Shannon-Weaver model

‘Communication occurs only when the message has been received (as far as possible ) unchanged.’

Elements of communication

• Message• Sender• Encoding• Channel• Receiver• Decoding• Acting• Feedback

Major difficulties in Communication

• Ensuring that the received meaning affects receiver’s behavior in the desired way.

• Achieving accuracy in communicating the message.

• Ensuring that the message conveys the desired meaning.

Barriers to Communication

• Noise• Lack of planning• Wrong/unclarified assumptions.• Semantic problems• Cultural barriers• Socio-psychological barriers• Emotions• Selective perception• Filtering

• Information overload• Loss by transmission• Poor retention• Poor listening• Goal conflicts • Offensive style• Time and distance• Abstracting , slanting and inferring

Common problems in two-way communication

• No perceived benefits to the audience• Noise • Variation in listening skills• Cultural differences.• Complexity of subject matter.• Time restraint.• Personal biases , hostility or both.• Responding to difficult questions.• Side stepping sensitive issues

Barriers for sender and receiver

• Sender Lack of planningVagueness about the purpose of

communication.Objectives to be achievedChoice of wrong language resulting in

badly encoded message.Unshared and unclarified

assumptions.

• Different perception of reality.

• Wrong choice of channel

Receiver

• Poor listening• Inattention• Mistrust• Lack of interest• Premature evaluation• Semantic difficulties

• Bias• Different perception of reality• Lack of trust• Attitudinal clash with the sender• Not in fit physical state.

Wrong and unclarified assumptions

We often assume that others• See the situation as we do.• Should feel about the situation as

we do.• Think about the matter as we do.• Understand the message as we

do.

Conditions for successful Communication

• The purpose ( Known & understood )

• Nature of Comm. ( Symbolic act )

Rule of five

• Keith Davis “ There are five receiver steps in

process of communication ,Receive , Understand , Accept , Use and give a feedback.”

Characteristics of a successful Communication 7 Cs

• Candidness( honest , sincere, guileless)

• Clarity• Completeness• Conciseness• Concreteness• Correctness• Courtesy

Universal elements in Communication

• The communication environment

• Use of symbols

• The mental filter

• Perfect Communication is impossible

• Meaning is NOT out there.

• Personality Communicates