The Importance of Communication Knowledge For a Writer

ilmu komunikasi

Based on article by Trimanto on Sabili Magazine February 2nd 2012 : “Pentingnya Ilmu Komunikasi Bagi Seorang Penulis.”
With English translation by me.

People’s daily activities can’t be separated by interaction with other people in the society. People communicate with each other everytime, everywhere, in every situation. We communicate with both verbal or non verbal communication.

Now we’re focusing into the discussion about writing communication. Writing can be booked. Writing can be sent to the mass media or online media. As far as verbal communication, non verbal communication through writing is also making purposes to share idea, concept, opinion, and feeling from a writer to the audiences/public. The difference is in the media. Verbal communication sends a message directly to the audiences. But writing communication sends a message through the media to finally shared to the audiences. There’s a “packaging” words and sentences here.

If we want to send a message to the audiences without some noices and the message can be received well, then we must to be able to communicating the message. The message must be processed well so the audiences can understand what the point of the message.

Wilbur Schramm states in his book : Communication Research in the US, “communication process will succeed if the communicator (source) delivers a message which fits with the frame of reference, or the understanding and the processing by the communicant (receiver).” (Effendy, 1981:32).

Some important points that must be an attention in processing the message :

1. Deciding the target readers / segmentation of the readers.
It’s so important to know which segmentation that we’re headed. Is this writing intended for regular readers or specific classified readers which based on the gender, occupation, religion, or a particular social groups.

2. The media used.
It’s related to whom our writing is intended. If it’s intended to the public society, the writing can be sent to the printed media like newspapers. If it’s intended to the academics or educational practitioners, the journals or newsletters can be used.

3. Desired impact.
A writer not only write and then printed or published the writing, and done. But we must clearly decide what effect that possibly shown by the readers. We can motivate the readers, touch their heart, change their beliefs, change their paradigms, pushed them to do something, change their habbit, etc.

4. Accountable files / sources.
This point applied to non fiction writing. Our writing must have a valid sources, tough argumentation, and clear sources. For the scientifical writing, experiment and research are required.

5. Fresh and interesting.
Our writing must be new, unique, and interesting. Even if the theme is out of date, we can make a new writing from that theme with a new perspective and suittable with the present.

6. Layout.
Writing layout also has a big impact in delivering the message to the readers. Static layout will make readers feel boring. But dinamic and creative layout, also we can add some illustrations and pictures will attract the readers. So they will easily capture the meaning and messages from writer.

In addition to make a writing with well processed messages, a writer must get the hang of communication theories and concepts. Interpersonal communication, public communication, mass communication, including the sociology theories such as social interaction, social classification, social changing, etc. Those will made a weightful writing which insightful, on target, with new paradigm, and also well acceptable by the readers.

This writing is just for sharing. There’s no any specific purposes between me and the real writer.

Bandung, August 25th 2012.
Rezanna Fitri Anjarsari.