Communication Theory
Communication theory entails an information field that analyses information procedures and processes. Communication entails the practice of conveying information by exchanging or transferring ideas, expectations, commands, nonverbal gestures, intentions, attitudes, and perceptions. It entails the appropriate exchange of information among several parties. Effective communication involves several issues; sender, recipient, medium and message. The sender develops the information and conveys it, even if the receiver is not aware of the intention. Communication takes place across diverse areas and issues. For information to be effectively conveyed, the sender and the receiver must possess a communicative commonality. The process of communication is considered effective when the recipient understands the message that originated from the sender.
The origin is related to the introductions of information theory during the 1920s. During that period, inadequate information theory existed, through the developments of Bell labs. The insufficient information concepts assumed equal probability concepts. Certain Factors affecting telegraph Speed authored in 1924 by Harry Nyquist, illustrated theoretical issues of line speed and intelligence that is transmitted through a communication system. Transmission of Information authored in 1928 by Ralph Hartley represents information as a quantity that is subject to measurements. The measurements show the ability of the receiver to separate the symbol sequences. The unit of information measurement was the decimal unit; this was later changed to Hartley. In 1940, statistical analysis was applied by Alan Turing during Second World War to understand the German enigma ciphers.
The key issue that led to introduction of the communication theory is the 1948 Bell System Technical Journal article written by Claude Shannon. The title of the article was “A Mathematical Theory of Communication.” The article focused on the best approaches of encoding information. The approaches illustrated the basic concepts of communication theory which is applied. Shannon formulated the information entropy that illustrates the levels of message uncertainty. In 1949, Shannon declassified the theory of cryptography in the work “Communication Theory of Secrecy System.” He showed that the unbreakable theoretical ciphers should possess common requirements to the one-time pad. He also formulated the sampling theory that illustrates continuous signals involving uniform samples. The theory proved significant in developing telecommunications from the analogue to the digital approaches of transmission after the 1960s duration. During 1951, Shannon contributed significantly towards natural language processing and also the computational linguistics through the literary work “Prediction and Entropy of written English.” The literary works illustrated a quantifiable connection among probabilistic cognition and the cultural practice.
Communication Models
The studies by Shannon, Warren and other researchers formulated the communication models from several scientific concepts including sociology and psychology. Model in scientific field illustrate theoretical framework or structure. The work of Shannon and Weaver was very significant in enhancing communication especially in the engineering and computing field. Harold Lasswell, a communication and political theorist, in 1948 developed “The Structure and Function of Communication in Society.” he explained that the communication process involves; who, what, what channel, and what effect. The model developed by Harold is referred to as the Dance model. The initial analysis of the communication models enhanced more research on the subject. Wilbur Lang commonly referred to as the initiator of communication studies, concentrated his analysis on the general communication process experienced by the sender and receiver of message. Communication is effective when the sender and the receiver have a common language. This concept greatly enhanced the communication studies development.
David Kenneth in 1960 further analyzed the linear communication model developed by Shannon and Weaver. The further analysis developed the Sender-Message-Channel-Receiver (SMCR) communication model. The model is adequately describes in the literary work of David titled “The Process of Communication.” In the communication process, information is subjected to regulatory process, which enables the subject to adequately analyze the living environment. This increases the ability and effectiveness of communication. Richard Whatley during 1963 authored “Elements of Rhetoric” that critically analyzed several communication processes. The author greatly analyzed the communication models that are viewed as Aristotelian. James Kinneavy in 1971 also critically analyzed the Aristotle communication rhetoric in the work “A Theory of Discourse.”
Communication Steps and Cycle
The communication process mainly entails three basic steps; thought, encoding, and decoding. The thought aspect illustrates that information initially occurs in the thoughts of the sender. This is through ideas, thoughts, feelings, information or concepts. Encoding process entails transmission of the message in appropriate words and symbols. Decoding is the final step, and it illustrates the ability of the receiver in understanding the words and symbols. The simple communication model; the information is transmitted in an appropriate form from a sender to a receiver. This simple model basically illustrates that sending and receiving of message. The key aspects of this communication model is that it is basic, general and can be quantified.
Social scientists like Shannon and Weaver, explain the simple communication model according to several elements. The first element is the source. The source is responsible for generating the message or information that is to be transmitted. The second element is the sender. The sender illustrates the transmitter who puts the message in an appropriate form for transmission through a specified channel. The third element is the channel. The channel is the medium that is applied in transmitting information signals from the sender to the receiver. The fourth element is the receiver. The receiver is responsible for reconstructing or decoding the message sent by the transmitter. The receiver engages in inverse activities from that performed by the sender. The fifth communication element entails the destination. The destination describes the individual or people who benefit directly from the received message. The information is intended for the direct usage or analysis by the destination parties. The sixth element is the message. Message refers to information, idea or concept that is transmitted through verbal, visual or written approaches, to the recipient. The seventh element entails feedback. Feedback is the response that the message receiver sends back to the sender of the message. The feedback can entail clarification of the meaning of the received message, agreement or disapproval with the received message, or even further provision of appropriate answers for enquiries or questions. The eight elements in the communication process involve the entropic aspects. The aspects are the factors that affect the communication process. The factors can either be positive or negative. A positive factor that enhances the communication process can include technological development. Adoption of appropriate communication technology can improve the speed of message transmission. A negative factor that affects the communication process can be referred to as noise. Noise limits the effectiveness of the communication process; for instance, reducing the clarity of the message, slowing the speed of message transmission, or even terminating message transmission.
