2. INTRODUCTION
The term communication is derived from the Latin
word ‘communis’, meaning ‘common’.
It is a two-way process of exchanging or sharing
ideas, feelings and information. Broadly speaking,
communication refers to the way people interact and keep in
touch. It is necessary for paving the way for desired changes in
human behaviour and providing others with information for
achieving predetermined goals
Communication is essential for an individual's
progress and is considered the foundation for good
interpersonal human relationship.
3. DEFINITION
• Communication is a process by which information is exchanged
between individuals through a common system of symbols and
signs of behaviour.
-Webster's Dictionary
• Communication is interchange of thoughts, opinions or
information by speech, writing or signs.
-Robert Anderson
4. PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION
It is a two-way process between the sender and the recipient of the
message or information, and has several components such as the
referent, sender, message channels, receiver and feedback.
The communication process begins with a referent who gives
stimulus to the sender to send a message, followed by the sender
encoding the message and sending it through appropriate
channel(s) to the recipient.
Finally, the recipient encodes the message, interprets it and sends
feedback to the sender using an appropriate channel.
This cyclic process continues till the desired purpose of
communication is achieved by the sender and/or the recipient.
5.
6. ELEMENTS OF THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS
1) Referent:
A referent motivates the sender (or receiver) to share
information. (message, objects, sounds, sights, time
schedules, ideas, perceptions, sensations, emotions, odour,
etc.)
Referents are the triggering factors of the communication
process.
For example, a nurse sighting a patient with difficulty in
breathing may serve as a referent to the nurse prompting her
to initiate communication with the patient.
7. 2) Sender:
A sender is a person who encodes and sends the message
to the expected receiver through an appropriate channel.
The message delivered by the sender serves as a referent to
the receiver.
Primarily, the sender remains responsible for the content and
emotions involved in a message.
Encoding is a subelement of communication process and
involves the selection of specific words or symbols
articulated to form a message that can be transmitted to the
receiver.
8. 3) Message:
The message is the content of communication and may
contain verbal, nonverbal or symbolic language.
A message must be well-planned and delivered so that the
actual purpose of communication is achieved.
The message content must be precise, clear,
comprehensive, correct, complete, relevant, interesting and
useful to both the sender and the receiver .
9. 4) Channel:
A channel is a medium through which a message is sent or
received between two people.
Several channels can be used to send or receive the message, i.e.
seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting.
It is believed that when a sender uses more than one channel, the
message is delivered more effectively and communication is
smoother.
factors considered while selecting channel of communication:
availability of Channel, purpose, suitability, types of receivers,
type of message, preference of sender and receivers
,communication skills of the sender, cost, etc.
10. Types of channels
Visual channels
They are primarily used to send messages through nonverbal
communication.
Some of the nonverbal channels are facial expressions, body
language, posture, gestures, pictures, written symbols, words,
etc.
Nurses are commonly found using visual channels to send or
receive messages to their patients or health care team. When a
scrubbed nurse involved in assisting with a surgical procedure
needs gauze pieces, she asks the circulatory nurse to supply them
by showing her four fingers indicating the number of gauzes to be
supplied.
In large organization most communication is carried out by
written circulars, e-mails, personal letters and notices.
11. Auditory channels:
Auditory channels are used to send or receive verbal
communication m
sages.
It involve using spoken words and sounds to transmit
messages between two or more individuals
Auditory channels are the cheapest, easiest, quickest and
universally available channels of communication.
For example, when nurses want to collect the health-illness
history from patient, they prefer to use auditory channels of
communication.
12. Tactile channels:
Tactile channels involve conveying messages through touch.
For example, nurses wanting to show sympathy towards a patient
in grief and loss will use touch to show their concern.
less frequently used, but is considered one of the most powerful of
channels for conveying emotions.
Combined channels:
use of more than one channels of communication at any given
instance to send or receive messages.
use of combined channels of communication is a stronger means
for effective communication.
13. 5)Receiver:
A receiver is an individual or a group of individuals intended to
receive, decode and interpret the message sent by the sender.
A receiver is also known as a decoder and is considered as
another end of the communication process.
the sender and the receiver are two faces of a coin, and both are
essential and inseparable elements of communication process.
The sender and the receiver interact back and forth spontaneously
for efficient communication
a receiver could be an individual, a homogenous group or a
free group.
14. 6) Feedback:
Feedback is a return message sent by the receiver to the
sender.
It is the most essential element of the communication process
as it shows that the receiver has understood the
primary message sent by the.
A successful communication must be a two-way process where
the sender sends the message and receives feedback from the
receiver.
This feedback could be verbal or non verbal.
15. 7) Confounding elements:
These elements are not a direct part of the flow of the communication
process but influence the communication process significantly
indirectly.
These elements are interpersonal variables of the sender and the receiver
and the environment where the communication process takes place.
Interpersonal variables such as perception, beliefs, values, sociocultural
backgrounds, educational and developmental levels, emotions, gender,
physical and mental health, etc., may significantly affect the communication
process.
The environment also plays a pivotal role in the communication process.
The environment comprises of noise, temperature, destruction, lack of
privacy or space, discomfort, etc. For example, it is difficult for
a nurse to communicate with health care team members or a patient in a
noisy ward.
Nurses must, ensure a favourable environment for effective nurse-patient
communication.
