Communication

To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others. - Anthony Robbins

Define Communication
O Communication is defined as a

process by which we assign and convey meaning in an attempt to create shared understanding. O This process requires a vast repertoire of skills in intrapersonal and interpersonal processing, listening, observing, speaking, questioning, analyzing, and evaluating.

Define Communication
O T

i rti g r xc gi g f i f r ti r sic ti t t t c tri s dir ct c ill r duce reater understanding O A l tt r r ss g c t i i g s c i f r ti r s O T s cc ssf l c v yi g r s ri g f i s f li gs- t ere as a lack f communication bet een Pamela and er arents O Soci l contact- s e gave im some ope of er return, or at least of t eir future communication

Purposes of Communication
O Physical and psychological needs O Relationships O Our sense of self O Information O Decision making O Persuasion O Education and Control

Physical and psychological needs

O To fulfil physical needs to survive; e.g. water,

food, shelter O To fulfil psychological needs contact with people; interaction with others O Topic of conversation not important; purpose = interaction with another person O Socially isolated people have many health problems including dying at a younger age

Relationships
O To form and maintain relationships with others O Association or connection between people O Family (blood); friends; workplace; university,

college; village; O Love; friendship; cooperation = to feel secure O Our sense of self

Information
O O O O O O O O

Information is vital in our lives To obtain and share information Through observation Through conversation Through reading Through listening Through mass media Through conferences, seminars, workshops

Decision making
O Making a decision O Mutual decisions O Discussions
O about which car to buy O about which university your child to go to

O Need to consult people with specialised

knowledge to make a decision; e.g. lawyers

Persuasion
O Persuade people to think the way we think O Political communication/rhetoric O Persuasion through mass media e.g. to

convince electorate to vote for a particular party O Advertisers persuasive language

O Use of ethos, pathos, logos

Education and Control

O To educate O To Control

Communication Barriers
O Any factor that prevents or hampers the

smooth flow of the message from the sender to the receiver O Misunderstanding or communication breakdown

Categories of communication barriers

O Frame of reference barriers O Perceptual barriers O Noise barriers O Medium barriers O Feedback barriers

Frame of reference barriers

O Frame of reference- the sum of an individuals

cultural and educational background, attitudes, values, beliefs, physical attributes, age and gender O Frame of reference not static, can change because experiences over a lifetime e.g. 10 year old boy, grows to 18 years, 30 years, 35 years, 45 years, etc O People have different frames of reference; no two people with identical frames of reference

Aspects of frame of reference

O Values, beliefs and attitudes O Emotions O Education O Cultural barriers

Values, beliefs and attitudes

O Persons values and beliefs are ideas which

the person holds about what is good and true O Values and beliefs are invisible O Someones behaviour indicates the values and beliefs O People have different values and beliefs these can be barriers to communication

Values, attitudes and beliefs

O Attitudes- feelings of approval or disapproval

towards people and things

O Positive attitude O Negative attitude

O Sender and receiver of a message have

different attitudes to the topic or a negative attitude to each other = frame of reference barrier O Difficult to communicate in presence of bias

Emotions
O Anger O Happiness, joy O Sorrow O Anxiety O Impatience O Patience O Judge people & events according to

feelings at the moment

Education
O Education & intelligence form an

important frame of reference O Intelligence = creativity, acumen, sharpness, O Good judgement, wisdom
O Education = formal schooling & life

experiences

Cultural barriers
O Intercultural communication skills important O Study cultural practices and customs of new

communities to avoid misunderstandings O Gift - Western culture wrap it; Japan give the gift open; only an inferior gift is wrapped. O Visitors Western culture announce their departure; Arabic culture offensive; host to announce that visitors should now go O THINK OF OWN EXAMPLES

Perceptual barriers
O Perception = the process of selecting and

organising information so that it makes sense O Interpretation of information or giving of meaning to world round you O Get a lot of information all day-your perception selects other stimuli to register and make sense to you O Perception is selective no two people perceive or interpret a communication transaction in exactly the same way.

Noise barriers
Noise term used to refer to any kind of disruption in the communication process O Two broad types:
O
a) Physical noise b) Psychological noise

Noise barriers
O Physical noise: cars driving by,

interruption by people, telephone ringing, O Semantic noise: misspelling, typographical error, bad pronunciation, ambiguous sentences
O Bad reading habits, poor vocabulary,

failure to pay attention

O Physiological noise occurs in the mind

Choice Of Medium barriers

O Mediums of transmitting messages

can hamper communication O Writing, telephoning, speaking face to face

Feedback barriers
O Feedback response message

receivers pass message to senders O Through feedback, one can assess the success of the message O Restate ideas or key points if the feedback shows the message is not getting across O Ask: What do you understand?

Communication contexts
O Intrapersonal communication O Interpersonal or dyadic communication O Extrapersonal communication O Public communication O Small-group communication O Organisational communication O Mass communication O Intercultural communication

Intrapersonal communication
O Communication within yourself; self -

communication O Talking to yourself or thinking O E.g. thinking of what to wear for an occasion O What other examples can you come up with? O Important in formation of an individuals selfimage

Interpersonal/dyadic communication
O Occurs between two people O Forms basic unit of communication O E.g. most informal, everyday

communication transactions personal, intimate, business situations O Think of own examples.

Extrapersonal communication
O Communication with animals, plants or

lifeless things O Examples: A man trips over a cable and swears at it; a woman who speaks to her roses to help make them grow; the lonely pensioner who speaks to his dog O Appears to be one-way, but is actually twoway. WHY?

Public communication
O Occurs in public O Usually one-way communication O Formal O E.g. a sermon; lecture O Think of own examples.

Small-group communication
O A collection of between 3 12 individuals

involved in face-to-face interaction to achieve a common goal O Occurs among people who work together with a common goal O Meeting formal small group O Study or tutorial groups informal small group

Organisational communication
O Definition: groups of people who work

together to reach specific goals O Communication between and among vital members O Communication within an organisation depends on how the organisation is run types of leadership

Organisational communication
O Direction of communication = channel/route

= 5 channels/routes
O Upward O Downward O Diagonal O Horizontal/Lateral (sideways) O Grapevine Have you heard ? type

Mass communication
O Transmission of a message to a mass

audience O A form of one-way communication listener passive participant O Entertainment, information, education, marketing, election campaigns O Print media O Electronic media

Mass media
Examples:
O Radio O Television O Newspapers O Magazines O Booklets O etc

Intercultural Communication
O It refers to communication between people

from different cultures who have different values, beliefs, behaviours and ways of communicating O People from different culture need to establish some common ground and cultivate an open, positive attitude towards on another

Thank You
O Next Session
O Communication Styles O Discussion