TOPIC 2

Communication Process

This describes every act of communicating that we perform.

Definition of Terms

Sender – A person who formulates, encodes and transmits a message

Receiver/Recipient – a person who receives, decodes and interprets a message

Encode – to put information in its most suitable form

Decode – to interpret the message conveyed

Message – content of the communicative act. It can be in form of the way you talk, facial expressions,
touch etc all that have communicative information

Channel – the passage or medium through which a message is sent

Feedback – the reaction after a message has been sent. This could be positive or negative

Noise – It is anything that interferes or distorts the ability to send or receive a message

The Communication Process

There are several stages in the communication cycle

1. Sender – the sender defines the information sent by thinking about the aim of the
communication and the context to be conveyed. The aims could be:
- Informing: to tell someone about something e.g dangers of smoking, vacancy
announcement
- Influencing: to persuade someone to adopt a particular course of action or attitude towards
something
- Initiating Action: to get the receiver to do something
2. Encoding – the process of putting information into the most suitable form. It involves putting an
idea/imagination into words, picture, gesture etc
3. Channel – medium through which the message is transmitted eg verbal, written, visual
4. Receiver – the person who takes the message and interprets it by reading, listening or watching
5. Decoding – Interpreting the message in order to obtain meaning of the conveyed message. This
may or may not be the same information which the sender wanted to convey. If the receiver
does not interpret the message according to what the sender intended it to mean, then
distortion is likely to occur and the receiver will gain a different message from that intended.
6. Feedback – It is where the receiver’s first reaction to the message is made. It could also be in
verbal, written or nonverbal form.
Examples of Noise/Interference

Sender: Language, lack of confidence, physical noise, poor handwriting

Channel: Breakdown of equipment, poor network

Receiver: Language, misinterpretation, physical noise

2.2 Barriers to Effective Communication

Communication breakdowns will sometimes occur irrespective of how an individual or organization
plans to communicate effectively. The barriers to effective communication can be classified into two
main categories:

- Barriers caused by sender or receiver

- Barriers caused by external factors

Barriers caused by sender or receiver

(i) Language

This occurs at the encoding and decoding stages of communication. There are various ways in which
language can be a barrier:

- Mother-tongue interference (Accent)

- Similar words with difference meaning
- Speaking too fast or too slow
- Pronunciation
- Stammering
- Technical terminology (Jargon)

The above can be overcome using: interpreters, practice speaking, moderate pace, simple language, and
common language.

(ii) Poor aim/objective

There are three main aims of communicating: to inform, influence or initiate action. The sender must
have a clear idea of what the communications aims to achieve.

(iii) Wrong Medium

Choosing the wrong medium to communicate can be disastrous and may lead to conveying the wrong
meaning. It may also provoke a negative reaction depending on the type of channel used eg when
informing an employee about a promotion, demotion or sacking. The correct channel would be through
written confidential letter, instead of public verbal announcement or notice board.

(iv) Wrong time

It is important to know when to communicate. For example, discussing an important issue with
someone who is about to leave for a meeting will most likely end in failure. Booking an appointment
beforehand can help overcome this barrier.

(v) Differences in perception

People see things differently depending on different ages, nationality, religious backgrounds, culture,
educational background, occupation, gender, status, personality etc. Respecting other people’s views
and being more accommodative may help overcoming this barrier.

(vi) Jumping to conclusion

We often see what we want to see, and hear what we want to hear rather than what is actually the
case. Practicing good listening skills is important is useful in overcoming this barrier.

(vii) Lack of Knowledge

The level of knowledge of the sender and receiver on a particular subject plays a major role on the
effectiveness of communication. If they are not on the same level, this may present a problem. In
addition, use of simple language or discussing issues that can be understood by both parties can help to
overcome this barrier.

(viii) Lack of Interest

This is a psychological barrier as the message may not be appealing to the receiver for various reasons.
The sender should make the message relevant and appealing to capture the attention of the receiver.

(ix) Psychological/ Emotional barriers

These are related to the person’s state of mind and emotions. Personal problems like worries about
their health, family, etc will probably affect them and become a barrier to effective communication.

(x) Physiological barriers

These are related with the limitations of the human body and the human mind (memory, attention, and
perception). Physiological barriers may result from individuals' personal discomfort, caused by ill-health,
poor eye sight, or hearing difficulties.

Barriers caused by external factors

(i) Physical / Environmental barriers

These are often caused within the environment where communication is to take place. These could be
rainstorms or other physical distractions such as distances between the communicators and recipients,
walls, telephone calls, drop-in visitors or other forms of noise eg

- Physical eg sounds made by sirens, alarm bells, shouts

- Interference eg poor network, power outage, poor handwriting
- Conflicting messages between written / verbal/ nonverbal

The above could be overcome by using alternative mediums and forms of communication, ensuring that
communication equipment is well maintained/repaired.

(ii) Organizational barriers

These occur when the communication structure within an organization fails to allow communication to
take place fully and accurately due to its complexity. The communication may also not be timely as it
has to be disseminated through several offices before reaching its destination. Communication that is
urgent may not be communicated effectively as a result. For example, Managers may not be able to
address staff complaints in time. This could lead to go-slows or strikes.
Such barriers can be overcome by constantly reviewing the structure of organization’s system of
communication to ensure that the right pattern of exchange is used.

(iii) Human relations barriers

Inter-personal relations – When human beings fail to co-exist harmoniously, this can negatively affect
any organization because individuals are unable to work together. If this happens, then the separation
by transfer of one of them to another section may help overcome the barrier.

QUESTIONS

1. Using an illustration, discuss in detail the process of communication

2. Explain any five barriers to effective communication and ways of overcoming them
3. State barriers caused by external and internal factors