Communication

We explain what communication is, its characteristics, elements, types and functions. Also, the communication process.

What is communication?

Communication is the transmission of information between two or more individuals since one participant sends a message to another. All living beings have some form of communication, whether through words, chemical signals, sounds or movements. However, Only human beings have the ability to create messages using language..

The phenomenon of communication is a subject of study in numerous disciplines, such as linguistics, anthropology, sociology and psychology.

Furthermore, as an element common to all living beings, it is also approached from biological sciences, which studies how this exchange of information occurs between different individuals of a species. For example, The postures, movements and sounds of felines are studied to indicate what type of information they transmit to their peers.

The use of technology led to expanding the concept of communication because technical aspects were included. In this way, for example, it is understood that the notion of communication It encompasses, in addition to the exchange of information, the transmission of data and the connection of devices.

See also: Language

Communication characteristics

Broadly speaking, communication is characterized by:

• Presence of a sender and a receiver. For communication to occur, there must be someone who sends a message and someone who receives it.
• Information exchange. Participants transmit messages to express knowledge, experiences, feelings, among others.
• Immediate or deferred transmission. It can be established directly and immediately, that is, face to face, and it can also occur indirectly and deferred, for example, through means such as a letter, an email or a voice message.
• Possibility of feedback. It may include the feedback process, in which the roles of receiver and sender are exchanged because the receiver responds to the sender.
• Search for answer. Although it can have very varied purposes, communication almost always has the objective of provoking a response in the interlocutor(s).
• Social organization. It helps human beings establish rules and interact in an orderly manner within a society.

Types of communication

Communication can be classified, according to the elements used to transmit the message, into verbal communication and non-verbal communication.

Verbal communication

Verbal communication is that which occurs through words, that is, linguistic signs. Additionally, it can be:

• oral communication. It is done through the spoken word, either face to face or with some auditory means, such as the telephone, voice messages or radio.
• Written communication. It takes place through the written word or any other written code (for example, a pictogram). It is usually deferred in time and space, and is long-lasting.

Non-verbal communication

Non-verbal communication is that which does not depend on words to transmit a message, but rather on gestures, movements, sounds or images, and can be voluntary or involuntary. They are in this category:

• Animal communication.
• Paralinguistic communication (produced by sounds that complement verbal communication).
• Kinesic communication (produced by body movements).
• Proxemic communication (produced by the distance between sender and receiver).

See also: Types of communication

Elements of communication

In communication, the following elements can be distinguished:

• Transmitter. It is the participant who initiates the communicative act through the production and transmission of a message. For example: a speaker, a radio announcer or an animal that growls.
• Receiver. It is the participant who captures the message and is able to decode and understand it. For example: someone hearing another person speak or an animal hearing another's growl.
• Message. It is the information that is transmitted. For example: a request for help or a radio advertisement.
• Code. It is the system of signs and rules used to elaborate the message. For example: the Spanish language or smoke signals. Oral or written language is the main code used by human beings, but it is not the only one, since there are other types, such as traffic signs, gestures that express shared meanings or musical sounds.
• Channel. It is the physical medium used to transmit the message. It refers both to the natural phenomenon (the air through which sounds travel) and to the technological device used (paper, television, radio). For example: the air through which words are transmitted or a computer.
• Context. It is the situation or set of circumstances in which the communicative event occurs. It influences the production, transmission and interpretation of the message. For example: an office where one person asks another for help or an everyday situation in which a person is listening to the radio.

Communication process

The communication process is the procedure by which one individual transmits a message to another. This process consists of three stages:

• Coding. It is the stage in which the sender composes a message, that is, he transfers his ideas to the signs or signals of a code. For example, when a person wants to convey the idea of ​​greeting, they select the word “Hello” to elaborate the message.
• Transmission. It is the stage in which one participant sends a message to another. For example, when the sender says “Hello” and the message travels through the air until it reaches the receiver.
• Decoding. It is the stage in which the receiver interprets the signs or signals of the message to understand its meaning. For example, when the receiver understands that “Hello” means that the sender wanted to say hello.

In addition to these stages, in some cases, feedback may appear, which consists of the receiver responding to the sender and, therefore, changing their roles. For example, when someone who greets someone responds: “Hello, how are you?”

Communication barriers: They are interferences that do not allow the communication process to be carried out correctly, because they hinder or prevent a message from being encoded, transmitted or decoded. They can affect different elements of communication. For example, when two people are talking on the street, ambient noise can function as a channel barrier, because it hinders the transmission of the message.

See also: Communication barriers

Communication functions

Communication has various functions:

• Informational function. It is the one whose main purpose is to transmit information related to aspects of reality.
• affective function. It is one focused on the expression of subjective impressions, feelings, emotions or moods.
• Regulatory function It is one that serves to evaluate or modify the actions of others.

See also: Functions of communication

Importance of communication

There is no form of life that does not communicate in one way or another. It is, therefore, a fundamental process of existence. In the case of human beings, Communication is important at school, work, personal and social levels. because it allows you to interact with others, express ideas, opinions and emotions, and establish rules of coexistence. In addition, it is essential to plan and carry out objectives, disseminate knowledge and transmit cultural information, among others.

See also: Importance of communication

Media

The media are the instruments or devices that allow communication to develop more easily because they facilitate the transmission of information.

Some of these means are only used between two people or a small group. For example, the telephone is the means that allows two individuals who are in different places to communicate instantly.

On the other hand, the so-called mass media are those that allow a sender to send a message to a large number of receivers. In these cases, communication is one-way, because there is usually no direct response. For example, the newspaper is a mass medium of communication, in which a sender (the journalist) sends a message to multiple recipients (the readers).

Communication Sciences

Communication Sciences is the study of the different aspects of human communication. It is an interdisciplinary approach in which concepts and theories from sociology, semiotics, psychology, anthropology and linguistics come together, among other fields of knowledge.

Based on the contributions received from other disciplines, Communication Sciences They build their own tools and theories for analyzing the communicative phenomenon..

The field of application of Communication Sciences includes different areas, such as journalism, business communication, advertising and marketing, institutional communication and political communication.

Given that communication is present in all spheres of human activity, in recent years, studies and practices related to Communication Sciences have expanded to more areas, such as medicine, economics, the Internet and dissemination. of scientific knowledge.

References

• Belloch, C. (2012). Communication functions. University of Valencia. https://www.uv.es/
• De Dios Lorente, JA and Jiménez Arias, ME (2009). Health communication from ethical, healthcare, teaching and managerial perspectives. Medisan, 13(1).
• Escandell Vidal, MV (2020). Communication. Language, cognition and society. Akal.
• Gavidia Anticona, J. A. (2015). Language and communication. Editions of the U.
• Gómez, FSJ (2016). Communication. Salus, 20(3), 5-6. http://ve.scielo.org
• Jakobson, R. (1974). General linguistics essays. Six Barral.