Chapter 1

The Communication Process

Everyone Needs Communication Skills

We take communication for grantedWe often think we are better at

communicating than we really are

“THE ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE

EFFECTIVELY HAS BEEN

CONSISTENTLY RANKED THE NUMBER

ONE PERFORMANCE FACTOR FOR

PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS”

Communication Competence - Strategic Flexibility

Communication Competence

encompasses three components: (1)

knowledge, (2) skill, and (3) motivation Strategic Flexibility – having the right

skills to competently handle various situations

(p16 steps of SF and ethical comm.)

Communication is a Process

Communication – definition

The Elements of Communication

Sender-receiversMessagesChannelsNoiseFeedbackSetting

Sender-Receivers

The people involved in the communication are both sending and receiving information simultaneously whether they are aware of it or not

Language AND meanings are shared; often based upon relationship, setting, etc.

Messages

Message – ideas and feelings that sender-receivers want to convey

Meaning is jointly createdIdeas and feelings can only be

communicated through symbols – something that stands for something else; verbal and nonverbal

Messages, con’t

Symbols:Verbal – words that stand for things or

ideas

1. Concrete – represents an OBJECT (chair)

2. Abstract – stands for an idea (love, freedom, etc)

Nonverbal – without words

Channels

Channel- the route in which the message travels

Face-to-face; what are some other channels in everyday communication?

Feedback

Feedback – the response of the sender-receiver to the message / each other

Feedback is vital to continued communication and relationships

Face-to-face communication has the greatest opportunity for feedback

Noise

Noise – interference that keeps the message from being correctly heard / heard at all

1. External: comes from the environment

2. Internal: occurs within the sender-receiver; thoughts / focus

3. Semantic: people’s emotional reactions to words, people; could be prejudices

Setting

Setting – the environment the communication takes place in

Different settings demand different styles of communication

Setting could include the location, temperature, time, occasion, comfort level, etc

Power is often taken into consideration

Communication is a Transaction

Transactional communication:

1. Participation is continuous and simultaneous

2. All communications have a past, present, and a future

3. All communicators play roles

Participation is Continuous and Simultaneous

Whether you realize it or not, you are always sending and receiving messages

“You cannot not communicate.”

All Communications Have a Past, a Present, and a Future

You respond to communication through your own frame of experiences with the person, situation, etc (semantic noise)

You often judge people before you speak to them and this judgment can color or change the communication

All Communicators Play Roles

Roles – the part(s) you play in life; students, woman / man, wife / husband, worker, etc

Roles in a relationship can change (ex: son or daughter at 10 versus 30)

Roles are judged by others

Types of Communication

Intrapersonal InterpersonalSmall-groupComputer-mediated (CMC)Publicintercultural

The Internet and the Communication Process

Synchronous (at the same time with no delay) versus asynchronous (not at the same time

What are some examples of each?What are some pros and cons of each?