COMMUNICATION
What Is Communication?
At its core, communication involves the exchange of thoughts and emotions between a sender
and a receiver. In social groups and workplaces alike, communication is initiated by the sender,
who shares news, opinions, or ideas during conversations. This exchange takes place through
verbal and non-verbal cues, each contributing to effective expression. The choice of
communication channel—whether it's face-to-face discussions, phone calls, or written reports—
is pivotal in ensuring the message is conveyed accurately. The receiver, be it a friend, a family
member, or a colleague, interprets the message, and the feedback obtained helps gauge the
success of the communication process.
The ability to communicate is probably the most precious gift given to man by the Creator after
life itself. Of course human beings are not the only creatures with the ability to communicate.
Although governed more by instinct, animals also have some remarkable forms of
communication, which include variety of sounds such as the ritual of hooting at each other,
attention grabbing colours, flashing lights, and complex scents. Incredible though it may seem,
botanists have proved beyond doubt that plants not only communicate with one another, but that
they engage in it with certain animals and insects.
Communication is about information and its transmission; it could be shared or concealed, direct
or indirect, clear or coded, favourable or unfavourable, true or false, private or public. To
communicate, according to the Cambridge Dictionary of English, is to give successfully
(thoughts, feelings, ideas, or information) to others through speech, writing, body movements or
signals. This dictionary definition implies that other methods other than speech can feature in an
act of communication. Bangs (1968) describes communication as the act which produces some
kind of response between two or more persons. It takes place through a system of arbitrary signs:
oral language; written language; gestures, and sign language (developed for persons with severe
hearing impairment). Communication, therefore, is the sharing of information between two
parties in a manner that elicits the desired response.
The Elements of Communication
As can be seen from the above, certain elements or components are contained in the
communication process. They are stimulus, encoder, decoder, message, medium, channel, and
feedback.
1. Stimulus
The very idea or reason which prompts or motivates the exchange or sharing is known as the
stimulus. This is the trigger that prompts the sender to convey a message. It can be an event, an
idea, an emotion, or any form of information. For instance, in a social group, the stimulus might
be a friend's birthday, leading to plans for a surprise party. When there is a job to be done and the
works manager instructs the foreman to act on it, that job to be done is the stimulus which
warrants the instruction. Another name for stimulus is the source. By the source we mean the
genesis or reason or basis for communication.
2. Encoder
, The communication process starts with the encoder. The sender initiates communication by
sharing information, opinions, or emotions. In social groups, this could be a person expressing
their thoughts, while at work, it might be a team leader assigning tasks. The encoder could be
animate or inanimate. A German shepherd guard dog for instance barks when it hears a knock at
its master’s door. When the cloud darkens and we hear the sound of thunder, we begin to pull the
windows shut in anticipation of rainfall. Encoding could be direct or indirect, verbal or non-
verbal. The encoder, in most business communication, is usually a human being – an engineer or
an architect; a catering manager or marketing executive; or a customer/client.
The encoder, therefore, is the initiator of the communication process who translates
stimulus into a code (spoken, written or non-verbal) arranges it logically and sends it to the
receiver. The encoder could be a corporate organisation such as UAC Foods (Nig) Limited, an
educational institution such as Lagos State Polytechnic or a private individual like a housewife or
a school boy. The encoder is the initiator of the communication process, who transmits his ideas
or thoughts through an appropriate code (language). He is also the writer, in written
communication, or the speaker, in spoken communication.
3. Message
This is the actual information, the real feeling or idea that is being shared by both the encoder
and the decoder. The message can take the form of spoken words or non-verbal cues like body
language and gestures, all of which contribute to effective communication. Thus it can be said
that there are spoken and written messages. A third type of message is neither spoken nor
written, it entails facial expressions, gestures and a host of other extra-lingual messages. For
instance, many toothpaste packages have the picture of a charming youngster with a great smile
on them. The message is unmistakeable: “use me and your teeth can be as white as these”.
Message entails putting thoughts and ideas into symbols, which could be verbal or non-
verbal. While verbal symbols involve the use of words, which are either spoken or written, non-
verbal symbols comprises a myriad of features which include: gestures, facial expressions,
flowers, mode of dressing, good or offensive smell, location of business premises, etc. Message
is the full import of what the encoder is trying to convey to his audience or participant in an act
of communication.
A modern professional person must possess the appropriate communication skills to be
able to codify messages that conform to basic principles of communication, such as clarity,
conciseness, completeness, correctness and courtesy. A skilful encoder knows his onions; he
consistently updates himself with happenings in his area of specialisation and hence transmits
timely, unambiguous and relevant messages to an increasingly sophisticated audience.
4. Medium
The form or the symbol through which the message is delivered is known as the medium. The
chosen medium or language is vital in conveying the message. It encompasses the mode of
expression, whether through spoken language or non-verbal cues. For instance, friends discuss
weekend plans using spoken language, while a presenter at work may use visual aids to enhance
their presentation. The usual medium of expression in science, business and ordinary social life
is language. We speak, write, label diagrams in English and our native languages. Three types of
media can be identified: the spoken, the written and the extra-lingual. While letters and
alphabetical graphemes constitute the written medium, sounds or phonemes constitute the spoken
What Is Communication?
At its core, communication involves the exchange of thoughts and emotions between a sender
and a receiver. In social groups and workplaces alike, communication is initiated by the sender,
who shares news, opinions, or ideas during conversations. This exchange takes place through
verbal and non-verbal cues, each contributing to effective expression. The choice of
communication channel—whether it's face-to-face discussions, phone calls, or written reports—
is pivotal in ensuring the message is conveyed accurately. The receiver, be it a friend, a family
member, or a colleague, interprets the message, and the feedback obtained helps gauge the
success of the communication process.
The ability to communicate is probably the most precious gift given to man by the Creator after
life itself. Of course human beings are not the only creatures with the ability to communicate.
Although governed more by instinct, animals also have some remarkable forms of
communication, which include variety of sounds such as the ritual of hooting at each other,
attention grabbing colours, flashing lights, and complex scents. Incredible though it may seem,
botanists have proved beyond doubt that plants not only communicate with one another, but that
they engage in it with certain animals and insects.
Communication is about information and its transmission; it could be shared or concealed, direct
or indirect, clear or coded, favourable or unfavourable, true or false, private or public. To
communicate, according to the Cambridge Dictionary of English, is to give successfully
(thoughts, feelings, ideas, or information) to others through speech, writing, body movements or
signals. This dictionary definition implies that other methods other than speech can feature in an
act of communication. Bangs (1968) describes communication as the act which produces some
kind of response between two or more persons. It takes place through a system of arbitrary signs:
oral language; written language; gestures, and sign language (developed for persons with severe
hearing impairment). Communication, therefore, is the sharing of information between two
parties in a manner that elicits the desired response.
The Elements of Communication
As can be seen from the above, certain elements or components are contained in the
communication process. They are stimulus, encoder, decoder, message, medium, channel, and
feedback.
1. Stimulus
The very idea or reason which prompts or motivates the exchange or sharing is known as the
stimulus. This is the trigger that prompts the sender to convey a message. It can be an event, an
idea, an emotion, or any form of information. For instance, in a social group, the stimulus might
be a friend's birthday, leading to plans for a surprise party. When there is a job to be done and the
works manager instructs the foreman to act on it, that job to be done is the stimulus which
warrants the instruction. Another name for stimulus is the source. By the source we mean the
genesis or reason or basis for communication.
2. Encoder
, The communication process starts with the encoder. The sender initiates communication by
sharing information, opinions, or emotions. In social groups, this could be a person expressing
their thoughts, while at work, it might be a team leader assigning tasks. The encoder could be
animate or inanimate. A German shepherd guard dog for instance barks when it hears a knock at
its master’s door. When the cloud darkens and we hear the sound of thunder, we begin to pull the
windows shut in anticipation of rainfall. Encoding could be direct or indirect, verbal or non-
verbal. The encoder, in most business communication, is usually a human being – an engineer or
an architect; a catering manager or marketing executive; or a customer/client.
The encoder, therefore, is the initiator of the communication process who translates
stimulus into a code (spoken, written or non-verbal) arranges it logically and sends it to the
receiver. The encoder could be a corporate organisation such as UAC Foods (Nig) Limited, an
educational institution such as Lagos State Polytechnic or a private individual like a housewife or
a school boy. The encoder is the initiator of the communication process, who transmits his ideas
or thoughts through an appropriate code (language). He is also the writer, in written
communication, or the speaker, in spoken communication.
3. Message
This is the actual information, the real feeling or idea that is being shared by both the encoder
and the decoder. The message can take the form of spoken words or non-verbal cues like body
language and gestures, all of which contribute to effective communication. Thus it can be said
that there are spoken and written messages. A third type of message is neither spoken nor
written, it entails facial expressions, gestures and a host of other extra-lingual messages. For
instance, many toothpaste packages have the picture of a charming youngster with a great smile
on them. The message is unmistakeable: “use me and your teeth can be as white as these”.
Message entails putting thoughts and ideas into symbols, which could be verbal or non-
verbal. While verbal symbols involve the use of words, which are either spoken or written, non-
verbal symbols comprises a myriad of features which include: gestures, facial expressions,
flowers, mode of dressing, good or offensive smell, location of business premises, etc. Message
is the full import of what the encoder is trying to convey to his audience or participant in an act
of communication.
A modern professional person must possess the appropriate communication skills to be
able to codify messages that conform to basic principles of communication, such as clarity,
conciseness, completeness, correctness and courtesy. A skilful encoder knows his onions; he
consistently updates himself with happenings in his area of specialisation and hence transmits
timely, unambiguous and relevant messages to an increasingly sophisticated audience.
4. Medium
The form or the symbol through which the message is delivered is known as the medium. The
chosen medium or language is vital in conveying the message. It encompasses the mode of
expression, whether through spoken language or non-verbal cues. For instance, friends discuss
weekend plans using spoken language, while a presenter at work may use visual aids to enhance
their presentation. The usual medium of expression in science, business and ordinary social life
is language. We speak, write, label diagrams in English and our native languages. Three types of
media can be identified: the spoken, the written and the extra-lingual. While letters and
alphabetical graphemes constitute the written medium, sounds or phonemes constitute the spoken
