Communication

Processes,
Principles, and
Ethics
Objectives
✓ 1 Define communication and describe the
characteristics of the communication process.
✓ 2 Explain the three communication models and
the elements of the communication process.
✓ 3 List and explain five fundamental principles of
communication.
✓ 4 Explain the importance of ethics in
communication.

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Why Study Communication?

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Aren’t some people just born
to be better communicators
than others?

If so, why should you work to

develop your communication
skill?

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Give reasons.
1. ___________________________
2. ___________________________
3. ___________________________

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Warren Buffett, whose savvy investing has
made him one of the richest people on the
planet, agrees with many other leaders
about the importance of communication
skills at work.

In one televised interview, Warren Buffet

declared, “If you improve your
communication skills, I guarantee you that
you will earn 50 percent more money over
your lifetime!”

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So why do you need to study communication?

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1. To Improve Your
Employability
Ranking of the top factors in obtaining employment
immediately after college:

1. Oral communication (speaking) skills

2. Written communication skills
3. Listening ability
4. Enthusiasm
5. Technical competence
6. Work experience
7. Appearance
8. Poise
9. Resumé
10. Part-time or summer work experience
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2. To Improve Your
Relationships
Virginia Satir, a pioneer in family enrichment, described family
communication as “the largest single factor determining the
kinds of relationships [we make] with others.”

Our early communication with our parents had a profound

effect on our self-concept and self-worth. According to Satir,
people are “made” in families. Our communication with family
members has shaped how we interact with others today.

Increasing our understanding of the role and importance of

human communication with our colleagues can help us better
manage stress on the job as well as enhance our work
success.

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3. To Improve Your Health
The lack or loss of close relationships can lead
to ill health and even death.

Having a social support system—good friends

and supportive family members—seems to
make a difference in our overall health and
quality of life.

Good friends and intimate relationships with

others help us manage stress and contribute to
both physical and emotional health.

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1
Defining
Communication
Communication
the process of acting on information.

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Human communication
is the process of making sense out of the world and sharing
that sense with others by creating meaning using verbal and
nonverbal messages.

Communication is about making sense.

Communication is about sharing sense.
Communication is about creating meaning.
Communication is about verbal and
nonverbal messages.

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According to Kincaid and Schramm:

1. Not all communication has to be

human communication.
2. Not all participants in a communication
process have to be present at the same
time.
3. Communication can take place over
large distances of space and time.

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According to Kincaid and Schramm:

4. Not all communication takes place

in words.

5. Communication does not always

require two or more participants.

6. Thinking is a form of
communication.
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Misconceptions About Human
Communication

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 1. What we need is more communication.

Communication can help resolve conflicts and address problems when there is better not more
communication between persons and groups of people.

It is better to maximize the strengths of communication if we know its limits.

2. Speakers bear the burden of
effective communication.

Listeners are the other half of an effective

communication transaction.
When listeners do their part by feeding cues to
the speaker, they exercise considerable
influence on the effectiveness and impact of
the exchange.
3. Communication breakdown
stops communication.
4. Communication consists of words.

✓ Words in order to become meaningful must be

accompanied by the body, especially facial
expression and tone of voice. The
communicator’s body must be attuned to what
he is saying.
✓ Often what words cannot convey, the body
does eloquently.
5. Meanings are in words.

We choose the way we interpret

symbols we use and hear.

As we interact with these words or

symbols, we actively assign meaning as
well as value to them.
6. Effective communicators are born not made.

✓ Any student who is willing to invest much time and effort can
enhance his or her communication skills dramatically.

✓ Knowledge, skills, and attitudes that comprise good

communication can be developed or cultivated over time.
Communication
Characteristics

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Communication
Characteristics
• Communication is inescapable. Every situation
creates opportunities to communicate. We send messages to
others and receive and interpret messages from others.

• Communication is irreversible. Once created,

communication has the physical property of matter; it can’t be
uncreated. It continues to be shaped by the events, experiences,
and thoughts of the communication partners.

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Communication
Characteristics
Communication is complicated. According to Dean
Barnlund, whenever we communicate with another person, at least
six “people” are really involved:

1. Who you think you are

2. Who you think the other person is
3. Who you think the other person thinks you are
4. Who the other person thinks he or she is
5. Who the other person thinks you are
6. Who the other person thinks you think he or she is.

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Communication
Characteristics
Communication is complicated.

1. If communication can fail, it will.

2. If a message can be understood in different ways, it will be
understood in just the way that does the most harm.
3. There is always somebody who knows better than you what
you meant by your message.
4. The more communication there is, the more difficult it is for
communication to succeed.

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Communication
Characteristics
Communication emphasizes content and
relationships.
The content dimension of communication messages refers to
the new information, ideas, or suggested actions the speaker
wishes to express. The relationship dimension of a
communication message is usually less explicit; it offers cues
about the emotions, attitudes, and amount of power and
control the speaker directs toward others.

Communication is governed by rules

developed by those involved in the interaction and by the
culture in which the individuals are communicating. Most
people learn communication rules from experience, by
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observing and interacting with others.
Elements of the
Communication
Process

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SOURCE
✓ the originator of a thought or an emotion.
✓ puts a message into a code that can be understood
by a receiver.

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Encoding
✓ the process of translating ideas,
feelings, and thoughts into a code.
✓ Vocalizing a word, gesturing, and
establishing eye contact are means of
encoding our thoughts into a message
that can be decoded by someone.

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Decoding
✓ the process that is the opposite of
encoding, occurs when the words or
unspoken signals are interpreted by the
receiver.

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Receiver
✓ The person who decodes a message and
attempts to make sense of what the
source has encoded.

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✓ Individual characteristics of people, including
○ race
○ Sex
○ Age
○ Culture
○ Values
○ Attitudes

affect the way they send and receive messages.

Message
✓ Written, spoken, and unspoken
elements of communication to which
people assign meaning

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Channel
✓ The pathway through which messages
are sent.

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Noise
✓ Interference, either literal or
psychological, that hinders the accurate
encoding or decoding of a message.

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Feedback
✓ The response to a message.

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Communication Models

Communication researchers have spent considerable time trying to understand

precisely how communication takes place.

Communication models are visual models that graphically illustrate the

communication process.

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The Three Communication
Models
✓ Transmission model
✓ Interaction model
✓ Transaction model

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Communication as Action: Transmission
“Did you get my message?”

These early models viewed communication as a transfer or exchange of

information; communication takes place when a message is sent and
received.

Communication is a way of transferring meaning from sender to receiver.

In 1948, Harold Lasswell described the process as follows:

Who (sender)
Says what (message)
In what channel
To whom (receiver)
With what effect
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Communication Models

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Communication as Interaction: Message
Exchange

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Communication as Interaction: Message
Exchange
The communication as interaction model uses the
same elements as the action model but adds two new
ones: feedback and context.

Feedback is the response to a message. Without

feedback, communication is less likely to be effective.

Feedback can be intentional (applause at the

conclusion of a symphony) or unintentional (a yawn
as you listen to your uncle tell his story about bears
again); or it can be verbal (“That’s two burgers and
fries, right?”) or nonverbal (blushing after being asked
for a date).
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✓ All communication takes place in some context, the
physical, historical, and psychological communication
environment.
✓ A conversation with your good friend on the beach
would likely differ from one the two of you might have
in a funeral home.

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✓ CONTEXT encompasses not only
the physical environment but also
the number of people present, their
past relationship with the
communicators, the communication
goal, and the culture in which the
communicators are steeped.

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The psychological context includes the effect of
what is going on in the minds of the
communicators; the speaker’s and listener’s
personalities and styles of interacting with
others influence how messages are
understood.

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Communication as Transaction:
Message Creation

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• In a communication transaction, the meaning of a message
is co-created by the individuals who are involved in the
communication process.

• Meaning is created in the hearts and minds of both the

message source and the message receiver, based on such
things as the characteristics of the message, the situation,
and the perceptions and background of the
communicators.

• By drawing on our own experiences while attempting to

make sense of a message, we actually shape the meaning of
that message.
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 Noise
✓ Physical noise—distractions
originating in the communication
environment.
 Noise

✓ Physiological noise—distractions
originating in the bodies of
communicators—cold, headache,
hunger, fatigue.
 Noise

✓ Psychological noise—distractions
originating in the thoughts of
communicators—anxiety, daydreaming,
worry.
✓ It refers to the qualities in us that affect how we
communicate and interpret others.

✓ For instance, if you are preoccupied with a

problem, you may be inattentive at a group
meeting.

✓ Likewise, prejudice and defensive feelings can

NOISE

✓ Semantic noise -  exists when words themselves are not

mutually understood.

✓ Authors sometimes create semantic noise by using jargon or

unnecessarily technical language.
Activity

✓ Think of a time when you were talking to someone—when you

thought you were being perfectly clear, but they didn’t seem to get
it.

✓ How might the concept of noise help you explain why this
moment of ineffective communication happened?

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Communication
Competence

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Examine the following:
Panda Mating Fails:

Veterinarian Takes Over Drunks Get Nine Months in

Violin Case

Include Your Children When Baking Cookies

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down

Jaywalkers Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half

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What does it mean to communicate competently?
communication competence -the ability to communicate successfully

The message should be understood as the

communicator intended it to be understood.

The message should achieve the

communicator’s intended effect.

The message should be ethical.

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Communication in the 21st Century

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Mediated Communication
Any communication that is carried out
using some channel other than those
used in face-to-face communication.

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 Communication Contexts
Interpersonal Small Group
Communication - occurs Communication - the
simultaneously between two transactive process of creating
people who attempt to meaning among three to about
mutually influence each fifteen people who share a
other, usually for the purpose common purpose, feel a sense
of managing relationships. of belonging to the group, and
exert influence on one another.

Presentational
Communication - occurs when
a speaker addresses a gathering
of people to inform, persuade, or
entertain them.

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Levels of Communication

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Levels of Communication
1. Intrapersonal Communication
✓ This is a type of communication
a person has with himself.
✓ It happens from the moment a
person wakes up; he begins an
internal thought process.
2. Interpersonal Communication

This is a
communication
between two persons.
Communication
varies depending on
the relationship
between two
individuals.
 Activity
✓ Think of a situation where you talked directly with another about
something you wanted or needed, but you didn’t get it.

✓ As you recall the scene, notice the first emotional reaction you
remember having. Was it positive or negative? Did you call up a
label for the other person or the way he or she talked to you?

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 Activity
2. Is there a situation in the recent past where, looking
back, you feel the other person didn’t really listen to you
and what you had to say?

3. Had the person listened to you, the outcome would

have been better— for you and for the other person?

4. How do you feel about this situation now when you

recall it?
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3. Group Communication
This occurs when 3 to 15 persons who
have a common goal interact formally
or informally.
 4. Public communication
✓ This takes place when one or more
individuals communicate in a large group in a
more “one-directional approach.”
5. Mass communication

This is a communication to an
extremely large audience, mediated by
audio or visual means.
Activity:
Identify the levels of communication.
1. Asking information from the guard
2. Reporting live from Taal Volcano Island
3. Praying
4. The Rector delivering his speech at The Rector’s Hour
5. Talking to some members of the class for the role playing
6. Interviewing the first patient who recovered from Covid 19
7. Recalling the activities you participated the day before
8. Reading the names of missing persons on television
9. Chatting with your best friend
10. Discussing fundraising campaign for typhoon Ulysees
✓ https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=S7CN9Trw43w

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Communication Principles

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1. Be Aware of Your
Communication with
Yourself and Others
✓ Be aware of your intrapersonal
communication.
✓ Be conscious of how your intrapersonal
communication or self-talk has an effect
on your communication with others and
your overall communication behavior.
✓ Be aware of the communication behavior
of others. 75
2. Effectively Use and
Interpret Verbal Messages

✓ Use clear and precise words to

explain ideas and concepts to others.
✓ Make a concerted effort to accurately
interpret the words of others.
✓ As Robert Fulghum wisely noted,
“Sticks and stones may break our
bones, but words break our hearts.”
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3. Effectively Use and
Interpret Nonverbal
Messages
• Use nonverbal, unspoken cues to express
feelings and emotions to others or to
modify the explicit verbal message you are
communicating to others.

• Make a conscious effort to accurately

decode the nonverbal messages of others.

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4. Listen and Respond
Thoughtfully to Others

• Be other-oriented by taking special care

to listen to both the verbal and the
nonverbal messages of others.

• Be deliberate in how you provide

feedback to those to whom you are
listening.

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5. Appropriately Adapt
Messages to Others

• Use your listening and nonverbal

communication skills to help you
appropriately adjust both your message
and how you communicate it to others.

• Make ethical choices about how to best

formulate a message and respond to
others to achieve your communication
😉
goals.
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Fundamentals of Ethical Communication

Responsible thinking
Decision making
Development of relationship

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Ethical communication

- fundamental to responsible thinking, decision making,

and the development of relationships and communities
within and across contexts, cultures, channels, and
media.

- enhances human worth and dignity by fostering

truthfulness, fairness, responsibility, personal integrity,
and respect for self and others.

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Communication Ethics
✓ https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=WI3hT-blyjw

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Apply your Skill.

1. Based on your own experiences, do you think that

people who do a lot of their communication by text
or online, in a normal situation, are lonely or
uncomfortable communicating in person? Explain.

2. In which of the three contexts (i.e., interpersonal, small

group, presentational) of in-person communication do you
have the strongest skills? Which area(s) do you
want to improve, and what skills would you like to
develop? Explain.

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Study Lesson 1.
Quiz on BB next meeting.

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References
Grice, G. & Skinner, J. (n.d.) Mastering Public Speaking...

http://grammar.about.com/od/mo/g/Noise.htm

Mehl, M. (2017). Principles of communication: Public speaking. USA: Pearson Learning Solutions.

Pearson, J. Nelson, P. Titsworth, S. Harter, L. (2006). Human Communication 2 nd edition. newYork:

McGraw-Hill Education.

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