2. What is communication?
Communication may be defined as the “interchange of thoughts or information to foster
mutual understanding and trust. It includes both the transference as well as the
understanding of the meaning of the message.” In other words, it is the transmission of
information and is a continuous process
✓ Communication greatly helps in the development, formation, growth, and change of
attitudes, stereotypes, and prejudices
✓ Communication fosters motivation by clarifying the employees/ members about their
tasks/ roles. Further, timely feedback and reinforcement of the desired behavior
stimulate motivation and, thus, require communication
✓ Communication is an important source of emotional expression and for the fulfillment of
social need
✓ Communication provides appropriate information that individuals and groups need to
make decisions by transmitting data and evaluating the alternative choices
3. The Communication Process
Source Encoding Channel Receiver Decoding
[Noise]
Feedback
The sender initiates a message by encoding a thought(to change information into a form).
The sender makes use of symbols (words, graphics, or visuals) to convey the message and
produce the required response. The message is the actual physical product of the sender’s
encoding. When we speak, the speech is the message. When we write, the writing is the
message. When we gesture, the movements of our arms and the expressions on our faces
are the message. The channel is the medium through which the message travels. The sender
selects it, determining whether to use a formal or informal channel. The receiver is the
person (s) to whom the message is directed, who must first translate the symbols into an
understandable form. This step is the decoding of the message
4. The final link in the communication process is a feedback loop. Feedback is the check on
how successful we have been in transferring our messages as originally intended. It
determines whether understanding has been achieved or not
Thus, communication can be defined as the interchange of thoughts and information to
bring about mutual understanding and confidence among group members
5. Message Transmission Mediums
Verbal Written Visual
In-person speech Email Drawings, paintings
Phone conversation Text, instant message Photos, graphic designs
Voice-over-internet protocol
(VoIP)
Report, article, essay
Body language (e.g., eye
contact, hand gestures)
Radio Letter Graphs
Podcast Memo Font types
Voicemail message Blog
Semaphore(Method of visual
signaling, usually by means
of flags or lights)
Intercom Tweet Architecture
6. Verbal Communication
Verbal communication is the use of words to convey a message. Some forms of verbal
communication are written and oral communication
LANGUAGE
Verbal language is the most important source of communication. Language communication
can be in the form of:
a)Phonetics-: The study of speech sound, how they are produced, and the perception of
speech
b)Semantics: The study of meanings of words and phrases. As different languages use
different words for the same thing
➢ The distinction of the language used in communication can be made on the
basis of :
7. a)Denotative meaning: Denotative meaning bears a close relationship to concept formation. These
construes help to define things precisely and are not confused with other things. For example,
people define a “ car” in a similar way. In fact, people would have no trouble understanding
the statement, “I’ll be in a green car.” Some other examples can be: a piano, a policeman, a
gun, a portable firearm, or the blueberry is very blue
b) Connotative Meaning: Connotation refers to the wide array of positive and negative associations
that most words naturally carry with them. This suggests a feeling or the main idea. For
example; blue is a color, but it is also a word used to describe a feeling of sadness, as in: “She's
feeling blue”
Positive connotation: Words that conjure a favorable emotional response. For example,
describing someone ambitious as a “go-getter” or someone who is lively and curious as
“youthful”
Negative connotation: When a negative connotation is made, it presents the person or
thing in an unfavorable light. Using the examples above, the same ambitious person might be
described as an “overachiever,” while the curious person might be referred to as “childish”
8. One way to look at connotative meaning is through associative meaning.
In semantics, associative meaning refers to the particular qualities or characteristics
beyond the denotative meaning that people commonly think of (correctly or incorrectly)
in relation to a word or phrase. Also known as expressive meaning and stylistic meaning.
Different people might have different associations attached to a word like "needle." They
might associate it with 'pain,' or 'illness,' or 'blood,' or 'drugs,' or 'thread,' or 'knitting,' or
'hard to find' (especially in a haystack), and these associations may differ from one
person to the next. Or, a word like “piano”. This word can be associated with a note, or a
song;Policeman-authoritative, upright, robbery, helpful, and quick
9. Non-verbal Communication
Nonverbal communication is the nonverbal human response (gestures, facial
expressions, or body movements) and the perceived characteristics of the environment
through which the nonverbal messages are transmitted. Non–verbal communication has
no structure, or vocabulary and is more spontaneous and reliable
Conventionally, non-verbal communication has come to mean:
✓ Paralanguage: This construes voice intensity, speech disturbances(under anxiety
situations), hesitations(when the speaker is searching for the right word to transmit the
message), silences, laughing, yawning, nonfluencies (ah, uh, oh, hmm). Generally, more
the way something is said than precise words used
✓ Kinesthetic or Body Language: Ralph. V Exline is known for his extensive work on
nonverbal communication. He was particularly interested in what factors affect eye
contact and suggested that eye contact is used to indicate affiliative orientation and an
information-seeking device
✓ Kinesthetics also involves emblems, affect displays, illustrators, adaptors
10. ➢ Emblems: Emblems are a term first used by the researcher David Efron. Emblems are
nonverbal signals that can generally be translated directly into words. And
describe gestures that have very precise meanings known within an ethnic or cultural
group. Examples of emblem gestures are: beckoning with our first finger – “come here”,
the thumb-to-index finger- “OK”, a wave- “hello or goodbye”, a hand-to-ear- “Please speak
louder", a "come-here" beckoning hand movement
➢ Illustrators: Illustrators are bodily movements that are directly tied to speech, serving to
illustrate what is being said verbally to enhance receiver comprehension. For example:
we nod our head when we say “yes”; we shake our head when we say “no”; we shake our
fist when we are “angry”
11. ➢ Affect Displays: Affect displays are nonverbal communication that expresses emotions or
feelings. Affect displays are the movements of the facial muscles expressing the primary
emotions—happiness, surprise, fear, sadness, anger, disgust, and interest. Affect displays
are extremely informative and influential. An affect display might accompany folding up
your hand for silence. Or, two men threaten each other but do not fight openly. Affect
displays can be altered or faked so one may appear one way when they feel another
(e.g., smiling when sad)
➢ Adaptors: An adaptor is a body motion used by people to adapt or adjust to a
communication process that is occurring. It may be a stress-induced reaction, such as a
person who biting his nails, taps his/her foot or fingers, or uses another repetitive body
motion during the conversation
12. 1.Kinesics or Body Language:
Emblems; Illustrators—Adaptors,
Affect Displays;);eye contacts;
inconsistencies
