Communication as a human activity always serves a function.

Functions of Communication refer to how humans use language for different purposes.
FUNCTIONS OF COMMUNICATION:
1. Regulation and Control - purpose is to control others by managing their behavior.
Regulation - is a rule or directive made and maintained by authority.
- is the action or process of regulating or being regulated.
Control - A means of limiting or regulating something
- The power to influence or direct people’s behavior or the course of events.
Verbal Cues - The words are usually directives, orders, requests, etc.
Nonverbal Cues - The tone and the bodily action that accompany the words are authoritative and firm.
LANGUAGE FORMS FOR REGULATION OR CONTROL
- Imperatives
- Rhetorical Questions
- Declaratives

2. Social Interaction - refers to ‘spontaneous verbal exchanges occurring in natural settings that are
typically familiar to the interactants’
Examples: Pick-up lines, invitations, greetings, appreciation, etc.
Verbal Cues - words used are mostly informal terms and casually delivered.
Nonverbal Cues - The tone used is friendly, even teasing, and the bodily action is relaxed.
3. Motivation - The purpose is to persuade or try to persuade another person to change his/her opinion,
attitude or behavior. Aims to encourage people into action
- Persuasion is used to move the listener away from his/her own position and towards the speaker’s
own or the position where the speaker wants the other person to move.
Verbal Cues - More direct and purposeful words are chosen, although can be softened for children and elderly.
Nonverbal Cues - words are accompanied by emphatic gestures and a forceful tone of voice, direct eye contact
is necessary.
4. Information - is used when the speaker wants to make others aware of certain, data, concepts, and
processes that may be useful to them
Verbal Cues - words chosen carefully, simple words, refrain from using technical jargon.
Nonverbal Cues - Actual demonstration, use of pictures, soothing tone of voice
5. Emotional Expression - is a manifestation of one’s internal emotional state, conveys a variety of
information regarding a person’s state of mind and intentions.
Verbal Cues - Words are carefully chosen
Nonverbal Cues - Accompany words with touching, hand holding, hugging, or even putting an arm around
someone’s shoulder.
Effective Communication - process of exchanging ideas, thoughts, knowledge, and information such that the
purpose or intention is fulfilled in the best possible manner.
CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION:
1. Completeness - Communication is the base for decision making. If the information is incomplete, it may
lead to wrong decisions.
2. Conciseness - The message sent must be short and straightforward interpretation and take the desired
steps.
3. Consideration - To be effective, the speaker should always consider relevant information about his/her
receiver such as mood, background, race, preference, education, status, and needs, among others. By
doing so, he/she can easily build rapport with the receiver
4. Concreteness - The sender must be sure from his end that whatever he is conveying is right by his
knowledge. Even the receiver must have trust on the sender and can rely on the message sent.
5. Courtesy - The message drafted must reflect the sender’s courtesy, humbleness. and respect towards the
receiver.
6. Clearness - The message the sender wants to convey must be simple. easy to understand, and
systematically framed to retain its meaningfulness
7. Correctness - Correctness in grammar eliminates negative impact on the receiver’s and increases the
credibility and effectiveness of the message.
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS
● Observance
● Clarity and Brevity
● Listening and Understanding
● Emotional Intelligence
● Self - efficacy
● Self - confidence
● Respectfulness
● Non-verbal communication
● Selection of the Right Medium
● Providing Feedback
BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION
1. Emotional Barriers - some people may find it difficult to express their emotions and some topics may be
completely off-limits.
2. Use of Jargons - over-complicated, unfamiliar and/or technical terms.
3. Lack of Confidence - can be a major barrier to effective communication. Shyness, difficulty being
assertive, or low self-worth can hinder the ability to make your needs and opinions known
4. Noisy Environment -noise that physically disrupts communication, such as very loud speakers at a party
or the sounds from a construction site next to a classroom.