UNIT 1

Introduction to Communication

Communication: Meaning and Definition, Historical Background of Communication – Eastern and

Western concepts, Verbal and Non-Verbal communication, Levels of Communication- (Intra-
personal, Inter-personal, Group, Mass), Difference between Inter-personal and Mass
Communication, Mediated and Non-Mediated Communication

1
COMMUNICATION: MEANING AND DEFINITION

The Term
The term communication stems from a Latin word ‘communis’ which means ‘common’ and
denotes the act of imparting, conveying or exchanging ideas through speech, writing or signs. It
is Wilbur Schramm, a leading communication scholar, who traced the word communication to the
Latin word ‘communis’. According to him, when we communicate, we are trying to establish a
commonness with someone. That is, we are trying to share information, an idea or an attitude with
someone.

What is communication?
Simply defined, communication is the act of transmitting information, ideas and attitudes
from one person to another. It is a process of transmitting a message from a source to an
audience through a channel. For example, in a conversation, which is the most common type of
communication, the person who speaks is the source and the person who listens is the
audience. What is transmitted by the person who speaks is the message and the spoken voice
carried through the air is the channel. Interaction, interchange, transaction, dialogue, sharing,
communion and commonness are ideas that crop up in any attempt to define the term
‘communication'.

According to one definition, “Communication is the name we give to the countless ways that
humans have of keeping in touch – not just words but also the music, pictures and print, nods
and becks, postures and plumage to every move that catch someone's eye and every sound
that resonates upon another's ear”, which means communication not just means two people
talking neither it is limited to alphabets or words. A red signal which indicates stop, or a waving
of hand to say bye, a sad smiley used while chatting are all examples of communication.
This observation is true also for animals, birds and bees, and other land, sea and air creatures.
The singing and chirping of birds, the croaking of frogs, and the many visual and olfactory
signals among bird and beasts are forms of communication too, some simple, others very
highly sophisticated. The dance of the honeybee, for instance, is an advanced means of
communication for it conveys to other bees the precise direction and distance of the place
where nectar will be found.

Communication can take place across wide and vast distances in time and space. It requires
that the communicating parties share an area of communicative commonality. The process is
complete, is when the receiver has understood the message of the sender.

Communication as a Fundamental need

Although, communication is also stated as sharing of information and it has also been
measured as a process through which meanings and social realities are produced, observed or
shared, which is taken as the base of the human society. In the absence of communication, the
presence of human society is not possible and it is right that communication is at the heart of
human presence. Social interaction, political and economic activities are impossible in the non-
appearance of the communication. Halt communication and the life process wither and die.
Thus, it is one of the fundamental needs of human beings and it is as important as the physical
requirement for food and shelter. Therefore, communication can be considered as an
individual as well as a social need.

Few more definitions on communication

1.Keith Davis: Communication is a process of passing information and understanding from

one person to another.
2. John Adair: Communication is essentially the ability of one person to make contact with
another and make himself or herself understood.
3. William Newman and Charles Summer: Communication is an exchange of ideas, facts,
opinions or emotions of two or more persons.
4. Louis Allen: Communication is a bridge of meaning. It involves a systematic and
continuous process of telling, listening and understanding.
5. Peter Little: Communication is a process by which information is transmitted between
individuals and / or organizations so that an understanding response results.
6. Murphy, Hildebrandt, Thomas: 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.
ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION
Elements of communication refer to the basic components involved in an act of
communication. These elements are also called the universals of communication because they
are present in every communication act. These elements are briefly mentioned below:

Source
A person who sends a message or a signal is the source in communication. Communication by
definition demands that someone send signals and someone receive them.
Receiver
A person who receives the message or signal is the receiver in a communication process.
Context
Communication always takes place within a context. It can either restrict or stimulate the
communication process. Communication in a funeral home, a public park, a cricket stadium and
in a church will be entirely different.
Message
Message is anything that is sent and received. Generally, we think of communication messages
as being verbal (oral or written). We can also communicate nonverbally.
Channel
It is the route or vehicle along which the message is transmitted from a sender to receiver.
When you talk to a friend, the sound waves that carry your words constitute the channel.
When you write something, the piece of paper becomes the channel. Newspapers, magazines,
radio, television and internet become the channels in mass communication.
Noise
Noise in communication refers to anything that distorts or interferes with the message. The
screeching of a passing car, sun-glasses a person wears, prejudices, bias, poor grammar etc.
interfere with the effective and efficient transmission of messages from the sender to the
receiver.
Encoding
Encoding means that the message is translated into a language or code suitable for
transmission to the intended receivers.
Decoding
The act of understanding or comprehending a message is referred to as decoding. When we
speak, we are putting our ideas into sound waves (encoding). By translating sound waves into
ideas, we are taking them out of the code they are in and hence decoding. Similarly, when we
read a text, we are decoding the written symbols of a language.
Feedback
The information that is fed back to the source is known as feedback. Feedback, in general,
refers to any process by which the communicator obtains information as to whether and how
his/her intended receiver has received the message.
Effect
The consequences of communication are referred to as effect. Communication has always
some effect on one or more persons. The effect could be on the source or on the receiver or on
both of them.
THE PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION

Essentially communication involves the sender or the communicator and the receiver. Both
should necessarily share a mutually accepted code e.g. a common language. The context in
which the communication takes place is called the “communication environment”. The
content of the code is sent in a certain medium (oral, written or non-verbal) using channels (air,
mikes, body, pictures, text, etc.) in the form of encoded messages. The “code” is not restricted
to only language; it may also involve the use of signs, costumes, gestures, colours among other
things.

UNIVERSAL SIGNS & SYMBOLS

Universal signs and symbol are those images or shapes that share a common meaning among
people of different cultures, landscapes etc. It does not mean that every living human being
understand accurately what it represents, rather there is a large section of people in different
parts of the world who understands what it means.

Thus, the process of communication can be described in the following manner:

The sender sends a “message” using a “medium” and a “channel” to the “receiver”. The
message arrives in the sensory world of the receiver. The receiver’s brain filters the message on
the basis of his/her knowledge, emotions, attitudes, and biases and gives the message a unique
meaning. This meaning may trigger a response which the mind of the receiver forms. The
receiver encodes his/her response and sends it across as “feedback” into the sensory world of
the sender. This completes one cycle of communication and the process continues in a cyclic
manner, i.e. cycle after cycle, as long as the people involved care to communicate.
CHARACTERISTICS OF COMMUNICATION

Two-Way Communication Process

Communication is a two-way process. The communication can take place only when there are
at least two people. One person conveys a message while the other receives it.
Exchange of Ideas
Communication cannot be thought of in the absence of exchange of ideas. In order to complete
the process of communication there must be an exchange of ideas, orders, feelings, etc.,
among two or more than two persons.

Mutual Understanding
To have a successful communication, the receiver should be all aware to understand the
message. This requires the usage of a general or common language between the sender and
the receiver, so that the message is easily comprehended

Use of Words as well as Symbols

Communication need not essentially be made verbal or in writing. There are certain gestures or
actions that also express the due message that is to be delivered. Like nodding of head, rolling
of eyes, lip movements etc are some gestures that are generally used to convey certain ideas.

Direct and Indirect Communication

It is not necessary in communication that the receiver and giver of information should be face-
to-face with each other. Communication can be both direct and indirect. Direct communication
means face-to-face conversation, while indirect communication is through other means.