PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION do not have exactly the same set of rules for their
language.
LESSON 1:
THE NATURE OF LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE
 Together with the creation of human life is the
creation of wonderful and dynamic human
capacity
 Animals are said to be able to communicate with
each other. The sounds they produce often reflect
the state of their emotions. While it may be true
that animals communicate, only human beings are
truly capable of producing language.
 Language is indeed a complex human capacity. It is,
therefore, important to be aware of its features
and behaviour to be able to use the language more
effectively
 Linguists agree that a language can only be called a
language if it has:
 A system of rules (grammar)
 A sound system (phonology)
 A vocabulary (lexicon)
 Animals may be able to signal to its partner that
it’s sharing food, they can produce sounds &
gestures but will not be able to organize the
sounds into a meaningful system with rules.
SPEECH COMMUNITY – a group of people who share
similar ideas, uses and norms of language.
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION – the process of attaining a
specific variant of human language.
- The process of learning a native or a second language.
MOTHER TONGUES – the language that a person has
grown up speaking from early childhood.
- A native language or may also be referred to as first
languages.
SECOND LANGUAGES – language usually learned at a
later stage after a mother tongue, a non-native
language and non-native tongue.
LANGUAGE LEARNING – occurs in a more formal way.
Grammar, vocabulary & language are taught explicitly.
LANGUAGE CONTACT – occurs when two or more
languages or varieties interact. The study of language
contact is called linguistic.
LANGUAGE CHANGE – All languages change in various
ways, and any language is in a constant, slow, not
always steady process of alteration.
What happens if people visit another speech community
that is different from their own?
Americans and British speak English. However, they
spell English words differently. They pronounce words
differently. They have different ways of expressing the
sane concepts. It can be said that the Americans and
the British belong to two speech communities. Which
LESSON 2:
TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION
 defined as the exchange of thoughts, ideas,
concepts, and views between or among two or
more people.
CONTEXT – is the circumstance or environment in
which communication takes place.
 Each communication type is governed by a
particular circumstance. Thus, it is essential to pay
attention to the interplay of factors surrounding
the context of communication which may be
physical, cultural, social and psychological in
nature. Communication may then be classified
according to:
 Communication mode
 Context
 Purpose and Style
TYPE OF COMMUNICATION ACCORDING TO MODE
1. Verbal
2. Non-Verbal
3. Visual
TYPES OF COMMUNICATION ACCORDING TO CONTEXT:
 INTRAPERSONAL – the Latin prefix intra – means
within or inside. Communicating to oneself: inner
talk, inner monologue or inner dialogue.
 INTERPERSONAL – the Latin prefix inter means
between, among and together.
- A communication situation is interpersonal if
it is meant to establish or deepen one’s
relationship with others. However, if the
objective is to achieve something at the end of
the conversation, it becomes transactional.
While the former is characterized by less seriousness
and formality, the latter is more formal and profound.
Whereas, interpersonal talks are meant for maintaining
social relationships, transactional talks aim to
accomplish or resolve something at the end of the
conversation.
 EXTENDED COMMUNICATION – involves the use
of electronic media such as tele, audio, or phone
conferencing; skype calls; and other technological
means.
With extended communication, your own thinking,
behaviour, and attitude may be influenced by other
people and you may be persuaded to take the views you
hear. It is important then that you weigh what you hear
and assess them against those beliefs that you hold
onto so you do not easily swayed by other people’s
convictions
 ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION – its focus is
on the role that communication plays in
organizational contexts. Organizations comprise
individual who work for the company.
For an organization to be successful, a system of
communication should be put in place. A set of rules or
standards for communication protocol should be made
clear so that interaction patterns are established. On
the part of the individual, you should be equipped with
the needed oral and written communication skills that
the organization expects you to possess.
TWO TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
 FORMAL - structure allows communication to take
place via designated channels of message flow
between positions in the organization. This may
make use of four approaches:
 Downward Communication = is the type that
flows from upper to lower positions i.e.,
president to a manager or supervisor; a
manager to an ordinary staff.
 Upward Communication = it is bottom-up in
which subordinates send communication to
their superior or bosses bearing their
views/feedback on organizational policies,
issues related to their jobs and the like.
 Horizontal Communication = is lateral in
approach as it takes place among people
belonging to the same level but coming from
different departments or units to facilitate
performance of tasks through proper
coordination.
 Crosswise Communication = crosswise
approach is diagonal in nature as employees
from different units or departments working
at various levels communicate with each other.
 INFORMAL - comes from unofficial channels of
message flow which is also known as ‘grapevine.’
This occurs due to the dissatisfaction of some
employees accompanied by uncertainty, such as
superiors playing favorites and unfavorable or
unacceptable company rules & regulations. Some
employees even resort to baseless gossips and
rumors which they spread like wild fire.
TYPES OF COMMUNICATION ACCORDING TO PURPOSE
AND STYLE (According to communication setting &
modes of delivery)
 FORMAL = Formal communication employs formal
language delivered orally or in written form.
Lectures, public talks/speeches, research & project
proposals, reports and business letters.
 INFORMAL = Informal communication involves
personal & ordinary conversations with friends,
family members or acquantances about anything
under the sun.
LESSON 3:
COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES AND ETHICS
GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION
Since communication is a two- way process, it is
important that you know the principles to be
observed to make it effective. For both oral &
written communication, you should be able to
apply the following:
 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. - You should know
by heart your objective in communicating.
 Be complete with the message you deliver. -
Make sure your claims are supported by facts
& essential information.
 Be concise. – You do not need to be verbose
or wordy with your statements. Brevity in
speech is a must.
 Be natural with your delivery. - Punctuate
important words with the appropriate
gestures & movements. Exude a certain
degree of confidence even if you do not feel
confidence even if you do not feel confident
enough.
 Be specific & timely with your feedback. -
Inputs are more helpful when provided on
time.
PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE WRITTEN
COMMUNICATION THE 7C’S
 Be clear – Be clear about your message.
Always be guided by your purpose in
communicating.
 Be concise – Always stick to the point and do
not beat or run around the bush. Be brief by
focusing on your main point.
 Be concrete - Support your claims with enough
facts. Your readers easily know if you are
bluffing or deceiving them because there is
nothing to substantiate your claims.
 Be correct. – It is important that you observe
grammatical correctness in your writing.
Always have time to revise and edit your work.
 Even simple spelling errors may easily distract
your readers.
 Be coherent. – Your writing becomes coherent
only when you convey a logical message. The
ideas should be connected to each other and
should be related to the topic.
 Be complete. – Include all necessary &
relevant information so that the audience will
not be left wanting of any information.
 Be courteous. – The tone of your writing
should be friendly.