Objectives
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
- Define communication;
- Explain the elements of communication;
- Explain how communication takes place in different levels; and
- Compare the various models of communication.
Activities
Read Chapter 5 of your text.
Read “The Structure and Function of Communication in Society by Harold Lasswell in your Additional Readings (p.33)
Activity 5.1. The following are examples of what most people would call communication. Read them and list the things you think are common to all of them.
Activity 5. 2. Write your own definition or understanding of communication on a sheet of paper. Now, compare your answer with the definitions of Black and Bryant found in your Textbook.
Activity 5. 3. Why should we discuss communication as a process? Write your reasons on the same sheet of paper you used in Activity 5.2.
Answers
Activity 5.1.
The following are examples of what most people would call communication. Read them and list the things you think are common to all of them.
- A dog snarls at a cat that gets in its way.
- You stay up late to watch the hosts of a talk show interview the Vice President.
- A traffic enforcer blows his whistle to stop traffic so children can cross the pedestrian lane.
- Your officemate walks into your room, points at your desk and asks, “Have you finished…” and stops when you scowl at him. “Of course not!” you say, “Come back later.”
- A child stands in the middle of a crowded department store and cries for its mother.
- A teenager pauses in front of a poster that reads, “Don’t drink and drive.”
- It has a picture of two wine glasses crashing into each other and shattering.
- A sportscaster tells jokes to the crowd while waiting for the action to begin at a basketball game.
- A woman buys a newspaper, gets on the LRT, sits down, and read on the way to work. A street preacher shouts to the crowds in a marketplace.
- You receive an official letter reminding you to pay the balance on your income tax.
- A tourist stands on a street corner reading a map.
- A young mother asks the municipal health worker what she can do to keep her children healthy.
- A traffic light turns from red to green.
What is common to all? Write your answers BEFORE you proceed to the next section.
Across all these situations, what we really see is the exchange of signals within a shared environment. These signals may come through words, gestures, behaviors, or symbols, but they all function as messages intended for someone else to interpret. Each moment also reminds us that communication never happens in a vacuum. There is always noise, context, and subtle cues affecting how messages are delivered, understood, or acted upon.
All of these are forms of communication: whether it’s a whistle that brings traffic to a halt, a child crying in the middle of a crowd, a poster urging people not to drink and drive, or a traffic light shifting from red to green. They rely on interaction, shared meaning, and human response. Even without spoken words, these signals trigger understanding, emotion, or action.
Ultimately, these examples show that communication goes far beyond verbal exchange. It encompasses signs, signals, behaviors, media, and the everyday encounters that help people make sense of their surroundings, process information, and decide how to respond.
Comments. What was common to all the examples? Did you list the information? You probably noticed that in all the examples, information was shared. In the past, you probably used the words “sending” or “receiving” when referring to communication. These days, we prefer “sharing.” The word share is important in any discussion of
communication because it connotes something that two or more people do together rather than something one person does or gives to someone else.
Based on this information, Kincaid and Schramm define communication as “the process of sharing and the relationship of the participants in the process.” Of course, their definition is but one of many definitions of communication. As a practitioner (or maybe even as a teacher), you probably already know that those interested in the field agree upon no single definition of communication. How would you define communication?
For me, communication is a shared process of making meaning. It is more than simply sending information from one person to another. It is an exchange that allows people to express what they think and feel, understand others in return, and create a sense of connection. Communication also involves feedback, because meaning is only complete when the other party responds, reacts, or interprets the message in some way.
Communication comes in many forms: written, visual, verbal, nonverbal, and even symbolic, but the essence remains the same. Communication is a shared human activity where people co-create understanding. It is something we participate in, not something we merely deliver.
Activity 5.2
Write your own definition or understanding of communication on a sheet of paper. Now, compare your answer with the definitions of Black and Bryant found in your textbook.
Black and Bryant’s Definition:
- The process by which individuals share meaning.
- The process by which an individual (the communicator) transmits stimuli (usually verbal symbols) to modify the behavior of other individuals (communicatee).
- Occurring whenever information is passed from one place to another.
- Not simply the verbal, explicit, and intentional transmission of message; it includes all those processed by which people influence one another.
- Occurring when person A communicates message B through channel C to person D with effect E. Each of these letters is unknown to some extent, and the process can be solved for any one of them for any contribution.
My understanding of communication closely aligns with Black and Bryant’s definitions, but I place stronger emphasis on communication as a process of shared meaning-making. For me, communication is more than simply transmitting or receiving information. It is an interaction where people express ideas and emotions, interpret each other’s signals, and build understanding through exchange. Feedback is crucial in this process because communication is only truly complete when the receiver responds, clarifies, or reacts to the message.
Similar to Black and Bryant, I recognize that communication takes many forms — verbal and nonverbal, written, visual, and symbolic. Their definitions highlight transmission, influence, and behavioral change, while my perspective centers on how meaning is co-created between people. In the end, communication is not a one-way act. It is a dynamic, participatory process where meaning emerges through the involvement of all individuals in the interaction.
Activity 5.3
Why should we discuss communication as a process? Write your reasons on the same sheet of paper you used in Activity 5.2.
We discuss communication as a process because it is not a one-time action but a continuous flow of interaction. Communication unfolds through the ongoing exchange of messages (verbal, nonverbal, visual, or written) between a sender and a receiver. Every message flows through specific channels, is influenced by context, and is interpreted through the receiver’s perspective and experience.
Understanding communication as a process also emphasizes its cyclical nature. A message does not end once it is sent; it only becomes meaningful when feedback is given. That feedback shows whether the message was understood, questioned, or interpreted differently, and it becomes a new message that moves through the same sequence of source, channel, and response. This cycle demonstrates that communication is dynamic and interconnected, with both participants actively shaping the meaning that emerges.
Recognizing communication as a process helps us see that it is interactive, ongoing, and shaped by many factors, which is far more complex than simply transmitting information from one person to another.
The emphasis on communication as a process is important because this reminds us of a paradigm shift from the earlier understanding of communication as a one-way, linear activity. The paradigm of communication as a process emphasizes its being a two-way, multi-dimensional activity.