1.1 COMMUNICATION WHAT IS COMMUNICATION? Definition of communication People communicate to exchange information through a common system of symbols, signs, or sets of behaviour. According to D.E. McFarland, American expert on business management, “Communication may be defined as the process of meaningful interaction among human beings. ” Communication has an important function, strongly associated with all other human activities: it the gap between individuals and groups through information. Information is its most vital aspect: it is transmitted, studied, analysed, interpreted and stored. As a result, communication helps people understand, bringing people closer and creating clarity of thoughts and expression. broadly overcomes Purposes of communication The five major purposes for communication are: to share knowledge; to imagine unreal situations or stories; to influence (e.g. advertising); to meet social expectations; to express feelings. 1 DO Think of a real-life example for each of these purposes. 1 The process of communication It refers to the transmission or passage of information or a message from the sender, through a selected channel, to the receiver, overcoming barriers. The process of communication is a cyclic one as it begins with the sender and ends with the sender again in the form of feedback. It is a continuous and dynamic interaction. Elements in the process of communication : the initiator of the message that needs to be transmitted. Sender : the heart of communication, the content the sender wants Message to convey. : the act of transforming the message into the appropriate medium. Encoding : the way the message flows or the medium it is transmitted through. Channel(s) 2 : the person or group who the message is Receiver addressed to. : the act of interpreting or converting the message into comprehensible language. Decoding : the final step which confirms that the receiver has received the message. Feedback DO Name 5 different channels you can think of in under 30 seconds. 2