Concepts of Communication

   

Communication is an important process in our daily life. One cannot survive without communicate with others. In order to become a good communicator, we need to understand the concepts of communication. I am going to discuss five main concepts in a communication process- source, message, channel, receiver and feedback. The diagram above shows the SMCR model which invented by David Berlo.     

   Source, also known as the sender, is the first component of communication. It functions as the originator and the creator of a message. It is responsible for formulating and sending the messages to the receiver in order to ensure the meaning of the message is transferred to the receiver effectively. The process of sending a message from the source involves the encode and decode process (formation of message from symbol) in order to transfer the message. Claude Elwood Shannon and Warren Weaver (1949), which introduced the first major communication model, designed their model to mirror the function of radio and telephone technologies. They considered the source as the part of the telephone a person spoke to. David Berlo (1960) then expanded the model of the Shannon and Weaver by creating the SMCR model of communication. In his SMCR model, source which represents by the alphabet S, is the element which transfers the information to the receiver that had undergone the process of formation the messages by transform its thoughts into symbols. In his views, there are five crucial elements which carried a great deal of responsibilities in helping the source to carry out the communication process effectively. They are communication skills, attitude, knowledge, social system and culture. Wilbur Schramm (1954) had emphasized the two way communication process in his interactional model of communication, which illustrates that the sender also can play the role as a receiver during an interaction, but not both simultaneously. The source plays an important role in the communication process as it determines the contents of the messages, sends the messages, understanding the feedback of the receiver and giving response to its feedback. In conclusion, the source plays the most important role in a communication process as it decides the ways of creating a message which will result to the feedback of the receiver. A source need to interpret the response of the receiver and to ensure the aim of the communication is achieved.

   

   A message is a verbal or non-verbal stimulus which produced by the source in order to explain the ideas and thoughts of the source or sender. It is carried out by the symbols which contains information, emotion and the aspects of person’s personality that will affect the reaction of the receiver. It includes the elements of meanings, symbols, encoding and decoding. Horald Dwight Lasswell had created a model to describe the act of communication which included “5 W” and “1 H” . In his view, the message flow in a multicultural society with multiple audiences through various channels. His model is quite similar with Aristotle’s communication model. Barnlund (1970), which had introduced the transactional model of communication, underscores the simultaneous sending and receiving of messages in a communication process. Meaning is achieved through the feedback of a sender and a receiver in this model. This model had presumes that as we simultaneously send and receive messages, we attend to both verbal and non-verbal elements. Erving Goffman (1959) and Richard A. Lanham (2003) believed that the process of communication is in itself the only messages that exist. Goffman had emphasized the significance of expression and the truth in both case is the articulation of the message and the package as one. A message comprises four main components which includes elements, content, structure, treatment and code. The sending of a message involves the encode and decode activity. The communication skill of the sender and receiver must be good in order to ensure that the message can be properly encode and decode. We need to form a message in order to share our ideas and feeling to others. The sending of messages are more advanced now as the rapid development of technology devices such as internet and smartphones. These advancements had diversified the way we transfer and interpret the messages. 

   Channel is a medium or route that use to transmit the message from the source or sender to the receiver. The common communication channels included light waves and sound waves, which allow us to see and hear one another. Sound and light are the two basic channels in the face-to-face communication. Claude Elwood Shannon and Warren Weaver (1949) had illustrated the channel as a telephone in their original model which concerned with radio and telephone technology. They wanted to develop a model that could explain how information passed through various channels. In their opinion, channel functions as a medium to adapt for transmission. It frequently corresponds to the visual, tactile, olfactory and auditory senses. According to the SMCR model of David Berlo (1960) , we can receive the messages through our five senses by seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting. All our five sensors are the channels which help us to communicate with one another. Communication Model Terms that provided by Rothwell(11-15) then defined channel as the medium through which message travels such as through oral communication(radio, television, phone and in person) or written communication(letter, email and text message). There are three types of channels: mass media, face-to-face media and non-verbal media. We can get any latest information through the transmission of the message by these channels. The development of the communication technology nowadays included the Internet( which is one of the channels in the communication) had influenced the ways we communicate, which is much different if compare to the past. The impact of media on the communication process is a popular field of study by the researches nowadays as the pervasiveness and availability of media in our society nowadays.

   Receiver is the communicator who will respond to a message that sent by the source or sender. Before the receiver responds to the message he received, he need to understand the message and then responds accordingly. This process is called decoding. The receiver should be on the same platform as the source or sender for smooth flow of information and better understanding  of the message. A receiver should posses good communication skills to understand what the source or sender is trying to convey. He should have the right attitude to understand the message in a positive way. Besides, a receiver's knowledge should also be at par with the source or sender so that the meaning that the source or sender is trying to convey will be same as the receiver perceived. In order to achieve similarities of meaning between source and receiver, a receiver also needs to have the same social background and culture as the source or sender. This can avoid misunderstanding and misinterpretation in a communication process.

   The element feedback is not included in the SMCR model above, but it is also an important element in a communication process. Feedback is a natural response of effective receiving. It refers to a receiver’s response as interpreted by the source. Feedback enables a sender to determine whether the message had been received and understood as intended. It is a primary way of determining whether the sender and receiver are on the same wave length. Feedback serves as a kind of control mechanism in the communication process. It had been seen as an essential component to the interactional model of communication that founded by Wilbur Schramm (1954). In his views, feedback takes place after a message is received  but not during the message itself. Rothwell defined feedback in his terms as the verbal or non-verbal responses of the receiver to a message such as a nod for understanding(non-verbal response) or asking a question in order to understand the message of the sender more clearly (verbal response). Barnlund (1970) commented that the sender’s personal filters and the receiver’s personal filters may be vary depending on their cultures, background or gender. These factors may influence the intent meaning of the message contents. This will result to the feedback which given by the receiver is not same as the interpretation of the sender. This will cause misunderstanding and misconceptions. Through these development of the models, we can now know that the importance of the feedback as it can help us to become a better communicator by identifying our strengths and weakness while sending or receiving a message. A sender must correct the faulty messages and the responses of the receiver in order to achieved similarities of messages between sender and receiver. Giving a feedback is just important as receiving a message because it makes the communication a shared process.

    Understanding these concepts of communication is important for us, as a communicator because it helps us to become a better communicator. Misunderstanding and misinterpretation of message can be avoided if we understand these communication concepts well.