Who isn't familiar with communication? We are constantly communicating, whether with ourselves, with others, within groups, organizations, or with a wider audience. However, not everyone understands what communication truly is and what is needed to establish it. To better understand communication, let's look at the following explanation. Communication originates from the Latin word 'communis,' meaning to build common ground between two or more people.
The term also comes from the root word 'communico,' which means to share (Cherry in Stuart, 1983). According to Everett M. Rogers, “communication is the process by which an idea is transferred from one source to one or more receivers with the intention of changing their behavior.” This definition was later developed with Lawrence Kincaid, stating that “communication is the process by which two or more people form or exchange information, which in turn leads to a deep understanding.” According to Onong Uchjana Effendy, communication is the process of conveying a message by one person to another to inform, change attitudes, opinions, or behavior, either verbally (directly) or indirectly (through media).
The definition of communication and its 5 (Five) Elements according to Harold Lasswell are as follows: Communication is essentially a process that explains who? says what? in which channel? to whom? with what effect? (Lasswell 1960). Analysis of the 5 elements according to Lasswell (1960): 1. Who? (who/source). The source/communicator is the main actor/party who has the need to communicate or who initiates a communication, which can be an individual, a group, or a country as the communicator.
2. Says What? (message). What will be conveyed/communicated to the receiver (recipient), from the source (communicator) or the content of the information. It is a set of verbal/non-verbal symbols representing the feelings, values, ideas/intentions of the source. There are 3 components of a message: meaning, symbols to convey meaning, and the form/group of the message.
3. In Which Channel? (channel/media). The vehicle/tool for conveying the message from the communicator (source) to the recipient (receiver), either directly (face-to-face) or indirectly (through print/electronic media, etc.). 4. To Whom? (to whom/receiver). The person/group/country that receives the message from the source. Referred to as the destination/listener/audience/recipient/interpreter/decoder.
5. With What Effect? (impact/effect). The impact/effect that occurs on the recipient (receiver) after receiving the message from the source, such as changes in attitude, increased knowledge, etc. Example: Communication between a teacher and their students. The teacher, as the communicator, must have a clear message to convey to the students or recipients.
After that, the teacher must also determine the channel for communication, whether direct (face-to-face) or indirect (media). Then, the teacher must adjust the topic/self/theme to suit the age of the recipient, and also determine the communication objective/purpose of the message so that the desired impact/effect occurs on the recipient. Based on Lasswell's definition of communication above, communication is a message conveyed to the recipient (receiver) from the communicator (source) through certain channels, either directly or indirectly, with the intention of having the desired impact/effect on the recipient as intended by the communicator.
Pawito and C Sardjono (1994: 12) attempt to define communication as a process by which a message is transferred or conveyed (via a channel) from a source to a receiver with the intention of changing behavior, changes in knowledge, attitudes, and/or other overt behaviors. At least four main elements are found in the communication model: the source, the message, the channel, and the receiver.
Wilbur Schramm states communication as a sharing process. Schramm elaborates as follows: “Communication comes from the Latin word 'communis,' meaning common or shared. When we communicate, we are actually trying to foster a commonness with someone. That is, we are trying to share information, ideas, or attitudes. As in this explanation, for example, I am trying to communicate with readers to convey the idea that the essence of communication is actually an effort to make the receiver or giver of communication have the same understanding of a particular message” (Suprapto, 2006: 2-3).
This concludes a brief introduction to the science of communication; hopefully, it can add to all our knowledge. That's all for my writing this time. See you next time.