Understanding Communication: Elements, Barriers, and Processes
The Communication Process
Communication is the process by which a person, named the sender, sends a message to a recipient who is the subject of the message. The message is the information we want to transmit, and it may be verbal, nonverbal, or both, using a common code (language).
Linguistic Elements
- Sender: The person who issues the message, whether verbal or nonverbal.
- Receiver: The person who receives the message and decodes it. The message can be interpreted in different ways. After receiving the message, the recipient can become the sender.
- Message: The information processed by a code which is transmitted from sender to receiver.
- Channel: The means by which the message is transmitted (air, spoken voice, letter, bulletin board). The channel will be selected according to the message you want to transmit, the number of recipients, and the time available.
- Code: The system of signs and rules that the sender and receiver use to understand each other. If one of them does not use the same code or does not know it, communication will be difficult. Examples include verbal language, oral, written, Morse code, and mime.
- Context: The real situation in which the message occurs. The intent of the message influences the meaning the receiver gives to it.
- Noise: The disturbances that occur in the information channel, which cause losses in the quality of information (interference, blur).
- Feedback: Allows the sender to know whether a message has been received and how it has been understood. This is achieved through feedback (return information) which is transmitted by the receiver. It may be verbal or nonverbal (laughs, gestures) and indicates whether the message has been received and the degree of acceptance of it.
Specific Language Records of a Profession
Differences can be lexical, phonetic, syntactic, and morphological. They arise from geographical location, age, sex, culture, etc. They occur in specific languages, e.g., in the medical profession, including language use and certain terms that a person who does not engage in it would not understand.
Barriers and Difficulties in Communication
When the receiver decodes the message, they sometimes encounter obstacles to understanding the message.
- Semantic Obstacles: Occur when the symbols, language, or vocabulary used in the message are not understood. To communicate effectively, use plain and clear language for the recipient and avoid information overload. Equally important is what is not said or implied in the message.
- Physical Barriers: Occur when there is interference in the environment. For example, the noise of a motorcycle when we are speaking from a car.
- Psychological Barriers: Each person is different, so interpretations differ. The emotions that we express in our lives influence our work environment (sadness, mood). The personality of the participants also influences communication (an aggressive person’s opinion is not the same as a timid person’s). The hierarchical position also affects communication; it is not the same to receive a message from a superior as from a colleague.