Channel noise in communication systems

Channel Noise

Noise, to put it simply, interference in the path of sending or receiving the message. Channel Noise, is not that different, it can be described as the path that interferes with the delivery of either sending the message to the intended target or the understanding of that message. We can differentiate between the different channel noises and categorize them into two main sections: a) Semantic Channel Noise and b) Mechanical Channel Noise. The latter can further be divided into physical and technical.

Semantic channel noise is an intangible interference and usually deals with language barriers; it is typically when the receiver fails to understand or decode the information sent to him through the message. In face-to-face communication the sender of the information can and does promptly respond to the problem at hand while in messaging through certain channels other then face-to-face, such as emails, the feedback of the receiver determines the promptness of the solution. Personally, I go to the trouble of making sure that even if there are language barriers I use internationally accepted terms and keep my vocabulary simple so that the receiver can interpret the information sent easily.

Mechanical Channel noise is, unlike semantic noise, tangible and needs to be fixed peripherally. The divisions of mechanical noise into physical and technical are very lucid in their own sense. When dealing with the examples of the mechanical noise, we can use the instance of a speaker at a conference. The physical mechanical channel noise in this situation could be that the speaker isn't feeling well, either because of a headache or because of a throat infection which affects his performance and hence interferes with his delivery of the message. The technical mechanical channel noise could be either the setup of the microphone and its connection to the speakers, the volume of the speakers or the position (distance) of the speaker's mouth from the microphone... all of these technical problems can be fixed, the sound check could help in adjusting the problems with the speakers and the microphone while the problem of the distance of the speaker's mouth from the microphone could be tackled by informing the speaker of the appropriate distance from the microphone, before he begins or as soon as the problem is encountered during his speech.