COMMUNICATION PROCESSES, ISSUES, PRINCIPLES AND ETHICS

COMMUNICATION
- Derived from the Latin words con which means “with”, munus which means “a
business”, communis which means “common” and communico which means “to confer”.
- It is therefore defined as the process of accomplishing a goal
 According to Sanchez (2017), effective communication is the most critical component of
total quality management.
- described as the transfer of information, thoughts or ideas to create a shared
understanding between a sender and a receiver.
- It is a dynamic, two-way process
- Therefore, communication is the process of transferring information from one point to
another where the receiver

TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

1. Verbal Communication - uses words or symbols. It is done through speaking or writing.

*Spoken communication can be done through face-to-face interaction, through mobiles
or computers, public speaking, etc.
*Written communication can be written, digitized or printed.

*Verbal communication is focused on how messages are portrayed.

Factors that affect verbal communication:

1. Tone of voice
2. Use of descriptive words
3. Emphasis on certain phrases
4. Volume of voice

* According to Mehrabian (2017), 55% of information gathered when people are speaking to
each other in person is determined through body language, 38% of the information relayed in
a conversation through tone of voice, and only 7% of the words that are spoken are used to
understand what is being said.

*In verbal communication, meanings are also taken from non-verbal forms and are better
known as non-verbal cues.
*Non-verbal cues - make the message clearer and give the listener an indication in what
way the information should be received.
 *These are similar to non-verbal type of communication; but these are used to accompany
verbal communication.

Examples of Non-verbal Cues:

1. Intonation
2. Facial expressions
3. Pause
4. Hand gestures
5. Use of visuals
6. Body movement
7. Eye contact

2. Non-verbal Communication - sending of message using methods other than spoken

language. It may be intentional or unintentional.

According to Tidwell (2016) there are two kinds of non-verbal communication:

1. Non-verbal messages produced by the body
2. Non-verbal messages produced by the broad setting such as time, space and silence

Examples of non-verbal communication:

touch glance eye contact vocal nuance proximity

facial expressions gestures volume pause (silence)
intonation
dress posture smell context
formality

*In high-context cultures, the manner of saying the word is more important than the word
itself.
High-context cultures - those who communicate in ways that are implicit and rely heavily
on context. These are the collectivistic in nature.
Low-context cultures - those who communicate in ways that are explicit. These are the
individualistic in nature.

Uses of non-verbal communication:

1. Used to repeat the verbal message.
2. Often used to accent a verbal message.
3. Often complements the verbal message but may also contradict.
4. Regulate interactions.
 5. May substitute for the verbal message, especially if it is blocked by noise or
interruption.

ELEMENTS OF THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

1. Sender - a person, group or organization who initiates communication. Also called as

encoder, source, speaker, writer or communicator. The sender is responsible for the success of
the communication. The sender’s experiences, attitudes, knowledge, skills, perceptions, and
culture influence the message.
2. Message - is the element transmitted in the communication process. The message should be
coded by the sender in a way that it will be easily understood by the receiver.
3. Channel - pathway or medium through which the message travels to reach its destination. It
may be oral, written or visual. Each kind of channel has a specific use depending on the
message.
Examples: Face-to-face, through writing letters, social media, mobile phone call, etc
4. Noise - a form of distortion, barrier or obstacle that occurs in any of the phases of the oral
communication process. It may be visual, aural, physical or psychological in forms.
Examples: inappropriate channel, incorrect grammar, inflammatory words, jargon,
5. Receiver - the person who receives, understands, analyzes and interprets the message. Also
called as decoder, reader or listener. The receiver’s experiences, attitudes, knowledge, skills,
perceptions, and culture influence the interpretation of the message. Successful communication
takes place when the receiver correctly interprets the sender’s message. In giving the receiver’s
response, the receiver then becomes the sender.
6. Feedback - the receiver’s response that provides information to the sender. It shows whether
the receiver understood the message or not. According to Bovee and Thill (1992), even the lack
of response, is in a sense, a form of response. It is a very important element of the process
because it makes the communication dynamic, two-way interactive event.
7. Adjustment - it is done if the message is not clearly understood by the receiver.

ASPECTS OF COMMUNICATION
The importance of communication is related to various aspects.

1. Communication is integrated in all parts of our lives.

We communicate every minute and every second of our lives. And as we go through life
everyday, we use communication in all places we go to, in different parts of our lives.
A. Academics
 According to researches, students who are good in writing and speaking
perform better not only in the English class, but also in other learning
areas.
B. Professional
  Employees who are better in communicating have the higher chance of
getting hired.
C. Personal
 Having a vocabulary to name the communication phenomena in our lives
increases our ability to alter consciously our communication in order to
achieve our goals and avoid miscommunication.
D. Civic
 Civic engagement refers to working to make a difference in our
communities by improving the quality of life of community members.

2. Communication meets needs

Communication is more than the transmission of information. We also communicate in
order to survive our day-to-day activities.
A. Physical Needs - keep our brain and body functioning
B. Instrumental Needs - instructing people, giving directions
C. Relational Needs - initiate, maintain or end a relationship
D. Identity Needs - people present their image through the way they
communicate

3. Communication is guided by culture and context

Culture - as defined by O’Neil (2006), it is the full range of learned human behavior
patterns. It includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals,
customs, etc.
Context - the circumstances that form the setting for an event
Culture and context influence how we deliver and how we understand messages.
4. Communication is learned.
The need to communicate and the ability to learn a language is innate. However, our
manner of communication varies from person to person. This is because communication is
learned rather than innate.
The Case of the Feral Children - children who were raised by animals; children who
grew up isolated from human contact

5. Communication has ethical implications.

Communication ethics deals with reflecting and negotiating our actions based on what
we believe to be right or wrong.

The Communication Process Model

 ISSUES IN COMMUNICATION

1. Content - refers to the information and experiences that are provided to the receiver of the
communication process.
* The message must be presented in a language that makes a grammatical sense.
* Words have different meanings and may be used or interpreted differently.
* Therefore, content should be tailored or edited for the public to ensure effective
communication.

2. Process - refers to the way the message is presented or delivered.

*The non-verbal forms that we use often cause messages to be misunderstood as we tend to
believe what we see more than what we hear.
*Therefore, we should be mindful of the non-verbal cues that accompany our verbal
communication.

3. Context - refers to the situation or environment in which your message is delivered.

* If the sender is unaware of a specific context, the sender might say improper words or
messages.
* If the receiver is unaware of the context, the message might be interpreted incorrectly.
* Therefore, it is important to assert and understand the context before saying something.

“Context Clues”
Example:
1. If the weather is cold, I can watch movies all day.
Context: what the speaker can do if the weather is cold
WATCH (VERB)
2. The Rolex watch of my uncle is expensive.
Context: the expensive watch of the speaker’s uncle
WATCH (NOUN)

PRINCIPLES IN COMMUNICATION

Principles are guidelines we follow when we say or do something.

1. Principle of Clarity - messages should be worded clearly. Messages should not be

ambiguous or can be interpreted in different ways. It should be straightforward so the
receiver will easily understand what the speaker is saying. It is always the responsibility of
the sender to make the message clear so that the receiver will understand the message
correctly.

2. Principle of Attention - the receiver’s attention should be drawn to the message to make
the communication effective. In order to achieve successful communication, the receiver
should be listening to the sender to understand the message. There are many distractor that
may cause the receiver to lose the focus on the message. Avoid any circumstances that may
lead to the loss of attention of the receiver.

3. Principle of Feedback - there should be a feedback in communication in order for the

sender to know whether the message was clearly understood by the receiver. The feedback
will also indicate whether the sender needs to make adjustments on the message for the
receiver to understand the message.

4. Principle of Informality - in academic or business setting, the language used is mainly

formal. However, in circumstances where formal language fail to meet its goal, which is to
make receiver/s understand the message, the sender should be flexible in switching to
informal language to code the message clearer. Informal communication is as important as
formal communication.

5. Principle of Consistency - communication should always be consistent with the policies,

plans, programs and objectives of the organization and not in conflict with them. If leaders
are not following the rules, the subordinates will be confused.

6. Principle of Timeliness - communication should be done in real time. It helps

transactions to be done fast.

7. Principles of Adequacy - when communicating, information should be adequate and

complete. Incomplete information may cause delay and confusion.
 COMMUNICATION ETHICS

It deals with the behavior of an individual or a group which is governed by their morals
and in turn affects communication.

The National Communication Association (NCA) formulated the Credo for Ethical
Communication in November 1999. It reminds us that ethical communication is relevant
across contexts and applies to every channel of communication.

1. Advocate truthfulness, accuracy, honesty and reason as essential to the integrity of

communication.
2. Endorse freedom of expression, diversity of perspective, and tolerance of dissent to
achieve the informed and responsible decision making fundamental to a civil society.
3. Strive to understand and respect other communicators before evaluating and responding
to their messages.
4. Promote access to communication resources and opportunities as necessary to fulfill
human potential and contribute to the well-being of families, communities, and society.
5. Promote communication climates of caring and mutual understanding that respect the
unique needs and characteristics of individual communicators.
6. Condemn communication that degrades individuals and humanity through distortion,
intimidation, coercion, and violence, and through the expression of intolerance and hatred.
7. Commit to the courageous expression of personal convictions in pursuit of fairness and
justice.
8. Advocate sharing information, opinions and feelings when facing significant choices
while also respecting privacy and confidentiality.
9. Accept responsibility for the short- and long-term consequences for our own
communication and expect the same of others.

Communication Ethics in the Academic Context

1. Avoid plagiarism.
The Instrument of Judicial Governance defines plagiarism as “the intentional representation
of another person’s words, thoughts or ideas as one’s own.”
2. Data gathered from participants for a research or study should be kept confidential at all
times, unless given the permission of the participant.
3. Students should always show respect to authorities in school.
4. Transactions or communication plans should follow a protocol for their acceptance or
approval.
5. Never tell a lie or misrepresent facts to your teachers, classmates or any people.