Lecture 4 PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATION

• PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATION

  1. Communication is a process

  2. Communication is a system

  3. Communication is dynamic

  4. Communication is both interactional and transactional

  5. Communication can be intentional or unintentional
• 1. Communication is a process

  It is an activity or exchange that moves forward from a starting point. It starts long before the words begin and can last long after the words stop.
• 2. Communication is a system

  It involves a group of interrelated elements that affect one another. Its components – sender-receiver, message, channel, feedback, context, and noise – are connected as parts of one system and the absence of even just one would result to an impairment.
• 3. Communication is dynamic

  Communication cannot be a static process because it is ever-changing. Human communication is a symbol-using information processing system. Communication relies on the nature of human perception which can change over time.
• 4. Communication is both interactional and transactional

  It is a process in which participants alternate positions as sender and receiver or do both simultaneously to generate meaning by sending messages and receiving feedback within contexts. To say that communication is transactional means that the process is cooperative; the sender and the receiver are mutually responsible for the effect and the effectiveness of communication.
• 5. Communication can be intentional or unintentional

  Intentional communication happens when a communicator sends a message in a purposeful manner. Alternatively, communication sometimes happens unintentionally. This refers to situations when a person does something that is interpreted by another person as a message, even if the originator did not mean it as such. It often comes in forms that are demonstrated unconsciously (e.g., physical posture, tone of voice, behavior, et cetera).
• BASIC PURPOSES OF COMMUNICATION

   

  1. To discover

  2. To relate

  3. To persuade

  4. To entertain/ be entertained
• MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT COMMUNICATION

   

  1.                Communication can solve all problems

   

  2.                The more we communicate, the better

   

  3.                Communication can break down

   

  4.                Meanings are in words and/or actions

   

  5.                Communication is a natural ability

   
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  1.                Communication can solve all problems

  This first misconception lies in the notion that communication has the magical powers to solve all our problems. Actually, the act of communicating with others does not carry any guarantees. It is true that without communication, we cannot solve our problems; but sometimes, communication can also create problems. Communicating does not make any difference, what WE COMMUNICATE does.
• The more we communicate, the better

  Most of us assume that the more we communicate, the better off we will be. People who communicate a great deal are often perceived to be more friendly. However, the quantity of communication is not the same as quality. Therefore, it is not the amount of communication but its content that makes the difference.
• Communication can break down

  We have heard people say that “We had a communication breakdown.” But in reality, communication does not breakdown – the people engaged to it do. Communication is neither good nor bad; it is a tool used to convey something. Like any tool, it ca be used effectively or ineffectively. Hence, the more we understand about communication and its use, the better communicators we can become.
• Meanings are in words and/or actions

  The notion that words contain meanings is probably the most serious misconception of all. Words only have meaning when we give them meaning. No two people have the same background. Hence, no two people share the same meanings and interpretations of words. Therefore, meanings are in people and not in the words we use
• Communication is a natural ability

  The ability to communicate, like almost everything we do, is learned and not naturally endowed. This ability requires not only that we be physically capable but also that we comprehend how communication works and that we have the opportunity to use the knowledge.