Communication is the transfer and understanding of meaning. Note the emphasis on the transfer of meaning: If information or ideas have not been conveyed, communication hasn’t taken place. The speaker who isn’t heard or the writer whose materials aren’t read hasn’t communicated. More importantly, however, communication involves the understanding of meaning. For communication to be successful, the meaning must be imparted and understood. A letter written in Spanish addressed to a person who doesn’t read Spanish can’t be considered communication until it’s translated into a language the person does read and understand. Perfect communication, if such a thing existed, would be when a transmitted thought or idea was received and understood by the receiver exactly as it was envisioned by the sender. Methods and challenges of interpersonal communication. The communication process contains seven elements. First, a sender has a message. A message is a purpose to be conveyed. Encoding converts