Communication Process and Barriers

Start with the lecture slides

The lecture slides introduce definitions of communication, Priestley’s paradox and models of communication. They offer a starting point if you want to see the questions and ideas covered by this collection before choosing a more focused resource.

After looking through the slides, try the flashcards in Wk1 Questions and Answers. They include questions about the difference between communication and communications, levels of communication enquiry and Priestley’s paradox. Use them to check which terms you can explain, then return to the slides when you want to look again.

Explore the process with mind maps

Levels of Communication includes a transmitter, receiver, encoder and decoder, as well as descriptions of disruptions to a signal and difficulties with decoding. Use it to follow the path of a message and consider where a barrier might arise.

Another mind map sets out the source, coding, channel, decoding and receiver. Compare its elements with those in Levels of Communication. You can also explore Communication, which covers influences on communication and verbal and nonverbal dimensions, including speaking, listening, writing and reading.

Put the resources to work

There are no quizzes on this topic page. Instead, use the questions in the flashcards as prompts and look back at a mind map when you need to check an idea. Try describing the process in your own words before consulting the map again. Teachers can use the same sequence to choose material for a discussion of communication and barriers.

This topic is a section of Communication Theory and Research Methods in Communication and journalism. The collection connects questions about definitions and models with maps of communication processes, giving you different ways to explore the material within the unit. Choose a flashcard question and see which map helps you explain it.