Human Communication

Lizeth Torres
Marina Zepeda
Cory Wallace

Jonathan Hernandez
Pamela Guzman
Gabriel Landeros

A Model of Human Communication:

Human Communication in Society

Communication occurs when a sender encodes a message (puts ideas into words and symbols)

Sent to a receiver who decoded (interpreted)

Process reversed (receiver becomes sender, sender becomes receiver)

Noise and channel also used

Linear model of communication:

The components of Human

communication

Messages: the building blocks of communication events.

Encoding: taking ideas and converting them into messages.

Decoding: receiving a message and interpreting its meaning.

Symbol: something that represents something else and conveys meaning

Human Communication

Communication focuses on the exchange of messages to create meaning.

Becoming an effective communicator involves both understanding the

components and processes of communication and putting them into practice.

Successful communicators must converse effectively face to face, correspond

clearly via e-mail, learn when it is appropriate to use text messaging, and
absorb the norms and surrounding cell phones, chat rooms, video, and
telephone conferences.

Why Is Human Communication

Important?

It allows you to establish who you are to others. You reveal yourself as you
communicate.

It can help you attain your goals, establish relationships, and develop your
identity.

Studying human communication can benefit you by leading you to a new

career path.

How Can Human Communication Harm

Us?

Having too much communication can lead to problems.

Poor or unethical communication can negatively affect lives. Negative

conversational partner can lessen ones self-esteem.

Communication is Transactional

Each communicator is a sender and receiver at the same time

Meaning is created as people communicate together

Communication is an ongoing process

Previous communication events and relationships influence the

meaning of communication

Communication is influenced by
individual forces

Age, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender/sex, sexual orientation, regional identity

Also include field of experience, such as education and experiences

Individual characteristics are unique for each person

However, society places limits on the variations that are deemed acceptable

Communication is influenced
by culture

Age affects the way you communicate

Beliefs, values, norms

Communication is influenced by context

Context includes the setting or aspects of the physical environment

Both individual and societal forces are used

Communication is influenced by social

forces

While we are each individual, society places constraints on the range

of our individualism

Political, historical, economic, and social structures of society affect

how we view specific individual characteristics

Media, friends, family, groups such as schools, religious institutions

or activity clubs.

Absolutism vs. Relativism

Forming a necessary decision in communication ethics relates how absolute or relative your ethical standards will
be.

Absolutism- is the acceptance of our belief in absolute principles that holds for everyone, every time and
everywhere.
They Believed in the Absolutist
perspective.

German Philosopher
Immanuel Kant

Greek Philosopher
Plato

Relativism is to believe that moral behavior varies among individuals, groups and cultures as well as
situations.

French Philosopher Jean-Paul

Sartre

Hold the view of relativism

Ethics of language use

An important ethical issue related to message creation centers on the types of language we use in other
words language that refers to others.

For example:

Unethical language - includes racial and ethnic slurs and sexist, it prevents us from engaging interaction
that allows a more complex view of both, the issues and the person or group.

Ethical Responsibilities of Receivers

Reasoned skepticism- the balance

of open mindedness and critical
attitude needed when evaluating
other messages.

Healthy feedback- refers to honest

and ethical responses receivers
provide to the message of others.
Message receivers have the
responsibility to pay close
attention to what is being
communicated and listen
carefully on what is said and
what is left unsaid!

Communication Ethics

Communication Ethics- The standards of right and wrong that

one applies to messages that are sent and received.
Why are communication ethics so important?
1) they sustain professional success. Your reputation as a person
of integrity impacts whether others want to hire you, work for
you, or conduct business with you. Consequently,
communicating and behaving ethically is just good business.
2)Communication ethics are vital to personal relationships.
Maintaining intimate and caring relationships can be difficult if
not impossible if one communicates unethically. Far too many
people have learned the hard way that a lack of ethics destroys
relationships.

Sharing or withholding Information

A fundamental principle of ethical communication concerns what

information should be divulged and what can be with held.

This distinction is important because typically its ethical to maintain

privacy but it may be unethical to engage in secrecy.

Truthfulness in Ethical Communication

Truthfulness plays an essential role in ethical communication.

1) Others expect messages to be truthful.

2) messages have consequences.

Your communication can influence the beliefs, attitudes, and

behaviors of others. The more influential the impact of your
message, the more you will be held responsible to the truth.
For example you might not be criticized too harshly for
exaggerating your salary during a flirtation with a stranger, but
an employer will probably think it unethical if you lie about
your salary on a job application.