Introduction to Communication

Introduction to Communication

Communication is fundamental to life. In human beings there is no conceivable day when anyone can live without communicating with his or her fellow beings. It is an inmate ability and communication starts from the cradle and continues till the grave.  Just think of the many persons we communicate for. To begin with we communicate with our own selves. It is said that when we think, analyze, or engage in silent monologue with ourselves, we are also communicating, but this time with our own selves. Even daydreaming and nocturnal dreams are said to be part of intrapersonal communication. This is essential because before we communicate with others we have to engage in an act of communication with our own selves to arrive at a conclusion as to what message we are going to convey to others so that they can grasp the meaning of our words or our gestures. But why do we communicate at all? Imagine yourself stranded in an island without a single human being in sight. what will happen? You will be frustrated as you have none to talk to. Your basic needs of foods, clothes, and shelter could as be in jeopardy. We are able to fulfill all our basic needs with the assistance of others. Our world is a world of interrelated entities called human beings. It is network and the currency to run this network of human society or societies, at the most basic level, is communication.

We also need to communicate because we want to express ourselves and share our ideas, emotions, etc with others. In fact, our entire life is inconceivable communication. There are many ways and forms in which we communicate. Sometimes we have to use words to convey our thoughts to others. At other times a mere shrug of the shoulder is enough to infer what the other person feels. It implies that we communicate both verbally and non-verbally. But it is also true that every attempt at communication can be termed as communication. If you say something to your friend and you do not get an intended response from him, would you call it a successful act of communication. No, because every communication presupposes an intended response from the receiver.

Communication can, therefore, be looked upon as an integral part of our life. It is as important as food, clothes and shelter. But why do we need to study communication as a discipline if it is really an integral part of our life. That's because as our world continues to become more and more complex, we are faced with the arduous task of communicating with others.

Imagine the primitive world of early men. Their life was simple. Everything they needed from one another could be obtained by simple acts of  communication using very basic sounds and symbols. Their thoughts were different and just a few ones because the world they inhabited was very simple. But as man evolved and his world evolved with him and especially after the advent of science and technology, the need for communication become more intense. Now we have moved on even further with the promise afforded us by information technology. In the world of the internet, which is a product of information technology, communication has reached a new dimension altogether.

For several centuries no real effort was made to study communication as a discipline. However, during the second half of the century, a lot of research was done on various aspects of communication and mass communication. Man is striving, with the assistance of technology, to remove barriers on great social scientist Marshal Mc Luhan, heading towards becoming a global village.

Communication through social media has encouraged people to participate not only in the lives of one another but also in taking part in the democratic discourse of their country. It won't be an exaggeration to state that communication is ubiquitous and it has the potential to decide the future of an individual, an organization, a society, a nation and the whole world.

Meaning and definition

The word communication originated from the Latin word 'Communis'  which means 'Common'. Communion, community, communism, commonality, communalism etc. are some related words having the same linguistic roots. More terms are being coined as the concept of communication technology, communication media, communication age, and communication management are just a few. The term implies that the ultimate purpose of the communication process is to create commonness between the communicator and the receiver of the message. Oxford dictionary defines communication as 'the transfer or conveying of meaning.'

Definitions :-

I.A. Richards, '' Communication is the exchange of meanings between individuals through a common system of symbols.''

Theodorson and Theodsorson, The transmission of information, ideas attitudes, or emotion from one person or group to another or others primarily through symbols.

Leland Brown, ''Communication is the transmission and interchange of facts, ideas, feeling or course of action.''

Claude Shannon, ''One mind affecting another.''

Wilbur Schramm, '' The mechanism through which human relations exist and develop''.

Colin Cherry, ''Transmission of stimuli''.