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BILKENT UNIVERSITY
APPLIED SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
BUSINESS INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
Chapter 2:
Perception
Perception is Important
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Differences in perception are widespread
Not all differences are of equal importance
Not everyone’s perceptions have equal status
What does perception have to do with communication?
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You communicate your perceptions through language
You use your perceptual filters to interpret others’ messages
Your communication shapes your perceptions of others
Perception Defined
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Perception: the way in which an individual gives meaning to an object,
messages or event
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Perception is a process
Objective reality: the actual object, message or event
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You filter this through:
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Past experiences
Prior knowledge
Psychological state
Perception Defined
A Perception Model
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Prior Knowledge
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Prior Experiences
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Knowledge base you’ve developed over years of experience and education
Critical to making sense of what you see and hear
Use to help you make sense of your world
Psychological state
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Identity: your sense of self as a unique individual
You interact in relationship to the way you define yourself
Ex. Men & women, wealthy & poor, young & elderly
Identity includes personality traits
Based on external traits: marital status, job, etc.
Identity can impact your values and worldviews
Ebru Inanc
63 223 Business Communication I
BILKENT UNIVERSITY
APPLIED SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
BUSINESS INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
A Perception Model
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Values reflect what you see as good/bad, right/wrong
World views are group-related value orientations
Self-concept: how you view yourself
Emotional state: additional filter (ex. Anxiety)
Physical variables: health, location, weakened senses
A Perception Model
Prior
Knowledge
Prior
Experiences
Psychological
State
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= Subjective
Reality
Selective attention
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We are bombarded by so many messages
Impossible to pay attention to them all
You make decisions to pay attention to some more than others
We pay attention to message that are:
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Perceptual
Processes
(including
selective
attention,
projection,
stereotyping,
halo effect,
attributions,
etc.)
Thrust at us (ex. Loud noises, dazzling colors, pungent smells)
Interesting to us
Related to us specifically (ex. Name)
Self-fulfilling prophecy
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Role expectations play in your perceptions
You see what you want/expect to see
People tend to live up to expectations of significant others
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Stereotype threat: negative cultural stereotypes about a group can create a
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Positive or negative
belief in the stereotypes among members
Ebru Inanc
63 223 Business Communication I
BILKENT UNIVERSITY
APPLIED SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
BUSINESS INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
A Perception Model
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Halo Effect, Attribution Error and Projection
Halo effect: occurs when you make assumptions based upon limited
information
Positive or negative
Attribution error: attempt to attribute causes of events to either personalities or
external situations
Projection: tendency to see your own faults (or strengths) in others and point
out those traits
Concepts to minimize communication breakdowns resulting from
perceptual differences
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Recognize the distinction between objective and subjective reality
Your differences in perception are rooted in individual differences
How you look at differences matter
Communication is a central skill in the perception process
Sharpening Your Perceptions
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Facts/opinion confusion
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Statements of fact:
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Are based on observable sensory data
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Are only about the past or present, never the future
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Statements of opinion:
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Go beyond what has been observed
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Are about the past, present or future
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Are objective and free from interpretations, conclusions or assumptions about what
has been observed
Include interpretations, conclusions or assumptions about what has been observed
and are subjective
State your opinions by using an “I” message
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“I think,” “To me,” “From my point of view”
Sharpening Your Perception
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Checking Perceptions
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Responses to someone’s verbal/nonverbal communication
They share an impression of the person’s message
Open-minded, non-evaluative statements that invite a response
Help to verify assumptions or opinions
Provide a way to confirm what you are thinking
Sharpening Your Perception
Ebru Inanc
63 223 Business Communication I
BILKENT UNIVERSITY
APPLIED SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
BUSINESS INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
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How to phrase a clear perception check:
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State your perception of another person’s behavior
Present the perception in an open-minded or tentative way
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“I may be wrong,” “It seems”
Express your perception in a non-evaluative way
Invite a response
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Short question
Rising inflection
Sharpening Your Perception
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Learning conversations
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Process for learning about the perceptions of others
Debates: attempt to win, convince the other person you are right
Dialogue: goal is to understand, not win and requires a curiosity of others
Sharpening Your Perception
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Content messages: describe facts about what happen, often include
assumptions
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Feeling messages: how someone feels, most likely expressed in body language
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Identity messages: how people see themselves and how they are affected
Sharpening Your Perception
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Purpose of learning conversations:
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Understanding another person’s point of view
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Sharing your point of view
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Understanding/sharing feelings
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Working together to resolve a problem
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Move from “convincing” other person to cultivating “curiosity” about others’ views
Sharpening Your Perception
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Phases of learning conversations
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Invite the person to share his/her different point of view
Share the differing points of view
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Ask for information about his/her experiences
Paraphrase the speaker’s message
Focus on learning, not winning
Problem solving
Perception and Technology
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New technology allows people to change and shape reality
Be critical of what you see and hear
Ebru Inanc
63 223 Business Communication I
BILKENT UNIVERSITY
APPLIED SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
BUSINESS INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
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Call for media literacy awareness
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Media constructs messages to broadcast
Messages use creative language with specific rules
Messages are understood differently by different people
Decision-makers have their own points of view
Goal is usually more money and/or power
Perception and Technology
5 Questions for Critical Media Viewing
 Who created this message?
 What creative techniques were used to attract my attention?
 How might other people understand this message differently than I?
 What values, lifestyles, and points of view are being represented in, or
omitted from, this message?
 Why is this message being sent?
Ebru Inanc
63 223 Business Communication I