Reflections through Cyberspace

Communication, which is the transfer of information and understanding from one person to another through meaningful symbols, is an important aspect of every day life. It is a way of exchanging and sharing ideas, attitudes, values, opinions and facts. The purpose of communication is to convey a message, satisfy personal needs and maintain and influence relationships.

The key elements in the communication process include a sender who is responsible for encoding an intended message into meaningful symbols, both verbal and non-verbal. The message is sent through communication channel to a receiver, who then decodes or interprets its meaning. This interpretation importantly may or may not match the sender’s original intentions. Feedback when present reverses the process and conveys the receiver’s response back to sender. Another way to view the communication process is a series of questions. Who (sender) says what? (message) in what way (channel) to whom (receiver) with what result (Interpreted meaning).

Types of communication

• Intrapersonal – with oneself
• Interpersonal – with another person
• Group – with a small number of people
• Organisational – with the whole organization
• Public – with a large audience
• Mass – with society