Chapter 1.

Communication
Learning Objective
() Understanding Communication
Definition of Communication.
() Evolution of Human Communication
A
brief understanding of the following with examples: Peorogly phs,
Pictograms, Ideograms, Writing, Audio-visual, Digital, Internet
based communication systems.
(ii) Elements of Communication
A
brief understanding of the following with examples: Sender,
Message, Medium, Receiver, Feedback.
(v) Process of Communication
A brief understanding of Encoding and Decoding.
(v) Functions of Communication
A brief understandingof how Communication helps to Inform,
Educate,Entertain and Integrate.
(vi) Forms of Communication
A brief understandingof Verbal (Oral and Written) and Non
Verbal, Formal and Informal communication with examples.
 Children's Mediaand Communication Literacy Couh il

What is Communication?
I'sa busy day for city-dwellers and the bus-stop is buzzing. Just a few meters
away is a towering hoarding promoting the latest season of Family Man. A
family of four, uncle aunty and their two children wait for the bus and while the
parents keep eyeing the road to hopefully spot their bus, the two kids happily
play games on their parents' mobile phones. What an iritating sound it is! An
old couple standing nearby can't help but scorn at the kids. After all, who would
want their peaceful discussion on life and all that matters interrupted by such a
din? Chided by their glances, the kds quickly mute their games. Blissfully
unaware of it all and lost in their own world, love-struck newly-married
youngsters steal glances at each other and blush. Without a care in the world, a
rickshaw-waala behind is playing the latest hit of Badshah. Students from a
nearby college are totally on #GoodVibesOnly mode as they make an Instagram
reel on that crowded bus-stop. Everyone else around is engrossed in their
phones, WhatsApping, browsing and scrolling their online feeds. And Voila!
There comes a bus! Half the crowd boards it and the others just continue what
they are doing!
N T
M

What is the one thing common in the situations above? They all involve
'communication'.
Communication is a procedure of dispensing information for a shared
purpose which enables better understanding. Humans communicate every
day. The word "communication" hails from the Latin word "communis" or
"communicare" which means "to share". It incudes verbal and non-verbal
forms of human interaction. Humans convey information through a
variety of methods: speaking, telephones, email, blogs, TV, art," hand
gestures, facial expressions, body language and even social contexts.
However, all forms of communication require the same basic elements: a
speaker or sender of information, a message, and an audience or recipient.
2
 Mass Media and Communication - Grade 9 I.C.S.E

Communication consists of interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. Some of

these include speaking, listening, observing, questioning, processing,
identify
analyzing and evaluating. Recipients of a message must be able to
the sender's intent, decipher the context of the message, resolve any
misunderstandings, accurately decode the information and decide upon an
action to be taken.

toll over
In today's fast-paced world where technology has taken its and
relevant
everything else, communication studies have become more
exciting than ever. Web developers have started to use creative ways to
draw interest of internet users to their websites. Public policy writers put
forth society's most pressing issues. Through linguistics, computer
scientists are developing programming languages that may allow humans
to interact directly with computers in the imminent future. To
communicate mneans to shape the world.

Definition of communication

According to Oxford Dictionary, communication is transfer or conveying of

message'.

Few widely accepted definitions of communication:

1. Keith Davis has defined communication as "the process of passingand

understanding information from one person to another". This definition
emphasizes that communication is not just passing information or thoughts, but
also passing an understanding of that information.
2. John Adair states "Communication is essentialy the ability of one person to
make contact with another and make himself or herself understood."

3. According to Allen Lui "Communication is the sum of all the things one person
does when he wants to create understanding in the mind of another human.'

Communication is defined as the process of understanding and sharing

meaning. The first key word in this definition is 'process'. Aprocess is a
dynamic activity that is hard to describe because it changes. Imagine you
are alone in your kitchen thinking. Someone you know (say, your mother)
enters the kitchen and you talk briefly. What has changed? Now, imagine
that your mother is joined by someone else, someone you haven't met

3
 Children', Media and (ommun ation Literacy (oyu il
before- and this stranger listens intently as you speak, almost as if vo.
were giving a speech. What has changed? Your perspective might chang:
and you might watch your words more closely. The feedback or
from response
your mother and the stranger (who are, in essence, your audience)
may cause you toreevaluate what you are saying.
The second key word is 'understanding. To understand is to
perceive, to
interpret, and to relate our perception and interpretation to what we
already know. If a friend tells you a story about falling off a bike, what
image comes to mind? Now your friend points out the window and you sep
a motorcycle lying on the ground.
Next comes the word'sharing'. Sharing means doing
with one or more people. In communication, sharing something together,
occurs when you
convey thoughts, feelings, ideas, or insights to others. You can also share
with yourself (a process called intraperSonal communication)

Finally, meaning is what we share through communication. The word

"bike" represents both a bicycle and a short name for a
motorcycle. By
looking at the context the word is used in and by asking questions, we can
discover the shared meaning of the word and understand the message.

The evolution ofhumancommunication

Ancient man was forced to be creative with
communication and keep it consistent to maintain a
common understanding. When speech originated
around 500,000 BCE, communication
changed, but the system was not perfect
and needed assistance. Going back to
where speech had first started, along with
verbal cues, a lot of communication used to
take place with symbols and hand crafted images.
The handmade images varied right from what was
readily appealing to the eyes to something more
concrete - for example: animals, birds, barks of tress
etc. This gave a new dimension to the pictorial
representations and it was called petroglyphs and
pictograms

4
 Mass Media und Communication -Grade 9 LCSE

Petroglyphs
Discovery of rock carvings believed to be 1006s
Petroglyphs are images created by of years old in India's western state of
Maharashtra bradshavoundat1oncom
renoving part of a rock surface by Inews/rock art.. #PockArt #archaeology
incising, pecking, carving, and
abrading. Petroglyphs are found all
over the globe and are often (but not
always) associated
with ancient people.

Pictogram or pictograph

Apictogram or pictograph is a
symbol which represents
a concept, object, activity, place
or an event by with the help of a
pictorial representation. It
forms the base of the earliest
forms of structured written
languages, such as Cuneiform and, to some extent, Hieroglyphs.
Pictogramsare still in use as the prime medium of
written communication in some cultures in Africa, the Americas.
and Oceania. Flsh Bird Az Arrow Bottle
M

An ideogram or ideograph is a
graphic representation of an idea or a
T
concept. The term "ideograrm" is
commonly used to describe logograms in
writing systems such as Egyptian
hieroglyphs, Sumerian cuneiform and
Chinese characters. According to the
history of writing, symbols proceeded
from ideographic to logographic to
phonetic.
While communication saw a lot of
advancementsduring ancient times,
that was only the beginning A

5
15th and 16th century communication

The 15th century majorly was influenced by verbal

communication with a rare combination of written
ability. However, this soon was changed with the
invention of the printing press. The Bi Sheng and
Wang Chen dynasties in China invented the first
printing press in the 1300s, which led to the
disposition of hand written paper messages. About 150 years later.
Johannes Gutenberg of Germany crafted an advanced version of the
printing press that was able to produce printed materials in bulk
Gutenberg's version of the printing
press started the period called the
DiD YOu KNOM ?) Printing Revolution. Printing presses
Which is the oldest were found in cities all across Europe
Newspaper in the world? and were used to print humongous
amount of materials that were
Rli:
meant for widespread distribution.
Printing press enabled people to
conveniently produce large amounts
I of written material, and Imore
sfed t r k
importantly, it Supported the
I seamless flow of
information among
people.
Relation aller Fürnemmen und 17 century communication
gedenckwürdigen Historien
Published by Johann Carolus. ! The 17th century brought along with
This German newspaper is widely I troubled
believed to be the world's oldest. times. War, famine,
The name translates as "account domination were a few of the culprits
of all distinguished and that invaded the world and regions in
commemorable stories-having a I pockets. This gave rise to newspapers
catchy title clearly wasn't a iwith local and international news to
priority in the 1600s. keep people abreast of what was
happening around them.

6
Children's Media and Communication Literacy Council

18" century communication

POST The public postal system was established in the 18th
century. Competent and robust delivery mechanisms
were put in place which made faster exchange of
information possible.
19h century comnunication
In the 19th century, improvement in
communication took a big leap. The invention of
"telecommunication" had finally arrived. This
involved exchange of information though electromagnetic devices. The
first of these inventions was the electric telegraph in 1831 by a man
named Joseph Henry. This also enabled information to travel across all
ends of the globe.

20¢h century communication

DID YOu KNOW ?
i The 20th century has added a winning
Which is the first mobile
streak to the existing model of
phone of the world? communication. The first version of
i the mobile phone was launched which
also had the feature of sending text
I messages.

Communication, however, continued

I to take the world by surprise, thanks
to two new inventions: the computer
and the internet. The computer was
I invented towards the beginning of the
The Motorola 20h century. In 1965, online written
communication transmitted into
DynaTAC 8000X
In 1984, it became the first email, completely changing the game,
commercially available i thus enabling sharing of large data
handheld cellular mobile phone. files across continents.

7
 Mass Media and Communication- Class 10 -L0
-I.C.S.E
21* century communication

It's no
surprise that
as communication got
Smoother and up to
speed; the humans
became more
impatient with
it
Communication
of the 21
century kept up
with these
"desires and wants" by
reating even more tools and increasing the effiiency of the existing ones.
Be it video conferencing for official or personal use,
soial media
or messaging apps, the 21* century definitely brought along withplatforms
it a
full of surprises for the millennial. The importance of information in bag
the
21* century was propelled by advancements in technology and
communication. The art of providing tools for personal, professional and
widespread communication was mastered. What a time to live in!

The elements ofcommunication

ENCODING/DECODING

SENDER MESSAGE MEDIUM RECEIVER

PEEDBACK
It will be interesting to see how people around you are commnunicatin8
with each other. They are simply sharing
with gestures. If you keenly observe a messages by speaking, writingo
say your mother and father, and break conversation between two people,
it down into specific components,
you will find these elerments of
communication:
8
Children's Media and Communication LiteracyCounci!

Sender

The sender initiates the communication. For Example, your mother asks
your father if he remembers which day is it today! The sender (your
mother) has a series of thoughts which she puts together in words,
imagines the response, and sends the message. In public speaking
situation, the source is the person giving the speech. He or she conveys the
message by sharing new information with the audience. The speaker
begins byfirst determining the message-what to say and how to say it.
Message
The message contains the subject matter shared by the sender. When you
plan to give a speech or write a report, your message may seem to be only
the words you choose that will convey your meaning. The message also
consists of the way you say it-in a speech, with your tone of voice, your
body language, and your appearance-and in a report, with your writing
style, punctuation, and the headings and formatting you choose. Referring
toyour mother's example, the message is the 'notice' to see which day is it.
The tone and body language of your mother may say a lot more than a
casual question. Your father wll understand it well!
Mediam

The medium is the channel through which a message is conveyed. For

example - a television, a radio, newspaper, emails, blogs, texts etc. When
you speak or write, you are using a channel to convey your message.
Spoken channels incdude face-to-face conversations (which is the case in
your parents' example!), speeches, telephone conversations and voice mail
messages, radio, public address systems. Written channels indude letters,
memorandums, purchase orders, invoices, newspaper and magazine
artides, blogs, e-mail, text messages, tweets, and so forth.
Receiver

The receiver receives the message from the sender, analyzing and
interpreting the message in ways both intended and unintended by the
Source. As a receiver you listen, see, touch, smell, and/or taste to receive a
message. The nonverbal responses of your listeners can serve as clues on
how to adjust your opening. In the above example, your father is the
9
 .S.E.
receiver, who is trying to interpret your mother's message. Is it her birthday
today? Or... have I forgotten to pick up Sasuma from the station? But she
coming on the next Tuesday..

Feedback

When you respond to the source, intentionally or unintentionally, you are

giving feedback. Feedback is composed of messages the receiver sends back
to the source. Verbal or nonverbal, all these feedback signals allow the
source to see how well, how accurately (or how poorly and inaccurately)
the message was received. Feedback also provides an
opportunity for the
receiver or audience to ask for darification, to agree or disagree, or to
indicate that the source could make the message more
course I know! Your confused father shares a 'feedback'- It is interesting.
Of
And waits for your mother's 'feedback'!
Saturday today!

The processof communication

The encoding and decoding model of communication
The process of communication can be comprehended using a model called
the 'Encoding/Decoding' model.
SENDER CHANNEL RECEIVER

encoder
decoder
message

SOurce chennel receiver

UNGUSTK PHYSIOLDGICAL ACOUSTIC
LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL
PHYSIOLOGICAL
LEVEL
LINGUISTIC
LEVEL

The Encoding and Decoding Model has several

parts:
encoding, message channel, receiver, decoding and feedback. Source/sender

10
 Literacy Council
Children's Media and Communication

sender
The source/ the

with the 'source' also known as the

The process of communication beginsindividual or group who intend to
'Sender', The source refers to the
audience.
communicate an idea to their

Encoding
source of the communication puts together their intended
When the defined as
'Encoding' can be
message, this is referred to as 'Encoding'. message. This is done
transforming an abstract idea into a communicable
and sounds.
using words, symbols, pictures, symbols
Message channel
its audience via a message
The encoded message must be delivered to
refers to the medium that
channel. A message channel is a term that
receiver.
carries the message from the sender to the

The receiver

to as the receiver.
Anyone who is audience to the message is referred

Decoding
do what is termed
When the receiver views or hears the message they interpreting the
'decoding'. Decoding can be defined at the receiver
about what the source is
message and coming to an understanding
communicating.

Feedback/Response
offers to the message; this
Feedback refers to any response the receiver
could be communication or behaviour.

translation of a message that is

In simpler terms, encoding/decoding is the
message, you ext ract the meaning
easily understood. When you decode a
that message in ways that make sense to you. Decoding has both verbal
of communication: Decoding behaviour without
and non-verbal forms of

11
 Mass Media and Communic ation Class 10 iCSE

using words means observing body language and its associated emotions
For example,some body language signs for when someone is upset, angry
or stressed would be a use of excessive hand/arm movements, red in the
face, crying, and even sometimes silence.

'COMMUNCAION
To understand the key concepts of Communication
in avideo, log on to [Link]

Functions of communication
Observe your routine and list down what is the utility of communication
in your life. You willrealize that communication is an integral part of your
[Link] share your thoughts with friends and family, ask questions, reject
requests, grab attention, express emotions, share personal experiences,
share information, direct people etc. Following are the prime functions of
communication:

Inform:

Communication helps in providing and receiving

information. The more informed you are, the
more powerful you become. The source of
information could be personal interactions,
newspapers, tutorials etc.

Educate:

One of the major functions of communication is

to instruct, educate, and socialize the members
of the society. All these functions start early in
life, at home or in school, and continue till one
completes the full cycde of life. Those who are
hierarchically superior in the family, society or
organization, often initiate communication either for the purpose o
informing their subordinates or for the purpose of telling them, what to
do, how to do when to do etc.

12
Children's Media and Communication Literacy Council

Influence or Persuade:

According to Berlo (1960), the sole purpose of

communication is to influence people. Influence
or persuasion deals with coaching and
counselling people to change their behaviour and
move in a specific direction. But it is possible that one may resort to
persuasion with a bad motive. The receiver must be careful about the
source of such persuasion.
Entertain:

Communication can be entertaining if combined

with creativity. An artist uses the power of
communication to make you laugh or feel
emotional on personal level or via mass media
forums like TV, films, books etc.

Integrate:
A major function of communication is
integration or of continuously offsetting any
disintegration at the interpersonal or at the
organizational level. This helps in maintaining
individual, societal or organizational stability
and identity. Through a fund of knowledge or
information, individuals, groups or cultures come to know one another,
understand and appreciate other's ways of life and thereby develop
tolerance towards one another.

#Dr. Nicholas Emler, a British psychologist, has DID YOuKNOW ?

argued that up to 80% of average conversations
humanity.
consist of gossip. He claims that gossiping is an essential part of our
conversation time
# Kesearch shows that most individuals spend 60% of their
talking about themselves. This number jumps to 80% while conversing on social
media.

*An isolated city in Israel with a high rate of deafnesscreated their own sign
language as a way of communicating. Linguists have been studying the
cOmmunity for decades in the hopes of learning more about the fundamentals of
human iocommunication.
 Mass Media and d
Communication Class 10 1CS:
Forms of communication
Verbal Communication

The communication in which the

sender uses words, whether spoken
or written, to transmit the message
to the receiver is known as Verbal
communication. It is the most
effective form of communication Verbal Communication
that leads to the rapid interchange
of information and feedback. (Oral/Written)
There are fever chances of
between parties is clear, i.e. misunderstarnding as the
the parties are using wordscommunication
anything. for savins

The conmunication can be done in two ways:

Oral: like face to face
communication, lectures, phone calls etc.
Written: Letters, e-mails, SMS, online chatting etc.
Non-verbal Communication:
How do you make people feel when you
enter the
your body language strong and are you standing room? Is
erect or are you slouched and tired? Are you straight and In Auyy
clean shaven.
looking your immaculate best for a team
shabby with shirts that are not ironed?meeting or are you
hands, do you do so strongly or do you justWhen you shake
brush your hand
against others? I in tapN

The above were some examples of

Non-verbal communication.
Non-verbal communication is based on the understanding of
the parties to
communication, as the
from the sender to receiver is wordlesstransmission
of messages Iin Sat
i.e. the communication
uses signs. So, if the receiver
understands the message
Completely and proper feedback is given afterwards, then the
cominunication succeeds.

14
Children's Media and Communication Litèracy Council

Formal and Informal Communication:

There are two types of communication when considering the formality of

the communication. One is the formal and official type of communication
which can be emails, letterheads, memos, reports and other such kinds of
written material.

Informal communication is one where there is nothing official about the

communication that is happening. There is no specific channel of informal
communication because social media, WhatsApp, SMS which are all
vehicdes of informal communication, can be used.

Formal Communication Informal Communication

Used in a professional Usually used with family

and friends
setting
Well planned Unplanned
Flexible
Rigid Can use short forms or
No slang
To achieve business slangs
objectives To satisfy personal needs
Cannot be traced
Can be traced
e.g. Emails, Reports e.g. Chatting

communication can help in

Advantages of formal communication: Formal Any
steps are followed.
establishing procedures and ensuring that the documented so that they
promises or anyofficial plans need to be formally
can be referred to later
communication helps
Advantages of informal communication: Informal forthcoming
confident and
the Open door policy" and makes people more people to share
with their ideas and creativity. Informal talks encourage
their problems
and a
communication is that it is not personal
The problem with formal
communication. Whereas on
distance is maintained if vOu use only formal
can sometimes get out of hand and
ne other hand, informal conversations
lead to unpleasant situation.

15
 Mas Mediz and ComLTication - Class 10
Visual Communication:

Visual communication is that which chooses to show rather than tell t.

relies on the receiver seeing the communication.

There are many elements in visual communication that can be used by

marketers or companies viz. Colours (such as brand colours), Design los
and brand design), Animation, llustration,
Typography, Video etc.
In person to person communication
too, visual communication plays a
role. Consider the diagrams made by
teachers on blackboards when
explaining a concept to a class of
students. Or we can also take the
f)
example of graphs made in MS
PowerPoint when managers are
delivering a presentation to a team of Boli
executives or seniors.

Points to remember

Definition: Communication is defined as the process of urderstanding ani

sharing mearing.
Evolution ofHunan Commwication
Ancient forms of communication like: Petroglyphs, Pictograms.
Ideograms
Iventions in Commnication through the 15 to 21* centuries like
printing press, newspapers, postal service, telecommunications ani
internet.
Elements of Commnicati¡n: Sender, Message, Medium, Receier.
Feedback
Process of Communication: The Encoding and Decoding Mode.
Source/sender, encoding, message channel, receiver, decoding and feedback
Functions of Communication: Communication helps to Inform, Educatt
Entertain and Integrate.
Forms of Communication: Verbal (Oral and Written) and Non - Verba
Formal and Informal communication.

16
Children's Media and Communication Literacy Council

Listen to the summary of this chapter and download for

repeated listening. Log on to [Link]

Questions to practice:
I. Choose the correct option to answer the questions below:

i. What is the root of the word communication meaning "to share"

or "tomake common"
a. Communicare
Commonshare
C. Communix
d. Commons

by
ii. What are imagescreated by removing part ofa rock surface
incising, pecking, carving, and abrading known as?
a. Pictograph
b. Autograph
C. Ideogram
d. Petroglyph
communication?
iii. Which ofthe following is an element of
a Sender
b. Feedback
C
Message
d. All of the above

transforming an abstract idea into a

iv. What is the process of
symbols
communicable message using words, symbols, pictures,
and sounds known as?
Decoding
b. Encoding
C. Speaking
d. Messaging

17
 Mass Media and Communication - Class 10
LC
V. What type of communication is most suitable in a corporate
organization?
a. Informal
b. Visual
C. Formal
d Written

II. Answer the following questions in 2-3 lines:

i. Define Communication. Explain the origin of the word
"Communication".
What is feedback? Explain in brief.
iii. Explain the terms "encoding" and "decoding".
iv. What do you understand by "visual communication"?
V.
State any one advantage and one disadvantage of formal
communication.
v. Brieflyexplain how verbal and non-verbal communication differ from
each other.

III, Answer the following in detail.

i. List and explain the key elements of
communication.
What are petroglyphs, ideograms and pictographs?
iii. State the most significant
each century from the 15 inventions/developments
in communication in
century to the 21" century.
1V.
Briefly explain the process of communication with the help of a
Distinguish between Formal and Informal Communication diagram.
VI State and explain the functions of
communication.

18