Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1ST SEMESTER
11- STEM
CHAPTURE I - NATURE &
ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION
INTRODUCTION
• Definition
• The Process of Communication
• Communication Models
• Five Elements of Communication of Verbal
and Non-Verbal Communication
• Effective Communication Skills
• Intercultural Communication
CONTENT STANDARD
• The learner understands the nature and
elements of oral communication in context.
PERFORMANCE STANDARD
• The learner designs and performs effective
controlled and uncontrolled oral
communication activities based on context.
LEARNING COMPETENCIES:
The learner…
• Defines communication.
• Explains the nature and process of communication.
• Differentiates the various models of communication.
• Distinguishes the unique feature(s) of one
communication process from the other.
• Explains why there is a breakdown of communication.
• Uses various strategies in order to avoid
communication breakdown.
• Demonstrates sensitivity to the socio-cultural
dimension of communication situation with focus on
culture, gender, age, social status and religion.
COMMUNICATION
• Communication (from the Latin
term “communis” which means to share and
inform ideas, feelings, etc.) is the act of
transmitting intended meanings from one
entity or group to another through the use of
mutually understood signs and semiotic rules.
The different categories of communication include:
• Spoken or Verbal Communication: face-to-face,
telephone, radio or television and other media.
• Non-Verbal Communication: body language,
gestures, how we dress or act – even our scent.
• Written Communication: letters, e-mails, books,
magazines, the Internet or via other media.
• Visualizations: graphs and charts, maps, logos and
other visualizations can communicate messages.
THE PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION
The basic steps of communication are:
1. The forming of communicative intent– (the speaker
generates an idea)
2. Message encoding– (the speaker encodes an idea or
converts the idea into words or actions)
3. Transmission of the encoded message as a sequence of
signals using a specific channel or medium– (the speaker
transmits or sends out a message)
4. Reception of signals-(the receiver gets the message)
5. Reconstruction of the original message
6. Interpretation and making sense of the reconstructed
message- (the receiver decodes or interprets the message
based on the context)
7. The receiver sends or provides feedback.
COMMUNICATIONS MODELS
• Shannon and Weaver Model of Communication
The first major model for communication was introduced by
Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver for Bell Laboratories in
1949. The original model was designed to mirror the
functioning of radio and telephone technologies. Their initial
model consisted of three primary parts: sender, channel, and
receiver. The sender was the part of a telephone a person
spoke into, the channel was the telephone itself, and the
receiver was the part of the phone where one could hear the
other person. Shannon and Weaver also recognized that often
there is static that interferes with one listening to a telephone
conversation, which they deemed noise.
Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver structured this
model based on the following elements:
• An information source, which produces a message.
• A transmitter, which encodes the message into
signals
• A channel, to which signals are adapted for
transmission
• A noise source, which distorts the signal while it
propagates through the channel
• A receiver, which ‘decodes’ (reconstructs) the
message from the signal.
• A destination, where the message arrives.
The Sender-Message-Channel-Receiver Model
• In 1960, David Berlo expanded on Shannon
and Weaver’s (1949) linear model of
communication and created the SMCR Model
of Communication. The Sender-Message-
Channel-Receiver Model of communication
separated the model into clear parts and has
been expanded upon by other scholars.
• Communication is usually described along a
few major dimensions:
• Message (what type of things are
communicated),
• source / emisor / sender / encoder (by whom),
• form (in which form),
• channel (through which medium),
• destination / receiver / target / decoder (to
whom),
• and Receiver.
• Wilbur Schram (1954) also indicated that we should
also examine the impact that a message has (both
desired and undesired) on the target of the
message. Between parties, communication includes
acts that confer knowledge and experiences, give
advice and commands, and ask questions. These acts
may take many forms, in one of the various manners
of communication. The form depends on the abilities
of the group communicating. Together,
communication content and form make messages
that are sent towards a destination. The target can
be oneself, another person or being, another entity
(such as a corporation or group of beings).
ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION
1. Speaker- the source of information or message
2. Message- the information, ideas, or thoughts
conveyed by the speaker in words or in actions
3. Encoding- the process of converting the message
into words, actions, or other forms that the speaker
understands
4. Decoding- the process of interpreting the encoded
message of the speaker by the receiver
5. Receiver- the recipient of the message, or someone
who decodes the message
6. Barrier- the factors that affect the flow of communication
7. Channel (Medium). It refers to the way the message is sent. In public
speaking the medium is vibrations in the air between speaker and
listener, set in motion by the speaker’s voice. The message could also
be written in any language, put into some code known to both speaker
and listener, tape-recorded or videotaped, put into sign language,
translated into Braille, or even sent by smoke signal.
8. It includes all messages, verbal or nonverbal, sent by the listener to the
speaker.
9. (1) the occasion during which communication occurs, the occasion
refers to the reason why people assembled; it could be serious or
festive, planned or spontaneous, relaxed and informal, traditional or
formal and (2) the physical setting or site where communication
occurs; it includes the size of the room, the number of audience, the
facilities present, the light etc.
10.These are barriers to effective communication.
These are barriers to effective
communication
• The use of jargon. Over-complicated, unfamiliar and/or
technical terms.
• Emotional barriers and taboos. Some people may find
it difficult to express their emotions and some topics
may be completely ‘off-limits’ or taboo.
• Lack of attention, interest, distractions, or irrelevance
to the receiver.
• Differences in perception and viewpoint.
• Physical disabilities such as hearing problems or
speech difficulties.
• Physical barriers to non-verbal communication. Not being
able to see the non-verbal cues, gestures, posture and
general body language can make communication less
effective.
• Language differences and the difficulty in understanding
unfamiliar accents.
• Expectations and prejudices which may lead to false
assumptions or stereotyping. People often hear what they
expect to hear rather than what is actually said and jump to
incorrect conclusions.
• Cultural differences. The norms of social interaction vary
greatly in different cultures, as do the way in which emotions
are expressed. For example, the concept of personal space
varies between cultures and between different social settings.
VERBAL & NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
• Verbal communication consist of messages being sent and received
continuously with the speaker and the listener, it is focused on the
way messages are portrayed. Verbal communication is based on
language and use of expression, the tone in which the sender of
the message relays the communication can determine how the
message is received and in what context.
Factors that affect verbal communication:
• Tone of voice
• Use of descriptive words
• Emphasis on certain phrases
• Volume of voice
The way a message is received is dependent on these factors as they
give a greater interpretation for the receiver as to what is meant by
the message. By emphasizing a certain phrase with the tone of voice,
this indicates that it is important and should be focused more on.
Along with these attributes, verbal communication is also accompanied
with non-verbal cues. These cues make the message clearer and give
the listener an indication of what way the information should be
received.
Example of non-verbal cues
• Facial expressions
• Hand gestures
• Use of objects
• Body movement
In terms of intercultural communication there are language barriers
which are affected by verbal forms of communication. In this instance
there is opportunity for miscommunication between two or more
parties. Other barriers that contribute to miscommunication would be
the type of words chosen in conversation.
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS
1. APPROACH
Timing of communication; choice of medium;
tone and point of view (perspective, attitude,
and relationship regarding audience, purpose,
and material); recognition of audience (reader
vs. writer orientation); direct vs. indirect
presentation (ordering of evidence and
conclusions); persuasive strategies and
rhetorical appeals (logos, pathos, ethos)
• □Timing and choice of medium are appropriate to the
purpose, audience, and material.
• □Tone is appropriate to the purpose, audience, and
material.
• □Material is made relevant to the reader (reader’s
interests and concerns are recognized).
• □Conclusions are presented directly (conclusion first,
evidence last) to a sympathetic audience, indirectly
(evidence first, conclusion last) to an unsympathetic or
hostile audience.
• □Persuasive strategy incorporates a mixture of
rhetorical approaches (appeals to logic, feelings, and
ethics or credibility)
2.DEVELOPMENT
Organization (logical arrangement and sequence); evidence
and support (relevance, specificity, accuracy and sufficiency
of detail); knowledge of subject and material; quality of
perception, analysis, and insight
Checkpoints:
• □Material is arranged in a logical and coherent sequence.
• □Conclusion or closing restates the argument and identifies
the action to be taken.
• □Examples are relevant, specific, detailed, sufficient, and
persuasive.
• □Quotations support the argument.
• □Handling of material demonstrates knowledge and insight.
3.CLARITY
Presentation of thesis or central argument (statement of
purpose, delineation or narrowing of topic, relevance of
subordinate or secondary arguments); word choice; technical
language and jargon; structure (sentence, paragraph,
document); coherence devices (organizational statement,
repetition of words and phrases, progression from familiar to
unfamiliar, topic and transitional sentences); textual markers
(headings, highlighting, formatting features)
Checkpoints:
• □Purpose or central idea is sufficiently limited for meaningful
discussion.
• □Purpose or central idea is stated clearly, usually in the opening.
• □Organizational statement is offered, usually at the end of the
opening.
• □Subordinate ideas are effectively identified and related clearly
to the main purpose or central idea.
• □Language is clear, specific, accurate, and appropriate to
the audience, purpose, and material.
• □Word choice is clear, specific, accurate, unassuming, and
free of clichés and misused jargon.
• □Technical language and terms are defined and explained
as needed (depending on knowledge of the audience).
• □Sentences are free of ambiguity.
• □Text is coherent, with new information linked to
previously discussed information (ordered within
sentences as “something old/something new”).
• □Transitions between paragraphs are clear and helpful.
• □Text is appropriately highlighted (bullets, paragraphing,
boldface, italics, underlining, etc.) to engage the reader
and reinforce the main points.
4. STYLE
Word choice (economy, precision, and specificity of language
and detail; abstract vs. concrete language; action verbs vs.
linking or weak verbs with nominalizations; figures of
speech: schemes and tropes); tone (personality and humor);
active vs. passive voice; sentence variety
Checkpoints:
• □Word choice is economical, clear, specific, accurate,
unassuming, and free of clichés and misused jargon.
• □Action verbs are preferred over weak verbs with
nominalizations (as in recommend over make a
recommendation).
• □Language is appropriately concrete or abstract (signifying
or not signifying things that can be perceived by the senses).
• □Figurative language (metaphors and similes, as well as
other tropes and schemes) enrich and deepen the argument.
• □Active voice is preferred over passive voice
(active voice is used to emphasize the
performer of the action; passive voice is used
to emphasize the receiver of the action).
• □Sentences are free of wordiness and
unnecessarily complex constructions.
• □Variety in sentence structure and sentence
length creates emphasis.
• □Author’s values, personality and – when
appropriate – humor are conveyed in a way
that reinforces the message.
5. CORRECTNESS
Rules and conventions of spelling, grammar, punctuation,
usage, and idiom; style (appropriateness of word choice and
level of formality to audience, purpose, and material); social
and cultural appropriateness; accuracy in proofreading
Checkpoints:
• □Spelling (including technical terms and proper names) is
correct.
• □Correct words are used to convey the intended meaning.
• □Rules of grammar and syntax are followed, including
pronoun-noun agreement, subject-verb agreement,
appropriate verb tense, pronoun case, possessive forms,
parallel construction, etc.
• □Punctuation (particularly comma placement) reflects
standard usage.
• □Copy is free of mechanical errors and lapses in proofreading.
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
• Intercultural communication is a form of communication that
aims to share information across different cultures and social
groups. It is used to describe the wide range of communication
processes and problems that naturally appear within an
organization or social context made up of individuals from
different religious, social, ethnic, and educational backgrounds.
Intercultural communication is sometimes used synonymously
with cross-cultural communication. In this sense it seeks to
understand how people from different countries and cultures
act, communicate and perceive the world around them. Many
people in intercultural business communication argue that
culture determines how individuals encode messages, what
medium they choose for transmitting them, and the way
messages are interpreted.
• With regard to intercultural communication
proper, it studies situations where people
from different cultural backgrounds interact.
Aside from language, intercultural
communication focuses on social attributes,
thought patterns, and the cultures of different
groups of people. It also involves
understanding the different cultures,
languages and customs of people from other
countries.
• PROBLEMS
The problems in intercultural communication usually
come from problems in message transmission. In
communication between people of the same culture,
the person who receives the message interprets it
based on values, beliefs, and expectations for
behavior similar to those of the person who sent the
message. When this happens, the way the message is
interpreted by the receiver is likely to be fairly similar
to what the speaker intended. However, when the
receiver of the message is a person from a different
culture, the receiver uses information from his or her
culture to interpret the message. The message that
the receiver interprets may be very different from
what the speaker intended.
Attribution is the process in which people look for an explanation of
another person’s behavior. When someone does not understand
another, he/she usually blames the confusion on the other’s
“stupidity, deceit, or craziness”.
TRAITS
• Tolerating high levels of uncertainty.
• Open-mindedness.
• Engaging in divergent and systems-level thinking.
CHAPTER II
Functions of Communication
• Regulation/Control
• Social Interaction
• Motivation
• Information
• Emotional Expression
CONTENT STANDARD
• The learner values the functions/ purposes of oral
communication.
LEARNING COMPETENCIES:
1. Discusses the functions of communication.
2. Identifies the speaker’s purpose(s).
3. Watches and listens to sample oral communication activities.
4. Ascertains the verbal and nonverbal cues that each speaker
uses to achieve his/her purpose.
5. Comprehends various kinds of oral texts.
6. Identifies strategies used by each speaker to convey his/her
ideas effectively.
7. Evaluates the effectiveness of an oral communication activity.
FUNCTIONS OF COMMUNICATION
• What are communication functions?