Communication Process

communication is the processs which is successful communication between more unknown members.

There are many models theorized to capture the communication process, the linear model by Shannon and Weaver, the interactive model, and the transactive model. In all cases of communication, a successful communication process occurs when the receiver understands the message just as the sender understood it.

The elements of the communication process are:

• Input. The sender has an intention to communicate with another person. This intention makes up the content of the message.
• Sender. The sender encodes the message, e.g. the idea of "piece of furniture to sit on." Thus he gives expression to the content.
• Channel. The message is sent via a channel, which can be made of a variety of materials. In acoustic communication it consists of air, in written communication of paper or other writing materials.
• Noise. The channel is subjected to various sources of noise. One example is telephone communication, where numerous secondary sounds are audible. Even a solid channel such as paper can be crushed or stained. Such phenomena are also noise in the communicative sense.
• Receiver. The receiver decodes the incoming message, or expression. He "translates" it and thus receives the
• Output. This is the content decoded by the receiver.
• Fields of Response. In the process, the relevance of a code becomes obvious: The codes of the sender and receiver must have at least a certain set in common in order to make communication work. That frame of reference is the sum of experiences in the form of each person's knowledge, beliefs and values. Our frame of reference is also greatly influenced by the culture to which we belong. On the basis of that body of personal knowledge, each member of the audience decodes the message. As members of the audience differ, so will their interpretations of what they hear.

Written communication such as ancient texts including the Bible is a linear process in which there is no feedback loop to allow for correction. Also, given the factors of culture, history, geography, and language, the more the receiver shares in these elements, the higher the probability of a successful communication process. When the sender and receiver do not share the same culture, historical time period, or geographical location, or language, the probability of a successful communication process is low.

Let's now put things into perspective. Ancient texts such as the Bible were written by those senders whose fields of experience are vastly different than modern receivers. We do not share the same history, geography, or language and there is no feedback given to the sender to allow for error correction. Noise is the enemy of information. For Shannon and Weaver, noise is more than an irritating sound or static on the line. It is anything added to the signal that’s not intended by the source. Here is where the effects of a translation come into play. A translation is a major source of noise, where unintended meanings have a high probability of occurring. It no wonder that there are so many understandings, sects, denominations, and wars due to this miscommunication process.

A successful communication process occurs when the Receiver understands the message just as the Sender understood it.

As the fields of experience (language, culture, history, geography) overlap, a higher probability of a successful communication process occurs. It is incumbent upon the receiver to learn as much as possible about the field of experience of the ancient writers to best understand the message. This includes learning about the ancient histories, geography, and languages of the Biblical writers and to be able to work with the texts in their original languages assisted by cultural, historical, and geographical knowledge. This is a very formidable task.

British playwright George Bernard Shaw once quoted England and America are two countries separated by the same language. Recent events such as Tiger Wood's innocuous statement the 2006 Master's referring to himself as a "spazz" and Ben & Jerry's "black and tan" ice cream demonstrates how important the fields of experience must overlap geographically, historically, and culturally despite having the same language.