Components of communication

Context

Every message (Oral or written), begins with context. Context is a very

broad field that consists of different aspects such as country, culture and
organization. Every organization, culture and country communicate
information in their own way. The sender chooses the message to
communicate within a context.
Another aspect of context is external stimulus. The sources of external
stimulus include; meeting, letter, memo, telephone call, fax, note, email
and even a casual conversation. The external stimulus motivates you to
respond and this response may be oral or written.
Internal stimuli include your opinion, attitude, likes, dislikes, emotions,
experience, education and confidence. These all have multifaceted
influence on the way you communicate your ideas.
Sender/Encoder

Encoder is a person who sends the message. In oral

communication the encoder is speaker, and in written
communication writer is the encoder. A sender makes use of
symbols (words or graphic or visual) to convey the message
and produce the required response. For instance , a training
manager conducting training for new batch of employees.
Sender may be an individual or a group or an organization.
The views, background, approach, skills, competencies, and
knowledge of the sender have a great impact on the message.
The verbal and non-verbal symbols chosen are essential in
ascertaining interpretation of the message by the recipient in
the same terms as intended by the sender.
Receiver/Decoder

The person to whom the message is sent is called

receiver/decoder. Receiver may be a listener or a reader
depending on the choice of medium by sender to transmit
the message. Receiver is also influenced by the context;
internal and external stimuli.
Receiver is the person who interprets the message; so the
chances of mis-communication because of receivers’
perception, opinion, attitude and personality are high if your
receiver is educated and has good communication skills.
Message

Message is the information that is exchanged between

sender and receiver. It is the key idea that the sender wants
to communicate. It is a sign that elicits the response of
recipient. The first task is to decide what you want to
communicate and what would be the content of your
message; what are the main points of your message and
what other information to include. The central idea of the
message must be clear. While writing the message, encoder
should keep in mind all aspects of context and the receiver
(How he will interpret the message). Messages can be
intentional and unintentional.
Medium
Medium is a means used to exchange / transmit the message. The sender must
choose an appropriate medium for transmitting the message else the message might
not be conveyed to the desired recipients. The choice of appropriate medium of
communication is essential for making the message effective and correctly
interpreted by the recipient. The choice of communication medium varies
depending upon the features of communication. For instance , written medium is
chosen when a message has to be conveyed to a small group of people, while an
oral medium is chosen when spontaneous feedback is required from the recipient as
misunderstandings are cleared then and there. The oral medium, to convey your
message, is effective when your message is urgent, personal or when immediate
feedback is desired. While, when your message is long, technical and needs to be
documented, then written medium should be preferred.
Medium is the channel through which encoder sends his message. It may be print,
electronic, or sound or a person such as a postman. The choice of medium totally
depends on the nature of you message and contextual factors. Choice of medium is
also influenced by the relationship between the sender and receiver.
Feedback

Response or reaction of the receiver to a message is called

feedback.
Feedback is the main component of communication process
as it permits the sender to analyze the efficacy of the
message. It helps the sender in confirming the correct
interpretation of message by the decoder. Feedback may be
verbal (oral) or non-verbal (smiles, sighs, action, silence,
etc.). It may take written form also. (memos, reports, etc).
 ACTIVITY

Have a group discussion on a topic of your own choice and

reason out your communication from the following
perspectives:
• What was the context?
• Which medium was used?
• Did you get any feedback?
• Did you face any problems while communicating?
• Was there any non-verbal communication? If yes, how?