8 Conclusion

Communication is an essential component of business. While communication is a natural part of the human experience, it’s important to consider how you will communicate in a positive and effective manner that aligns with your responsibilities and reputation as a business professional.

Check Your Knowledge

Reflection Activity

1. Describe the process of communication.
2. Name at least four essential components of communication.
3. What role does context play in communication?
4. What responsibilities do you have as a communicator?
5. What are three attributes of an ethical communicator?

Quick Quiz

Glossary

Channel – The channel is the way in which a message or messages travel between source and receiver (McLean, 2005).
Communication – The process of understanding and sharing meaning (Pearson Nelson, 2000).
Context – Involves the setting, scene, and expectations of the individuals involved (McLean, 2005).
Environment – The atmosphere, physical and psychological, where you send and receive messages (McLean, 2005).
Feedback – Messages the receiver sends back to the source.
Group Communication – A dynamic process where a small number of people engage in a conversation (McLean, 2005).
Interference – Anything that blocks or changes the source’s intended meaning of the message (McLean, 2005).
Interpersonal Communication – Normally involves two people, and can range from intimate and very personal to formal and impersonal.
Intrapersonal Communication – Involves one person; it is often called “self-talk” (Wood, 1997).
Mass Communication – Mass communication involves sending a single message to a group.
Message – The stimulus or meaning produced by the source for the receiver or audience (McLean, 2005).
Nonverbal – Any message inferred through observation of another person.
Public Communication – In public communication, one person speaks to a group of people; the same is true of public written communication, where one person writes a message to be read by a small or large group.
Receiver – Receives the message from the source, analyzing and interpreting the message in ways both intended and unintended by the source (McLean, 2005).
Source – Imagines, creates, and sends the message.
Verbal (or oral) Communication – Is any message conveyed through speech.
Written Communication – Is any message using the written word.

Additional Resources

The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is a global network of communication professionals committed to improving organizational effectiveness through strategic communication. http://www.iabc.com

Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) provides a wealth of resources for writing projects. http://owl.english.purdue.edu

Chapter References

All images (unless otherwise indicated) are from the open sharing photo site Unsplash.com

Habermas, J. (1984). The theory of communicative action. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.

Hawkins, A. (2016). The communication process communication media noise encoding decoding [Slideplayer page]. Retrieved from http://slideplayer.com/slide/8676926/

Leavitt, H. J., & Mueller, R. A. (1951). Some effects of feedback on communication. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/001872675100400406

McLean, S. (2005). The basics of interpersonal communication. Boston, MA: Allyn Bacon.

Pearson, J., & Nelson, P. (2000). An introduction to human communication: Understanding and sharing. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.

Vocate, D. (Ed.). (1994). Intrapersonal communication: Different voices, different minds. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Wood, J. (1997). Communication in our lives. Boston, MA: Wadsworth.