What is Communication?
{{no sources|date=March 2023}} [[File:Communication sender-message-reciever en.png|thumb|Communication]] '''Communication''' is when [[information]] is passed from a sender to a recipient using a [[Media_(communication)|medium]]. There are different media that can be used: *Visual communication (using [[body language]] or [[gesture]]s) *Communicating with [[sound]]s (like human [[language]], but may also be the barking of a [[dog]]) *Communication using [[touch]] *Using [[smell]] *Using [[writing]] Communication can be [[wikt:speak|spoken]] (a word) or non-spoken (a [[smile]]). Communication has many ways, and happens all the time. Not only humans communicate, most other [[animal]]s do too. Some communication is done without thinking, such as by changing in [[Nonverbal communication|posture]]. Communication that tries to change somebody's mind may be called [[persuasion]] or [[propaganda]]. == How communication works == Communication works by exchanging information or messages. In very basic terms #The sender makes a message, from an idea. This is usually called ''encoding'' #The sender transmits the message through the medium. #The recipient receives the message and ''decodes'' it. Besides the content of the message, there are other things that are important. These are not part of the message itself, but rather of its context *Who is communicating, and what status does the communicator have? *Communication messages usually do not come alone, but are accompanied by other messages. These are also interpreted. For a message exchange to be successful, the sender and the recipient must have agreed on a [[vocabulary]] that avoids [[ambiguity]]. For example, the word ''hedge'' can mean completely different things based on the context. In [[botany]] a hedge is a row of shrubs or trees that make a barrier or form a border. In finance, a hedge is an investment made to reduce the risk of another investment. In linguistics a hedge is a word or set of words that make other words less important. Without information it is