By Indeed Editorial Team Show
Published 26 May 2021 Most people communicate many times and in various ways every day, especially in the workplace. In order to communicate effectively with colleagues and customers, it's beneficial to learn how the communication process works. In this article, we define the communication process, its components and how the process works. Related: Communication Skills: Definitions and Examples What is the communication process?The communication process refers to a series of actions or steps being taken in order to facilitate successful communication between two or more people. The dynamic process involves several components, including the sender of the communication, the conceptualisation of ideas, the message being encoded and sent through a channel to the receiver, and then the receiver decoding the message and sending return feedback within a specific time frame. Effective communication is when the receiver understands the conveyed message by the sender exactly as intended. There are several communication channels to consider within the communication process, which refers to the way the message transmits from the sender to the receiver. The includes mediums like voice, video, audio, writing an email, fax or body language. The overall goal of the communication process is to present an individual or group of people with information that they understand instantly. In order for the communication process to be deemed successful, the sender must choose the most appropriate medium to convey their message. Related: 4 Types of Communication (With Examples) Why the communication process is important to the workplaceHere are several reasons it's important to understand the communication process and how it affects workplace communication: Affects the decision-making processEfficient workplace communication provides management with information that's imperative to the decision-making process. This includes company data and employee recommendations. Without the communication process, it can be challenging to make the right decisions. Improves cooperationThe two-way communication process encourages cooperation and understanding between colleagues and employees and management. This leads to less disruption and a more efficient work environment. Boosts employee moraleEffective communication between employees and management helps them adjust to both the physical and social aspects of their specific work environment. It also improves the company's human relations, as an efficient communication process enables management to motivate, influence and interact with their employees, which boosts their morale and inspires them to achieve company goals. Increases managerial efficiency and coordinationManagers rely on the communication process to convey company goals, issue instructions, and allocate jobs to their employees. It also allows them to coordinate smoothly and efficiently the personal (their employees and departments) and physical elements of their organisation. Essentially, management can't perform their job effectively and whole organisations suffer without communication. The eight components of the communication processThe communication process involves several components that enable the transmission of a message, including:
Related: Improve Your Non-Verbal Communication Skills How the communication process worksFor successful communication in the workplace, it's imperative to understand how the communication process works. Here are the seven steps in the communication process: 1. The sender conceptualises an idea for transmissionThe beginning of the communication process involves the sender developing an idea they plan to transmit to an individual or group of people. Essentially, they plan the overall information or topic they want to send to the receiver. 2. The sender encodes the messageOnce the sender conceptualises their idea, they convert it into a message for transmission to the receiver. This means they transform their thoughts or the information they want to send into a certain format. For instance, if they're writing an email to a colleague, the sender will translate their idea into words. Message encoding can also be non-verbal, oral or symbolic. 3. The sender selects their channel of communicationNext, the sender determines how to transmit the message to the receiver, which involves selecting the most appropriate channel of communication for the message they're relaying. Common channels of communication include speaking, writing, email, text or non-verbal communication. If this is workplace communication, ensure to select the proper and most professional channel of communication. 4. The message transmits over the channel of communicationOnce the sender chooses their channel of communication, the message begins the transmission process. The exact method will depend on the selected medium, but in order for the message to transmit properly, the sender should have chosen the most appropriate channel of communication. 5. The receiver gets the messageNext, the recipient receives the message from the sender. This component of the communication process is complete when the received hears, sees or feels the message. 6. The receiver decodes the messageThe receiver decodes, interprets and converts the sender's message into a thought. When this is complete, they'll analyse the message and attempt to understand it the way the sender intended. If they perform the communication process effectively, the sender and receiver interpret the same understanding from the transmitted message. 7. The receiver provides the sender with feedbackUnless it's a one-way communication, the last step is the receiver providing the original sender with feedback as a reply. Feedback allows the recipient the opportunity to confirm they received and interpreted the sender's message correctly. Two-way communication is another term given to feedback between two people. Related: Understanding and Overcoming Common Communication Barriers With Examples How to improve the communication processHere are some easy tips to consider when improving your communication skills and the overall communication process between you and your colleagues:
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