What is communication?

Communication is simply the process of transferring information from one place, person or group to another.

Every communication involves (at least) a sender, a message and a receiver. This may sound simple, but communication is actually a very complex subject.

The transmission of a message from sender to receiver can be influenced by a huge range of things. These include our emotions, the cultural context, the medium we are communicating in, and even our location. The complexity is why good communication skills are so sought after by employers around the world: accurate, effective and clear communication is actually very difficult.

As this definition makes clear, communication is more than just the transfer of information. The term requires the successful transfer or delivery of a message, whether it be information, ideas or feelings.

So communication consists of three parts: the sender, the message and the receiver.

The sender “encodes” the message, usually in a combination of words and non-verbal communication. It is transmitted in some way (for example, by speech or writing), and the receiver “decodes” it.

Of course, there can be more than one receiver, and the complexity of communication means that each one of them may receive a slightly different message. Two people may read things very differently in word choice and/or body language. It is also possible that neither person will have the same understanding as the sender.

In face-to-face communication, the roles of sender and receiver are not distinguished. The roles will go back and forth between two people speaking. Both parties communicate with each other, albeit in very subtle ways such as eye contact (or lack thereof) and general body language. However, in written communication, the sender and receiver are more distinct.

Categories of Communication

There are a wide range of ways in which we communicate and more than one may occur at any given time.

The different categories of communication include:

• Spoken or verbal communication, which includes face-to-face communication, telephone, radio or television and other media.

• ​​Nonverbal communication, which covers body language, gestures, how we dress or act, where we stand, and even the way we smell. There are many subtle ways in which we communicate (perhaps even unintentionally) with others. For example, tone of voice can give clues to mood or emotion, while hand signals or gestures can add to a spoken message.

• Written communication: This includes letters, email, social media, books, magazines, the internet, and other media. Until recently, a relatively small number of writers and publishers were very powerful when it came to communicating through the written word. Today, we can all write and publish our thoughts online, resulting in an explosion of information and communication possibilities.

• Visualization: Charts, graphs, maps, logos, and other visualizations can convey messages.

The desired outcome or goal of any communication process is mutual understanding.

The communication process

A message or communication is sent by a sender through a communication channel to a receiver, or to multiple receivers.

The sender must encode the message (the information being conveyed) into a form appropriate to the communication channel, and then the receivers decode the message to understand its meaning and significance.

Misunderstandings can occur at any stage of the communication process.

Effective communication involves minimising potential misunderstandings and overcoming any barriers to communication at every stage of the communication process.

An effective communicator understands their audience, chooses an appropriate communication channel, refines their message for that channel and encodes the message to minimise misunderstandings by the receiver.

They will also seek feedback from the receivers on how the message was understood and try to correct any misunderstandings or confusion as soon as possible.

Receivers can use techniques such as clarification and reflection as effective ways to ensure that the message sent is understood correctly.

Communication channels

Communication channels is the term given to the way in which we communicate. It is therefore the method used to convey our message to the receiver, or to receive a message from another person.

There are many communication channels available to us today. These include face-to-face conversations, telephone calls, text messages, email, the internet (including social media such as Facebook and Twitter), radio and television, written letters, brochures and reports.

Choosing an appropriate communication channel is vital to effective communication. Each communication channel has different strengths and weaknesses.

For example, broadcasting news of an upcoming event via a written message might clearly convey the message to one or two individuals. This will not lead to anything,however, be a time- or cost-effective way to broadcast the message to a large number of people. On the other hand, conveying complex, technical information is easier via a printed document than a spoken message. The recipients are able to assimilate the information at their own pace and revisit anything that they do not fully understand.

Written communication is also useful as a way of recording what has been said, for example by taking minutes in a meeting.

Encoding Messages

All messages must be encoded into a form that can be conveyed by the communication channel chosen for the message.

We all do this every day when transferring abstract thoughts into spoken words or a written form. However, other communication channels require different forms of encoding, e.g. text written for a report will not work well if broadcast via a radio programmer, and the short, abbreviated text used in text messages would be inappropriate in a letter or in speech.

Complex data may be best communicated using a graph, chart or other visualization.

Effective communicators encode their messages so that they fit both the channel and the intended audience. They use appropriate language, conveying the information simply and clearly. They also anticipate and eliminate likely causes of confusion and misunderstanding. They are generally aware of the recipients’ experience in decoding similar communications.

Successful encoding of messages for the audience and channel is a vital skill in effective communication.

Decoding Messages

Once received, the recipient needs to decode the message. Successful decoding is also a vital communication skill.

People will decode and understand messages in different ways.

This will depend on their experience and understanding of the context of the message, how well they know the sender, their psychological state and how they feel, and the time and place of receipt. They may also be affected by any Barriers to Communication which might be present.

There are therefore a wide range of factors that will affect decoding and understanding.

Successful communicators understand how the message will be decoded, and anticipate and remove as many as possible of the potential sources of misunderstanding.

Feedback

The final part of a communication is feedback: the recipient lets the sender know that they have received and understood the message.

Recipients of messages are likely to provide feedback on how they have understood the messages through both verbal and non-verbal reactions. Effective communicators pay close attention to this feedback as it is the only way to assess whether the message has been understood as intended, and it allows any confusion to be corrected.

Bear in mind that the extent and form of feedback will vary with the communication channel. Feedback during a face-to-face or telephone conversation will be immediate and direct, whilst feedback to messages conveyed via TV or radio will be indirect and may be delayed, or even conveyed through other media such as the Internet.

Effective communicators pay close attention to this feedback as it is the only way to assess whether the message has been understood as intended, and it allows any confusion to be corrected.

Bear in mind that the extent and form of feedback will vary with the communication channel. Feedback during a face-to-face or telephone conversation will be immediate and direct, whilst feedback to messages conveyed via TV or radio will be indirect and may be delayed, or even conveyed through other media such as the Internet.

Being able to communicate effectively is the most important of all life skills.

Understanding is the first step to improvement

Understanding more about communication and how it works is the first step to improving your communication skills. A good understanding of the process, and how it operates, will help you to become better at encoding and decoding messages.