Comms (Topic 3)

• Communication is the process of passing information from a source to a receiver.
• Communication is classified into two groups: Linear and Interactive.
• In the Linear Model, information is transmitted from sender to receiver via a channel without the sender receiving any feedback.
• An example of the Linear Model is talking to a person and that person is ignoring you.
• In the Interactive Model, there is feedback; it allows the sender to know that the message was received.
• An example of the Interactive Model is having a conversation with someone.
• Encoding is putting thought or information into words, signs or symbols, allowing the message to be conveyed to the receiver.
• The message in communication is the information being transmitted from the sender to the receiver.
• The channel in communication is the medium used to transmit the message.
• Decoding is when the sender interprets the message and gives it meaning from his/ her perspective.
• Feedback in communication is the response given to the sender from the receiver, allowing the sender to determine if the message was received and how accurately it was received.
• Noise in communication is anything that disrupts the communication process, for example language.
• The six elements of communication are Source, Message, Channel, Receiver, Effect, and Feedback.
• The source in communication is the origin of the idea, also known as sender, who may be an individual or group.
• The sender in communication conceives the idea, prepares the message, selects the channel of distribution and decides who the receiver will be.
• The message in communication refers to the content that the sender passes on to the receiver, it is the core of communication.
• The channel in communication is the medium through which a message travels from sender to receiver, it may be mass media or interpersonal.
• The receiver in communication is the person for whom the message is intended, he is the most important aspect of the communication process which is a two way process and incomplete without the receiver.
• The effect in communication is the change in behaviour of the receiver on receiving the message from the sender, he may ignore the message or store it or dispose it or even send a feedback to the source depending on how the message has an effect on the receiver.
• The feedback in communication is the response the receiver gives to the sender after the element of effect, it can be negative or positive depending on how the message is encoded and decoded by the sender and receiver respectively.
• Feedback in most cases does not take place, it is an optional element of communication that may or may not happen.