GE COMM

• Definition and process of communication:

  • Communication is a process that is ongoing and always in motion
  • It is systematic and involves a group of interrelated parts that affect one another
  • Communication involves symbols, which are abstract, arbitrary, and ambiguous representations of other things
  • Symbols include language, nonverbal behaviors, art, and music
  • Communication is symbolic and meanings are at the heart of communication
• Elements of communication:

  • People are the participants in the communication act
  • Message is the content of the communication act, sent and received through verbal and nonverbal channels
  • Noise is anything that interferes with or distorts the ability to send or receive messages
• Types of communication:

  • Verbal and non-verbal communication
  • Visual communication uses signs, symbols, imagery, maps, graphs, charts, and diagrams to convey information
• Models of communication:

  • Communication is a multichannel experience
  • Effective communicators are adept at switching channels
  • Communication is influenced by noise, which can disrupt the flow of communication
• Ethics and Principles of communication:

  • Communication involves a code of ethics
  • Semantic noise can occur when a speaker and listener have different interpretations of words
  • Syntactical noise can disrupt communication due to grammar mistakes
  • Psychological noise can make communication difficult due to certain attitudes
• Functions of Communication:

  • Communication settings are shaped by context, including physical, social, psychological, and cultural contexts
  • Feedback is the response received during the communication act
  • Effect refers to the influences derived from the communication process
• Process of Oral Communication:

  • Encoding involves assigning codes to create meaning
  • Transmission is the process of sending a message to the recipient
  • Receiving involves the receiver focusing on understanding the message
  • Decoding is the process of interpreting meanings from the codes
  • Responding is the anticipated response from the receiver
• Communication modes include:

  • Face-to-face
  • Video (Skype, Facebook messenger, Viber, WhatsApp, Apple FaceTime)
  • Audio (Telephone, voice message, voicemail)
  • Text-based (e-mail, facsimile, text messaging, social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram)
• Types of communication according to context:

  • Intrapersonal Communication: talking to oneself, also known as self or inner talk, inner monologue, inner dialogue, self-verbalization, or self-statement
  • Interpersonal Communication: interactive exchange between or among interlocutors to establish or deepen relationships, becoming transactional if aiming to achieve something
• Extended Communication involves the use of electronic media such as tele, audio, and phone conferencing, video conferencing, Skype calls, and other technological means
• Organizational Communication focuses on the role of communication in organizational contexts, requiring clear communication protocols and standards, as well as individuals equipped with necessary oral and written communication skills
• Types of communication according to purpose and style:

  • Formal communication employs formal language in lectures, speeches, research and project proposals, reports, and business letters
  • Informal Communication involves personal and ordinary conversations with friends, family, and acquaintances to socialize and enhance relationships
• The Communication Process involves elements where the sender encodes a message, the receiver decodes it, and provides feedback. Barriers or disturbances can disrupt communication
• To be an effective verbal communicator, one should:

  • Clarify
  • Listen
  • Encourage empathically
  • Acknowledge
  • Restate/repeat
• To be an effective nonverbal communicator, one should:

  • Relax
  • Open up
  • Lean toward the other person
• Effective communication requires:

  • Clear and concise messages
  • Accuracy
  • Relevance to the needs of the receiver
  • Timeliness
  • Meaningfulness
  • Applicability to the situation
• Effective communication requires the sender to:

  • Know the subject well
  • Be interested in the subject
  • Know the audience and establish rapport
  • Speak at the level of the receiver
  • Choose an appropriate communication channel
• The communication channel should be:

  • Appropriate
  • Affordable
  • Appealing
• The receiver should:

  • Be aware, interested, and willing to accept the message
  • Listen attentively
  • Understand the value of the message
  • Provide feedback
• Communication Models include:

  1. Aristotle’s Model

  2. Laswell’s Model

  3. Shannon-Weaver’s Model

  4. David Berlo’s Model
• Barriers to communication can include language, values and beliefs, sex/gender, age, economic status, educational level, physical barriers, attitude, timing, understanding of the message, and trust
• Functions of Communication:

  1. Informative Function: sharing facts, information, and knowledge to develop or improve skills

  2. Instructive Function: instructing people on what, when, where, why, and how to do things

  3. Persuasive Function: influencing others' opinions on an issue or problem

  4. Motivation Function: enticing and directing people to act and reach their objectives

  5. Aesthetic Function: using communication for pleasure and enjoyment

  6. Therapeutic Function or Emotional Expression: curative communication to maintain good health
• 7. Regulation or Control: using communication to maintain control over others' attitudes and behaviors

  8. Social Interaction: starting, maintaining, regulating, or ending relationships with others
• Ethics in Communication:

  1. Establish an effective value system for integrity development

  2. Provide complete and accurate information

  3. Disclose vital information adequately and appropriately
• Ten Ethics in Communication:

  1. Mutuality

  2. Individual dignity

  3. Accuracy

  4. Access to information

  5. Accountability

  6. Audience responsibility

  7. Relative truth
• Ends vs. means:

  • Ensure that the goal of your communication and the means of achieving it are both ethical
  • No rule can be applied without reservation to any situation
• Use of power:

  • In situations where you have more power than others, you also have more responsibility for the outcome
• Rights vs. responsibilities:

  • Balance your rights against your responsibilities
  • Not everything you have a right to do is ethical
• General Principles of Effective Communication:

  • Know your purpose in communicating
  • Know your audience
  • Know your topic
  • Adjust your speech or writing to the context of the situation
  • Work on the feedback given to you
• Principles of Effective Oral Communication:

  • Be clear with your purpose
  • Be complete with the message
  • Be natural with your delivery
  • Be specific and timely with your feedback
• Principles of Effective Written Communication (The 7Cs):

  • Be clear
  • Be concise
  • Be concrete
  • Be correct
  • Be coherent
  • Be complete
  • Be courteous
• Four Principles of Interpersonal Communication:

  • Interpersonal communication is inescapable
  • Interpersonal communication is irreversible
  • Interpersonal communication is complicated
  • Interpersonal communication is contextual