Essential elements of communication process
Communication is a two-way process in which people share their ideas and thoughts through verbal, nonverbal, or written communication. Every two-way communication process consists of seven essential steps or elements: sender, ideas, encoding, communication medium, receiver, decoding, and feedback. A communication having all above-mentioned elements is considered as an effective and a complete communication.
Sender
A person who wants to share his/her ideas, thoughts, information to some indented receiver is known as a sender. A sender is the one who initiates the whole communication process.
Ideas
The subject matter of the communication is known as the main idea that is about to be transmitted. It could be thoughts, feelings, emotions, certain information, an argument, a judgment, and an opinion.
Encoding
Encoding is the process of developing the subject matter or the idea into an intelligible form. The sender could use symbols, signs, language, and other means to convert his/her subject matter into a comprehensible communication.
Medium
After encoding the ideas or thoughts, the sender needs to select a medium through which he will transfer his ideas to the receiver.
He/she can choose to communicate in a written, verbal, or non-verbal way. While using written communication, a person can write a letter, an email, a report, and anything, which comprises of written words. Verbal communication or oral communication is the use of spoken words. On the other hand, non-verbal communication is the use of body language, signs, gestures, and postures.
Receiver
The receiver is the person who will receive the ideas of the sender through any medium. The receiver is an important element of the communication since he/she completes the process of two-way communication. The receiver could be a person or a group of people who are indented to understand what the sender is willing to say or write.
Decoding
Decoding is the process through which the receiver interprets the message of the sender. The receiver has a certain understanding level through which he/she will try to analyze and evaluate the articulated or written message. If the receiver understands the idea the same way the sender has intended, then this kind of decoding leads to an effective communication.
Feedback
The feedback is the final element of the effective communication. When the receiver responds to the sender’s delivered message then this response is known as a feedback.
The feedback shows that whether the receiver has correctly understood the idea that the sender has intended or not. It completes the two-way process of the communication. Feedback is also responsible for the continuity of the communication.
