Communication Process

Communication Process Communication is the process of sending and receiving messages with attached meaning ( Schermerhorn, Osborn, Hunt 2000). Communication process has the following basic aspects, which are source, receiver, channel, noise and feedback. The source is the person that encodes a message in understandable terms, and then transmits it via a communication channel that carries the message. There are various communication channels such as face-to-face meetings, emails, memorandums, faxes, telephone, internet, voice-mail, among others. All the communication channels are all subject to noise and distortion which can have a big effect on the message been sent. The receiver is the person to whom the message is sent and if there are noises or other barriers a feedback can spot the error. Feedback is the response from the receiver back to the source. According to the text, communication process is not complete just because a message is sent (page 336). For communication process to be successful it has to be effective and efficient which depends largely on the kind of channel been used. The flow of communication process is very important to the success of any organization; it is a part of almost everything that happens on a daily basis in an organizational environment. The advancement of information technology has brought so many communication channels that are use within an organization. In my workplace, we use so many means of communication; the most successful is the face-to-face, telephone and sometime electronic emails while the unsuccessful means is the fax machines. Fax messages are on the machine without people knowing that they have messages. The all have their own positive and negative side to it, however the most commonly used with less complains among employees is telephone and face-to-face communication. An example of a successful communication in my workplace is the face-to-face meeting every Monday morning among all the employees. In this meeting, the CEO normally discuss various issues concerning things going on in the company, making everyone aware of what is going on and also everyone is allowed to ask questions and give feedback to the discussions. There is less noise being involved in this message, the message is received immediately with no physical distractions. It is very effective, employees are able to receive the intended meaning or the message and there is question time for feedback. It is also efficient it saves the time of dealing with each individual separately. A second example of an unsuccessful communication was when I send an email to a co-worker requesting information to help with a customer request. She replied saying, “I cannot get this to you until the end of the day, so pick a number”. I was so offended when I received the email and I went over to her to let her know how I felt, and she then explained that she was very busy with so many deadlines for that day. She apologized, saying that she was only joking with that word “pick a number “, which I did not receive as a joke. Apparently, she did not decode my message as I intended and I did not perceive her feedback as a joke like the one she meant. The communication process was not very successful; it was affected by noise and distortion. Although the channel was efficient, it saves me time to get the message to the person that same day but it is not effective because the intended meaning of the message was not decoded correctly on both sides. Conclusively, all channels of communication are very effective and efficient in their own ways. However, it very important to pay attention to the nature of the channel that one is using at any particular point in time. Communication process can also be improve by being an active listener, avoiding triggering defensiveness and clarifying the real idea before communicating which can save the process from various barriers.

References
Schermerhorn, J.R., Hunt, J.G., & Osborne, R.N. (2000). Organizational Behavior (7th Edition). New York, NY: Von-Hoffman Press

References: Schermerhorn, J.R., Hunt, J.G., & Osborne, R.N. (2000). Organizational Behavior (7th Edition). New York, NY: Von-Hoffman Press