The communication process is made up of four key elements. These components include encoding, transmission medium, decoding, and feedback. There are also two other factors in the process, and these two factors are present in the form of the sender and the receiver. The communication process begins with the sender and ends with the receiver. The sender is an individual, group or organization that initiates the communication. This source is initially responsible for the success of the message. The experiences, attitudes, knowledge, skills, perceptions and culture of the sender influence the message. “The written words, spoken words, and nonverbal language selected are paramount in ensuring that the recipient interprets the message as intended by the sender” (Burnett & Dollar, 1989). All communication begins with the sender. The first step the sender faces involves the coding process. In order to convey meaning, the sender must begin encoding, which means translating the information into a message in the form of symbols representing ideas or concepts. This process translates ideas or concepts into the coded message that will be communicated. Symbols can take many forms such as languages, words or gestures. These symbols are used to encode ideas into messages that others can understand. When encoding a message, the sender must first decide what they want to convey. This decision by the sender is based on what they think about the recipient's knowledge and assumptions, as well as what additional information they want the recipient to have. It is important that the sender uses symbols familiar to the intended recipient. A good way for the sender to improve the encoding of his message is to address men... middle of paper ... process. After receiving a message, the recipient responds in some way and reports this response to the sender. The signal can take the form of a spoken comment, a long sigh, a written message, a smile or any other action. “Even a lack of response is, in some sense, a form of response” (Bovee & Thill, 1992). Without feedback, the sender cannot confirm that the recipient interpreted the message correctly. Feedback is a key part of the communication process because it allows the sender to evaluate the effectiveness of the message. Feedback ultimately provides the sender with the opportunity to take corrective action to clarify a misunderstood message. “Feedback plays an important role in indicating significant communication barriers: differences in context, different interpretations of words, and different emotional reactions” (Bovee & Thill, 1992).