Download Communication Defined Handout

WHAT IS THIS THING WE CALL COMMUNICATION?
Huston
You wake up in the morning, crawl out of bed, and begin your day in much the same way you do most
days. Once you come out of your room and start to interact with your parents, friends, relatives, employers,
teachers, and anyone with whom you come into contact, you do something that you do without thinking.
No, it’s not what you think. You are engaged in the process of communicating. But, you say you haven’t
said anything. You’re correct, you haven’t. But are you still communicating?
Before you can know what it is what it is that we are discussing, you have to know what we are talking
about. What is communication? Let’s think about that term. Brainstorm a little. What do you think
communication is? Do most of your definitions focus on the use of words and verbally delivering those
words to other persons? If so, how do you explain messages that may be sent in other ways or by other
means? How can we define the term to pick up on those broader meanings?
Let’s try this. Communication may be defined as the process of assigning meaning to events and
behaviors. In looking at the definition what do we know about communication? First, it is a process. A
process is a step by step method of doing something. But, you communicate all the time. There is no
process. Really? Ask yourself this question, especially if you are an athlete. How do you throw a ball?
What are the strokes in swimming? How you shoot a basketball? Explain the procedure to someone who
has little or no experience in that endeavor? Can you do it? Why or why not? If you encounter problems,
it may be because you have done the action so often that you don’t even think about it now. It has become
instinctive. Think about communication now. It is a process you do all the time, so the method and means
that you use have become instinctive also. You will only improve if you begin to realize that you must
think about the process before you can change it.
Second, communication is not dependent on words. It is dependent on the interpretation of things that
happen to us and what goes on around us. Think about it. How does a baby communicate that he/she is
hungry, tired, or needs changing? Any of us that have dealt with young children (or teenagers) understand
that what they are attempting to communicate sometimes makes absolutely no sense. We play a guessing
game as to the intent of what they are communicating. We also make different assignments than may be
intended. That’s what it is all about—making sure that all who are involved in the process end up with the
same meanings to attempted communication attempts.
So, if this is a process there must be a model? Well, in fact there is. It all begins with the sender. Notice
that we don’t call this person the speaker. The sender is the person who starts the communication process.
It is his/her actions or behaviors on which meaning is placed.
The sender develops and sends a message. The message is defined as the event or behavior to which
meaning is assigned. That seems simple enough. Messages can be very complicated things. They can be
actions, gestures, words, or a combination of those things. How many messages do you receive each day?
To whom is the message conveyed? The receiver is the individual who is the target of the communication
attempt. They are the person who places meaning on the event or behavior. Examine the definition of
communication again. Is the definition receiver or sender based?
Once the receiver gets the message, what does that receiver do with it? First, the receiver must decode the
message. They place a meaning on the message they have received. That meaning may be what the sender
intended. It may not be what the sender intended. The receiver then decides how they are going to
respond. They are going to encode a response to the sender.
What is this response called? It is called feedback. Feedback is defined as the response that the receiver
gives to the sender. That response may take the same form as the original message. It may not. It often
conveys an the level of understanding of the original message.
What happens then? The receiver has sent a message to the original sender. The two persons now switch
roles. The original sender now decodes the message from the receiver. He/She then also encodes a
response to the receiver. A new message is sent. The whole process begins again.
Are we done? Almost. First, there are two more important parts to the model. The first is the channel.
How is the message sent? The channel is the means or medium through which the message is sent. Your
cell phone rings. You pick it up and immediately begin a conversation with your parent or friend. How are
you receiving that message? One electronic device is sending an electronic signal to another electronic
device. They do so by sending electronic signals via towers and satellite dishes. What happens if you get
out of range of one of those towers? Is your signal as clear as it needs to be?
The final part of the communication model is probably one of the more important. The whole
communication process does not take place in a vacuum. It occurs within a context or situation. That
situation may control the entire process. Don’t believe me? Try this one. First, how many of you have a
parent who is there when you arrive home from school? It’s two o’clock this afternoon. You get home and
your parent is there waiting for you. The simple question “Where have you been?” is asked. Do you
answer it? Most likely. And most likely you answer with one of those “I’m a teenager, don’t bother me”
types of looks or attitudes.
Change the scenario. Move the clock ahead. You, the sender, and the parent/receiver stay the same.
However, it is now two o’clock in the morning and you are now walking through the door. The same
question is asked—“Where have you been?” Is your answer the same? Do you have to think just a little
more? Why? What has changed? Change the situation in which the communication act takes place and
the whole process changes.
Why don’t we communicate well. We will talk more specifically about barriers to communication when
we discuss listening. Right now, the important thing to learn is that interferences occur. They fall into two
categories—external and internal.
External interferences are those things outside of us which prevent us from effectively communicating.
What is the present temperature in this room? Too cold, too hot, or just right? Listen carefully—can you
hear noises in the hall or outside which may prevent you from effectively communicating with others.
What things outside of you that are out of your control which prevent you from communicating?
Internal interferences are those things which we can control. They are things which we feel or think that
prevent us from effectively interpreting messages. They may be our thoughts, our attitudes, our lack of
attention span. They may be the fact that we don’t like the speaker or that we find the subject matter
boring. It may be that we don’t understand words that are being used. Some one may make a gesture that
we find offensive. The most important thing to understand is that we can control these things.
ASSIGNMENT
Examine the communication model. Think about a communication act in which you have taken part.
Identify and explain each part of the communication model using your chosen communication act. Place
that model and explanation on a separate sheet of paper to be handed in to the teacher.