Elements of communication

1. The communicator/sender:

a) The communicator knows the objectives, audience, needs, the message and its content, the validity, usefulness, importance, channels, treatment and professional abilities, and limitation

b) The communicators are interested in the audience and its welfare, how a message can help people, the result of communication, the communication process, the channels their proper use, the limitations of channels, and the communication skills

c) The communicators prepare: a plan for communication-teaching plan, materials and equipment, and a plan for evaluation or results

d) The communicators have skills in: selecting the message, treating the message, expressing the message, selecting and use of channels, understanding of audience, and collecting the evidence of results

2. The Message:

A good message should be:

• In line with the objectives to be attained
• Clear and understandable by the audience
• In line with the physical, economic, social, and mental capabilities of the audience
• Significant economically, and aesthetically to the needs, interests, and values of the audience
• Simply stated, covering a few pertinent points at a time
• Accurate scientifically sound, factual, and current
• Timely especially when seasonal factors are important and issues are current
• Supported by factual materials covering both sides of the arguments
• Appropriate to the selected channels
• Appealing and attractive to the audience having utility and immediate use
• Applicable can apply recommendation to one’s situation
• Adequate combining principle and practice in effective proportion
• Manageable can handled by communicators and within the limit of time and resources

3. The treatment and presentation:

• Way of Handling the message in such a way that the treated message is sent over the channel with maximum probability of reaching the destination effectively.
• Treatments means the way a message is processed so that the information gets across to the audience.
• The following are the three categories of basses useful for varying treatment and presentation.

a) Matters of general organization

b) Matters of speaking and acting

c) Matters of devices for representing ideas

Communication channel:

• They are transmission lines used for carrying messages to their destination. Transmission line or bridge between sender and receiver of the message.
• The message must be transmitted through the proper channel and the choice of channel is important in determining the efficiency and effectiveness of the communication process.

Type and characteristics of communication channels

5. The receiver/Audience:

The audience is rather selective in receiving, processing, and interpreting the message they receive based on the following characteristics:

a) Selective exposure: there is a tendency for individuals to expose themselves relatively more to those items of communication as per their ideas, values, and beliefs.

b) Selective perception: Regardless of communication exposures, an individual’s perception of certain events, issues, persons, and places could be influenced by one’s latent beliefs, attitudes, wants, needs, or other factors.

c) Selective retention: All information is not retained by the individuals. People generally tend to retain information in which they have some interest and which they consider to be important

6. Audience response:

a) Understanding Vs knowledge: People usually do not act on fact only but only after when an understanding of the feedback to remove all the barriers between sender and receiver

b) Acceptance Vs Rejection: Feedback is essential to help them act in the right way

c) Remembering and forgetting: With the help of feedback to an extent it is possible to transmit the right message to the right people at the right time

d) Mental and physical action: Feedback is essential to remove the mental barriers in the way of actual adoption of farm innovation.

e) Right Vs wrong: For a variety of reasons farm people fail to behave precisely according to instructions even if they have understood and accepted them.

7. The feedback:

• Purpose of feedback is to provide constructive information that helps another to learn how another regards his/her behavior and its effects