Communication -The Basic Model

Communications men string telephone wire on an...

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We are constantly engaging in and discussing communication without being aware of exactly what it is we are doing or why. The definition of communication in its most basic form is the process of transmitting information from one person or entity to another. This transmission of information takes place in a number of ways especially now with all of the new technology floating about. There is a basic model of communication that we follow that involved a sender and receiver. The sender is the person or thing that actually transmits information to the receiver, which is the person on thing that receives the information. Information could be in a variety of formats- digital media, written and spoken words, hand gestures, facial expressions, and more. Face to Face communication is the most effective due to a lessened possibility of information being misinterpreted.

In reality the model is a bit more complicated than this. The sender has a thought or idea or a purpose for transmitting the information, this is then actually acted upon by the actual sending of the information. When the information is sent it must go thru the communication channel. This could be email, text messages, a room (if it is face to face communication) or via any other way we normally communicate. There is a chance however that in this stage the method becomes distorted by outside interference before it reaches the receiver. When the receiver gets the information there is a filtering process that can alter the message as well. Texts can be misinterpreted, emails can be misread, and blog posts can be taken the wrong way.

Effective communication techniques seek to reduce the frequency with which communication is misinterpreted. This is especially important when information is being sent to a number of receivers, where the potential for miscommunication is even more prevalent.

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