Communications elements by Isnaldo Piñero Isnaldo Piñero magazine | Page 2

Source
The source imagines, creates, and sends the message. In a 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 also conveys a message through his or her tone of voice, body language,
and choice of clothing. The speaker begins by first determining the message—what to say and how
to say it. The second step involves encoding the message by choosing just the right order or the
perfect words to convey the intended meaning. The third step is to present or send the
information to the receiver or audience. Finally, by watching for the audience’s reaction, the
source perceives how well they received the message and responds with clarification or
supporting information.
Message
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. But that is just the beginning. The words are brought
together with grammar and organization. You may choose to save your most important point for
last. 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. In addition, part of the message may be the environment
or context you present it in and the noise that might make your message hard to hear or see.
Imagine, for example, that you are addressing a large audience of sales reps and are aware there is
a World Series game tonight. Your audience might have a hard time settling down, but you may
choose to open with, “I understand there is an important game tonight.” In this way, by expressing
verbally something that most people in your audience are aware of and interested in, you might
grasp and focus their attention.
Channel
How many channels do you have on your television? Each channel takes up some space, even in a
digital world, in the cable or in the signal that brings the message of each channel to your home.
Television combines an audio signal you hear with a visual signal you see. Together they convey
the message to the receiver or audience. Turn off the volume on your television. Can you still
understand what is happening? Many times you can, because the body language conveys part of
the message of the show. Now turn up the volume but turn around so that you cannot see the
television. You can still hear the dialogue and follow the story line.
Similarly, when you speak or write, you are using a channel to convey your message. Spoken
channels include face-to-face conversations, speeches, telephone conversations and voice mail
messages, radio, public address systems, and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP). Written channels