What is Communication?
Usually, People understand communication as an act. Communication is a process that involves the sharing of information between people. This is done through a continuous activity of listening, speaking and understanding. Welcome to one of the most beautiful blog posts Communication Is Everything. Hope you will love this and understand the beauty of Communication.
What is the Communication Process?
There are 5 Steps involved in the Communication Process
1. Idea: Information exists with the source. An Idea can be a concept, information, or feeling.
2. Encoding: The source creates a message by encoding the information into a message and sends it to a receiver. The message is the actual physical outcome from the source encoding. When we speak anything, the speech is the message and when we write, the script is the message. When we gesture, the actions of our arms and the expressions of our faces are the message.
3. The Channel: The channel is the medium in the communication process that the sender uses to transfer the message to the receiver.
4. Decoding: The concept of understanding any message is known as decoding. When the sound waves are converted into ideas, we are taking them out of the encoded form, hence decoding. Thus, listeners and readers are mostly called Decoders.
5. Feedback: Feedback notifies the sender that the receiver understood the message, its level of importance, and what must be done with it. So, the feedback is the final linkage in the whole communication process. Feedback is the review of how successfully the message has been transferred to the receiver as initially intended or not.
Why Communication is Everything?
The most prevalent kind of communication is the linear way. It indicates that someone sends a message and the receiver receives it through a medium. The receiver then breaks down the message and makes their message. Then sends that feedback through a channel back to the initial sender who then becomes the receiver and the process starts again. There are a bunch of other sections of the process we can discuss later.
Everyone does it, yet as a culture, we need to educate ourselves to do it correctly. Especially in America, most people never hear about the Communication process mentioned above, unlike a few people who take a required Public Speaking class in college.
American education system believes that you know communication if you are aware of how to read and write. That is a dangerous concept since America’s literacy average is at the 7th-grade level, and there are demographic pockets that can only read a series of short phrases they have memorized for survival. Most people never learn or have an opportunity to master the process they have to do every day.
Importance of Communication in Our Life
The ability to communicate precisely and express your thoughts and feelings will help you with all kinds of relationships.
For example, one can inform others about something or influence others through Communication.
Communication skills are needed to:
- Inform: You might need to provide the information to someone. For example, I can communicate the lecture schedule to a friend.
- Influence: You might receive an instructions to indirectly influence someone, but typically in a proper manner. For example, helping a friend overcome stress due to an exam or any other reason.
- Express Feelings: Feelings are one of the beneficial ways to communicate. For example, sharing your disappointment about not doing well in your exams or sharing any feelings with your parents and friends.
Major Barriers to Communication
In the entire Conversation process, caution needs attention because of the barriers to the way we communicate. It can be either consciously or unconsciously which is erected by both sides like the sender or the receiver. These barriers hinder the growth of Communication and relegate it to the status of a conversation where feedback is different than expected. If either the speaker or the Listener has problems adjusting their frequency with the co-interacting, barriers will automatically be pitched.
Some of the barriers to Communication are:
- Over-communication
- Conflicting Information
- Language Differences
- Prejudice
- Differing Status
- Interest and Attitude
- Prejudgment
8 Factors Affecting Communication
Sometimes, It’s difficult for us to communicate clearly because of barriers that would stop us from transferring and understanding messages.
Below are the 8 Factors which affect the Communication
1. Language: In case of the use of any incorrect words, unknown language and lack of detail can act as a barrier to communicating what one wishes to express.
For example, language can act as a barrier when a person who only knows Mandarin and another person who knows French wants to interact with each other.
2. Visual Perception: Visual perception is the Brain’s ability to make the outcome of what we see through our eyes.
For example, understanding the board signs, hand gestures, or facial expressions
3. Past Experience: We are letting our earlier experiences stop us from comprehending or communicating clearly.
4. Prejudice: Fixed ideas, such as believing, “No one in my office likes me,” may stop an employee from communicating openly in the office.
5. Feelings: Our emotions and feelings, such as a lack of interest or not believing other people, can affect Communication.
6. Environment: Loud Noise or nuisance in the surroundings may make your coversation difficult.
For example, I was talking on a phone or with a person when there was loud music being played outside through the loudspeaker.
7. Personal Factors: Personal factors may include your feelings, routines, and ways of thinking.
For example, fear or low confidence may make Communication difficult.
8. Culture: Signs have different meanings in different cultures; for example, showing a hand may mean ‘Hi’ to some people but may be insulting to others.
7 Tips to Improve Communication
Communication is one of the important parts of our day-to-day Life. Whether it be at home, school, the office, or even on the street, it is necessary to have effective Conversations to build successful relations with other people.
The way we communicate can be learned and improved over some time with proper practice & guidance. While it is an important skill, it can be easily avoided and forgotten.
Below are a few points to Improve Communication:
1. Have Empathy
The primary key to having good Communication is to become a warm and friendly person. Anyone would like a person who is genuinely interested in talking with me or interested in what I have to say. Empathy is the ability to communicate and comprehend the feelings of others by getting yourself into a similar situation as someone else’s; then, you’ll be able to connect on a deeper human level and communicate more effectively.
2. Be an Active Listener
The way you communicate should be a free flow of information between 2 or more people. If one needs to understand the person in front of them, then the primary thing you should do is “Listen.” There is often a skinny line between listening and waiting for your turn to talk. If you want to make sure you are listened to by others, then you should do the same thing.
3. Keep it Simple
We like to keep things’ Short and Sweet’: Always try to make sure that the message you are sharing is Simple, Short, Direct, and Easy to understand. If you are trying to figure out the message you are trying to express, then try to avoid bulking it up by using random slang, sentences, or unwanted examples; this might lead to further confusion and mislead the person you are talking to.
4. Keep an Eye on Non-Verbal Communication
Your body language plays a vital role when you Communicate, as it defines your way of thinking and your confidence, too. While communicating, nonverbal expressions such as body language, facial expressions, tone, hand gestures, and volume of your voice speak more than the actual words used. One has to be careful about how one’s tone, body language, and voice change while talking.
5. Seek for Feedback
Feedback is asked chiefly or used when you are professional or in an academic environment. But feedback can also be used in our day-to-day conversations too. Asking for regular feedback from your trusted person can be very helpful. It will improve and refine your communicative approach.
6. Keeping an Open Mind
When having a conversation, someone might not agree with the points you make. In this case, it is advisable to have an open mind and listen to their point of view and ideas. To get better at Conversation in such situations, try to ask questions and listen together, and this might lead the conversation into a whole new path.
7. Avoid Assumptions
It is essential not to avoid making any conclusion or decision based on half or wrong information, ignorance, or stereotypes. Having an open mind and being willing to learn more about the topic with individuals is a way to start a healthy conversation and show others that they have been valued and respected as well.
FAQs: Communication Is Everything
Why does Communication play an essential role in our Lives?
The way we communicate matters to build our relationships – The way you Communicate talks about your personality and your signature. Using your communication skills, you can build trust and team bonding in a better way. The way you communicate helps you live a better life. Eventually, you will understand people better through your communicative approach. So, Communication plays a vital role in our Lives.
What are the different types of Communication?
We have 5 Types of Communication-
| 1 | Verbal Communication |
| 2 | Nonverbal Communication |
| 3 | Visual Communication |
| 4 | Written Communication |
| 5 | Listening |
What are the five Communication Purposes?
Communication has 5 Purposes.
| 1 | To Imagine |
| 2 | To Inform |
| 3 | To Influence |
| 4 | To Express Feelings |
| 5 | To Meet social expectations |
What are the different Types of Communication Styles?
We have five major types-
| 1 | Passive Communication |
| 2 | Passive-aggressive Communication |
| 3 | Aggressive Communication |
| 4 | Manipulative Communication |
| 5 | Assertive Communication. |
How can you improve your Communication Skills?
Use the tips below correctly-
- Always be a good and Active Listener
- Communicate with a smiling face
- Mark your Body language
- Keep your words more transparent and more Precise
- Think and prepare before you Speak
- Monitor your voice and how you speak
- Be mindful and keep Eye contact with your Listener
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