1 Human Communication : What and Why?

Introduction

Hello friends, I welcome you all to this course on e-Extension. This is the first interaction with you all, wherein we will be trying to understand the concept of communication; specially the human communication. So when we talk of human communication, it is seems to be very simple, but it is very complex process. Having said this, so when we are into the interpersonal communication or intra-personal communication, we feel that we are very good communicators or we are efficient communicators. But as we move from the interpersonal communication to group communication, the public communication or the mass communication; it is going to enhance the levels of intricacies. Then at the same time so when you start making use of technology in the process of communication. That is also leading towards the complexities.

There are traditional methods that we used to have, as I have already said to you about the Farm and Home visit, which was used by extension professionals in the earlier time, and later we moved on to the interpersonal communication methods; which then we started using the mass medium like TV, Radio and Newspaper, which are now classified under the traditional methods; because now we have more advanced as well as the modern methods, like maybe use of the Information and Communication Technologies, wherein the source as well as the receiver, both are to be acquainted with these processes and methodologies, so that is how modern methods are becoming more complex.

Human Communication

Earlier in the traditional methods the relationships used to be very strong. But now we need to establish or maintain those strong relationships, otherwise it is going to be a very weak relationship with our receivers. And as the relationships are going to be weak, so our technology transfer process is going to be influenced with these concepts. So that is what is the importance of human communication.

Types of Communication

Then coming to the interpersonal versus the intrapersonal communication. When we talk of intrapersonal communication, you are communicating with the self, wherein you are trying to analyze the issuesand you are trying to put various dimensions to the same concept. And when you start sharing with the others; that becomes your interpersonal communication. So as an extension professional you need to interact with maybe one person or a group of persons. So that group may be very small.

The communication that takes place between more than two members, are the groups that we call it as the small group communication. And as the groups goes on becoming larger, so that takes the shape of public communication, and ultimately the mass communication when we reach the huge number of people over geo spatial space; so wherein at the same time we are addressing huge number of people using the mass medium like television and nowadays it is the e-mediation is there. So you can reach huge number of people.

Needs Satisfied by Communication

So why we are taking up these efforts of communication. Because the needs are to be satisfied by the process of communication. These needs include

• The physical needs which benefit our physical health or well-being and the identity needs because every individual wants to maintain his own identity, wherein he makes all possible efforts, so that is how the meeting of the identity needs is also important
• The social needs like the pleasure, escape, affection, relaxation, inclusion and control are also to be met with the help of the communication process.
• The practical needs. So this is what is the core of the human communication.Because as an extension professional and as a receiver, farmers are to be taken to where they are planning to, so to get what we need to get, and to accomplish what we need to accomplish. Means ultimate target has to be identified and achieved, and to better understand our environment and what is expected from us.

Once we work with these objectives, then we can go for efficient human communication process.

Communication Competence

The communication competence, it is the ability of an individual to communicate effectively. How he can communicate effectively? So the moment we start maintaining relationships in these interactions, maybe it is with the farmers or maybe it is with various other stakeholders. So then the process becomes effective by adopting these processes like:

• Need to have empathy. Empathy means putting oneself into the roles of others. Until and unless we try to put ourselves into the role of our receivers, maybe it is farmers or maybe it is input supply agencies or maybe it is extension service providers, so we need to visualize their roles; so that we can be an effective communicator.
• Cognitive complexity. Means the ability to analyze the behavior of others in a variety of ways. So if a client is behaving; the client maybe the farmer or the client maybe the input supply agency. Maybe he is supplying insecticides or seeds or various other inputs. So how and why he is behaving in that manner. So that makes a lot of difference. So as an effective communicator, we need to analyze them.
• Self-monitoring. Observing your own behavior as if you are outside yourself. So when you try to analyze your own actions that you are carrying with your client system, so then you can be a very good communicator. Then being aware of how your behavior affects others. Because if your actions are influenced, the similar influence that we will be finding in our receivers also. Receivers also get affected. He is also influenced by your behavior. So that also the source should be aware of.
• Commitment to the relationship. Because as an extension professional, we all have a commitment with our client system. Our clientele is very large. So how we are going to maintain these relationships is; that depends on your communication process.

Factors Responsible for Response

• The factors responsible for responses context, the context in which that will be entering into the process of communication.
• Your goal. Do you want this relationship to continue positively? Or you want to terminate it after completion of one interaction or maybe the couple of interactions. So if you want to maintain the longer relationships, so then we have to be a very good communicator.
• The other person; how we are perceiving our receivers.

These three factors are responsible for effective communication and as well as the feedback that we are getting from our receivers. So that is how in the science of communication it is said that, feedback is source oriented. How the source behaves with his receiver, so accordingly he is going to get his response.

Noise

One factor that comes into the process of communication, that is the noise.

• It affects the message sent by the sender
• Because then it may prevent the message from reaching the receiver accurately. The noise may not be only the physical noise. So that maybe any disturbance that is hindering the process of communication.
• It may affect the way the receiver interprets the message. Because of the factors that are influencing the receiver, so he may not understand the concept in the way that receiver is trying to share with him. So that is what is the factor acting as a noise.
• It may take place at any point of time. Before the beginning of the communication process, or during the process of communication, or even after the message is delivered. It means the noise can happen during the process of communication or before or after; so all the time we need to reduce the communication.

Effectiveness in the communication, that is fidelity should be there. Fidelity means, faithful performance of all the elements of communication and the minimum noise in the process of communication; leads to the effective communication.

Types of Noise

What are the different types of noise that we come across,

• The external noise. So the factors that take place outside the receiver, it maybe the physical noise also that we can say.
• The physiological noise, so which are specific to every receiver. It maybe because it is biological in nature. It is a personal factor that prevents the receiver in getting the message; appropriate message.
• The psychological. The issues related to the attitude, the skill, as well as the knowledge of the receiver which influences the process of understanding, and at some point of time it is acting as a noise for the receiver.

Environment

What type of environment that we are creating.

• It refers to the surrounding to our personal experiences and cultural backgrounds that the communicators base their view. Because once the communicator, means the source or the communicator, he is presenting before, he is representing his own culture, his own region, his own subject matter. Number of factors are coming there. So that is how he is trying to create the environment which is essential for the delivery of the message that he is trying to put before his set of audience.
• Our environments may influence the way we encode or decode the message. As a receiver we are here to decode the messages given by the source So the environment from which that I am coming from or I am influencing, so that also is one of the important factor in getting the message.

The way we understand the message is based on the factors like how we interpret the message, because the meanings are lying in the receiver. It is not the source, whatever the source is delivering. So receivers are understanding in their own way. So that is how for the same set of message, so every receiver is trying to understand it in his own background, because of the environmental factors that he is facing with.

The environment that he or she comes from or we all come from also influences our understanding process. The environment we are in, when the message is sent, is a micro climate we are referring to, wherein it is influencing the process and it is creating an environment. And the amount of noise present when the communication takes place. When I say noise, it is not only physical, that may be biological or that may be psychological noise that is present in the receiver. So that he can overcome that and he can be an efficient communicator.

Conclusion

To conclude we can say that with the information and communication technologies, we can reduce the number of noises but at the same time, so if the things are not taken care of, there maybe chances of enhancing the noise.

• Ultimately the process of communication leads to satisfaction of several human needs.
•  Effective human communication skills lead to the effective relationships. So this is what we try to emphasize specially in delivering the extension services.

Once you take care of the noise factor as well as the needs of the receivers and the technological aspects as an extension professional that you are intended to communicate to your receivers. So these processes are going to make the entire process of communication a meaningful one.

Thank You