In the process of communication the first step is

The sender first forms an idea and turns it into a message. Only after that does the sender encode it into words, symbols or gestures. Encoding depends on a message already existing, so it cannot be the first step.

• Encoding is the sender's conversion of the message into a transmittable form. It is the second stage, not the first.
• Decoding is the receiver's interpretation of the signal. It comes near the end of the chain, before feedback.
• Receiving happens at the receiver's end, after the message has crossed the channel. It is far from the start.

The standard sequence is idea, message, encoding, channel, decoding, receiver, feedback. The Shannon-Weaver and Berlo (SMCR) models both place message formation at the source before encoding. For Mains GS-IV, this links to clear official communication: a civil servant must frame the message precisely before choosing the medium.

Trap: Aspirants pick encoding because it is the most visible technical step. Ask what must exist before encoding can happen.