In communication, what is known as the process wherein the message is interpreted by the receiver?

Conveying a message to other people clearly might sound simple, but it's a process that is often fraught with error.

Many people struggle to communicate effectively – verbally and in writing. They impart thoughts and ideas that don't reflect their intended meaning, and that their recipients misinterpret or misunderstand.

This can result in confusion, frustration, wasted effort, and missed opportunities. Communication breaks down, causing collaboration and progress to become impossible.

Research shows that good communication is one of the top "soft" skills that managers look for in employees. But communication will only ever be successful when both the person sending the message and the person receiving it understand the key messages being put across.

In this article and in the video below, we look at how to make your communications foolproof using a seven-step framework known as the Communications Process.

Are you struggling to get your meaning across?

How Do We Communicate?

Did you know that any time that you communicate with another person, you are using the Communications Process (see figure 1, below)?

It stands to reason then that understanding this process will help you to become more aware of what is happening as you communicate, and the things you can do to ensure that your message gets received "loud and clear."

To be an effective communicator, you need to make sure that your messages are clear, concise, accurate, and well planned. This will avoid misunderstanding and ensure that they get through each stage of the Communications Process without a hitch.

Let's take a look at the seven stages of the process in more detail:

1. Source

The "source" is the sender of the message – in other words, you! And the "message" refers to the information and ideas that you want to deliver.

You need to be clear about what message you want to communicate, and why it's important – what's its main purpose? And, moreover, why should anyone care? You also need to be confident that the information that you impart is useful and accurate.

2. Encoding

This stage involves putting your message into a format that you can send, and that the receiver will be able to easily understand or "decode." Your success will depend on your ability to convey information clearly and simply, and to eliminate areas of confusion.

For example, be aware of any cultural mismatch between you and your recipient. Also, avoid making assumptions about the receiver's existing knowledge of the subject. You might know the "ins and outs" of what you're talking about, but he or she probably won't. Lastly, steer clear of gaps in the information that require a "mental leap."

A key part of being a successful encoder is knowing your audience. Failure to understand and respect who it includes will likely result in your message "falling flat," and being misunderstood, dismissed or even ignored.

3. Channel

There are countless different channels that you can use to send your message.

Verbal communications channels include face-to-face meetings, telephone and videoconferencing. While written communications include letters, reports, emails, instant messaging (IM), and social media posts. You might also want to include videos, photos, illustrations, or charts and graphs in your message to emphasize your main points.

Different channels have different strengths and weaknesses. For example, it's not particularly effective to give a long list of directions verbally, and you'll be better off delivering sensitive feedback in person, rather than via email.

So, choose the channel that you use carefully. Our article, Tune Your Communication, can help you to do this.

4. Decoding

Successfully decoding a message is as much a skill as encoding it is. To accurately decode a message, you need to take the time to read through it carefully, or to listen actively to it.

Confusion will most likely occur at this stage of the Communications Process, though that doesn't mean it will always be the decoders fault. He might lack sufficient background knowledge to understand the message, or he might not understand the specific jargon or technical language that you are using. It's therefore essential that you tackle issues like these at the encoding stage.

5. Receiver

No doubt, you'll want your audience members to react in a certain way or take a specific action in response to your message. Remember, though, that each person is different, and will interpret it subjectively.

Every receiver who enters into the Communication Process brings with them their own ideas and feelings that influence their understanding of your message, and their response to it.

That means it's your job, as the sender, to take these ideas and feelings into consideration when drawing up your message. To do this effectively, brush up on your emotional intelligence and empathy skills.

6. Feedback

Your audience will likely give you feedback as soon as it's seen or heard your message. This might include verbal or nonverbal reactions. Pay close attention to these, as they will reveal whether your audience truly understood your message.

If you find that there has been a misunderstanding, try to adapt the message. For instance, if you're talking about a complex subject, find a simpler way to communicate it. Could you break it down into steps, or remove technical jargon? This will make it easier for everyone in your audience to grasp the subject matter, no matter their background knowledge.

7. Context

The "context" is the situation in which you deliver your message. This may include the current political and social environment, or the broader culture (for instance, the corporate culture or the national culture.)

For further tips on how to organize and present your messages clearly and accurately, see our article, The Communication Cycle.

How to Remove Barriers From the Communication Process

Barriers to communication can pop up at any stage of the process. So, to deliver your messages effectively, you must break these down.

Let's begin with the message itself. If your message is too lengthy, disorganized, or is full of jargon or errors, it'll likely be misunderstood and misinterpreted – it might even make your recipient confused or angry! Using poor verbal or body language can also muddle the message that you're trying to send.

Contextual barriers tend to stem from offering too much information, too fast. So, remember that often "less is more." Be mindful of the demands on other people's time, especially given today's ultra-busy society.

Finally, put your message into context. Make sure that you know your audience's culture. This will help you to converse with and to deliver your message to people that have different backgrounds and cultures than you.

The ability to communicate clearly and effectively has become an increasingly sought-after skill in the workplace. Despite this, it's one that many people struggle with.

You can become a more capable communicator by gaining a better understanding of the Communications Process – that is the process we go through each time that we communicate with someone. It includes seven stages:

1. Source.
2. Encoding.
3. Channel.
4. Decoding.
5. Receiver.
6. Feedback.
7. Context.

In the communication process, the "receiver" is the listener, reader, or observer—that is, the individual (or the group of individuals) to whom a message is directed. The receiver is also called the "audience" or decoder.

The person who initiates a message in the communication process is called the "sender." Put simply, an "effective" message is one that's received in the way that the sender intended. Problems can arise on both ends that prevent the intended message from getting through to the receiver.

For example, Paige asks Bill a question verbally. The message travels through the air, the "channel," to Bill's ears. He responds. Paige is the sender, the question is the message, and Bill is the receiver and gives Paige feedback by answering the question.

Myriad areas and ways exist where problems could arise even in this short exchange. If Paige whispers, Bill might not hear it. Maybe he hears only a portion of it and responds to a question that wasn't actually asked, and so Paige is confused. Maybe there's background noise, or the question isn't clear. If Bill is distracted by something and not paying attention, he might miss some of the words and respond inappropriately—or he might miss the question entirely so that the exchange needs to begin again. If he's not looking at Paige when she asks the question, he would miss any body language that would provide subtext to the question.

If Paige sends an email or text message to Bill, problems might arise because Bill doesn't have Paige's body language or tone of voice to interpret, which could add information to the message. Autocorrect might have inserted errors into the text, or a missing question mark might make a question seem like a statement.

These are all hindrances to effective communication. The degree of effectiveness is determined by how much of the message is understood by the receiver.

In the book, "Business Communication," authors Carol M. Lehman and Debbie D. DuFrene lay it out this way:

"The receiver's task is to interpret the sender's message, both verbal and nonverbal, with as little distortion as possible. The process of interpreting the message is known as decoding. Because words and nonverbal signals have different meanings to different people, countless problems can occur at this point in the communication process:

"The sender inadequately encodes the original message with words not present in the receiver's vocabulary; ambiguous, nonspecific ideas; or nonverbal signals that distract the receiver or contradict the verbal message.

• The receiver is intimidated by the position or authority of the sender, resulting in a tension that prevents effective concentration on the message and failure to ask for needed clarification.
• The receiver prejudges the topic as too boring or difficult to understand and does not attempt to understand the message.
• The receiver is close-minded and unreceptive to new and different ideas.

"With the infinite number of breakdowns possible at each stage of the communication process, it is indeed a miracle that effective communication ever occurs."

Even the environment or the receiver's emotional state can affect the decoding of the message, for example, distractions in the room, discomfort on the part of the receiver, or stress or anxiety that allow the receiver to insert subtext that the sender didn't intend. Knowledge of social or cultural contexts can hinder the receiver from picking up cues or responding appropriately as well. Relational contexts can color a message, too, as messages from close friends could be received differently than a message from a work supervisor.

When it's not clear to the sender that understanding has occurred on the part of the receiver, communication continues, for example, through follow-up questions from either party, further discussion, or the sender giving examples, rephrasing the information, or other means of clarification to get the sender and receiver on the same so-called "wavelength." In a presentation, the sender might show charts or images to make a point more clear to the audience or reader.

The more cues and channels that the receiver has and is open to receiving is often better; for example, it can be easy to misconstrue tone or subtext in an email or text message, while that same message would come through clearly if the receiver hears the person's voice or is speaking with them face to face. 

In the book, "Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating Targeted Communication Programs," authors Gary W. Selnow and William D. Crano note that body language and tone aren't just communication on the sender's side: "Feedback in the interpersonal setting provides a running account of a receiver's reception of a message. Obvious cues such as direct questions show how well a receiver is processing the information. But subtle indicators also may provide information. For instance, a receiver's yawn, silence when comments are expected, or expressions of boredom suggest that selective exposure gates may be in operation."

A receiver also may have tone and subtext in the feedback given to the sender, such as responding with sarcasm or anger, which might be missed if the feedback is text-only but likely would not be missed if the parties can either see or hear each other or both.