Understanding the Communication Situation

Effective, clear communication requires that you first examine the situation. Every communication situation has five basic components.

The Communication Situation

1. Sender: The creator of the message (speaker, writer, director, designer, marketer)
2. Message: The subject and purpose (inform, persuade, entertain)
3. Medium: The way the message is expressed (speech, email, ad, video, painting)
4. Receiver: The audience of the message (listener, reader, viewer)
5. Context: The place and time of the message (history, hurdles, opportunities)

 

Medium

Communication uses many media. This chapter focuses on the listener/speaker form, though later chapters will focus on written forms (reader/writer). Part 3 of this book includes other forms of communication, from videos to models to experiments to clubs. Media fall on a continuum from quick and casual to deliberate and formal.