1. What Are the Five Purposes of Communication?

As defined by Fred G. Meyer, communication is the intercourse by words, letters, or messages.

It is the transfer of information from one person to another allowing the exchange of signals, words,
and languages. Hence, the purpose of communication is to inform, imagine, influence, meet social
expectation, and express feelings through verbal and non-verbal form.

According to Khan, S. (2019) Filipinos use both forms of communication to communicate with
each other. In order to inform others, we sometimes tend to use hand gestures, pursing of lips, raising
of eyebrows, and our eyes instead of just saying words which implies what we mean. We often trust
our senses and assume what we think they mean.

On the other hand, there are more than 170 languages in the Philippines which are said to
have vast number of users. Languages that are influenced and results of numerous colonization of the
island in the past and trading with neighboring countries. It is important to highlight that this large
number of languages may hinder the transfer of ideas or information among us but the presence of a
national language which is Filipino, somehow eliminates that barrier.

Electoral campaign for national elections is one of the perfect examples for us to observe the
five purposes of communication. Using verbal words, aspiring candidates inform the masses about
their plans and agendas for the betterment of the society which will help them meet social
expectations set by the masses. They express feelings and ideas of how they are eager to change or
transform the environment we are living in, to the ones that they have imagined. Along with this,
non-verbal signals can also be observed during this situation. They use hand gestures such as fist
bumps, peace signs, etc. to inform others about them.

It is important to note that communication is an essential part of life. Without communication,

it may be difficult for people to express what they feel and think. They may find it hard to deal with
people thus resulting to misunderstanding and miscommunication.