GEC005: PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

Opening Prayer
GEC005: PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

Lesson 1:

THE NATURE OF
LANGUAGE
What is Language?
Together with the creation of human life is the creation of
wonderful and dynamic human capacity – language. Animals are
said to be able to communicate with each other. The sounds they
produce often reflect the state of their emotions. While it may be
true that animals communicate, only human beings are truly
capable of producing language.
What exactly Language is?
Linguists agree that a language can only be called a language
if it has:

1. A system of rules (grammar)

2. A sound system (phonology)
3. A vocabulary (lexicon)

Therefore, animals may be able to signal to its partner that it’s

sharing food, they can produce sounds & gestures but will not be
able to organize the sounds into a meaningful system with rules.
 Humans on the other hand are able to communicate their desire
to share food through several ways that are understandable to other
human beings.

Speech Community – a group of people who share similar

ideas, uses and norms of language.

Language Acquisition – the process of attaining a specific

variant of human language.
- The process of learning a native or
a second language.
Mother tongues – the language that a person has grown
up speaking from early childhood.
- A native language or may also be
referred to as first languages.

Second languages – language usually learned at a later

stage after a mother tongue, a non-
native language and non-native
tongue.

Language learning – occurs in a more formal way.

Grammar, vocabulary & language

are taught explicitly.

What happens if people visit another speech community that is
different from their own?

Americans and British speak English. However, they spell English

words differently. They pronounce words differently. They have
different ways of expressing the sane concepts. It can be said that the
Americans and the British belong to two speech communities. Which
do not have exactly the same set of rules for their language.

Language Contact – occurs when two or more languages

or varieties interact. The study of
language contact is called linguistic.
Language Change – All languages change in various ways,
and any language is in a constant,
slow, not always steady process of
alteration.

Language is indeed a complex human capacity. It is, therefore,

important to be aware of its features and behaviour to be able to use
the language more effectively
Lesson 2:

TYPES OF
COMMUNICATION
What is Communication?

Communication is generally defined as the exchange of thoughts,

ideas, concepts, and views between or among two or more people.

Context – is the circumstance or environment in which

communication takes place.

Each communication type is governed by a particular

circumstance. Thus, it is essential to pay attention to the interplay of
factors surrounding the context of communication which may be
physical, cultural, social and
psychological in nature. Communication may then be classified
according to:

1. Communication mode
2. Context
3. Purpose and style

TYPES OF COMMUNICATION ACCORDING TO MODE

4. Verbal
5. Non-verbal
6. Visual
TYPES OF COMMUNICATION ACCORDING TO CONTEXT:
1. Intrapersonal – the Latin prefix intra – means within or
inside. Communicating to oneself: inner
talk, inner monologue or inner dialogue.

2. Interpersonal – the Latin prefix inter means between,

among and together.
- A communication situation is
interpersonal if it is meant to establish or
deepen one’s relationship with others. However,
if the objective is to achieve something at the end of the conversation,
it becomes transactional.
While the former is characterized by less seriousness and formality,
the latter is more formal and profound. Whereas, interpersonal talks
are meant for maintaining social relationships, transactional talks aim
to accomplish or resolve something at the end of the conversation.

Let’s identify the following situation:

Tell which one is interpersonal and which is transactional.

Speaker Pair 1
Speaker Pair 2
3. Extended Communication – involves the use of
electronic media such as tele, audio, or phone
conferencing; skype calls; and other
technological means.

With extended communication, your own thinking, behaviour, and

attitude may be influenced by other people and you may be persuaded
to take the views you hear. It is important then that you weigh what
you hear and assess them against those beliefs that you hold onto so
you do not easily swayed by other people’s convictions.
4. Organizational Communication – its focus is on the role
that communication plays in
organizational contexts. Organizations
comprise individual who work for the
company.

For an organization to be successful, a system of communication

should be put in place. A set of rules or standards for communication
protocol should be made clear so that interaction patterns are
established. On the part of the individual, you should be equipped with
the needed oral and written communication skills that the organization
expects you to possess.
Two types of Organizational Structure:

1. Formal
- Formal structure allows communication to take place via
designated channels of message flow between positions in the
organization. This may make use of four approaches:

• Downward communication
• Upward communication
• Horizontal communication
• Crosswise communication
• Downward Communication – is the type that flows from upper to
lower positions i.e., president to a manager or supervisor; a manager
to an ordinary staff.

• Upward Communication – it is bottom-up in which subordinates

send communication to their superior or bosses bearing their
views/feedback on organizational policies, issues related to their jobs
and the like.

• Horizontal Communication – is lateral in approach as it takes place

among people belonging to the same level but coming from different
departments or units to facilitate performance of tasks through proper
coordination.
• Crosswise Communication – crosswise approach is diagonal in
nature as employees from different units or departments working at
various levels communicate with each other.

Each of these communication approaches has its own advantages

and disadvantages. Note that these structures are usually presented in
the company’s organizational chart and policy manuals.
2. Informal Communication – comes from unofficial channels of
message flow which is also known as ‘grapevine.’ This occurs due
to the dissatisfaction of some employees accompanied by
uncertainty, such as superiors playing favorites and unfavorable or
unacceptable company rules & regulations. Some employees even
resort to baseless gossips and rumors which they spread like wild
fire.
TYPES OF COMMUNICATION ACCORDING TO PURPOSE AND
STYLE
1. Formal According to communication setting &
2. Informal modes of delivery.

Formal communication employs formal language delivered orally

or in written form. Lectures, public talks/speeches, research & project
proposals, reports and business letters.
Informal communication involves personal & ordinary
conversations with friends, family members or acquantances about
anything under the sun.
Lesson 3:

COMMUNICATION
PRINCIPLES
& ETHICS
GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Since communication is a two- way process, it is important that

you know the principles to be observed to make it effective. For both
oral & written communication, you should be able to apply the
following:

1. Know your purpose in communicating.

2. Know your audience.
3. Know your topic.
4. Adjust your speech or writing to the context of the situation.
5. Work on the feedback given to you.
PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE ORAL COMMUNICATION

1. Be clear with your purpose.

- You should know by heart your objective in
communicating.
2. Be complete with the message you deliver.
- Make sure your claims are supported by facts &
essential information.
3. Be concise. – You do not need to be verbose or wordy
with your statements. Brevity in speech is a must.
4. Be natural with your delivery.
- Punctuate important words with the appropriate
gestures & movements. Exude a certain degree of confidence even
if you do not feel confidence even if you do not feel confident
enough.

5. Be specific & timely with your feedback.

- Inputs are more helpful when provided on time.
 PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE WRITTEN COMMUNICATION:
THE 7C’S

1. Be clear – Be clear about your message. Always be guided by

your purpose in communicating.
2. Be concise – Always stick to the point and do not beat or run
around the bush. Be brief by focusing on your main point.
3. Be concrete. Support your claims with enough facts. Your readers
easily know if you are bluffing or deceiving them because there is
nothing to substantiate your claims.
4. Be correct. – It is important that you observe grammatical
correctness in your writing. Always have time to revise and edit your
work. Even simple spelling errors may easily distract your readers.
5. Be coherent. – Your writing becomes coherent only when you
convey a logical message. The ideas should be connected to each
other and should be related to the topic.
6. Be complete. – Include all necessary & relevant information so that
the audience will not be left wanting of any information.
7. Be courteous. – The tone of your writing should be friendly.