Professional Documents
Culture Documents
OF COMMUNICATION
A study reveals that many of us spend 70 to 80 %
of our waking hours in some form of
communication. Further, statistics point to the
fact that approximately 85% percent of our
success in life is directly attributable to our
communication skills.
(http://extension.missouri.edu/p/CM150; http://advancedlifeskills.com/blog/14-very-effective-
communication-skills/ )
STOP & THINK. Find the elements of communication.
If one is missing, say this missing one aloud.
B I M V T L P N R
S M E D I U M E E
C O S F O A V Z D
O N S K L I Z E N
N P A G E Y D U E
T W G C A C T D S
E F E E D B A C K
X R L E N N A H C
T Q C F U B J N R
STOP, READ, & THINK. Can you identify the elements
based on this scenario?
A travelling salesperson stopped at a fast food
restaurant for a cup of coffee. When the server
delivered the coffee, the friendly salesperson
attempted to make a conversation.
“Looks like rain,” the salesperson said.
“I don’t make this stuff,” the server responded,
“I just serve it.”
Van Ekeren, G. (1994). Speaker’s sourcebook 2: Quotes, stories, and anecdotes for every occasion. New Jersey. Prentice Hall.
TOPIC 1: ELEMENTS
OF COMMUNICATION
1. Sender
the encoder or the source of the message
can be a person, group of people, and
organization w/ their own distinct
characteristics, e.g. age, gender, values, etc.
2. Message
the ideas and feelings the sender encodes or
sends
- in verbal (words) form or nonverbal symbols
(paralanguage: pitch, tone, volume; body
language: gestures and facial expressions,
posture, eye movement; physical distance to the
receiver, and appearance/clothing)
According to Albert Mehrabian, a psychologist known for his
pioneering work on nonverbal communication, when words and
body language contradict, one is inclined to believe the latter (Belludi,
2008). If this takes place, movements or gestures may become
barriers to a successful exchange of ideas. For instance, when the
nonverbal replaces the verbal, e.g. the ‘ok’ hand gesture
instead of saying ‘ok’, this signal may be mistaken as a
sign for money.
Hence, a harmony between the verbal intent and the nonverbal
meaning is crucial in attaining effective communication.
3. Channel
- the vehicle by which the message is sent
also called medium used in message
conveyance
can be grouped based on form (verbal or
nonverbal) and means (face-to face or
technology-mediated) of delivery
4. Receiver
the decoder or the recipient of the message
has his/her/their distinct characteristics, e.g.
educational background, values, etc.
5. Feedback
the verbal or nonverbal
responses to the sender’s
encoded signals/messages
6. Noise or interference
- the factors that hinder the recipient’s ability to
send or receive messages
As a barrier to communication, this may be:
external - physical environment
internal - psychological/mental (e.g. biases,
inattention), physiological (physical
traits/disability, e.g. cleft palate), semantic
(words used), and syntactic (grammar/sentence
structure)
7. Context
the situation and environment in
which the communication occurs
• the background or framework surrounding
an event/occurrence
• 3 dimensions: physical, social (occasion,
people involved), cultural
COMMUNICATION PROCESS
Context
Noise
encoding / encoding/
decoding decoding
Sender/ Message(s) Sender/
Receiver Channel/ Channel/ Receiver
Medium Medium
Feedback
Noise
Context
*Combined ideas from Dunn & Goodnight (2011)and Gamble & Gamble (2010)
DEFINING COMMUNICATION
The process of transmitting information
and common understanding from one
person to another (Keyton, 2011)
The interdependent process of sending
and receiving, and understanding
messages (Dunn and Goodnight (2011)
STOP & THINK. Based on the image below, when is communication
considered successful?
Successful communication = common understanding between the sender and the receiver, that
is the meaning intended by the sender through her/his message is the same meaning
understood by the receiver
STOP, READ, & THINK AGAIN.
This time, identify the elements, and determine if the communication between these
individuals can be considered successful?
A travelling salesperson stopped at a fast food restaurant for a
cup of coffee. When the server delivered the coffee, the friendly
salesperson attempted to make a conversation.
“Looks like rain,” the salesperson said.
“I don’t make this stuff,” the server responded,
“I just serve it.”
Van Ekeren, G. (1994). Speaker’s sourcebook 2: Quotes, stories, and anecdotes for every occasion. New Jersey. Prentice Hall.)
STOP & THINK. Read these communication pieces – emails.
Is the communication between the sender and the receiver successful? Why? Why not?