Elements of Communication

(According to Leagans’ Model):

1. Communicator
2. Message
3. Channel
4. Treatment
5. Audience
6. Audience Response

1. Communicator

• The initiator or sender of the message.
• In Extension: a communicator may be a village-level worker, BDO, SMS, scientist, etc.
• Source of knowledge: research institutes, universities, projects.
• Extension agents carry messages from research to farmers.

Credibility:

• Means: Trustworthiness and competence.
• Progressive villages: Scientist > Radio > Progressive Farmer > Extension Agency > Demonstration.
• Non-progressive villages: Demonstration > Progressive Farmer > Scientist > Extension Agency > Radio.

Attitude of Source: Should be favorable towards self, audience, and content.

Fidelity: Refers to faithful performance of communication. Increases by skill, not just attitude.

Key Communicator: A person sought for information and advice.

• Identified using:
  1. Sociometric Method: Best method. Members nominate people they go to for advice. Result: Sociogram.
  2. Self-designating Method: Individuals assess themselves.
  3. Information-rating Method: Random members are asked to rate others’ influence.

2. Message (Content)

• What the communicator wants the audience to receive, understand, accept, and act upon.
• Berlo’s Dimensions of Message:
  • Code: Symbols used (e.g., language, gestures).
  • Content: Information or subject.
  • Treatment: Manner or style of presentation.

Characteristics of a Good Message: Timeliness, Specificity, Credibility

Types of Message Distortion by (Kirk):

1. Systematic Distortion: Message is changed but no information is lost.
2. Fog Distortion: Maximum information loss occurs.
3. Mirage Distortion: Unwanted/additional information gets mixed in.

Encoding vs. Decoding:

• Encoding: Sender’s act – Listening, Reading.
• Decoding: Receiver’s act – Speaking, Writing.

👉 Message Flow Models

1. Hypodermic Needle Model: Assumes mass media has a direct, immediate, and powerful effect on a passive audience.
2. Two-Step Flow Model (USA, 1940): Message flows from media → key communicator → audience.
3. One-Step Flow Model: Message flows directly from media to audience, bypassing intermediaries. Acknowledges individual screening, personality effects.
4. Multi-Step Flow Model: Message passes through multiple steps and layers, recognizing the complexity of influence in society.

3. Channel; Channels are the physical or symbolic means through which a message travels from sender to receiver.

• Definition: Channels are the physical bridges between the communicator and the audience.
• Obstruction or Noise: Any disturbance that interferes with message transmission (e.g., unclear audio, illegible handwriting) is termed as noise.

✅ Types of Channels:

Based on Form:

1. Spoken Channels:
   • Examples: Farm and home visits, farmer’s call, meetings, radio talks.
   • Advantage: Allows immediate clarification and two-way interaction.
2. Written Channels:
   • Examples: Personal letters, farm publications, newspapers, pamphlets.
   • Advantage: Provides permanent record and is useful for literate audiences.

Based on Personal Involvement:

1. Personal Localite:
   • Definition: Local leaders or individuals within the same social system of the receiver.
   • Example: Progressive farmers, village leaders.
   • Role: Highly credible and influential due to shared background.
2. Personal Cosmopolite:
   • Definition: Communicators from outside the social system of the receiver, but with face-to-face contact.
   • Example: Extension agents, agricultural officers.
3. Impersonal Cosmopolite:
   • Definition: Sources from outside the social system and with no personal interaction.
   • Example: Mass media (radio, TV, newspapers).
   • Role: Effective for large-scale dissemination, though less personalized.

Based on Nature of Contact:

1. Individual Contact:
   • Extension agent communicates one-on-one.
   • Examples: Farm and home visits, personal calls, consultations.
2. Group Contact:
   • Extension agent communicates with a group, not individuals separately.
   • Examples: Group meetings, field days, training programs.
3. Mass Contact:
   • Communication directed at a large audience simultaneously.
   • Examples: Campaigns, exhibitions, radio and TV programs, mass meetings.

4. Treatment and Presentation

• Treatment refers to the processing or tailoring of a message to make it:
  • Clear
  • Understandable
  • Realistic
• Presentation is how the message is communicated or delivered to the audience.
  • It depends on:
    • Channel used
    • Nature of the audience (literate, illiterate, local, cosmopolitan, etc.)

✳️ Both treatment and presentation are vital to ensure effective understanding and impact.

5. Audience

• The audience (or receiver) is the target of the communication process.
• They interpret, evaluate, and respond to the message.

Audience Segmentation:

• A communication strategy where the total audience is divided into sub-groups, and tailored messages are delivered to each group.
• Example: Separating audience based on:
  • Age (youth, elderly)
  • Education level (illiterate, literate)
  • Occupation (farmers, agri-business owners)

✳️ This improves relevance and effectiveness of communication.

6. Audience Response

• It is the ultimate goal or final outcome of the communication process.
• The receiver’s action or reaction (e.g., adopting a new practice, asking questions) is what completes the communication loop.
• It is considered the terminating element in the communication cycle.

7. Feedback

• Feedback is essential to complete the communication process in extension education.
• It is the reaction or response of the audience that is carried back to the communicator.
• Example: A farmer applying a suggested practice and reporting results to the extension worker.

Key Points:

• “Action-Reaction” Interdependence is feedback.
• It helps the communicator modify or reinforce the message.
• Source-oriented: The communicator initiates and uses feedback to improve future communication.

🔹 The concept of communication (including feedback) was explained by D. Berlo in his famous SMCR model:

• S: Source (Communicator)
• M: Message
• C: Channel
• R: Receiver (Audience)

Summary: