Interpersonal Communication

What will be an ideal response?

Communication is the transmission of information and meaning from one party to another through the use of shared symbols. Exhibit 15.1 shows a general model of how one person communicates with another.



The sender initiates the process by conveying information to the receiver—the person for whom the message is intended. The sender has a meaning she wishes to convey and encodes the meaning into symbols (chosen words). Then the sender transmits, or sends, the message through some channel, such as a verbal or written medium.



The receiver decodes the message (reads it) and attempts to interpret the sender's meaning. The receiver may provide feedback to the sender by encoding a message in response to the sender's message.



This sounds simple, but noise, or interference in the process, often blocks understanding.



Noise could be anything that interferes with accurate communication: poor phone reception, poor listening while distracted by other things, or simple fatigue or stress.



The model in Exhibit 15.1 is more than a theoretical treatment of the process: it points out the key ways in which communications can break down. Mistakes can be made at each stage of the model. A manager who is alert to potential problems can perform each step carefully to ensure more effective communication. The model also helps explain the topics discussed next: the differences between one-way and two-way communication, communication pitfalls, mixed signals and misperception, and types of communication channels.