Encoding is an internal activity. It occurs when the source creates a message
through the selection of verbal or nonverbal symbols. Although the process of con-
verting feelings into words and actions is universal, the words and actions selected
and how they are strung together have their origins in the culture of the language
being used.
Third, encoding leads to the production of themessage. The message is a set of
written, pictorial, verbal, and/or nonverbal symbols that represent a source’s particular
state of being at a specific moment. While encoding is an internal act (finding a
code that represents a personalized reality), the sending of messages is an external
undertaking—it is the subject matter to be communicated.
Fourth, messages must have a means of moving from person to person. It is the
channelthat provides that necessary connection. The channel can take a variety of
forms. For example, as you read this book, the words on the printed page constitute
our message, while the printing on these pages is the channel. Channels, in face-
to-face interaction, are sights and sounds. However, channels can include multiple
types of media. From television to the Internet to iPhones, a person’s messages are
moved from place to place.
Fifth, after a message has been generated and moved along through a channel, it
must encounter areceiver. The receiver is the person who takes the message into
account and thereby is directly linked to the source. Receivers may be those with
whom the source intends to interact, or they may be other people who, for whatever
reason, come in contact with the source’s message.
Sixth, in this stage of the communication process, the receiverdecodesthe mes-
sage. This operation (the converting of external stimuli to meaningful interpreta-
tions) is akin to the source’s act of encoding, as both are internal activities. The
decoding process within the receiver is often referred to asinformation processing.
In this stage the receiver attributes meaning to the behaviors generated by the
sender.
Seventh, when you send a message to another person you usually perceive the
response that person makes to your actions. That response may be words, a nonverbal
reaction, or even silence. It matters little; what is important is that your message pro-
duced some response that you took into account. The perception of the response to
your message is calledfeedback. Feedback typically has two stages. First, it applies to
the reactions you obtain from your communication partner. Second, in most instances
you use that reaction to decide what to do next. In this way feedback controls the ebb
and flow of the conversation. You smile at someone, your smile is greeted with a
frown, and you respond by asking,“Are you okay?”
Eighth, the source is not alone in sending messages to the receiver. Every com-
munication event is characterized by a multiplicity of competing stimuli. We inten-
tionally use the word “competing”as a way to call attention to the fact that
numerous stimuli are seeking to be noticed. The concept of competing stimuli is
referred to asnoise. Noise is often thought of as interference with the communica-
tion process. Noise can be external or
internal, and it can influence your capac-
ity to process messages, as it is a kind
of competing stimulus. Noise can be
produced by people sitting behind you
talking on a cell phone or by an air con-
ditioner in need of servicing.REMEMBER THIS
Because you cannot directly access the internal thoughts of
another, you must rely on and interpret their use of verbal and
nonverbal symbols to represent those thoughts.Communication Has Persuasive Qualities 29Copyright 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).