Introduction
Human beings are social animals; they need to communicate amongst themselves using different modes of communication. In communication studies, different scholars have developed different communication models. This paper will use a linear analytic model and a simultaneous transaction model to analyze the communication I had with my friend, Steve, on Monday morning.
The conversation
“Steve, the communication lesson of Monday afternoon has been shifted to Tuesday in the morning”, I said.
“Who has told you, is it from reliable sources?” Steve enquired.
“Yes there is a notice in the student’s notice board, I have read it”, I answered him.
Segmentation of the communication above
Effective communication can be segmented into five different stages; the stages must be undergone despite the length and the people involved in the communication. The stages are as follows:
Sender
In the above communication, the first sender of information was the Communication tutor; he has placed a notice in the student notice board to communicate the change of timetable. After I read the notice, I approached Steve and became the sender at this moment of the message.
Receiver
In the communication above, there are two receivers, when I read the message from the notice board, I was the receiver of the message, the message was sent to the entire class and me being part of the class, I was an appropriate receiver. After I got the message, I explained it to Steve who had not seen the notice. When I am explaining the situation, Steve is the receiver of the message.
Message
In the communication, the message that was sent by the tutor and to Steve was the same that communication classes have been shifted from Monday to Tuesday. The clarity of the message is important, as it is an important part of the entire system. It should be easy to understand.
Encoding
The conversion has two stages of encoding, there is how I got the information from the notice board and read it to get sense out of it. I understood and kept the information in my memory. When I told Steve what I had seen on the notice board, his mental system interpolated my words to give them sense. He was then able to understand me. His understanding can be seen in how he enquired about the source of the information likely to show the importance that the message had on him.
Decoding
When the teacher decided to change the class timetable, he decoded the mental decision into writing that could be understood by students. This is in the form of notice he places on the notice board. Secondly, after I read the notice, I decoded the information from my memory, in a way that could be understood by Steve. I used English since I knew it a language he would understand.
Success and failure points from the case
The communication was effective and successful, the teacher had placed the notice on the place that s likely to be consulted by students thus the medium of communication that he has chosen was the best for a school environment. The language of the notice was straightforward and to the point, this gave me a fast understanding of the situation.
One problem that affects communication is problems in encoding, this is when a receiver of information does not understand the message as the sender wanted to be done. In this case, the message was clear and precise so I understood the message.
Decoding the message also has some problems, this is where if the message conveyer/ sender give the wrong impression or gives the wrong information altogether, this may be because of misunderstanding or a willing distortion of the message. In this case, I gave the information as I had read it from the notice board facilitating how well Steve understood the situation.
Other than encoding and decoding problems, effective communication is affected by attitude, experience, and lack of good listening skills. If the receiver is not keen on details, he is likely to get the wrong impression about a certain situation. If Steve held a negative perception towards the message, the effectiveness of the communication could have been hampered (Berko, 9-13).
Lesson learned
From simple communication, I have appreciated the different stages in an effective communication process. I have realized that despite having the message to convey, the medium through which is conveyed plays an important part in the dispensing of information. Different situations call for the different medium of communication; in a college environment, communication is mostly through notice boards, a medium that could not be as effective in multinational companies.
When the conveyer of a message is the medium of communication (as it is in verbal communication), he or she should ensure he gives the receiver information as it is; proper encoding and decoding should take place. Finally, I have appreciated the goodies of using understandable language when passing information.
Works Cited
Berko, Roy. Communicating. Boston: Pearson Education Inc., 2010. Print.