 Communication

 It comes from a Latin word, “communicatio”, which means “sharing or imparting”. From the root word “communis” means “common
or public” (Röling & Jiggins, 2001 as cited by Peters, 2008).
 It is a process of exchanging and acting on information between two or more people.
 The process that involves an exchange of verbal and/or nonverbal messages within a continuous and dynamic sequence of events
(Hergie, 2011)
 The process of generating messages by sending and receiving symbolic cues as influenced by multiple contexts. (Communication in
Real World)
 The process of transmitting and sending of information, knowledge, ideas through speaking, writing, using pictures, using nonverbal
language to a person or a large number of audience. (Oxford Dictionary)
 A process by which information is exchanged between individuals through common system of symbols, signs, behavior. (Merriam-
Webster Dictionary)
 The process of making sense out of the world and sharing that sense to others by creating meaning through the use of verbal
and nonverbal messages. (Beebe & Ivy, 2013, p. 7)
 Human beings put meaning into what they begin to interpret what is seen, touched, heard, smelled, and tasted with sensations,
thoughts, feelings, and words.
 Competence in communication and expertise with the skills are valuable in strengthening and building relationships, in getting
employed, and in maintaining a healthy living.
 Human beings put meaning into what they begin to interpret what is seen, touched, heard, smelled, and tasted with sensations,
thoughts, feelings, and words.
 Competence in communication and expertise with the skills are valuable in strengthening and building relationships, in getting
employed, and in maintaining a healthy living.
 Every good and lasting relationship is founded on good communication.
 Understanding the role and function of communication can help unfold some of the mysteries of human relationships.
 Family communication is the largest single factor determining the kinds of relationships (we make) with others. (Satir, 2008)

 Importance of Communication
 Communication helps build good relationships with others and having a social support system (supportive and family members) can
help make a difference in a person’s overall health and quality of life.
 Learning how to enrich the quality of communication with others can make life more enjoyable and enhance overall well-being.

 Five Forms of Communication

 Intrapersonal communication
 Communication with oneself using internal vocalization or reflective thinking.
 Triggered by some internal or external stimulus
 Takes place only inside our heads
 Self-talk

 Interpersonal communication
 Communication between people who lives mutually to influence one another and typically occurs in dyads (in pairs)
 It occurs in various contexts
 Interactive
 More structured and influenced by social expectations
  Group communication
 Occurs when three or more people communicate to achieve a shared goal
 More intentional and formal
 Task focused (members of the group work together for explicit purpose or goal)

 Public communication
 Sender focused communication
 Occurs when one person conveys information to an audience
 The MOST consistently intentional, formal, and goal-oriented form of communication

 Mass communication
 Occurs when messages are sent to large audience using print or electronic media
 There is no immediate verbal and nonverbal feedback loop

 The Communication Process

 Primary Principles of Communication

 Be aware of your communication with yourself and others.
 Effectively use and interpret verbal messages.
 Effectively use and interpret nonverbal messages.
 Listen and respond thoughtfully to others.
 Appropriately adapt messages to others.

 The Ethics in Communication

 Ethics
 The beliefs, values, and moral principles by which right and wrong is determined.

 Critical Components of Human Behavior:

 Ethics
 Ethical behavior
 Every culture depends on its existence on norms that order human relationships and social institutions (Christians & Traber,
1997)
 NORM(S)
  A principle of right action binding upon the members of a group and serving to guide, control, or regulate proper and
acceptable behavior. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
 These universal norms are the beliefs and behaviors that describe what is normal, appropriate or inappropriate

 Three Universal Cultural Norms (Christians & Traber, 1997)

 The value of truth,
 Respect for another person’s dignity, and
 The expectation that innocent people should not suffer harm.
 The proponents of a universal ethical code suggests that a universal moral code is an ideal basis for evaluating right and
wrong behavior, including communication behavior.

 “Ethical communication
 is fundamental to responsible thinking, decision making, and the development of relationships and communities within and across
contexts, cultures, channels, and media. Moreover, ethical communication enhances human worth and dignity by fostering
truthfulness, fairness, responsibility, personal integrity, and respect for self and others.”
 An ethical communicator
 must be sensitive to the needs of others by giving them the chance to choose instead of forcing people to behave in a certain
way, respect their privacy, not intentionally decreasing their feelings of self-worth, and being honest in presenting information.

 Elements of the Communication Process

 Source or Sender
 Originator of an idea or emotion
 Person who sends the message in a communication encounter
 Forms and transmits messages using verbal symbols and nonverbal behavior(s).

 Message(s)
 The written, spoken, and unspoken elements of communication that carries a meaning or which meaning is assigned.
 The verbal or nonverbal content being conveyed from the sender to receiver.
 Verbal utterances and nonverbal behavior(s) that senders utilize to convey their meanings.
 For messages to be understood, the following terms need to be clarified: (1) meaning, (2) symbols, (3) process of encoding
and decoding, (4) form or organization.
 Meaning
 Combination of ideas and feelings that exist in the sender’s mind. e.g. opinion, ideas, feelings (anger, happiness, sadness, etc.)
 In order to share the meanings, they must be transformed into messages.

 Symbols
 These are words, sounds, and actions that recognized by others as representatives of specific content meaning.
 In order to share meanings, people form messages which contains verbal and nonverbal symbols.

 Encoding
 The translation of ideas, feelings, and thoughts that have been translated into a code
 The process of turning thoughts into communication
  Cognitive thinking process of transforming ideas and feelings into symbols and organizing them into a message.

 Decoding
 The interpretation of ideas, feelings, thoughts that have been translated into a code
 The process of turning communication into thoughts.
 Process of transforming messages from another back into one’s own ideas and feelings.
 Form or organization
 When the meaning being shared is complex, people need to organize it in sections or in a certain order.

 Receiver
 A person or a group of persons toward whom the sender or source directs messages and who decodes the message
 The person who receives the message in a communication encounter.
 One who process the messages and behaviors that have been transmitted to them.

 Channel(s)
 The pathway or means through which messages pass between the source and the receiver
 Means on how a message is transmitted.
 A sensory route used to transmit messages.
 In general, messages that use multiple channels are more likely to be understood.

 Context
 The physical, social, historical, psychological, and cultural settings or environment in which communication takes place.

 Types of Context
 Physical context
 It includes:
 Location
 Environment conditions (temperature, lighting, noise level
 Physical distance between the communicators
 Seating arrangement
 Time of day

 Social context
 expressed purpose of the event as well as the nature of the relationships between and among the participants.
 e.g. family dinner, wedding, business meetings, etc

 Historical context
 background provided by previous communication episodes between the communicators that influence their comprehension or
understanding in the current encounter.

 Psychological context
 it includes and encompasses moods and feelings that a person (sender or receiver) brings to the conversation.
  Cultural context
 According to Samovar & Porter (2003), cultural context refers to the beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, social hierarchies,
religion, notions of time, and roles of a group of people that help participants (communicators) form and interpret messages.

 Noise
 Any literal or psychological interference with the clear encoding or decoding of a message.
 Anything that interferes with a message being sent between the sender and the receiver in a communication encounter.
 Any internal or external or semantic stimulus that interferes and hinders with the sharing of meaning.

 Environmental noise
 Any physical noise present in a communication encounter (e.g. loud sound, people talking in crowded area)
 It interferes with the transmission of the message
 Sights, sounds, and other stimuli that distracts the attention causing to draw away from what is being said or done.
 Internal noise
 Refers to unrelated thoughts and feelings that distracts your attention and to draw away from what is being said or done.
 Semantic noise
 Noise the occurs in the encoding and decoding process when the sender and the receiver do not understand a symbol (e.g.
poor signal, language barrier)
 Unintended meanings aroused by certain symbols and behaviors that interferes or distracts the attention. E.g. use of
ethnic slurs, profanity, and vulgar speech
 Feedback
 The verbal and nonverbal responses to a message
 Messages sent in response to other messages
 It indicates to the sender whether and how that message was heard, seen, and understood.

 Functions of Communication
 We communicate to meet our social needs.
 We communicate to enhance and maintain our sense of self.
 We communicate to develop relationships.
 We communicate to exchange information.
 We communicate to influence others.

 Six Crucial Characteristics of Communication

 Communication is dynamic
 Communication is unrepeatable and irreversible
 Communication is affected by culture
 Communication is influenced by ethics
 Communication is competence-based
 Communication is being transformed by media and technology