Mcom
Chapter 1
Communication:
Mass and Other Forms
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THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS
At a general level, communication events involve the following elements:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
a source a process of encoding a message a channel a process of decoding a receiver the potential for feedback the chance of noise
The Source. The source, or sender, initiates the communication process by having a thought or an idea that he or she wishes to transmit to some other entity. Sources can be individuals, groups, or even organizations.
Encoding the message. Encoding includes all the activities that a source goes through to translate thoughts and ideas into a form that can be perceived by the senses. It can take place one or more times in any given communication event. In a face to face conversation, the speaker encodes thoughts into words; if a telephone is used, it subsequently encodes sound waves into electrical energy.
Message. The message is the actual physical product that the source encodes which may range from the short, simple and inexpensive to the long, complex and costly. Humans usually have a large number and wide range of messages at their disposal that they can choose to send.
Messages can be directed to an individual or to millions.
Channels. Channels refer to the ways in which the message travels to the receiver. These include sound waves, light waves, air currents, and touch. Some messages may go through multiple channels.
IM1-1
Decoding the message. The decoding process is the opposite of the encoding process. It's the process by which a message is translated into a form the receiver can understand. Both people and machines can be message decoders. Some messages can involve many decoding stages.
Receiver. The receiver is the target of the message. The target can be an individual, a group, or an anonymous collection of people. Most people receive far more
Communication:
Mass and Other Forms
___________________________________________________________________
THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS
At a general level, communication events involve the following elements:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
a source a process of encoding a message a channel a process of decoding a receiver the potential for feedback the chance of noise
The Source. The source, or sender, initiates the communication process by having a thought or an idea that he or she wishes to transmit to some other entity. Sources can be individuals, groups, or even organizations.
Encoding the message. Encoding includes all the activities that a source goes through to translate thoughts and ideas into a form that can be perceived by the senses. It can take place one or more times in any given communication event. In a face to face conversation, the speaker encodes thoughts into words; if a telephone is used, it subsequently encodes sound waves into electrical energy.
Message. The message is the actual physical product that the source encodes which may range from the short, simple and inexpensive to the long, complex and costly. Humans usually have a large number and wide range of messages at their disposal that they can choose to send.
Messages can be directed to an individual or to millions.
Channels. Channels refer to the ways in which the message travels to the receiver. These include sound waves, light waves, air currents, and touch. Some messages may go through multiple channels.
IM1-1
Decoding the message. The decoding process is the opposite of the encoding process. It's the process by which a message is translated into a form the receiver can understand. Both people and machines can be message decoders. Some messages can involve many decoding stages.
Receiver. The receiver is the target of the message. The target can be an individual, a group, or an anonymous collection of people. Most people receive far more