CHAPTER 1:

COMMUNICATION
THEORY

WEEK 2 AND 3: 2023

Page 1 – 31: The Communication Handbook
(4th edition)
THE THREE MUST-HAVES IN
ICOM111:
1. It is compulsory to have the
prescribed textbook.
2. You need to have an activity
book.
3. An open and positive mind is the
gateway to successful studies!
 DISCLAIMER

• The subject ICOM111 is offered on the Mahikeng and

Vanderbijlpark campuses.
• This is an aligned module – in the plenary sessions (once
a week) we will discuss the same work and use the same
slides.
• In the practical sessions each campus will have their own
material that will be used in class although the prescribed
text book will be used as the basis of practical sessions.
THE SLIDES USED IN THE PLENARY SESSION IS
NOT THE STUDY MATERIAL, but rather a guide for the
lecturer when presenting the plenary sessions.
• It is important for students to purchase the prescribed
textbook and bring it to class every week as it serve as a guide
to the prescribed curriculum and syllabus of ICOM111.
• As a student you will engage with the prescribed textbook in
the plenary sessions as well as in the practical sessions.
• It is expected of students to read the specific chapter in the
textbook before they come to class – the assessment schedule
will indicate the chapter to read.
• It is expected of students to prepare well for the contact
sessions by reading the chapters and write down questions that
you want to ask in the practical sessions.
CHAPTER 1 RATIONALE
OF THIS CHAPTER

• We are all so accustomed to communicating with people around us that we

have been taking the process for granted.
• In ICOM111 we will discover that communication is a complex process, and
needs to be understood if meaning is to be successfully shared.
• Through grasping how the process of communication works, you will be able to
improve your communication skills.
• It will assist you to be more effective as a communicator, both in personal and
professional situations.
 After studying this chapter,
you will be able to:
CHAPTER 1 • Describe the interpersonal communication
process with the aid of a model
OBJECTIVES • Identifying the different elements in the
communication process
• Identifying the different purposes of business
communication
• Understand the different contexts in which
communication occurs
• Identify possible barriers to communication
• Understand how verbal symbols (words) are
used to communicate meaning
• Understand how non-verbal symbols are used
to communicate meaning
 STUDENT REFLECTION
IN YOUR ACTIVITY BOOK:
1. How important is communication to you?
2. How much time do you take to construct a message to your best
friend on WhatsApp?
3. Do you ever think about the consequences of the receiver of the
message to misunderstand the message?
4. What is your favorite way of communicating?
Let’s watch this short video
What are we studying?
• A model of INTERPERSONAL communication
ELEMENTS OF
THE
COMMUNICATION
PROCESS
• Sender
• Encoding
• Code
• Message
• Medium
• Audience
• Decoding
• Feedback
• Communication environment
 STUDENT REFLECTION
IN YOUR ACTIVITY BOOK:
We have been communicating in this class now for a short while.
I want you to draw the model of communication in your activity book and then identify OUR elements in the
process today here in class:
Sender – who is it?
Encoding – what is encoded?
Code – what is the code?
Message – what is the message?
Medium – what is the medium?
Audience – who is the audience?
Decoding – what is decoded and how is it decoded?
Feedback – what are the modes of feedback?
Communication environment – in what type of communication environment does this take place?
COMMUNICAT
ION
EFFETIVENESS • Communication effectiveness
AND • Communication Efficiency
COMMUNICAT
ION
EFFICIENCY
 • Intrapersonal communication
• Interpersonal or two-way communication
COMMUNICATI • Small-group communication
ON CONTEXTS • Public communication
• Mass communication
• Organisational communication
• Intercultural communication
 STUDENT REFLECTION
IN YOUR ACTIVITY BOOK:
INTRAPERSONAL COMMUNICATION:
Surely you have been talking to yourself this morning.
1. Write down a short conversation that you had with yourself this
morning.
2. Why is it important for us to use intrapersonal communication?
3. In five simple steps how would you explain intrapersonal
communication to one of your younger siblings.
Perceptual
barriers
• Cultural background
• Past experiences
• Selection
• Needs
• Education
 STUDENT REFLECTION
IN YOUR ACTIVITY BOOK:
PERSEPTUAL BARRIERS
In the few days that you have been here at university you met many new people. Some of those will become
your fiends during your study period and some will become lifetime friends. It is natural for us to perceive
people in specific ways. Think of one of the people you met this past week or two and write down notes on
the following:
1.Cultural background – did you find out something about the person’s cultural background? If so, how did it
influence your perception of the person. If you did not ask them about their cultural background, explain why
it is not important for you to know this about the person.
2.Past experiences – What was your past experiences getting to know new people, and how did your past
experiences influence your view of this person?
3.Selection – did you select specific information that you want to know about this person. Why did you select
it?
4.Education – Would you perceive a person coming from a rural area differently than one coming from the
suburbs? Give reasons for your answer.
 STUDENT REFLECTION
IN YOUR ACTIVITY BOOK:
THE HALO EFFECT
You have been here for a few
days. Explain a situation where
you met somebody and used the
HALO EFFECT when you made up
your mind about that person.
 • Language barriers
• Physical barriers
• Physiological
barriers
• Psychological
barriers
LANGUAGE BARRIERS
 STUDENT REFLECTION
IN YOUR ACTIVITY BOOK:
LANGUAGE BARRIERS
Here on campus students speak a multitude of languages, some of which we can understand, and
other which we cannot understand. At present most of us use English (for which for most of us it
is not out mother tongue) to communicate with others.
1. Write down one example of where you could not understand a person when they were
speaking to you.
2. How did you resolve the issue?
3. How important is it for you that you need to fully understand a person when communicating
with them. Provide reasons.
 STUDENT REFLECTION
IN YOUR ACTIVITY BOOK:
PHYSICAL BARRIERS
1. During the lockdown period most of you had to study online through
emergency remote learning. List at least 4 physical barriers you experienced in
communicating with fellow students and explain how you overcame these
physical barriers.
2. You are sitting in a noisy McDonalds, it is so hot, you are tired and irritated. A
friend from school walks in and is so surprised to see you. How will the physical
barriers influence your conversation with the person? How did you overcome
these barriers to have a decent conversation with the person.
 STUDENT REFLECTION
IN YOUR ACTIVITY BOOK:
PHYSIOLOGICAL BARRIERS
During your exam time you decided to take a break and went
out with friends. Your parents asked you to be back at midnight
so that you can have decent sleep before your final day of
studying for one of your most important exams. You made an
agreement with them that you will be back so that you can rest
and focus studying the next day. You enjoyed the party do
much that you did not even take notice of the time and only got
back at 02:00.
Explain the physiological barriers that you experienced when
you got home. ….this is going to be a fun one!!
VERBAL COMMUNICATION
 STUDENT REFLECTION
IN YOUR ACTIVITY BOOK:
VERBAL COMMUNICATION
• Think about a conversation that you had earlier today. What was the most
important to you, listening to the person talking or the non-verbal ques that the
person provided to you?
• When watching a series, what do you find most important? Is it the words spoken
or the body language of the actors in the series?
• How does your verbal communication between you and your elders differ from
the verbal communication between you and a sibling or a friend?
NON-VERBAL
COMMUNICATION
Only two words spoken but you follow the
storyline in this short film
 STUDENT REFLECTION
IN YOUR ACTIVITY BOOK:
NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
It is now your turn to make a list of advantages and
disadvantages of non-verbal communication. You can do it in
a table format or just list all the advantages and
disadvantages.
THE FUNCTIONS OF • Expressing
NON-VERBAL CODES meaning
• Modifying
verbal
messages
• Regulating
the flow of
interaction
NON-VERBAL CODES

• Proxemics
• Clothing and
personal adornment
• Gaze
• Facial expressions
• Voice
This will be funny to us in South Africa, but
will other people find this funny?
• Page 26-27 – Answer the questions in your
activity book. Do not just copy and paste from
the Internet or from your text book, we want
to see your own perspective, understanding
and knowledge of the subject matter!
• Bring your prescribed text book to the practical
sessions.
• Bring your activity book to the practical class
sessions.