Arizona State University (ASU) COM259 Communication in Business and the Professions Midterm Practice Exam

The communication process consists of several key elements that facilitate the transfer of information from one party to another. These elements include the sender, who initiates the communication by encoding a message; the receiver, who decodes the message and interprets its meaning; and feedback, which is the response from the receiver back to the sender that helps to confirm whether the message has been understood correctly.

In this context, interpretation is not classified as a standalone element of the communication process. Instead, it is a part of the receiver's responsibilities when decoding the message. While interpretation plays a crucial role in making sense of the message received, it does not function independently as an element of the basic communication model. Therefore, identifying it as not being a discrete element aligns with the foundational concepts of communication.

Recognizing the distinct roles of sender, receiver, and feedback is essential for understanding effective communication, while interpretation is inherent within the receiver's processing of the given message.