When the receiver receives the information and interprets it it is called?

Government, Legal System, Administrative Law, & Constitutional Law Legal Disputes - Civil & Criminal Law Agency Law HR, Employment, Labor, & Discrimination Business Entities, Corporate Governance & Ownership Business Transactions, Antitrust, & Securities Law Real Estate, Personal, & Intellectual Property Commercial Law: Contract, Payments, Security Interests, & Bankruptcy Consumer Protection Insurance & Risk Management Immigration Law Environmental Protection Law Inheritance, Estates, and Trusts

  • Business Management & Operations

    Operations, Project, & Supply Chain Management Strategy, Entrepreneurship, & Innovation Business Ethics & Social Responsibility Global Business, International Law & Relations Business Communications & Negotiation Management, Leadership, & Organizational Behavior

  • Economics, Finance, & Analytics

    Economic Analysis & Monetary Policy Research, Quantitative Analysis, & Decision Science Investments, Trading, and Financial Markets Banking, Lending, and Credit Industry Business Finance, Personal Finance, and Valuation Principles

  • Courses
  • Update

    Table of Contents

    What is the Communication Process?

    Two primary models exist to explain the communication process.

    One model, known as the Transactional Model, explains communication as a transactional process with actions often happening at the same time. The other is the Constructivist Model, which sees the communication process as more fluid. 

    Back to: Negotiations & Communications

    What is the Transactional communication process?

    This model breaks down the communication process into series of eight essential components:

    Source of a Message 

    The source is the creator or genesis of the communication. She imagines, creates, and sends the message.

    The Message 

    Is the stimulus or meaning produced by the source for the receiver or audience. The message may include verbal and non-verbal elements, such as gestures, tone, movements, expressions, etc. The Sender encodes the message by selecting the appropriate verbal and non-verbal elements based upon how she believe the receiver will receive the message. The receivers educational level, experience, viewpoints, etc., will affect how she receives the message.

    The Channel of Communication 

    The Sender selects appropriate channel for message.  The channel is the way in which a message or messages travel between source and receiver. Verbal and nonverbal messages may be face-to-face, remote, synchronous or asynchronous.

    The Receiver or Recipient of the Message 

    The receiver receives the message from the source, analyzing and interpreting the message in ways both intended and unintended by the source. This process is known as decoding the message.

    Feedback from the Receiver 

    Feedback is composed of messages the receiver (intentionally or inadvertently) sends back to the source. It is the Receivers response and it may demonstrate how well the message was received and the need for clarification.

    The Environment 

    The environment is the atmosphere, physical and psychological, where you send and receive messages. Things like the location, medium, atmosphere, clothing of speakers, etc., all make up the environment in which the communication takes place.

    The Context 

    The context of the communication interaction involves the setting, scene, and expectations of the individuals involved. Context is all about what people expect from each other. We often create those expectations out of environmental cues.

    Interference 

    Interference is anything that blocks or changes the sources intended meaning of the message. It may include anything that occupies your attention while you are hearing, or reading, a message. Examples might include nice, level of education or knowledge, culture, language, diversion, environment, etc. 

    What is the Constructivist communication process?

    A second model, known as the Constructivist Model, takes a slightly less procedural approach. 

    While similar to the Transactional Model, it envisions the process as the fluid (often simultaneous) interchange of information. 

    It also focuses on the individuals unique construction of meaning or interpretation of the information received. 

    Two people will perceive the information differently; thus, the communicators must arrive at a common understanding.

    Whenever you've had a conversation, texted a friend, or given a business presentation, you have engaged in communication. Any time two or more people get together to exchange messages, they are engaging in this basic process. Although it seems simple, communication is actually quite complex and has a number of components.

    Communication Process Definition

    The term communication process refers to the exchange of information (a message) between two or more people. For communication to succeed, both parties must be able to exchange information and understand each other. If the flow of information is blocked for some reason or the parties cannot make themselves understood, then communication fails.

    The Sender

    The communication process begins with the sender, who is also called the communicator or source. The sender has some kind of information — a command, request, question, or idea — that he or she wants to present to others. For that message to be received, the sender must first encode the message in a form that can be understood, such as by the use of a common language or industry jargon, and then transmit it.

    The Receiver

    The person to whom a message is directed is called the receiver or the interpreter. To comprehend the information from the sender, the receiver must first be able to receive the sender's information and then decode or interpret it. 

    The Message

    The message or content is the information that the sender wants to relay to the receiver. Additional subtext can be conveyed through body language and tone of voice. Put all three elements together — sender, receiver, and message — and you have the communication process at its most basic.

    The Medium

    Also called the channel, the medium is the means by which a message is transmitted. Text messages, for example, are transmitted through the medium of cell phones.

    Feedback

    The communication process reaches its final point when the message has been successfully transmitted, received, and understood. The receiver, in turn, responds to the sender, indicating comprehension. Feedback may be direct, such as a written or verbal response, or it may take the form of an act or deed in response (indirect).

    Other Factors

    The communication process isn't always so simple or smooth, of course. These elements can affect how information is transmitted, received, and interpreted:

    • Noise: This can be any sort of interference that affects the message being sent, received, or understood. It can be as literal as static over a phone line or radio or as esoteric as misinterpreting a local custom.
    • Context: This is the setting and situation in which communication takes place. Like noise, context can have an impact on the successful exchange of information. It may have a physical, social, or cultural aspect to it. In a private conversation with a trusted friend, you would share more personal information or details about your weekend or vacation, for example, than in a conversation with a work colleague or in a meeting.

    The Communication Process in Action

    Brenda wants to remind her husband, Roberto, to stop by the store after work and buy milk for dinner. She forgot to ask him in the morning, so Brenda texts a reminder to Roberto. He texts back and then shows up at home with a gallon of milk under his arm. But something's amiss: Roberto bought chocolate milk when Brenda wanted regular milk. 

    In this example, the sender is Brenda. The receiver is Roberto. The medium is a text message. The code is the English language they're using. And the message itself is "Remember the milk!" In this case, the feedback is both direct and indirect. Roberto texts a photo of milk at the store (direct) and then came home with it (indirect). However, Brenda did not see the photo of the milk because the message didn't transmit (noise) and Roberto didn't think to ask what kind of milk (context).

    Cite this Article

    Format

    Your Citation

    Nordquist, Richard. "The Basic Elements of the Communication Process." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-communication-process-1689767 (accessed December 31, 2022).

    What is the process called when a receiver communicates?

    "The receiver's task is to interpret the sender's message, both verbal and nonverbal, with as little distortion as possible. The process of interpreting the message is known as decoding.

    What is the process by which the receiver interprets the message?

    Decoding: Decoding is the process by which the receiver interprets the symbols used by the source of the message.

    What is the receiver's response called?

    This response of a receiver to sender's message is called Feedback.