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PMP lesson · Stakeholders & Communication · Stakeholders and communication · lesson 4 of 4 · about 6 minutes

The communication model, noise and channels

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Goal: After this lesson you can explain the sender–receiver model, reduce noise, confirm understanding through feedback, and calculate communication channels.

1The situation

Monday or Thursday?

At the end of a technical briefing, you say: “Preparation starts Monday, shutdown Thursday.” The customer's maintenance supervisor, whose English is his second language, hears “shutdown Monday”, and plans his crew for the wrong day.

You said it correctly. He listened carefully. Still, the message failed.

Communication only works when the receiver understands what the sender meant, and the only way to know is to check.

2The communication model

The sender encodes an idea into a message and sends it through a medium. The receiver decodes it. Noise can distort it. Feedback confirms whether it was understood.

Sender
Responsible for clarity
Clear, simple message; right medium; check understanding.
Receiver
Responsible for attention
Listen actively; ask when unsure; confirm.
Noise
Anything that distorts
Jargon, language, distance, culture, emotion, distractions.
For critical information, the sender asks for feedback: “Can you summarise the key dates?” Don't assume silence means understanding.

3The communication model

Senderencodes the idea Receiverdecodes it message through a medium (email, call, meeting) feedback: “So shutdown starts Thursday, right?” NOISE: jargon · language · distance · time zones · emotions · culture · distractions
The message goes one way; feedback comes back; noise interferes in between.

4How it looks on the exam

Exam-style question 1. A project team grows from 6 to 10 members. By how many communication channels does the complexity increase?
A. 4
B. 30
C. 45
D. 15
Show the answer and the decode
Answer: B.
In simple English
The team grows by 4 people.
What is the question really asking?
The increase in channels.
Key words / trigger
“from 6 to 10 … increase”
PMP logic
6 people: 15 channels. 10 people: 45. Increase: 45 − 15 = 30.
Why the wrong answer looks attractive
45 is the total, not the increase.

5Remember this

Your memory card

  • Sender encodes → medium → receiver decodes → feedback
  • Noise: jargon, language, distance, culture, emotion
  • Critical information: confirm understanding
  • Channels = n(n − 1) ÷ 2; watch for questions about the increase
The full lesson in the PMCLEAR app also has:
  • the rest of the lesson (Communication channels)
  • a worked example
  • the common traps (wrong vs right)
  • 2 exam-style questions with the decode
  • a 3-question quick check
  • an interactive calculator
Open the full lesson → Create a free account
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