What is the definition of communication?

The definition of communication as the exchange of a message between a sender and a receiver encompasses the fundamental essence of how communication functions. It captures the dynamic interaction involved, highlighting that effective communication is reliant on both parties: the sender who transmits the message and the receiver who interprets it. This definition is broad enough to include various forms of communication, including verbal, non-verbal, written, and visual, acknowledging that the process is not limited to spoken words alone.

Other options, while they touch on important aspects of communication, do not capture its entirety. For instance, defining it solely as a verbal exchange restricts communication to spoken language, excluding significant non-verbal and written forms. Similarly, the notion of shared rules for representing ideas is important in understanding how individuals communicate, but it does not address the interactive component of sending and receiving messages. Lastly, conventions related to language use in different social settings are vital for understanding context, but they are only a part of how communication operates overall. Each of these aspects contributes to the broader understanding of communication but does not encapsulate its core definition in the same comprehensive manner as the idea of exchange between sender and receiver.