Communication- Characteristics, Functions and Elements- Chapter 1

Introduction

Being a teacher the  purpose of this blog is to help my students in the field of communications. It is with this aspect of the study of Communication in mind that I pen these posts.

To live isolated is a dreadful feeling. Communication helps us to interact, share, understand, relate, promote, inform and express. It is a dynamic process. In scientific terms, Communication is basically considered to be a sharing of information between a sender and a receiver. 

So, do only human beings communicate? Well, obviously, the answer is 'No'. Communication occurs all around us even in animals and in nature at large. However, for my blog, I restrict myself to communication among human beings. As this is a subject of my interest. 

Edwin Emery Philip in his book, 'Introduction to Mass communication' says that 'the study of communication involves two aspects-

1. A broad comprehension of the mechanical means and the underlying theories of communication and
2. More importantly, an understanding of how we use these tools in our daily round of informing influencing, inspiring, convincing, frightening and entertaining one another.'

Basic definition of Communication

While defining communication, it is necessary that we go to the etymological roots of the word 'communication'. Etymologically, the origin of the word communication is derived from the Latin noun 'communis' which means commonality and the Latin verb 'communicare', which means 'to share' or 'to make common.' 

Different scholars define communication in different ways. Here are a few definitions by renowned scholars.

Communication is transfer of information from one person to another, whether or not it elicits confidence. But the information transferred must be understandable to the receiver – G.G.
Brown.

Communication can be defined as the process of transmitting information and common understanding from one person to another- Keyton. 

Communication is a process of transmitting and receiving verbal and non-verbal messages. It is considered effective when it achieves the desired response or reaction from the receiver- Murphy, Hildebrandt and Thomas.

Communication is a bridge of meaning. It involves a systematic and continuous process of telling, listening and understanding- Louis Allen

Communication is the transmission of information, idea, emotions, skills, etc, by the use of symbols, words, pictures, figures, graphs, etc. it is the act or process of transmission that is usually called communication- Berelson and Steiner

Communication is a process by which information is transmitted between individuals and/ or organizations so that an understanding response results- Peter Little

Dr Gordon Coates simplifies the definition of communication and summarises it in three points in his book 'Notes on Communication'. He says, 

• Communication is the sharing of information.
• Communication is the giving and receiving of messages.
• Communication is the transfer of information from one or more people to one or more other people (http://www.wanterfall.com/Downloads/Communication.pdf\

Characteristics of Communication

Communication is not static. It has various characteristics. Some of these are enumerated below:

• Two way process: Communication has a sender and a receiver. Communication cannot occur in a vacuum.
• Dynamic in Nature: Communication is never static. It is dynamic. There is an exchange of information between sender and receiver. The process further elaborates when there is a feedback. The receiver after decoding the message gives a feedback, in this process, the receiver now becomes a sender and vice versa.
• Purpose- Communication has a purpose. The purpose could vary from sender to sender. But there is always a purpose.
• Contextual- Communication always happens in a context. The sender and the receiver communicate in a context. Each of them will be influenced by the context that surrounds them.
• Form: Communication can take a form. It could be sharing or a request or order or an expression of anger. Communication could be formal or informal based on the context the communication is occurring.
• Use of signs and symbols: Communication need not only be verbal. Communication can occur through words, actions, signs, symbols, graphs, expressions, etc.
• Scope: Communication not being static, has a scope. It can help a person to deal with a situation.

Functions of Communication

The functions of communication are numerous. A few of these functions are mentioned below:

• Information: One of the primary functions of communication is to inform another person. In any given field whether family, friendships or business, sharing of information is integral for communication to occur.
• Social needs: Communication helps one to fulfill one's social need. The needs to be identified, belong, control and be affectionate and receive affection are innate and communication helps in the same.
• Practical needs: Communication helps one to fulfill the practical needs. For instance, simple things like buying a product, asking someone to pass an object, etc.
• Education: Communication helps in the process of education. It is an important element in the transfer of knowledge, ideas and concepts. To spread literacy and create awareness is an important function of communication.
• Co-ordination: Communication helps to co-ordinate 
• Persuasion: Persuasion could include various dimensions of persuasion. For instance, a mother persuades her child to drink milk for good health but persuasion could also mean different organisations persuading you to buy their product.
• Motivation or Raising Morale: An individual could motivate others through actions, words or deeds. One could always encourage and boost the morale of those around through kind words of encouragement, motivation and inspiration.  A good teacher is a good communicator who motivates and raises the morale of her students by encouraging them to achieve their dreams and work hard for it.
• Instruction: Communication also helps in instructions. It is important while driving to follow the instructions of safe driving. 
• Advice: Communication could also mean advice. 
• Warning: Communication could include warning. For instance: The weather forecast department issues warning regarding the weather conditions to the people.
• Connectivity: In today's arena, communication has jumped leaps and bound and has led to a connectivity unimaginable before. Social networking forums have led to people connecting globally.
• Networking: The world today with its digital activity has become a constant forum for networking. It is not surprising them that Social Networking forums have become major forums for communication and networking.

Elements of the Process of Communication 

Communication works by exchanging information or messages. The process of communication involves a sender, a receiver and the message. This is the basic concept. However, to have a complete process of communication, it need many elements. "The elements in the communication process determine the quality of communication. A problem in any one of these elements can reduce communication effectiveness" (Keyton, 2011). Communication process thus involves the following basic elements: 

• Sender
• Message
• Medium
• Channel
• Receiver
• Feedback 
• Noise

There is sharing of information or message transmission between the sender and the receiver. The sender sends a message to a receiver. This message could be sent through any medium. The receiver receives the message and interprets it. These terms are technically defined below:

• The sender makes a message based on what  one wants to communicate. it could be a concept or an idea. This process is called 'Encoding'.
• After encoding, the sender transmits this message through the medium.
• The medium may vary based on how the sender wants to send the message to the receiver.
• The recipient receives the message and starts deciphering or understanding it. This process is called 'decoding'.
• The recipient further gives a reaction or a response. This is called a feedback. This feedback could be direct or through the use of a medium and channel.
• This is gradually followed by the decoding of the feedback received.  
• The concept of 'Noise' includes any element that causes disruption or disturbance in the process of communication. It could also be anything that distorts the message.
• If feedback does not occur for any given reason, it is called one-way communication.  

The cycle continues depending on the sender and the receiver and their need to communicate.

These notes are basically a help for interested students. I encourage students to read books by good authors for a detailed study.
Thanks,
God loves you,
Sr Patricia Michelle Mathias
Paulines, India

P.S: The Books and Online materials have been mentioned for the convenience of the students. You may read them online, or read the books available on the mentioned authors from your library for further study or buy the same online.