Core Principles of Communication

Beyond models, communication is guided by four fundamental principles:

1. Communication is Processual

   It is a sequence of interrelated actions:

   Ideation → Encoding → Transmission → Decoding → Feedback

   Harold Lasswell’s (1948) classic formula captures this:

   “Who says What in Which channel to Whom, with What effect?”

   The five key elements: Source, Message, Channel, Receiver, Effect.

2. Communication is Dynamic
   It is ongoing, ever-changing, and influenced by context, relationships, and time—never static or isolated.

3. Communication is Symbolic
   Meaning is created through shared symbols (words, gestures, images). Symbols operate at multiple levels:

   • Referent: the actual object/concept

   • Reference: the mental association

   • Symbolic: arbitrary signs (e.g., language)

   • Indexical: signs with causal links (e.g., smoke = fire)

   • Iconic: signs that resemble what they represent (e.g., a map)

4. Communication is Contextual
   It occurs within specific environments that shape meaning and interaction, including:

   • Intrapersonal (within oneself)

   • Interpersonal (dyadic or triadic)

   • Small group

   • Public speaking

   • Organisational

   • Mass-mediated (e.g., TV, social media)