Ch. 1 Human Communication: What and Why

Types of communication

Intrapersonal Interpersonal Small Group Public Mass communication

Intrapersonal vs. Interpersonal

Intrapersonal- communicating with oneself

Interpersonal- communication that takes place between two people

Dyad- two persons interacting

Small group communication

Communication that takes place between more than two members

Group members usually communicate equally

Public communication

Communication that takes place in a large group Too large for all members to communicate equally

Mass communication

Consists of messages that are transmitted in large quantities to several people at one time

Transmitted through several sources: electronic, print, television, radio, magazines, etc.

No personal contact between sender and receiver

What needs are satisfied in your life by communicating with others?

Physical needs Identity needs Social needs Practical needs

Physical needs

Communicating with others benefits our physical health/well-being

Identity needs

We define who we are through communication with others

Impressions of who we are, are formed according to the ways in which others respond to us

Social needs

Several social needs are met through communication:

Pleasure Escape

Affection Relaxation

Inclusion Control

Practical Needs

Communication is used in order to achieve our everyday needs

-to get where we need to go

-to accomplish what we need to accomplish

-to better understand our environment and what is expected of us

What is communication competence?

The ability to communicate effectively

What is effective communication? Communication that maintains or enhances the

relationship in which it occurs

Why should we want to become more competent communicators?

More satisfying relationships In order to satisfy our human needs To get more out of life

Some interesting findings…***Several studies show that married couples that were

identified as effective communicators report more satisfying relationships than husbands and wives who are less skillful communicators

***Other studies have found that college students’ G.P.A. was positively related to their communication competence.

Studies show that even a small amount of training can greatly affect communication ability

How might you become a more competent communicator?

By taking this class By wanting to become a better communicator By continuously working toward improving your

communication skills By practicing the skills you are taught

What are the characteristics of a competent communicator?

A wide range of communication behaviors to choose from in an interaction

Ability to choose the most appropriate behavior for the situation

Ability to perform effective communication Plenty of practice as a skilled communicator

Other characteristics of competent communicators

Empathy Cognitive Complexity Self-Monitoring Commitment to the relationship

Empathy

Ability to put yourself in another’s shoes Understanding another’s perspective

Cognitive complexity

The ability to analyze the behavior of others in a variety of ways

Looking at the situation from a variety of angles (rather than just your perspective)

Self-Monitoring

Observing your own behaviors as if you are outside yourself

Imagining how others are interpreting your behaviors

Being aware of how your behaviors affect others

Commitment to the relationship

Level of commitment to a relationship determines willingness to communicate effectively

We work harder at communicating in relationships we genuinely care about

Three factors to remember when deciding on a response

The context (what is involved in the situation) Your goal (do you want this relationship to

continue positively) The other person (where is he or she coming from

and how is he or she feeling)

In Conclusion:

It is now clear that communication satisfies several human needs

It is important that we all work on our communication skills in order to have more effective relationships

Models of Communication

Linear Model Transactional Model

Linear Model 

In this model communication only goes one way

How it works…

Sender – person sending the message Receiver – person receiving the

message Sender encodes a message, chooses a

channel by which to send the message, and then sends the message to a receiver who then decodes the message.

Channel – the way the message is conveyed (face- to-face, telephone, e-mail, etc.) depends on the situation

[p. 14 explains different channels and their effectiveness in specific situations]

Encode – when the sender consciously attaches meanings to symbols from feelings and ideas, creating the message sent

Decode – when the receiver interprets and creates an understanding of what the message sent means

Noise

affects the message sent by the sender may prevent the message from reaching the

receiver accurately may affect the way the receiver interprets the

message. May take place before, during and after

message is sent

Types of Noise 1. External – factors that take place outside

the receiver 2. Physiological -- biological, personal factors

that prevent the receiver from accurately interpreting and decoding the message

3.  Psychological -- when forces within a person prevent he/she from having the ability to send or receive a message effectively

Environment

• Refers to our physical surroundings, or to our personal experiences and cultural backgrounds that communicators base their view of the world on.

• Our environments may influence the way we encode or decode messages.

The way we understand a message is based on several

factors: 1.  How we interpret the message sent 2.  Environment we come from

3. The environment we are in when the message is sent

4.  The amount of noise that is present when communication takes place

Weaknesses of the linear model:

lacks an element of response, and communication is only one way. 

This model assumes that all messages sent involve conscious encoding 

Sometimes we send messages unconsciously without consciously encoding them

This brings us to the transactional model – which changes encoding to response

Response – takes place when the sender (consciously or unconsciously) sends a message, or when a receiver (consciously or unconsciously) responds to a message.

Transactional Model

Similar to the linear model with added elements

Represents two-way communication 

In the Transactional Model… Feedback is the seen and understood

response of a receiver to a sender’s message 

Both parties involved are sending and receiving messages simultaneously

  Noise and environment are also elements

involved with the transactional model