CMN 201:Chapter

1
Introduction to Human Communication
 What is Communication?
• Communication occurs when one person (or more)sends and
receives messages that are distorted by noise, occur within a
context, have some effect, and provide some opportunity for
feedback.
Elements of Communication
• The context
• The culture
• Source-receiver
• Message
• Channel
• Noise
• Sending or encoding process
• Receiving or decoding process
• Feedback and feedforward
• Effect
• Ethics
 GOOD
COMMUNICATORS ARE
BORN, NOT MADE.
 Let’s talk more…
• Effective Communication
• Let’s be a better listener
• Openers/ pick up lines
• People aren’t mind readers
• People are more likely to believe non-verbal communication
• Honesty is the best policy
• Should we compromise?
• Manage your fear, not eliminate.
 Communication Context
• Physical
• Social-psychological
• Temporal
• Cultural
 Culture
• It consists of the collection of beliefs, attitudes, values, and
ways of behavior shared by a group of people and passed on
from one generation to the next.
• Communication Competence
 Communication Channels
• Various mediums
• Combination of sensory organs
“Everything about you communicates.”
• Vocal channel, visual channel, olfactory channel, tactile
channel.
 Feedback
• Information which are sent back to the source from the
receiver.
• It can be positive, negative, people-focused and
message-focused, immediate and delayed, low-monitored and
high-monitored, and supportive and critical.
 Feedforward
• It preface other messages and can be used to open
communication channels to preview future messages, to
disclaim and to altercast.
 Noise
• Anything that distorts messages
• It can be physical, physiological. Psychological, or semantic in
origin.
 Communication Effects
• Cognitive
• Affective
• psycomotor
 Ethics
• Rightness, wrongness and the morality of a communication
transaction.
 Purpose of Communication
• To discover
• To help
• To relate
• To persuade
• To play
• To entertain
 Types of Communication
• Intrapersonal
• Interpersonal
• Small group
• Public
• Mass
 Communication Principles
• Communication begins with self
• Communication involves others
• Communication is complicated
• An increased quantity of communication does not increase the
quality of communication
• Communication is inevitable, irreversible and unrepeatable
 Communication begins with
self
• People are products of how others treat them and of the
messages others send them.
• “six persons” concept-
✔ How you view yourself?
✔ How you view the other person?
✔ How you believe the other person views you?
✔ How the other person views himself/herself?
✔ How the other person views you?
✔ How the other person believes you view him or her?
 Communication involves
others
• Your surroundings will determine your self-image based on
how they categorize you.
• A competent communicator will considers the other person’s
needs and expectations when selecting messages to share.

• What is a dialogue?
The act of taking part in a discussion, conversation or a
negotiation.
 Communication is
complicated
• Failing to grasp the message
• Language barriers
• Ambiguity in the message
• culture
 An increased quantity of communication does not

increase the quality of communication

• “More the merrier” – not necessarily true

• More conflicts
• Less understanding
 Communication is inevitable, irreversible
and unrepeatable
• We are always communicating.
• Words cannot be taken back or erased
• Cannot recreate the same experience or the same
communication. It will have different end results.
 Let’s review

• What is communication?
• Communication elements
• Purpose of communication
• Types of communication
• Communication principles