What is the process of communication?



The Process of Communication

Here are the steps involved in a communication process:

1. Ideation: The first step in the communication cycle is to have an idea with the sender. The sender may be an individual or a group of people. It could also include mass media, a business organisation, a government, educational, religious or political organisations, etc. The sender's idea is to be sent to the receiver through a proper channel. This first step is called ideation.

2. Encoding: The sender's idea is converted into a message which can be transmitted. This step is called encoding. Here the sender has to take care of the symbols and signs to be used for encoding. The sender should also ensure that these symbols and signs are familiar to the receiver, for the process of communication to be effective. To encode is to put an idea/thought into words, images, or symbols which would be acceptable to the receiver. It is only after encoding that an idea takes the form of a message. Encoding thus is a process of packaging an idea into a message to be conveyed.

3. Channel: The message is transmitted through proper channels media. The medium/channel is the means of communication, such as spoken, written, electronic digital, etc. Depending on the purpose of the message, the sender selects the best medium that suits it

4. Decoding: Once the message is received by the receiver, the receiver has to understand the original idea. For this, the receiver will decode the message. Accurate and effective communication can occur only when both the sender and the receiver attach the same or similar meanings to the symbols in the encoded and the decoded message

5. Feedback: For the process of communication to be completed, the sender has to receive a response from the receiver, which is called feedback. In this step, the receiver relays information back to the sender. In this step, their roles are actually reversed: the receiver takes on the role of the sender and the sender now receives a message! is the most essential step in the entire communication process since it completes the cycle of communication.