PWC1010

Introduction
to Communication
 Why is this
subject
important for
you?
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Introduction to Communication
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Read the quotes below:

Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools,

because they have to say something.

It is not distance that keeps people apart, but lack of

communication.

People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.

The most important thing in communication is hearing what

isn’t said.

The biggest communication problem is we do not listen to

understand. We listen to reply.
Read the quotes. Which
quote defines
communication?
Why?
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What is Communication?
• Process - transmitting & receiving information
through verbal or nonverbal behaviour with the
intention of conveying a message.
Can we change
the meeting to
2pm?

Yes, 2pm is
fine.
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• Communication - information transmitted

from sender to the recipient.

• communication –
▫verbal and non-verbal;
▫oral and written;
▫formal and informal;
▫intentional and unintentional.
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Why do We Communicate?

To initiate some
action.

To establish or To impart
maintain links information,
or relations ideas, attitudes,
with other beliefs or
people. feelings.
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Levels of Communication

⚫ Intrapersonal communication:
Communication with oneself. Reminding yourself to
do something..
⚫ Interpersonal communication:
Communication between two individuals, or between
a number of individuals on a personal level.
⚫ Impersonal/ Mass communication:
Communication where the message is directed to
large audience, with no direct contact between sender
and receiver.
⚫ Public communication
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How do we communicate?
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The Stages of Communication Process

(cont.)
SENDER’S ACTIVITY
⚫ Conceives the Message
Deciding to communicate & what to communicate.

⚫ Encodes the message

Message is put into words, gestures & expressions.

⚫ Relays the message

Message is sent via a channel of communication.
(eg. notice board, letter) using a medium.
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The Stages of Communication Process

(cont.)
RECEIVER’S ACTIVITY
• Decodes the Message
Interpreting, inferring and understanding what
the message says.

• Gives feedback
Feedback is given to indicate if the message has
(or has not) been successfully received,
understood and interpreted.
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What is Feedback?
• The reaction of the receiver which indicates that
the message has (or has not) been successfully
received, understood and interpreted.
• There are 2 types of feedback – positive &
negative.
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Positive Feedback
• Action taken as requested

• Letter/memo/note sent confirming receipt of

message, or replying to question/ invitation etc.

• Smile, nod, thumbs up.

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Negative Feedback
• No action, or wrong action taken

• No written response at all or written request for

more information, repetition etc.

• Silence, blank look, shrug.

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Medium of Communication
• Types of medium:
1) Written Communication
eg. a letter, memorandum, note, report or list.
2) Oral Communication
includes both face-to-face and remote
communication eg. by telephone or television.
3) Visual/Non-verbal Communication
eg. gestures, facial expressions, body
movements, charts, pictures or screen displays.
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How to Choose a Medium?

Choosing a medium depends on factors such as:
• Time
• Complexity
• Distance
• Need for a written record
• Need for interaction
• Need for confidentiality (or conversely)
• Sensitivity
• Cost
Quiz:
• Alex Tan is in charge of public relations for a cruise line
that operates out of Singapore. He is shocked to read a
letter in a local newspaper from a disgruntled passenger,
complaining about the service and entertainment on a
recent cruise. Alex will have to respond to these
publicised criticisms in some way. Which is the best
channel for Alex to send his message to the newspaper?
A. letter
B. email
C. memo
D. phone call
Quiz:
• Vanitha has a postgraduate degree in Business Science
from one of the country’s leading universities, where she
graduated top of her class. However, she always arrives at
the office late, argues with her seniors and makes
demeaning comments about her colleagues. At times, she
flatly refuses to attend departmental meetings. This is an
example of _________ communication at the
workplace.
A. impersonal
B. face-to-face
C. interpersonal
D. intrapersonal
Quiz:
A major problem faced by many employees in the
workplace is that words have different meanings for
different people. That is why skilled communicators
will try to choose familiar words with concrete
meanings on which both senders and receivers will
agree. Which step in the communication process does
this refer to?
A. Decoding
B. Encoding
C. Feedback
D. Transmission of meaning
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Written Communication
• Advantages
1) Provide a permanent record of transaction or
agreement. Evidence may be necessary for
legal purposes.
2) Provide supporting confirmation and
clarification of verbal messages and help in
recollection of details.
3) Can be stored and later, retrieved for reference
and analysis.
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Written Communication (cont.)

• Advantages (cont.)
4) Are easily duplicated and sent out to
numerous recipients.
5) Can relay complex ideas, aided by suitable
layout and the permanence of the record,
which allows the recipient to pore over it at
length.
6) Perceived as impersonal, and can be used in
situations where unusual formality or
‘distance’ need to be established. E.g. formal
disciplinary proceedings.
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Written Communication (cont.)

• Disadvantages
1) Time-consuming to produce and send.
2) Inflexible - message cannot be immediately
altered despite new changes or errors
discovered.
3) Seen as formal and impersonal – unsuitable for
situations requiring persuasion, discussion or
greater sensitivity.
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Written Communication (cont.)

• Disadvantages (cont.)
4) Accessibility – the receiver’s ability to read and
interpret written messages varies depending on
level of education, race, gender etc. No instant
feedback available to help in interpreting.
5) Distance – non-verbal signals & instant
feedback are absent; the receiver has to
interpret based on the words, presentation and
written style only.
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Potential Problems in Communication

• Distortion
The way in which the meaning of a message is
lost during the encoding and decoding stages of
communication.
• Noise
Distractions and interference in the environment
in which communication takes place, obstructing
the process of communication by affecting the
accuracy, clarity or arrival of the message.
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Distortion: Language &

Culture
• Language: when communicating in the same language, the terminology used in a
message may act as a barrier if it is not fully understood by the receiver(s).
• For example: jargon (legal/medical jargon) and abbreviations

• Cultures provide people with ways of thinking & ways of seeing, hearing, and
interpreting the world. Thus the same words can mean different things to people
from different cultures. When the languages are different, and translation has to be
used to communicate, the potential for misunderstandings increases.
Watch…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc8tfioOKvU
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Distortion: Language and

Culture
An awareness of the cultural significance of a particular colour is
important to avoid offending other cultures. Example: Colour has
cultural significant.

Black represents:
• Western cultures: colour of mourning
• Japan: colour of honour but white is the colour of mourning

Red represents:
• Western cultures: represents danger, love, passion
• India: purity
• China: good luck
• South Africa: mourning
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Potential Problems in Communication

• Types of Noise

1) Physical noise (Traffic, conversation)

2) Technical noise (written communication: bad
handwriting)
3) Social noise (differences in
personality/culture/experience/)
4) Psychological noise( emotions/feelings)
5) Language (poor
articulation/pronunciation/intonation)
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Potential Problems in Communication

• Personal differences
An individual’s personality, mentality,
experience and environment can cause
distortion or noise in the communication
process. E.g.

1) Racial, ethnic or regional origins:

2) Religious beliefs and traditions.
3) Social class and socio-economic.
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Potential Problems in Communication

• Personal differences (cont.)
4) Education and training.
5) Occupation
6) Intelligence
7) Personality traits and types
8) Age
9) Sex/Gender
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Difference between men & women

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PWC 1010/ 2011

Gender Communication Differences

• Men need the “bottom line” first and foremost. Then they will
decide if they need more details. Eg: I need to borrow some
money
• Women need to build up to the bottom line by giving as much
detail as possible so that you can connect the dots and see the
broader picture. This “story telling” that women tend to do
often frustrates men and leads to disagreements.
• On average, women use 25,500 words in a day while men use
only about 12,500.
• The easiest way to communicate with men is to give them the
bottom line first and then deal with the extra details and story
telling….and vice versa
Listening Skills
What are the listening barriers?

bias/prejudice

lack of language
attention Barriers differences/ accent
to
Listening
Skills

worry/ noise
fear/anger
 Watch…

language differences/ accent

“ what are you sinking about”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNU6uWzL
vRk
 To be an active listener, you have to:
1. Pay attention
- Look at the speaker directly , avoid being distracted by
environmental factors.
2. Show that you are listening
- Nod occasionally, smile, use facial expressions.
3. Provide feedback
- Ask questions to clarify or summarise the speaker’s comments.
4. Defer judgment
- Allow the speaker to finish, do not interrupt with
counter-arguments.
5. Respond Appropriately
- Be honest in your response, be respectful.
Remember!

“We were given two ears but

only one mouth because
listening is twice as hard as
talking”
SO,
What Are the Benefits of Effective
Listening?

• Leads to Effective Communication

• Prevent Misunderstandings
• Develop Healthy and Strong Inter-Personal
Relationships
• Develop Better Personal Growth
• Develop Emotional Intelligence
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What is Non-verbal Communication?

• Non-verbal communication relates to conveying
a message without using words or symbols.

• It may be linked to words (eg. a tone of voice), or

it may be independent of any verbal message.

Let’s Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LhLjpsstPY
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Broad Types of Non-verbal

Communication

1) Non-verbal communication linked to verbal

communication, which adds meaning over and
above what the speaker is saying in the words
themselves/ ‘between the lines’ of a message.

1) Non-verbal communication can also be

independent of any verbal message, so that
meaning is conveyed by non-verbal cues.
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Kinesics
Kinesics (body position, motion & facial
expression)
• Communication through face and body
movements

Example: Smile, thums up for “goodjob” ,

nodding
when listening to a friend speaking , doodling etc
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Kinesics
• Women tend to be more expressive than men

▪ Eyes may be the most revealing

▪ In some cultures , lack of eye contact signifies
rudeness, indifference, nervousness, or dishonesty
▪ Eye contact influences interaction in small groups.
▪ Seating in circles aid group interaction
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Haptics (Touch Communication)

• Touch communicates a wide range of messages.
There are five major types of messages that
illustrates this:

a. Positive feeling – support, appreciation

b. Intention to play, either affectionately or
aggresively
c. Control behaviours, attitudes or feelings of others.
d. Ritualistic touching – greetings and departures
e. Task related touching – checking someone
forehead for fever
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Physical/Personal Appearance
▪ First impressions are lasting impressions .
▪ We draw conclusions about others based on
attractiveness, gender, age, health, culture, social
class, and personality
▪ Clothing, piercings, and body art also convey
information to others
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Artifacts
Decorative ornamentation that are chosen to
represent self-concept. Thus:

a. Colour Communication
b. Clothing and Body Adornment (Tattoo, Body piercings)
c. Jewelry
d. Decoration of Space (bedroom)
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Example: Colour communication

* By Wassily Kandinsky, pioneers of colour theory and
a renowned Russian painter and art theorist.

• Yellow – warm, exciting, happy

• Blue – deep, peaceful, supernatural
• Green – peace, stillness, nature
• White – harmony, silence, cleanliness
• Black – grief, dark, unknown
• Red – glowing, confidence, alive
• Orange – radiant, healthy, serious
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Paralanguage:Vocal Expression

• The meaning of words can be altered significantly by

changing the intonation of one's voice.
• Think of how many ways you can say "no“
• you could express mild doubt, terror, amazement, anger
among other emotions. Vocal meanings vary across
cultures.
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Proxemics
• The study of how we perceive and use Personal
space is proxemics
▪ Two important proxemic variables are
a. Territoriality
b. Interpersonal Space
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Proxemics -Territoriality
▪ The sense of personal ownership that is attached
to a particular space
❖ Your seat in class

▪ Ownership of space is often designated by

objects acting as markers of territory

▪ Individuals who fail to respect the territory of

others are violating an important group norm
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Interpersonal Space
▪ Can be thought of as an invisible, psychological
bubble surrounding each person that expands or
contract according to our needs and the situation.

❖ Intimate Distance: Touching to 18 inches

❖ Personal Distance: 18 inches to 4 feet
❖ Social Distance: 4 to 8 feet
❖ Public Distance: 8 or more feet
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Chronemics
• This concerns the use of time – how you
organise it, react to it, and communicate
messages to it.

• Consider, for example your psychological

time orientation; the emphasis that you place
on the past, present and future.
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Chronemics
Two distinct approaches to time

▪ Monochronic: Time is Money. Time is scheduled,

managed, and arranged. Set deadlines and work to
schedule (US and N. Europe)

▪ Polychronic: It Gets Done When It Gets Done.

Completion of task is individualistic. Deadlines less
important than group interaction and roles.
Appointments are frequently broken (Mediterranean,
Latin America, Pacific Islands,
Middle East)
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Silence
• Like words and gestures, silence, too communicates
important meanings and serves important functions.

• Allows the speaker time to think.

• A weapon to hurt others

• Used as a response to personal anxiety, shyness or

threats

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvEci5Bjgd4
Verbal communication
• Oral/ spoken communication
• Can be face to face or remote communication

• There are generally 3 verbal

communication styles

• passive
• aggressive
• assertive.
Passive
The passive communicator often allows his own rights to be violated by failing to
express his honest feelings. The goal of being a passive communicator is to avoid
conflict no matter what. Also, it is seen as very safe since there is little risk
involved.

The characteristics of a passive communicator

• little eye contact, often defers to others’ opinions, usually has quiet tone, and
may suddenly explode after being passive for too long.
Examples of responses of a passive communicator:
• “I don’t know.”
• “Whatever you think.”
• “You have more experience than I. You decide.”
• “I’ll go with whatever the group decides.”
• “I don’t care. It doesn’t matter to me.”
• “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. . . NO!”
Aggressive
The aggressive communicator protects his own rights at the expense of
others’ rights – no exceptions.
The goal of the aggressor is to win at all costs; to be right. He does not consider
those actions as a risk because this person thinks that he will always get his way if he
becomes aggressive and people will listen to him if he acts aggressively.
The characteristics of a aggressive communicator :
• eye contact is angry and intimidating; lots of energy; loud and belittling; never
defers to others, or at least does not admit to; manipulative and controlling, often
uses violence or verbal abuse.

• Examples of responses of an aggressive communicator:

• “I don’t know why you can’t see that this is the right way to do it.”
• “It’s going to be my way or not at all.”
• “You’re just stupid if you think that will work.”
• “Who cares what you feel. We’re talking about making things work here.”
Assertive
Assertive communicators usually use balance in his way of communication. He
protects his own rights without violating the rights of others.
The goal of the assertive person is to communicate with respect and to understand
each other; to find a solution to the problem. He takes a risk with others in the short
run, but in the long run relationships are much stronger. The assertive communicator
can be identified through some characteristics:
The characteristics of a assertive communicator :
• his eye contact is maintained; he listens and validates others; he is confident and
strong, yet flexible; he is very objective and unemotional; and he presents his
wishes clearly and respectfully.

• Examples of responses of an assertive communicator:

• “So what you’re saying is. . . .”
• “I can see that this is important to you, and it is also important to me. Perhaps
we can talk more respectfully and try to solve the problem.”
• “I think. . . I feel. . . I believe that. . . .”
• “I would appreciate it if you. . .”
• Let me understand your thoughts on this…
What is your communication Style?
• Passive?
• Assertive?
• Aggressive?

How do you deal with these types of people?