Language and

Communication
Communication Processes,
Principles and Ethics
Communication Process

Communication is inevitable. Our need for self-

expression leads us to communicate not only our thoughts
but also our feelings. Communication maybe done verbally
or non-verbally. A simple yawn from a member of the
audience in a public speaking engagement is a non-verbal
message sent to the speaker. On the other hand, a phone
call inquiring about a certain product is an example of a
verbal message.
 Communication is understood as the process of
meaning-making through a channel or a medium. It
comes from the Latin word communicares, meaning to
share or to make ideas common. The connection that
encompasses interaction among partakers is at the center
of your learning of communication.
The Components of the
Communication Process
1. Source

The sender carefully crafts the

message. The sender may be anyone:
an author of a book, a public speaker
in a special occasion or even a traffic
enforcer.
2. Message

The message is the reason

behind any interaction. It is the
meaning shared between the sender
and the receiver. Messages takes many
forms. They could mean poems, songs,
essays, news articles, road signs and
even symbols.
3. Channel

The channel is the means by

which a message is conveyed. When we
answer a phone call, the phone is the
channel. On the other hand, when your
parents receive a notification of your
absences from school, the channel is a
letter. It is the responsibility of both the
sender and the receiver to choose the
best channel for the interaction.
4. Receiver

The receiver is the person who

receives the transmitted message. The
receiver may be a part of an audience in
a public speaking event, a reader of a
letter or a driver who reads road signs.
The receiver is expected to listen or
read carefully, to be aware of different
kinds of sender to jot down information
when needed, to provide response and
to ask questions for clarification.
5. Feedback

In any communication scenario, a feedback

is essential to confirm recipient
understanding. Feedbacks, like messages,
are expressed in varied forms. A simple nod
for a question of verification is considered a
feedback. Thus, feedbacks may be written,
spoken or acted out.
6. Environment

The place, the feeling the mood,

the mindset and the condition of both
sender and receiver are called the
environment. The environment may
involve the physical set-up of a location
where communication takes place, the
space occupied by both the sender and
the receiver, including the objects
surrounding the sender and the
receiver.
7. Context

Context involves the

expectations of the sender and the
receiver and the common or shared
understanding through the
environmental signals.
8. Interference

Interference is also known as

barrier or block that prevents
effective communication to take
place.
Kinds of Interference
Psychological barriers are
thoughts that hamper the
message to be interpreted
correctly by the receiver.

Physical barriers include

competing stimulus, weather
and climate, health and
ignorance of the medium.
Linguistic and cultural barriers
pertain to the language and its
cultural environment. Words may
mean another in different cultures.

Mechanical barriers are those

raised by the channels employed
for interpersonal, group or mass
communication. These include
cellphones, laptops and other
gadgets used in communication.
Communication Models
Why is it important that you know the communication
models? You will realize their importance because they will
help you understand how a communication process works. It
is only by knowing the flow of communication that you will be
able to make the communication process effective.
A model is often abstract. It is a representation of a real
world phenomenon applied to different forms. The interplay
of variables in the model is represented graphically. Try to
assess later what comprises the communication models and
what variables are common to each of them.
Aristotle’s Communication Model

Aristotle emphasized that there are three variables

in the communication process: Speaker, Speech, and
Audience.
Laswell’s Communication Model

In 1948, Harold Dwight Laswell described

communication as being focused on the following Ws:
Who says What in Which channel to Whom and with
What effect.
Shannon-Weaver’s Communication Model

Claude Elwood Shannon and Warren Weaver’s model

of communication was introduced in 1949, a year after
Laswell’s, for Bell Laboratories. Originally, it was
conceptualized for the functioning of the radio and
television serving as a model for technical communication
and, later on, adopted in the field of communication. In this
model, other components such as noise, reception,
destination, and feedback have been identified. Other
terms such as information source of the sender, transmitter
for the encoder, decoder (reception), and receiver
(destination) were introduced.
Information Transmitter Reception Destination
Source

Sender Encoder Channel Decoder Receiver

Noise

Feedback
Berlo’s Communication Model

David Berlo’s model conceptualized in 1960 is

probably the most well-known among the communication
models. Initially, Berlo’s model was called SMCR which
stands for sender of the message, sent through a channel
or medium to a receiver. However, it was modified later on
to include noise, hence the acronym SMCRN.
The major variables involved in the communication
process are (1) source, (2) message, (3) channel, and (4)
receiver.
 Encodes Decodes

ENCODES DECODES

Source Message Channel Receiver

Communication Skills
Attitudes
Knowledge
Social System
The Nine Principles of Effective Communication

Michael Osborn (2009) claims that communication must

meet certain standards for effective communication to take place.

1. Clarity
Clarity makes speeches understandable.

2. Concreteness
Concreteness reduces misunderstandings.

3. Courtesy
Courtesy builds goodwill.
4. Correctness
Glaring mistakes in grammar obscures the meaning of a sentence.

5. Consideration
Messages must be geared towards the audience.

6. Creativity
Creativity in communication means having the ability to craft
interesting messages in terms of sentence structure and word
choice.

7. Conciseness
Simplicity and directness help you to be concise.
8. Cultural Sensitivity
Today, with the increasing emphasis on empowering diverse
cultures, lifestyles, and races and the pursuit for gender
equality, cultural sensitivity becomes an important standard for
effective communication.

9. Captivating
You must strive to make messages interesting to command
more attention and better responses.
Principles of Effective Oral Communication

1. Be clear with your purpose. You should know by heart

your objective in communicating.
2. Be complete with the message you deliver. Make sure
that your claims are supported by facts and essential
information
3. Be concise. You do not need to be verbose or wordy
with your statements. Brevity in speech is a must.
4. Be natural with your delivery. Punctuate important
words with the appropriate gestures and movements.
Exude a certain degree of confidence even if you do not
feel confident enough.
5. Be specific and timely with your feedback. Inputs are
most helpful when provided on time.
Principles of Effective Written Communication: The 7Cs

1. Be clear – Be clear with your message. Always be

guided by your purpose in communicating.
2. Be concise – Always stick to the point and do not beat
or run around the bush. Be brief by focusing on your
main point.
3. Be concrete – support your claims with enough facts.
Your readers will easily know if you are bluffing or
deceiving them because there is nothing to substantiate
your claims.
4. Be correct – it is important that you observe grammatical
correctness in your writing. Always have time to revise
and edit your work. Even simple spelling errors may
easily distract your readers.
5. Be coherent – your writing becomes coherent when you
convey a logical message. The ideas should be connected
to each other and related to the topic. Make sure that
you observe a sound structure that will present a smooth
flow of your ideas. Use transitional or cohesive devices so
that the ideas cohere with one another.
6. Be complete – include all necessary and relevant
information so that the audience will not be left
wanting of any information. Always place yourself in the
shoes of the audience, who is always interested to
receive new information.
7. Be courteous – the tone of your writing should be
friendly. Avoid any overtone/undertone or insinuation
to eliminate confusion and misinterpretation.
Ethics of Communication

Communication ethics emphasizes that morals influence

the behavior of an individual, group or organization
thereby affecting their communication.
Be guided by the following to achieve ethical
communication:
1. Establish an effective value system that will pave the
way for the development of your integrity as a person.
One’s behavior and decision-making style affect, in turn,
the operations of an organization.
2. Provide complete and accurate information. Whether it
is needed or not, the data you provide should always be
contextualized and correct.
3. Disclose vital information adequately and appropriately.
Never conceal or hide information that are necessary
for purpose of transparency.
Ethical Considerations in Communication

Ethics is a branch of philosophy that focuses on issues of

right and wrong in human affairs.
Ethical communicators:
1. Respect audience.
2. Consider the result of communication.
3. Value truth.
4. Use information correctly.
5. Do not falsify information.