CHAPTER TWO

THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

 Elements of the Communication
Process
1.Sender (communicator): is the source of the
message who initiates the communication process.
2.Encoding: is the process of selecting and
organizing bits of information into transmissible
message language.
3.Message: the result of encoding is the message-

either verbal or non verbal.

4. Channel: is the formal medium of transmission of

the message.
5.Receiver: It is the one to whom the message is
intended to reach.
6.Decoding: It is the process by which the receiver
interprets the message and translates it into
meaningful information.
7.Feed back: It is a response from the receiver.
8.Noise: is any interfering factor that, if present, can
distort the intended message.
 Barriers to Communication

Socio-cultural Barriers
Psychological Barriers and
Organizational Barriers
 1.Socio-Cultural Barriers

 The key socio-cultural elements that may be barriers are;

1. Group thinking

2. Confliction values and beliefs

3. Stereotyping and ethnocentrism

4. Language and jargon

1. Group thinking
 It occurs when group behavior dominates and stifles the decision
making process.
 It occurs when social norms or a group’s desire for consensus
overwhelms its desire to reach decisions that are in its best interest.
 2. Confliction of values and beliefs

 When communication occurs across cultural

boundaries, the potential for misunderstanding
magnified.
 Knowing the values, beliefs and norms of the
others culture can avoid communication
problems.
 3. Stereotyping and Ethnocentrism

 Stereotyping is the attempt to predict people’s

behaviors based on their membership of a particular
group.
 Stereotyping is a barrier to communication because it
prevents people from being seen as individuals and
their messages being heard.
 Ethnocentrism is related to stereotyping. Ethnocentric
people see their own culture as the only valid one and
find all other lacking by comparison.
 They measure all others by the standards of their own
cultures, which they believe to be superior.
 Like stereotyping, ethnocentrism is a breeding ground for
prejudice and discrimination.
 4. Language and Jargon
Language can create barrier to communication in
several ways.
The most obvious is trying to communicate when
there is a major language difference between the
receiver and the transmitter of the message.
Idiomatic expressions in a language do not easily
translate and often led to miscommunication.
 Jargon can serve the same purpose. Many professions
such as engineering& medicine, fore example, have
their own jargon which serves to mark the boundary
between professionals and their clients.
 2.Psychological Barriers

Psychological barriers are those relations to the

individual and the individual’s mental and

emotional state,

 Key psychological barriers are;

A. Filtering : People tend to hear what they want to

hear and see what they want to see.

 People have differing degrees of attention.

B. Perceptions : We have perceptions of reality that
we trust and we behave according to those beliefs,

which in turn, influence our behavior.

C. Faulty memory: If you do not remember what has

been communicated to you, the communication is

incomplete or ineffective.
D. Poor Listening Skills
 There are recognizable types of listeners
1.Feigning listeners
2.Limiting listeners
3.Self-centered listeners
4.Positive or active listeners
1. Feigning listeners are people who appear to be
attentive and are making some appropriate non-
verbal signals but their minds are elsewhere.
2. Limiting listeners are focusing on specific topics
or comments and may distort or misinterpret other
things you say.
3. Self-centered listeners may appear to be listening to
what is being said but rather than actually hearing
what is said they are selecting only those elements of
the communication that they can use to support their
own views.
4.Positive or active listeners are those who internally
absorb and process the information they receive but
also encourage the other person to talk and
demonstrate clearly that they are paying attention.
 E. Emotional Interference

 When people are angry, fearful or sad their

communication skills can be impaired.
 3. Organizational Barriers

Organizational barriers are primarily related to the

organizations structure, culture, pattern of work and
communication flows.
The most common organizational barriers:
 Information overload : is a common compliant in
our ”information”, society we are bombarded with
information from directions; letters, phone calls, e-
mail, text messaging on mobile phones, radio, film,
television and newspapers.
 Message competition: The amount of information
we deal with every day force us to make choice about
what is important and what can be ignored.
Information distortion:
Message filtering
Conflicting messages: Leaders and mangers
should ensure that their messages are consistent.
Communication climate: In many ways, good
communication dependent up on a management
style or organizational climate that is relatively free
and open to communication.
 Status difference

 Structural problems: The more hierarchical

levels through which information must pass the
longer it will take to do so.
 Overcoming Organizational Barrier

A key way to overcome organizational barrier is to

have people in the organization who are effective
communicators.
Effective communication requires:
1.Perceptiveness: Perceptive people seem to be able
to predict how a message will be interpreted.
2.Precision:Precise people are able to communicate
in away that provide the receiver with a clear
understanding of the message.
3.Crediblility: create shared mental pictures because
they communicate in such a way as to be understood.
4.Control: Effective communicator shape and
control what they say. Their communication gets
result
5.Congeniality:They also are generally friendly
people in organizations.
 Interpersonal Communication and Teamwork

Interpersonal communication includes message

sending and message reception between two or
more individuals.
A team is a group of individuals so that without
effective interpersonal communication team work
will never be successful.