Process of Communication – Components and Channels

Process of Communication

The process of communication always depends on the components of communication. SO we can never discuss the process of communication without discussing the components of communication. Let’s talk about communication first. Communication is the simplest way of sharing information between individuals. There are various ways through which information is shared between people. On a business level, effective communication is the foremost condition, because it is meant to justify the success and failure of the organization. It has made clear that effective communication is the key to success in modern business.

Most of the companies in the United States are working on the quality of management. Quality of management covers up the effective communication means i.e., the way of talking between the employees is the major principle of organization success. Effective communication will result in good understanding and will be productive for the organization. Before getting into the details of the complete process of communication, let’s have a look at communication and its components.

Components of Communication

The most basic and essential components of communication include:

1. Sender
2. Encoding
3. Channel of communication
4. Receiver
5. Decoding
6. Feedback

The Process of Communication Model

The process of communication relies on these components to create an effective communication. It consists of a sender. The sender is the one who sends a message. Message is the information to be sent. The next step is encoding, it means the message has to be translated in a language that is understandable. The message needs to be translated in the simplest way, so that it can be understood easily. The most important component of this whole process of communication is the channel.

The channel is the medium through which information or a message is sent forward. It may be in the form of fax, email, reports or phone calls, etc. The third component of the communication is receiver. Receiver is the one who receives the message sent by the sender through a proper channel. Decoding is the step conducted by the receiver. Here the receiver has to decode the message through his mental processes to make the message understandable. But sometimes the receiver fails to decode the message properly. Often this happens, when a message is sent in any foreign language that is not easy to understand. In this way the process of decoding fails and the communication gets affected badly.

At the end, the receiver has to respond to the message in the form of feedback. This feedback is the message sent to the sender. It may be in the form of a question asked by the receiver if he was unable to understand the message sent to him.

Communication Channels

In every organization the information is shared forward, backward and side wards. For this flow of information a proper medium is required. This medium is called a channel. Channels are the mediums selected for transferring the information. In an organization the information flows upwards, downwards by the manager. This depends on the position of the manager. Let’s take a simple example; in a business organization the flow of information is upward if it is sent by the lower level manager to the higher level manager. This upward flow of information may be in the form of meetings, memos or reports.

If the flow of information through the channel that is restricted, then this will lead to disorganized communication. For example if the channel is disturbed, then the whole process will be disturbed. In this way, the communication cannot be held between the employee and the manager. Therefore, the employees will remain unaware of the expectations of the manager and the organization and will affect the overall performance and productivity of the organization.

Therefore, it is necessary to maintain the accuracy of the way of communication in the organization. This will help the employees to remain updated of the organization’s rules and policies and also of the expectations of the organization. This will result in the mutual productivity and success of the employees as well as of the organization.

Types of Communication Channel

There are three types of communication channels. They are as follows:

• Formal
• Informal
• Unofficial

Formal Communication Channel

Formal communication describes the rules and regulations and the policies and agendas of the organization. A chain of command flows in this type of communication channel. It means the information flows from manager to the employees and then sent by the employees to the workers of lower level. A common example of this type is newsletter, which is provided to every member of the organization including employees and the clients too in order to make them clear about the procedures of the organization. The information also flows in this chain of command in the form of meetings and .memos Other types of formal communication channel include manuals, annual reports, meetings held for review and surveys.

Informal Communication Channel

Besides formal communication channel which is considered as strict way of communication, there lies an informal communication channel too in every organization that affects the chain of command. It is up to the manager how he keeps the balance between both of the communication channels and the employees. A simple example of informal communication channel is lunch time in the company’s canteen. Here the manager has to perform his role in encouraging the informal discussions between employees and he has to ask the questions regarding organization’s performance in an informal ways. Different training programs and teamwork are also come under this category of communication channels.

Unofficial Communication Channel

Sometimes the manager has to be lenient with his employees in order to develop good interpersonal relationships. It can be done by sharing ideas on general issues like sports, TV shows and current affairs. This unofficial communication helps in forming strong relations among employees, so that they could build good friendships and hence work in friendly environments.

Effective communication results as the perfect execution of the process of communication. Members of an organization have the chance to improve their communication skills, if they follow the process and will be able to remove all the hindrance occurring while communication. Different surveys have proven the fact that individuals following the process will arise as the best communicators by having greater chances of success.