Defining communication

Organizational psychologists Katz and Kahn (1996) defined communication as exchanging information and transmitting meaning (223-24). Successful communication is more than just talking to someone; it involves sending, receiving, and understanding messages (DuBrin, 2000) to create shared meaning with others. In other words, two people have successfully communicated when they understand a message from the perspective of the other.

Organizational psychologists represent communication as a cyclical process that involves sending and receiving messages between people (DuBrin, 2000) [See Image 1: The Communication Cycle]. Understanding how the communication cycle works can help us to develop strategies for improving communication with others.

Image 1: The communication cycle