1.2 What Is Communication?
Learning Objectives
Define and explain what is meant by the term human communication as introduced in this chapter.
Diagram the SMCR (source, message, channel, receiver) model of communication and describe how it applies to the organizational context.
Source: © Shutterstock, Inc.
There is no agreed-upon definition of communication. Scholars have examined the term and found a vast array of approaches. Frank Dance surveyed ninety-five definitions of communication and broke them down into fifteen types. “Human communication,” he concluded, “is indeed a dappled thing, swift, slow, sweet, sour, adazzle, dim. The search for its essence and the study of its meaning is a search rich in the doing, not in the done.”
In this introductory chapter, however, our challenge is to start you off with a definition of communication that will help you get an initial grasp on organizational communication. To do that, we begin with a definition that accomplishes two things. First, our definition will help you understand that communication is not something that just “happens” and that people simply “do” like a knee-jerk reaction. Our beginning definition will introduce you to basic components that go into human communication. Second, we are starting you off with a definition of communication that will form a natural bridge to Chapter 3 “Classical Theories of Organizational Communication” and its discussion of classical theories of organizational communication. This is because the model reviewed here embodies assumptions about human communication that are reflected in classical theories. Later, when we review modern theories of organizational communication in Chapter 4 “Modern Theories of Organizational Communication”, we will discuss other models of communication whose assumptions have guided modern theorists.
But for now, our task is to introduce a model that will help you get an initial, basic grasp of human communication, which you can then use as a foundation to understand the classical theories in Chapter 3 “Classical Theories of Organizational Communication”. As such, we begin here with a definition of human communicationThe process whereby one individual (or group of individuals) attempts to stimulate meaning in the mind of another individual (or group of individuals) through intentional use of verbal, nonverbal, and/or mediated messages. as the “process whereby one individual (or group of individuals) attempts to stimulate meaning in the mind of another individual (or group of individuals) through intentional use of verbal, nonverbal, and/or mediated messages.” If we extend this to organizations, then we have a starting definition of organizational communicationThe process whereby an organizational stakeholder (or group of stakeholders) attempts to stimulate meaning in the mind of another organizational stakeholder (or group of stakeholders) through intentional use of verbal, nonverbal, and/or mediated messages. as the process whereby an organizational stakeholder (or group of stakeholders) attempts to stimulate meaning in the mind of another organizational stakeholder (or group of stakeholders) through intentional use of verbal, nonverbal, and/or mediated messages. And what is a “stakeholder”? According to the American Heritage Dictionary of Business Terms, a stakeholder is “any party that has an interest in an organization. Stakeholders of a company include stockholders, bondholders, customers, suppliers, employees, and so forth.” An organization must also interact with its external environment: competitors, community members, governmental agencies, and more. Every organization has a wide range of stakeholders with which it must communicate.
The definition of communication offered here can be broken down into what is called the “SMCR” model of communication—source, message, channel, and receiver. Figure 1.3 represents this model in the context of public speaking, but it is easily applied to organizational communication. Let’s briefly break down the SMCR model into five basic concepts: process, source, message, channel, and receiver.
Figure 1.3 SMCR Model of Communication
Source: FlatWorld
Long Description
The image shows a speaker (source) talking (the channel). The message is transmitted to the audience (the receiver). The audience offers feedback to the source.
Process
Anyone studying human communication must remember it is a process. There is no distinct beginning or distinct end to our communications. Instead, communication is a series of interactions that change over time and that produce changes in those who are interacting. Success or failure at informing or persuading can alter how people interact with each other in the future. Many external factors also influence the process and are constantly in play. For example, your cultural background can affect how you approach the communicative process.
Source
The source The individual or individuals who attempt to stimulate meaning.in the SMCR model of communication is the individual, or group of individuals, who attempts to stimulate meaning. In organizational communication, the source may convey the ideas of a single person or the ideas of an entire group. For example, if you are evaluating an employee’s job performance, the message you are sending may come from you and you alone. However, if you are a corporate CEO delivering a press conference, the message may come out of your mouth but may represent dozens of individuals involved in crafting the message. In the position as a CEO, you would also be viewed as the mouthpiece of the organization, so anything you say is also attributed to the organization, which could represent thousands of people.
Message
The basic goal of the source is, in the SMCR model, to take an idea in their, or the group’s, mind then transmit that same idea to another person (or persons). The “idea” someone is trying to send is the messageThe “idea” someone is trying to send to a receiver.. We refer to this transmission of a message from the source to the receiver as “stimulating meaning” because, according to this view of communication, the source is attempting to transmit their idea so that the receiver will understand the idea in the same way as the source. One of the biggest mistakes novice managers can make is to assume that if they tell an employee something, the message was understood as intended. It’s very important to ensure a receiver understands the intended meaning of a message.
One of our coauthors was recently involved in a labor negotiation. Employees believed the organization had a stash of funds that could be used to raise their pay. But accounting standards mandated the funds be spent only for a specific purpose and otherwise could not be touched. Our coauthor recommended that the organization have its auditors craft a specific message to this effect. Thus, where the employee negotiators saw the organization’s refusal as biased, they understood the independent auditors’ message and backed down on their demands. This case illustrates the need to ensure that the recipients of a message correctly understand its meaning. The example also illustrates another common problem: receivers of a message must see the source as credible and trustworthy, or they may dismiss the message.
Channel
Verbal
The verbal Specific spoken sounds that represent real phenomena or ideas.channel consists of specific spoken sounds that represent actual phenomena or ideas. Yet when we say the word “office,” the letters o-f-f-i-c-e may represent either an actual physical location (“Please come to my office!”) or the general idea of a location in which work occurs (“I’m going in to the office today”). Thus, for understanding to occur, the source and the receiver must have similar understandings for the intended meanings of words. Ensuring that people in an organization are using the same lexicon is such a common problem that many humor books have been written on the subject.
Nonverbal
The second channel through which people can transmit a message is the nonverbal Any stimuli that could elicit meanings not contained in words themselves.channel. This channel encompasses any stimuli that can elicit meanings not contained in words themselves. Everything from how someone gestures, looks, sounds, or smells can impact how others will view that person. Research has indicated that 65 to 95 percent of a person’s understanding of a verbal message depends on the nonverbal behavior associated with the verbal message. For example, you walk into a colleague’s office and find she is clearly red-faced and that her fists are clenched. You ask how she’s doing and she flatly responds, “Fine!” If you pay attention only to the verbal message sent (“Fine!”) you will interpret her message to mean that she’s excellent (like fine wine). However, when you interpret her nonverbal behavior, you’ll quickly find out that she is far from “excellent” but may not want to talk about what happened at the moment.
Mediated
The last channel through which a source can send a message is a mediatedAny message that is sent using some kind of technology such as print, audio, or video. channel. A mediated message is any message that is sent using some kind of technology, such as print, audio, or video. Some of the earliest studies of organization communication explored the use of employee newsletters. Today, we increasingly depend at work on computer-mediated communication via email, Zoom, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snap Chat, blogs, vlogs, and who knows what comes next.
Receiver
While we’ve discussed the receiver of a message throughout this section, we should note that the receiverThe person interpreting and understanding a source’s message.(s) is ultimately, according to the SMCR model, the person interpreting and understanding a source’s message. When a receiver attends to a source’s message, they must interpret that message considering their understanding of the message. If the source uses unfamiliar words, the receiver may not accurately interpret the message in the intended way. For this reason, a source must consider any feedback the receiver sends about the message to ensure that understanding has been achieved.
A Closing Thought
The SMCR model introduces communication concepts in an easily digestible, linear fashion. Yet, in most communicative contexts, you actually function as source and receiver simultaneously. If you are speaking, you are also gauging the verbal and nonverbal reactions of your colleagues; if you are listening, you are also sending continuous feedback—a smile, a frown, a nod, an erect posture, a slouch, verbal interjections of assent or dissent—about the message and its source. The definition and model of human communication presented in this introductory chapter are only starting points. You can build on this introduction as you take up classical theories of organization communication in Chapter 3 “Classical Theories of Organizational Communication” then expand your horizons and consider alternative definitions and models proposed by modern theorists in Chapter 4 “Modern Theories of Organizational Communication”.
Key Takeaways
As an introductory definition, think of human communication as the process whereby one individual (or group of individuals) attempts to stimulate meaning in the mind of another individual (or group of individuals) through intentional use of verbal, nonverbal, and/or mediated messages. This can be extended to “organizational communication” as the process whereby an organizational stakeholder (or group of stakeholders) attempts to stimulate meaning in the mind of another organizational stakeholder (or group of stakeholders) through intentional use of verbal, nonverbal, and/or mediated messages. A stakeholder is any person or group that has an interest in the organization.
The SMCR model of communication examines four basic components: source, message, channel, and receiver. The source of a message is the individual or group originating an idea and attempting to transmit that idea to another person or persons. The message is the idea that is attempting to be transmitted. The channel is the specific method of communication an individual uses to convey a specific message: verbal (the use of words), nonverbal (communicative characteristics outside of the words themselves), and mediated (the use of technology to convey a message). Lastly, the receiver is the individual who is targeted for a message who receives the message and then has to make sense of the message itself.
Exercises
Look at the introductory definition of human communication provided in this chapter. Do you think this definition accurately reflects how humans communicate with one another? Why or why not? Do you think the introductory definition of organizational communication presented here accurately reflects the nature of how people in organizations communicate? Why or why not?
Imagine you’ve been asked to run a meeting consisting of five people. Explain how a meeting of five people would relate to the SMCR model of communication.