Communication Theory is an area of ongoing academic research that is very applicable to Instructional Design. Much like a number other topics that are closely related to learning, it is not practical (and probably not beneficial) for Instructional Designers to be experts in this field. However, it is useful for training professionals (including instructors) to have a working knowledge of Communication Theory.

At the core of Communication Theory is recognition of the immense importance of communication in all areas of human endeavor, and at the same time, that all efforts to communicate are basically imperfect. For example, when a person (the sender) verbally communicates a non-trivial thought to another person (the receiver), the sender will usually have a sense that the communication process was, for all intents and purposes, "perfect." It is human nature that people, by default, believe that the intended message was understood exactly as formulated in the sender’s mind. In reality, there are many possible reasons why the receiver would not "get" all of what the sender intended from the communication. The most basic of these reasons revolve around the reality that the sender and receiver are different people; their knowledge, opinions, experiences, vocabulary, etc., are unique, and all affect how they process information. In addition, the sender may believe that they fully understand the message that want to convey, but in reality, this is often not the case. Similarly, the receiver has a variety of “filters” through which they process information, and they likely are not particularly aware of these (or the implications on how they process information).

As an Instructional Designer, you should always keep in mind that your efforts to communicate to your learners, through the instructional materials that you create, are imperfect. It is worthwhile to enhance your knowledge of Communication Theory in order learn techniques that allow you to "sharpen your message."

Communication Theory is an area of ongoing academic research that is very applicable to Instructional Design. Much like a number other topics that are closely related to learning, it is not practical (and probably not beneficial) for Instructional Designers to be experts in this field. However, it is useful for training professionals (including instructors) to have a working knowledge of Communication Theory.

At the core of Communication Theory is recognition of the immense importance of communication in all areas of human endeavor, and at the same time, that all efforts to communicate are basically imperfect. For example, when a person (the sender) verbally communicates a non-trivial thought to another person (the receiver), the sender will usually have a sense that the communication process was, for all intents and purposes, "perfect." It is human nature that people, by default, believe that the intended message was understood exactly as formulated in the sender’s mind. In reality, there are many possible reasons why the receiver would not "get" all of what the sender intended from the communication. The most basic of these reasons revolve around the reality that the sender and receiver are different people; their knowledge, opinions, experiences, vocabulary, etc., are unique, and all affect how they process information. In addition, the sender may believe that they fully understand the message that want to convey, but in reality, this is often not the case. Similarly, the receiver has a variety of “filters” through which they process information, and they likely are not particularly aware of these (or the implications on how they process information).

As an Instructional Designer, you should always keep in mind that your efforts to communicate to your learners, through the instructional materials that you create, are imperfect. It is worthwhile to enhance your knowledge of Communication Theory in order learn techniques that allow you to "sharpen your message."