Module 3 - Communication

Question 1

What is ‘communication’?

Answer 1

The act of transferring information from one place, person or group, to another. Communication can be verbal (spoken word), nonverbal (non-spoken), visual, and written.

Question 2

Name the six steps of the “Shannon & Weaver Communication Model”

Answer 2

(1) Sender
(2) Encoder
(3) Channel
(4) Noise
(5) Decoder
(6) Receiver

Question 3

Sender

Answer 3

The information source starts the process by choosing a message to send, someone to send the message to, and a channel through which to send the message.

Question 4

Encoder

Answer 4

For a face-to-face discussion, you could consider the ‘encoding’ to be the way the sender turns their idea into intelligible words and sentences. The sender must encode their thoughts and ideas into words, simplifying them into a way that the receiver can understand.

Question 5

Channel

Answer 5

This is the infrastructure that gets information from the sender and transmitter through to the decoder and receiver.
In terms of face-to-face conversation, the channel would be the sound waves made by the person’s voice, through which sound is transmitted.

Question 6

Noise

Answer 6

This is what interrupts a message while it’s on the way from the sender to the receiver. Noise can interrupt our understanding of the message.
For instance, if the sender would have mumbled, or used an accent that caused the message to be distorted (internal noise). There are 4 types of noise : Physical-external noise, Physiological noise, semantic noise, psychological noise.

Question 7

Decoder

Answer 7

During this phase, the listener has to turn the words they hear into a legible message in their mind.

Question 8

Receiver

Answer 8

The receiver is the end-point of the original Shannon and Weaver model of the technical communication process. This is the step where the person gets the message.

The receiver must then use their experiences, ideas, and existing knowledge to make sense of the message encoded by the sender. The receiver must decode the message by relating it to their own life. Everyone interprets things based on their existing biases and ideas.

Question 9

Feedback

Answer 9

Feedback occurs when the receiver of the message responds to the sender, in order to close the communication loop.

Question 10

Physical-External Noise

Answer 10

External factors interfering with transmission of the message. Example: The background noise makes it hard to understand what a person is saying at a noisy party.

Question 11

Physiological Noise

Answer 11

A distraction caused by physiological processes including physical and chemical functions of the body, including hunger and pain.

Question 12

Semantic Noise

Answer 12

This type of noise is typically caused by the sender - it implies the possibility of the receiver not understanding the sender’s grammar, that makes it hard to understand the general message.

Question 13

Psychological Noise

Answer 13

A disruption in the communication process as a result of internalized, perceived notions prior to entering the communication process. Example: Stereotypical biases and assumptions about someone may lead to the wrong message being interpreted.

This is noise caused by pre-existing biases and expectations. This might stem from a lack of empathy. Generally we prioritize our own perspective and fail to consider how and what the other person is perceiving.