Discipline and Ideas

in the
Applied Social Sciences
Module 10

The Discipline of Communication

Module 10
The discipline of
Communication

About the module

people have been communicating since the beginning of time-- long before
development of language. Early humans communicated through hand gestures,
body language, and objects before they learned to write or draw features on cave
walls. This module aims to teach you how to be an effective communicator by
introducing the fundamentals of communication.

Module objectives

By the end of the module, learners are expected to:

 identify the goals and scope of communication

 demonstrate comprehension of principles of communication
 discuss the core values of communication
 describe the elements and levels of communication processes

Module topics

 definition of communication
 bolts of communication
 basic elements of the communication process
 levels of communication

Discussion
Reading 1: Definitions of Communication
Communication has been called the most practical of the academic disciplines
(Jones 2013). No matter the field of expertise, we are all practitioners of
communication. The fact that communication is an everyday practice can be
interpreted in two ways: one, our everyday communication experience can be used
in building our knowledge and skills to make us effective and ethical
communicators; and two, that this “ordinariness” or communication may lead us to
take it for granted.
The word “communication” was derived from the Latin word communis
which means “common”. As the term suggests, communication is concerned with
establishing commonness between the participants of communication, that is,
through the transmission of ideas and emotions. It is defined as the act by one or
more persons, of sending and receiving messages distorted by noise, within a
context with some effect, and with some opportunity for feedback.
Maslog (2014) defines communication as the fabric that holds society
together. It is through communication that consensus among members of the society
is formed.
There are three methods of communication: verbal, nonverbal, and written
communication.
Verbal communication is communicating with the spoken words. It is also
referred to as oral communication.
Nonverbal communication, on the other hand, is a “process of generating
meaning using behavior other than words”. It includes body language (gestures,
facial expression, eye contact) and paralanguage (pitch, volume, speech rate, accent,
etc.). Nonverbal communication is used to compliment, emphasize, replace, and
contradict verbal messages.
Written communication is a method of communication that makes use of the
written symbols, such as standard script (e.g.,English alphabet) and numbers.
Examples of written communication include letters, e-mail, reports and memos,
among others.

Characteristic of communication
Communication can be better understood by identifying its characteristics such as
the following:
 Communication is dynamic.
The everydayness of communication is contradicted by its dynamism.
Communication is always evolving. It is affected by the change in each of its
elements as well as the interaction of this elements which each other. The way
we communicate evolves as we continually define our relationships, adjust
our behavior and patterns of interaction, and acquire communication
experiences.
 Communication is unrepeatable and irreversible.
Every communication encounter is unique. Each communication encounter
affects and changes people. This makes it impossible for communication
encounters to be made in exactly the same way. This is what also makes
 communication irreversible -- whatever has been said or done cannot be taken
back for it has already affected the communicators in some way, whether in
the cognitive, affective, or behavioral aspects.
 Communication has no opposite.
We cannot communicate. While it is true that we communicate with a
purpose, we may also communicate without any awareness of doing so. This
means that even if we stayed silent, that silence is still means something to
other people. This is what we mean when we say that communication has no
opposite-- we can never stop communicating because everything about us,
even our silence, send a message.
 Communication is affected by culture
Cultural factors--- such as race, ethnicity, gender, religion, and age-- influence
how we encode and decode messages. In the Philippines and in some Western
cultures, when some people gives you a thumbs up sign you interpret it as
“Okay” or good to go, but did you know that in Latin America West Africa
Greece, Russia, Sardinia Southern Italy, and West Asia, this is symbol may
land you in trouble as this hand gestures is considered as an insult to them?
This example exhibits how culture affects how people attribute meanings.
 Communication is influenced by ethics
Since communication has an effect, it requires that the participants are
communication make judgments of what is right and wrong. The judgment is
based on ethics. Ethics are the moral principles values and beliefs that the
members of society used to guide behavior. A communicative act is
considered ethical if it is based on socially agreed upon standards behavior. It
is ethical for example, that we communicate with honesty, respect, and sense
of accountability.

Having the knowledge,

sensitivity, and respect
for culture differences
is one key for effective
communication
  Communication is competence based
Being good in communication is something that we are not born or blessed
with. Communication is a skill that needs to be developed. No matter what
field we wish to pursue, we can all benefit from developing our
communicating skills. This starts from recognizing our communication
strengths and weaknesses and from committing yourself to gaining knowledge
and communication experiences.
 Communication is being transformed by media and technology
Technology has become one of the defining elements in this generation. As
societies continue to evolve, the level of sophistication in the way we
communicate also increases. Now it is possible to talk to a number of people
simultaneously even across great distances through communication
technologies. Furthermore, the extent of evolution of such media as books,
newspapers, radio, television, and film has also exerted a large influence in
the way we perceive and disseminate ideas and culture values--- which can
either reinforce or change existing stereotypes or provide a way of
empowering the citizens.

Reading 2: Goals of communication

There are many reasons why communication in different methods and levels take
place. The following statements explain some of the common goals of
communication:

 To inform or be informed
It is through communication that we seek and provide information. We use the
information to make everyday decisions
To find the location of a place, for example, we ask people for directions or
surf the Internet for a map. When someone asks us for direction, we could
make gestures to show that person the way or draw a rough map.
 To persuade and influence
Have you ever been persuaded into buying something you do not even need or
want? Were you ever made to change your opinion about a certain issue?
These shows another function of communication: to persuade and influence.
We communicate because we want someone to do something or to agree with
our point of view.
 To build and maintain relationships
It is through communication that people express love, anger, pain, and
pleasure. Without communication, it is not possible for us to reach out, make
ourselves heard, establish meaningful relationships, and share our ideas and
emotions to the people around us. By communicating, we satisfy our social
needs.
  To develop a career
In today's competitive society, a college diploma is not enough to land you
the job that you want. According to a group of hiring managers, applied for
multi-tasking and initiative, an applicant with good communication skills has
an edge when it comes to getting hired (Rosero 2013).
There are also specific industries or institutions that need people with a
degree in communication. As communication is a very broad field, there is a
wide range of communication professions that you may choose from,
Including a career in mass media, public relations or corporate
communications.

To achieve these goals, one should be guided by the following principles:

 Clarity
The message should be clear and understandable to minimize
misinterpretation and misunderstanding. Factors such as cultural differences
should also be taken into consideration in crafting the message to help the
receiver understand it.
 Adequacy
An incomplete message can be confusing and counterproductive for the
receivers. To make the communication effective, the sender should make sure
to include all necessary information in his or her message.
 Consistency
A message should be well thought of and logically crafted to avoid confusion
and misinformation.
 Feedback
The receiver's response helps the sender determine if his or her messages
properly understood. This also helps the sender to make necessary
clarifications in case of miscommunication.

Reading 3: Basic elements of communication process

To understand how communication works, let us look into the elements of

communication. From the Devito’s definition, we can extract the basic elements of
communication process: message, sender, and receiver, context, noise, feedback,
and effect.

Message
This message is the content of communicative act. It is encoded into symbols and
communicated through verbal and nonverbal methods. For the message to be
delivered and understood, the sender and receiver must share a common system of
symbols (e.g., language).
Sender and Receiver
The sender decides what is to be communicated, encodes the ideas and feelings into
verbal and nonverbal symbols, and transmits the message through an
understandable communication system. The sender is also known as the encoder or
source. The person who receives, interprets, and responds to the message through
feedback is called the receiver. The receiver is also known as the decoder or
interpreter.
The role of sender and receiver does not belong exclusively to one participant
of communication. These roles of sender and receiver gets constantly reversed as
messages are simultaneously sent and received during the process of
communication.
Channel
All messages are transmitted through a channel. Channel refers to the medium by
which the message is transmitted from sender to receiver. The basic and natural
channels of communication are the five senses: hearing, touching, smelling, tasting,
and seeing. With the evolution of technology, technical medium-- including
printing press, telephone, radio, television, and the Internet-- where developed to
heighten the communication effect.
Feedback
Feedback refers to the information or signal back to the sender by the receiver
through verbal or nonverbal means. A feedback may be as simple as a nod, a raised
eyebrow, what is smile or as noticeable as clapping or shouting. Feedback enables
both the receiver and sender to adjust their communication to reach an
understanding or meet their common goal.
There are two kinds of feedback: positive and negative. A positive feedback
encourages us to continue our behavior in progress. A negative feedback, on the
other hand, gives us a cue to correct or stop behavior. Students leaning forward the
teacher during the discussion, for example, may tell the teacher that they are
listening intently in class encourages him to continue teaching as he does. When a
teacher sees his class suppressing a yawn or is sporting a dazed look on their faces,
they may crack a joke even in the middle of a serious discussion to gain the class’s
attention and interest.
Context
Context pertains to the setting or environment surrounding the communication
transaction. This may be a place, a time, an event, and even includes the social,
cultural, and psychological condition of the communicators. Context is made up of
rules and roles that we have to abide to make the communication successful.
Rules are the guides to follow while communicating in different situations.
We adjust our communication style and behavior depending on the communication
setting- the place, the participants, and the intention, content, and means of
communication, among others. For example, we are not allowed to raise our voice
or laugh aloud when we are in the library or in church. Roles, on the other hand,
refer to the park each participant has to play in the communicative event. For
example, in a panel discussion, it is the moderator's role to facilitate the discussion
between the members of the panel.
Noise
Noise is anything that can distort the message. It is also known as interference. This
can be anything that serves to distract the sender and receiver from achieving their
intended communicative goal. The noise may have external or internal causes.
External noise refers to physical noise or interference from the environment, such as
boisterous laughter, course honking, or bad ordor. Internal noise, on the other hand,
concerns the mind of communicators. If a student comes to class hungry, for
example, his hunger may distract him from concentrating in class.
While noise is always present, we can minimize its effect through various
methods like using good grammar, clarify your voice, simple language, or quality
signal, among others.
Effect
Each communication has its consequences. The consequences or result or
communication, both positive and negative, is referred to us effect very good this
effect may be classified as cognitive, affective, or behavioral.
Cognitive effects refer to the changes in the receiver's intelligence as a result
of communication. A student learning during class discussion is an example of
cognitive effects. Affective effects refer to the changes and the receiver's emotion as
a result of communication. An example is a fun getting excited as she watches her
Idol perform on television. Lastly, behavioral effects refer to the changes and
receiver’s action as a result communication. A person buying an item from a
persuasive salesperson is an example of behavioral effect.

Reading 4: levels of communication

Communication takes place on different levels. It may be intrapersonal, and their

personal, group former public, mass, or computer- mediated.

Intrapersonal communication
Internal dialogue or self-talk is referred to as interpersonal communication.
According to Jones (2013), intrapersonal communication is “communication with
oneself using internal vocalization or reflective thinking”. It is usually unplanned
and does not have clearly defined goals.
 According to Lance and Larson (1976), intrapersonal communication has
several social functions.
 It helps us achieve or maintain social adjustment. This happens, for example,
when a reserved teen reminds herself to mingle during a friend's birthday
party.
 It helps us build and maintain a healthy self -concept. We self-talk to process
how we think other people see us based on how they communicate with us.
How other people see us becomes part of how we see and define ourselves. In
the earlier example, the teen appears aware that people see her as someone
reserved. She then makes an effort to adjust their perception of her.
 It helps us let of steam, process, emotions, think through something, or
rehearse what we plan to say or do in the future very good self-thought is a
mechanism for facilitating social interactions and for enhancing well-being.

Interpersonal communication

When the communication takes place between people with an aim to build,
maintain, or end relationships, it is referred to as interpersonal communication.
Unlike intrapersonal communication, this level of communication is more
goal - oriented, may be planned or unplanned, interactive, and fulfills social and
instrumental needs. Since interpersonal communication is interactive, it is usually
more restructured and influenced by ethical considerations. It also occurs
different contexts end subfields of communication study, including groups,
multicultural, and computer - mediated communication.

Group communication
Group communication is communication among three or more people that is usually
more formal in nature and is more oriented toward fulfilling a task or achieving a
goal that interpersonal communication. As students, you usually participate in
group communication during group activities or projects.

Public communication
Another level of communication is public communication. It is a sender – focused
communication that usually involves one sender transmitting information to an
audience. It is more formal, purposeful, and goal- oriented as compared to
interpersonal and group communication. Example of public communication or
political campaign rallies.

Mass communication
In mass communication, messages transmitted to a potentially large audience across
great distances with the use of technological medium. This major maybe print, such
as magazines and newspapers, or electronic, such as television and radio. There is
greater degree of intentionality in delivering a message in mass communication as it
may involve complex technologies (such as satellite digital networks), manpower,
and money. Unlike in other forms of communication, mass communication is
usually one- way and the feedback is usually not immediate.
Assessment
Answer each question in two to three sentences. Write your answers in a short bond
paper.

1. How do cultural differences affect the communication process? Provide

a scenario where cultural differences are observed.
2. What does the statement, “people connect not communicate,” mean?
3. What is the difference between public communication and
mass communication?
4. Why is feedback important in the communication process?
5. Sender of the message, how can you minimize confusion add miss -
formation?