Introduction to Communication

Origin of Communication can be traced back to the beginning of the universe itself.  The Bible says, “In the beginning, there was Word and Word was God”. According to the Indian tradition, the world emerged from‘Om’(Word) and it is equated with ‘Brahman’. Communication is one of the elemental and primal factors connected with the universe and human existence. As such, it is a universal phenomenon.  It is not limited to human beings alone. All living things communicate to one another.Animals, birds and all types of creatures communicate with one another through their own modes. The chirping of birds, the croaking of frogs and the visual and olfactory signs and signals like the dance of the honey bee are different forms of communication. All living creatures from worms to apes do communicate and it is vital for their existence.

Though Communication is a universal phenomenon, generally communication is referred to as a human activity.Itis an indispensable part of human existence. The need to communicate is as essential for man as his need to breath, to eat, to drink, and to sleep. A secluded existence without chances and facilities for communication, is the cruellest retribution that can be meted out to anyone. He can never live in isolation like a Robinson Crusoe. More than mere exchange of messages, Communication is a socio cultural necessity and function.

Communication in its simplest sense is the exchange of ideas, facts, feelings or impressions. In general, communication is defined as the transmission of message or idea from sender to receiver. Thus the process of communication involves three basic elements: the sender, message and the receiver.The sender may be a person or a group who exchanges thoughts or ideasto a receiver. The receiver may also be an individual or a group of individuals who receives the message. Communication inevitably comprises a message that is sent, received and understood. If the receiver does not understand the message, there is no point in communicating the message. So, for a communication to take place, the message should be clear and it should be understood by the receiver.

Sender → Message → Receiver

The word communication is derived from the Latin noun ‘communis’ and the Latin verb ‘communicare’ which means ‘to make common’. The very purpose of communication is to establish some kind of commonness among the participants. Through communication, both sender and receiver enter into an agreement or consensus and they fulfill a purpose or goal, which may be transmission of an idea or a fact. Communication, thus helps to develop, maintain and improve relationships. Though communication is often interchangeably used with information, they are really different concepts. Information is just a unilateral transmission or translation of a message from an emitter to a receiver. It can be a component involved in the process of communication. Communication, on the other hand refers to a human relationship and an experience.