Human Communication Defined
Human Communication Defined
Human communication may be described as the ability of an individual to communicate a message through a channel or medium. (i) Communication can be verbal involving words (not necessarily always audible) and non verbal. A good example of non verbal communication is body language.
This system adheres to the process of a sender encoding a message, sending the message, and the receiver then decoding the message. Often times, the receiver of the message will decode a meaning that is different from the intended meaning of the message sent. This is due to noise. Noise can be audible, but it can also be defined as anything that hinders the clear transmission of the meaning behind the message. For example, mental stress may hinder the receiver from decoding, and therefore could be categorized as noise.
The first step for the sender is to determine the message. What is the meaning of the message sent? The sender can choose to send a message, but many times messages are sent unintentionally. The true meaning of the message lies in the perception of the meaning by the decoder. If the perception of the decoder is a negative message, then that piece of communication was negative in his/her mind. The old adage that perception is reality holds true in this situation.
The final pieces of this puzzle are that there are responses to the message. This is made possible because the message has order. This allows for the decoder to determine what is important in the message. This is what distinguishes communication from noise (as defined above). Even if the message is not clear and concise there is often at a minimum an acknowledgement of the message. This is possible because the order of the message lends itself to an equally ordered response.
Shannon, C. (n.d.). The Shannon-Weaver Model. Retrieved September 4, 2007, from http://www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/MUHome/cshtml/introductory/sw.html