Communication is the reciprocal sharing of verbal or nonverbal information following a set of rules.

Communication Process

The Process of communication involves a source that uses a channel to deliver a message to the receiver, and this message produces an effect and feedback (Black & Bryant, 1992, in Flor & Ongkiko, 2006). This definition is best illustrated through Berlo’s Model of Communication:

In this model, the letters SMCRE represent the elements of communication: source, message, channel, receiver, and effect. Other models, like Shannon and Weaver’s (1948, in Flor & Ongkiko, 2006), include another element called “noise” or “barrier” that affects that reception of the message.

The source is where the information comes from. The message is the information relayed from the source to the receiver. The channel refers to the tool through which the message is relayed. The receiver gets the message and executes the effect.

In a typical tour scenario, the source is the tour guide, the message is the commentary, the channel can be a microphone, the receiver is the tourist, and the effect is the tourist’s reaction and appreciation. Feedback is also relayed by the tourist to the tour guide in the form of formal evaluation of the tour guide’s performance. This could be through feedback forms, suggestions for performance improvement, tips or gratuities, and repeat visits.