The National Communication Association, a professional organization representing communication teachers and scholars in the United States, defines communication as the process through which people use messages to generate meanings within and across contexts, cultures, channels, and media (NCA, 2002). This definition highlights the five features that characterize communication.

First, communication is a process that unfolds over time through a series of interconnected actions carried out by the participants. For example, your friend texts you, asking if you want to go to a movie, and you call her back to say yes and to make the arrangements. Because communication is a process, everything you say and do affects what is said and done in the present and the future.

Second, those engaged in communication (communicators) use messages to convey meaning. A message is the “package” of information that is transported during communication. When people exchange a series of messages, whether face-to-face or online, the result is called an interaction (Watzlawick, Beavin, & Jackson, 1967).

Third, communication occurs in a seemingly endless variety of contexts, or situations. We communicate with others at ball games, while at work, and in household kitchens. In each context, a host of factors influences how we communicate, such as how much time we have, how many people are in the vicinity, and whether the setting is personal or professional.

Fourth, people communicate through various channels. A channel is the sensory dimension along which communicators transmit information. Channels can be auditory (sound), visual (sight), tactile (touch), olfactory (scent), or oral (taste). For example, your manager at work smiles at you and says, “I’m very impressed with your job performance” (visual and auditory channels). A visually impaired friend “reads” a message you left her, touching the Braille letters with her fingertips (tactile). Your romantic partner shows up at your house exuding an alluring scent and carrying delicious takeout, which you then share together (olfactory and oral).

Fifth, to transmit information, communicators use a broad range of media—tools for exchanging messages. Consider the various media used by Melissa Seligman and her husband, described in our chapter opener. Webcams, cell phones, texting, e-mail, letters, face-to-face interaction, all of these media and more, can be used to communicate, often simultaneously. (See Figure 1.1 for common media forms.)