Communication

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Communication

• The Art of Interacting with others

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Why Study Communication?

• Knowing
• What happens when people communicate with
  themselves and others
• Understanding
• How that knowledge can be used to explain and
  interpret the process of Communication in
  everyday life
• Developing Skills
• Using this knowledge and understanding to
  communicate more effectively

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What a Relief!!

• The art of Communication is not all natural. We
  can learn to communicate effectively
• All Communication involves the creation and
  exchange of meanings via signs and symbols
• Communication Studies involves the business of
  making and understanding these signs and symbols.
• People seem to have a real need to read meaning
  into all human action.

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What is Communication?

• The transfer of Information, Understanding and
  Emotion from one person to another
• The interdependent process of Sending, Receiving
  and Understanding and responding to messages

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Communication

• Is an on-going, dynamic process
• Actively involves the Sender and the Receiver
  simultaneously
• May be
• Verbal Oral/written word
• Non-verbal Gestures, drama, materials

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Effective Communication

• Takes a significant amount of work and energy
• Stems from our understanding of ourselves and
  others
• Involves
• Our ability to listen
• Our verbal communication skills
• Our non-verbal communication skills
• Our understanding of our relationship with others
• Our ability to analyse an audience, or to
  understand context
• Our knowledge of the way to research, prepare and
  deliver a public speech.

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The Communication ProcessElements

• Sender
• Person with whom the message to be communicated
  originates
• Encodes or gives expression to the message
• Message
• Thought, idea or information the Sender wishes to
  pass on to another
• The Message has meaning. It is this that has to
  be sent
• Medium
• The medium is the method that the Sender chooses
  for encoding the message. This may be written or
  oral. These are both verbal. The Sender may also
  encode his message through signals, drama and
  other non-verbal means.
• The Medium is often confused with the Channel.
  One way to distinguish them is that the Medium
  must be determined before the Channel is chosen,
  and often, Medium determines Channel e.g.
  Medium Email Channel Internet
• Channel
• The Message is sent via a Channel which is the
  means of transporting the message from the Sender
  to the Receiver, e.g. post office, internet,
  airwaves, airmail etc.

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The Communication ProcessElements

• Receiver
• Person receiving or Decoding the message
• Noise
• Anything that distorts a message by interfering
  with the communication process
• Radio playing in the background
• Another person trying to enter the conversation
• Examination nerves
• Static on the telephone line
• A slow computer
• Feedback
• The Receiver transmits verbal and non-verbal
  feedback to indicate his/her reception and
  understanding of the message

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Describing the ProcessA Model of Communication
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Barriers and Facilitators

• You have asked your younger brother to send a
  message to your friends Isaiah, in Form 3,
  Ellice in Form 4 and Sean from the security team
  to attend a meeting at your home this evening.
  Your brother puts a notice on the bulletin board
  in the Form 4 classroom, in French. Only Ellice
  turns up for the meeting.

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Barriers and Facilitators

• Give two probable reasons for the others not
  attending
• At which points did the communication break down?
• Suggest two things to ensure that everyone
  attended the meeting

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Barriers and Facilitators

• There was a language barrier, notice was poorly
  located the method of notification was faulty
  (his ???)
• When your brother selected the means of
  transferring the message ( his ???)
• He could have written in a language that all
  three would have understood he could have
  telephoned all three he could have spoken to
  each one directly.
• What about email?

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Barriers and Facilitators

• A Barrier is
• A Facilitator is ..

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Barriers and Facilitators

• Some facilitators are
• Selecting a language which is familiar to the
  receiver
• ?
• ?
• ?

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Barriers and Facilitators

• Some Barriers to Communication are
• Sender and Receiver speak different languages
• ?
• ?
• ?

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Forms of Communication

• Cathy would like to describe her graduation
  ceremony to her aunt who lives in Australia.
  Think of two ways in which she could do this
• After the graduation, Cathy wants to describe to
  her brother how some of the girls walked up to
  collect their certificate. What do you think she
  would do?

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Forms of Communication

• Verbal
• Requires words
• May be speech or writing
• Conversation
• Face-to-face
• Telephone
• Letter
• Email
• Text message
• Fax
• Messenger/chat

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Forms of Communication

• Non-Verbal
• Relies on elements other than speech or writing
• Is just as important as non-verbal communication
• Body language (gestures, posture, facial
  expression)
• Use of space
• Use of objects
• Dress
• Graphics (charts, tables, diagrams)
• Integrating forms for specific purposes (role
  play, simulation)

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FORM and CONTEXT

• The specific FORM of communication is, or should
  be, intimately related to the CONTEXT in which it
  is used
• One element of our COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE is
  our ability to get our message across accurately

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Contexts of Communication

• In order to evaluate the appropriateness or
  effectiveness of a communication act, we must
  first understand its context.
• Communication does not occur in a vacuum. It
  occurs within a CONTEXT
• The circumstances of a communicative act are
  referred to as the CONTEXT of communication

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Contexts of Communication

• You have to give a speech in each of the
  following situations. Consider the adjustments
  that you would have to make to your presentation
• To a panel of interviewers where you are applying
  for a job
• To a group of standard two students in their
  assembly hall
• To an oral examiner in a small examination room
• To a group of persons opposing your ideas
• On national television
• On radio

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Contexts of Communication

• Who is present, or who is being addressed. What
  do you need to consider here?
• The general attitude of your audience. Why is
  this important?
• Where the communication takes place. What are the
  factors that should influence your communicative
  decisions?

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Contexts of Communication

• Context may be
• FORMAL
• Certain societal norms are evident and there are
  perceived patterns of behaviour
• NON-FORMAL/INFORMAL
• Individuals or groups are not constrained by
  specified ways in which communication would
  normally take place

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Contexts of Communication

• Intrapersonal- Thinking, solving problems,
  imagining/imaging
• Interpersonal interviews, conversations,
  intimate communication
• Small group leadership meeting, brain-storming,
  prayer meeting

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Contexts of Communication

• Organizational business, government, official
  purposes, educational
• Academic essay, research paper, doctoral thesis
• Public speeches, debates
• Intercultural communicating across social
  sub-group, in tourism

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Contexts of Communication

• Match the scenarios with the most appropriate
  form of verbal communication