Communication

Theory
Mutiara Budi Azhar, Dr., SU., MMedSc
Faculty of Medicine Sriwijaya University

Effective
Effective
Communicator:
Communicator:

Dr MBA

I. Introduction
Understands
what needs to
be communicated and the
best way to deliver it;
develops strategies to
influence and build
relationships to gain the
respect and trust of others
by adjusting the style and
method of communication
to specific audiences.
Communication

Dr MBA

Communication

Introduction
Definition-1

Communication

is the process of
exchanging information.
Information is conveyed as words, tone
of voice, and body language.
Words account for 7 percent of the
information communicated. Vocal tone
accounts for 55 percent and body
language accounts for 38 percent.
Dr MBA

Communication

Introduction - Definition-2

Interpersonal

communication is the
process that we use to communicate our
ideas, thoughts, and feelings to another
person.
Intra-team communication is a process
through which team members
communicate with one another.

Dr MBA

Communication

Introduction

To be

effective communicators, team

members must be aware of these forms
(words, vocal tone, and body language),
how to use them effectively, and
barriers to the communications process.

Dr MBA

Communication

Introduction (cont.)

People

in organizations typically spend

over 75% of their time in an interpersonal
situation.
Thus, it is no surprise to find that at the root
of a large number of organizational
problems is poor communications.

Effective communication is an essential

component of organizational success whether it is
at the interpersonal, inter-group, intra-group,
organizational, or external levels.

Dr MBA

Communication

II
THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

All of us have been

communicating with others
since our infancy.

Dr MBA

Communication

The sender-message-channelreceiver model

The SMCR model describes the
communication process. The model is
described pictorially below.

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Communication

Fig. SMCR Model

Sender

Message

Channel

Receiver

Feed forward and Feedback

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The Communication Process (cont.)-3

encoded
Message
decode by receiver message
to be sent some error some error received
likely
likely

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Dr MBA

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SMCR- The Message

1.

Dr MBA

The Message
The message has three components:
Content, Context, Treatment
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SMCR model The Message - content

Content

is simply communicating what

you desire to communicate.
Don Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four
Agreements, would ask, Are you being
impeccable with your words?
Sometimes, in our enthusiasm to speak,
we do not think about what we are saying.
Note: impeccable = cannot be faulted, excellent, perfect.

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SMCR model The Message - context

Context

involves adapting your

presentation of the content to your
audience.
If you are speaking to a linear thinker, do
not add a lot of fluff to your dialogue. If
you are speaking to a person who wants to
understand the whole picture, add more
detail to the context presentation.
Note: fluff: material

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SMCR model The Message - Treatment

Treatment

is the arrangement or
ordering of the content by the
speaker.
The treatment directly supports the
context and content of the message.

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2.

The Sender
The sender has to be aware of six variables
when communicating with another person:
Senders communication skills
Senders attitudes
Senders knowledge level
Senders social position
Senders culture
Feedback received by sender

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3.

The Channel

There are two types of channels: Sensory

Channels and Institutional Channels.
Sensory channels are based on the five
senses of sight, sound, touch, smell, and
taste. Social scientists have found the
sender is more likely to gain the receivers
attention if the sender uses two or more
sensory channels to send information.
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The Channel-cont.
.

Institutional

channels are the chosen

methods of disseminating information
face-to-face conversation, printed
materials, and electronic media.

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4. The Receiver
The

receiver of the information has to use

the same skill set as the sender (The six
variables).
The receiver has an additional variable:
credibility of the speaker. If the receiver
perceives the sender as credible,
objective, and having expertise in the topic
being discussed, then the receiver is more
likely to accept the message being sent.
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The Receiver (Cont.)3

Remember

the goal of communication is

for the receiver to accept an accurate
message from the sender.
This does not mean the receiver will
agree with the message, rather that the
receiver accurately understands the
message.

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The Receiver (Cont.4)

The

receiver accepts a message through

attention and comprehension.
Attention is tuning in to the message
being sent, and comprehension involves
understanding the message and
accepting or rejecting it.
Accepting a message involves both a
cognitive acceptance of the message and
an affective acceptance of the message
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The Communication Process potential Errors

At

each step in the communication

process there is major potential for error.
There is usually a 40-60% loss of meaning
in the transmission of messages from
sender to receiver.
In many situations a lot of the true
message is lost and the message that is
heard is often far different than the one
intended.
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The Communication Process (cont.)-5

This

is most
obvious in crosscultural situations
where language is
an issue. But it is
also common
among people of
the same culture.

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III. Barriers to Effective

Communication

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Barriers to Effective Communication

There

are a wide
number of sources
of noise or
interference that
can enter into the
communication
process.
The following
suggests a number
of sources of noise:
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Barriers to Effective language

1.
2.

3.

4.

Dr MBA

Language
defensiveness, distorted perceptions, guilt,
project, transference, distortions from the
past
misreading of body language, tone and
other non-verbal forms of communication
(see section below)
noisy transmission (unreliable messages,
inconsistency)
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Barriers to Effective (cont)-6

receiver distortion: selective hearing,

ignoring non-verbal cues
6. power struggles
7. self-fulfilling assumptions
8. language-different levels of meaning
5.

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Barriers to Effective (cont)-7

Assumptions - eg. assuming others see

situation same as you, has same feelings
as you
11. Distrusted source, erroneous translation,
value judgment, state of mind of two
people
12. Perceptual Biases:
o People attend to stimuli in the
environment in very different ways.
10.

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Barriers to Effective Interpersonal relationship (cont)-10

Interpersonal Relationships
14. Cultural Differences
13.

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Reading Nonverbal Communication Cues (cont.)-3

Nonverbal communication is made up of

the following parts:
Visual
Tactile
Vocal
Use of time, space, and image
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Developing Communication Skills:

Listening Skills!!!

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Ten Ways to Improve Your

Communication Skills
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Dr MBA

Develop your voice

Slow down
Animate your voice
Enunciate your words
Use appropriate volume
Pronounce your words correctly
Use the right words
Make eye contact
Use gestures
Dont send mixed messages
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Thank you very much for your kind

attention

Dr MBA

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References
1.
2.

4.

Dr MBA

http://web.cba.neu.edu/~ewertheim/interper/commun.htm#introd,
July 23, 2006
http://www.foundationcoalition.org, July 23, 2006.
3.
http://
hwebbjr.typepad.com/openloops/2005/05/ten_ways_to_imphtml
Printed from the Technical Editor's Eyrie,
http://www.jeanweber.com/

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