Entry 2: Understanding Communication

advantage, and privileges for certain people or groups. For example, in situations where someone is expressing feelings or problems, people tend to just listen, give advice or solve problems rather than empathy or sympathy which are needed. With this understanding, we can begin to learn new conversational listening strategies that can strengthen the bond of communication. Critical theory challenges traditional theoretical understanding and offers alternative communication behaviors for social change (Phil Venditti, Open Course Library, n.d.).

date : 13th April 2021 (week 1) Topics: Understanding Communication Duration of time spent on this entry: 2 hours

Personal reflection

In regard to what I've written in entry 1, for entry 2 I believe it's been taught on the same day and there's nothing much that I could write about since I did not attend the class due to not yet registering for the semester at the moment. For entry 1 the topic is about Basic Theories of Communication, entry 2 is the continuity of it because in entry 2 topics is about Understanding Communication. After learning about the theories which we've known to be how others perceive communication academically, so in entry 2 is like communication 101, which helps the student like me to understand communication in few aspects like function, types and tips on how to have a good communication among people.

Understanding communication, communication literally is a process of transmitting information from one person to another using different media. The first party that sends the information is called the sender and the second party that receives, translates and responds to the information is called the receiver or the receiver. So, in simpler terms, communication is simply a process by which the sender sends information to the recipient which they can respond to.

Sending our message to someone else looks easy, but it is a process that is often experienced by accident. Many people find it difficult to communicate effectively, orally and in writing. They express thoughts and ideas that do not reflect their meaning and that get misinterpreted or misunderstood. This can lead to confusion, frustration, wasted effort, and missed opportunities. Communication is broken, making collaboration and progress impossible. Research shows that good communication is one of the ‘soft’ skills that is needed not just on a daily basis but also at a professional level. But communication can only be successful if the person who sent the message and that you receive know if you know the message is the most important (mindtool content team, n.d.).

Figure 3 showing the communication process

To have successful communication we need to understand the communication

process. We all exchange information with others countless times each day by phone, e-mail, printed word, and of course, in person. According to research (skillsyouneed, 2021), A message or communication is sent by a sender through a communication channel to one or more recipients. The sender must encode the message (the information sent) in a form suitable for the communication channel, and the recipient then defines the message so that it can be understood and have meaning. Misunderstandings can arise at any stage of the communication process. Effective communication involves minimizing misunderstandings and overcoming communication barriers at every step of the communication process.