It's no secret that communication is a very important, even an integral part of social relations. This concept primarily means the exchange of various kinds of information between subjects.
Ever since the dawn of human society, interaction and communication have played an important role. These were the first channels of communication. Today, the role of information continues to grow. In this regard, all existing types of communication channels are of great importance for humanity.
Many people know the phrase of the famous writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery. At one time he said that the most valuable thing in the world is the luxury of human communication. This statement has not lost its relevance today. Effective communication between people, without any doubt, is one of the main success factors in many areas of human society. It helps to make true and reliable friends, build a career, as well as achieve recognition and success. Without effectively building such relationships through communication channels, all this becomes impossible.
Definition of concept
What are channelscommunications? The definition of this concept is important for the process of information transfer itself. So, a communication channel is one or another means, using which you can transfer a message from a source to a recipient. The first of them sends this or that information, and the second receives it. In this case, there may be more than one addressee. So, during the presentation, the lecturer conveys information to the whole audience. Moreover, the message may not be limited to text or sounds. Often it includes intonation, gestures, etc.
Development of communication in human society
Communication channels are real or imagined lines of communication along which information moves. At the same time, both the source and the subscriber need certain means for perception. They are codes and languages, as well as technical devices.
Means and channels of communication have undergone changes with the development of human society. Together with people, they have traveled the path from the primitive system to the post-industrial civilization. At the same time, not only the number changed, but also new types of communication channels arose. Natural ways of transmitting information were gradually supplemented by artificial ones created for these purposes by people themselves.
Non-verbal and verbal channels
These types of information transmission are natural. Non-verbal and verbal communication channels use the means that are naturally inherent in a person. Thanks to this, the transmission of a semantic message becomes possible.
Non-verbal (non-verbal) and verbal (verbal) are channelssocial communication. Moreover, the first of them is the most ancient.
It arose in the process of biological evolution long before the very appearance of man, when higher animals expressed their attitude to certain events with various emotions.
The ability to speak or use a verbal communication channel is a hallmark of the human race. For the emergence of this process, the development of the articulation system, the formation of a special zone in the brain, etc. was required. It is due to the absence of all these biological prerequisites that representatives of the animal world are not able to speak.
The emergence of artificial channels
With the development of human society, a need has arisen for the transfer of information in the absence of direct contact between two or more subjects. That is why artificial channels of communication appeared. The very first of these was a documentary. It included jewelry and amulets, tattoos and symbols that have certain concepts ("tree", "beast", "woman", etc.). Such primitive painting was the initial stage in the development of writing. With its appearance, a new means of documentary communication channel arose. Over time, the manuscripts were supplemented by printed literature and the press.
Verbal communication continued to improve along with the development of the documentary communication channel. She got the telegraph, telephone, radio and television at her disposal.
Today, humanity hasHuge selection of communication channels. Social means of information transmission have been replenished with new inventions, and these are, first of all, computers.
Types of social communication
In modern society, the transfer of information is carried out on the basis of the channels used and the means of material and technical equipment. In this regard, the following types of social communication are distinguished:
- Oral. This communication uses both natural non-verbal and verbal channels and means.
- Documentary. This communication uses channels that were artificially created by man to transmit information. These include printing, writing, and visual arts that convey meaning in space and time.
- Electronic. It is based on wire and radio communications, computer equipment, magnetic and optical recording media.
All three types of social ways of transmitting information exist in unity with each other.
Verbal communication
Already in the very name of this method of communication is its real content. Oral communication, that is, "transmitted through the mouth", is not limited to verbal interactions. It is also carried out with the help of the senses. That is why the structure of oral communication includes various ways and means that are its elements. The most striking of them is speech. It is able to convey information of increased complexity. The language of this or that nation allows the use of ambiguous words and effective phrases. In the process of suchWhen transmitting a message, the effect of “release of a compressed spring” often occurs, that is, the transmission of a single concept or term causes the interlocutor to understand a large amount of information.
An important element of oral communication is the reaction of the recipient. It can be benevolent or hostile, active or passive, feigned, etc.
In addition to verbal communication, visual contact is an important element of oral communication. When transmitting simple information, it plays a greater role than the speech of the interlocutor. Visual information, including gestures, postures and facial expressions, is needed to introduce emotional and sensual components into verbal communication. An important element in this case is the concept of appearance. Hence there is a proverb saying that any person is greeted by clothes. And this is not surprising. After all, in the old days, clothing largely spoke of the estate of the interlocutor. Today, the elements of a non-verbal image include not only branded clothing, but also watches, a car, a cell phone, and so on.
The social and landscape environment of the interlocutor is also inscribed in the process of oral communication. This includes landscape elements, etc.
So, oral communication is a complex interaction of subjects, the process of which includes all the senses, as well as intuitive and logical resources. In addition, it is the basic way of transmitting information, without which all its other forms become impossible.
Documentary communication
This is anothertype of message passing. Its main tool is a document, which includes a material stable object created for use in social communication. Its hallmarks are:
- The presence of meaning. Only in this case, communication between the subjects becomes possible. A message without meaning is referred to as noise.
- The presence of a stable real form, which serves to ensure the long-term preservation of the document. What is "written with a pitchfork on the water" does not belong to this category.
- Destination for use in communication channels. These may be objects that were not originally documents. This status was assigned to historical, cultural, ethnographic and archaeological artifacts later due to the presence of a meaning in them that can be deciphered and “read” like a text.
- Completion of the message enclosed in the document. However, this requirement is relative in terms of unfinished literary works, sketches, sketches, drafts, etc., which were once written by great scientists, poets, artists.
Today there is a certain typification of documents.
Moreover, it was developed on the basis of their iconic form. So, all documents are divided into:
- Readable. These include works of writing created in natural or artificial language.
- Iconic. This view includes documents that carry images (drawings and paintings, photographsand movies, transparencies, etc.).
- Ideographic. These are documents that use symbols (maps and drawings, coats of arms and schemes, emblems, etc.).
- Symbol. These are items related to material objects that perform documentary functions (historical relics, museum exhibits, architectural monuments).
- Audial. These are phonetic, sounding documents, as well as various kinds of sound recordings.
- Machine readable. These include disks and magnetic tapes, punched cards, etc.
All of the listed types of documents are types of communication channels.
Written text is also an integral part of business communication. In other words, documents are the main communication channels for every existing organization.
Written genres of any company, as a rule, have legal competence. That is why they are devoid of emotional and any other personal beginning. But at the same time, documents are communication channels of an organization that have logic and objectivity, clarity and semantic exhaustion, compositional order, etc. The text of such a message is sent not only to report, prove, declare, etc. It must carry the embodiment of the accepted standard.
Electronic communication
The 20th century was the period of the second technological revolution, which resulted in television and phototelegraphy, computer communications and video recording. In the same period, e-mail arose, which by the end of the 90s had become a global communication system. Internet. All this is the next stage in the development of communication methods. It is characterized by the transfer of information from oral and documentary forms to electronic.
From its inception, a new type of messaging has been presented as a means of bridging the distance between subjects. In addition, it was planned to use the electronic communication channel as a repository of not only written, but also oral information. It was an instrumental stage in the development of such communication. It became possible due to the achievements of the scientific and technological revolution.
When using electricity, the problem of speed in the transfer of information was solved. And if before the movement of radio waves occurred at the speed of light, now the global exchange of messages is provided almost instantly. At the same time, it allows you to convey oral and written speech, as well as an image. In addition, electronic communication channels solved the problem of storing messages, which allowed us to enter a new paperless stage in the development of social communications.
At the intellectual stage of development, there was a transition from quantitative changes in the methods of transmitting messages to qualitative ones. It was caused by the fact that the needs of society for the preservation and dissemination of texts began to exceed the possibilities that the available technical means had. Humanity began to need new devices that would be able to store large amounts of information and transmit it over considerable distances. And they were created as a result of scientifictechnical developments. Today, communication channels include computer and expert systems, as well as word processors. At the same time, artificial intelligence was connected to the process of information transfer. This allowed a person to entrust the computer with routine operations that require many repetitions and constant attention.
At this stage, the personal and group communication needs of mankind are met through the use of the Internet. This is a global computer network in which a virtual space has been created.
The rapid development of electronic communication channels affects almost all areas of human activity. This includes interpersonal communication, and the work of enterprises, and the economy of countries as a whole.
Marketing Communication
This method of communication is used in all areas of activity, the purpose of which is to achieve successful sales to meet the needs of society.
Marketing communication channels are used to create a positive image of the organization in the market. At the same time, they are an effective tool in the sales process. As a result of such information transfer, the following is produced:
- sending messages to target audience groups about the implementation of certain services or goods;
- creating a favorable attitude towards the company;
- Building a brand image to inspire customer confidence;
- attracting new customers.
Marketing communication channels can be both external and internal. At the same time, they alldesigned to transfer information from producer to consumer in order to meet the needs of society and profit from sales.
The main components of marketing communication include:
- Advertising in any form that allows you to distribute information that helps sell goods and services.
- Sales promotion. This is a special type of activity that allows you to maintain a market share of corporate influence and popularize novelties.
- Direct mail. This communication channel is designed to stimulate sales through the mail.
- Telemarketing. This communication channel uses the means of telephone communication to increase sales and create a positive consumer opinion about the company.
- Public relations. This is a special form of marketing communication that uses exhibitions and fairs, packaging and design as advertising.
All of the above messaging methods are designed by companies to increase consumer demand and increase sales. That is why every organization strives to develop and implement a strategy in the field of marketing process management.
Characteristic of the personal communication channel
Messaging plays an important role in today's society. In this regard, the characteristic of communication channels is so important and relevant for a person. Let's take a closer look at them.
One of the most universal channels of personal communication are considered. Their main advantagesare:
- possibility of direct emotional impact on recipients of information;
- feedback, enabling instant response to what is happening;
- targeting;
- privacy;
- the ability to manage with a minimum of intermediaries and technical means;
- cheap.
However, despite all the above characteristics, personal communication channels are not always used. This is due to their negative sides, the main of which is the limited size of the audience.
It should be borne in mind that personal are the most effective channels of communication in cases where it is necessary to build relationships with people whose point of view is significant for society. In other words, with “opinion leaders.”
Characteristics of media channels
There is another way of communication, which makes it possible to send messages to the maximum possible number of consumers. It is often used for marketing purposes. This is the transmission of messages through mass communication channels. Their main media are television and radio, outdoor advertising and the press, as well as the Internet. These are all channels of communication used to convey information to the masses. Consider their main characteristics.
Television media are mass communication channels. Their main advantage is:
- Mass character. The audience sitting in front of the TV is the largest possible audience. Precisely TVgives modern man more than half of all the information he receives.
- Speeds. The transmitted information is received by all viewers at the same time.
- Multithreading. All transmitted messages have their impact on the viewer through audio-visual contact, ensuring maximum digestibility.
The disadvantages of television include poor controllability of the information flow. TV is not able to provide the necessary information to the target audience.
The press also applies to mass media channels. At the same time, printed media have the following advantages:
- A small cost. This method is relatively inexpensive to get the message across to the right target audience.
- Accuracy of handling. The required target audience will definitely read the information you submitted if it is published in a publication specializing in similar topics.
- The ability to present details. The media can publish the most complete information.
- Ease of perception. All information contained in the printed publication is read by the user on his own initiative. This has a positive effect on her perception.
Outdoor advertising can also be attributed to the mass media that transmit the information necessary for the manufacturer. Its main advantages include:
- Showy. This becomes possible due to the large size of the shields and the use of large drawings and texts.
- Location. The consumer knows the location of the advertisingcarrier.
- Low cost. The price for such advertising is much lower than for a message placed on TV or in the media.
One of the disadvantages of outdoor advertising is the impossibility of conveying a large amount of information to the audience.
The most modern mass media is the Internet. Its benefits include:
- Low-cost advertising.
- Buyer interest.
- Feedback opportunities.
- Spread rate.
Among the shortcomings of the Internet, there is a low credit of user trust. After all, information of any kind, even knowingly unreliable information, can be placed in this global network. That is why messages published in other media are of great interest to the layman.
