Communication

Processes, Principles, And

Ethics
CHAPTER 1
Objectives:
* Discuss the essence of communication
to individuals;
*Define communication as a process;
*Determine the elements of
communications and its importance;
*Identify the functions of verbal and non-
verbal communication in various and
multicultural context
Essence of Communication
Communication is vital to all forms of life. Notice how ants make a trial
leading to its source of food. Look at the bees buzzing round a hive and guarding
it like a precious gem. Imagine how barter trading started or how a bridge or a
house is built. These activities could not have been possible if there were no
communication that happened in the first place.
Observe how ants approach one another before they start a trail. Do you
think that it is just the aroma or the smell of the food that leads them to form a
queue? Listen to the birds warning cries when a predator is sighted. Lions roar to
tell other lions where they are. All these indicate that animals do communicate
with each other, too.
An infants cries when he/she feels hungry. A toddler approaches you when
you beckon hi/her name. Say ‘Psst’ and a stranger looks at you. When teacher
enters a room, Student rush to their seats and sit still. These manifest how
elementary and natural communication is to human beings.
Communication happens every minute everywhere between and among
humans and non-humans alike, verbally and nonverbally.
Definition of Communication
The term communication is originally taken from the latin word
‘communis’ which means to make common, to transit, to impart or to share
between two or more persons or groups.
Communication is the natural aspect of man’s life. It is inevitably a part
of his existence, from the time he is born he immediately learns to
commuicate. In fact, even while a baby is in his/her mother’s womb, he/she
knows to express his/her wants.
Man always reaches out to share his thoughts, experiences, and feelings
with others. They achieve their goals according to their ability to
communicate effectively. Communication is the basis of all socio-economic,
political and cultural activities. There can be no society with out
communication.
But scholars have defined the term ‘communication’ in various ways:
 “Communication is an exchange of facts, ideas, opinions or emotions by two or
more persons.” (Newman and Sumer)
This means that there is a transfer of information or ideas between two individuals
or groups. Something is given and received by both parties.
“Communication is the process by which information is transmitted between
individuals or organizations so that an understanding response results.” (Little)
With this definition, the author means that there is a series of actions through
which a certain information or idea undergoes.
“Communication is a two-way activity. There is a communicator and the receiver
of communication. Exchange implies reception and response from the receiver to
ideas, emotions and opinions of communicator.” (Koontz and O’ Donnell)
Koontz and Donnell clearly state that two particular actions are involved in
communication, thus it is two-way. There are always the sender (communicator)
delivering a message and the receiver (target audience) to get the message and react
on it.
“Communication is a process which begins when you have a message that you
want to deliver to an audience. Your audience receive the message, reacts to it and
then responds to your message. That response may prompt you to react and give
another message. This process may then go on and on.” (Tierney)
 From Tierney’s definition, communication begins with the message that the sender
needs to rely to the person concerned. As the receiver reacts and responds, the exchange
of reactions becomes a series.
“Communication is a systemic process which individuals interacts with and through
symbols to create and interpret meanings.” (Wood)
Wood’s definition cites four important term to remember: First, communication is
specifically a process, meaning it is ongoing and always changing . Second, it is systemic
or within systems of interrelated and interacting parts. Third, it uses symbols to represent
ideas. Lastly, it has meaning as both sender and receiver place significance on it.
Elements of Communication
1. Sender – the source of information, ideas, feelings or message.
2. Receiver – the individual who receives the message from the sender and reacts on it.
3. Message – the information , ideas, or feelings the sender wants to share with the
receiver.
4. Channel – the means or medium through the message is transmitted.
5. Feedback –the response of the receiver to the message sent to him/her .
Models of Communication
As we have identified the essential elements of communication, let us
look into the different models of communication as processed by various
scholars and thinkers.
First and foremost is Aristotle who proposed his model before 300 B.C.
The Aristotle model of communication is the widely accepted and the most
common model of communication where the sender sends the information
or a message to the receivers to influence them and make them respond and
act accordingly.
This model is a speaker-centered model as the speaker has the most
important role in it and is the only one active.
Aristotle Model of Communication
 Criticism on Aristotle’s Model of
Communication
1.There is no concept of feedback. It is one way from speaker to audience.
2. There is no concept of communication failure like noise and barriers.
3. This model can be used in public speaking.

David Berlo’s Model of communication particularly emphasizes the four

components in the communication process. These are the sender (or
source), message, channel and receiver. Each of the components is affected
by many factors.
The model also focuses on encoding and decoding which happens
before sender sends the message and before the receiver recives the
message, respectivey.
The S-M-C-R Model of Communication
 Criticisms on Berlo’s Model of
Communication
1. No emphasis on feedback, so the effect is not considered.
2. Noise or any kind of barriers in communication process is ignored.
3. Similar to Aristotle’s model, it is a linear model of communication.

Harold D. Lasswell (1902-1978) developed his own model of communication in

1948. The Lasswell’s model of communication, also known as action model, is
regarded as one of the most influential communication models.
Lasswell’s model has five components, instead of four. This is often used as an
analysis tool for evaluating the communication process and components. The
components are the questions to be asked to get the answers and keep
communication going.
Lasswell likewise brought the concept of effective communication process.
He talked about the relation between presentation of facts and how it generates
different effects.
Criticism on Lasswell’s Model of Communication
1. It does not include feedback and ignores the existence of noise.
2. The model is very general and simplistic.
3. The model is more focused on the outcome and general used for media
persuasion.

The most commonly taught and widely used theory of communication is that
proposed by Wilbur Schramm in the late 1940s. It views communication as a process
that takes place between a sender (transmitted) and a receiver.
It provides a straightforward approach to communicating, with sender and
receiver trading roles back and forth in circular pattern. This allows both parties to
contribute equally and share their feedback, which acts as confirmation that the
message has been received and decoded.
Schramm’s Model of Communication
Criticism on Schramm’s Model of Communication
1. This model is sometimes impaired by semantic noise.
2. It relies on one-to-one communication.
3. Misunderstanding can cause a message to be interpreted differently.

Elwood Shannon and Warren Weaver developed a mechanical and

mathematical model of communication in 1948. Their communication model
consisted of n information source: the source’s message, a transmitter, a signal; and
receiver: the receiver’s message, and a destination. Eventually, the standard
communication model featured the source or encoder, who encodes a message by
translating an ide into a code in terms of bits.
Shannon-Weaver of Communication
Criticism on Shannon-Weaver of Communication
1. It is applicable for interpersonal communication than group communication and
mass communication.
2. Sender plays the important part in the communication process and receiver is not
emphasized.
3. Feedback is taken as less important in comparison to the messages sent by the
sender.

Verbal Communication and Non-verbal Communication

Humans understand each other through the use of spoken language (verbal
communication), non-verbal cues such as gestures, facial expressions and body
movements (non-verbal communications), and symbols.
Verbal communication is comprised of sounds, words and language which has a
direct relationship with culture. Non-verbal communication, on the other hand, refers
to those actions and attributes that have socially shared meaning, are intentionally
sent or interpreted as international, are consciously sent or consciously received, and
have the potential for feedback from the receiver. These two types of communication
are learnt over time and can be understood in different ways according to culture
 Verbal and non- verbal communication vary widely from culture. Something that
feels positive to an American , such as making eye contact or offering an encouraging
hand gesture, might be taken in an entirely different way in a different country. Pitch,
volume, and pacing of speech also take different forms of different people.

Functions of Verbal Communication

1. Verbal communication help us think. One distinct difference of humans from
animals is the ability to reason and communicate. Humans organize their thoughts
through language. Through language, humans are able to verbalize their
thoughts and inner feelings.
2. Verbal communication helps us shape our attitude about our world. Under Sapir-
Whorf hypothesis, language determines thought. People who speak different
languages, think differently. When you label, describe, or evaluate events in your
life, you use the symbols of the language you speak.
3. Verbal communication helps us organize complex ideas and experiences into
meaningful categories. Humans organize seemingly random events into
understandable categories to make of their experiences. They learn to categorize
people according to how they perceive their social relationship such as friends ,
acquaintances, colleagues, etc.
4. Verbal communication help us define reality. Humans use verbal communication
to define everything from ideas, emotions experiences, thoughts, objects, and
people. Verbal communication is used to label and define the experience in our
lives.

Functions of Non-Verbal Communication

1. Non-verbal communication is used to regulate verbal communication.
2. Non-verbal communication is used to duplicate verbal communication.
3. Non-verbal communication is used to complement verbal communication.

Forms of Non-verbal Communication

4. Kinesics – includes body movements, gestures and facial expressions and can
be intentional or unconscious.
5. Chronemics – pertains on how people use, perceive and structure their time.
6. Proxemics - refers to the interpersonal space to regulate intimacy.
4. Paralinguistics – includes factors such as tone of the voice, loudness, inflection,
and pitch.
5. Haptics – is communicating through touch.
6. Oculesics – is communication using the eyes like gazing eye movement, etc.