Process of communication

Introduction

The word ‘communication’ is derived from the Latin term ‘communicare’ or ‘communico’, both of which means; common; but communication is not merely transmission of meaning from one person to another through symbols. It implies that the system of communication is commonly owned, accepted and recognized by the members of a community. It enables them to acquire, exchange, store, retrieve and process information. Communication is thus essentially a social affair.

As we defined communication, we may define a communication channel as the set of components in the universe that implement the functionality needed for the communication process to take place. Because communication requires two or more information process, a communication channel always consists of two or more information channels in series. By using the word ‘needed’, we refer only to those components that directly and obviously contribute to the operation of the channel.

The sender selects appropriate symbols to suit the situation and realizes the meaning through speech or writing depending upon the socially regulated requirements or self perceived needs. At the receiving end the symbols are identified and identification obviously implies recognition and realization of meaning through the interpretive process.