George Bernard Shaw once said, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place” (Goodreads, 2010). His remark was very insightful as many people assume that communication involves simply the transmittal of a message. However, communication also involves the reception of a message. If a sender of a message wants to be effective, they must consider their audience when they are forming a message, whether that message is spoken or written. Whenever possible, they must consider the differences in perceptions that come from issues such as culture, gender, background, personality, and other variables. Timing (is this the appropriate time to transmit this message?) and noise (distractions that might be taking place around them at the time) are also factors in whether or not communication has actually taken place.
The receiver must play a part in effective communication as well. Active listening is vital to effective communication as is the need to consider the differences in the sender’s gender, background, etc. In other words, communication is a two way street and both parties have roles to play in making sure it is effective.
Communication has many possible definitions. One very good one is listed in Thinking Through Communication: An Introduction to Human Communication (Trenholm, 2008). The author writes that communication is “the transmission of information, ideas, emotions, skills, etc., by the use of symbols—words, pictures, figures, graphs, etc” (as cited on p. 22). Although this is agood definition, it does not include the fact that communication involves reception as well as transmission, nor does it include non-verbal methods of communication.
Communication has many different forms. There is intrapersonal, where one communicates to oneself. There is also intrapersonal, the communication and reception of messages from one individual to another. Group communication and mass communication are other forms.
According to author Richard Dimbleby (1998), some of the purposes of communication are to warn others, to inform others, to explain something, to entertain, to describe, and to persuade (p. 8). Although Dimbleby does not include these, communication also may be for the purpose of impressing others or simply to spend time with someone and enjoy their company.
The concept that effective communication includes transmitting, receiving, and considering your audience has played a powerful role in my work life. It has helped me to make it through what might have been difficult conversations. I have been able to look at the person giving a difficult message and attempt to understand the differences between us and the differences in our communication methods and decipher their meaning, which usually is not as confrontational as it appears on the surface. This has made for more successful business relationships.
Dimbleby, R. (1998). More than words: An introduction to communication. Routledge: Florence, KY. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ashford/docDetail.action?docID=5002862&p00= communication%20theory.
Goodreads, Inc. (2010). George Bernard Shaw. Retrieved from http://www.goodreads.com /author/quotes/5217.George_Bernard_Shaw?page=3
Trenholm, S. (2008). Thinking through communication: An introduction to the study of human communication (5th ed.). (Original work published 1995) Retrieved from http://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/0558414842/pages/14494681
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