Communication: Meaning, Types, and Characteristics
Communication is the process of exchanging information, ideas, or feelings between a sender and a receiver through a shared system of signs, symbols, or behaviour.
Types of communication
- Verbal (spoken/written) and Non-verbal (gesture, posture, facial expression, tone).
- Intra-personal (within oneself), Inter-personal (between two people), Group, and Mass communication.
- Inter-cultural communication — exchange between people of different cultural backgrounds, requiring sensitivity to differing norms and symbols.
- Classroom communication — typically two-way, with immediate feedback, and shaped by the teacher-learner relationship.
Characteristics
- It is a continuous, dynamic, and largely irreversible process.
- It is contextual — meaning depends on the situation and relationship between communicators.
- It is a two-way process; feedback confirms whether meaning was correctly received.
Effective Communication
Effective communication requires clarity of message, an appropriate channel, active listening, empathy, and consistency between verbal and non-verbal cues. Group communication additionally requires attention to group dynamics, roles, and norms; inter-cultural communication requires awareness of differing conventions of politeness, directness, and non-verbal meaning.
Barriers to Effective Communication
| Type of barrier | Examples |
|---|---|
| Semantic | Ambiguous words, jargon, language differences |
| Psychological | Prejudice, emotional state, selective perception, distrust |
| Physical | Noise, distance, faulty equipment, poor acoustics |
| Organisational | Status differences, rigid hierarchy, information overload |
| Cultural | Differing norms of gesture, eye contact, formality |
Mass Media and Society
Mass media (print, radio, television, and increasingly digital/social media) shape public opinion, disseminate information at scale, and function as agents of education, entertainment, and social change. Their influence raises concerns around misinformation, media literacy, and the concentration of ownership, alongside their positive role in democratising access to information.