The Communication Process (Communication Cycle)

2. The Communication Process (Communication Cycle)

Communication is never a single, instant event — it is a process, made up of a sequence of stages, often shown as a cycle because it is genuinely two-way: a message travels from a sender to a receiver, and a reply (feedback) travels back.

The elements of the communication cycle, in order:

1. Sender (Communicator). The person or party who originates the message — for example, the Managing Director wanting to inform staff of a new policy.
2. Idea/Message. The actual information, instruction, or feeling the sender wants to convey.
3. Encoding. The sender converts the idea into a form that can be transmitted — words (spoken or written), symbols, gestures, or diagrams. How well the message is encoded (clear language, correct symbols) directly affects whether it will be understood.
4. Channel/Medium. The path or method used to carry the encoded message from sender to receiver — a letter, a telephone call, a notice board, an e-mail, a face-to-face conversation.
5. Receiver. The person or party for whom the message is intended, and who receives it through the chosen channel.
6. Decoding. The receiver interprets and makes sense of the message received, converting the words/symbols back into an idea in their own mind.
7. Understanding (or misunderstanding). The outcome of decoding — ideally, the receiver's understanding matches exactly what the sender intended to convey.
8. Feedback. The receiver's response, sent back to the original sender, confirming (or clarifying) that the message was received and understood. Feedback is what converts a one-way transmission of information into genuine, two-way communication.
9. Noise (Barrier). Any interference — physical (a bad telephone line), semantic (unfamiliar words), or psychological (the receiver's own bias or inattention) — that can distort the message at any stage of the cycle, from encoding through to feedback. Section 5 of this chapter examines these barriers in detail.

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