Business Communication

1. Chapter 2
A Model of the Communication
Process

2. Operational Definition (model)
- Communication should be defined in terms of
functional definition, but not by words to words
definition, that focuses on how something
works.
- The definition works on both spoken and written
communication. However, here we study it in
terms of face to face communication.
- The model is theoretical (and subjective),
however with significant factual support.

3. A Common Misconception
- Communication is not a natural human
activity. Particularly, verbal communication is
not a natural human function in comparison
to our body gestures and the communication
of other animals.

4. The Communication Environment
 Communication occurs in a sensory environment. In other words,
communication is to know or understand the sign- of the real
physical world that surrounds us- with the help of our senses.
 While communicating our senses (see/ taste/ smell/ hear/ feel)
detect the existing realities.
 The real world or the physical world can be contrasted with the
world of idea (mind).
 Sign- the symbol to represent the real world. They come in contact
with our senses and they understand the basic reality. The sensory
receptors in our body are: eyes, noses, ears, mouth and flesh.

5.  Sensory receptors are limited. They can detect only a
small part of the real world. They are not capable of
detecting all the signs that exist in the world around us.
 However, our sensory receptors receive some signs
and ignore others sign at a particular context.
 Our perception (the act of communication to the real
world) vary with out degree of mental alertness

6. The Communication Process
The communication process depend on the way our
sensory receptors detect and ignore the signs prevalent
in the world around us.
- The communication process always gives priority to the
face- to- face communication. Here, other types of
communication is only of secondary importance.
- For example, the verbal communication process that
occurs between John and Mary. Also see the diagram-
page- 20

7. The process
1. Reception of signals (from our communication environment)
- The signs we receive eco- reecho in our nervous system. It is a preverbal
stage.
2. The signs reach to our mind/ brain.
- The continuous flow of signs to our brain may be varied with the intensity
of the sign and our mental alertness.
3. The mind filters the sign and gives meaning to them.
- The filter determines how we take the signs, whether they are knowledge,
viewpoints or emotions. And we interpret the sign accordingly.
- Filter determine the meaning that we impose on the sign.
- The process of filter differs from person to person.

8. - Negative and positive biased of filter
The meaning is different (positive/ negative) according to
the family, social background and the personal experience.
- We use words a sign to express our ideas that we form
through the filter of the mind.
- We can also detect the sign as a nonverbal
communication- it’s because of our feeling and our
interest.
- Sign also produce multiple, mixed or multiple meaning.

9. 4. Symbolizing stage (understanding meaning within the self)
- After filtering (or deciding) the meaning, the speaker now
reacts according to the meaning that the imposes to the
sign.
- The mind now searches for symbols to express the very
meaning to his intended listeners. Here, the symbols may
be both verbal (language) and non-verbal (gesture).
- The competency of mind (the ability of mind) plays a great
role on deciding the appropriate a verbal symbol. Here,
language and the knowledge of the mind (person) plays an
important role.

10. - Symbolizing is imperfect because of language
and human limitation.
5. Act of encoding
- Now we express what we symbolize (or the
meaning that we derive)

11. 6. The Cycle Repeated
- The message sent by us, at last, reached to our listener. And with
the same process, he/ she too receives the sign, filters it through
his/ her mind, imposes some meaning and expresses it.
- However, there is the high chance of communication misfire. As the
speaker and the listener have different unique mind makeup,
different experience and felling, there is the chance that the listener
do not get the intended meaning.
- If the listener get the intended meaning only then the
communication will become successful.

12. The Model and Written
Communication
Three significant differences exist when we apply this face- to- face
communication to writing.
a. Greater Creativity
Written communication involves the creative aspects of mind. (but
spoken is spontaneous)
Writing is the result of the thought (stimuli/ reaction) produced by the
mind. (but spoken is the result of the outside stimuli picked up by
the sensory receptors.)
Report writing (research)
- planned/ creative/ deliberative. No interchange of stimuli
between communicants.

13. - But in letter writing there is the exchange of stimuli- the
exchange of the letters
b. Time Lag
-Time factor/ time delay to convey the information.
- Feedback is slow.
C. Limited Number of Cycle
- Most written communication is one cycle communication.
- Letters and memorandums are somehow the exceptions.

14. Universal Ingredients of Human
Communication
(All kinds of human) communications have four
universal ingredients.
1. Participation in the communication
environment.
2. Mental Filter
3. Decoding (giving meaning to the message
received) and the encoding (selecting
symbols to express meaning) Process

15. Some Fundamental Truths of
Communication
1. Communication is imperfect
- No two filters (in the mind) are alike.
- Symbols are imprecise (not exact)
- People’s encoding skills vary
2. We communicate about ourselves
- Our communication is our expression of personal feelings and emotion.
- Our communication only gather a part of the reality. Our senses only
detect some signs and leave others.
3. Meaning in the mind
- It is people who impose meaning on the symbols (signs)
- If two people (the speaker and the listener) give similar meaning to the
symbols, then communication becomes successful.