Idea 10: The Communication Star
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Chinese proverb
Communication is like a three-legged stool. In the basic model of a good conversation there are two people or parties engaged in a fundamentally two-way process of communication. The third element is that communication is always about something. So there are three elements: speaker, listener (which alternate) and content.
The Communication Star model clearly identifies those three factors.
You will see at a glance that there are three other elements in the picture: aim, methods and situation.
| Aim | The intention of the message is the purpose in the sender’s mind for sending it. It is the reason communication is taking place. |
| Methods | How the message is conveyed. Writing, speaking or using signs are simple examples of methods. |
| Situation | The context or environment in which the communication is taking place. |
The aim or intention you have in mind, the methods you choose and the setting of the meeting all contribute positively or negatively to the outcome. If, for example, you are not clear about what you are trying to communicate, don’t expect your ‘receiver’ to be clear. Would Lincoln’s famous address on the battlefield of Gettysburg have sounded the same if it had been delivered in a baseball stadium?
Remind yourself
Always consider when you are planning the overall pattern of communication: all the points of the star in relation to the aim, never simply one element in isolation from all the others.