On a day-to-day basis, we communicate with people. Communication is essential to exchange thoughts, beliefs, ideas, etc.

A competent communicator possesses the following principles:

  • They should keep organized.
  • They should use music and pictures to make themselves clearer to the audience.
  • They should not play an authoritarian role and force their words on the audience.
  • They must modify themselves to the methods of communication.

Types of Communication

Communication is of two forms verbal and non-verbal. Any communication which makes use of language is considered verbal communication. This language may either be spoken or written in nature.

Hence the phrase verbal communication is separated into two divisions - oral and written. On the other side, non-verbal communication uses sign language and body language to transmit the message or concept to others.

The Process of Communication

The communication process occurs when the sender participates in sharing the message with the recipient. The communication process requires five components - the sender, the receiver, the channel, the message, the feedback.

A sender and a receiver are the fundamental criteria to communicate a message. Senders are the ones who send messages. They arrive at the beginning of the communication process. While on the other side, everyone who gets the message is referred to be a receiver. S/he stands at the opposite end of the procedure.

Every communication that a sender sends and a receiver receives passes via a channel. The medium of the message is how the communication takes place. The channel plays an essential part in establishing the necessity for communication. It also assists in shaping the message so that it matches correctly with the channel. For example, the telephone functions as a communication conduit in a telephonic discussion.

It is sometimes owing to difficulties of technicality in the channel, the message that is sent through exhibits some error while being received by the recipient. Such errors are called noise. When the channel is noisy, the recipient cannot receive the correct message. Hence the channel must be in an appropriate state for the message to be transmitted and received without any interference.

The final key component that makes the communication process complete is termed feedback. The recipient supplies the feedback to the sender upon receiving the message. Feedback lets the sender know about the message and modifications if desired.

The feedback also ensures the sender knows that the recipient receives their message. Any communication that the sender has to transmit to the receiver has to be encoded to deliver it. The recipient, upon getting the message, decodes it. Hence a communication process is considered complete when the receiver understands the message supplied by the sender.

Modern Forms of Communication

Over time communication has developed with new technologies. The early means of communication were smoke signals, which progressed to using morse code for military objectives. With the emergence of the telephone, wired communication came into existence.

Everybody could now speak to anyone in any area of the globe using a telephone. Today mobiles and smartphones have supplanted the conventional modes of communication. With the arrival of the internet, everyone has their mobile phones, and so when someone means to contact a person, it is assumed that the same person would answer the call.

Today the world relies on virtual ways of communication. These are essentially modern communication systems. Modern communication platforms have made it quite simple for individuals to contact their near and dear ones without being physically there. Given the present worldwide pandemic, the virtual means of communication witnessed a spike in demand since individuals could still be there for their friends and family while preserving social separation.

Some of the primary modern mediums of communication are as follows:

Video Chat

Video chats are an advanced form of voice calling. Both the sender and receiver can see each other, read their body language, listen to their voices, and understand their feelings. They are used less often than voice calls but are worth considering. Several applications now enable users to participate in group video calls.

Live chats

Today, live chats are utilized by many individuals to administer their websites. They are highly helpful in operating enterprises. They enable individuals to ask inquiries and obtain answers without leaving the website. But the individual needs to make sure that there is always someone available to manage the live chats and answer inquiries of the clients.

Social Media

Social media has transformed the face of modern communication. There is no limit, and one may choose to either openly communicate or privately speak with others. The introduction of different social media sites has played a big part in people's lives as they can now easily contact their family and friends.

Instant Messaging Apps

Instant messaging applications like WhatsApp are used for fast-casual talks and group conversations.

Blogging

Blogs are websites used to post a message or an extended concept or idea utilizing a conversational tone for the viewers. Anyone and everyone may view a piece of information published on a blog. Likewise, they may submit input too. It is frequently utilized by the sender to communicate messages to the masses.

Email

Today, email is one of the most undervalued modes of communication yet nevertheless utilized by everyone globally. Email may be used for various reasons, including marketing, building brand recognition, disseminating the news, conveying a message to the people, etc. It might be both official and casual and extensively utilized by enterprises.

SMS Text Messaging

Text messaging has been present since before mobile phones were developed. SMS Texts are brief, crisp, and mostly used for informal communication since they assist in transferring little pieces of information from the sender to the recipient.

Upon obtaining the communication, the recipient can offer feedback or react to the message at their leisure. With the arrival of the internet and instant messaging applications that are free and need just the usage of the internet, the popularisation of SMS Text messaging has been diminishing.