Lesson 3 (From Tentative Module)

• Principle of Clarity:

  • The idea or message to be communicated should be clearly spelled out. It should be worded in such a way that the receiver understands exactly what the sender wants to convey. There should be no ambiguity in the message.
  • It should be kept in mind that words do not speak for themselves; rather, the speaker gives them meaning. A clear message will evoke the same response from the receiver. It is also essential that the receiver is familiar with the language, inherent assumptions, and mechanics of communication.
• Principle of Attention:

  • To make communication effective, the receiver’s attention should be drawn toward the message. People differ in behavior, attention, emotions, and other aspects, so they may respond differently to the message. Subordinates should act in line with the message's content.
  • The actions of a superior also attract the attention of subordinates, who may follow what they observe. For example, if a superior is very punctual in coming to the office, subordinates may develop similar habits. It is often said that "actions speak louder than words."
• Principle of Feedback:

  • The principle of feedback is essential for effective communication. There should be feedback from the recipient to confirm whether they have understood the message in the same way the sender intended.
• Principle of Informality:

  • Formal communication is typically used for transmitting messages and other information. However, sometimes formal communication may not achieve the desired results, and informal communication can be more effective in such situations.
  • Management should use informal communication to gauge employees' reactions to various policies. Senior management may informally convey certain decisions to employees to gather their feedback. This principle highlights that informal communication is as important as formal communication.
• Principle of Consistency:

  • This principle states that communication should always align with the policies, plans, programs, and objectives of the organization and not conflict with them. If messages and communications contradict the organization’s policies and programs, it can create confusion among subordinates, leading to improper implementation. Such a situation can be detrimental to the organization’s interests.
• Principle of Timeliness:

  • This principle states that communication should occur at the appropriate time to assist in implementing plans. Any delay in communication may render it ineffective, as decisions may lose relevance and become merely of historical importance.
• Principle of Adequacy:

  • The information communicated should be adequate and complete in all respects. Inadequate information can delay actions and create confusion. It also affects the efficiency of the receiver, making it essential to provide sufficient information for making informed decisions and effective action plans.
• Communication is an interaction situation wherein the participants are affected by each other’s behavior:

  • Every message is simultaneously a stimulus for new behavior and a response to prior behavior of the receiver. No message should be isolated from past interactions between the communicants if we truly want to understand it. The message should be understood within the entire context of the situation.
• One does communicate:

  • Communication occurs even when we ignore someone’s message or maintain complete silence. For example, if someone you do not wish to interact with smiles at you, ignoring them still communicates, “I do not want to relate to you.” Silence, posture, and all non-verbal behaviors are ways we communicate, even when we wish to deny doing so.
• The message received is not necessarily the message sent:

  • We often assume that others perceive reality in the same way we do. However, each individual has unique experiences and views, leading to different interpretations of verbal and non-verbal messages. People interpret messages based on their personal backgrounds, so the intended meaning may differ from the received one.
• Communication occurs simultaneously at more than one level:

  • We communicate not only the literal content of the message but also at a relationship level. Through the context and various verbal and non-verbal cues, we communicate how we see our relationship with the other person, how we view ourselves, and how they should interpret our messages.
• Communication occurs simultaneously at more than one level:

  • This second level of communication is known as meta-communication, referring to any communication about communication. For example, if I say to someone, “I’m very happy with you” with a serious tone, I might indicate that I don’t truly mean it. I could verbally clarify by adding, “I was only joking,” which helps the receiver interpret my original statement.
• Communication occurs simultaneously at more than one level:

  • The context in which communication occurs is another crucial part of meta-communication. If I slap my spouse on a bus, it conveys a different message than if I did the same thing at home.
• Interpersonal communication is inescapable

  • We cannot NOT communicate. The very attempt not to communicate communicates something. Through not only words, but through tone of voice and through gesture, posture, facial expression, etc., we constantly communicate to those around us. Through these channels, we constantly receive communication from others. Even when you sleep, you communicate. Remember a basic principle of communication in general: people are not mind readers. Another way to put this is: people judge you by your behavior, not your intent.
• Interpersonal communication is irreversible

  • You cannot really take back something once it has been said. The effect must inevitably remain. Despite the instructions from a judge to a jury to "disregard that last statement the witness made," the lawyer knows that it can't help but make an impression on the jury. A Russian proverb says, "Once a word goes out of your mouth, you can never swallow it again."
• Interpersonal communication is complicated

  • No form of communication is simple. Because of the number of variables involved, even simple requests are extremely complex. Theorists note that whenever we communicate there are really at least six "people" involved: 1) who you think you are; 2) who you think the other person is; 3) who you think the other person thinks you are; 4) who the other person thinks they are; 5) who the other person thinks you are; and 6) who the other person thinks you think they are.
• Interpersonal communication is complicated

  • We don't actually swap ideas, we swap symbols that stand for ideas. This also complicates communication. Words (symbols) do not have inherent meaning; we simply use them in certain ways, and no two people use the same word exactly alike.
• Interpersonal communication is complicated

  Osmo Wiio gives us some communication maxims similar to Murphy's law (Osmo Wiio, Wiio's Laws--and Some Others (Espoo, Finland: Welin-Goos, 1978):

  ↔ If communication can fail, it will.

  ↔ If a message can be understood in different ways, it will be understood in just that way which does the most harm.

  ↔ There is always somebody who knows better than you what you meant by your message.

  ↔ The more communication there is, the more difficult it is for communication to succeed.
• Interpersonal communication is complicated

  Communication maxims

  ↔ If communication can fail, it will.

  ↔ If a message can be understood in different ways, it will be understood in just that way which does the most harm.

  ↔ There is always somebody who knows better than you what you meant by your message.

  ↔ The more communication there is, the more difficult it is for communication to succeed.

  • These tongue-in-cheek maxims are not real principles; they simply humorously remind us of the difficulty of accurate communication. (See also a commentary of Wiio's laws by Jukka Korpela.)
• Interpersonal communication is contextual

  In other words, communication does not happen in isolation. There is:

  • Psychological context
  • Relational context
  • Situational context
  • Environmental context
  • Cultural context
• Psychological context, which is who you are and what you bring to the interaction. Your needs, desires, values, personality, etc., all form the psychological context. ("You" here refers to both participants in the interaction.)
• Relational context, which concerns your reactions to the other person--the "mix."
• Situational context deals with the psycho-social "where" you are communicating. An interaction that takes place in a classroom will be very different from one that takes place in a bar.
• Environmental context deals with the physical "where" you are communicating. Furniture, location, noise level, temperature, season, time of day—all are examples of factors in the environmental context.
• Cultural context includes all the learned behaviors and rules that affect the interaction. If you come from a culture (foreign or within your own country) where it is considered rude to make long, direct eye contact, you will, out of politeness, avoid eye contact. If the other person comes from a culture where long, direct eye contact signals trustworthiness, then we have in the cultural context a basis for misunderstanding.