LEVELS OF

COMMUNICATION
The primary function of communication is.
to convey information and meaning through
words, symbols, signs, or actions. People
form messages by combining pieces or bits
of information. This communicative process
takes place on four levels:
1. Intrapersonal communication

occurs when an individual

processes information based on his or
her own experiences. It is, in a sense,
communication within one person.
2. Interpersonal communication

takes place primarily when two people are involved in the

process. As mentioned, they have two goals:

(1) They want to accomplish whatever ask confronts them,

and
(2) they want to feel better about themselves as a result of
their interaction. These two goals are commonly referred to
as task goals and maintenance goals, respectively and they
exist side by side in varying degrees in most of our daily
activities.
3. Group communication

occurs among more than two people a

committee a club, or all the students enrolled in a
class. Groups are formed usually because the
combined efforts of a number of people result in
greater output than the individual efforts of the
same number of people. In other words, groups
can do more for the individuals than the individuals
can do for themselves
4. Organizational communication

arises when groups discover that they are unable to

accomplish their goals without some kind of organization.
Thus, organizations are combinations of groups formed in
such a way that large tasks be accomplished. Despite the
differences in size and complexity, each of may these levels
of communication continues to have task and maintenance
goals. The idea of maintenance goals can be divided into two
distinct goals-self- maintenance and group maintenance:
4. Organizational communication

- A self-maintenance goal describes an individual's

need to maintain his or her personal worth or
psychological well-being. An example of a self-
maintenance goal would be a group member's
striving to be liked by every member of the team.
4. Organizational communication

- A group maintenance goal describes a group's

need to maintain the non- task relationships they
have developed through interacting with one
another as a team.
An example would be a team's effort to promote
empathetic listening among all members.
Communicating Intrapersonally

All interpretation of information ultimately takes

place in the individual mind. Self-talk is the term used
to describe conversation that takes place within a
person. Self-talk may be either positive and
constructive, or negative and destructive. People's
self-talk influences the communication with others
that they initiate and receive, since attitudes and
mind-sets have already been formed prior to the
exchange of ideas between individuals.
Communicating Interpersonally

Most of your communication in business will occur

in various one-to-one relation- ships. Behavioral
scientists working in the fields of sociology and
psychology have strongly influenced business
management by stressing interpersonal communication
problems in the business environment. Understanding
these behavior patterns pro- vides supervisors valuable
insights that facilitate communication with employees
in today's information age.
Nonverbal Communication.

Managers use verbal and nonverbal

messages to communicate a message
to a recipient. Verbal means "through
the use of words," either written or
spoken.
Nonverbal Communication.

Nonverbal means "without the use of words."

Althoug most concern in communication study is
given to verbal messages, studies show that
nonverbal messages account for approximately 93
percent of the total meaning.
Nonverbal communication includes
metacommunication and kinesic messages.
1. Metacommunication.

A metacommunication is a message
that, although not expressed in words,
accompanies a message that is
expressed in words.
For example, "Don't be late for work"
communicates caution: yet the
sentence may imply (but not express
in words) such additional ideas as
"You are frequently late, and I’m
warning you," or "I doubt your
dependability" (metacommunication).
"Your solution is perfect" may also convey
a metacommunication such as "You are
efficient," or “I certainly like your work."
Whether you are speaking or writing, you
can be confident that those who receive
your messages will be sensitive to the
messages expressed in words and to the
accompanying messages that are present
but not expressed in words.
Kinesic communication.

People constantly send meaning through

kinesic communication, an idea expressed
through nonverbal behavior. In other words,
receivers gain additional meaning from
what they see and hear-the visual and the
vocal:
1. Visual- gestures, winks, smiles,
frowns, sighs, attire, grooming, and all
kinds of body movements.

2. Vocal- intonation, projection, and

resonance of the voice.
Some examples of kinesic messages and the meanings they may
convey follow:
ACTION
A wink or light chuckle follows a
statement.
A manager is habitually late for staff
meetings.
A supervisor lightly links his arm
around an employee's shoulders at the
end of a formal disciplinary conference.
POSSIBLE KINESIC MESSAGE
"Don't believe what I just said."
"My tine is more important than yours.
You can wait for me."
"Everything is fine; I'm here to help you
solve this problem." Alternatively. the
action may be considered
pulernalistic---a parent comforting a
child after necessary discipline.
 ACTION
An employee smokes in areas other than
those designated for smoking.
A job applicant submits a résumé
containing numerous spelling and
grammatical errors.
The supervisor looks up but then returns
her attention to a current project when an
employee arrives for a performance
appraisal interview.
A group leader sits at a position other
than at the head of the table.
POSSIBLE KINESIC MESSAGE
"I don't have to obey company rules that
infringe on my personal rights. A little
smoke won't hurt anyone."
"My spelling and grammar skills are
deficient." An alternative meaning is "For
you I didn't care to do my very best."
"The performance appraisal interview is
not an important process. You are
interrupting more important wvork."
"I want to demonstrate my equality with
other members."
Overcoming Barriers Created by
Nonverbal Messages.

Metacommunications and kinesic

communications have characteristics
that all communicators should take
into account:
1. Nonverbal messages cannot be
avoided. Both written and spoken
words convey ideas in addition to the
ideas contained in the words used.

-All actions-and even the lack of action-

have meaning to those who observe
them.
2. Nonverbal messages may have different
meanings for different people.

- If a committee member smiles after making a

statement, one member may conclude that the
speaker was trying to be fumy; another may
conclude that the speaker was pleased about
having made such a great contribution; another
may see the smile but have no reaction to it.
3. Nonverbal messages may be intentional
or unintentional.

- "You are right about that" may be intended to

mean "I agree with you" or "You are right on
this issue, but you have been wrong on all
others discussed." The sender may or may not
intend to convey the latter and may or may not
bee aware of doing so.
4. Nonverbal messages can contradict the
accompanying verbal message, and affect
whether your message is understood or
believed.

- If the verbal and nonverbal messages

contradict, which do you suppose the receiver
will believe? Exactly: the old adage "Actions
speak more loudly than words" is correct.
To illustrate the impact of the nonverbal message,
Decker, a leading communication consultant, calls to
mind a person who says, "I'm happy to be here, but
looks at the floor, talking in a halting, tremulous voice,
clasping his hands together in front of his body in an
edgy, inhibited fig-leaf posture.” His verbal and
nonverbal messages are contradictory; consequently,
his audience may not trust his words.
Likewise, consider the detrimental effect
spelling and grammatical errors in job
credentials might have on a job applicant's
success in an interview. The verbal message
communicates impeccable qualifications.
However, the interviewer receives the
contradictory nonverbal message that implies
the applicant is careless or has inadequate
language skills.
Likewise, a reader might react
speculatively to "We appreciate your
writing to us when you have a
problem" when nothing has been
done to solve the problem or to
explain the lack of action.
5. Nonverbal messages may get more
attention than verbal messages.

- If a supervisor rhythmically taps a pen while

making a statement, the words may not
register in the employee's mind. An error in
basic grammar may get much more attention
than does the idea that is being transmitted.
6. Nonverbal messages provide clues about
the sender's background and motives.

- For example, excessive use of big words may

suggest that a person reads widely or has an
above-average education; it may also suggest
a need for social recognition or insecurity about
social background.
7. Nonverbal messages are influenced by
the circumstances surrounding the
communication.

Assume that two men, Ganesh and Sam, are

friends who work for the same firm. When they
are together on the job, Ganesh sometimes
puts his hand on Sam's shoulder.
To Sam, the act may mean nothing more than
"We are close friends." But suppose Ganesh
becomes a member of a committee that
subsequently denies a promotion for Sam.
Afterward, the same act could mean "We are
still friends," but it could also arouse
resentment. Because of the circumstances, the
same act could now mean something like
"Watch the hand that pats; it can also stab."
8. Nonverbal messages may be beneficial or
harmful.

- Words or actions can be accompanied by nonverbal

messages that help or hurt the sender's purpose.
Metacommunications and kinesic communications can
convey something like "I am efficient in my business and
considerate of others," or they can convey the opposite.
They cannot be eliminated, but they can be made to
work for communicators instead of against them.
Listening as an Interpersonal Skill

Most managers spend a major part of

their day listening and speaking with
supervisors, employees, customers,
and a variety of business or industry
colleagues and associates.
Listening as an Interpersonal Skill

Listening commonly consumes more of

business employees time than reading,
writing, and speaking combined. Listening
is an interpersonal skill as critical as the
skill of speaking. Effective listening habits
pay off in several ways:
Listening as an Interpersonal Skill

- Good listeners are liked by others because

they satisfy the basic human needs of being
heard and being wanted.

- Job performance is improved when

supervisors receive and understand oral
messages from their employees.
Listening as an Interpersonal Skill

-Accurate feedback from employees

provides evidence of job performance.

- Both supervisors and employees ay

acquire greater job security from fewer
mistakes or ignored messages.
Listening as an Interpersonal Skill

- People who listen well are able to separate fact from

fiction, to cope effectively with false persuasion, and to
avoid laving others use them for personal gain. In other
words, good listeners don't "get taken" very often.

- Listening opens doors for ideas and thus encourages

creativity.
Listening as an Interpersonal Skill

- Effective listeners are constantly learning-gaining

knowledge and skills that lead to increased job
performance, advancement, and satisfaction.

-Joh satisfaction increases when people know what is

going on, when they are heard, and when they
participate in the mutual trust that develops from good
communication.
Listening as an Interpersonal Skill

Listening depends on your abilities to receive and

decode both verbal and non- verbal messages. The
best-devised messages and sophisticated
communication systems will not work unless people on
the receiving end of oral messages actually listen.
Senders of oral messages must assume their receivers
can and will listen, just as senders of written messages
must assum their receivers can and will read.
Bad Listening Habits

Physicians must first diagnose the nature of a

person's medical problems before prescribing
treatment. In the same way, you can't improve
your listening unless you understand some of
the nonphysical ailments of your own listening
Most of us have developed bad listening habits
in one or more of the following areas:
1. Faking attention.

-Have you ever had an instructor call on yon to

respond to a question in class only to find you
weren't listening? Have you ever haul a parent,
friend, or fellow worker ask you a question and
find you weren't listening? Have you ever left a
classroom lecture and later realized that you
lad no idea what went on?
1.Faking attention.

-Have you ever been introduced to someone only to

realize 30 seconds later that you missed the name? If
you had to answer "yes" to any of these questions, join
the huge club of "fakers of attention." The club is rather
large because almost all people belong. Isn't it
wonderful that we can look directly at a person, nod,
smile, and pretend to be listening? We even fake giving
feedback.
2. Allowing disruptions

- Listening properly requires both physical and emotional

effort. As a result, we welcome disruptions of almost any
sort when we are engaged in somewhat difficult listening.
The next time someone enters your classroom or meeting
room, notice how almost everyone in the room turns
away from the speaker and the topic to observe the:
latecomer. Yielding to such disruptions begins early in
life. Perhaps it is a form of curiosity.
3. Overlistening

Overlistening occurs when listeners attempt to

record in writing or in memory so many details that
they miss the speaker's major points. Overlisteners
"can't see the forest for the trees." An illustration of
bad listenin5 habit is the old story about college
freshmen who, on the first day of class when the
professor began with "Good morning put it in their
notes.
4. Stereotyping.

Most people use their prejudices and perceptions of

others as a basis for developing stereotypes. As a result,
we make spontaneous judgments about others based on
their appearances, mannerisms, dress, speech delivery.
and whatever other criteria play a role in our judgments. If
a speaker doesn't meet our standards in any of these
areas, we simply turn off our listening and assume the
speaker can't have much to say.
5. Dismissing subjects as uninteresting

People tend to use "uninteresting" as a,

rationale for not listening. Unfortunately, the
decision is usually male before the topic is ever
introduced. A good way to lose an instructor's
respect is to ask, "Are we going to do anything
important in class today?" if you have to (or
want to) miss that day's class.
6. Failing to observe nonverbal aids.

Good listening requires use of eyes as well as

ears. To listen effectively you must observe the
speaker. Facial expressions and body motions
always accompany speech and contribute
much to message. Unless you watch the
speaker, you may miss the meaning.
 In addition to recognizing bad
listening habits and the variety of
barriers to effective listening, you must
recognize that listening isn't easy. Many
bad listening habits develop simply
because the speed of spoken messages
is far slower than our ability to receive
and process them.
Normal speaking speeds are between
100 ad 150 words a minute. The
human car can actually distinguish
words in speech in excess of 500
words a minute, and many people
read at speeds well beyond 500 words
a minute.
Finally, our minds process thoughts at
thousands of words a minute. Because
individuals can't speak fast enough to challenge
our ability to listen, listeners have the primary
responsibility for making oral communication
effective. People do seem to listen to gifted
speakers, but they are rare. In everyday
activities, good listening requires considerable
mental and emotional effort.
 Because individuals can't speak fast
enough to challenge our ability to listen,
listeners have the primary responsibility for
making oral communication effective.
People do seem to listen to gifted speakers,
but they are rare. In everyday activities,
good listening requires considerable mental
and emotional effort.
Suggestions for Effective Listening

Because feedback and nonverbal signs

are available, you can enhance the
effectiveness of your face-to-face
listening by following these suggestions:
1. Watch the speaker

Gestures, facial expressions, and eye

movements can add much to the words used
and the meaning intended. If the speaker can't
look you in the eye, the sincerity of the remarks
may be questioned. Of course, the opposite is
probably true; steady eye contact may indicate
added sincerity or firmness.
2. Provide feedback

You can acknowledge understanding, agreement,

disagreement, and a variety of other feedback
responses through facial expressions, sounds,
and gestures. This feedback allows the speaker to
provide whatever restatement or added
information may be necessary or continue with the
discussion.
3. Take time to listen

Because people in face-to-face

communication are serving us senders
and receivers simultaneously , they may
become so preoccupied with thoughts
about what to say that they fail to listen.
4. Use your knowledge of speakers to advantage

In most jobs, face-to-face oral communication

occurs between people who already know each
other. Through experience, you will begin to
recognize others' speaking and organizing
traits. Some people simply seem to run on and
on with details before making their point.
Ask them what they had for dinner, and in reply
you will probably be given recipes for each item
and a description of the dining room's decor. With
this type of speaker, you will learn to anticipate the
major point but not pay much attention to the
details. Other speakers give conclusions first and
perhaps omit support for them. In this case, you
will learn to ask feedback questions to obtain
further information.
Listening for a Specific Purpose.

Individuals listen to (1) interact socially, (2)

receive information, (3) solve problems, and (4)
share feelings with others. Each reason may
call for a different style of listening or for a
combination of styles.
1. Casual listening

Listening for pleasure, recreation, amusement, and

relaxation is casual listening. Some people have
the radio on all day long: it provides background
music and talk during daily routines and work
periods, just as the car radio provides
companionship for most commuters. Casual
listening provides relaxing breaks from more
serious tasks and supports our emotional health.
An interesting concept about all listening, but
particularly true of casual listening, is that people are
selective listeners. You listen to what you want to
hear. In a crowded room in which everyone seems to
be talking, you can block out all the noise and
engage in the conversation you are having with
someone. Casual listening doesn't require much
emotional or physical effort, which is one. of the
reasons people engage in small talk.
2. Listening for information.

Listening for information is restricted to the search

for data of material. In the classroom, for example,
the instructor usually has a strategy for guiding the
class to desired goals. The instructor will probably
stress several major points and use supporting
evidence to prove or to reinforce them.
When engaged in this type of listening,
you could become so engrossed with
recording every detail that you take
copious notes without using an outline,
The end result is a set of detailed notes
without any organization. Understand the
outlining process.
When you take notes, use a logical system
such as the Roman-numeral outline that uses
1-A-1-a schemes to carry an outline to four
levels (one major item with three degrees of
subitems). If find yourself with a lot of
information beyond I-A levels. you are probably
you in making notes of detailed information that
is not essential to your success in the course.
In the process of listening for information, watch the
speaker. Most speakers have developed a set of
mannerisms composed of gestures and vocal
inflections to indicate the degree of importance or
seriousness they attach to portions of their
presentation, Above all else, listening for information
requires that listeners be able to separate fact from
fiction, comedy from seriousness, and truth from
untruth.
3.Intensive listening

When yon listen to obtain information, solve problems, or

persuade or dissuade (as in arguments), you are
engaged in intensive listening. Intensive listening involves
greater use of your analytical ability to proceed through
problem-solving steps. You should have an
understanding of the problem, recognize whatever
limitations are involved, and know the implications of
possible solutions. Intensive listening can be achieved by
following these suggestions:
3.Intensive listening

-Try to become involved in the material,

Make written or mental notes that should
be introduced as feedback to the
speaker. Doodling can help you
assemble your ideas for drawing a
meaningful solution to the problem.
3.Intensive listening

-Attempt to predict or anticipate the

speaker's future points. Listen with the
speaker but try to think ahead at times as
well. Thinking ahead can help you
develop a sense of the speaker's logic
and future points.
3.Intensive listening

-Watch speakers for any nonverbal clues.

These clues will help you under- stand the
speaker's point of view and emotional state.

-Try to avoid yielding to stereotypes.

personal judgments, and distractions.
3.Intensive listening

-Provide feedback to the listener. You

may give oral or nonverbal feedback,
such as nods, facial expressions, or body
movements to encourage further speaker
comments and behavior adjustment.
3.Intensive listening

-become a good summarizer. When your turn

comes to respond, trace the development of
the discussion and then move from there with
your own analysis. Feel free to "tailgate" on the
ideas of others. Creative ideas are generated
in an open discussion related to problem
solving.
4. Empathetic listening.

Empathy occurs when a person attempts to share

another's feelings or emotions. Counselors attempt
to use empathetic listening in dealing with their
clients. Good friends listen empathetically to each
other. Empathy is a valuable trait developed by
people skilled in interpersonal relations.
The interesting thing about empathetic
listening is that it more often than not
results in reciprocal listening. When you
take the time to listen to another, the
courtesy is usually returned. Empathy
leads to sharing.
JOHARI
WINDOW
JOHARI WINDOW
is a model that help us understand our
relationships with ourselves and others as we
interact with them. In the 1950’s the model was put
forward by two American psychologists Joseph
Luft and Harry Ingram, to describe the various
stages of awareness that exist while
communication occurs