Download Nehru Arts and Science College T.M. Palayam, 105. DEPARTMENT

Nehru Arts and Science College
T.M. Palayam, 105.
DEPARTMENT OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION
INTODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION
INDIAN THEORY OF COMMUNICATION
The title may appear presumptions. How can India lay claim to a theory of
communication when by almost the close of the twentieth century no advanced
country has a sustained claim to a communication model?
The model of communication was developed only in 1947 by Claude Shannon, a
mathematician in Bell Telephone Laboratory in the USA and explained to the nonmathematician audience by Warren Weaver. The model was picked up by the
behavioral scientists who found the Shannon- Weaver model useful in describing
human communication.
Communication has its origin in the Latin word communis, which means ‘common’.
In communication we are trying to establish commonness with someone. In order
words we are trying to share information an idea or an attitude. Communication,
thus, is a process of establishing commonness with another person or a group of
person.
The process was presented by Shannon & Weaver in the following model.
Source-Encoder-Signal-Decoder-Destination
What happens when the source tries to build up commonness with his intended
receiver? First the source encodes the message. He takes the information or the
feeling he wants to share and puts it into a form that can be transmitted easily and
effectively. In order to complete the act of communication the message must be
decoded. It is like a telephone or radio circuit.
If you consider the source and encoder as one person and the decoder and
destination as another with the signal as language, you have the picture of a human
communication situation.
How can the sender and the receiver be in tune with each other? How does a human
receiver understand a human transmitter? Dr. Wilbur Schramn supplements the
Shannon Weaver model with other modes, which has attracted wide notice.
Field of Experience
Source/Encoder
Field of Experience
Signal
Decoder/ Destination
In the above said the source can encode and the destination can decode only in
terms of the experience each has had. The conclusion in terms of communication
that we can draw from this model is that.
1. If both the encoder and the decoder belong to unknown language i.e they do
not know each others language they cannot communicate. The code must be
familiar.
2. 2. A tribal who has not seen an aero plane will not be able to decode the sight
of an aero plane. It may appear to him as a bird.
If the circle have a large area in common, communication is easy. If the experience
of source and destination have been strikingly dissimilar it is difficult to get an
intended meaning across from one to the other. If the fields of experience of the
sender and the receiver are similar the message becomes the focal point of
congruence establishing total communication.
COMMUNICATION: PERSPECTIVES, MODELS AND THEORIES
Communication is sharing information or providing entertainment by
speaking writing or in other methods; People communicate in much way including
talking by moving their hands and even by gestures. People also use telephone calls
and letters for personal communication.
Mass communication is another important type of communication to send message
to large audience. Books are one of the oldest methods of mass-communication.
Television is one of the networks. Newspaper and Radio are other ways that
information can be sent to many people.
MAJOR PERSPECTIVE
Human Communication must be viewed within at least five major perspectives:
1. Communication is a semantic process it is dependent upon symbols and rules
for their use that have been selected by a given language community.
2. It is neurobiological process in which meaning for particular symbols are
recorded in the memory functions of individuals. Thus the central nervous
system plays a key role in the storage and retrieval of internals meaning
experiences.
3. It is psychological process the meaning of words on other symbols to a given
individual is acquired through learning. Such meaning play a central part in
perceiving the word and responding to it.
4. Human communication is a cultural process langu8cage is a set of cultural
conventions i.e. the language of any society is a set of postures, gesture,
symbols and their arrangements that have shared or agreed upon
interpretations.
5. Communication is a social process it is the principal means, by which human
beings are able to interact in meaningful ways. Thus through symbolic
interchange, human beings can play roles, understand the norms of a group,
apply social sanctions and appraise each others actions within a system of
shared values. This integration of perspectives shows once again how
indispensable communication is to human beings;
IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
1. Communication established a favorable climate in which development can
takes place.
2. Communication has multiplier effect.
3. Communication raises the aspirations of the people.
4. Communication is essential for all human activities.
5. Communication is essential for good leadership.
CHARACTERISTICS OR ATTRIBUTES OF COMMUNICATION AS A
PROCESS
1. DYNAMIC
Communication has an ever changing character. It fluctuates constantly, has no
clear beginning and ending.
2. SYSTEMIC
Communication should be recognized as a system that consists of a group of
elements which interact to influence each other and the system as a whole.
3. INTERACTION THROUGH SYSMBOLS
What is essential to communication is that symbols should arouse in one what it
arouses in another The language or symbol we select and the way in which we
organize them affect how others will interpret our messages.
4. MEANING IS PERSONALLY CONSTUCTED
Each of us generates an individual meaning from communication on the basis of our
past experience and our ways of interpreting others. No two people construct the
same meaning even if they hear or see the same thing. We must interpret another
persons message before we can respond and our interpretations are bound by our
experience thoughts feeling needs expectations self concepts goals and knowledge of
these with whom we communicates. Each of us is unique ways. This is why we say
that meanings are in people now in words.
BASIC ELEMENTS OF THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS
1. Communication/source/sender
2. Message
3. Treatment
4. Channel
5. Communicatee/Recevier/audience
6. Response
7. Feed back
8. Noise/Distortion
BASIC MODELS OF COMMUNICATION
Model is a simplified graphic presentation of ideas
1. Aristoles Model
Three elements are necessary in the communication process
a. Speaker : The person who speaks
b. Speech
: The speech that he produces
c. Audience: The person who listens.
2. Laswells Model (1948)
The sequence of the act of communication is who says- what- in which channel- to
whom- with what effects?
3. Leagans Model (1961)
Communicators-message-channel-treatment-audience-=audience response
4. Berlos Model (1960)
According to Berlos the Ingredients in a communication process include

They communication source

Message

Channel

Decoder

Receiver
SCOPE OF COMMUNICATION
1. Intrapersonal is talking with self as in thinking.
2. Interpersonal is Face to Face communication between two or more people.
3. Mass communication: Refers to the use of print, Radio, TV and other forms
of media in addressing a public mass.
4. Non-Verbal communication: refers to use of gestures. Social expressions etc.
TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
There are two major types of communication. They are verbal and nonverbal communication. All communications other than those of written or spoken
word which impart meaning to an individual or group are called as non-verbal
communication. These messages are expressed by other than linguistic means.
THEORIES OF COMMUNICATION: AN OVERVIEW
The theories of communication can be classified into two three groups namely:
1. Theories of interpersonal Communication
2. Theories of Mass Communication
3. Theories of Communication Distortion
The Theories of Mass Communication are:
1. Hypodermic needle model
2. one step flow model
3. Two step flow model
4. Multistep flow model
5. Theory of mass media effects
6. Theory of individual difference
7. Psychodynamic model of persuasion process
8. Theory of social categories
9. Theory of social relationship
10. Socio-cultural model of persuasion process
11. Press theory
12. Social Responsibility theory
13. Development media theory
14. Democratic participant media theory.
Several models have been conceptualized to explain the flow of message from the
communicator to the mass audience. Based on the number of steps involved in the
flow of message between sender and receiver/theories like hypodermic needle, one
step flow, two step flow and multiple flow are conceived. The response to mass
media message is said to occur in line with the Psychological makeup of the
individuals was taken as the assumption as per the theory of individual differences.
Psychodynamic model explains about the relation between internal processes
and manifest over behavior of the persuader. Theory of social category emphasizes
that people who have a number of similar characteristics are likely to have similar
orientation and behavior resulting in a fairly uniform response to mass media. Free
press theory stresses that the act of publication and distribution should be open to
the audience and no restriction should be placed in the publication of news items,
social responsibility theory states that media should accept and fulfill certain
obligations to society. Development media theory states that media should accept
and carryout positive development tasks in line with nationally established policy,
The central theory lies with the needs, interests and aspiration of receiver in a
political theory, Theories of communication Distortion are
1. Theory of Communication distortion 2. Theory of communication distortion
in transit.
The first one states that larger the volume of communication, larger would be
the communication distrortation. Increasing the volumes of communication
increases more chances for misunderstanding, misinterpretation, less concentration
and low priority ties.
The second one emphasizes that messages pass through many layers in an
organization. Therefore repetition and reproduction of the same message is
multiplied into many which reduces the efficiency of communication.
The overview of communication theories suggests that communication can be
describes in term of network, which give the observer some indication of who is
communicating with whom it can also be described in terms of the types of
interactions which are occurring among communicators. Further, it can be
described in terms of messages transactions, which indicates how the elements of
communication combine to produce a unique unrepeatable event. It can be also
viewed from the point of view of individual gathering information as he passes
through his environment.
Advertising
Advertising is a powerful and the most difficult form of communication. It is a
vital marketing tool that facilitates the selling of products, service and even the
change of attitudes at large on social issues for the benefits of societies at large.
The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines advertising as any paid
form non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods and services by
an identified sponsor.
Comprehensively, advertising can be defined as a controlled group of activities
for mass communication which aims at inducting dissemination of information
in either paid or unpaid non personal form concerning an idea, product or
service to bring about action in accordance with the goal and intent of an
advertiser.
The elements in the advertising can be listed as follows:
Communications, persuasion, economic growth, stimulate competition, raises
standard of living and finances mass media.
Applications
Advertising helps in achieving a number of objectives, they are
1. To increase sales
2. To introduce a new product
3.
To create an awareness of an interest in company’s products/services
4. 4 To sustain an established product in the market price
5. To increase market share
6. To create favorable impression about the image of a company or an
institution
7. To promote a public cause.
Elements of Advertising Communication
Advertising is a form of Communication. It takes the form of who says-whatin what-channel-to whom and with what effect.
CONCEPT OF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION
The concept of development communication has now been adopted by almost all the
countries of the third world. It is all about to inform, motivate and influence all
sectors and levels of peoples of a developing country to use hitherto unfamiliar
ideas, skills and instruments, thus adding the long neglected social component
without which the process of development remains demand. Thus importance of
communication as a tool to motivate and persuade people for eliciting positive
response to various developmental ideas grew manifold.
According to braid (1980) development communication was used to mean the
employment of various communication channels mass media, interpersonal and
group. Technologies, delivery system, print, electronic, audio, visual,training person
to person in combination of each other for the purpose of sending message to
promote, persuade, motivate and eventually induce behavioral change contributing
to attaining macro goals of a particular development programe.
Development communication is now being applied in almost all field of development
agriculture and health included. Development communication is intended to fill the
yarning communication effect gap that exists today between the development
researchers and personal. Agricultural scientist have fairly succeeded in developing
more effective methods of cultivation but significantly failed to take the new
technology to the rural people.
CONCEPT OF COMMUNICATION
Mans need for communication is as basic as his need for his many activities.
Communication is a tool a means a process and is crucial to the adoption of
innovation by a community. Interacting, sharing and understanding are ideas that
crop up in any attempt to define communication.
The word communication comes from the Latin word communis meaning common.
This implies that when we communicate we are trying t establish commonality with
someone through message. In essence it is a process of getting a source and a
receiver tuned together for a particular message or a series of messages.
Definition of communication
Leagans 1960
1. Communication is the process by which two or more people exchange ideas,
facts, feeling or impressions in ways that each gains a common
understanding of the meaning, intent and use of message.
Rogers – 1983
2. Communication is the process by which the messages are transmitted from
the source to the receiver.
IRRI Publication on Communication Process – 1992
3. Communication is the process by which a source sends a message to a
receiver by means of some channels in order to produce a response from the
receiver in accordance with the intention of the source.
Kieffer & Cochran
4. Communication is a give and take of ideas which blends into a mutual
understanding of a theory, principal or facts.
Winfield
5. Communication means the movement of knowledge to people in such ways
that they act on that knowledge to achieve some useful results.
BASIC FUNCTIONS
Communication has four basic functions:
1. Information function- The basic requirement of adopting and adjusting
oneself to the environment is information.
2. Command or Instructive function- Those who are hierarchically superior, in
the family, society or organization, often initiate communication for the
purpose of information their subordinates.
3. Influence or persuasive function – The sole purpose of communication is to
influence people, which is extremely important for extension in changing
their behavior in the desirable direction.
4. Integrative at the interpersonal or at the organizational level helps to
maintain individual or organizational stability and identity.
MEDIA TRENDS COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES
1. Print Media
2. Radio
3. Television
4. Other electronic Gadgets
ADVANCES IN COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
1. Satellite Communication
2. Information Management
3. Information Technology
4. Information Technology : Extensions Future
5. Micro Computers
6. Expert System
7. Multimedia / Interactive System
8. Interactive Computer Video Technology
9. Interactive Video Disk
10. CD-ROM Technology
11. Audio Conferencing
12. Computer Conferencing
13. Video Conferencing
14. Electronic Mail
15. Electronic Transactions
16. Desk Top Publishing
17. Personal Computers
18. Information Shops
19. Integrated Information System
ORIGIN
The word communication comes from the latin communis meaning common. This
implies that when we are communicate we are trying to establish commonality with
someone through a message communication then, is a conscious attempt to establish
commonality over some idea, fact felling and the like with others. In essence, it is a
process of getting a source and a receiver turned together for a particular message
or a series of messages.
NATURE OF COMMUNICATION
1. Communication is a process
A process is any phenomenon which shows a continuous change in time or
any continuous operation or treatment. In this context communication is a
process where in the act of communication is constantly changing as the
communication proceeds.
2.
Communication employs many means
Communication employs many means, at many levels, for many reasons
with people, in many ways.
(eg) written communication with authority structure. Telephone
communication with the task structure face to face communication with the
personal touch.
3. Communication involves interdependence
Interdependence may be defined as a reciprocal and mutual dependence.
Communication is usually a two-may process involving stimulus and
response and hence is both reciprocal and alternating.
4. Communication process comprise a number of distinguishable parts:
It involves at least three simplest phases, ie, expression, interpretation and
res-ponse.
5.
Communication take place within participants: like learning communication
also takes place with in participants as well as between them.
6.
Communication takes place at many levels: According to Thayer(1986),
there are at least four different levels of analysis or points of focus from
which communication may be viewed.
These levels are intro-personal, interpersonal, organizational and inter
organizational communication.
7. Fidelity varies from one communication situation to another perfect
communication is seldom. If ever, achieved communication effectiveness
varies from one communication situation to another.
PURPOSE OF COMMUNICATION
Schramm (1964) described the purpose of communication as a immediate
reward and a delayed reward. He suggested that individuals are reward
immediately on receiving or producing some kind of message. Both these are
consummatory purposes.
Festinger (1957) described the purpose of communication as
consummatory and instrumental.
According to Berlo (1960), the sole purposed of communication is to
influence. According to him we communicate to influence to effect with intent.
DEVELOPMENTAL USES OF COMMUNICATION
1. Communication jelps to enlarge mental horizons.
2. It can be used to raise levels of aspiration.
3. Through communication attention can be focused on problems having a
bearing on the contemporary developmental context.
4. It can be effectively employed to build consensus on the new economic and
cultural goals and on the intrumentalities of achieving them.
5. Through imaginative communication, experimentation can be encouraged
and knowledge relating ti their success and failure can be widely diffused.
6. It can also be utilized to teach specific skills and techniques.
To sum up, communication can play a powerful role in nation building and
development and can contribute significantly to bring about social change in
the desired direction.
COMMUNICATION IN DEVELOPING SOCIETIES
In the developing socities interpersonal networks of communication continue to be
strong. Face to face communication carried a considerable volume of message. In
fact that credibility of this channel is the most well established and the messages
conveyed through the non-traditional mass media invariably require its seed of
approval. Much of the information in these societies is conveyed in face to face
interaction. Studies in India suggest that messages originally received via the mass
media get substantial diffusion through the interpersonal networks. These networks
are also engaged in a continuous surveillance of the environment.
Along side of the interpersonal network the traditional media occupy an important
place though modern education and the inroads made by the mass media have
diminished their power in some respects.
COMMUNICATION THEORIES
1. Greek theory of communication
2. Mathematical theory of communication
3. Linguistic theory of communication
4. Psycholinguistic theory
5. Sociolinguistic theory
6. Greek theory of communication
7. Mathematical theory
8. Linguistic theory of communication
9. Psycholinguistic theory
10. Sociolinguistic theory
11. Theories of Mass media effects
12. Theory of individual differences
13. Theory of Social categories
14. Theory of Social relationship
15. Models of Mass Communication
16. Two step flow model
17. Distortion in communication
18. Reasons for communication distortion
19. Theories of communication distortion
20. Theory of communication distortion in transmit