Definition of Communication

Know what the definition of communication and what are the basic elements that make up ...

In general, communication is a means of connection or attachment that people have to transfer or exchange messages. I mean, that whenever we communicate with family, friends, coworkers, partners, customers, etc.. What we do is to establish a connection with them to give, receive and exchange ideas, information, or any meaning .

Given this brief introduction, then we will see in more specific terms what is the definition of communication, before reviewing some ideas and definitions proposed by experts in communications, marketing and administration.
Definition of Communication:

* For Maria del Socorro Fonseca, communication is "get to share something of ourselves. It is a quality specific rational and emotional man who emerges from the need to get in touch with others, exchanging ideas that have meaning or significance in accordance with common past experience "[1].
* According to Stanton, Etzel and Walker, communication is "the verbal or nonverbal transmission of information between someone who wants to express an idea and who hopes to capture it or is expected to capture" [2].
* For Lamb, Hair and McDaniel, communication is "the process by which we exchange or share meanings through a common set of symbols" [3].
* According Idalberto Chiavenato, communication is "the exchange of information between people. It means a common return a message or information. It is one of the fundamental processes of human experience and social organization" [4].
* Robbins and Coulter give us the following definition: "Communication is the transfer of meaning and understanding." [5].

At this point, and taking into account the above ideas and definitions, I propose the following definition of communication:

Communication is the process by which the sender and the receiver establishes a connection at a time and place determined for transmission, exchange and share ideas, information or meanings that are understandable to both.

For a better understanding of this definition, a breakdown of its basic elements:

1. PROCESS .- Communication is a process which (in general) includes the following steps: First, a sender wants to transmit, exchange or share a message with a receiver. Second, the sender encodes the message to be understandable to the receiver. Third, send this encrypted message through a channel (himself an e-mail, a notice in newspapers, a television, etc. ...). Fourth, the receiver receives and decodes the message. Fifth, the receiver responds to that message based on their understanding of it and leads to a feedback. At this point, it should be noted that during this process is noise or interference that affect communication, and that both the sender and receiver must try to overcome to establish good communication.
2. TRANSMITTER AND RECEIVER .- For that communication must be two parties, the sender and receiver, and both should be predisposed to communicate, ie to issue a message and / or receive. At the time that a party is not interested in giving and / or receiving a communication message is canceled.
3. .- Any communication CONNECTION connects or unites two or more persons at any given time and space (physical or virtual) determined. However, note that that connection can take many forms, ie, it can be in person (face to face), distance (for example, by sending and receiving emails, instant messages, etc. ..) or impersonal (through a television or radio where the host sends a message to an audience of thousands).
4. TRANSMITTED, EXCHANGED OR SHARE .- When a communication is transmitted engages, trade or share a message, therefore, can be a dynamic process of back and forth between sender and receiver (in which they exchange ideas, information or meaning ), or simply be a transmission from sender to receiver (as with television and radio).
5. IDEAS, INFORMATION OR understandable meaning .- To be able to establish a communication between a sender and a receiver, there must be ideas, information or meaning (the message) that are understandable to both, ie the set of symbols used ( verbal or not) be understandable to both parties, otherwise they could not establish a connection.