What Is Communication? - Communication is defined as a process by which we assign and convey meaning in an attempt to create shared understanding. This process requires a vast repertoire of skills in intrapersonal and interpersonal processing, listening, observing, speaking, questioning, analyzing, and evaluating. Use of these processes is developmental and transfers to all areas of life: home, school, community, work, and beyond. It is through communication that collaboration and cooperation occur.
THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS: The communication process consists of a message being sent and received. The message may be verbal or non-verbal. The same basic principles apply whether humans, animals, other forms of life, or combinations of these are involved. Your challenge, as an instructor, is to not merely communicate with your students--but to communicate effectively. Effective communication involves a message being sent and received. Added to this however, is the element of feedback to ensure that the message sent was received exactly as intended. This concept may be illustrated using the three-step
Formulate Message
Internal Barriers
Encode Message
Transmit Message
SENDER
RECEIVER
Message Received
Internal Barriers
Decode Message
Interpret Message
Feedback
External BarriersThe Message: There are four elements involved in sending a message. First, as the instructor (sender), you formulate the message you intend to communicate. Next, you consider possible barriers that may affect the message. This includes your experience, the terms you will use, and even you’re feeling toward the subject or the students. External barriers such as noise must also be considered. Third, you encode the message; that is, you put the message into the words you want to use. Last, you clearly communicate (send) the message. Receiving The Message There are also four elements involved in receiving a message. The students (receivers) will first hear and/or see the message you sent. Second, the message is affected by external barriers, if any, and the students’ own internal barriers. Possible internal barriers may include the students experience level, their understanding of the terms used, their attitude toward the material, or the way they feel about you. Third, your students decode the message through the use of mental images. For instance, when you say the word circus, the receiver does not “see” the letters that form the word. Instead, a mental image of some sort appears. How many different mental images might arise among your students for this one word alone? A clown, a big top, lions, acrobats, and so forth. Fourth, the students interpret the message. Clearly, at this point in the process there is no way for you to determine that all of the students received the message you intended. To determine this, you must get feedback.
Feedback: Feedback, which may take several forms, provides essential information about your success in communicating the message. To get feedback, have the students respond to oral questions and encourage them to ask questions. The students’ non-verbal behaviors also provide important clues as to their understanding of the material. Facial expressions and body movements often indicate when students are unsure about the meaning of your message. You should be careful in accepting a “yes” response when you ask “Do you understand?” Obtain meaningful feedback by asking questions that require the students to provide answers which indicate that they in fact do understand exactly what you intended.
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES
There are many skills and techniques you must master to bean effective communicator and instructor. Many of these skills you already possess, all that is required is that you use them to their best advantage. Others, you need to learn and practice.
LISTENING: Listening is one of our most important communication skills. It is an active process of hearing and understanding that demands concentration and attention. Both you and your students have responsibilities in the communication process. You must ensure that the learning environment is free of distractions that might interfere with the students’ ability to listen. Be alert to the non-verbal behaviors of your students. Facial expressions reveal much of what is happening in the mind of a student. A quizzical look indicates some misunderstanding has occurred or a question needs to be addressed. A student leaning slightly forward and maintaining good eye contact with you is probably interested and sincere about learning. An affirmative head nod indicates approval, agreement, or understanding. Conversely, eye contact out the window or someplace other than the front of the room may indicate boredom or lack of interest. Fidgeting in the chair or a slouched posture may also bean indication of something other than effective listening. Raised hands and relevant questions are sure signs that you are communicating effectively. Learn to determine if students are listening by the type of feedback they provide. Effective listening depends on motivation, and you are the prime motivator in your classroom. Students should arrive for instruction ready to learn. They should participate and ask questions as they arise. Students must understand that they have responsibility for their own learning. This requires active listening on their part.
Elements of the communication process
Here are the various components of the communication process in detail.
Input: The sender has an intention to communicate with another person. This intention makes up the content of the message.
Sender: The sender encodes the message, e.g. the idea of "piece of furniture to sit on". Thus he gives expression to the content.
Channel: The message is sent via a channel, which can be made of a variety of materials. In acoustic communication it consists of air, in written communication of paper or other writing materials.
Noise: The channel is subjected to various sources of noise. One example is telephone communication, where numerous secondary sounds are audible. Even a solid channel such as paper can be crushed or stained. Such phenomena are also noise in the communicative sense.
Receiver: The receiver decodes the incoming message, or expression. He "translates" it and thus receives the message.
Output: This is the content decoded by the receiver.
Code: In the process, the relevance of a code becomes obvious: The codes of the sender and receiver must have at least a certain set in common in order to make communication work.
There are several methods of business communication, including:
Web-based communication - for better and improved communication, anytime anywhere
e-mails, which provide an instantaneous medium of written communication worldwide;
Reports - important in documenting the activities of any department;
Presentations - very popular method of communication in all types of organizations, usually involving audiovisual material, like copies of reports, or material prepared in Microsoft PowerPoint or Adobe Flash;
Telephoned meetings, which allow for long distance speech;
forum boards, which allow people to instantly post information at a centralized location;
Face to face meetings, which are personal and should be succeeded by a written follow-up.
SEVEN C’S IN COMMUNICATION:
Communication plays a vital role in everyday affairs, whether it be our personal life or our workplace, the importance of effective communication cannot be over looked. Communication can take place in several forms. It can be through the spoken word. It can be through writing. It can even take place through written symbols. Even physical gestures play an important role in communication. The tone and pitch of your voice makes a difference too. Similarly a written note always has a tone and mood to it too. Therefore, one has to be careful during communication. During verbal communication, one must keep eye contact with the audience and speak in a clear and good tone.
In order to be able to communicate effectively one must consider the basic principles of communication which are incorporated in the Seven Cs.
The seven Cs of communication are as follows:
1.Credibility: The sender must be credible. 2. Context: The context of the message should reflect the realities of the organization. 3. Content: The content must be meaningful to the receiver and be compatible with his or her values system. 4. Clarity: The message must be clear; put in simple terms. 5. Continuity and Consistency: There must be continuity and consistency in the message.
6. Channels: The channels of communication should be those receiver uses and respects.
7. Capability: The capability of the audience should be considered. The most effective communications require the least amount of the recipient's effort.
Student of Rai Business School-New Delhi
THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS: The communication process consists of a message being sent and received. The message may be verbal or non-verbal. The same basic principles apply whether humans, animals, other forms of life, or combinations of these are involved. Your challenge, as an instructor, is to not merely communicate with your students--but to communicate effectively. Effective communication involves a message being sent and received. Added to this however, is the element of feedback to ensure that the message sent was received exactly as intended. This concept may be illustrated using the three-step
Formulate Message
Internal Barriers
Encode Message
Transmit Message
SENDER
RECEIVER
Message Received
Internal Barriers
Decode Message
Interpret Message
Feedback
External BarriersThe Message: There are four elements involved in sending a message. First, as the instructor (sender), you formulate the message you intend to communicate. Next, you consider possible barriers that may affect the message. This includes your experience, the terms you will use, and even you’re feeling toward the subject or the students. External barriers such as noise must also be considered. Third, you encode the message; that is, you put the message into the words you want to use. Last, you clearly communicate (send) the message. Receiving The Message There are also four elements involved in receiving a message. The students (receivers) will first hear and/or see the message you sent. Second, the message is affected by external barriers, if any, and the students’ own internal barriers. Possible internal barriers may include the students experience level, their understanding of the terms used, their attitude toward the material, or the way they feel about you. Third, your students decode the message through the use of mental images. For instance, when you say the word circus, the receiver does not “see” the letters that form the word. Instead, a mental image of some sort appears. How many different mental images might arise among your students for this one word alone? A clown, a big top, lions, acrobats, and so forth. Fourth, the students interpret the message. Clearly, at this point in the process there is no way for you to determine that all of the students received the message you intended. To determine this, you must get feedback.
Feedback: Feedback, which may take several forms, provides essential information about your success in communicating the message. To get feedback, have the students respond to oral questions and encourage them to ask questions. The students’ non-verbal behaviors also provide important clues as to their understanding of the material. Facial expressions and body movements often indicate when students are unsure about the meaning of your message. You should be careful in accepting a “yes” response when you ask “Do you understand?” Obtain meaningful feedback by asking questions that require the students to provide answers which indicate that they in fact do understand exactly what you intended.
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES
There are many skills and techniques you must master to bean effective communicator and instructor. Many of these skills you already possess, all that is required is that you use them to their best advantage. Others, you need to learn and practice.
LISTENING: Listening is one of our most important communication skills. It is an active process of hearing and understanding that demands concentration and attention. Both you and your students have responsibilities in the communication process. You must ensure that the learning environment is free of distractions that might interfere with the students’ ability to listen. Be alert to the non-verbal behaviors of your students. Facial expressions reveal much of what is happening in the mind of a student. A quizzical look indicates some misunderstanding has occurred or a question needs to be addressed. A student leaning slightly forward and maintaining good eye contact with you is probably interested and sincere about learning. An affirmative head nod indicates approval, agreement, or understanding. Conversely, eye contact out the window or someplace other than the front of the room may indicate boredom or lack of interest. Fidgeting in the chair or a slouched posture may also bean indication of something other than effective listening. Raised hands and relevant questions are sure signs that you are communicating effectively. Learn to determine if students are listening by the type of feedback they provide. Effective listening depends on motivation, and you are the prime motivator in your classroom. Students should arrive for instruction ready to learn. They should participate and ask questions as they arise. Students must understand that they have responsibility for their own learning. This requires active listening on their part.
Elements of the communication process
Here are the various components of the communication process in detail.
Input: The sender has an intention to communicate with another person. This intention makes up the content of the message.
Sender: The sender encodes the message, e.g. the idea of "piece of furniture to sit on". Thus he gives expression to the content.
Channel: The message is sent via a channel, which can be made of a variety of materials. In acoustic communication it consists of air, in written communication of paper or other writing materials.
Noise: The channel is subjected to various sources of noise. One example is telephone communication, where numerous secondary sounds are audible. Even a solid channel such as paper can be crushed or stained. Such phenomena are also noise in the communicative sense.
Receiver: The receiver decodes the incoming message, or expression. He "translates" it and thus receives the message.
Output: This is the content decoded by the receiver.
Code: In the process, the relevance of a code becomes obvious: The codes of the sender and receiver must have at least a certain set in common in order to make communication work.
There are several methods of business communication, including:
Web-based communication - for better and improved communication, anytime anywhere
e-mails, which provide an instantaneous medium of written communication worldwide;
Reports - important in documenting the activities of any department;
Presentations - very popular method of communication in all types of organizations, usually involving audiovisual material, like copies of reports, or material prepared in Microsoft PowerPoint or Adobe Flash;
Telephoned meetings, which allow for long distance speech;
forum boards, which allow people to instantly post information at a centralized location;
Face to face meetings, which are personal and should be succeeded by a written follow-up.
SEVEN C’S IN COMMUNICATION:
Communication plays a vital role in everyday affairs, whether it be our personal life or our workplace, the importance of effective communication cannot be over looked. Communication can take place in several forms. It can be through the spoken word. It can be through writing. It can even take place through written symbols. Even physical gestures play an important role in communication. The tone and pitch of your voice makes a difference too. Similarly a written note always has a tone and mood to it too. Therefore, one has to be careful during communication. During verbal communication, one must keep eye contact with the audience and speak in a clear and good tone.
In order to be able to communicate effectively one must consider the basic principles of communication which are incorporated in the Seven Cs.
The seven Cs of communication are as follows:
1.Credibility: The sender must be credible. 2. Context: The context of the message should reflect the realities of the organization. 3. Content: The content must be meaningful to the receiver and be compatible with his or her values system. 4. Clarity: The message must be clear; put in simple terms. 5. Continuity and Consistency: There must be continuity and consistency in the message.
6. Channels: The channels of communication should be those receiver uses and respects.
7. Capability: The capability of the audience should be considered. The most effective communications require the least amount of the recipient's effort.
Student of Rai Business School-New Delhi
Sanjeev Kumar Singh
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