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#1
Communication Skills
Kamil Siddiqi

The Nature of Communication

Communication is the transmission of message between two or more people.
The communication process includes SIX VARIABLES:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Sender
Message
Channel
Receiver
Perception
Feedback

The process of translating an idea into a message is called: encoding. The

message consists of VERBAL and NON-VERBAL symbols that represent the information the
sender wants to transmit. Each message we send is an attempt to convey an idea to the
receiver.
An important responsibility of the sender is to choose the appropriate channel for
the occasion. No one-communication method is superior to another. Superiority depends
upon the effectiveness of a method. A WRITTEN MEMO is the most appropriate channel of
communication in light of the number of people.
The process of translating a message into an idea is called: decoding, and this is
done by the receiver. The basic skills employed by the receiver are LISTENING and
providing FEEDBACK to the sender.
The most important variable in communication process is: perception our
unique understandings of the way things are. Perception greatly affects how should we
send and receive messages. As a perceiver, each of us is a product of all our experiences.
The major function of feedback is that it allows senders to see how well they are
accomplishing the objective of original communication. ORAL COMMUNICATION provides
quickest feedback. In brief, we can evaluate the effectiveness of our communication by
the feedback we receive.
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