CHAPTER TWO

2. PROCESSES OF COMMUNICATION
Introduction
Communication is a process of transmitting and receiving verbal and nonverbal message.
Communication is considered effective when it achieves the desired reaction or response from
the receiver.
As a process business Communication is the system by which a message goes to the sender from
the receiver in an organized way. According to Mr. Kreitner, Business Communication process is
a chain made up of identifiable links.
According to S.K. Kapur, “The Communication process is the method by which the sender
transfers information and understanding to the receiver.” so, we can define Business
Communication as the method by which sender and receiver exchange necessary information.
Communication is a two way process of exchanging ideas or information.
The process of communication has six components: context, sender/encoder, message,
medium/channel, receiver/decoder, and feedbacks.
2.1 Elements of Communication
Have you ever wondered why some people can communicate so well while others fail to get their
message across? What are the elements that must be present in the communication process
before it can be successful and effective? Well, communication has been defined as the act of
giving, receiving or exchanging information, ideas and opinions so that the “message” is
completely understood by both parties.
Business communication has six components: Context, sender/encoder, message,
medium/channel, receiver/decoder, and feedbacks.
1. Context
 Every message, whether oral or written, begins with context. Context is a broad field that
includes country, culture, organization, and external and internal stimuli.
 Another aspect of context is the external stimuli
 Internal stimuli have effect on how you translate ideas into a message.
 Your attitudes, opinions, emotions, past experiences, likes and dislikes, education, job
status and confidence
2. Sender / Encoder
Sender is the person who initiates the process of communication. He generates an idea in his
mind regarding production invention, innovation, request, order, enquiry etc. So, he is the first
factor of communication process and his function is to generate an idea. Therefore, it is
necessary that the idea should be clear, and convertible into message. For this purpose, the
sender needs to apply his knowledge and imaginative power.
 While sending a message, you are the “encoder”, the writer or speaker, depending on
whether your message is written or oral.
 express your message so that the receiver(s)
 react as you desire
 You decide which symbols best convey your message and which message channel will be
most effective among the oral and written media (letter, memo, telephone, etc)
3. Message
The idea in the mind of sender is transformed into words that is called message. The sender
decides on the length, style, organization and tone of the message. The message may be
presented in many ways, depending on the subject, purpose, audience, personal style, mood and
cultural background.
The message is the main idea that you wish to communicate; it is of both verbal (written or
spoken) symbols and nonverbal (unspoken) symbols. First decide exactly what your message is.
Also consider the receiver of your message.
4. Medium/Channel
Channel: is the medium through which the encoded message is transmitted. The channels of
communication may be written, verbal, or use of gestures.
The message vehicle is the means by which the message is transmitted. The vehicle may be:
i) Face-to-face- This includes one-to-one contact personally in discussion or several people
in discussion, committee meetings, etc.
ii) Written Statements-Which may include memos, status reports, recommendations, tax
reports, letters, etc.
iii) Advertisement-Which may include radio, television, newspaper, magazine, billboard
direct mail etc.
iv) Telephone telegraph, e-mail, fax
Factors used to determine the message vehicle are:
 Urgency – telephone call or personal visit, not a letter.
 Importance – fax instead of a telephone to have a record.
 Delicacy of the message – if the message is sensitive, face-to-face conversation than
sending memo or a letter is better.
 Cost Considerations
o When the message is intended for a large number of people.
o a news item or an advertisement instead of telephone calls, telegrams or
personal letters.
 Future reference to information
If the message may need to be referred to later:
o a written vehicle (letter, memo, report, and so on) or
o a tape recording is best.

5. Receiver / Decoder
Receiver is the person who gets the message from the sender, decodes it, understands it and
interprets it.
 The receiver / decoder of your message are your reader or listener.
 influenced by nonverbal factors such as touch, taste, and smell
6. Feedback
Having understood the message, the receiver responds to the sender in yes or no or asks further
questions. This process is called feedback.
 Feedback can be oral or written; it can also be an action, such as receiving in the mail an
item you ordered. Sometimes silence is used as feedback, though it is not very useful.
Senders need feedback in order to determine the success or failure of the communication.
2.2. The process of communication
Communication is a two way process of exchanging ideas or information. A complete
communication process undergoes eight key stages as detailed below:
Fig.2.1 The model of communication process

1. Sender’s thoughts:-
The very first step in the process of communication is generation of thought in the sender’s
mind. These thoughts may be about a request, order, inquiry production or any other such
activity.
The source of communication is the sender.
The communication process begins when the sender has an idea to be communicated.
The idea will be influenced by complex factors surrounding the sender.
The sender must begin by clarifying the idea and purpose. What exactly does the sender
want to achieve? How is the message likely to be perceived? Knowing this information
provides a higher chance of successful communication
2. Message
The message is the information one wants to communicate. It is the reason communication is
needed. For effective communication to take place, the message must be clear. It is necessary to
ensure that the message is accurate and useful in order to go into the next stage without a hitch or
distortion.
3. Encoding:-
The thought generated in the mind of sender is ambiguous and unable to be communicated
unless it is put into a receivable form. This step is known as encoding where the sender converts
his thought into a message by means of a language. For example, a sender thinks about having a
job. Now, he will put his thought on a paper. That is called job application. In his way, his
thought becomes a message.
It is a process of putting the message into a format that can be sent, and that is easily
understandable by the receiver. The message should be encoded clearly and in a simple way for
it to be understood clearly. For example, the sender should use a language that the receiver can
understand.
4. Channel/Transmission
Channel: is the medium through which the encoded message is transmitted. The channels of
communication may be written, verbal, or use of gestures. Verbal channels include face-to-face,
telephone and videoconferencing. On the other hand, written channels of communication include
emails, reports, letters, and social media posts. The choice of medium or channel determines the
effectiveness of the message transmission. The channel chosen should be appropriate so that the
message reaches the right receiver(s) in the right form.
5. Decoding and Understanding
The fifth stage is the process in which the receiver interprets the message in order to
understanding the meaning. Decoding – When the message reaches the receiver, the message
must be decoded into its intended meaning. Therefore, the receiver must translate the words,
symbols, and gestures as the sender intended. Because no two people interpret information in the
exact same way, incorrectly decoding a message can lead to misunderstanding. Successful
decoding is more likely when the receiver creates a receptive environment and ignores
distractions. Alert receivers strive to understand both verbal and nonverbal cues, avoid
prejudging the message, and expect to learn from the communication.
Having received the message from the sender, the receiver attempts to understand and interpret
the message. This process of converting the language of message into thoughts is known as
decoding. For instance, the receiver, having received job application, reads the application and
understands the message conveyed by the applicant.
6. Receiver and Reception
In the sixth stage, the receiver tries to make sense of the message. The receiver is the person for
whom the message is directed to. Communication is a matter of comprehending the sent message
and thus requires a certain level of (KSA); Knowledge, Skills and Abilities .The KSA of the
receiver therefore is paramount in the successful comprehension of the message. Each person
receives the message differently according to his /her own expectation, opinion, and perspective.
The individual experience influence message received. Misunderstanding between sender and
receiver occurs when the receiver interprets the message in a different way as intended by the
sender. Therefore, the sender should put the ideas and feelings of the receiver into consideration
before sending the message. In our example, the sender wanted to inform the receiver about his
thought of having a job. Now the sender has got this idea.
7. Feedback
The seventh stage of the communication process is the response from the receiver. After
decoding and understanding the message, the receiver provides feedback. The importance of this
stage of the communication process is that it shows whether the message was encoded and
decoded accurately, and that the receiver has understood its meaning. Without feedback, the
communication process is not complete. The message has to be received and acted on for it to be
considered a complete process.
Process of communication is incomplete until the receiver responds to the sender. This
response may be negative, positive, or for further enquiry. It means when the receiver of
job application welcomes or regrets the sender, the process of communication is deemed
to be complete.
8. Noise/Context
The final stage of the communication process is interference or context that may affect the
dissemination of information.
Context: – The conditions, surrounding communication with others. Physical Setting – Where
and when the communication occurs. Location, seating arrangement, time of day, room size,
and lighting all affect the process. Psychological Climate – The attitudes and feelings we have
about ourselves and the other people involved in the communication.
Noise and Interference: – Any intended or unintended stimulus that affects the fidelity of a
sender’s message. External Noise – Includes sounds or visual stimuli that draw our attention
away from the intended message. Internal Noise – Includes our own thoughts or feelings that
prevent us from processing the sender’s message.
2.3 Barriers to Communication
The noise and barriers of communication are explained as follows:
(i) On sender’s side: - Noise and barriers may take place during the process of encoding.
Some of them may be caused by distraction, lack of concentration, typing mistake, poor
language etc.
(ii) In the medium: - Some barriers are caused by medium such as poor transmission on T.V.
and radio misprinting in newspapers etc.
(iii) On receiver’s side: - The receiver can also create certain barriers to the receiving of
message such as poor reading ability, emotions, lack of concentration etc.
(iv) Barriers Involving Values, Attitudes etc…
A receiver’s attitude toward a message can determine whether it is accepted or rejected. The
effectiveness is influenced also by the values, attitudes, and opinions of the communicators.
People react favorably when they receive agreeable message. Receivers’ views of the
information will affect their response. This response could be what the sender desires or just the
opposite.
(v) Barriers related to close mind:- Some people hold rigid views on certain subjects. They
maintain their rigid views regardless of the circumstances. Such a closed minded person is very
difficult to communicate to.
(vi) Physical Barriers: - Communication does not consist of words alone. Another set of
barriers is caused by your own physical appearance, your audience, or the context of the
document or the presentation. Your ideas, however good and however skillfully imparted, are at
the mercy of various potential physical barriers.
Barriers to Effective Communication
Any factor that impels the exchange of information between a sender and receiver is a barrier to
communication,
The following are some of the most common barriers of effective communication:
a) Differing perceptions:-Individual variation is one common source of communication
barriers. People who have different backgrounds of knowledge and experience often
perceive the same phenomenon from different perspectives.
 b) Language differences: - For a message to be properly communicated, the words used
must mean the same thing to the sender and the receiver. The same symbolic meaning
must be shared. Jargons must be avoided.
c) Noise: - Any factor that disturbs confuses or otherwise interferes with communication.
Noise leads to information distortion.
d) Emotionality: - Emotional reactions such as Unger, love, defensiveness, hate, jealousy,
fear, and embarrassment influence how we understand others messages and how we
influence others with our own messages.
e) Inconsistent Verbal and Nonverbal Communication
The message we send and receive are strongly influenced by such nonverbal factors as body
movements, clothing, the distance we stand from the person we are taking to, our posture,
gestures, facial expression, eye movement and body contact.
f) Distrust: The credibility of a message is to a large extent a function of the credibility of
the sender in the mind of the receiver. A sender’s credibility is in turn determined by a
variety of factors.
g) Filtering: - Is the act of interpreting information only having better conditions.
Overcoming Barriers to Communication
Overcoming barriers is a two-step process. First one must learn to recognize the various types of
barriers that can occur. Second, one must act to overcome the barriers.
a) Overcoming differing perceptions
The message should be explained so that it can be understood by those with different views and
experiences.
b) Overcoming differences in language
The meanings of unconventional or technical terms should be explained; single, direct and
natural language should be used.
c) Overcoming noise
Noise is best dealt with by eliminating it. As a whole it is good to avoid distracting
environments. When noise is unavoidable, increase the clarity and strength of the message.
d) Overcoming emotionality
Before a crisis, try to understand your subordinate’s emotional reactions and prepare yourself to
deal with receivers. Also think about your own moods and how they influence others.
e) Overcoming inconsistent verbal and nonverbal communication
Gestures, clothes, posture, facial expression and other powerful nonverbal communications
should agree with the message.
f) Overcoming distrust
Overcoming distrust is to a large extent the process of creating trust.
2.4. Interpersonal Communications and Teamwork
Interpersonal communication is the process by which people exchange information, feelings, and
meaning through verbal and non-verbal messages: it is face-to-face communication.
 Interpersonal communication is an exchange of information between two or more people.
 Examples are when you are talking to your friends. A teacher and student discussing an
assignment.
It is also an area of study. Communication skills are developed and may be enhanced or
improved with increased knowledge and practice. During interpersonal communication, there is
message sending and message receiving. This can be conducted using both direct and indirect
methods. Successful interpersonal communication is when the message senders and the message
receivers understand the message.
It’s essential that people in the organization know they will be called upon to join others in
making important decisions and contributing new ideas. Change is the norm in business today,
and people must now give even more of their talent and energy, communicate effectively with
others, gain support for ideas, and create collaborative relationships across the organization in
order for the business to be successful.