THEORIES OF
COMMUNICATION
Electronic Theory
One very influential theory is
called the mathematical or electronic theory of communication. This idea
emphasized the technical problems of transmitting a message from a sender to a
receiver. It uses the language of, electronics. The message begins with an information
source, the mind of the sender (writer or speaker), who encodes a
message into words and sentences. The message is transmitted as a signal
(marks on paper or sound waves) through a channel, where it may be distorted by
noise (such as smudged typing or acoustical problems). As a last step,
the receiver (listener or reader) decodes the message. Look at the
following illustration of this theory.
Message
Communicator Audience
As
“sender” as “receiver”
The electronic theory is helpful
because it introduces the ideas of senders and receivers and of possible
interference. It emphasizes one important aspect of communication: accuracy. Its
usefulness is limited, people are not machines. It may be possible to design
perfectly an accurate electronic communication system but not a human one.
Emphasis on accuracy ignores many other important dimensions of the situation
in which we communicate. One may express an idea very accurately, but other may
think he does not have the right to talk, so we need to understand other
theories too.
Social Environment Theory
Social environment theory is of
the social and behavioral scientists. It says that we must consider the
situation, the social context in which we will work.
When we work and communicate
together, we all participate in a social situation, within that situation; each
agrees to assume certain roles – such as “compromiser,” “initiator,” “or
“encourager” – based on our part in the activity.
We each have a certain status
prescribed officially, such as our job title. We need to understand the rules,
or the “culture,” of the environment in order to communicate: both the official
rules – such as company policies and practices – and those unwritten rules
regarding to whom, how, and when, and for how long it is appropriate for us to
communicate within a certain organization. Look at the following illustration
of this theory.
Message
Communicator Audience
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
As “sender” as
“receiver”
Within
a certain environment
Social environment theory
is helpful because it adds the important dimension of the specific social situation.
Too often, inexperienced business people neglect to take into account role,
status and rules when they communicate. A nicely tailored message may still
fail to achieve its objective if you write to the wrong person at the wrong
time.
Rhetorical Theory
Third set of theorists add more
dimensions to our understanding of the communication process: communication is
not linear, but circular; not just sending a message to be received, but
producing a response; not static, but dynamic.
Rhetorical theorists provide an
important addition to a communication model for business communicators.
Many people in business get so
much absorbed in the accuracy of their message and appropriateness of the
situation that they forget the third crucial variable, producing the desired response
form their audience. The importance of response in business communication is
illustrated in the following figure—which incorporates the ideas of accuracy
(from the collective theory) and situation (from the social environment
theory).
This model is circular, not
linear.
Message
Communicator Audience
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Response
In fact, perhaps the most
important difference between business communication and other forms of
communication is this circular quality: your business communication
effectiveness depends on the result you achieve. How can you achieve desired
response? That’s what the rest of this course will be about. You will learn not
only how to be more correct and accurate, and how to be more sensitive to the
situation, but also how to identify your audience’s needs in order to become a
better communicator.
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