What is Communication – Effective Communication?
It is the conveying of information and ideas, from a sender to a receiver, and sometimes back again.
Information can take the form of symbols, signs, signals, and by any means that could be visual, audial, or even implied. The intent is to pass on what you are thinking in whatever form you and the receiver agree on. Usually this is quite simple and easily understood by everyone, whilst some information may be encoded to protect the content.
But, how do you know if your message was grasped, or even arrived at the receiver?
Modern communications systems employ algorithms to check that the message had indeed been sent, it arrived at the other end and, whether it lost any of its’ meaning. In the digital age, some errors that occur can be corrected or, the message can be partially or entirely resent ensuring it is effective.
But what about us humans? How do we know if our message got through, was it understood, and what did the recipient think of it? Are concerned at all or, is it sufficient to just tell a story and trust people will do what you asked?
Over time, communications evolved from simple messages to complex languages, and methods from visual forms such as art and written text, to audio/visual forms such as a simple face-to-face chat to broadcasting conversations and entertainment.
What makes communication effective?
To be effective, the message must be understood by the receiver, and relayed back to the sender that it is understood. There are many skills relating to effective communications, which include some of the following—
The message is sent in an agreed language and format (syntax)—this can also mean ‘relevant to the audience)
The receiver is actually there and ready
The receiver is actively listening
Clarifying questions are asked as necessary
There is feedback to ensure the message is received and understood
Barriers to communication are considered.
The barriers are important to consider, such as the use of technical language for a non-technical group, or the receiver not paying attention to the sender. This last one is extremely relevant in the training and education area, a non-attentive learner will not take in any information! So, this makes it vital to the sender that they too must understand effective communication.
As the sender, how do you know you have been listened to? Did your receiver fall asleep during your conversation? How did you approach the barriers, and how do you ensure your message got to the receiver?
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
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