WHAT IS COMMUNICATION | COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Transferring information from one place to other person or cluster is called as communication. In other words, it’s a way of understanding one another.
So, what is understanding?
Chemistry of communication is “Understanding”. In a communication situation, this solely happens when you are understanding and being understood by those involved.
For communication to take place we need to be at the same level of understanding and comprehension as other people. Communication is thus not what is said whether verbally or non-verbally, however what’s understood.
ELEMENTS INVOLVED IN COMMUNICATION
STIMULUS
This is the originating point. It is the urge that necessitates communication for the purpose of satisfying that urge. The stronger the stimulus or the urge the greater is the need to communicate. The bigger the need to speak, the more the need is for effectiveness. So, we can say that effectiveness is vital for communication.
ENCODING/ MESSAGE
The urge to satisfy a requirement necessitates expression. It should take a understandable form to enable the receiver to decode or interpret it. This can be done by using various conventions.
Language, each verbal and non-verbal, is so used to encode the message that’s meant to be communicated. It’s important that the encoding of the message be done in a language that can be communicated. In other words, encoding means that the idea, thought, desire, purpose etc. gets embedded in a language code viz.; a word, a symbol or both and they form the message.
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CHANNEL
Channel is the communication device that transmits the encoded message.
The channel is like a medium for example e-mail, face to face or phone communication, letter, presentation. Communication is done by a sending and a feedback channel and these channels may not be necessarily the same. There are also types of communication such as formal and informal communication, both are important components in choosing the most suitable channel for communicating effectively.
DECODING
Decoding of a message is as important in communication as encoding it. Encoded message is processed, means decoded, to give a meaning to it. It’s like extracting the hidden meaning or interpreting what was encoded by the sender. The ability of the receiver to decode the message correctly helps in understanding the message in its holistic sense.
RECEIVER
A message is forwarded to a receiver, the actual recipient of the message.
Communication is a matter of understanding the received message in its true essence and so needs a certain level of Knowledge, Skills and Abilities –KSA on the part of the receiver to fully understand the message. The KSA of the receiver is therefore predominate in the successful comprehension of the message.
I am a student of National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Islamabad studying Mechanical Engineering. I am also a Content Writer and know little bit about photo and video editing.