Communication is a word derived from the Latin term "communicate", which means "share, participate in something, make common".
Through communication, humans and animals share different information between each other, making the act of communicating an essential activity for life in society.
Since the beginning of time, communication has been of vital importance, being a tool for integration, instruction, mutual exchange and development. The communication process consists in the transmission of information between a sender and a receiver that decodes (interprets) a certain message.
The message is encoded in a system of defined signs that can be gestures, sounds, signs, a natural language (Portuguese, English, Spanish, etc.), or other codes that have a meaning (for example, the colors of the traffic light), and transported to the recipient through a communication channel (the medium through which the message circulates, whether by letter, telephone, broadcast on television, etc.).
In this process, the following elements can be identified: emitter, receiver, code (signal system) and communication channel. Another element present in the communication process is noise, characterized by everything that affects the channel, disturbing the perfect capture of the message (for example, lack of cell phone network).
See also: Communication Elements and Definition of Interlocutor.
When communication takes place through a spoken or written language, it is called verbal communication. It is a form of communication unique to human beings and the most important in human societies.
The other forms of communication that use non-linguistic signal systems, such as gestures, facial expressions, images, etc., are called non-verbal communication.
See also: Types of Language: Verbal, Nonverbal and Mixed.
Some branches of communication are: information theory, intrapersonal communication, communication interpersonal, marketing, advertising, advertising, public relations, speech analysis, telecommunications and Journalism.
The term "communication" is also used in the sense of connecting two points, for example, the means of transport that communicates between two cities or the technical means of communication (telecommunications).
Social Communication
THE Social Communication consists of systems for transmitting messages to a vast, dispersed and heterogeneous audience. This designation essentially covers the so-called mass media in the areas of periodical press, radio, television and cinema.
Business Communication
THE Business Communication it is the strategic planning area within the context of a company. A good communication strategy makes for a successful business. In this context, press relations and internal communication are essential concepts.
See also the meaning of visual communication and feedback.