Communication - The imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using

some other medium.

Communication as a Process
Human communication is interpersonal, it is purposive and it is a process.
Question: What do we mean by process?
Answer: By process we mean that steps have to be taken and in a set/particular order to
achieve a desired result/goal. These are the important elements of the communication
process:

1. SENDER/ENCODER
The sender also known as the encoder decides on the message to be sent, the best/most
effective way that it can be sent. All of this is done bearing the receiver in mind. In a word, it
is his/her job to conceptualize.
The sender may want to ask him/herself questions like: What words will I use? Do I need
signs or pictures?

2. MEDIUM
The medium is the immediate form which a message takes. For example, a message may be
communicated in the form of a letter, in the form of an email or face to face in the form of a
speech.

3. CHANNEL
The channel is that which is responsible for the delivery of the chosen message form. For
example post office, internet, radio.

4. RECEIVER
The receiver or the decoder is responsible for extracting/decoding meaning from the
message. The receiver is also responsible for providing feedback to the sender. In a word, it
is his/her job to INTERPRET.

5. FEEDBACK
This is important as it determines whether or not the decoder grasped the intended
meaning and whether communication was successful.

6. CONTEXT
Communication does not take place in a vacuum. The context of any communication act is
the environment surrounding it. This includes, among other things, place, time, event, and
attitudes of sender and receiver.

7. NOISE (also called interference)

This is any factor that inhibits the conveyance of a message. That is, anything that gets in
the way of the message being accurately received, interpreted and responded to. Noise may
be internal or external. A student worrying about an incomplete assignment may not be
attentive in class (internal noise) or the sounds of heavy rain on a galvanized roof may
inhibit the reading of a storybook to second graders (external noise).
The communication process is dynamic, continuous, irreversible, and contextual. It is not
possible to participate in any element of the process without acknowledging the existence
and functioning of the other elements.

It helps if you are aware of the various factors that can interfere with your communication effectiveness.
Some of the more common ones include:

1. Preoccupation

In the midst of a conversation, you or the other person may be guilty of focusing on something
going on in your life instead of what is being said at that very moment.

Unblocking technique - To counteract this factor, remind yourself throughout your conversations
or meetings to remain present in the moment and focus.

2. Emotional blocks

Sometimes some words, phrases, or comments are so emotionally charged that they shut down
the communication process. On a very personal basis, there may be a host of other words,
phrases, and topics that are so emotional for you that once they're brought up, it's difficult for you
to keep on talking with any degree of rationality or keep on listening with any degree of true
understanding.

Unblocking technique - To prevent this kind of noise, remind yourself to stay calm and stay in
control. Don't let the other person's inappropriate remark or your own hypersensitivity steal your
peace.

3. Hostility

When there's hostility in the air, you can bet the communication process will be affected.
Messages will be distorted. You may be angry with the person you're talking to, or you may be
carrying around some anger from another situation.

Unblocking technique - To remove the noise of hostility blurring your communications, tell
yourself: "Withhold evaluation until comprehension is complete". In other words, don't jump to
conclusions. Get all the facts before you react or respond.

4. Charisma

The charisma of the message sender may affect how the message is received. You see this
noise factor in politics all the time. Quite often, candidates are chosen and elected, not so much
for the brilliance of their thought, as the way in which they say it. A charismatic politician can
make a tired, trivial, or even stupid message seem new, exciting, and right ... fooling the receiver
into thinking that they don't even have to question or clarify the message.

Are you ever guilty of falling prey to this trap? Have you ever come away from hearing a dynamic
speaker, only to discover that you cannot remember what they said? And have you ever failed to
listen to someone who had something important to say, but didn't bother to listen, because that
speaker was dull compared to the charismatic speaker? If so, the communication process
between you and the other person just came to a screeching halt.

Unblocking technique - To keep the charisma factor in check, remind yourself that WHAT a
person says is much more important than HOW they say it.

5. Past experiences

Sometimes your past experiences can set you up to tune-out and turn-off the communication
process. If, for example, your weekly staff meetings have almost always been a waste of time,
 you may enter a meeting expecting to learn nothing. So you fall back into trap Number 1 -
Preoccupation.

If you're not careful, you may overuse your past experience to pre-judge the communication that
is about to take place as unworthy of your time. And as a result, you miss some important things
you need to know or need to do. Or you may misinterpret the meaning of something if you only
rely on your past experience - and if you fail to ask the right questions.

Unblocking technique - To avoid making such mistakes, you can certainly use your past
experience as a guide. Just don't overdo it. Your past experience gives you a vote - but not a veto
- in making sense out of things.

6. Ambiguity

There's an old saying amongst communication professors that says, "Words don't have
meanings. People do". In other words, the same word can mean lots of different things to lots of
different people. And that always causes communication problems.

Unblocking technique - To reduce this factor disrupting your communication, remember that
every ambiguous word needs to be clarified before making a response to it.

7. Hidden agendas

These happen all too often in business meetings. A person comes to the meeting with one
thought on their mind - what THEY want - and the quality of their listening and the sincerity
of their comments are all geared to getting what THEY want. If a particular item on the agenda
doesn't relate to their hidden agenda, they tune out. If a team member makes a suggestion that
competes with their own personal desires, they may deliberately dispute the comment or
disparage the team member.

Unblocking technique - Ask yourself if you're being sincere and honest when you're in the midst
of a conversation. Or are your comments motivated by a hidden desire to turn the conversation
and the results in your favour? If you're guilty of that, chances are you're going to miss or dismiss
some excellent ideas from people who have some new, fresh, and possibly better ways of doing
things. Hidden agendas almost always damage the communication process.

8. Lack of verbal skills

Since clarity is one of the hallmarks of effective communication, if you have not developed your
verbal skills, you may be crippled for life. You won't move upward in your career and you won't
move ahead in your relationships.

Of course a number of things can affect a person's verbal skill. You may not have taken enough
courses in speaking, listening, and writing - or if you did, it may have been some time ago. You
may need to brush up your skills. And why not? We brush up our skills on just about everything
else in life.

Unblocking technique - In case your communication effectiveness is hampered by this factor,

there are two things you need to do. First, take some communication classes if needed. Second,
don't use your lack of education or cultural background as an excuse for not being an effective
communicator. You can learn how to communicate more effectively, and indeed, your success in
the business world depends on it.

9. Stereotypes

It's so easy to take a few bits of information about a person and then jump to some huge
generalisations about their entire character ... and the character of everyone else like them. It's
called stereotyping. And if you hold any stereotypes, you can be sure of one thing: Whenever you
 are communicating with someone who falls into your stereotypical category, you ARE going to
have communication breakdowns.

Unblocking technique - To prevent stereotyping from damaging your communication, be aware

of the kinds of people who turn you off. And when they're speaking, remind yourself that you don't
have to like them or even agree with everything they say. All you have to do is give their
comments a fair hearing to see if you can LEARN anything you can USE.

10. Perception / selective perception

This may be one of the biggest interrupting factors in communication. Two people can look at the
same situation and yet see it very differently. You see your product or service as fairly priced
while your customer sees it as unfair gouging. And to complicate the communication process,
both parties are right ... in their own minds.

Once you have a perception, you tend to pick out the words and behaviours of the other person
that support your perception. You'll zone in on those things that reinforce your perception, even
though the other party may not have done or said anything that would make anybody else think
they have. It's called "selective perception".

Just remember, you and the other person will always have some degree of difference in your
perceptions - because your perceptions are based on what you've experienced or what you've
learned so far. And no two people have had the same experiences or have learned the same
things.

Unblocking technique - To reduce the perception / selective perception factor in your

communication, remind yourself there's always more than one way to look at things. Try to
understand how the other person "sees" the situation you are talking about. Try to come to a
meeting of the minds.

11. Defensiveness

Whenever you or the other person in a conversation is defensive, you can expect the
communication to break down. One or both of you won't "hear" everything that is said, or you may
inject things that were never said. And this is most likely to happen when one or both of you are
feeling insecure.

As Oscar Levant chuckled, "There are two sides to every question: my side and the wrong side".
While it may be funny, it isn't smart.

Unblocking technique - To remove this noise from your communication, remember to check
yourself. When you feel yourself getting defensive - STOP. Don't jump to conclusions. Don't
respond too quickly. Check to see if you really understand what the other person is saying.

Just as importantly, learn to say things tactfully so the other person doesn't get defensive. That
doesn't mean you should be deceptive or insincere. No! Not at all. Just learn to be considerate
when you speak so you don't hurt others unnecessarily.

As long as you live and work and find yourself around people, you will need the ability to communicate
effectively. If you're aware of the 11 major factors that can disrupt your communication, you can improve
your communication effectiveness.