Communication Strategies

Communication is a very complex process that involves a sender sending his intended message to the receiver who is supposed to draw the intended meaning from the information. The sender knows exactly what he wants the receiver to understand but the receiver relies on the information relayed by the sender to make his meaning which may even be different from the intended meaning. Sender-Message-Receiver (SMR) is concerned with the sender of the message, the message itself and the receiver. This model is credited with both advantages and disadvantages. In the context of this paper, I am going to explore SMR as a communication model and examine some of its limitations as an analytical tool.

Sender-Message-Receiver (SMR)
Communication as a process can be defined as the exchange of information between two or more parties. Information exchange can be facilitated by mediums like the radio, telephone, and television among others. The process of communication is based on the assumption that the receiver will interpret the message in accordance to the senders intentions. This communication models come with a variety of strengths as well as weaknesses. It is credited with having the ability of representing communication practices but does not seem to take into consideration the relationship that exists between context, communication as well as cultural literacy. The transmission model considers the sender, the message and the receiver in describing the communication model. When we base ourselves on this model, then communication is deemed to have occurred if a message is sent by the sender to the receiver who then receives it. This is the model of communication that is referred to as Sender-Message-Receiver (SMR) model (McQuail  Windahl, 1993).

SMR describe information flow in the course of communication. The sender in this model comes up with a message which he places on a given medium with the hope that the intended receiver is bound to interpret it according to his intentions. In this model, the sender turns his thought into communication which is encoded in way that others will understand. The point being communicated should be clear to enable the receiver understand the meaning. Clarity of the point will go a long way in increasing the possibility that the receiver will understand the communication intended by the sender (Inglis, 1990). The information need to be organized in a logical manner that will ensure that the receiver comes to the conclusion intended by the sender. The sender may employ the use of words as well as pictures in a bid to ensure that his message is clear in the mind of the receiver. A sender should ensure that the message can be understood by the intended receiver and it should be placed or communicated in a place where he is most likely to receive it (Fiske, 1982).

One limitation of this model is that the sender is responsible for the decisions concerning the message and the receiver plays a rather passive role of receiving the message as opposed to engaging in the communication process actively. This kind of communication seems to be one sided as opposed to two sided communication which should be the case. There is a possibility of unintentional communication, such as those arising out of body language (Inglis, 1990, p. 157). There is even the possibility of sending the message to the wrong person if the sender is not clear enough concerning his intended recipient. The message usually reaches the receiver as it was sent by the sender and he needs to figure out his understanding of the messages by the words, images and sounds he hears and sees. This makes the receiver vulnerable to having his own understanding of the message, which in some cases may be different from what the sender intended to communicate. One message may be understood differently by different people. The receivers mood may also affect the manner in which he understands the message an example is when the recipient is in bad moods, he is most likely to understand the message ion a negative manner (Carey, 1989).

Since this model relies on a linear transmission model, it is not possible to get feedback from the receiver of the message. Feedback is very important to enable the sender know whether the message was understood in the manner he had intended and make adjustments if necessary. This model gives no room for context. Contextual frame is very necessary if we make sense out of things regardless of whether they are cultural, political social, historical or other (Inglis, 1990). There is a likelihood of communication breaking down as a result of cultural misunderstanding something implicit in a given culture may be different in another. The context within which something is said is bound to influence the meaning that can be understood from it. A communication breakdown arises when we communicate with members of different cultural groups without considering the fact that we do not share a common culture. Contextual frame influences the manner in which we communicate an example is when we are told about the death of a person, we are not expected to laugh (McQuail  Windahl, 1993, p. 100).

The relationship between individuals is also likely to influence the manner in which we communicate. A worker may be very free with fellow workmates than would be the case with his boss. There is a characteristic keenness that arises when we are communicating with people we consider experts or our superiors than is the case with the others. We communicate in a different way with members of the opposite sex, though this greatly depends on the purpose of such communication. Age-gap influences our manner of communication in the sense that when communicating with children we are bound to be a bit authoritative (Fiske, 1982).

This model fails to take into consideration the communication medium employed. The medium plays a very important role in the communication process and should thus be chosen carefully. The receiver may determine our intentions by basing himself on the medium chosen. Some receivers have preferences for the medium. Friendly letters are best when hand written as this shows some dedication while business letters ought to be typed to show that they are not personal. Some mediums are chosen because they are more practical depending on the message being transmitted (Carey, 1989).

SMR model fails to accurately reflect the complex characteristic of communication. It does not give the receiver a good opportunity to construct meanings which is very important for any communication to be considered successful. It does not take into consideration, the purpose as well as the context of the communication. It fails to determine the relationship that exists between the communicating parties and the importance of the medium chosen for the purpose of communication. It adopts the linear system which is not able to accurately represent the complex nature of communication.