Elements or Steps of Communication Process (BBS Second Year/BBA Third Semester)

Elements or Steps of Communication Process

Communication is the process of exchanging messages or information between two or more people to come to an understanding. The process of communication starts when a person (a sender) desires to communicate a fact, idea, opinion and other knowledge to someone else (a receiver). After this, both agents must agree not only on the transmitted information but also on the meaning of that information. But for this agreement, ideas or information must travel from one agent to another through a sensitive process or steps or elements. For effective communication, there are 8 essential steps or elements to complete the communication process.

1. Context
- Context is everything because it shapes the meaning in all communication. Without context, we can’t communicate effectively. When our message is delivered in one context, but received in another, it can mislead our communication. Context can be physical, cultural, temporal, social, etc.

2. Sender

- In the communication process, a sender is the initiator. The sender is the source of information. The sender can be a person, a group or a machine that delivers messages.

3. Encoding

- The second step of the communication process is encoding the message. Encoding is the process of putting thoughts, ideas or information into a message.

4. Message

- The output of the encoding process is the message. The message is also known as the heart of the communication because without a message there is nothing to exchange. A message may consist of facts, opinions, ideas, requests, and suggestions, etc. of the sender.

5. Medium or Channel

- It refers to the selection of channels of communication. The message may be transmitted through spoken or written form. The choice of medium is decided by the sender.

6. Receiver

- The receiver is the second person in the communication process. He or she is the person, who receives messages, understands the same and takes the necessary steps for responding.

7. Decoding

- Decoding means giving meaningful interpretation to the message. In other words, decoding is termed as the transmission of understanding between the sender and the receiver.

8. Feedback

- It is the last step in the communication process. It decides whether the receiver has received the message and interpreted it correctly as it was intended by the sender.

9. Noise

- It may appear in the process of communication. Noise is any of the elements that disrupt the effectiveness of communication. For effective communication, it should be minimized. Noise can be of different types like physical noise, cultural noise, technical noise, linguistic (language) noise, psychological noise, etc.