In the communication process, the sender is the individual who initiates

a message and is often called the communicator or source of

communication. The sender may be a speaker, a writer, or someone who
merely gestures. The individual (or the group of individuals) who responds
to the sender is called the receiver or audience.

In communication and speech theory, the reputation of the sender is

important in providing credibility and validation to his or her statements
and speech, but attractiveness and friendliness, too, play a role in a
receiver's interpretation of a sender's message.

From the ethos of the sender's rhetoric to the persona he or she portrays,
the sender's role in communication sets not only the tone but the
expectation of the conversation between sender and audience. In writing,
though, the response is delayed and relies more on the sender's reputation
than image.

STARTING THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

Every communication involves two key elements: the sender and the
receiver wherein the sender conveys an idea or concept, seeks information,
or expresses a thought or emotion and the receiver gets that message.

In "Understanding Management," Richard Daft and Dorothy Marcic

explain how the sender is able to communicate by encoding "the idea by
selecting symbols with which to compose a message" then this "tangible
formulation of the idea" is sent to the receiver, where it is then decoded to
interpret the meaning.

As a result, being clear and concise as a sender is important to starting the

communication well, especially in written correspondence; unclear
messages carry with them a higher risk of being misinterpreted and
eliciting a response from the audience that the sender did not intend.

A.C. Buddy Krizan defines a sender's key role in the communication process,
then, in "Business Communication" as including "(a) selecting the type of
message, (b) analyzing the receiver, (c) using the you-viewpoint, (d)
encouraging feedback, and (e) removing communication barriers."