NOTES on A Model of Communication
Elements of Communication
I.
Communicator: (Definition) It is a person who sends messages to and receives
messages from other people.
(What a communicator does)
A. Encoding
B. Verbal
II.
Messages: (Definition) Messages are information or content transmitted from a
sender to a receiver through a chosen chanel, carrying the intended meaning or data.
A. Types
1. Verbal: (Definition) Verbal communication is used by humans whenever using
words in writing or speaking. It includes sign language for it uses specific
movements that convey meanings of specific ideas, objects, thoughts, and
feelings.
2. Nonverbal: (Definition) Nonverbal communication is any information sent
from one person to another that does not fit the definition of a symbol. It can
include our facial expressions, posture, movements, how we smell, how we
sound when saying something, and more. It has indetermnate beginings and
may or may not have clear endings.
B. Delivery
1. Vocal: (Definition) Vocal communication refers to sounds that cpme put of a
mouth like words, grunts, and sighs, and how the sounds are presented
including speech, loudness level, and more.
2. Nonvocal: (Definition) Nonverbal communication do not come out of a
mouth, like written words and body movements.
III.
Process of Communication
A. Encoding: (Definition) Encoding is the process of putting a message together.
B. Decoding: (Definition) Decoding is taking a message apart and assignmning it
meaning.
(What influences the process)
1. Culture
2. Age
3. Economic-level
4. Life experience
IV.
Channel: (Definition) Channel is how information is sent from one communicator to
others. Common channels include face-to-face conversation, talking on a phone,
texting, emailing, hadwritten note, a newspaper article, and a television
advertisement.
(What dictates the choice of channels)
A. Culture expectations
B. Content of the message
C. Generational expectations of appropriate behavior
V.
Noise: (Definition) Noise is anything that can interfere with the communication
process and influences how people understand each other.
(Types, Definition of each type, example of each type)
A. External noise is any peripheral force that interups communication including
things like the lights suddenly going out, someone interrupting a conversation, or
a room being so hot where it is difficult to concentrate.
B. Psychological noise is toughts within communicator’s own mind which can
interrup communication. An example of that is when someone is so preoccupied
with something that he/she can’t pay attention to what is in front of him/her.
C. Physiological noise has to do with an individual’s biology. An example of that is
when someone is too tired to pay attention, can’t clearly hear the message, or feel
too ill to process all the information being communicated.
VI.
Context: Contect is where the communication takes place. Elements of a contect that
influence communication behavior include the rules people are supposed to follow
given what surrounds the communication overall. Exmple of these includes the time
of day, the place where a conversation takes place, level of a relationship, and the
number of people privy to the communication.