Understanding" is the essence of communication. This only happens when there is mention of understanding and being understood by those involved in a communication situation. Interaction with the purpose of sharing, involves the exchange of the signs and symbols (i.e., words). In a given communicative context, the absence of them also still communicates the absence of the 'ingredients' of communication; the intention, the skills, or the presence of barriers.
Communication takes place when we are supposedly at the same level of understanding and comprehension as other interlocutors. Communication is therefore not what is said whether verbally or non verbally but what is understood. Understanding is influenced by perceptions and perceptions evolved over a period of time and color our understanding, all have personal perceptions, and therefore understanding would need a conscious and deliberate effort by us and cannot be left to chance, expecting it to happen by itself.
Ask yourself how consciously you listen to others when they are speaking; or for that matter, how conscious you are, when speaking, about how many appear to be understanding interestingly, communication, which is generally relegated to as basics when considered as ordinary human faculty is not that basic after all. It is therefore that communication can be learnt and needs to be learnt.
Communication is thus a process by which meaning is assigned and conveyed in an attempt create shared understanding. This process, which requires a vast repertoire of skills interpersonal processing, listening, observing, speaking, questioning, analyzing, gestures, and evaluating enables collaboration and cooperation.
Misunderstanding can be anticipated and solved through formulations, questions and answers, paraphrasing examples, and stories of strategic talk. Written communication can be clarified by planning follow-up talks on critical written communication as part of the everyday way of doing business. A few minutes spent talking in the presence will save valuable time later by avoiding misunderstandings in advance. A frequent method for this purpose is reiterating what one’s own words and asking the other person if that really was what it meant.
Elements and Process of Communication
Communication is a process and as such contains many elements to enable it to happen, Basically, communication process involves the source (sender), message, channel, receiver and feed-back The elements of communication-expanded process include stimulus, encoding/message, channel; decoding, and receiver.
Stimulus
This is the originating point. It is the urge that necessitates communication for the purpose of satisfying that urge. The stronger the stimulus or the urge the greater is the need to communicate, the greater the need to communicate, the more the need is for effectiveness. In other words communication is a matter of effectiveness. Effectiveness is a measure of outcome. Effective communication therefore results in the form of desired outcome.