COMMUNICATION PROCESS

Communication process involves sender, transmission of message through a selected channel, receiver and the feedback. The specific steps in communication process are described below :

(a) The Sender of the Message :

Communication begins with the sender, who has a thought or an idea which is then encoded in a way that can be understood by both the sender and the receiver. While it is usual to think of encoding a message into the English language, there are many other ways of encoding, such as translating the thought into computer language.

(b) Channel for Transmission of Message :

The information is transmitted over a channel that links the sender with the receiver. The message may be oral or written, and it may be transmitted through a memorandum, a computer, the telephone, the telegram or television. Television of course, also facilitates the transmission of gestures and visual clues. At all times two or more channels are used. In a telephonic conversation, for instance, two people may reach a basic agreement that they later confirm by a letter. Since many choices are available, each with advantages and disadvantages, the proper selection of the channel is vital for effective communication.

(c) The Receiver of the Message :

The receiver has to be ready for the message so that it can be decoded into the idea. A person thinking about an exciting cricket match may pay insufficient attention to what is being said about an inventory report, thus increasing the probability of a communication breakdown. The next process is the decoding, in which the receiver converts the message into thoughts. Accurate communication can occur only when both the sender and the receiver attach the same or atleast similar meanings to the symbols that compose the message. Thus, it is obvious that a message encoded into German requires a receiver who understands German. Less obvious, and frequently overlooked, is the fact that a message intechnical or professional jargons requires a recipient who understands such language. So communication is not complete unless it is understood. Understanding is in the mind of both the sender and the receiver. Persons with closed minds will normally not completely understand messages, especially if the information is contrary to their value system.

(d) The Feedback :

To ensure that the message has reached the intended receiver correctly, the communicator has to get feedback from the receiver about the message. Feedback ensures that the process of communication has intact taken place. The feedback provides learning opportunities to the sender and the receiver because it mirrors the consequences of the behaviour. In addition, if the behaviour has been found to be incongruous with the message it opens avenues to make corrections wherever necessary. Without feedback it would be difficult to ascertain whether communication has been received as indicated or not. In organisational settings feedback is essential. Each employee needs to know where he stands vis-a-vis the organisational expectations, so that he can adjust his behaviour. Similarly, all organisations need some feedback from employees on their policies and practices in order to make improvements whenever necessary. All organisations have mechanisms to seek and receive feedbacks because the overall viability depends to a large extent on the sharing of information. However, it is often noticed that the efforts of a management to plan and establish reliable and formalized systems of feedback are often defeated because of the widespread tendency of people to establish informal channels and also because of various sources of distortions. Since most of the feedback in organisations is work related, the system should be improved and made more effective.