and external environmental factors and also the communicator's ability to send, receive, decode and send a response.

Successful Communication
Some tips of should be considered during communication to guarantee thea successful communication. Message should be precise. Message should be clear and understandable Body language should be relevant. Chose the proper time . Target the correct receivers. Identify the interests of receivers. Consider the culture differentiations. Use eye-to-eye contacts to show interests. Ask for feedback. Control noise and interruptions. Be in crux.

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Perception Definition
The process of interpreting the message of our senses to provide order and meaning to the environment. (3) The process of recognizing, organizing and interpreting information.

Elements
Controlling the perception is basically goes to focus on: Perceiver Situation The situation when the message that the message is communicating in has a serious influence on the ways that the receiver can deal with. The same perceiver & target can result into different perceptions if the situational context is different in each case. Hence; its important to take into consideration the influence of the situation that the perceiver is living in and the also evaluating the noise that can be led to influence the message channels. The previous experience and background of the perceiver. The educational level. The cultural and personality effect . Identifying interests. Defining the emotional situation and humor influence. Defining the social status , occupation , personality ,.. .

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Target Precising the target of the communication and uncovering the ambiguity is the crux of the communication since the message has to be clear and understandable. Again; the proper selection of the communication method and channel has to ensure the target achieving.

Perception Checking
Observation Observation is an effective action to be done during the communication or the negotiation to assess the situation , reactions and the behavior of the receivers to ensure their interests and interaction toward the message in purpose of being maintained or changed. Interpretation To lead a successful communication the message requires to be clear and understandable. Hence; interpretation can be required from both the sender to ensure the clearance of the message, and from the receive to ask for clarification it the core of the message was not clear. This is essential to perform an effective communication. Confirmation or Clarification The receive feedback either can be a confirmation (positive/negative) or may ask for more clarification.

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References
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication Communication Process; By Nick Sanchez International Negotiation Strategies to Success; (Burnett & Dollar, 1989). Test Bank to Accompany Bovee/Thill Marketing 1992 PMO;PMBOK 4th Edition;Ch10 Communication Management

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