We hear only half of what is said to us, understand only half of that, belief only half of that and remember only half of that’ - Kathy Walker

Communication is the exchange of information between entities, such as people, animals or even machines. Information is sent out that someone or something senses, processes and interprets. A response may be given, resulting in a back-and-forth communication.

The word communication is derived from the Latin word ‘communicare’ meaning to share or impart and to make common (Commonness).

Barriers of communication

There are several barriers of communication which can be classified as physical, mental, cultural etc. Some of them are listed below.

1. Not/Not proper understanding the language  
2. Verbal and non-verbal messages are in a different language.
3. Not knowing the history of the occasion, relationship, or culture.
4. Intentionally delivering an obscure or confusing message.
5. Inadequate attention to processing a message.
6. In asynchronous communication, neglecting to give immediate feedback may lead to larger misunderstandings.
7. Time factor: There is not enough time to communicate with everyone.
8. Physical barriers to the transmission of messages, such as noises, facing the wrong way, talking too softly, spatial problems and physical distance.
9. Hearing loss and various brain conditions can hamper communication and such medical issues.
10. World-views may discourage one person from listening to another.

11. Fear and anxiety associated with communication is known by some Psychologists as communication apprehension. More over communication can be impaired via processes such as bypassing, indiscrimination, polarisation etc.

Some barriers in class room communication:


    Physiological: like hearing problem
    Rapid thought
    Physical distractions
    Message overload
    Attitudinal barriers like egocentrism, faulty assumption, preoccupation etc.

Communication Process/Model

As we said communication process is the sending and receiving process of ideas among human beings. The communication process begins with the sender and ends with the receiver.

There are ten stages in communication process:

From the sender part the stages are:
1. An urge for communication
2. Formation of idea
3. Selection of Media
4. Encoding
5. expression
From the media side
6. Transmission
From the receiver end it is
7. Reception
8. Decoding
9. Understanding
10. Feedback

Feedback is a key component in the communication process because it allows the sender to evaluate the effectiveness of the message. Feedback ultimately provides an opportunity for the sender to take corrective action to clarify a misunderstood message.

Social scientists Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver structured this model based on the following elements:

1. An information source, which produces a message.
2. A message which is both sent by the information source and received by the destination
3. A transmitter, which encodes the message into signals
4. A channel, to which signals are adapted for transmission
5. The signal, which flows through a channel. There may be multiple parallel signals, as is the case in face-to-face interaction where sound and gesture involve different signal systems that depend on different channels and modes of transmission.
6. A receiver, which 'decodes' (reconstructs) the message from the signal.
7. Noise, in the form of secondary signals that obscure or confuse the signal carried
8. A destination, where the message arrives.

Types of Communication

1. Intra personal Communication: Communications within our mind
2. Inter personal Communication: Communication between two persons
3. Group/Mass Communication: communications in mass society, or with very large numbers of people, through various mass media, which is a term used to denote, as a class, that section of the media specifically conceived and designed to reach very large audiences

It can also be classified as Verbal / Non verbal Communication, oral / written or formal/informal.

Effective Communication:

A good working definition for effective communication is to share meaning and understanding between the person sending the message and the person receiving the message. The key element is “understanding.” The ability to effectively communicate is a critical skill. The more you become an effective communicator the more likely you are to achieve what you want. Remember, you can improve your communication skills by observing people who communicate effectively, learning new skills, and practicing those skills.

 There are 5 steps for effective communication in a class room

1. Show the readiness to listen students their ideas and thoughts
2. Use different paraphrasing techniques
3. Ask relevant open ended questions frequently
4. put together every thing by summerising

5. Make your own statements, suggestions and opinions.

Now examine some questions
Now we can discuss some frequently asked questions, related to communication:

a. Which of the following would be a part of mass communication?
a)e-mail, b) intranet, c) Radio, d) telephone
Answer is C

b. While teacher is speaking but a child seems to be thinking some other things, what kind of barrier to communication is being encountered
a)Physiological, b) Psychological, c) Attitudinal, d) Environmental
Answer is A

c. The basic elements of communication are
a)source and receiver, b) interference, c) encoding and decoding, d) all the above
Answer is A

d. Which of the following will make communication more effective?
a)cutting jokes in between, b) using multi sensory appeal, c) speaking with high authority, d) telling what is useful to others
Answer is B

e. Communication in the class room often fails because:
a)the students are not attentive, b) teacher is monotonous while lecturing, c) students have no interest in the topic, d) very much noise in and around the class room
Answer is D

f. The facial expression of student relate to which element of communication process?
a)Sender, b) Receiver, c) Message, d) Channel
Answer is B

g. An effective communication does not require:
a)change in speech pattern, b) appropriate gestures, c) mastery of content, d) handsome personality
Answer is D

h. One will be an effective communicator if one
a)is a humorous speaker, b) has histrionic talents, c) is very clear about what one communicates, d) communicate in one’s mother tongue
Answer is C

i. Effective communication will make the receiver
a)enjoy it, b) accept it, c) pass it on to others, d) think about it
Answer is A

j. Characteristics of all informal and formal communications are:
a)same, b) unstructured, c) structured, d) different
Answer is A