Introduction
Communication is defined as a process by which we assign and convey meaning in an attempt to create shared understanding. Communication begins when one person sends a message to another with the intent of evoking a response. Effective communication occurs when the receiver interprets the message exactly as the sender intended. This process requires a vast repertoire of skills in intrapersonal and interpersonal processing, listening, observing, speaking, questioning, analyzing, and evaluating. Use of these processes is essential to all areas of life: home, school, community, work, and beyond. Human beings have a compulsive urge to communicate with each other as it is through communication that collaboration and cooperation occur. In a world of many stresses and changes, we need our relationships to sustain us and nourish us as human beings. Communication is central to the process of constructing meaningful and fulfilling relational support. The ability to build and nurture such relationships is a critical life skill, one to be learned and valued.
The Communication Process
The ability to effectively communicate at work, home, and in life is a primary skill as over 80% of our waking life is spent sending or receiving information. It has been proven that poor communication reduces quality, weakens productivity, and eventually leads to conflict among individuals. Communication is fruitful only if the message sent by the sender is interpreted with same meaning by the receiver. The communication process is the guide toward realizing effective communication. It is through the communication process that the sharing of a common meaning between the sender and the receiver takes place. Individuals that follow the communication process will have the opportunity to become more productive in every aspect of their profession.
The communication process begins with the