The Communication Cycle: From Intention to Interpretation

A Process Full of Possible Distortions

When we feel that we are not being understood by others, we can become frustrated, and to avoid this, it is useful to understand the communication process.

This cycle helps us recognize the different stages that a message goes through, from the sender's original intention to the receiver's final interpretation.

At each of these stages there is a risk of distortion, which explains why misunderstandings often arise that cause us completely unnecessary stress.

Understanding this model will allow you to improve the quality of your interactions and reduce the number of conflicts that arise from communication that has not been effective.

Step 1 and 2: From Intention to Spoken Word

The first part of any communication is "what I want to say", which is the information or idea that you have in your mind and that you want to share.

Before a single word leaves your mouth, communication has already begun in your with an intention and a message you want to deliver.

The second part is "what I say," and often, this is not exactly what you wanted to say, since the process of verbalizing can alter the message.

As we pass the idea from our head to our mouth, we encode it in a language, and if we don't use the correct vocabulary, the original message can become distorted.

It is at this point that the first big gap can arise between pure intention and the words that are finally spoken by the person speaking.

Step 3: What the Other Person Hears

The third part of the cycle is "what you hear," and this message that reaches your ears may be miles away from what I said.

This distortion may be due to external factors, such as too much noise in the environment, or internal factors, such as your own state of concentration.

If while you listen to me you have your head thinking about a thousand different things, the amount of information that will reach you will only be a small percentage.

Your emotional state at the time can also powerfully influence wh