What is Communication anyway?

Over the coming weeks and months I’ll be using this space to discuss and explore a whole range of subjects connected to communication. It’s a subject that is broad and long and, in many ways, it could be argued that it is the most important subject of all, given that we all take part in it, consciously and unconsciously, every day of our lives.

Perhaps the logical (and sensible) way to begin is to ask ‘what is communication anyway?’

The Oxford English Dictionary gives us the following definition:

communication, n. The imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium. …The successful conveying or sharing of ideas and feelings.

Communication is the act of transferring any knowledge or feeling from one person or group to another and it can be done in several different ways.

It can be seen through the means of a simple flow chart.

Sender ——— Message ——— Receiver

The message itself will need to be decoded by the receiver and good communicators will look ahead of a situation and make that decoding process as simple as possible for the receiver to ensure they understand the message.

The message will usually take the form of both words and non-verbal communication. The receiver will need to decode multiple different parts of the message, not only including the words but also the tone of voice (if spoken or audio) or the manner in which it is written (if written). Body language is vital as is tone of voice and a whole host of other characteristics which we will elaborate on in this blog over time. This post is simply to introduce communication and what it is.

Types of Communication

1) Verbal - includes any spoken content such as face to face conversations, telephone conversations, presentations, talks, radio, podcasts, television.

2) Non-Verbal - an often overlooked area of communication. Includes the way we dress and act, our body language, posture, eye contact, gesturing, scent, smile, relative cleanliness, makeup, body art. Non verbal communication can help to enhance verbal communication by giving the receiver clues as to how the sender is feeling.

3) Written - includes any written content including letters, newspapers, emails, text messages, blogs, books, magazines, social media etc.

4) Graphic - includes any visual imagery such as graphs and charts, maps, drawings, illustrations, paintings, logos. Galleries are museums of graphic communication. Museums are galleries of graphic communication.

Good Communication

I’ll discuss this subject in more detail over the coming weeks and months but good communication is generally about understanding your ‘receiver’ (audience), choosing the best type of communication to use, code the message in such a way that the receiver is most likely to understand and finally to use appropriate ‘dressing’ (this could be warm body language if you are trying to put your audience at ease or cold body language if you are trying to send somebody a warning) of your communication to help the receiver understand the message as you wish them to receive it. Finally, the sender will generally gather feedback from the receiver to ensure that they have understood the message in the way that the receiver wants. Misunderstandings can be far more harmful than not communicating at all. We all make mistakes and sometimes it can be difficult to decode a message. Sometimes we need a bit more help from the sender of the message and your ‘receiver’ will usually be thankful if the sender double checks the message has been understood.

Understanding a message as a ‘receiver’

Listening is a key communication skills which we will definitely cover on this blog in future. When we are ‘communicated to’ as a receiver we are faced with processing multiple bits of information at the same time. The way in which we understand and process this will depend on a range of factors from our mood at the time of receiving the message to the place where we are and how well we know the ‘sender’ of the message. It will also be shaped by whether we are with the ‘sender’ at the time or whether we are receiving the message remotely. Successful communicators will understand and be aware that these factors can have an impact on how the message is received.

Some of the subjects I will focus on in future blog posts:

  • Barriers to Communication

  • Effective listening

  • Gathering feedback

  • Misunderstanding and why it can happen

  • Writing effectively

  • Body language

  • Unconscious (or intuitive) communication

  • Communications - a 2 way process

  • Context and Subcontext

  • Communication and Career development

  • Communication and Relationships

  • Shaking Hands

  • Stereotypes and how they shape communication

  • Improving our communication skills

  • Interview Skills

  • On the Telephone

  • Personal Appearance

  • Public Speaking

  • Conversation

  • Conflict resolution

  • Decision making

  • Negotiation

  • Working in a team

  • Knowing ourselves


Ben Eaglecommunication, verbal, non verbal, presentation, body language, writing, listening1 Comment