Basic Concepts Of Communication Science

BASIC CONCEPTS OF COMMUNICATION SCIENCE A. Definition of Communication Communication is a basic human activity. With communication, humans can relate to each other in everyday life. There is no human being who does not communicate, because every human activity must go through the communication process. Be it with yourself or others, verbal or non-verbal, face-to-face or using the media. The definition of communication according to Rogers (in Cangara) Introduction to Communication Science is: "The process by which an idea is transferred from a source to one or more recipients, with the intention of changing their behavior." (2012:22). Communication is the process of moving an idea or message from communicator to communicator with the aim of changing the behavior of the recipient in accordance with the wishes of the communicator. The definition was later developed by Rogers and Kincaid (in Cangara) Introduction to Communication Science which states that: Communication is a process in which two or more people exchange information with each other, which in turn will arrive at a deep mutual understanding. (2012:22). This definition explains that the ultimate goal of communication is not just to change behavior, but furthermore to create mutual understanding between the communicator and the communicant. So as to create harmony between the goals of the communicator and the wishes of the communicant. B. Communication Process The communication process is divided into two stages, namely primary and secondary. According to Effendy in his book Human Relations & Public Relations is divided into two stages, namely primary and secondary. 1. Primary Communication Process The primary communication process is the process of conveying one's thoughts and or feelings to others by using symbols as a medium. Symbols as primary media in the communication process are language, kial, gestures, colors, and so on that are directly able to "translate" the thoughts and or feelings of the communicator to the communicant. 2. Secondary Communication Process The secondary communication process is the process of conveying messages by one person to another by using tools or means as a second medium after using the symbol as the first medium. A communicator uses a second medium in launching his communication because the communicant as his target is in a relatively far place or a large number. The second media in question are letters, telephones, telexes, newspapers, magazines, radio, television, movies, and others. (2009:11-16). The communication process is how the communicator conveys the message to the communicant, so as to create an equation of meaning between the communicant and the communicator. This communication process aims to create effective communication (in accordance with the purpose of communication in general. The difference between primary and secondary communication lies in the media used. If in primary communication the media are symbols that are exchanged directly so that the communicator is able to translate the thoughts and or feelings of the communicator at that time, in contrast to secondary communication where the media used are substitutes for primary communication such as text, telephone, and others. C. Communication Functions Communication carried out by humans, actually has a function. The function is used to achieve the purpose or goal of the communication itself. This communication serves to facilitate humans in meeting their needs. Effendy in his book Communication Theory and Practice mentions the functions of communication including the following: 1) Inform (to inform) 2) Educate (to educate) 3) Entertain (to entertain) 4) Influence (to influence) Informing means channeling information from the communicator to the communicant so that the communicant knows the message being conveyed. Informing, for example, tells events, ideas or other people's behavior to the public. Educating is providing information, ideas, thoughts or knowledge so that others become aware of the knowledge conveyed. Entertaining is channeling messages that function to provide entertainment for others, while influencing is an attempt to influence each other with the aim of changing behavior according to what the communicator expects. D. Communication Barriers Communication does not always run smoothly without obstacles. Sometimes, obstacles also color the course of communication. The obstacles arise due to various factors. Effendy in his book Science, Theory, and Philosophy of communication explains the barriers to communication as follows: 1) Interference (noise) There are two types of interference with the course of communication which by their nature can be classified as mechanical interference and semantic interference. Mechanical interference is interference caused by communication channels or physical noise. Examples are double noise (interference) on radio sets, twisting or changing images on television layers, unclear letters, missing or inverted letter lines or torn pages in newspapers. Meanwhile, semantic interference is a type of interference that is concerned with communication messages whose understanding is damaged. This semantic interference is filtered into the message terms or concepts contained in the communicator, so there will be more semantic interference in the message. Semantic interference occurs in an understanding. 2) Interest Interest or interest will make a person selective in responding to or appreciating messages. People will only pay attention to stimuli that have to do with their interests. Interests not only affect our attention but also determine responsiveness. Our feelings, thoughts and behavior are reactive attitudes towards all stimuli that do not correspond to or conflict with an interest. 3) Hidden Motivation Motivation or motivation will encourage someone to do something that is in accordance with their desires, needs and shortcomings. The desires, needs and shortcomings of a person are different from other people, from time to time and from place to place, so that the motivation is different in intensity. The more appropriate communication with a person's motivation, the more likely the communication can be received properly by the party concerned. Conversely, communicants will ignore a communication that is not in accordance with their motivation. 4) Prejudice Prejudice or prejudice is one of the toughest obstacles or obstacles for a communication activity because people who have prejudice have nothing to be suspicious and oppose the communicator who wants to launch communication. In prejudice, emotions force us to draw conclusions based on prejudice without using rational thought. Prejudice can occur not only against a race, as we often hear, but also against religion, political stance, in short, a stimulus that in experience has given an unpleasant impression. (2003:45). Interference (noise) often occurs if there are obstacles in the use of communication channels that result in not delivering the message in full, causing misperceptions, or discrepancies in information between communicators and communicants. Then, interest barriers are obstacles that come from differences in the interests of communication actors. The communicator or communicant will only pay attention to things that are in accordance with his interests and ignore what he considers unimportant, so that the message is not conveyed entirely, this is also similar to motivational barriers where the communicant selects the message he wants to receive. Meanwhile, prejudice barriers are barriers that come from the minds of communicants. If the communicant has already judged the communicator before communication is carried out, emotions will force the communicant to see the communicator based on what he suspects. In addition to the distractions mentioned above, language is also sometimes an obstacle. Especially for deaf children who have limited understanding of language due to their deafness condition. Thus, teachers who are educators in special schools must use special approaches and techniques that are understood by deaf children.