Understanding Communication: Why Is It Truly a Two-Way Process?

Why is communication called a two-way process? Please explain in detail.

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Communication is often referred to as a two-way process because it involves both sending and receiving information. In a successful communication exchange, there is an active sender who encodes and transmits a message, and a receiver who decodes and interprets that message. This interaction is what distinguishes communication from simple transmission of data.

By being a two-way process, communication allows for feedback, clarification, and mutual understanding between the parties involved. It enables individuals to express their thoughts, feelings, and ideas, while also providing an opportunity to listen, comprehend, and respond effectively. This dynamic interplay is essential for effective communication in various contexts, whether interpersonal, professional, or societal.

In conclusion, the two-way nature of communication underscores the importance of active participation and engagement from both the sender and the receiver. It emphasizes the need for listening, understanding, and responding thoughtfully to ensure meaningful and impactful communication exchanges.

Hi S.H. Punekar,

According to my logic, every action has an equal, opposite, and simultaneous reaction as per Newton's laws of motion. The same logic applies to communication. Please let me know whether you subscribe to this reasoning of mine.

Best Regards,
Vishwas H. Watwe

Dear Punekar,

First, you need to understand what communication is. Communication is nothing but sharing information between two or more people. It depends on both parties. If one person does not understand properly or does not convey the intended meaning effectively, it can lead to misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the actual situation. That's why communication is a two-way process.

Dear Punekar,

Please find the PowerPoint presentation on communication skills that I found on Cite HR.

Thank you.

Dear Friend,

It's called a two-way process because when you communicate, there are two subjects involved here: a) the person who is communicating, and b) the person/s listening.

For example, when you talk to your friend, two people are involved. When you are talking to a group, two sides are involved. When you are writing, one side is you (you are writing your thoughts), and the receiving side is the people who read what you have written (that is the second subject here).

So, it's very important that not only are you sure of what you are saying, but also that people who are listening to you are sure they understood it the right way.

Hope this helps you :-)

Actually, sir, people are looking for ready-made answers, presentations, and documents on site HR. The above answer could be easily sought on the web (Google, Wikipedia)....but typing two lines is easier than searching and thinking through!!!!

Dear Asha,

I agree with you, but the most important part of communication is complete when the person who received the message also replies to the sender. If they do not reply, the communication is not complete. Communication is always complete when both the sender and receiver reply, like in a phone conversation. Just sending the message is not considered communication; it is complete when the recipient also replies. That's how it's called a two-way process, whether it's written in a telephonic conversation or through mail.

Regards,
Ashmita

1. Management of an organization is effective only when its communication machinery is effective. The very existence of management depends upon an effective machinery of communication. Effective communication machinery is important because it communicates and helps in implementing the policies and objectives of the organization on the one hand, and also helps in understanding the nature and behavior of the people at work.

2. Management communication is a two-way process. It means that the management must allow both the parties - the management and the subordinates to convey their feelings, ideas, opinions, facts, grievances, etc., to the other party. Communication is said to be a continuous process of exchange of views and ideas, but it should be both ways - downward and upward.

3. The communication machinery or process should not only provide the manager with the privilege of communicating orders and directions to the workers to get the work done towards the achievement of organizational objectives as pleaded by the classical theory of organizational behavior known as Theory X by McGregor, but the workers also must be given a right to approach the management and communicate their complaints, grievances, opinions, facts, suggestions, etc., which may be in response to the orders or directions received from the management, or in the interest of the organization, contributing to the achievement of its objectives.

4. This two-way traffic is advantageous to both the management and the workers. Managers, very often, like that the subordinates must listen to them and follow their orders and directions whatsoever. On the other hand, managers are not prepared to listen to their subordinates regarding what they think about them and of their suggestions, ideas, or directions. They are not bothered about their subordinates' likes and dislikes and how they can contribute to the organizational objectives. Management, in this way, cannot be effective. Without giving subordinates an opportunity to be heard, their feelings will remain suppressed, and they may break down at any time.

5. A message can be interpreted by the recipient according to the image of the communicator in the mind of the recipient. If the image is bad, the version of the message may be distorted and interpreted differently. The bad image can be erased through proper communication from the other side, which is possible only when there is two-way communication in the organization.

6. Thus, the creation of organizational systems allowing two-way traffic will improve the morale of the workers on the one hand because they think that they have a say in the management, and will improve the working of the organization on the other hand because management-worker relations develop in a cordial atmosphere. Thus, two-way communication is necessary for effective management.

Communication is a two-way process in which individuals are able to understand each other. From what I learned from my previous course, communication has five elements: the sender, the message, the receiver, the feedback, and the channel of communication. Without these elements, communication has no use at all. But most importantly, communication cannot be effective without feedback. That's why it's called a two-way process because after the sender sends the message, the receiver should be able to interpret it by means of feedback. :)

You have asked a question, and answers are flowing in. How is this communication? You need to transmit a question, and there has to come an answer at the receiving end. The answer, right or wrong, depends on the level of reception and understanding of your question. If the continuity is improper, then your communication is not effective. I can put it that you are not good at linking with the theme of the medium to transmit questions. So simple. You need to apply it practically and see for yourself.

Regards,
Chandru

Communication is a two-way process as it involves more than one person. Here, one is the speaker and the other is the listener. After listening to the speaker, the listener gives his feedback by approving or disapproving him, and the process goes on until or unless both of them come to a common point of view. Communication takes place when both parties listen and speak to each other.

Regards, Rikita

Here's what I believe - The very purpose of communication is to get a response from the other party or a desired course of action. Everything else is chatter.

Communication needs include a sender and a receiver. The communication is not successful unless there is both a sender and a receiver. If the receiver is unable to understand or decode the message, the communication fails. We hope this is very clear.

Team Member
HRD Professionals

It's a two-way process. Firstly, because it involves two people. Though at times, you communicate with yourself. In business organizations, when we talk about communication, we basically refer to two persons exchanging information. Be it a CEO to the manager or vice versa, or anyone else.

Secondly, because communication is complete only when the receiver of the message interprets it in the same way as intended by the sender. Only then can it be a successful communication process. I hope this adds to your understanding.

Communication is a two-way process because whatever one is communicating should also be adapted by the others. This adaptation can be judged by the feedback. If we talk in terms of a model two, the sender wants to send a message (a feeling of love). The sender encodes it to any language (let's say English, "I love you"). That sentence travels through any medium (in the case of one-to-one, air). The receiver decodes it to understand and receives the message. However, the communication is still improper as the sender does not know whether she got the message exactly as he sent it or if some conflict has arisen due to noise in the environment. It may be that she doesn't know English. So, communication will be proper only when the receiver replies back (verbally or nonverbally).

You may contact for further queries too.

Thank you,

Robin Chatterji
Student of MBA (HR)
Faculty of Management Studies, BHU
Email: friend_robinchatterji@yahoo.com

Communication is the transfer of information from a source to a recipient. It is a two-way process. The person who is sending the message is known as the encoder and decides the best means to send the message and the content of the message. Once the message is sent, the recipient then decodes the message and sends a reply. This reply is known as feedback. The process must be two-way for effective communication to take place as the sender of the message must then reply to the feedback to continue the communication process.

Communication, by definition, is "a process of sending/receiving information on a specific topic for reaching a mutual understanding."

Now, the communication process can be of two types: one-way communication and two-way communication.

In one-way communication, the origination of information is from a single source, and the receiver simply receives it, interprets it, and provides feedback to complete the communication cycle.

In two-way communication, the source sends the information, the receiver receives and interprets it, and gives feedback to the source. Then, the receiver of the first communication cycle becomes the source, originates information, and the previous source (who was the receiver in the first cycle) receives it, interprets it, and gives feedback, thus completing the cycle.

So, communication is a process that can be one-way or two-way. Two-way communication is preferred to reach mutual understanding, as the parties involved in the communication cycle become originators, share their ideas, and reach mutual understanding.

Akmal Samsor

Dear Members,

I feel that in any form of communication, 'acknowledgment' is a core element. It is said that no form of communication is complete without 'acknowledgment'.

This is because with this element, we cannot judge the purpose of effective communication. The element of acknowledgment can be either in positive or negative feedback.

Positive feedback could be received from customer service, etc., whereas negative feedback could come from a scenario where a boy approaches a girl for friendship (I'm mentioning this example just to provide a clear idea).

Based on the acknowledgment in any communication, we as humans decide the conclusion of the communication.

A more suitable example is from Citehr.com itself. When a query is made by any member, we see suitable remarks from other members expressing their views and comments.

I would be delighted to hear comments from members on my points.

I feel communication is a two-way process because it is the expression of one's views and the understanding of the other.

Dear friend,

According to me, communication is a two-way process because if we are talking to someone and he or she does not understand what we are saying, then how will we communicate with others? So, to communicate effectively with others, both parties have to be responsive.

Why has given us Mouth and Ears - for the same reason.

Communication is different from speaking or telling because communication is not complete unless it is heard, understood, or interpreted by someone else. Communication may not always be verbal.

Saurabh

Dear Malini P.,

Thank you very much for the information. I have searched extensively on this topic on the web, but I couldn't find it. Your information was truly effective. Thanks again for all your efforts.

Very simple explanation. Communication is a message between two people - a SENDER and a RECEIVER.

John in Oz

Hello dear friend,

In my opinion, communication is a two-way process because it entirely depends on both the sender and receiver, as well as the common need of both parties.

Ravinder.d

It is the same as what we called "monologue" and "dialogue". A monologue is when you are talking to yourself, and a dialogue is when you are talking to someone else. That's communication. What is the purpose of that? There are four steps to clarify it. First, build up good communication. Second, build up the understanding between those two parties. Third, persuade each other to gain acceptance. And fourth, this is the result of the three previous steps... TRUST.

Yes, Ashmita.

Good answer!

Generally, communication is a two-way process. Even if the information or data is coming from one direction, the receiver must acknowledge the receipt of information, which is indicated by the feedback loop in the diagrams.

Technically, communication can be a one-way process, such as top-to-bottom in organizations (chairman's address, circulars, notices), broadcast media (TV, radio); or a protest (bottom-to-top), etc. However, there is always a provision for feedback, making it a two-way process.

In Communication technology, mobile phones, etc., offer two-way communication simultaneously and are called a full-duplex system. Walkie Talkie Wireless Systems offer half-duplex communication, which is again a two-way communication, but at any given time, only one party can speak or listen.

An example of true one-way communication is when astronomers send messages/signals to distant stars in distant galaxies. Another example could be your communication with God, but I don't think many would agree that it's a one-way communication. 😄

Regards.

Dear CITEHRIAN PUNEKAR,

I have attached 3 slides to explain how and why communication is a two-way process.

Nazir Ahmed Vaid

Dear Nazir,

Thanks a lot for your efforts. I have searched a lot on Google but I didn't find any. I need notes on it as I wanted for MBA. If you have any notes, I request you to please send me.

Thanks in advance. Thanks a lot.

Why is communication a two-way process defined with the help of a diagram? In Business and Finance, Definitions and Word Differences, Public Speaking, Process Management.

1. Management of an organization is effective only when its communication machinery is effective. The very existence of management depends upon an effective communication machinery. Effective communication machinery is important because it communicates and helps in implementing the policies and objectives of the organization on the one hand, and also helps in understanding the nature and behavior of the people at work.

2. Management communication is a two-way process. It means that the management must allow both parties - the management and the subordinates - to convey their feelings, ideas, opinions, facts, grievances, etc., to the other party. Communication is said to be a continuous process of exchange of views and ideas, but it should be both ways - downward and upward.

3. The communication machinery or process should not only provide the manager with the privilege of communicating orders and directions to the workers to get the work done towards the achievement of organizational objectives as pleaded by the classical theory of organizational behavior known as Theory X by McGregor, but the workers also must be given a right to approach the management and communicate their complaints, grievances, opinions, facts, suggestions, etc., which may be in response to the orders or directions received from the management, or in the interest of the organization, contributing to the achievement of its objectives.

4. This two-way traffic is advantageous to both the management and the workers. Managers very often like that the subordinates must listen to them and follow their orders and directions whatsoever. On the other hand, managers are not prepared to listen to their subordinates regarding what they think about them and of their suggestions, ideas, or directions. They are not bothered about their subordinates' likes and dislikes and how they can contribute to the organizational objectives. Management, in this way, cannot be effective. Without giving subordinates an opportunity to be heard, their feelings will remain suppressed, and they may break down at any time.

5. A message can be interpreted by the recipient according to the image of the communicator in the mind of the recipient. If the image is bad, the version of the message may be distorted and interpreted differently. The bad image can be erased through proper communication from the other side, which is possible only when there is two-way communication in the organization.

6. Thus, the creation of organizational systems allowing two-way traffic will improve the morale of the workers on the one hand because they think that they have a say in the management, and will improve the working of the organization on the other hand because management-worker relations develop in a cordial atmosphere. Thus, two-way communication is necessary for effective management. by MUKUL KUMAR [Login to view]

Dear Punekar,

This is another resource for the teachers on the communication process. I hope it will also provide you with some material for your MBA project.

http://www.c-pal.net/course/module3/...k1_Lesson7.pdf

Communication is a process of transferring information from one entity to another. Communication processes are sign-mediated interactions between at least two agents who share a repertoire of signs and semiotic rules. Communication is commonly defined as "the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs." Communication is a two-way process in which there is an exchange and progression of thoughts, feelings, or ideas towards a mutually accepted goal or direction.

Communication is a process of transferring information from one entity to another. Communication processes are sign-mediated interactions between at least two agents who share a repertoire of signs and semiotic rules. Communication is commonly defined as "the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs." Communication is a two-way process in which there is an exchange and progression of thoughts, feelings, or ideas towards a mutually accepted goal or direction.

Communication is a process of transferring information from one entity to another. Communication processes are sign-mediated interactions between at least two agents who share a repertoire of signs and semiotic rules. Communication is commonly defined as "the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs." Communication can be perceived as a two-way process in which there is an exchange and progression of thoughts, feelings, or ideas towards a mutually accepted goal or direction.

Communication is a process wherein one person tries to express his idea/message in writing, verbally, or through actions to some other person. It's a two-way process because the process is completed when feedback is received from the listener, ensuring that the message has achieved its purpose.

Dear friend,

Communication is a two-way process because it involves two persons or two sides to complete the communication. One encodes the idea to form a message body in a way that the receiver faces no problem in decoding the message and getting the right information. At the same time, the receiver should be able to decode the message to get the right information themselves. In a nutshell, it is a process of sending and receiving the message in the right way.

Dear Shupnekar,

If one person talks to himself, it is not communication at all. It is called soliloquy. For communication, a minimum of two persons are required. I do hope this would answer your doubt.

M.J. Subramanyam, Bangalore

Communication is a process that is done between two or more people to share information and knowledge.

Dear Punekar,

Communication is simply defined as "the response you get". Whatever you communicate elicits a response as per the communication. So, whether this is to a person or persons, the most important aspect is what you communicate. To make this effective, a communicator should have absolute sensual acuity (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory, and gustatory). The way in which he/she communicates will elicit an adequate response.

Thank you,

Dear Asha,

It appears that everyone has been taken for a ride. This is typical behavior from new members. This is precisely why we must always consider the join date of the member and their post history.

Thankfully, the most senior member, Mr. Narasimhan (nashbramhall), is not present to admonish that member. Hahaha!

Regards,
Chandru