Topic 2: Communication Characteristics

According to Merriam-Webster online dictionary communication is: “the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviours to express or exchange information or to express ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to someone else ”.

  • A Sender: the person who has a “First Thought” that he/she wants to share with the other person/s;
  • A Message: which is the result of the Sender Coding his Thought in words, gestures, tone of voice and so on;
  • A Medium: the way the Message is delivered (written, by phone, personally….);
  • A Receiver: the person who receives and Decodes the message into a “Second Thought”;
  • Feedback: the information that the Receiver returns to the Sender, related to the Message.

In communication words convey the main part of the message, when it is in written form. When the communication is in person, an important part of the message is conveyed also through non-verbal communication.