The document discusses the components of the communication process as they relate to teaching. It identifies seven key elements: sender, message, receiver, feedback, channel, interference, and situation. It then examines five of these elements in depth: 1. The message is the core idea or content being taught, such as the topic of a lesson. 2. The sender is the teacher transmitting the message. Their background and approach influences how the message is conveyed. 3. The medium refers to how the message is delivered, such as through written text, audiovisual aids, or models. The appropriate channel is important for student understanding. 4. The receiver is the student acquiring the knowledge. Their comprehension determines the

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Communication is the activity of conveying information through the exchange of thoughts,
messages, or information, as by speech, visuals, signals, writing, or behavior. Communication
requires a sender, a message, and a recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware
of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can
occur across vast distances in time and space (Cobb, 1997). Communication requires that the
communicating parties share an area of communicative commonality. The communication
process therefore is meant that there are steps that have to be taken and in a set/particular order to
achieve a desired communication result/goal. The communication process is complete once the
receiver has understood the message of the sender. There are seven elements in the
communication process: sender, message, receiver, feedback, channel (or medium), interference
and situation. All of these elements interact to determine the effectiveness of the communication.
A change in any one of them is capable of producing a different result. One area in which the
components of communication come together in a unit is in teaching. This essay illustrates the
importance of five of the components of the communication. Examples are drawn from the
specialized area of teaching in Geography.
From the educational point of view, the components of communication are important to
education for five broad reasons identified by Fawley, (2007). Communication will guide
teachers in the general or overall teaching and learning process. It will assist the teacher to know
whether the objectives of his teaching methodology has been achieved or not. It will enable the
teacher to clarify the skills or attitudes to be communicated and this will help the understanding
of the content of the message. Communication will also guide the teacher in selecting the best
methods to be applied at a given time. It will help the teacher to make his class livelier.
Message is a key idea that the sender wants to communicate. It is a sign that elicits the response
of the recipient. Communication process begins with deciding about the message to be conveyed.
It must be ensured that the main objective of the message is clear (Regan, 2009). In teaching, the
message is the subject matter and its content. The message is delivered as a derived lesson
presented with a guide in form of a lesson plan. The content of the lesson is derived from the
broader curriculum’s syllabus as part of a topic. The teacher draws a plan of how each part of the

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syllabus would be taught in topics for the term (schemes of work) and individual lessons. The
lesson suits the grade and level of learners.
According to Druskat and Wolff, (2008) the importance of the message in the communication
process is that it contains the very factor of the process. That is, it contains the very factual
information intended by the source for consumption. As in the example of teaching rainfall in
Geography; the contained facts of the topic are the message. Fawley, (2007). Contends that there
would be no conveyance of communication without the message as it is the central factor of the
process. All other components of the communication process are attached to the message.
The Sender, (Cobb, 1997), also referred to as the Encoder is one who sends the message. A
sender makes use of symbols (words or graphic or visual aids) to convey the message and
produce the required response. For instance a teacher in a classroom delivering a lesson. The
Sender may be an individual or a group or an organization. The views, background, approach,
skills, competencies, and knowledge of the sender have a great impact on the message. The
verbal and non verbal symbols chosen are essential in ascertaining interpretation of the message
by the recipient in the same terms as intended by the sender. Christensen and Sweet, (1991)
assert that in the teaching profession, the teacher is the sender much as the student is. The
teaching process involves the teacher giving out knowledge to the learners in a formal setup. The
sending goes beyond just giving verbal lessons to include non-verbal messages such as written
information in chalkboard writings, textbooks, notices and wall pastings. The teacher also gives
instructions, advice and notices on other matters affecting students. The students can also be
regarded as senders in the right that they do give original information to the teacher and to fellow
pupils. According to Druskat and Wolff, (2008) the importance of the sender is such that he
holds the message and has the prerogative of issuing the contents. The sender stands in an
important place as can be seen in the teacher’s role. The teacher possesses the knowledge to be
shared and the learners look up to him as an authority in his subject area. He holds such an
important place that the information he shares is regarded as truthful and reliable for knowledge.
The medium is the means used to exchange or transmit the message. The sender must choose an
appropriate medium for transmitting the message else the message might not be conveyed to the

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desired recipients. The choice of appropriate medium of communication is essential for making
the message effective and correctly interpreted by the recipient. This choice of communication
medium varies depending upon the features of communication. For instance - Written medium is
chosen when a message has to be conveyed to a small group of people, while an oral medium is
chosen when spontaneous feedback is required from the recipient as misunderstandings are
cleared then and there (Cobb, 1997). In teaching, the channels are numerous. They could be
audio; such as radio cassette playback, public address systems recorders and other audio
equipment. They could be visual such as charts, pictures, projectors and chalkboards.
Audiovisual media include video players, television and projectors. Channels could be
electronic, print or models (Christensen and Sweet, 1991).
The importance of communication media is that it makes the message reach the recipient in the
best form for his understanding, at the right time and place. If the medium is not appropriate, it is
as bad as not transmitting the message at all (Druskat and Wolff, 2008). For example the teacher
of Geography would use a map to teach a lesson on locations, without which the lesson may not
be well understood. Similarly diagrams may be used to illustrate certain concepts such as
contours in land Geography.
The recipient (the decoder) is defined by Regan, (2009) as one for whom the message is
intended. The degree to which the decoder understands the message is dependent upon various
factors such as knowledge of recipient, their responsiveness to the message, and the reliance of
the encoding on the decoding. Christensen and Sweet, (1991) claim that in education, the student
is the most active and most important recipient. At the most, the student spends time listening to
the teachers’ lessons and acquiring knowledge. The recipient is important as the actual subject of
the message for whom all the other components; the message itself, the sender and the channel
have been designed and organized. It is important that the recipient gets the message as it
justifies the cost. In teaching, the learning process begins to be effective as the learner gets the
lesson taught.
Feedback, according to Regan, (2009) is the main component of communication process as it
permits the sender to analyze the efficacy of the message. It helps the sender in confirming the

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correct interpretation of message by the decoder. Feedback may be verbal (through words) or
non-verbal (in form of facial expressions or gestures). It may also take written form. In teaching,
feedback goes with evaluation. According to Fawley, (2007) teachers obtain feedback as they
teach their lesson, mainly through verbal and non-verbal expressions. This is done by asking
questions on matter that is currently being addressed. Further feedback is obtained by formative
and summative evaluation. Formative evaluation involves tests that are given in the short-run
while summative evaluation involves tests delivered at the end of a longer period (usually a
term). Feedback is important as it determines whether or not the decoder grasped the intended
meaning and whether communication was successful. A teacher may not be able to tell whether
students have understood their learning unless he obtains feedback from them using the methods
described above. The pupils give feedback in their performance and this helps the teacher to plan
better and to take interventions regarding any problems in the learning process. With appropriate
and well delivered feedback, the process is smoothened for both the teacher and the student.
Common components of teaching – learning system include the teacher (sender/receiver), the
message (topic/content/subject matter), the channel (audio, visual, audiovisual, projected and
non-projected models), noise (physical, psychological and/or environmental), learners
(receiver/sender), evaluation (formative and summative), methods and feedback. All these
elements as depicted in the models of communication must work together to achieve the
predetermined objectives. The teacher must organise the teaching – learning process in such a
manner that will make the learners very active. Appropriate channel must be selected while the
classroom environment must also be made conducive so that effective teaching and learning
would take place. Teaching that is aimed at producing quality learning must be systematically
presented. To do this, there must be adequate provision for evaluation. Getting regular feedback
on learners’ acquisition of the task will assist you, but communication noise must be reduced to
the barest minimum so that learning on the part of the learners will not be impaired.

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REFERENCES
Christensen, R., G. & Sweet, A. (1991) Education for Judgment: The Artistry of Discussion
Leadership. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Cobb, C. (1997) Practical Communication for Technical and Vocational Arts. Santa Monica,
CA: Goodyear.
Fawley, E.F. (2007) Rethinking Education: The CDIO Approach. New York: Springer-Verlag.
Regan, G. (2009) The Skilled Helper, 9th edition. Belmont CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
Wolff, S. B. and Druskat, V. U. (2008). Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups. Harvard
Business Review, 79(3), 81–90.

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Illustrate using examples from your area of specialization, the importance of any five
components of the communication process.